Decision Making Time

Decision making time at our house this week! Yes or No? Will we or won't we?

If the truth be told, my daughter and I didn't have much deciding to do but my husband needed a bit of gentle (only gentle, mind) persuasion. And the answer was a big YES.

Having had our last dog for more than sixteen years, it was difficult to imagine anyone taking her place. She provided us with lots of happy memories and will always have a special place in our hearts. But who could resist this gorgeous little thing?

Having visited her twice now, it was almost impossible not to be won over by her. We hope to have her by Christmas (fingers crossed) that is if she is weaned off her mother and has had all her vaccinations. And, even if she doesn't arrive until after Christmas, the prospect of her coming is exciting in itself. So, expect some doggie projects showing up here in the near future!

Not a lot of sewing done this last few days but I have put up some photos of cushions I made during the summer. Nine in total but can you spot the log cabin pattern I was demonstrating this week. I used a mixture of left over "Toile de Juoy" and linen to make this one and it actually turned out quite well.

Irish Country Living - Preview
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To watch the online video tutorial that corresponds to this article, click here.

Bye for now!

Sitting, Sewing & Chatting

I can't believe another week has gone by already. They are coming around too soon!

I meet up with some ladies once a week to do some stitching and chatting, and of course, we end up doing more chatting than stitching. I haven't been able to make our weekly meet-up for a while now but this week I got there and was able to slip stitch the binding onto the back of one quilt. I haven't done this in ages. I normally machine sew the binding onto the back of the quilt and then fold it over to the front and machine stitch the front. It was nice to be able to sit there and sew without too much concentration and chat as well. We meet in the evening and can bring our sewing machines along if we like, but sometimes after a long day you just want to sit and sew by hand and this provides a perfect forum for just that. So there I was, in good company, sitting, sewing and chatting, a perfect end to a long day!

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To watch the online video tutorial that corresponds to this article, click here.

Borders & Basting

I managed to get a small amount of stitching done this week! I cut and added on the borders to the two boys' quilts I am making at the moment. Then grabbed a bit of time to layer and baste them. I had bought some basting spray to do this but then thought better of it. I haven't used the basting spray before and I felt the quilts might be too big a project to try out something new on, so I used pins. I am delighted that job is done, now I can start the quilting soon.

Here are some photos of the apron I am demonstrating this week. They are both exactly the same pattern only the pockets differ. They are both made from oil cloth but the fabrics are quite different - one is soft and supple, drapes lovely and has a matte finish while the other is not as flexible and is shiny. On one set of pockets I did some embroidery, "chicken scratching" which is a lot easier to do than it looks and on the other pair I did some applique.

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To watch the online video tutorial that corresponds to this article, click here.

That's all for now.

The Knitting & Stitching Show

This was a busy and exciting week! The Knitting & Stitching Show came to Dublin and was held in the RDS. There were lots of fabric/craft shops there that we wouldn't normally have access to and some great exhibitions also ("Jaberwocky", my favourite). I managed to pick up some fabric for two small quilts I am making for two boys, two brothers. As always, I am behind on getting them finished but, now that I have the fabric, I hope to have them finished and in the post by Dec 1^st, as they will be making their way across the Atlantic.

Also, at the moment I am writing a small number of articles for “The Irish Farmers Journal” following on from the last series called “Quilt of Memories”. This was a quilt I designed to be made over ten weeks that would be suitable for beginners showing different skills and techniques involved in patchwork. As it was a great success, the Journal asked if I would make another series giving step by step instructions on how to make items for the home as well as gifts and decorations leading up to Christmas. The Irish Farmers Journal decided to launch this at the “Knitting & Stitching Show” and were giving out copies of “Irish Country Living Magazine”, the supplement that comes with the newspaper every week that publishes the craft series. If you would like to follow the series, just pick up a copy of The Irish Farmers Journal (available every Thursday) or visit their website where you can watch a free video demonstration every week.

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To watch the online video tutorial that corresponds to this article, click here.

Here are some more photos of the placemats that I am demonstrating this week, made with hexagons using the English Paper Piecing method. I hope you like them!