spotty quilt

This week I've been making another quilt top a bit like the last one I made but just a wee bit different too. I decided I wanted all the coloured squares to be spotty-dotty.

Big spots, wee spots, tiny spots, teeny tiny spots, irregular spots. You name it, they're in there.

I also wanted the sashings to be dark so I chose navy blue and wanted to have cornerstones on the sashings in white. I finished the patchwork part this afternoon and I just have to say - OMG, I LOVE it! I think it's just stunning! I don't care if that makes me sound big-headed. It's true! :oD

I have to share the photo of my special wee helper who was guiding me when I was sewing in the cornerstones this morning. You can't really see her cheeky wee face because of the window behind her but she was determined to help me. Thanks, Tilly. You were a great help! :oD

Tilly

Just one thing to share today - Tilly playing in the garden with one of Molly's toys. Good thing Molly wasn't here at the time! :oD

a new quilt and a pencil case

I decided to make another quilt this week. Here it is laid on our bed before quilting.

And here it is with half the quilting done.

Hopefully I'll get the other half done tomorrow and then get it bound. Then I'll decide what to do with it. Use it? Sell it? Raffle it? Decisions, decisions!

I've also been playing around with a pencil case design this week. This is the prototype which has raw edges inside - very annoying to me - so that will have to be get sorted next time.

This is the bottom.

And, this was meant to show the felt I used on the inside but it didn't quite turn out that way!

It needs some more work but so far, so good. :o)

white blouse with fabulous buttons

I finished the white blouse this afternoon and I am soooooooooo pleased with it.

It fits me beautifully - all over. The sleeves are perfect so that 45 minutes I spent expandng the pattern was well worth the time.

Here's the pattern I used. I made view A with no pockets and the sleeves from view D. I just know it'll now be one of my go-to patterns.

Now, much as I'm really happy that the blouse fits me so well, that's not the best thing about this blouse. This is the best thing about the blouse:

Can't see them very well? Here's a closer look:

Aren't they fun? I bought these buttons when I worked in a fabric shop in Inverness. I left that job when we moved here in 2000 so those buttons have been waiting a r-e-a-l-l-y long time to be used. Well worth the wait, in my opinion! :o)

sleeves, pinnies and bags

I was playing around with another shirt pattern this week and decided to widen the sleeves by expanding them down the centre as explained in the "Fit for Real People " book. I had briefly thought about just adding half an inch to the top of the sleeve and have done with it but decided to "do it properly" instead.

After I'd done about 30 - 45 minutes worth of redrawing, cutting, spreading & taping the pattern together, I put the original sleeve pattern on top of the new sleeve pattern and guess what? It's basically just added half an inch at the side seams! *eyeroll*

I haven't sewn the blouse yet because I got a wee bit busy sewing other things.

A couple of pinnies like this:

2 like this:

2 like this:

And 2 like this:

And 3 bags like this.

Now I just have (to make myself) do the descriptions for them so I can load them into Etsy. Then I might be able to get that blouse made. I hope the sleeves fit!

blue elephants top

Over the weekend, I cut out a new top for myself. I used Simplicity 2599 view A shown in pink on the pattern envelope. I didn't put the fancy flowery bits around the neckline.

I've made this top before but I've always made the sleeveless version. I wanted to have sleeves on my new top so I had to do some redrawing of the pattern because I knew the sleeves in the pattern wouldn't fit my fat muscular arms. ;o) I am so pleased to say that the top fits me beeyooooootifully. I love it!

A close up view of the fabric - wee elephants. Aren't they gorgeous?

After I finished the top, I cut out some fabrics into pinnies (aprons) and bags.

Plenty there to keep me going for a wee while. :o)