Panic stations

No time to attempt to draft a witty/interesting/ or even just an average long post! Nor any time to talk about my progress on the Brit Quilt swap... Like a few fellow bloggers I'm in full scale production mode for a craft fair in 10 days time...but I did just want to pop in and say hello (and please don't leave me!), and show you the stitching progress to date:

Zippy purses and make-up bags

Cushion tops galore (doing the backs is less fun!)

A few solitary chrimble decorations - more needed...!

Some fabric badges - stocking fillers?

 

And here is a washbag I've made for the fair.  It's made with what is likely to be my most expensive fabric purchase EVER.    This is Lyric by Villanova and it's a lovely soft furnishing weight fabric that was dressing a local design shop window....I've been ogling it for a while, so I bought the 3 metre length from the window.  Even with 25% off it cost me nearly eighty quid and I'm supposed to be on a spending diet!

It was so worth it though, because that washbag makes me happy.

So, the question is, what was your most expensive fabric purchase...and was it worth it?!  I'd love to know...and it might make me feel less guilty about this purchase :)

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Craft chaos

I almost didn't do this post because, well, it's just too shameful.  In the end I agreed with myself that I'd take one (and only one)  iPhone picture of my craft chaos, and hope that you wouldn't be able to see the full horror...

This is our bedroom which has a beautiful fireplace and a nice wood floor, oh, but you won't be able to see that because half the room is covered in fabric!  Every day, James quietly steps over fabric to reach the wardrobe....it's not good.

To be fair, it's not ALL my fault.  My dedicated craft room is in the basement below the path to the house. It has a leaky roof and bad damp, and, despite doing some work on it, it's just not suitable for fabric at the moment.  I decided this shortly after I found a batch of mouldy fabric in the cupboard, luckily not my favourite fabrics, but still somewhat distressing!

Anyway, we've decided that I can use another basement room for my crafts - this one is part of the main structure so is at much less risk of damp but is currently full of all the tat that happens when you move two houses into one. 

So yesterday, I made a little progress.  Gone is Mount Fabric in the bedroom, hello to a tiny area of order in the basement - I filled up this storage unit...one of the drawers is dedicated to scraps - it's brilliant!

Plus four plastic boxes....see doesn't that look better?

Now I just need to throw away a roomful of tat so I can fit a table and my sewing machine in too!

Oh, and if you came here for patchwork, two more creations dropped off at the shop.

I'm looking forward to getting my teeth into something different, which is good because Sarah - Brit Bee queen for August, your blocks are in my head and soon to be transferred to fabric - I haven't forgotten!

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Work in progress (every other) wednesday

I missed last week's Work in Progress post due to a lack of progress (!) and I almost missed it this week due to lurgy.  Yep, I'm writing this from my sick-bed - some weird shivery, ear achy thing.  One of the few downsides of being a mum is catching all the minor (hopefully) illnesses that babies (and their baby friends) seem to get :(

Anyway, that aside, there have been a couple of finishes this week... here goes with Work in progress (linking up with Freshly Pieced!)

Projects completed:

• Cushions for the shop in Hastings.  Done, and handed over!  You can see three here, and the last I finished last night is below.  When I got there this morning, they'd already sold the sample I'd given them - good start!

The shop in question is aptly named "Made in Hastings" and it's deliciously relaxed but stylish in all in go. We had a chat about me doing some baby quilts too, if I can get the pricing to work.

• Bee Europa March block - a purple strip for Muriel

• A mug rug for Mothers Day - in my rush to post this in time for Sunday, I forgot to take a picture - darn!

Work in progress:

• Sliced coins quilt - still on hold but the metro circles in fuschia for the backing arrived yesterday - hoorah!
• Supernova quiltalong at Freshly Pieced - am SO enjoying this quiltalong.  Was hoping to show you three colours completed, but lurgy has meant I haven't got round to sewing them together! You can see the red block here, and orange and yellow progress below.

New projects taken on this week:

• Bee Europa April block - Miriam would like us to make a block based on this piece of artwork! (Anyone got any tips for piecing curves?!)

• "Dressing a girl around the world" - this is an initiative which believes that all little girls should own at least one dress, a encourages sewers to make simple pillowcase dresses that will be distributed to poverty stricken areas. I found this via Louise at Sew Scrumptious and was touched by the idea and opportunity for me to help...so I've committed to make a dress by June. (see below for two dresses being modelled beautifully by girls in Haiti)

If that weren't enough, also on the list is:

• A trial baby quilt for Made in Hastings
• A set of cushions for my brother's dining room chairs
• A bench cushion for my friend Sian's new house

I love it that there's lots to do!

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Crafters indecision

Here's the latest offering by InspiredbyFelix. I think the design is called "Stack of books" ? 

I quite liked it so I'm working on No.2 in the series,  a reverse one, where the "books" are grey and the edges patterned. (sorry about the picture, iPhone snap taken just now!)

As for the next project, I'm torn.  I want to make (in no particular order):

• A baby quilt for Felix
• Fabric shoes - an idea I got from Sunnie Fairy over at Andrea's Garden
• The soft toys in my last post
• More cushions (obviously)
• Something using my own fabric, printed using Spoonflower, which is an amazing website that allows you to do this.  (Something I only discovered after seeing the fabulous design done by Miss Pixie at I drew this)
• Plus a load of things for a craft stall that we've yet to arrange!

Hmmm, instead of doing any one of these things, I'm sitting here writing this, because choosing where to spend my time is too difficult :)  Oh dear.

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One world one heart - my first giveaway!

How exciting! I've decided to join in with the One World One Heart blog event, organised by Lisa at A Whimsical Bohemian.  This is a cool idea whereby bloggers all over the place are encouraged to visit each others sites.  It seems a great way of finding other like minded bloggers and hopefully picking up some new ideas.   The incentive? Each blogger offers up a "Door Prize" draw as a thank you for visiting.

So if you've found your way here through this event, welcome to InspiredbyFelix!.  I am a new mum on maternity leave and am rediscovering my love of crafting (mostly in the evenings!).  I primarily work with fabric, but tend to have a go at anything that catches my eye. 

It's only right that my door prize should be a cushion, since I seem to make so many of them.  This cushion top has been hanging around for a while and I hadn't got round to finishing it, until this week when I picked up some lovely dark grey furnishing fabric super cheaply.  It is perfect for the backing for this cushion so I have now finished it, and would like to offer it as my giveaway.  The cushion top is made from a vintage pinstriped skirt, and I appliqued a simple heart design.  I've done an envelope back which is edged in that fabulous orange polka dot, to zing it up a bit!

The rules are simple, visit my blog, have a look around if you like, and leave a comment on this post.  After the closing date (17th Feb) I will pick at random one entry from all of the comments and mail this cushion to them!  Good luck, and hope you enjoy InspiredbyFelix!
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PS Click here to see the other participants!

Stripey surprise...

Oh, I SO want to post a picture of my latest make on here, but I can't...yet...because it's for my lovely friend Sarah's birthday and Sarah, cos she's lovely, reads my blog!   Instead I'll leave a little teaser photo and leave her, and any other readers in suspense - but only until next week :)

I did get time to squeeze another cushion in, which is a jolly good thing as I have a list of them to make now, and that's before I start creating any stock to sell.  So here you go, the latest patchwork cushion with fabrics chosen from my stash by Laura, whom this particular cushion is destined for...I hope you like it Laura!

Now, what next?
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