Happy New Year!

It's the first day of 2013, and would you believe it, a dry and sunny day.  Having had rain constantly for about 3 weeks, what a lovely surprise when I got up this morning.  I can't say we're making the most of it given that the three of us that are home today, are a tad snotty, but it is making me feel cheery none-the-less.

Christmas was quiet and lovely despite the hammering our rugby team took at the local derby on Boxing Day.  It was the first time in my life that I have left a match before the final whistle.

Between Christmas and New Year I did a teeny bit of sewing, producing this cushion based on this tutorial.

I really love the result and it fits in really well with my living room.  Great for using up those scraps so I may make a few more in differing designs.  The cushion is a bit over-stuffed at present as I didn't have the correct size cushion pad in the house, so I ended up stuffing it with two pads for the time being!  A shopping trip beckons.

Much knitting has been done, but not necessarily completed, over the festive period which will be shared soon.  We have a family weekend away this coming Friday so perfect for finishing knitting projects ;-) Not to mention this afternoon - husband is golfing, little boy will be napping and my Big Girl and I can knit and watch Little House on the Prairie.

Happy Christmas Day!

I wish you a very Happy Christmas Day 2012!  Enjoy!

NB: above, Paul Hollywood Mince Pie as per the Christmas Bake off - excellent pastry!

Last blocks of the year

Christmas has crept up on me at an alarming rate this week!  It was the last week of term at school and Monday and Tuesday just dragged.  As for the rest of the week, it was over in a blink and despite being very organised I still have a mountain of jobs to do!

Yesterday afternoon I tidied the spare room where I usually sew - the fabric was put in boxes and my machine packed away.  I won't have time for sewing between now and Christmas I expect, so I will indulge in a spot of, more sociable, festive knitting instead.

The Farmer's Wife blocks I want to share today are probably the last two I'll manage before the New Year.  In total I've managed 20 blocks since September which I'm really pleased, if not amazed, about.

Puss in the Corner

Despite posting this picture upside down (flowers and cherries do not grow in the above formation), I like this block (albeit wonky) a lot.  It's a deviation from the festive red I've been drawn to, but it is fresh, pretty and girly.

Northern Lights

More red I'm afraid but I do so love these to Lecien prints together!  This one was very quick to cut out and piece - instant gratification!

My parents are coming over to spend the day today so I've a few festive jobs to be getting on with this morning.  The weather is vile outside so I hope the ladies (Mother, Myself and the Big Girl) will indulge in some knitting this after afternoon.  It's what wet, grey days were made for!

More blocks!

I wasn't expecting to complete two Farmer's Wife blocks this week but somehow I managed it!  I think one child having two sick days at the beginning of the week probably helped - I cut out the fabric while we were cwtching in, then sewed them up when the Busy Boy (sadly not really a Baby Boy any more) had a marathon nap yesterday afternoon.

Spool

This is my second attempt at this block - the first was early on in the quilt along and basically made it into the scrap basket quite quickly.  I originally found the half square triangles hard to match up and disliked the fabric selection.  Over the ensuing weeks I think my cutting and piecing has improved and I am much happier with this version of 'spool'.  The fabric selection works well and I really like the contrast between the colours and the large spots against a background of small spots.

Streak of Lightening

I was ever so slightly daunted when I cut out the fabric pieces for this block as there were many little bits.  Thankfully there were no point or seams to match up so it was very straightforward.  Needless to say I'm not relishing the prospect of many tiny triangles which feature in a lot of the future blocks!

Love the red and white fabrics - both by Lecien - they compliment each other well.

The Most Wonderful Time...

I am starting to feel a little more festive - the cold weather has most certainly helped this feeling, not to mention the fact my Christmas tree is up!

This was taken in the late afternoon sun, earlier in the week.  My husband went on the tree buying expedition on Sunday afternoon with the Big Girl who wanted a 'Norman Tree' - turns out this is a Nordman Fir.  'Norman' must be about 8 foot tall and is very, very fat :-)

I've indulged in a little more afternoon Christmas sewing this week too:

A Christmassy cushion cover, made with 2.5 inch fabric strips to fit a 12" square cushion.  I'd like to make another Christmas quilt this year but I think I might be running low on time.  What I really need is a couple of snow days ....unlikely I say. Very.

Last Week's Work

As I alluded to in yesterday's post, I did manage to complete two Farmer's Wife blocks last week!

Churn Dash

I love churn dash blocks - they are quite straightforward to make and I think they look lovely put together.  I'm really pleased with the colour combination and how the central portion stands out against the paler fabric.

Flock

I was a bit apprehensive about this one when I came to it because of all the small triangles, so I was surprised when it turned out as it did!  It could do with a good pressing (I sewed the individual square blocks together in the wrong configuration to begin with) and the Bambi prints are accidentally upside down but you live and learn and I WILL NOT take it apart again!

I'm still using a lot of red and white spots in this project - at the moment I'm blaming the festive season!

Christmas Sewing

My Christmas sewing has finally begun!  This is a Christmas gift for a very special Aussie baby and is currently on it's way Down Under. 

I found a bib tutorial at Chickpea Sewing Studio - home of lots of lovely pictures and sewing ideas.  The fabric I think is from  'Countdown to Christmas', which was one of Moda's Christmas ranges last year.  I've been saving the fat quarters for a while.  I love the reindeer print - it has the names of Father Christmas' reindeer's printed on it and is sooooo cute.  My favourite part of this bib is the fastening!  I bought the non sew variety and I think it gives it a very professional finish!

On the Farmer's Wife quilt front, I did unexpectedly manage two blocks last week.  I shall photograph them later for sharing.

Have a wonderful day!