Hello 2012!

I'm not sure whether I should be proud or ashamed of the fact that I haven't switched my sewing machine on since the 24th December!   Either way, it is a fact and we've had a rather marvellous time jam-packed with family, food, drinks, friends and pressies..

So I know I've missed the boat a little but here's a couple of the gifts that I made before Christmas but couldn't show you...

First up, four dining room chair cushions for brother number 2.  Two patched and two in the london print with added piping. If you read this post, you will know that I made one of them with the fabric the wrong way up.  I didn't get time to fix it and Matthew was very understanding, I hope it'll give him a story to tell around the dinner table!

And then there was a table runner for my Aunt...I wanted a "together" look for this so ended up buying a Joel Dewberry "Heirloom" FQ pack in colours that I hoped would go with her decor.  In the end I used 5 of the prints, plus two of the Echo range by Lotta Jansdotter and two Just Dandy prints by Josephine Kimberley.  I picked them all online, so was quite chuffed that they all seem to go together in real life!

The table runner measures a chunky 60" by 19" and is backed with a furnishing fabric that I happened to have, plus stripes of the prints.  Here's Jane modelling it, and a snap she kindly took of the present "in-situ".

After all that over-indulgence, we sat down with the kids on New Years Eve and wrote a list of New Years resolutions which are on our kitchen whiteboard.  Kaitlyn decided that hers was "To have a new hobby of horse-riding".  Clever girl worked out she could use the exercise to her advantage!

So my dull ones (the ones on the board) are to really clear the house of clutter, including two basement rooms that are full to the rafters and currently unusable, and secondly to do more washing!  On a more interesting note, my fabric-related ones are:

1. To decide on a direction for the mini-business that I've started with InspiredbyFelix (local shops? online? craft fairs? commissions?) and be more focussed with the limited time I've got 
2. To make time to take risks and be more creative for me, hopefully designing my own quilt
3. To learn to screen-print my own designs onto fabric
4. To write shorter blog entries, but more often!

So far, I'm failing on No.4, so I'll sign off now, but all that remains is to say a huge thank you to you guys for reading my waffle, encouraging me and offering practical advice, and also for being totally inspiring.   The feedback and the blogs I read really do make me want to learn more and create more...

So here's to a creative 2012!

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