Season’s Greetings

I know it’s been a while since I was here, it’s been a hell of an icky pain and tiredness filled few months, but I didn’t want to let the season go by without wishing you all a very very merry Christmas from me …

… and him.

I hope to be back blogging more regularly in the new year.  I’m going into hospital on 11th January - my 50th birthday (nice one, NHS, thanks!) - to have adhesion and bowel surgery, so hopefully things will be a little more zingy in the Pings camp after that.

I have been doing some stitching in my much-reduced up time and I’m looking forward to showing it off in due course, but for now I’d just like to send much love to all my lovely bloggy friends and warm wishes for a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

xxx

Smitten with Blitzen – Brighton Sewing Centre Giveaway {7/31}

This post is brought to you through the power of Blogtoberfest 2012

If you’ve popped over from my guest post today over at Rhonda's, then Hi!  If you're here because you're Blogtoberfesting, then Yay!  Welcome one and all …

To brighten our Sunday evening a little and add a little soft strokey salve to the week ahead, here we go with my Blogtoberfest giveaway … I missed my 2 year Blogiversary on 24th August and I’m sad about that.  I knew I was a slow blogger, but I hadn’t realised I’d almost drawn to a halt!

My Lovely Local Quilt Store, The Brighton Sewing Centre, is very generously donating 12 scrumptialicious FQs to help me celebrate the 3Bs ...  Blogiversary Blogtoberfest and BloodyC*******s.

That’s three whole metres of wonderful super chic Crimbo fabric, chaps!



The Brighton Sewing Centre in North Road, is the first stop on my favourite leisurely North Laine wandery routine which I savour on non rainy Saturday mornings.

Next stop is the farmers market for great fruit and veg, meat, fish and the world's best scotch eggs - seriously mahusive and delicious.

I bought a bumper box of green tomatoes to make chutney last weekend, which ironically were completely red by the time I got round to it this weekend ... So I made a yummy passata to bottle instead.  Tick!

The final leg of my wander is bit of a snoop round the bric-a-crap street market in Upper Gardner Street, in the hope that Linen Man is there with some delights ...If it's a rainy morning, but not too miserable then I'll just cut out the street market and go have a browse round the indoor flea market in the same street.

Anyway, back to the BSC ... The lovely enablers owners Nicole and Melinda (and in fact all the lovely ladies who work there) offer a knowledgeable, friendly service.  They are always helpful, genuinely interested in their customers and embrace modern quilting with a traditional twist.  There are always sewn samples of blocks or fabrics to stroke and aah at.  They run classes and sell some fantastic machines too ...

The bricks and mortar shop has been around in Brighton, in one form or another, for over 25 years.  It’s not just a quilting store (the clue’s in the name) so all forms of stitchiness (including embroidery & knitting) are catered for in its tiny tardis layout!

In fact, I bought my secondhand Mrs Singer there nearly twenty years ago, as well as my first ever brand new machine last year.  They do servicing, replace pedals, all that kind of useful stuff.

For emergency presents (or a really great way to budget your own stashing!) they also do gift vouchers!

Their growing online shop has a new layout which is easy to navigate, with fast service and good pricing.  Please pop round and have a look … you can leave reviews, which I think is really handy.



So, if you’d like to win this lovely 12 FQ Bundle of Blitzen by Basic Grey for Moda ... 

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED!  Thanks to all who entered ...



... You have 4 chances: 

COMMENTS ON THIS POST ONLY TO ENTER PLEASE!

1.  Tell me who you’d make a gift for with this lovely Bundle of Blitzen, and what you’d make. Please feel free to link to a block or tutorial if you want to help me out with some gift ideas – I mean it – I need all the help I can get!

3 more chances if you do any of these neighbourly social media things and then tell me about it in a comment:

2. Follow (or be a follower of) their blog. 

3. Like their Facebook page

4. Follow me here at Pings (or be a follower)

This giveaway will run for the duration of Blogtoberfest – that is, until midnight 31st October UK time -  I’ll announce the winner as close to November 1st as I can, to give you plenty of time to make a little something for Christmas.

International entries welcome!

Good Luck!

GIVEAWAY OVER!  Thanks to all who entered ...  

Christmas Tree

I decided it would be a good idea to start a brand new Christmas present … an applique tree, for g’ness sake.  Am I mad?

This is a request from my lovely friend who's coming to stay for Christmas.

So … I started off ironing fusible onto 10 different scraps of fabric … and then cut a seemingly infinite number of leaves (I wanted to have some left over to ‘bank’) My sister-in-law cut out tons when she and my nephew stopped by on their way home from Lunnun.  Lovely treat.  The visit!





It's his birthday on Christmas Day, and he brought me this beautiful linen and cotton lace tablecloth after he saw the tree I did for the MMM swap earlier this year ...  Sorry about the cold dark winter light!  It was about 2pm!
 


He has a really funky 70s orange and green bedroom ....  I'm not sure if it's going to be a quilt or a bed spread yet ... Realistically I need to detach the lace for what I want to do ... but time is of the essence here!






I've added more leaves to the bottom two sides since these photos ... it looks a little out of balance here, I think.

I’m going to hand stitch with perle through the middle of each leaf, rather than sit at the machine and go round the edges … I want to use different colour threads, so it would be a real faff.  This way, I can sit in front of a movie tomorrow and get the applique finished.


I quite like the idea that they’ll be fluttery when the fusible washes out … maybe?  hope so.

Amidst all this, I’m still finishing off three sets of placemats, not one of them complete yet!  LOL! 

So, anyone else just started a ridiculous project? Or are you all properly sane?

Dead Simple Jovial Christmas

Back in June I won a whacking 38 FQs of Basic Grey’s Jovial for Moda from Monica @ The Happy Zombie.

I gave away 16  to celebrate my blogiversary and then I gave some more away to a friend …

… leaving me with 15 FQs …


… which I cut into 5” charm squares ages ago with Lynne’s Dead Simple QAL in mind:

I pulled the Moda Grunge solids to act as my palette:

…  and I tried a little mock up with the charm square stacks:

But it doesn’t really do it for me, or more importantly, I don’t think the person I’m making it for will be over-wowed, so I’m going to keep it dead simple, but just add a little more variation …




I’ve taken inspiration from this “Bookworm Quilt” by Charlie & Ryan of Patchwork Squared …
… but I don’t think I’m going to sash it (keeping it dead simple) I’ll just piece stacks of squares and coins in blocks.

I’ve cut the grunge solids into rectangles…

… and now I think I have a pattern that with some random dead simple-ness will work really well with these fabrics:



I think it looks much more interesting, even in a simple mock up …



keep posted for progress!


!! Don't forget to vote for your favourite Scrap Baggers here !!

Blogiversary FQ Bundle giveaway … sponsored by ... ME!

<<<<<<<  THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED   >>>>>>

So, 1st Blogiversary eh?  That means pay it forward time, in my book.

A long long while ago (the back end of January!) I won an amazing giveaway over at Monica @HappyZombie’s blog for a mystery FQ bundle from Moda. 





‘Jovial’, a Christmas line, arrived in June, but I couldn’t really think about Christmas then (like I can now?!) so I stroked it a while and then put it away for another day …


Today is that day.







I have to confess, I’m not a huge fan of Christmas fabric AT ALL, but my mind was totally changed when Angela @FussyCut’s posted this brilliant Starry Eyed quilt, on Moda Bakeshop back in July.

I think this is the best use of Crimbo fabric I’ve ever seen, and I think this line would look brilliant.

I figure someone else might really like to make it … or any other Christmas type stuff …


S-o-o-o-o-o … my Pay It Forward giveaway to you, my lovely readers, followers, stalkers and casual droppers by … is 16 FQs of Jovial, to do with whatever you wish.





If you would like a chance to win this mini bundle, all you need to do is pledge your undying love leave a comment telling me the BEST Christmas present/gift you’ve ever received - and I mean an actual ‘thing’, NOT the birth of a baby, grandchild, love of your partner, or any other stuff with real meaning. Marks will be deducted … I’m after the cold hard truth of consumerism here ...

For another chance, in a separate comment, you could tell me the WORST present you have either given or received. 

Here’s a little rundown of all the chances you have. (separate comments for each please)

1. BEST present received
   
2. WORST present given or received
   
3. If you are a die hard or new follower
   
4. If you blog about it
   
5. If you tweet or tell the milkman

That’s a whacking 5 chances chaps … Or just the one if you don’t like jumping through hoops.

Please make sure that you have an email address somewhere in the trail - no-reply bloggers will lose out … It’s worth checking once in a while … for some reason my profile randomly just decides to revert to no-reply without me asking it to … To change this in blogger.com go to your Dashboard. Select Edit Profile. Check the box for "Show my Email Address." Save changes.


Good Luck! ... mayMr Random Generator smile at you ... Giveaway ends Wednesday 31st August, midnight Pings time ..

(in other news, I’ll be announcing the 10 winners of the Japanese scrap bags tomorrow)


<<<<<<<  THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED   >>>>>>

Christmas? Tick.

Well, now all those spoonfuls of Christmas pudding have been tucked away under an ever-groaning waistband, the the last scraps of hastily ripped wrapping paper recycled, and the joys of British Rail endured for the return journey … I’m back!

I can’t say that Christmas was a barrel of laughs, my brother’s absence was so very deeply felt, as was the pain in my bloomin ribs, so I’m sure I was the most perfect house guest ever - NOT!  

I peeled some spuds but that was about it as far as my contribution went.  That was the worst part for me, but in the great scheme of things not that important, really.  What was important was that we were all together, safe and warm, to enjoy each other's company and to remember with love those who weren't there.

echino patchwork

ruby star rising

18th birthday

But, all the quilts I made for presents went down brilliantly well, so I’m really pleased about that … all that late night agonisingly basting was so so worth it!

Better still - look what was waiting on my doorstep!  My Secret Santa Swap with Stefy from ilcastelloincantatato in Italy …



Along with a sweet little card, Stefy sent me the most fantastic hunky chunk of parmesan cheese, some cinnamon, deliciously brick-like torrone, a little crimbo tree, two chocolate santas (one was horridly injured in transit) some Christmas fabric and a lovely selection of herby fruity teas.

I’d sent Stefy some chocolate in the colours of Italy’s flag, a festive mug rug, some homemade apple, chilli & sage jelly, some fabric and a little packet of yummy gingerbread … (I love how Stefy’s already snaffled most of it!)


I had started to wonder if I hadn’t had a partner at all - but it was the Post Office in the UK to blame, as per usual - they’d delivered it to the wrong address and then the snow had delayed it further … grrr … 

Anyway Stefy - thank you :)  It was a most welcome gift.  


Now to catch up on the pile of presents awaiting me in my Reader! 

… He Sees You When You’re Sewing …

So, nearly there on the Christmas front - just putting the binding on this little lovely - a present for my nephew Oliver’s 18th birthday, which is on Christmas Day!  He has Down Syndrome so I’m hoping that this isn’t too babyish for him, as at heart he’s just a little boy of 8 really.  

This is the first year he’ll experience Christmas and a Birthday without his Daddy, so I thought he needed a little something to cuddle up to at night.  Oliver’s favourite colours are red and white, and I’ve added a couple of Christmassy bits in too, along with two embroidered panels.

It’s hand tied (no way I can spend too much time on the machine with these ribs!) with red and white embroidery thread - but there’s a little surprise … the white thread GLOWS IN THE DARK!!  So he’ll see little glowing tuftiness while he’s going to sleep.

The pieced patches take their inspiration from Elizabeth Hartman’s Crazy Lattice tutorial at Oh Fransson! The old ribs suffered a bit with all the cutting involved, and the old head suffered a bit with the seam matching, but I think it was worth it!

So, that about wraps it up really for this festive season.  I’ll be spending spend time with my family over the next few days, so will be otherwise occupied stuffing my face with turkey and vegging out to the Dr Who Christmas Special - yay!

Thank you all for your support and humour since this little blog started back in August. I wish you all, my new bloggy chums and your families,  a happy and heartwarming Christmas, and see you soon …

xxx

You can never be too busy! Christmas Card Swap from the Creative Collective

You know what they say - if you need something done, ask a busy person to do it! So why not get involved in this fab Christmas card swap from the Creative Collective? (via Kellie @ 74 Lime Lane)

Click on the link or the picture above to go to the instructions for how to join in - you send out handmade cards to 5 partners by December 10th, and you need to register with swapbot, but otherwise it's easy peasy christmas treesy.

I love getting cards, so I'm already over-excited :) - let's spread the festive cheer chaps!

My Creative Space - Gadzooks! Christmas? Really?

Deck the Halls with Festive Hexies

fa la la la la la la la la

other increasingly festive creative spaces {maybe} here at Kirsty’s

p.s. you can enter my Melody Miller ruby star rising giveaway here!