Instead of saving the hexagons for a large quilt I decided, like I do on the spur of the moment, to make a small quilt to cover the back of a chair.
It came together surprisingly quickly with no fuss. Have yet to add a backing. Hopefully more pics when complete insha'allah
We've been back home a little while now, and it's been more than a few days of unpacking and defunking the house (let me say this :: a guy in a house on his own, friends around the corner and a cement mixer thrown in for good measure, and perhaps some of you will understand the devastation that met me on returning home. Needless to say that I feel like I need a holiday after this holiday).
The house is still funky, so moving briskly on I will show you something pretty instead::
This is the quilt I made my Mother for Christmas last year. I alluded to it in several posts and there were little glimpses of it here and there, but honestly the deadline was so tight and I didn't want to ruin the surprise by posting pictures here before the big day, and, well, I just plain forgot to take pictures of it.
Some people have asked to see it, and so I thought I'd share for all - taken whilst we were back at my mother's house. I couldn't get a good shot, and the colours really are a lot more sumptuous in the flesh.
I chose every single colour knowing exactly what colours my mother loves - lilacs and lavenders and pinks and pastels and everything in between. I am happy to say she really, genuinely loves it and actually has it on her bed. Which speaks volumes. I had no idea when I was making this whether she would like it or merely tolerate it, but knowing that it makes her happy and puts her in a good mood every day when she wakes to all these colours is really satisfying.
It happened by accident.
One minute I was minding my own business, and the next thing I know I had pieced one hexagon.
Then another.
And another.
And, well, it just went on and on.
And now I think I might be a lil deranged. I just can't stop and I'm enjoying it so much, and it kind of took over.
I'm thinking maybe a charm quilt.
In hexagons.
By accident.
...
Nurse!
Whilst it has been too hot for knitting for the last few weeks, one thing I have done is make my needles a comfy place to rest a while.
Using upholstery weight fabric (remember the box?) and batting I quilted a sturdy roll strong enough to take the weight of all the needles I have accrued over the years. I also took some plain canvas and stamped a range of sizes in millimetres to sew onto each pocket. Sewing top and bottom this left a gap for cable needles to be hung through creating a place for all sizes.
It is so so easy now to find what I want, without having to rummage. I can't wait to be able to get back to the rhythm of knitting again; I miss my yarn!
Well, hello there!
Did I mention that a while back I was asked to contribute towards the sewing magazine Sew Hip?
One of my children's quilted animal cushions caught the eye of the editor and I was asked if I'd like to share a tutorial on how to put one together. Why yes, yes I would.
And I'm happy to say it did actually make it into print, and you can find my Flamingo Quilted Cushion tutorial in this month's copy, issue 18, of Sew Hip.
So why not give one a go? Hope you brighten up a corner or two! And as an extra helping hand I'm offerig the Flamingo Template free for your personal use!
No excuses! Get sewing!
We've been lucky enough recently to have had some real summer days. Hot, hot sun. Perfect summer weather with no complaints from me!
Following on from the hot days are sometimes some rather muggy nights and in an attempt to aid restful sleep I made the babes some summer weight patchwork blankets for their bed, just in case it got too hot for their duvets.
I can't sleep without covers - the summer patchwork blanket I made for our bed last year does me very well on those nights when it's too hot for real blankets, and too cold for nothing, and with the same plan in mind I whipped these up.
4x5 12 inch patches, blanket back, sew right sides together, turn, and finish by stitching all around the edge and tying for good measure. That's it. Just real simple patchwork blankets.
And I can confirm the boys love them. And if nothing else it adds a lively splash of colour to their room
A couple weeks back I rustled up this lap blanket in the lilac colourway, and it reminded me of the other lap blankets I made way back in winter, sitting waiting for spring, which I had forgotten all about!
So a show and tell of sorts. Lap blankets, no batting and a crochet edging instead of bias, which are great as summer weight bedding or picnic blankets!
I love the old, vintage fabrics in these. They feel so soft and each one is unique.
Why not give them a go?
OK, I hope you all enjoyed the ramble down memory lane for the past couple weeks? The old blog is closed now and I'm sufficiently refreshed from the blog break to get back to it.
Quilts. The orange, hand pieced, hand sewn, hand quilted thing I started for my Firstborn when he was almost seven is STILL sitting there, not even halfway done. But progress has been made - a bit of inspiration on the inspiration board is getting me piecing the bits little by little, giving me the push to keep going.
Weirdly enough, it is the prospect of making the midget's hand sewn quilt which is making me want to get this one out of the way! I have ideas of a log cabin in vintage fabrics for him. With eldest it had to be orange, and with midget a variety of colour I think. Plus I love log cabin quilts.
Hopefully a show and tell when a little more piecing has gone on insha'allah?
Wishing you all a peaceful weekend!
xx
Gosh, what can I say? Where are my manners? Sorry for just bailing out like that. Life just took over for a while, y'know?
So. Where were we? Well, I've been hit by the painting and decorating bug AGAIN - just corners of our home badly neglected that needed some well-earned TLC. Firstly, our old lobby area (you thought the bathroom was small? Oy...), which with a lick of paint, a new light fixture and some re-arranging of nooks and crannies, has now been officially designated the laundry niche. Yup. I got me a utility space. Kinda. More a futility space. But pretty colour.
I have some (new to us) furniture requiring several layers of paint pencilled in for these coming days, as well as various other things, and if that wasn't enough hopefully a shop update next week insha'allah.
Busy, busy, busy....
Have a great weekend, people!
x
If any of you have ever tried to sell in the handmade craft market you will appreciate how hard it can be to break into as a serious contender for making any money. Why?
The first reason is that the general populace don't know and care even less about having individual handmade items in their home. The only thing many people think about is cost, and let's face it, when you are up against slave workers from the developing world who live in cardboard boxes and have maybe one meal a day, you can't compete with that. Items from China are cheap for a reason.
Secondly, people place no value in handcrafted beauty or individualism. We want magazine spread homes which reflect nothing of ourselves, and for many this is simply because there is no personality for them to impart into the home in the first place...
Anybody who thinks making money from handmade is seriously deluded. So why do people bother??
For me the answer lies in my need to constantly create ; it is the only thing that centres me, calms me and inspires me to joyful living.
The second reason, like the reason I do anything in my life, is for my two boys {from whom the name Mu'Mu is derived}. They are my driving force for everything I do and for all the choices I make.
When I create for Mu'Mu I stop and ask:: what would my boys like to see - what are they into - what would make them happy and excited. That's my benchmark. And when I have an idea it is they who product-test it for me - what works, what could be better, what they like, and what they would like to see. In short, if it floats their boat it is a success. Period.
Right now? Well they are into animals (they're vets, remember), and trucks (no brainer), and so that is where my work takes me. First to animals, and on the worktable, trucks (to follow insha'allah).
But the other reason my boys inspire me to do this? I'm not ashamed to say - for the money (the very little that I make). I'm being honest.
I am not trying to claim world domination, or corner a market, or become a name in the field. Nope. I am making pennies so that this little homeschooling family get to make it to the theatre, the concert, the ballet and for days out, where little minds are stretched and wings can soar.
Mu'Mu stands squarely by and for my children, which is why, even though this handmade craft thing is so ludicrously low-paid, I stick with it. I love beauty, and I love my boys.
Shop is now re-opened, in case you didn't quite get it. And I'll be updating with new things next week insha'allah
A few ideas brewing in my head; some things that are halfway into reality. Some new colours and themes for a spring opening of shop Mu'Mu in the upcoming week insha'allah.
Feels good to be sewing again.
I have actually only one UFO in my stash - and if you have been reading me a while you will recognise this as the handsewn quilt I pledged to make for my eldest son. It has been sitting mocking me for over a year. A year. This is simply terrible, but given that every stitch is handsewn I think totally understandable, right?
But I cannot stand it any longer. This quilt must be worked on!
I have taken it out of the dark corner I tried to hide it in, and am flaunting it provocatively within eyeshot, hoping that at least the very sight of it will remind me to at least keep at it.
Here's hoping. And do keep nudging me on this occasionally will you?
The first day the midget fell sick he spent all day whimpering in pain, wheezing, and basically trying to break my heart with his hound dog eyes. It was pitiful. After putting him to bed whimpering, and wanting to do something to make him happy, I set about making something I've had in mind for a couple of weeks now after a friend gave me some wonderful bits of fabric - a tool belt.
This little one loves powertools, and Bob the Builder, and screwdrivers, drills, and anything manly like that. He already has a toolbag which I made some time ago, and which he takes everywhere, so I thought that there might be a good chance that this handyman belt would be another dressing up hit.
It was a relatively straight-forward make; facing was cool tool fabric, corduroy backing and batting for extra sturdiness, with a strip of elastic sewn at serveral intervals for tools to go through, finished with a thick elastic band for the waist.
And yes, he loves it masha'allah. He has only taken it off to goto bed, and seems proud of the fact that his Mummy made it especially for him at night when he was sick to make him happy (he keeps telling people this fact over and over again).
It's a simple make which reminds me once again why I make the effort to make things for my babes - nothing gives you a feel-good factor like seeing your child happy because of something you have done. A tangible object which symbolises so much unspoken love.
Well, as forecast I was busy beavering away making and fussing over the house this weekend (as well as doing other, less interesting stuff). Nothing is finished, and even if it were the lousy light means photo-taking is becoming a frustrating task. So just some snippets of a little bit of weekend crafting.
Some lap blankets in progress along with some pillow slips. Hopefully when it is all complete I can show you more insha'allah.
This weekend has been kind of full, but without really knowing what has been achieved. Just full. And tiring.
I'm busy painting and decorating - I get these 'good' ideas into my head and I have to do it THERE and THEN. It involves a lot of primer and coats of paint and new handles and, oh my lord, drilling and polyfilla, and scraping gloss paint off lino, and, well aren't you tired just thinking about all that? I'm still not finished, and I've got a bee in my bonnet about cleaning and rearranging the shelves in the kitchen because the jam might be mixed with the tinned beans *hyperventilates* and I don't remember the last time I scraped the marmite off the shelving and *hyperventilates* tea stains from the insides of the cupboards (animals, I live with a load of ANIMALS I tell ya). It all has to be pristine and clean.
On the upsides I cleaned the fridge without having to be told...
Add to that ferrying children to classes and a frigid Sunday morning beside a rugby pitch and the MUD this left in my lobby and it's safe to say I am through with the weekend now.
Oh, but the saving grace of crafting! Sweet sewing machine of mine, how I love thee... a little bit of stitching and I can feel the tension and tiredness lifting, and even though I still might be a bit weary, after a good dose of making, it's all good. A good, satisfied, achieved-something, tiredness.
In one mad afternoon last week sometime I sewed together these six inch patches to form the top of a new throw/blanket for our bed.
The yellow quilt top blanket I made at the begining of 2009 has served us very well and looks really very attractive, but sometimes a change is as good as a rest, and well, I just fancied something new...
There is a mixture of floral prints, some I can't remember who by, but some Cath Kidston, Anna Marie Horner and Windham classics to name a few.
I have yet to finish it - I'm still waiting to find just the right sheet in a thrifting adventure for the backing, and insha'allah if I do then hopefully it won't take an hour to finish the backing and binding with perhaps ties to bind it together. As it won't have batting, it really doesn't need quilting.
So something new to keep the interior bright in these oh so grey days...
For some time there have two people who have lost out on the Mama-made goodies since the knitting took off and the machine took a rest - the boys. And not making stuff for them got into a bad habit, so one afternoon last week I rectified this neglect by quickly rustling up some goodies for them.
The first were these little 'snuggle sacks' as my eldest calls them - patchwork bags filled with stuffing and lavender to used to cuddle into at night to aid restful sleep. Every other night I put a drop of lavender essence on the felt pocket to help them drop off. Yeah, right. Gimme the chloroform... but they swear it helps them sleep, and they love the snuggle sacks because it helps them feel relaxed.
Score.
Another task was to rustle up a cushion similar to his brother's with some embroidered work for the youngest. To my shame this is of a picture that my youngest drew when he was 3 and which I traced and embroidred in MARCH waiting to be turned into a pillow. My bad. Oh well, it is done now, and greatly appreciated and cuddled.
What is it? Pah! Be off with you! Can't you tell?? It's Postman Pat with Jess inside his red postvan. duh. I loved this picture so much, and the animated way in which he told me all about his sweet drawing that it was a natural contender for turning into something a bit more long lasting insha'allah.
It has also made me realise there are few more drawings awaiting some mama-magic sitting in my sewing corner, and I don't want to wait a year this time before they are ready!
I don't remember the last time I sewed for pleasure.
For three or four months all I've done is knit. Constantly. And when I have sewed it has been deadline orientated and rather hard work. So to find time and inclination to get back to the sewing machine for pleasure has been a real boon.
This lap blanket was quickly completed in one afternoon using green prints and vintage fabrics for a soft, old feel. With some doily applique to add some interest and a beautiful vintage sheet for the backing this project was enjoyed from conception to completion. And I really needed that. It was like some wind was put back in my sails.
It has sparked a renewed vigour for the machine, and so hopefully I'll be able to do some show and tells here soon!
Unbelievably, it really is time for winter woollens - no where more so than on our beds!
It just seems like yesterday I was washing them and shoving placing them gently in the wardrobe ready for winter... already they are on our beds and inducing such heavenly, cozy, snuggly sleeeeeep; I could quite happily bed in for the next two seasons...
I'm forever keeping my eye open for vintage woollen blankets - I am lucky enough, alhamdulillah, to have scored two more on a hit-n-run thrift adventure this week masha'allah! And I think I have a project for one of them that involves surgery - some serious cutting and stitching - but it happens to be a Witney blanket and even though it isn't a points blanket (can you find them in England??) I have still fallen rather in love with it. What to do? Cut or not to cut?
x
Remember seeing these pillowcases yesterday? They were a couple of pillowcases I scored whilst out thrifting last week - I saw them bundled away at the top of a shelf as I was paying for some other things, and my heart leapt a little when I saw them there - I knew they were going to be a bit special.
Oh my. They were a lot special - beautifully huge Oxford Style pillowcases in blues and bluey-greys with that little bit of chintzy floral thing going on. And they were quilted patchwork.
They were too good to cut, so I decided simply to use them as they were - with a simple blanket stitch I closed the opening for the pillow in the back, then again with blanket stitch, I sewed the two pillowcases together to make an instant lap quilt.
An easy, yet I think effective craft easily completed in one afternoon.
Have you begun to feel it too? There's a nip in the air, isn't there? Can't leave arms out of bedcovers at night; that shawl is coming in handy; children are wearing vests again.
And it's triggered something off in the primal part of my brain - just as something triggers the geese to fly South for the Winter, something triggers Mamas to start fluffing out the nest. My mind has instinctively turned towards ensuring the house will be ready for Winter.
Patterns are being rumaged through, several projects are on the sticks, and last week I had the compulsion to make a quilt for the lounge.
A while ago I ordered some Denyse Schmidt County Fair and a yard specifically of the crazy log cabin faux patchwork in light canvas weight. It sat there as I fell first in love, then in hate with it. One day it would be on the cutting mat, and the next it would be shoved at the bottom of some fabric stash. What can I say? I had a love-hate relationship with fabric *shrugs* I guess it got personal.
ANYWAY, last week I was in love again and quickly decided to do something before it changed. Using an old, thrifted quilted throw (which I really did not like) for the batting, and some vintage screenprinted cotton for the backing I spent the afternoon 'framing' the Denyse Schmidt yardage so it would fit the batting, and then quilting and binding the whole thing in less then an hour in the evening.
I really like it; in an unexpected way it seems to bring the room together. Those insane colour combos really do work. And the best part? Uh, that would have to be that it looks like I have a genuine Denyse quilt of my very own.
Won't say no to that.
You might recall me posting recently that I am still being inspired by the mustard colourway. It doesn't seem to be abating in the slightest. I think it has been a solid year now and I haven't lost my love for this colour one little bit.
But as well as loving it up with greys and marigolds, I have discovered a new colour combo that's doing it for me :: Mustard and Teal. Just crazy, dizzy loving this combo. So much so, that I have been including it in my work.
This latest addition to the store reflects the sucky weather thing going on over here, and hinting towards the coming autumn - ooh berry picking in woolens, walks with scarves and mittens. Summer may have been a complete wash-out, but here's really hoping that Autumn is going to rock insha'allah (pleeeeeeeeeease!!). And who could have an Autumn walk with the babes in the woods without something to keep the neck warm? It would be a veritable sin not to accessorize in Autumn colours in Fall!
I have made a really extra long one for myself, because I like to wind scarves around and around; and I love the way these colours dance together masha'allah. The eye is drawn from one patch to the next, and it adds such an extra dash of vibrancy to my usual dowdy attire.
Mustard and teal; I don't think I can get enough right now...
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