Pencil Cases

It is the last day of school holidays. As usual they seem to have flown by and we could all do with another week.
The girls needed new pencil cases, the zips had both gone on the ones we bought at the start of the year. Hoping these last a lot longer.

Gardening and Sewing

It has been a really busy few days here. My parents and in-laws have all been here helping in the garden, which was starting to resemble a jungle. All the roses have been pruned and the garden beds weeded and it looks amazing.
In craft news I have cut into the stack of Denyse Schmidt fabric and started a quilt for my other sister. Simple blocks, but they look great in this fabric.

A couple more pillowcases finished so now the girls have one each.

Dotty Socks

The never ending Dotty Socks are finally finished. I am not sure why they took so long. It is a straight forward pattern and the Madelinetosh Sock is beautiful to knit with (and wear).
All the details on ravelry.

Around The Block

My last 2 blocks for Around The Block are finished. I have really enjoyed being part of a quilting bee. I have tried new techniques and worked with fabrics and colours I wouldn't normally work with and it is really interesting to see what other people do with the same set of instructions.

Single Girl Quilt Top

The Single Girl quilt top is finished. Well worth the effort and pain of cutting out all the templates. The sewing was not difficult. The curves are so huge that with a few pins it is easy to sew the pieces together. Now it just needs basting and quilting which I think will need to wait until after the craft room clean up. This quilt is huge and I think I will need all the space on the sewing table I can get.

The Farm

Bike riding, mud, puddles, lambs, bush walking, rock puddles, toasting marshmallows, cousins. Life doesn't get much better when you are 3 or 6.

Single Girl Progress 2

The Single Girl quilt is still a work in progress. I have finished all the block quarters and I can see the end in sight. The weather has been freezing though for weeks and I would rather be knitting at the moment than sewing. I am going to make myself sew a little of it each day and try and get it finished.

Kitchen Aid

There has been less crafting this week and more baking due to the arrival of this! No pictures of the cupcakes and the blue velvet cake based on this recipe. Cake presentation is not my strong point, but they were all eaten fast so they must have been delicious.
And with it came the perfect size box for Evie to be happy in all day.

Red Coat

I bought this pattern in 2004 in Denmark and I have been going to make it every winter since, but for one reason or another it never happened. The completely freezing weather this week, the lack of coats in my cupboard and the realisation that the cardi I am knitting won't be magically finished today meant I needed to sew.
It was a very easy pattern, no lining and only 4 pieces. I also 'cheated' on the buttons by using press studs and sewing buttons on the outside. I thought the coat needed big buttons and new if I tried big button holes they would look a little untidy. These are the last of some hand made buttons my Mum bought back from Sydney a few years ago.

In Bloom - pattern

I seem to be in the pattern writing zone at the moment (it is a rare thing so I am trying to take advantage of it) so I finished off In Bloom. Now available here and here.
This quilt is a great one if you have a spare jelly roll lying aroung. It uses pretty much the whole jelly roll and a few metres of background fabric for the top.

Crossroads Quilt

I finally wrote up the pattern for the quilt I made for my Mum last Christmas. It is now available here and here.

My Pdf patterns are now available at the Fat Quarter Shop!