2011? Tick! .... Fresh Sewing for 2012

I'm linking up with Fresh Sewing Day over at Lily's Quilts today ...

I wasn't going to do a review of my sewing stitchy piccy year, but I'm really posting this to remind myself that even when I look back at 2011 and all I see is a totally ghastly year, there were some good things that came from it!  Not least the community and support from all of you lovely people :)


This year really was full of sewing and learning for me.  Well, the first half and then the last month, to be more accurate.  Work got the better of me, as well as ill health, so creative productivity crawled to a halt some time in September.  But, that said, I think I made some good stuff this year, amongst some not so good stuff, and all the unstarted stuff in my head. 

Clicking on any of the pics will take you to the flickr set and links to tutes etc.

I wrote some tutorials: One for Lily's Quilts Hexalong, three for Accuquilt Go! Baby, and one for the Fat Quarterly Designer's Challenge!  Woot!



I took part in some great swaps - Make Mine Modern, For the Love of Solids, DQS10 and Brit Quilt Swap.

I love swaps … they allow me to practise new techniques. 





I received such delightful wonderful things in my swaps - thank you to all you lovely people who make things for other people (you can see them in the bottom of the booth shots for each swap). 

My favourite quilt this year? … Lynne @ Lily's Quilts wonderful Angel Quilt for the Brit Quilt Swap!






I discovered that
I really enjoy embroidery and applique! 

Who knew?









I hosted some great giveaways & the Japanese Scrap Bag Challenge, with help from Melody Miller, Backstitch, The Eternal Maker and Accuquilt - thank you so much!






Ooh, and you all got to interview Melody Miller! 
How cool was that?!!



I only made three full size quilts this year !! One of them was for ME!  I love my Ruby Star Spring quilt more than anything I've ever made … I also made Pingwheels of My Mind for my niece and a giant Lynne Bob Square Pants for my auntie … I practised HSTs like there was no tomorrow … I'm almost ready to make some more … almost!

I played with photography a bit too … there were some great opportunities, like the Zombie Walk in Brighton, and White Night, as well as just everyday moments to capture.  I also re-homed a new cat, Kitsune/Manny - a wild tearabout of a Maine Coon.  I bear the scars.



And, as ever, I start 2012 with a trio of WIPs!  The orange tree is nearly finished, the Gentleman's Relish quilt is shelved until I can get some more grey linen (I busted it on lapkins!) and my beloved Bletchley Quilt - only 4 weeks until the deadline!  Eeek!

So, that's an end to the self-indulgence!
 
Today is the first of a new year, so there are creative and living and loving and photographic opportunities to grasp with both hands … 

Wishing you all 366 (!!!!) days of happy crafting ahead …

Don't forget to check out Fresh Sewing Day over at Lily's Quilts

August! What a month …

Today I’m linking up to Lily's Quilts and Fresh Sewing Day.

I’ve had quite a busy month … I’ve been sporadically on holiday (yay!) and trying to fit in a load of sewing (double yay!) … as well as celebrating my first blogiversary last week!  (triple yay!)

I put in some long, long, hours of mad improv piecing for my ruby star spring quilt … which is now ready to quilt, despite the interference of the cat!  I’ve tried machine quilting it but my machine just can’t handle all that linen (it has a completely linen back too) it’s too heavy and too slippy and it looks ghastly, so on with the perle cottons it is!  I like a sofa project ;) 

There’s no deadline on this quilt as it’s for ME! (this will be my first full size quilt for me).

I also finished my Pingwheels of My Mind quilt for my goddaughter. using the wonderful Happy Mochi Yum Yum I won over at Lily’sQuilts :

Then I went a bit bonkers barmy for my For The Love of Solids Swap .. I started with fibonacci sequences and then mixed it all up. 

The quilting was even more bonkers … I used 3 bobbins for all that cosmic chaos quilting!  I’m going to sit and bind this tonight …

I’ve also been working on some hexies for the 4x5{modern}bee on flickr:

... and a little bit of test knitting (shhh don’t tell anyone)

with this wonderful linen & some variegated yarn I’ve had for yonks:

What a month! 

And now it’s time to get on with my Bletchley Park Quilt:

... be sure to pop over and support all the lovely people linking up for fresh sewing day …

Bletchley Park Quilt - Concept Board

Bletchley Park Quilt - Concept Board, a photo by Sarah @ pingsandneedles on Flickr.

I'm not going to have a lot of time to work on this in the next couple of weeks, so I thought I'd get my initial thoughts down on paper, along with some swatches of potential fabric.


I found the perfect backing and binding fabrics in my LQS, so I'm totally delighted about that. It's always a tricky decision for me, so for now, that one's taken care of!


(Until I change my mind about the whole direction of the quilt, that is!)


If you click to view the picture full size you'll see some more detail ...


I was in two minds about showing my Bletchley quilt in progress, as it's top secret and all that (in my head LOL) but really, I'd rather share, as I think it's going to be an interesting process ...


check out some more inspiring creative spaces here

Fresh Sewing Day

Yay it’s FSD @ Lily’sQuilts  .. another month gone (good grief?) …


July was a busy month at work (end of term and such like) and the beginning of my holidays saw me doing a lot of preparation and planning and very little of yer actual sewing … but here’s a little mosaic of what I’ve been up to …



I did do two tutorials though!  A first for me …

One for QAYG Hexies for  Lily’s Quilts HexAlong, and one for a 30 minute Heart applique block, to help out Caroline over at Serenity Quilts raise money for Cancer Research.

On Flickr I’m signed up for the 4x5 Modern Quilt Bee, and I’ve been auditioning blocks … It starts officially today, so I’ll be focusing a bit more on it from now on.

I’m also doing the For The Love of Solids swap on Flickr.  I’ll be showing you a few sneak peeks to tease my secret partner in due course ;)

Lynne has also set up a lovely initiative for new bloggers out there …

If you’re just starting out, with fewer than 20 followers you can add your link and we’ll come and give you a bit of support!  It took me forever to get past about 5 followers(!) so I think this is a lovely idea …

                          My sewing day month looks like this … eek!







For more loveliness and to add your links to either the Fresh Sewing Day or the Small Blog Meet Up head over to Lily’s ….

Berlin - My own special Flea Market fancy

I was going to walk you round the fabrics at Frau Tulpe today, but I thought I’d just squeeze in this post about my best fleamarket find evah.



I must fess up first though. 
The lovely Julia from little girl quilts had invited me to the Berlin Modern Quilt Guild Meeting (how cool is that logo?!) but my plane was delayed, and it was a long long long way from where I was staying, and I was a little shy about barging in, if truth be told.  So I didn’t go.


Julia also recommended a ton of things for me to see and do, most of which I did, and you’ll see pics of later, so really, thank you, Julia, so so much!





On my way from Berlin airport into the city (train wasn’t busy, as you can see!)  I spied a little fleamarket at one of the stations … Ostbahnhof …


So, I thought, “What the hell?  I’ve got a train ticket that lets me get on and off … I’ll get off.”  And reader, I did.


It was a beautifully warm and sunny day, I think the temperature hit about 25 degrees that Sunday … a freak Spring Day just for me … yay! 


The market was great - the quality good - and although there were proper dealers there, they weren’t in rip-off mode.  I walked past stall upon stall of beautiful porcelain - Meissen and the rest, as well as a lot (and I mean a lot) of wooden pipe racks and fake East German stuff, as well as sheafs of sheet music and records - the Berliners love their vinyl  …

A couple of young kids were busking Bach on violins.  The smell of grilled bratwurst filled the air.  There was colour everywhere.

I spent a long time deliberating over that little blue tin in the first picture …




I must have gone back to that stall again and again, but then something caught my eye over on the other side …. 


… a lovely lady stall holder was waving me over!  How did she know? 

10 metres for just 10 Euros !!

snippity snip!

It’s a kind of fingernail-snaggy acetate-y faux slub silk lightweight curtain fabric (1970s I’m guessing). 


Now, when I say lightweight, obviously that doesn’t apply to 10 metres of the stuff.  My dilemma was that I was going to have to fit it into my bag (hand luggage) on the way home … it might seriously limit any further shopping!


At this point I had no inkling of the “you can’t get any cash with that card” thang


Not much of a dilemma really.  This was my first hour in Berlin.  I was high on fresh bratwurst filled air, sunshine and wildly overpriced bottled water.  Deal. Done.


What could I possibly use this for? I hear you ask.


Hah!  

Well, howzabout this chair for starters?  It’s a mid-1900s number that folds out into a daybed and I’ve never progressed further than the calico covers on the three seat pads.  Looks pretty perfect to me?


And, get this … I just got a little quarter of Tamari Garden Sashi Blue this morning from Sew Mama Sew … how psychic was this pairing ?






So, once I’ve worked out how to cover the seat pads (they’re big!) with the minimum of fuss, I’ll then rustle up a little throw cushion in the Tamari Garden, methinks … 


Ta-Da!  A chair that will always remind me of my trip to Berlin, covered in my own, very special, Flea Market fancy.  Bliss.


Hoping your weekends are full of bliss too … tomorrow we’ll meander round Frau Tulpe, promise.

more pics here in my Berlin collection on flickr

Buttons in Berlin - Knopf Paul

 

Yay, I’m back! 

I had

the.

most.

fantastic.

time.

Today I thought I’d show you the tiniest TARDIS of a button shop you’ll ever see … 

Knopf (that’s German for Button) Paul

Zossener Str. 10 (U7 Gneisenaustrasse)

I set off on Monday morning after a hearty German breakfast of coffee,
rye bread, cheese and salami! 

The Kreuzberg district is about 10 stops on the U-Bahn … about 20 minutes journey, with a couple of changes.  I have to say the transport system in Berlin is heavenly. 

Everything is really easy to navigate and I had a 48 hour go-everywhere-ticket for 19 Euros - Perfect!

 

I should have read my own notes!   Closed on Mondays … grrr …  (at least it would be easy peasy to go back the next day, having done the journey once!)

	So, I wandered around this little haven of cafes, stationery shops and bohemian clothes shops that is Kreuzberg.
Ararat Bergmannstr. 39 fab stationery shop (expensive but magnificent!)

… before settling to have a coffee in the sunshine, and plan another little adventure …

The next day I went back … and … success!!

Open!

The owner, Paul, has been selling buttons since the 1970s.  There are, quite literally, millions and millions of buttons here!  

via

What’s really amazing is that the staff know exactly what’s where.  While I was there there must have been at least 8 customers with very specific requests and each one was served within the twinkling of an eye.  It’s clear that this is not just some little curiosity shop -  artists, dressmakers and theatrical costume designers all come here for advice and help.

If you click the picture above of Paul, it will take you to his website (which you can translate using Google Translate or use this link to the translated page) 

Anyway, let’s look at some buttons!  

Click on any pic to go the flickr set  -  going towards a larger Berlin collection, which will not be all sewingy stuff ... but a lot of funky photos nonetheless …  I took over 400 pics in 3 days LOL ... I'll do a few more blog posts of the really special stuff over the next few days …

Prices range from about 40c to over 20 Euros and they only take cash.

This is pretty normal in Berlin - only the big brand shops will take a card of any kind, but a problem for me, as I couldn’t get cash out of any of the machines with my debit card as apparently it was not Europe-ified !

So, as it was my last day and I was very low on cash, I only spent 4 Euros … on these little beauties … they’re acrylic with embedded wheat husks ... I took a while to choose this gradation ... 

So, that’s the end of our little trip to Knopf Paul … 

Tomorrow we’ll have a stroll around Frau Tulpe - a wonderful fabric shop! - so do come back …

I notice (with utterly squeaky delight) that I have 98 followers?!  So, once we hit 100, I think a little celebration with a giveaway is in order, don't you?