feather your nest ...

I didn't mean to leave it quite so long to make my little announcement over here on the blog so here goes:

Do you see that little shop widget over there --->
(Perhaps not, I guess, if you're reading on Reader or your mobile device, you'll have to take my word for it!)

Having an Etsy shop is a project I have been thinking about for a very long time; a project that I have been working on for quite a long time; and finally, after all that time, have had the confidence to open up its doors.

After much procrastination I found that, along with some amazingly supportive friends, the Universe sent me a couple of gentle prods to set the ball rolling. I pinned the above picture just recently as I believe this to be very true of me. I cannot help making things and I'm certainly not happy if I am unable to make things.

But who knew that there would quite so many things to think about in opening up an Etsy shop? The actual making of the things I wanted to sell was the easy bit - I've had to think about mail bags and wrapping, postage costs, what I wanted to be a strong point for selling my wares. Many, many details that have kept me awake at night.

Then there was the actual name of the shop itself. 'feather your nest' was always my first choice but after trying to get past the first page of the Etsy template, I realised it wasn't very original. Other names were toyed with but there was always a negative comment when I was trying them out on people to get some feedback that really put me off and so I always found myself back at my first idea. Hence the numbers on the actual web address, which aren't ideal but I can live with it!

The biggest hurdle I had to overcome was one of pricing. It is a minefield and then serendipity handed me the thing I needed to read. Arounna sums it up perfectly in this blog post. I read it, digested it and it was the final thing my confidence needed to hit the 'open shop' button.

It feels good to have a direction to take my creative sewing in and I'm looking forward to becoming part of the Etsy community. I'd love for you to have a wander through and let me know what you think. I'm happy to do custom orders too so if there is something that you like but maybe have your own ideas or colours, then I can make it happen for you!

Discipline…

I have many things to do and many more things I want to do and so I am having to be strict with myself.
I just had a tally up and I have seven Roman blinds and one pair of full-length curtains on my to-do list.  How on earth did that happen?  I wasn’t even aware that I still did curtain-making! None of them are for me, I hasten to add.  Luckily I have made two blinds this weekend (they aren’t included in the seven!), so my plan is working.
My sister was getting rid of this chair and I immediately saw a patchwork opportunity not to be missed.



I put my favourite quilt on it to get a feel of how it might look when I’ve finished with it.



It really will take every ounce of discipline I possess for me to keep it in line with the other jobs that really ought to take priority.

As a tiny reward for exercising a huge amount of discipline this weekend, I allowed myself a frivolous 10 minutes play and created this heart garland.



Sooo  easy and satisfying to make.

Useful and beautiful…

As William Morris said:

Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.

Years ago, when I was living in what felt like a bit of a nightmare, I actually painted this quote onto my bathroom wall so that I could read it and hold on to what it meant at frequent intervals throughout the day. I had to live in a flat that was totally hideous but as a temporary measure, which made it slightly more bearable. The bathroom in particular freaked me out.  I say bathroom, it didn’t actually have a bath and if it wasn’t so grotty, today it would have been fashionably called a wet room. The very worst thing about it for me was that there was a black seat on the toilet and every time I looked in there, it reminded me of a public convenience! Oh, and sliding door! 
Moving on.
After my little sewing session last week, I decided that it was high time indeed to actually make something else from one of my many sewing books.  I’m terrible at getting carried away adding books to my Amazon wishlist.  Then on a whim, buying a couple now and then, only to have them sitting pretty on my bookshelf.
The reason I bought this book was for the wonderful pin cushion caddy.  This often happens. I buy a whole book for the sake of one project.



I’m more than happy with the way it turned out and, going with the flow, I thought I would use more of my precious FMF.



But, and there is a very big BUT.  It actually turned out to be a nightmare.  I happily started cutting out the pattern and then the fabrics, taking extra care at double-checking the instructions as I went.  It all seemed to going smoothly until I reached the crucial stage of actually bringing the whole thing together.



Was it me or was there something seriously going wrong here?  The outer cushion seemed to be two whole segments too big for the inner tube.  Having unpicked it a couple of times and altered my seam allowances, I made the wise decision to calmly put it down and eat.
With a clearer head, I went in search of answers on the internet and eventually found myself here.  So, it wasn’t just me!  There was a very detailed response from Anna Maria herself.  In the end, I took out the two surplus segments and started making progress again.


I’m trying not to get too disheartened over this frustrating episode, but I find it extremely annoying that it almost the done thing to check out the errata on books these days before you actually start something.
Moan over because despite it all, I am loving this useful and beautiful little item to pieces.

Sew happy…

Aside from cooking, I also found time for some sewing this weekend. This is my favourite sewing book and I have made several things from it since I got it last year. I decided it was high time I used some of my most precious fabric and what better use than where I can see it every day when I go to my sewing room?

 

Having struggled first thing on Saturday morning to find any energy, the afternoon flew by with the gentle whirr of my sewing machine and the satisfying pop of my eyelet maker.

 

Now I have, what I consider, a very well-dressed sewing machine! With a cheery inside too.

 

 

Can you see that new bit of kit in there?

 

My confidence is growing and after waiting for ages for this book to come, I am determined to learn how to do free-motion stitching on the machine and this darning foot is, apparently, the key.

 

Using a bit of scrap from a cushion that I'd finished last week, I had a little play. It is amazingly addictive and I can't wait to incorporate it in one of the many lovely projects in the book.

 

Today…

…some of my Paperwhites are on the kitchen table and growing nicely, snug in their mossy basket.  I’m looking forward to opening the door in the mornings to their heady scent…

 

…I have the bluest of blue hyacinths on the kitchen windowsill…

 

…and the first of this year’s shop-bought tulips…

 

…elsewhere in the house, I have been making a little something to protect my Christmas present…

 

…the clue is in the fabric…

 

…just a simple envelope with the now obligatory buttonhole!

 

18 :: Cards… done…

At last!  It feels as though I have actually done something productive for Christmas.

 

My cards have been made…

 

From the scrap basket…

Inspired from here…

 

 

We had snow.  A lot of snow.  In a very short space of time.

My plans for a weekend of carefully planned festive preparation are verging on disaster!  I have felt very pleased with myself by organising my Christmas food shop to be delivered tonight… but I have just had a call to say they are running THREE HOURS late and they should be here before 1am.  1am!!! 

My Christmas tree is currently snowed in the garage instead of making the living room twinkly. 

Perhaps tomorrow, I can plead with No2 to help me clear a path so I can bring it in then… but to be fair, he is feeling very under the weather and has been for almost 2 weeks now.

So now I've got three hours to kill.  I could do my ironing or wrap some presents or do some embroidery or make a tiramisu or some mince pies for the freezer…

Deadline...

I'm not used to working to a deadline anymore.  I have tried really hard not to let it stress me out too much.

Tomorrow evening, I have a table at a fund-raising evening in Warwickshire, with my friend.  A table to try and sell some things I have been making.

I had grand plans to have a really good assortment of items to sell but my time has been taken up with goodness knows what.  So, I am taking along a few bits of crochet and some fabric-y bits that I have made out of all the scrap materials from my quilt-making.  I have tried to photograph it as I go, but to be honest, the light is so dull it's been hard to capture the colours.

Perhaps tomorrow I can get some better pictures...  Perhaps, I'll even sell something!

*****

I am going to do some more training tonight at Helen House.  Things have been moving forward in this area for me lately and when I get a chance I will post about some things that I am now involved in.  As ever, I have many balls in the air.  Hopefully next week, I can get myself more organised and finish some projects that have had to sit on the back burner for a while. 

My day...

I have thoroughly enjoyed this daily posting project.  At first, I wondered if I'd have anything remotely interesting to post about or whether my ideas would run dry.  Of course, the interestingness is a matter of personal opinion and what might interest some, might not be very exciting for another.  But, it seems, I still have things that I want to say and record.  So bear with me, the end of the month is nearly here!


I have a busy week ahead of me this week.  I am working on Ali's project and as much as I'd love to show and tell what I've been doing on the crafting front, I really don't want to give too much away and spoil the surprise for my partner.  Also, my parents are moving house on Friday.  Tomorrow the removal company starts to pack away 32 years of family life into storage for a bit while they renovate (or, at least, put central heating in!) their new house.  I will have lodgers!

Anyway, back to today.  So far I have:

• Been soaked while out on my morning 3 miles walk with Pippin.  I am walking with one of No2's friend's mum, so it is nice to have some company, especially when it is raining!
• Read through my Google Reader items, left some comments and answered my email.
• Followed links and found myself here.  Nursed a cup of coffee and felt very removed from real life, wishing I could do something worthwhile.
• Ordered the backing fabric for Max's quilt from here.
• Ordered the binding for both the boy's quilts from here.  I decided it would be nice if the binding was the same on both to link them in together.
• Spotted some Katie Jump Rope, also here, to go with the next quilt I'm making.  It fell into my basket, I tell you.
• Then I had to have this little bundle.  Had to.
• I had a browse round Flickr looking for inspiration to make a denim quilt from old jeans.  Found quite a few...
• Had previously mentioned mum round to give first sewing lesson.  She came armed with a bag of old pairs of jeans and left with instructions how to cut them into workable sized pieces of fabric without losing the interesting bits such as pockets and double stitching, ready to get quilt-making. 
• Spent the rest of the afternoon working on afore-mentioned project.  Just one little tiny peek, ok?

• 
  
  Had left-over cottage pie from yesterday for dinner - delicious.  I swear it is better the next day after being reheated.
  
  
  
• 
  
  Started the hand-quilting on Harry's quilt - nice and snuggled up underneath it on the sofa!
  
  
  
• 
  
  Wrote this post.
  
  
  

Now, I'm going back under the quilt to do some more sewing.  See you tomorrow!

The other side...

So, here we are in a new year and a new decade.  The last 10 days have been a blur of activity and excitement, with not only Christmas but birthdays, visitors from Australia, a New Year's Eve party, plus untold amounts of cooking, eating and generally being merry!

This is the first time I have been able to sit down with my laptop and write a post, although I have been dipping in and out of Blogland to see what's been going on - mainly late at night on my iPhone, in bed with my now habitual cup of Ovaltine... must be getting old...

All my handmade presents went down a storm and I even managed to fit a couple of last minute fabric-y gifts in for the ladies: some cafetiere cosies and some quilted coasters.  Oh, and a pear pin cushion!

All my cooking went without a hitch - I loved every minute of it in my hot, busy kitchen.

Here's a mosaic I made of the best bits:

These are the flowers I took for my darling boy - the deepest of red roses, pink anemones and mistletoe for Christmas kisses:

This always goes down a treat in our house at Christmas:

And best of all, I have a shiny new toy in my kitchen!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year and thank you for all your lovely comments and encouragement.  I love being part of this fab community - it fills me with inspiration, friendship and fun.

Here's to 2010... I'm feeling good about it!

Christmas take-out...

As promised, a quick post about the table gifts I have made for Christmas this year.  I had a bee in my bonnet about Chinese take-out boxes and found a template on the internet here.  Enlarged it so it was big enough to for my gifts to fit in, then cut it out of glittery paper.  I made some name labels using photos from my library to go with the flowers I have ordered for Christmas and after filling up with goodies (including a fortune cookie!), tied it up with bits of wool from my stash.

Gold for the grown ups...

...and red for the children who will be on their own table...

Do you recognise the mushroom, Julie and Val?  I knew I'd find a good use for them!

 

Not crackers...

I've so enjoyed having time at home this year to get stuck into making loads of hand-made gifts for Christmas. Perhaps this is my vocation. It seems the more I make, the more I want to make and my brain is fit to burst.

One thing I find a complete waste of money is Christmas crackers. Every year we seem to spend a fortune on nice ones, only for me to be left with a little pile of stuff that came out of them to oohs and aahhs but actually, stuff no-one really wanted! Nobody likes to wear the hat - in fact my one never fits me! I've even had a 2 pint jug of gravy being spilt all over the table (and my poor Mum) in a display of strength needed to pull the cracker apart!

SO, this year I thought I would do little table gifts for everyone instead. I'm a glutton for punishment, see.

I have to say, I was inspired by this irresistible book.

The boys in my family WILL have my crochet! No2 gave his seal of approval and said I should surprise him with one. I made them into key rings so they could hang them on their school bags! And all the materials came from my stash, so no cost to me other than my time.

Then there came the girls. I could have gone mad and made every single item in this book (maybe one day I will) but I was also dying to make these hearts from Owlishly.


Again, I added a keyring and decorated them with some buttons from my jar. Crochet fascinates me still; it seems there is no end to the things you can create.
Then onto the adults...


Way back in the summer I grabbed some skeins of gorgeous Debbie Bliss Pure Silk in the John Lewis sale. Rather than buy several of one colour, I bought just one skein of several colours. I wish you could put your hand in and feel how wonderfully soft this yarn is.

Then, I saw this little beauty and I knew just what to use it for.

That's the ladies sorted. I have to confess to being stumped as to what to get for the menfolk and have resorted to a scratch card. Of course, if any of them win, I will have half!
Come back tomorrow to see the boxes I've made to put them all in!

A spectrum from my stash...

Ever since I bought this book, I always wanted to make this pencil roll.

Being new to quilting though, I didn't really have enough suitable fabrics to make it without buying each coloured piece specifically. Now that I have been buying fabrics for various different quilts and other projects, my stash has grown and yielded the requirements for this project.

Then I found some bargain pencils in the summer sale...

...and a linen jacket being put in the charity shop bag round at my Mum's...

...and I was in business.

I found some gorgeous ribbon here...

...then raided my button stash...

...decided to use bright pink thread for my top-stitching (do you see how wonky my stitching is?!)...

...and I have made not one...




...but two pencil rolls for two little girls for Christmas.