{making me smile}

can you believe it is the first of march? this year really does seem to be flying by and that means i only have 6 weeks left of uni! I have to say while i really love winter, this one has seemed very long and i am looking forward to spring, it's already nice to see the daffodils and crocuses popping their heads out.

1. i am so enjoying making these little fabric stamps, rooting through my fabric stash to find cute wee pictures to fussy cut has been so much fun! it has also let me see my fabrics through new eyes and i have fallen in love with my stash all over again :) these are seriously addictive to make and i seem to have made a nice wee stack of them and they're still growing! i got the idea and there's a wee tutorial over at nanacompany's blog

(mr tumnus, ice queen, turkish delight and the beavers)

2. sunny days! when the sun comes out it just makes everyone more cheerful and happy! we haven't had many sunny days, but on monday it popped its head out and i went for a lovely walk. i walked down to c.s lewis square and wow it is amazing! it was brilliant seeing all the characters (mr. tumnus is my favourite) and the sculpture of aslan is stunning, it really is lovely to see and you should pop down if you're over that way!

3. my backing fabric arrived for my lost sock quilt, which i realise now i have never actually blogged about! i promise i will :) as soon as i saw those wee racoons by cotton and steel, i knew it would be the perfect backing! i am really drawn to navy and white at he minute and those racoons are just too cute :) it's a question i've been wondering - do you use 'fancy' fabric for backing your quilt? or do you use sheets/duvets etc? i am mostly a sheet kind of person, but this was just a little splurge :)

4. i have been home from uni for the week, i go back today! but i have loved being able to have long, relaxing baths using all the cute bubble bars and bath bombs from lush! this ladybug (ladybird?) was too adorable not to get and it creates the best bubbles haha

these are some of the things that have been making me smile :) what has been making you smile recently?

rachael x

{pretty little bibs}

noo i don't have any news to announce! haha it was james's nephews first birthday this week (aww!) and i wanted to make him a little something and babies can never have too many bibs, so i made some bibs!

I used the pretty little bib pattern by nanacompany, it was great and so easy to make! the hardest part was picking the fabrics, all my fabrics seem to be girly and flower-y which isn't really suitable haha    

i love peter rabbit (who doesn't?!) so this was an obvious choice and oh so cute! i got this fabric at the fabric guild (and may have stocked up quite a bit) i just kept it whole because i couldn't bear to cut up wee peter rabbit

for the other one i decided to go patchwork strips, i think the sloth print and the animal print are up there with my all time favourite fabrics! i love the baby bib pattern as it makes them reversible, how cool! i used velcro for the closings as i could not figure out how to add snaps, they're very confusing haha

so that's one birthday present down and 2 to go! there is just something so nice about making and giving a handmade present :)

rachael x 

linking up with sew fresh quilts

{harry potter cushion}

I haven't sewn in forever! i had completely lost my sew-jo but one day while scrolling through instagram this picture by @makershaven popped up and i was stopped in my tracks! i completely fell in love and was inspired to pull fabric right away! here is my fabric pull, as you can see it is very similar to the original *tehe* 

i absolutely love that owl fabric from nightfall by maureen cracknell. i decided to go with QAYG (quilt as you go) as i really enjoyed it last time i did it (here) and i still love the technique and the finished look! but my, it does use a lot of thread! 

you might be wondering why it is a harry potter pillow? well the fabrics are all 'magical' :) and the layout i did was light and dark, because of this quote by albus dumbledore "Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if only one remembers to turn on the light" this is one of my favourite quotes and always makes me feel happy, so now i have a pillow to remind myself of it :)

I used some of my favourite fabrics, like the animal print by art gallery fabrics and the last few pieces of my precious liberty fabric, it's always sad when a fabric runs out, but its better to be used than sitting on the shelf!

i finished it off with a simple envelope back and added a little tag of lace trim, just because :) it finished at about 18 inches. i absolutely loved this whole project, i didn't measure anything, just cut and sewed it together. it was brilliant just having a mindless project to focus on and i have definetly got my sew-jo back, i haven't stopped sewing since i've finished my pillow :)

i think i might also make another one, would anybody fancy a little tutorial to make your own harry potter inspired cushion? :)

rachael x

linking up with finish it up friday

{derby}

well i am back at uni and settling into somewhat of a routine, a few early mornings and a couple of late nights :) a few weeks ago my parents came over to visit me and see my house and where i go to school uni! it was so fun showing them around this wee city! although i think i tired them out with all the walking :)

we went exploring to the peak district (and i got the cutest little sign from flossy teacake, seriously her shop is soo cute!) the weather was on our side (by which i mean it didn't rain and it was slightly warm, good ol' british weather!) we had a great couple of days. one of our trips brought us to bakewell, a quaint little village, which you probably guessed, is known for bakewell tarts...

but i dont like bakewell tarts, so i had a yummy gingerbread man :) it was nice just having a dander around and watching the ducks while eating our scrummy buys from the bakery!

on their last day here we had a late breakfast and then we went on a mammoth walk to walk off our big breakfast :) around darley park. a really lovely park in derby and it was a perfect way to spend the last day, although we may all have been slightly knackered after our 'lovely' walk.

and i do still sew! my mum has been asking me since june for a tablerunner! so being the queen of last minute, i pulled some fabrics the day before they arrived :) i was going for a summer into autumn feel with my fabric pull, also i used a tea-towel as my main inspiration (my love for tea-towels is going to get it's own post!) i just wanted to keep the design simple, so i with stripes in varying widths, something quick but also pretty!

and here is the finished tablerunner :) it is double sided, and i just made it with no wadding in between, also i have to say i absolutely LOVE pom-pom trim and think i will be adding it to all my projects for the foreseeable future! my mum loved it, phew! :) and it looks lovely on the kitchen table, if i do say so myself :)

I have also been reading lots, i joined the local library and re-discovered my love for reading, this was my pile of books and i have since moved on to my next pile. i love it and would welcome any book suggestion :)

last year when i moved over to derby i made myself some pretty pillowcases for my bed, well it's become a bit of a tradition, so i had to do it this year too! i was dithering over fabric so much and then i just decided to go for it and use my liberty fabric! yes, i have liberty fabric pillowcases :)

they are soo soft, and soo nice to sleep on! it felt weird cutting into the fabrics, but also good at the same time. im glad i used them and that i'm not just staring at them and stroking them occasionally haha

well that was quite a long and rambly post, so well done if you made it to the end! i'll not have to leave it as long next time!

rachael x 

{a house for my sewing machine}

i have spent today recovering from an AMAZING day at the festival of quilts yesterday! and today i am going to share my most recent finish, a house for my sewing machine :)

I have had my sewing machine for 3 or 4 years and i have never covered it or had a cover for it, i know! tut, tut! so when kerri's book lovely little patchwork arrived i was soo excited! and love all the projects in it, but one project jumped out at me immediately!

{ my sewing machine with no cover :( } 

it was the adorable sewing machine cover that looks like a house! like really how cute is that?! i set about choosing my fabrics and wanted a vintage-y feel to my house! the blue is from fleet and flourish and the brown (which i think looks like a thatched roof) is a 1930's repro fabric! 

my house cover is all flower-y just how i like it! if only it was a real house :) recently in my projects i have been mainly using collections, so i found it quite difficult to choose fabrics myself not from a collection. i am really happy with my fabric choices and feel more confident in me choosing my own palettes rather than using a whole collections (but i do really love using collections in my work!)

it is a really good and easy to follow pattern! and i had such fun making it. also i got to do some raw edge applique which i haven't done in ages! i really love my little sewing machine house, it is lined with a solid pink and i added some ribbon from my ribbon drawer, to tie it on the sides. 

the pattern suggests adding fussy cuts to all the windows, but i only added one, and adorable little sloth (if you didn't know i love sloths! i even have a sloth tattoo) i love my little sloth just chilling and hanging out in the house, watching over my sewing room :) 

i will be back soon to share lots of pictures from the festival of quilts and to show you all my purchases (there was quite a few *tehe*)

rachael x

linking up with thank goodness its finished friday

AGF Stitched - Palisades Quilt : :

hello! and welcome to my stop on the Palisades Quilt by Fat Quarter Shop and Art Gallery Fabrics. i say this about every quilt i make, but this quilt was sooo fun to make! and came together really quickly while looking like a really complicated pattern! 

i chose boardwalk delight by Dana Willard for my fabric, because it just screams summer and bright sunny days (and it really brightens up the grey days we've been having recently) it was a joy to work with and had me smiling while i was sewing away :)

the quilt pattern is brilliant and easy to follow! and while it does look complicated it really isn't and its such a fun quilt to make! it would be a great quilt to make for a new-ish beginner! 

it makes a nice, big quilt perfect for the long summer nights on the beach (one can dream!) or for cuddling under in our uk summertime :) the quilt is a free pattern so you can make it too! you can find the pattern here 

the fat quarter shop has also put together a fun video to help you make the quilt! i really like this quilt and it would look great in all different fabrics and how the fabrics really change the look of the whole quilt!

i still need to quilt and bind this quilt and cannot wait to have it finished i *think* it might be my new favourite, and i'll have to be careful because my mum has got her eye on it too :)

you should pop over and see all the other amazing quilts (they are totally awesome) 

Tina from Emily Ann's Kloset

Amy from Diary of a Quilter

Erica from Kitchen Table Quilting

 Melissa from Happy Quilting

Rachael from The Floral Suitcase

Amanda from Jedi Craft Girl

Megan from Quilt Story

Heather from Quilt Story

Melanie from Mostly Crafty

Brooke from Silly Mama Quilts

Afton from Quilting Mod

Lucy from Charm about You

rachael x

{caravan tote + tilly}

I have finished university for summer *yay* so i came home for a bit to just relax and unwind and do nothing except sew! I have soo many projects that i want to make, but i knew i couldn't get them all done so i focused on just a few!

one fabric line i have been crushing on is fleet and flourish by maureen cracknell, i have wanted to sew with it for ages, but there was uni deadlines and the fact that i didnt know what i wanted to make, so it has sat on my shelf patiently waiting to be cut in to!
Then my friend mentioned making a bag and *ping* yes1 i would use it to make a bag, we settled on the caravan tote by noodlehead and i got to work!

the pattern called for a solid piece of fabric, but me being me had to do something different! i did 3 inch patchwork squares and then cut it to size, and the fabrics go perfectly with essex linen in grey, which i used for the contrasting band at the top! i quilted the outside and used heavy weight interfacing to make it sturdy enough to stand on its own.

this bag has a front zippered pocket, this made me wobble a bit and want to give up! but i persevered and i beat the *dreaded* zipper (i may have given myself a pat on the back!) when making the inside of the pocket i wanted to add a fun surprise, cue a magical unicorn to peek at me :)

i got really confused making the lining for the bag and found it hard to figure out which fabrics to cut for which part, but i got there in the end! i used fabric from maureens first fabric line, wild and free (another favourite of mine) i love the fun mix of fabrics and it brightens up the bag! also look at that magnetic clasp, soo proud of that :)

i think its the extra little bits that make handmade items special! i added a little bit of extra fabric to the handles to lengthen them and also because i can and its cute :) i also added some ribbon for a little tag, to add to the handmade look! do you like the handmade look, or do you prefer items not looking handmade?

i am definetly not a bag making person, give me a quilt to make any day, but i am super happy and proud that i completed this bag (there may start being more here on the blog) i read lots of reviews before making this bag, to help me along, but i still found the pattern quite hard to understand, which may be because im not a bag maker, overall it was a great pattern and makes a good room-y sized bag, its already had a workout, going shopping in town :)

today is also tillys birthday!! she is 14 and looking as good as ever :)

rachael x

linking up to finish it up friday

{paperie pillow}

i am off uni now for easter *yay* 2 weeks to eat lots of chocolate and get caught up on all my work :) my sewing time has been limited, but i'm hoping to change that soon! and today i have a finish to share with you!

i'm sure by now you have all seen the fabric paperie by amy sinibaldi (nanacompany) there is only one word to describe this fabric... PRETTY! it is so pretty and the colours are soo sweet, if you have followed nanacompany for a while, you will know this is totally her style!

it is a limited edition collection of 10 fabrics so i treated myself to a half yard bundle and then when it arrived it was far too pretty to cut into! i ummed and ahhed for ages about what to make! i had recently enrolled in maureen cracknells craftsy class 'quick quilt as you go' and fell in love with the herringbone quilt! i thought it was a tad ambitious so opted for a cushion!

i have tried quilt as you go once before and really enjoyed it so i was excited for maureen's class! the directions were brilliant and really clear to follow! i made 2 herringbone panels for my cushion, working with the 45 degree angle was a bit tricky, but i got there in the end!

i am soo happy with my finished cushion! i love how it is finished off, i used the gingham check from wild and free for my binding and i think it goes perfectly with paperie!

when i was piecing the cushion top i added in some lace for that 'nanacompany' feel! i think it just adds that extra bit of sweet!

i loved working with paperie and i *may* have already started another project with it :)

do you have a fabric you're loving at the minute??

rachael x

linking up with fabric tuesday