Happy Hubby ...

It's hubby's birthday today so I can finally share a few bits I made for him.

The first was practically demanded ... "If I take the kids for a play in the garden, will you make me that pliers wrap I've been asking for ... for like a year?" 

Um ... OK!

Being a bit of a (self-confessed) tomboy, I took to this little project like a duck to plum sauce water!

The Ikea denim tablecloth that I picked up recently came in handy for this little project.  

It was nice and sturdy and for the outer and pocket fabrics.  Plus I thought it would wear well with the dirt that this wrap will inevitably be covered in!

For a pop of colour, and as an ode to his heritage, I used a Spotlight Union Jack drill cotton to line the warp and make the ties.

The next little project was a surprise for his birthday ...  

My husband is in I.T and where ever he goes a big jumble of cables go with him (think: laptop charger, earphones, phone charger, tablet charger, hard drives ... I won't bore you with the entire list!)

He does a bit of travelling with his work from time to time so I made him a little pouch (my first ever!!!!) to pop all of these cables in.

Quilted with a bright yellow thread - shame the print isn't straight!

The Union Jack fabric is another drill cotton from Spotlight and the lining fabric is left-over from a little project I've finished for the up-and-coming Make Modern Magazine ... I'm really excited to have my FIRST EVER quilt pattern published in Make Modern's FIRST EVER issue!!  September the FIRST is the date to remember!

I'll be linking up with TGIFF and Finish it Up Friday this week.

Happy Friday everyone! 

Serena xx

Birthday Bins

I'm in the midst of a busy few months of birthdays ... yes months ... so making little gifts has been taking up the majority of my sewing time.  That's quite OK though  ... gift making is what we quilters like to do, right?

It's also given me a chance to dive back into my newly acquired Liberty stash ... I must use it and not just look at it - that's what I keep telling myself!

I bought this lovely platter and decided to make some little fabric bins to go with them.

Three little Liberty Bins to put whatever in ...

The pattern I used called for the same fabric to be used on the bottom of the bins as the outside ... but there was no way I was putting Liberty where it couldn't be seen (read: No-one puts Baby in a corner!).

So I used the same denim fabric for the bottom as I had for the lining.  It gave the bins some extra sturdiness and durability too!

I'll put the pattern details at the bottom of this post, but can I just say that it's fantastic and, even better, it's free!  The fabric bins come in 3 different sizes and are designed to nest.  I chose to use the smallest of the sizes so that I could fit three on this platter.

I can see more of these versatile fabric bins in my gift giving future ... might even make one for myself ... I could always use a pretty thread catcher.

Deets:

Pattern used: Matryoshka Bins by Straightgrain.  I used the smallest size bin.  There are 3 sizes available.

Main fabric: Liberty!!!

Lining Fabric: Denim-look Ikea Fabric (it's sold as a tablecloth)

Serena xx

I'll be linking up with:  Let's Bee Social and Sew Cute Tuesday

A Little Something

I finished a little something ... using little Liberty hexies and a cross stitched strawberry ...

I'm loving the little things in life lately ...

I hope you are too?

Deets:

3/4" Hexies in Liberty Art Fabrics
Background fabric is Hanky Linen
Cross Stitched Strawberry pattern found here
Scissors from Typo
Strawberry Buttons from Spotlight

Serena xx

Linking up with TGIFF and Finish it Up Friday

August Bee Blocks

Our Threadbias Ausbee Queen for August requested some Mini Bow Tie Blocks.

I haven't made these before, so I'm very happy to add them to my repertoire!

The fabrics to be used were cream for the backgrounds (cream prints OK) and for the bow ties themselves she requested bright jewel colours, thirties prints, dot/spot or florals.  I didn't have any thirties prints on hand but the Avant Garden fabric range covered the rest ...

Job done!

Bee Block Deets:
Pattern used : Click on this link
Block size: 12.5" square (unfinished)
Background: Random cream solids and cream on cream prints
Bow ties: All fabric from a layer cake of Avant Garden

Serena xx

Linking up with Sew Cute Tuesday

Sunday Stash - For the Love of Liberty

We had a little family winter break in the lovely city of Melbourne last week.

I was lucky enough to be staying in an apartment almost diagonally across from L'uccello, and if you're reading this dear husband, that little fact was totally not planned ... promise!.  

It would have been rude not to visit said paradise when I was staying so close, right?

So what did I buy?

A whole Lotta-Liberty-Love! *warning, awesomeness to follow*

I've already started playing with the fabric ... and a new glue pen ... and a new skill ... hello hexies!

I've made a little something with these ... but that deserves it's own post :)

Happy Sunday everyone!

Serena x
Linking up with Sunday Stash

WIP - Possum Magic - Round 1

Much indecision, much trepidation and maybe an ulcer has been happening around these parts ... 

I'm not good at working on other people's work ... it scares me ... what if, what if, what if?  But finally I sewed.

Possum Magic Round 1

Let me step you through my thoughts when I first saw Jo of Riddle and {Whimsy}'s centre block:

Jo's block

"Omigoodness its beautiful, so very cool" ... then ... "oh crap, it's a rectangle! What does an engineering draftsperson (read OCD, everything must be balanced and equal, freak) do with a rectangle?!"

Then a pep talk to myself "OK, calm down, have a cup of tea and maybe a biscuit" ... freak out again ... repeat tea and biscuit.  So I've gained a few pounds, but I think my nervous energy should burn those off!

I started trawling Pinterest and created a 'mood mosaic' ... Feathers? No, too soon.  Delectable mountains? Hmm, maybe.  Chevrons or herringbone mimicking the feathers on the arrow? No, this rectangle is really bothering me! 

Clockwise: Herringbone wallpaper, delectable mountain block, paper pieced feathers, arrow fabric

Finally I decided that I was going to have to square this baby up.  It meant only adding two borders, but it also meant that I could move on. 

I sketched up an idea ...

Only the best sketching equipment used here ...

Then I found this arrow pattern and chose my fabric ... Wood-grain for the arrow stems and some lovely Shimmer fabric for the arrow heads.

A little while ago Jo kindly gave me some of her AMH scraps and now I'm gifting them back!  That's how it works, right?

I didn't have the same background fabric as Jo used for her arrow and I kind of wanted to use a different one anyway to define the border.  It's a subtle difference, granted, but enough I think and I know that Jo likes this fabric from the Littlest Range by Art Gallery Fabrics

Metallic arrow head

AMH feathers

So there you have it!

Zipping off to Carla next to work her magic

I've sent a "this isn't good enough I need more time!" panic email to Carla of Granny Maud's Girl - who will be adding the 2nd border. I've threatened to unpick the lot ... but thought I would write this post and sleep on it go on holiday to Melbourne first ... so if you're reading this post, then I was happy upon returning from holiday (thanks mum).  

Indecision is such a killer!  If anything this Possum Magic Round Robin is forcing me kicking and screaming teaching me to be more decisive ...

... maybe.

Serena xx
Linking up with:  Let's Be Social and WIP Wednesday.  See you there!

Little Finish

It may be a little finish, but I'm rather proud of this one.  

We had a Secret Santa - Christmas in July swap at Perth Modern Quilt Guild and my partner said they wanted a pin cushion.  

So my teeny, tiny piecing experiment became quite useful!

Now don't faint, but I actually used *cough* SCRAPS *cough* to make this ... those that know me here at SewGiving will know of my chronic allergic reaction caused by keeping scraps ... but this little project could be bringing me around.

All the little geese are made from the trimmings of joining binding strips.  The grey Aneela Hoey is leftover from making bee blocks .... the AH Posy strip fabric is left over from making this diary cover ... the Moda ribbon (??) is off a jelly roll bundle, and the grey linen fabric?  Yup! That's my old maternity pants making another appearance!  So, honourable members of the scraps society, are you proud of me?

Karma repaid immediately when I received my Secret Santa gift from the lovely Gina of @happygolizzie on Instagram.  Just look at this Gorgeous zipper pouch and scissor case to keep my Farmer's Wife Blocks safe in when I'm out and about.

Life's great in 'Little Finish' Town!

Pin Cushion Stats:

Size = 4"x4"
Fabric = See my proud proclamation of scrap useage
Stuffing = Poly fibre from Spotlight
Flying Geese Pattern = "Juisey Goosey" by Jeli Quilts
I found this ladder stitch tutorial really handy too!

Serena x
I'll be linking up with TGIFF and Finish It Up Friday.  See you there!