Where the Orchids Grow.

Cocorico February ~ Pippi

2012-02-13T18:03:00.000+01:00

It is Muriel's month in Cocorico and she chose Pippi as her theme. I got all excited about this because I adore Pippi! If you have not read the books or watched the films I can highly recommend them.
I had plenty of ideas for blocks but had to drop one after the other as they were all way over my head! I finally settled on a block that does not feature Pippi herself but one of her favourite foods....cake, preferably eaten for breakfast ;)
Pippi takes all her friends to the candy shop where they buy up a ton of sweets and goodies and have a very good time together. So that was my inspiration.

I drew up a rough sketch of where I wanted what to be, and then made paper piecing patterns for each individual section. I am particularly pleased with how the bow on the chocolate box came out, I was not sure if I would be able to pull it off!
Do have a look at the flickr group Amy and Kerry both made amazing Pippi blocks this month!

x Leila

P.S please check back tomorrow for some exciting news....!

Cuppa tea love? a paper piecing tutorial

2012-02-08T15:39:00.000+01:00

As promised today I have a little Valentine's Day paper piecing tutorial for you all!
I designed this block to be beginners friendly, but also included some smaller pieces to give you something to practice on ;)
The pattern is divided up in sections from A to F, each section is pieced individually and then all sections are pieced together. I will be using the freezer paper method for this tutorial but feel free to paper piece whichever way you like best of course!
With freezer paper piecing each pattern piece has it's own freezer paper template. I like to print a paper copy of the pattern to keep next to my sewing machine for reference as I piece each section. Rather than tracing the pattern on freezer paper by hand, I print a copy of the pattern directly on to the dull side of my freezer paper and save some time. Doing this does mean you will have to cut with a 1/4" seam allowance around the pattern once ironed on.

Lets get started shall we?

Cuppa tea love? a paper piecing tutorial
Finished size: 5 3/4" x 8 1/2"

What you will need:
Download the free PDF pattern - be sure your printer is set to 100% or no scaling when printing.
-fabric, you don't need large pieces, scraps, layer cake squares or fat eights will do just nicely
- freezer paper
- a clear ruler with 1/4" mark
- normal sewing equipment

Pattern Templates
Print out a copy of the PDF Pattern. Like I mentioned earlier I like to keep one paper copy of the pattern for reference and I print my pattern templates straight unto the freezer paper.
Cut out each section of the freezer paper templates and save a piece of the excess freezer paper for later.

Step One - piecing the heart tea bag
We will start with the pieced heart tea bag in section A. Cut out each piece of your freezer paper template.

The two corner triangles 3 & 5 are rather small and might get lost under your iron if ironed on directly to the fabric. I will draw one new template for these two pieces including seam allowances.

Simply trace section 5 from the reference pattern and draw 1/4" seam allowance to all sides. Since the corner triangles are mirrored you only need one new template. But do remember to iron the freezer paper to the reverse of the fabric for section 3!

Iron the templates to the right sides of the fabric and cut with 1/4" seam allowance on all sides, except for section 3 & 5 where the seam allowance was already added to the new freezer paper template.
( remember to iron the template to the reverse of the fabric for section 3!)

Sew each piece together in the order they are numbered

Step Two - section A
Iron the pattern templates for section A to the right sides of the fabric and cut with 1/4" seam allowance on all sides.The smaller corner triangles of sections 1 & 2 are conveniently the same size as the corner triangles 3 & 5 of the heart tea bag so we can use this template again. Remember to iron one to the right side and one to the wrong side of the fabric, and no added 1/4" seam allowances for these pieces!

Piece together in the order in which they are numbered.

Step 3 - section B
Iron the pattern templates for section B to the right sides of the fabric and cut with 1/4" seam allowance on all sides. If you find the corner triangles a tad on the small side trace new freezer paper templates including a 1/4" seam allowance, like we did before.
I used the freezer paper templates from my printed copy.

Piece together in the order in which they are numbered.

Step 4 - Section C
Iron the pattern template for section C to the right sides of the fabric and cut with 1/4" seam allowance on all sides. Sew to section C to section A

Step 5 - section D
Iron the pattern templates for section D to the right sides of the fabric and cut with 1/4" seam allowance on all sides. Piece together in the order in which they are numbered.

Step 6 - Section E
Iron the pattern templates for section E to the right sides of the fabric and cut with 1/4" seam allowance on all sides. Piece together in the order in which they are numbered.

Step 7 - section F
Almost done now! So at the risk of repeating myself ;).. Iron the pattern templates for section F to the right sides of the fabric and cut with 1/4" seam allowance on all sides. Piece together in the order in which they are numbered.

And you are all done!
I added a little embroidery for the tea bag on this block. It is not finished yet but I think I will add some borders and make a cushion cover with it once I find the time!

I also experimented with the scale of the pattern and made a smaller version that is just right as a mug rug. Change the scaling in your printer settings or edit the pattern size in a photo editing program if you would like to try this as well.

The smaller the block the smaller the pieces of course which means the construction is a little more fiddly. I did not piece the heart on the tea bag this time but fussy cut some fun tea fabric instead.
I just wanted to show you how you can play around with the pattern and make it fit your own needs.
If you make this block or anything else from one of my tutorials I would love to see it! Please add your photo's to my Flickr group here

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial! If you have any questions just shoot I will do my best to answer them.

x Leila

Sewing again

2012-02-06T19:06:00.000+01:00

Thank you all for your lovely comments on my new and improved sewing space!
I have been busy messing things up again in there working on a few new designs for patterns, tutorials and bee blocks.
I have a little paper piecing tutorial in the makes, it will be a fun and easy block to sew just in time for Valentines Day. Here's a little sneak peek...

I will be busy writing up the tutorial over the next few days!

x Leila

Know when to quit..

2012-02-05T10:33:00.000+01:00

I am done!The room is not finished but I sure am finished redecorating it ;)

If you would like to read a bit more head on over to Lawson and Lotti's as I am featured today on her Sundays Sewing Space.

x Leila

Sew Out Loud

2012-02-01T23:04:00.000+01:00

Have you been wanting to have a go at paper piecing but not knowing where to start? Wonder where others find those pretty text fabrics? You may want to join Sew Out Loud {quilters wordplay} Quilt Along.
Sew Out Loud is all about sewing and text, with a fair dose of paper piecing thrown into the mix sounds good right?!

Eleven of my favourite bloggers have come together to design a block each, I just consider myself lucky to be one of them. The 12th block will be designed by one of you. There are lots of fantastic prizes to be won and our winner will be chosen by a very special guest judge....I am bursting to tell you who it is but alas I can not ;)

Fat Quarter Shop has very generously agreed to be our sponsor and has sent each of us designers a lovely stack of fabrics to use in our blocks.

Are you excited yet? I really hope you will join us, it is going to be so much fun!
Now, head on over to Julianna's and Kirie's blogs for the full QAL schedule, details on the contest and to enter the kick off Give Away!

x Leila

meanwhile in cyberspace..

2012-01-30T09:31:00.001+01:00

A little while back I started my own Flickr Group as a place for people to share what they make with my tutorials. I was worried that nobody would join, but much to my delight you have been posting some wonderful things there!
It is the best feeling to see your lovely creations made from one of my tutes :-) These are just a few of them, click on the photo's to see the originals.

by Erleperle.eu

by Chloeandme

by Charise

In other news I have been busy wrapping my head around PDF pattern design. It is still slow going but there's progress - oh yes! There will be a pattern for scrappy leaf key fobs, which I hope to have available in the shop soon!

by Penny Sewtakeahike

by Erin @ Why Not Sew Quilts

by Pam Mue

I also have a few paper piecing designs in the making. One of those will be available for free on my blog as part of Sew Out Loud {quilters' wordplay} QAL. This quilt along is all about sewing and text and fabric. It will kick off February the 1st with a give away, sponsors guest judges.. the works! I do believe it is going to be an amazing QAL, so keep your eyes peeled ladies and join our group !

x Leila

Motivation

2012-01-24T13:37:00.000+01:00

My motivation to finish off those last few things in the sewing room has been low. I am as good as done but I would like to do and get a few more things. A trip to Ikea would be nice, I have dreams of a design wall, and a few shelves would not go unused either. But I'm lacking the proper tools (like a drill) and transportation to finish what I have started (there's only so much you can transport on a bicycle really) I have to face facts and accept I may never be able to get things exactly the way I would like them. Poor me right? ;)

But just at the right moment the postman came with some excellent motivation to stop feeling sorry for myself and finish up already!

Who cares the room isn't perfect, I need to get sewing - now!!

x Leila

No sewing yet

2012-01-20T18:21:00.000+01:00

I am still submerged in redecorating the sewing room. It is a lot more work than I bargained for, I just hope it will be worth it in the end! The room is starting to look better though, almost good I'd say. But far from ready for the big reveal.

And since a post without pictures will not do, I have made a little mosaic of pretty creative spaces - just click on the links below to see the original photo's.

1. Christmas decoration, 2. Untitled, 3. workarea, 4. PHEW!H

So tell me, what are you up to this weekend?

x Leila

Not a pretty picture

2012-01-16T11:21:00.000+01:00

My frantic urge to muck out the sewing room this weekend has gotten a little out of control! Put up the yellow tape because this room is temporarily out of order.

It is by no means safe to let me do any type of D.I.Y but it has to be done. And since this is a one woman household I have to be the one to do it! Here goes nothing my friends, wish me luck and strength there's a hammer on the ironing board ;-)

See you on the other side of this!

x Leila

~ January ~

2012-01-11T16:36:00.000+01:00

I finished my January bee blocks.
In Patchwork 318, this month is all about gardening. I decided on making a watering can block for Tamiko. It was pleasant to work with a bit of fresh green on these dark and gloomy days of January!

It does look a bit like spring don't you think?

Melinda's vintage/cute Christmas block was already nearly finished. It just needed a border and some stamping. I stamped parts of the lyrics to "white Christmas" the way they get stuck in my head whenever I hear the song.

Well that was officially the last of Christmas, the tree is gone, the decorations are back in their boxes tucked away for December and nearly all the chocolates are eaten.
Bring it on January, my least favourite of months. I will not let your short dreary days bring me down! Perhaps it's a good thing not all the chocolate is eaten yet ;-)

x Leila

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T10:19:00.000+01:00

It is almost here 2012- I am excited about this year, after all it might be our last ;-)

I have no predictions or anything, just a great big thank you!! Your sweet comments and emails have brightened up many a grey day this year :-)

1. + & X blocks Quilt, 2. Log Cabin Potholder, 3. I ♥ my new dress!, 4. Egg rug, 5. Luna Lovegood Scarf, 6. Shirt block for Amisha -detail, 7. I'm on a mad cushion making spree!, 8. For my partner.., 9. Big Squares quilt ~ quilting~, 10. slippers, 11. Kerry's Afternoon Tea - Patchwork 318 Bee - October, 12. scrappy log cabin organizer, 13. Mother's Dream Cushion

I wish you all a wonderful exciting and creative New Year, may it bring you all you could ever wish for and more!

I'll be taking a short break for some much needed rest and family time {away from the computer - eek!} in order to start the New Year off rested and refreshed ...well that's the idea anyway ;-)

x Leila

Blogger's Choice Contest

2011-12-28T08:25:00.000+01:00

If Fat Quarter Shop gave me a shot at putting together one of their famous Blogger's Choice fat quarter bundles this would be it.

I can tell you it's taken me forever to narrow the choices down and come up with a selection that I absolutely LOVE {and must have!}.

For more details on how to enter the contest and have a shot at creating your very own Blogger's Choice bundle head on over to Quokka Quilts.

x Leila

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T11:37:00.000+01:00

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas!!

x Leila

Bee blocks November/January ~ Houses ~

2011-12-22T20:31:00.000+01:00

It's been all about the house blocks for me lately. I am sure it is just one of those crushes that will pass eventually, but for now it is all about houses!

For Melinda's month in Cocorico we're making vintage Christmas blocks. I decided on a gingerbread house. Not quite finished yet, it needs to be a bit bigger, I will add a border of some sort to get it up to the right size. But I am letting it sit for a while as I could not decide exactly where to go next with this.

Meanwhile in Patchwork 318 the bee, three amazing ladies made the most beautiful blocks for my "Home sweet home" month. Seriously my heart skipped a beat each time one of these blocks appeared!

First up is Kerry's block, full of vintage style as only she can. I love the Dutch people curtains and the lady in the doorway, it even has my house number on it!

Next is Ayumi, she made the sweetest ABC house block, she is so clever! And it is very appropriate as I am still in the midst of getting the little man back up to speed with school, the ABC song can often be heard here ;-)

Charise blows us all away with her interpretation of a Marken house filled with buttons, pincushions and sewing goodies!

I am sooooo thrilled with each one of these blocks, they are full of wonderful personal touches that make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside - thank you so much ladies!!

In other news, I got invited to the mother of all bee's and I am both thrilled and petrified!!
We don't start the next round till March so I have time to prepare myself for the bee with a name like a rockstar.. ;-)

x Leila

if you're on my Christmas list, best not read this!

2011-12-18T11:25:00.000+01:00

How is your Christmas sewing coming along?

I really thought I was not going to make it in time! I was starting to get a little ~~short and snappy~~ bitchy over the last week, frantically glancing over an enormous 'to do' list feeling overwhelmed and inadequate.
So I decided a self intervention was in order and I bought some gifts - yup clutch your pearls ladies, I didn't shop on Etsy either but hit the department stores -gasp!
Rest assured though, there also will be plenty of handmade under the tree this year ;-)

I am torn between wanting to show off what I have made and knowing my lovelies do occasionally glance over my blog. So I am opting for tiny sneak peeks as not to spoil too much of the surprise.

Last warning, if you are on my list this Christmas click away now!

There will be a few of these,

this,

and this

another one done,

and a few of these

Come April next year, remind me to start on my Christmas present early, will you? ;-)

So, how are you coping with the busiest season of the year?

x Leila

We have a Winner!!

2011-12-17T10:01:00.000+01:00

Well that was fun!
Thank you all so much for making me laugh with your embarrassing stories and funny little quirks. Also, a big warm welcome to my new favourite people, I hope you will enjoy it here!

Ok let's get on with it, shall we.
True Random Number Generator in it's infinite wisdom declared the winner to be:

Which is Sarah who said:

Yay Sarah, congratulations!!
Your package will be in the post soon.

x Leila

Give Away Day!

2011-12-12T13:59:00.001+01:00

I don't know what it is about Sew Mama Sew Give Away Day but it always makes me feel like Christmas morning, how about you?

I know you are all busy and have lots of blogs to visit so I'll try and keep this one short and sweet.

Up for grabs today is this cushion cover. I myself think it looks rather christmassy with the red, white and green but since no actual Christmas themed fabrics were used this cushion would look great all year round.

The give away is open to anyone, anywhere I will ship international.
No hoops, you do not have to follow my blog, twitter or heart my shop. Of course I love it if you do all these things, but none of that is required to be eligible to win.

To Enter:

Leave a comment on this post. Tell me something interesting about yourself; a funny or embarrassing story, childhood memory, quirky habit, random fact etc.
I love my readers! So if you follow my blog just leave a separate comment to say you do for a bonus entry.

That's it, two comments maximum per person please!
If you have forgotten something and would like to add a new comment, please delete your old comment and place a new one. This keeps the final count fair for everyone.

Please make sure I can get a hold of you through email. If your email is not disclosed in your profile include it in your comment. If you win and I can not get a hold of you I will have to draw another winner.

I will not answer any comments on the give away post, but rest assured I do read each and every one of them!
The give away closes Friday 16th of December at midnight CET. I will draw the winner with random number generator and announce them here sometime the 17th.

Good luck!!

x Leila

It's that time of year..

2011-12-10T13:28:00.000+01:00

..when everything I sew is either a present, surprise or something that can not yet be blogged about!

I have something I can show today though.
In anticipation of going to the London Fat Quarterly Retreat I have made myself a little needle book.
I used Amy's - Nanacompany - wonderful tutorial and pieced my initial on the back with a pattern from Patchwork 318 by Kumiko Fujita.

The little man has missed a lot of school, so I am doing my bit at home, in an attempt to get him back up to speed. We have lots of assignments that need to be made. But so far he is less than impressed by my teaching skills ha ha!

I can tell you it has given me a whole new respect for those of you that home school - it isn't easy!!

I'm off to whip up a few more home made Christmas presents. Don't forget to check back Monday as it is Sew Mama Sew Give Away Day!

x Leila

Fresh Sewing Day November

2011-12-01T09:28:00.000+01:00

It is the first of December and that means it's Fresh Sewing Day!
November was an extremely productive month for me, so much so I feel almost embarrassed is that weird?
So just to remind you all I have been stuck inside for the entire month with nothing else to keep me sane all right? Next month will be different I promise!

There were scrappy organizers

Clutches and camera wristlets

Phone cases

and some more ...

pfiew! No wonder I'm tired ;-)I am happy to say that a lot of this is gone already, thank you all for making my first Black Friday - Cyber Monday sale a huge succes!

I'm about ready for a nap now how about you?

Don't forget to head on over to Lynne's to see what everyone else has been up to.

x Leila

Advent Calendar

2011-11-30T18:58:00.000+01:00

I had all the right intentions of making an advent calendar of my own this year, but I've been swamped. Between caring for my sick little one and keeping up with my blog and shop there's been no time to sew for myself. I am happy to say my little monster is feeling much better! He's not 100% there yet he still has to take it slow, which is quite a feat for a mischievious little boy!

Anyway, no handmade advent calendar for us this year but a store bought Cars2 one, it has chocolate so it's all good ;-)
I have however contributed a little freebie to the French/German/Dutch Etsy advent calendar that will kick off tomorrow.

I know I'll be checking daily to see what fun freebies they have! {plus I don't know which day I've got so I'll have to check back often to find out lol!}

In other news, Sew Mama Sew is hosting another Give Away Day soon! I will be participating again this year. Not sure what I'll be giving away yet but there's still time to think about it. Meanwhile you can help me out by telling me what your favourite kind of give away prizes are. Mine is fabric for sure, can't go wrong with fabric!

x Leila

Front Page Material

2011-11-28T17:30:00.001+01:00

How was your weekend?
For those of you that celebrated Thanksgiving I hope you had a wonderful time!

Something exciting happened today, I was featured on the Etsy front page whooohoo
Look see, second from the left in the second row...that's my clutch :-D

This is the last day of this weekend's sale. Somehow I messed up the time frame for the app I was using to discount everything in the shop. So for today only you can use CYBERMONDAY20 to receive 20% off everything in my shop.

x Leila

save the date!

2011-11-24T14:30:00.001+01:00

save the date!, originally uploaded by ImAGingerMonkey.

Have you seen this?! Woop I'm so excited, this should be very doable for me!
Head on over to Katy's blog for more info http://imagingermonkey.blogspot.com/2011/11/save-date.html

So who's coming?

a bit of shameless self promotion

2011-11-24T09:58:00.000+01:00

I'm having a Black Friday to Cyber Monday sale in my Etsy shop this weekend! I've been sewing up a storm getting new things listed there's new cushion covers.

Cute little clutches

New camera case wristlets

And a few more things I'll try and add to the shop today.
There is 20% off everything from Friday midnight (my time) till Monday midnight.

Happy Thanksgiving to those of you that celebrate this holiday, and happy Thursday to the rest of you all!

x Leila

Grateful

2011-11-21T16:22:00.000+01:00

For the last month I have been pretty much homebound as my little monster's been quite seriously ill. Don't worry, he will be fine! I mean serious as in it is taking a really long time for him to recover and fully work this virus out of his system. Antibiotics have no effect, there is no quick fix so we're just going to have to sit this one out.

Source: kristanlynn.com via Leila on Pinterest

I'm looking at this time as a blessing, I believe that with the right attitude any ordeal can be a blessing in disguise. Despite the unpleasantness of the illness we're both making the most out of it. And although some days the walls are caving in on me I'm rather enjoying getting to spend all this exclusive time with the one person I love most in the world!

It is making me so grateful for blogging, and Flickr and all you lovely people! Knowing you all are out there just one email away makes me feel much less cut off from the real world than I know I'd otherwise would have felt.

Thank you so much!

x Leila

2011-11-17T12:05:00.000+01:00

Do you ever get these ideas that you have to put into action straight away?
Well I had one of those creative flashes yesterday and it lead me to a frantic sewing spree!

I have been pondering on a key chain design for quite some time but I couldn't quite figure out what I wanted. Most of my initial ideas were based on things I had seen many times before. And although practical, I wanted something a little more fun.

The leaves are improvisational pieced from teeny tiny scraps of fabric, and layered with batting and backing. I cut each leaf shape by hand with my scissors so no two are exactly the same. The edges are finished with a tight V stitch, this makes them a little jagged and curl up a little just like real leaves.

I am loving these leaf key chains to bits and I'm sewing up a couple more to give as Christmas presents as soon as I have restocked on some essential supplies!
Meanwhile these are listed in the shop

x Leila

Reversible Echo Totes

2011-11-15T22:53:00.000+01:00

It's been buzzing around blogland for quite some time now you've probably not missed out on hearing about Lotta Jansdotter's latest fabric collection; Echo.
If you have not seen it in person yet, go buy some it is fantastic!! As soon as I opened my order I wanted to abandon all other projects and sew with it.

I think the prints are perfect for every day use, so a bag it had to be. But with most bag patterns I use a combination of prints and I could not make my mind up which print to feature and which to use for the lining and or pockets. So I decided not to choose at all and make reversible totes!

I drafted a simple pattern after browsing through lots of images of reversible totes on Google. I had never done a one piece bag before and it took me a while to figure out how to sew the handles closed, but after spending some quality time with Mr. Seam Ripper I managed to figure it out ;-)

I love this slouchy hobo style bag, it's a casual every day shopping, going to the beach, running an errand type of bag. But all that is just an excuse to carry around a bit of Lotta with you every day ;-)

They are listed in the shop

x Leila

Ananas Pillow Pattern

2011-11-14T09:27:00.000+01:00

I am so exited I can finally share this pillow with you all!!
I was tickled pink when Tacha asked me if I would like to contribute to Fat Quarterly Magazine.

This issue is all about colour, as usual you will find plenty of lovely patterns for all sorts of wonderful projects and more!
My entry is the Ananas Pillow, which means pineapple in Dutch. It's an easy- no paper piecing- way of creating a pineapple block using a rotary cutter and clear ruler.

I mixed scrappy with lots of text and numbers prints on white background to make it a little easier to bring more colours to the mix - I hope you will enjoy it!
The issue is out tomorrow and you will be able to purchase your own copy here

This is a big day for me :-)

x Leila

this week...

2011-11-11T18:26:00.000+01:00

This week, I received the most perfect pillow from Jennifer as part of the Pillow talk Swap. I got so lucky this round!! I had been secretly hoping this cushion would come my way, it's just perfect don't you think?

Not only does it look stunning from the front it has an equally amazing back too.
As if that wasn't enough she also sent a ton of fabrics and some very cute fabric labels that made my heart skip a beat!

Thank you so much Jennifer, you need not have worried I really, really LOVE it!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I finished this month's Cocorico Bee block for Krista.

Her theme was 'hit the slopes' and there are some truly amazing blocks produced already by my bee mates. Well worth to have a look at the group pool here or you can click the new button Megan made for us on my side bar.

I used Kerry's paper piecing pattern but decided to mix things up a little. I used the freezer paper method as I prefer it to traditional paper piecing and just made the individual segments. I improvised the suit case and then played around with my individual blocks until I was happy with the layout. Then I added strips to make everything fit. I finished up with some hand stitching to accentuate the fact that there's a mitten missing.
I know nothing about winter sports but I do happen to know about packing for a trip and somehow there's always a missing mitten!

I wonder if the lost mittens just ran away from home to hang out with the lost socks. I bet they are smoking behind the bike shed hoping not to get caught and sent home again ;-)

x Leila

Scrappy organizer ~ a tutorial

2011-11-08T17:11:00.001+01:00

As promised; little tutorial for all you wonderful people out there looking for fun handmade gifts to sew for Christmas {or any other time of year }.

I decided to make the tutorial for an organizer with interior pockets for a passport or something of similar size - card pocket - pencil pocket and key fob. But the interior is easily adapted to fit your own needs, make it bigger to fit a checkbook and some pens. Smaller with felt pages stitched in the center for a needlebook. Or make narrow slip pockets for the sides to fit in a day planner or calendar. There are plenty of options!

This organizer is fairly quick to whip up and will allow you to use quite a few of those scraps I know you're hoarding.

and most importantly it will make a lovely gift!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About this tutorial

As with all tutorials and patterns please read all the way through first before you begin.
Press your fabrics along the way.
All seam allowances are 1/4" unless it's stated otherwise.
You are welcome to make as many scrappy organizer as you wish for yourself and to give away as presents but please do not sell anything made from one of my tutorials - thank you!

~~~~~~~~~

What you will need:

For the exterior

Scraps of different fabrics and prints.
6"x 9" piece of batting {I cut mine larger than this and trim back later}
1 button
44" baker's twine or ribbon
one piece of double sided fusible interfacing for applique optional

For the interior

6" x 9" lining fabric + interfacing
6" x 8 1/2" for the large pocket + interfacing
6" x 6 1/2" for the smaller pocket + interfacing
3" x 9" for the pen pocket + interfacing
2 1/2" x 3 1/2" for the keyfob.
1 split ring or lobster clasp

Step 1
This block is improvisational pieced there are no cutting instructions. If you have never made a liberated or wonky log cabin block before don't worry it is easy - I promise!
You just add strips of fabrics to a center square going round clock wise or anti clockwise - the choice is up to you. It really is as simple as that!

to make the scrappy log cabin block:
Place two scraps of fabric right sides together on top of the batting, just eyeball the position you don't have to start in the precise center. Sew straight on top of the batting, fold open and press.

* Tip: I use a pressing cloth as the batting does not agree with my iron, you could also just finger press since these pieces are very small*

Place your next piece of fabric right sides together and sew -again straight through the batting - and press.

You get the idea right, it's just like any other liberated log cabin you would make the only difference is you're sewing directly onto the batting. This is exactly the same way I make my log cabin cushions and coasters - for those of you who have been asking ;-)

Since we're making a rectangular log cabin I try to add wider strips on the top and bottom and narrower ones for the sides. This way I can add more rounds to the log cabin which will make it nice and scrappy. I do not measure my strips beforehand, just pull my fabrics straight from my scrap bins, and trim them back a bit of necessary.

be careful not to cut straight through the batting!

Just keep adding rounds to your log cabin...

.. until your batting is completely covered.

Trim back to 6" x 9" and zig zag the edges.

Step 2
I am going to add a bit of applique for fun!
Roughly cut out the piece of fabric you would like to use and apply double sided fusible interfacing. Trim back, peel off the backing paper and fuse to the top.

If you have a fancy stitch on your machine you never use this may be a good time to use it, or else just zig zag around the outer edge of the applique.

Secure the bakers twine in the center of the back with a couple of stitches.

I use a safety pin to keep the twine safely out of the way for when I'm ready to sew the organizer closed.

Step 3
Fuse interfacing to the lining and pocket fabrics.

to make the pockets:
Fold both fabrics in half and top stitch each one.

Place the smaller pocket on top of the larger pocket and sew to the right side of the lining fabric with a 1/8" seam allowance.

To make the keyfob:
Fold in half lengthwise, press both edges towards the center and fold in half again.

Top stitch along both sides. Fold in half with the split ring or lobster clasp in the center and stitch closed. If you want to stitch right close up to the split ring you will need to use a zipperfoot, I'm lazy so I just switched the needle position way up to the left.

To make the pen pocket.
Fold in half right sides facing and sew right side closed. Clip corner and turn right side out.

Top stitch and pin onto the left side of the lining fabric.

Sew right side of the pen pocket, and top edge of the key fob to the lining fabric with a 1/8" seam allowance.

Measure 1 1/4" from the side of the pen pocket and mark for sewing, I run the back of my seam ripper along my ruler to create a line but you can use any type of non permanent fabric marker you like.

Sew to create the pen pocket.

Step 4
Pin lining and exterior together right sides facing and stitch all the way round leaving a 2"-3"opening for turning. Clip corners, turn right side out and press.

My keyfob is refusing to lay flat so I'm going to stitch it down, if you have read all the way through before starting you may want to stitch down the key fob before sewing the lining to the exterior.

We're just a few hand stitches away from being done now!
First slip stitch the opening closed.

Then attach a button to the front.

Wrap the twine around the organizer twice and twist around button and...
voila all done!

I hope that everything was clear, if you have any questions I'll do my best to answer them.

Should you happen to make one of these scrappy organizers or anything else from one of my tutorials I'd love it if you added them to me brand spanking new Flickr group here

It's just me alone out there at the moment so please take pity and come join me ;-)

x Leila

2011-11-06T14:25:00.000+01:00

I am busy working on a little tutorial for all you lovely people thinking about gifting handmade this Christmas. But I'm just so distracted by Marcus drumming on a folding chair {swoon!} I can not possibly concentrate - enjoy!

Here's a little preview of the new tute...

.. it will be up in a day or two, stay tuned.

x Leila

Fresh Sewing Day October

2011-11-01T13:59:00.000+01:00

It's the first of November and we all know what that means...Fresh Sewing Day!

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves it will be quite obvious what I've been up to this month ;-)

We're a bit poorly here so I'm going to keep this post short and sweet.
Head on over to Lynne's to see what everyone else has been up to and sign up for the small blog meet!

x Leila

Bloggers Quilt Festival ~Autumn 2011

2011-10-30T09:45:00.000+01:00

I came home just in time for Blogger's Quilt Festival yay! If you clicked through from Amy's blog, welcome I hope you will enjoy my blog.

I have no new quilt to share today, so instead my entry is the plus and x blocks quilt I finished last June. In many ways this is my most loved quilt ever.

Plus & X blocks Quilt

Piecing the plus and x blocks was a very slow process - as in the blocks
take f o r e v e r to piece - but I enjoyed it very much because I got to play with all the pretty bits of fabric I had collected.
I didn't have much of a plan for this quilt, I just loved the block and wanted to get started straight away.

I found that whenever I added fabrics I loved most to the mix they would somehow work. And whenever I started doubting my choices and tried to add fabrics because I thought I needed to balance out the colours, or make it more 'modern' {what a silly thought!} the blocks didn't turn out so great.
In short I learned to trust my instinct more, which apparently is something I need reminding of over and over again!

My quilt top ended up being a little puckered in some places where the bias cut pieces weren't laying flat. I love when accidents turn into a blessing because the puckers pushed me to go one step further and add applique to the top.
I started to cover up the few puckers first and then added more numbers, that I roughly cut out of left over backing fabric. I think it has added much more interest to the overall design.

Want to read more about this quilt? you can find my previous posts here
If you have a few hours to spare go have a look through all the other entries in the Blogger's Quilt Festival here.

x Leila

Nani Iro skirt

2011-10-21T14:09:00.000+02:00

I am used to having to shop far and wide to get my precious Japanese designer fabrics. So I was delighted to find a Dutch webshop that carries a nice selection of some of my favourites; Mondaysmilk

I made this same skirt with a Nani Iro double gauze knit before and I wear it all the time, so it was about time for a new one. Is it just me or do you worry about wearing out your favourite clothes too?

Decapitated me as usual because I couldn't be asked to put on some make-up ;-)

The pattern is from 'one piece & skirt' and it's the only thing I have dared to make from this book. I have little faith in my dressmaking skills, and the fact that it's all in Japanese doesn't help either, but simple skirts I can handle.

I could live in this outfit especially since the skirt has nice deep pockets, love me some pockets!

So I may just need to make one more...it's the right thing to do really, since I already have the fabric ;-)

Ok- I'm on my way to enjoy the Cornish coast for a few days, and I'm turning the computer off {she said bravely} - wish me luck wit the withdrawal that will set in any minute now!

x Leila

mad pillow making woman

2011-10-20T09:50:00.000+02:00

I've been on a mad cushion making spree over the last couple of days!
Besides the ones I showed you here already,

patchwork squares...

log cabin..

I made another log cabin...

and more patchwork squares!

All four of these have flown out of the shop faster then I could whip them up, I am most pleased!
I will be busy making some more, but I probably will not list them until I get back from my little break next week :-)

I also found time to sew myself a little cushion to keep.

This is a wee 14" cushion, the house block is a pattern from Kumiko Fujita's patchwork 318.

I'm thinking my month in this bee will have 'Home sweet home' as a theme. There are some really cute house blocks in this book. But there are also lots of applique blocks, a combination of both would be lovely don't you think?
I am not sure if this is a worldwide thing, but I think it is.. We get these decorative wall tiles, you know the ones I'm talking about right? They usually have a decorative motif stenciled or painted on them with a corny saying like ' home is were the heart is or 'seize the day' (I mean no offense by calling them corny- if you have a whole collection of them you rock!)
I was thinking of mixing up house blocks with these flowery applique blocks and corny sayings about love and home and family to turn into a large cushion or wall hanging or something.
I still have time to change my mind, what do you think?

x Leila

Oh and one more thing, you may have noticed (Anna!) I'm wearing a new Nani Iro skirt in the last two pictures. I will show it off properly soon!

October Bee Blocks

2011-10-17T21:54:00.000+02:00

Thanks to all your wonderful tips I finished this months cocorico bee block .
I tried most of the suggestions for the antennae, before settling on these .The bias tape applique looked too whimsical, which is not what I was after with this block. After a few stitches of embroidery I thought it didn't show enough contrast.. I can not for the life of me master free motion so I just 'stitched and turned'

Annabel's Orchard

I'm pleased with how this block came out and I do think it rather looks more like a moth/butterfly than a half dresden now. Annabel asked for 12" x 16" blocks to make placemats for her dinner guests. Although I do think she has changed her mind on letting food touch her blocks now ;-)

Next up is the block I made for Kerry for our Patchwork 318 bee.
Kerry chose 'afternoon tea' as her theme, which I love. I drink it by the bucket so this was definitely a theme I could work with ;-)

I actually think Kerry's afternoon tea is a lot more refined than mine. No buckets there but a fine collection of vintage cups and saucers she picked up on one of her trips to the car boot sale.
This block measures 6 1/2" unfinished.

Next month we'll hit the slopes with Krista, she and her family enjoy skiing something I know nothing about! The bar has been set amazingly high already have a look at Amy's block!!
And I get to choose a theme for the 318 bee, I have not settled on a final idea yet but I will keep you all posted.

x Leila

Friday Favourites

2011-10-14T20:31:00.000+02:00

This week flew buy without much of anything happening here. Just the everyday little things.

Our early morning bicycle rides to school have gotten less pleasant by the constant autumn rain. There's the piles of laundry that finally got the better of me and demanded my immediate attention. Wiping noses, supermarket trips, cooking dinner, picking up dirty socks around the house, stepping on those pesky bits of Lego - they are everywhere!

Inbetween these pleasures of motherhood, I did manage to sew up some new pouches for the shop. Including my new labels from gutentags Cassie was very fun to work with and I love the look of my new smaller tags. I have a long blog and shop name and it's been difficult for me to find labels the right size, these will do me just fine!

Here are some of my favourites from Flickr to inspire those weekend sewing projects.

1. Double Wedding Ring Basket, 2. Tiny coin purse side 2, 3. for Tasha, 4. Patchwork Pinwheel pillow, 5. Little House Ornaments, 6. the twins..., 7. From Quilter's Studio, 8. autumn collection part 1, 9. clutches3

Have a happy weekend!

x Leila

about a pillow, crochet and photography in the dark..

2011-10-11T19:26:00.000+02:00

Is it really Tuesday already?!
I am missing a day here surely, you know that feeling when for an entire week you're living on the wrong day? Well that's me right now.

First as promised the other pillow- or cushion cover if you wish - I sewed up on Friday.

One big scrappy liberated log cabin, I love it! This type of log cabin block is still my very favourite to sew up. I pull tons of scraps from my bins and make a huge mess of the floor. I sew everything straight onto the batting, and love the freedom to create as I go without a plan or design. Every piece of fabric I pull leads me to the next. If my strip is too short I'll just add another piece to it that will make it fit, and before I know it I'll have the top complete and quilted as well.
I have it listed in my shop here

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've been doing some crochet on my lazy weekend and I'm almost done with a small 'ordinarily extraordinary blanket', using Dottie Angel's tutorial.
Now help me wish for a patch of clear sky so I can go outside to take pictures of it!

I have learned lots about taking better photo's from reading tips and tricks online. I can find my way around Picnick blindfolded now if I must. But I still haven't mastered the art of taking half decent photo's when it rains outside and it's dark inside. Do you use the flash or not, I'd say not, but what to do for light? And I really don't want to have to go as far as building a home photography studio with special lights and whatnots! Do you have any tips and tricks you use during the dark months? Enlighten me ;-)

x Leila

Friday Favourites

2011-10-07T20:49:00.000+02:00

Today was a typical autumn day with gusts of wind and plenty of rain.
Perfect sewing conditions!
I made two new cushion covers today, but I'm lazy and only edited the photo's of this one ;-) I am loving these earthy neutrals they're very serene don't you think?

This weekend I plan on staying cooped up inside with no obligations I'll sew if I feel like it but perhaps I'll be really bad and just veg out completely.
There's no place like home on cold and rainy days!

1. Yarn Project 2, 2. footrest, 3. Teeny Houses, 4. Finished!, 5. Home Sweet Home, 6. PP9 From my House to Yours potholder set, 7. Block for Bearpawandbearpaw, 8. Felted Slippers, 9. full frontal

What are your plans for the weekend?

x Leila

More on slippers ..

2011-10-06T12:21:00.000+02:00

Some of you had a few questions about the slippers I made from Suzuko Koseki's book Natural Patchwork, so I'll try and answer them here.

The main thing of course with slippers is finding the right size.
I enlarged the pattern by 200% as per the book's instructions and the slippers fit me perfectly.
I am a European size 37 which conversion charts tell me to be US/Canada: 6 1/2 - Australia: 5 - UK: 4
The pattern measurements indicate that the length of the sole is 9 1/2" I'm hoping this will help you determine if your pattern pieces need to be larger or smaller.

I used a double layer of cotton batting for the soles, which I'm pleased with. They are nice and warm and still very soft and flexible. For the bottom soles I used a left over bit of home dec weight canvas, this is not as slip proof as I hoped. Next time I may try using a rubber sole if I can find a pair.
I may also try and secure the lining somewhere in the toe as it's only attached to the opening and slides out a bit.I think a few hand stitches should solve this problem easily.

Apart from being the cutest pair of slippers I've ever had the fact that they're all cotton allows your feet to breathe unlike the fuzzy synthetic slippers you'd buy in the shops. No smelly slippers ladies, isn't that a big plus?!

Happy sewing!
If you have any more questions just shoot and I'll do my best to answer them.

x Leila

w.i.p ~moth bee block~

2011-10-04T18:03:00.000+02:00

I'm back!!

I freaked a little when they told me yesterday they were confident to have my internet restored in 5 working days...I mean five whole days without internet who could handle that?! ;-) But 27 hours later I'm back up and running.

I need your opinions on this bee block I'm working on for Annabel in the cocorico bee
I was inspired by Meg's Bee block and though it could do with a moth friend. After excitedly piecing the wing part I realized there was no way I could piece that scalloped edge. The only solution I could come up with was to applique the whole moth onto the background fabric. Now after all this needle turn applique I'm not so sure if I like it at all!

It obviously still needs antenna, and perhaps I'm just quick to judge and the antenna will make all the difference.
My little monster saw this and asked what it was. When I told him 'it is supposed to be a butterfly dear' he said 'well that didn't quite work out then mum did it!'
So what do you think, carry on or reject pile? And if carry on is your answer any suggestions on how I should do the antenna?
I'd love to hear your thoughts!

x Leila

2011-10-04T12:14:00.000+02:00

Hi everyone, just a quick note to let you all know, construction workers across my street have dug up our DSL cable leaving us all without internet!!
I hope to be back soon, but in the meantime if you don't hear back from me you know why.

Till soon!

x Leila

Fresh Sewing Day September

2011-10-01T10:32:00.000+02:00

Thanks for all your kind words and well wishes on my previous post!! The sun's been shining for the last couple days and I'm happy to say I'm feeling much better :-)

It is the first of October and that means Lynne is hosting Fresh Sewing Day!
Here's what I've been up to last month.

It's a little bit of everything. I made a couple things just for me, a few bee blocks. Some things for others and I've added quite a few new items to the shop as well.

This month I'm hoping to finally get my AMH quilt finished it is taking forever to hand quilt those flowers so it better be worth it ;-) And I'll be back in a few days with a give away for you all!

Now head on over to Lily's Quilts to link up!

Have a fun weekend,

x Leila

it's just one of those weeks..

2011-09-28T10:06:00.000+02:00

I'm having a bit of an off week, for no reason in particular really, it's just one of those weeks. I'm so tired and all I feel like doing is curling up on the couch watching trashy telly and eating chocolate.
Not much sewing going on here although I am still making slow progress hand quilting my AMH quilt. So to go with my cocooning mood I made myself a pair of slippers.

The pattern is from Natural Patchwork by Suzuko Koseki
A perfectly fun little sewing project to use up some of those scraps!

Have a happy Wednesday!

x Leila

Random acts of kindness

2011-09-23T17:37:00.000+02:00

Lately I have been so spoiled with surprises in my mailbox!

First Julianna sent me this sweet little mug rug which was a total surprise. She did such a wonderful job piecing these words together look!

Julianna was one of my PIF partners and we did a little fabric swap on the side, I really wasn't expecting this little goodie as well. Thank you so much Julianna it reminds me each morning to live a "cool Leila life"!

And if that wasn't enough look what else the postman brought.

For no reason at all, other than she rocks, Elena sent me this wonderful box full of trim and lace and handmade lace and..munki munki! How great is that?!

I admit to getting a lot of post with all the swaps and bee's I'm in and we'll just not mention the online fabric shopping shall we ;-) But these unexpected surprises are the very best post ever!

Thank you so much Julianna and Elena, it's a wonderful idea to have friends in places I have never visited before!

So tell me what did the postman bring you lately that made your heart skip a little beat?

x Leila

sewing a shirt

2011-09-20T15:59:00.000+02:00

September is Amisha's month in Patchwork 318 the bee.
She chose the sewing themed blocks for her month, which is a most excellent theme! I actually wanted to do something similar for my month but I think I'll come up with something else instead. After all we want to make the most out of the wonderful block patterns in this book.

Anyway I picked the shirt block because I'm still new at paper piecing and this block seemed so straight forward. No curves just a few triangles. Simple right?

Well looks can be deceiving! See the small strip of white background by the collar? Those are itty bitty inset seams!!

I struggled for two hours with that collar yesterday before I threw in the towel. But a new day can make all the difference and today I managed to sew those corners down correctly - pfiew!
The rest of the block is simple and I got to do a little embroidery as well which was fun.
The block measures 6 1/2" and is made with DS Quilts and Kona snow fabric.

This bee certainly is challenging but lots of fun and very inspirational too. Did you see the amazing sewing machine block Kerry made yesterday?

x Leila

Mothers Dream { a Pillow Tutorial }

2011-09-15T07:44:00.000+02:00

The inspiration for this pillow came from the PIF pincushion I received from the lovely Kerry.
The block is called Mothers Dream, I just enlarged it and changed the corner blocks to patchwork squares instead of rectangles.

This first pillow came out much smaller than I anticipated because I got all my math figures wrong.
But I have since mastered the art of calculating the diagonals on my triangles, it's Pythagoras all over again people it's terribly complicated and I am just that clever! {nah not really! I found this amazing link that will do all the brainwork for you}

This tutorial has cutting instructions to make the same pillow in three different sizes (A)14" - (B)18 1/2" - (C)20"
I am making the largest size in Halloween style fabrics, it's something I haven't done before and I thought it might be fun with the holiday season fast approaching on us. {it's cold and stormy here autumn has definitely begun!}

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tutorial

As with all tutorials and patterns please read all the way through first before you begin. Press your fabrics along the way. All seam allowances are 1/4" unless it's stated otherwise and included in the cutting instructions.

What you will need:
(A) = 14" pillow
(B) = 18 1/2" pillow
(C) = 20 " pillow

For the center of the block cut one (A) 5"- (B) 6 1/2" - (C) 7 1/2" square. This square will be set on point so if you are using a directional print like I am you will need to cut this square on point.

For the patchwork blocks cut sixteen (A) 2 3/4"- (B) 3 1/2"- (C) 4" squares.
From your background fabric cut two (A) 4 3/8" - (B) 5 1/2" - (C) 5 7/8" squares to render 4 half square triangles for the corners.
Also from your background fabric cut two ( A) 5 7/8" - (B) 7 1/2" - (C) 7 7/8' squares to render 4 half square triangles for the sides.

I like to cut both of these last two squares 1/8" larger because I find it easier to measure on the 1/4" and 1/2" when cutting fabric. And also I'd rather trim my block after sewing it together. Bias cuts can shift and move and 1/8" gives you some wriggle room for seam allowances.

Step 1
Start by sewing the 4" squares together. Make four blocks.

Step 2
Sew your small half square triangles (the 5 7/8" ones) to each of the four patchwork blocks.

Trim if necessary.

Step 3
Sew two of your corner blocks to your center square, one on each opposite side.

Step 4
Sew two large half square triangles to each side of your remaining patchwork blocks to form one large triangle.

Trim if necessary.

Step 5
Sew the large triangles to the center strip.

Like so.

Easy peasy right?!

Quilt as you wish.

I'm finishing my pillow with a simple envelope closure at the back.

If you would like to do the same cut two rectangles 14"x20" Fold under your seam allowance twice approximately 1/2", press and sew.

Step 6

Place your envelope back on top of your pillow front, right sides together. Sew all the way round using a 1/4" seam. Serge or zig zag the raw edges of your seam to stop them from fraying.

Or if you like your pillows nice and plump like I do you can enclose the raw edges with a 'reverse french seam"

Trim back your seams to a scant 1/4" and clip the corners. Turn your pillow case right side out and press your seams carefully. If the seams are bulky, roll them between your fingers before pressing. This helps the seams to sit nice and flat.

Sew a 3/8" seam around your pillow on the right side, enclosing the raw edges of your previous seam.

And now you're done!

Don't forget to send me a picture if you make this pillow I would love to show it off on my blog!!

x Leila

I believe this month will be all about pillows

2011-09-12T08:15:00.000+02:00

It's funny whenever I join a new swap I get obsessed with whatever it is we are swapping and can't stop making more! It's what I love best about swaps they always inspire me.
Since I joined the Pillow Talk Swap I think you'll be seeing a lot of pillows from me over the next period of time. In fact I have a pillow tutorial in the making. I'll have it up on my blog hopefully in a few days.
Here's a little peek.

This one came out smaller than I anticipated {I have never been particularly good at maths!} so I am making another one taking photo's along the way for the tutorial. It will include cutting instructions to make this pillow in three different sizes {I'm just showing off, I finally managed to solve my math problem lol!}

Here's a pillow I did finish up this weekend.

It has a bit of a Christmas feel to it don't you think?! I have listed it in the shop.

How was your weekend, did you get a lot of sewing done?

x Leila

sewing for men

2011-09-09T14:03:00.000+02:00

Is it just me or do you find it difficult as well to come up with fun things to sew for the men in your life? All things fabric and quilted seem much too soft and feminine to me.
Trying to come up with handmade gifts for men can result in some pretty 'interesting' projects. But I personally don't know any man with a great desire to own a quilted tool belt ;-)

Imagine my delight when my Mr. asked me to sew him something! He has just bought himself a new i-pad and in his quest to keep the toy in pristine condition asked me to sew him some sort of case to keep it in. I happily took on my mission to come up with the right shape and size and most of all find the perfect fabric for it.

When I came across this wonderful print by Alexander Henry, I knew that it was just perfect for the job.

It was a little fiddly to get the fabric alignment just right so none of the 'ladies' got decapitated! I am glad it all worked out in the end. The rest of this i-pad sleeve came together quite easily.
My Mr. says it rocks, I call that a mission accomplished!

What kind of things do you like to sew for your husbands, boyfriends, fathers and brothers? I'd love to know!

Leila x

How to Quilt Flowers - a video tutorial

2011-09-05T13:11:00.000+02:00

Ok, so I feel like I should set a disclaimer first, I'm very nervous both when I made this video and now that I'm about to hit the publish button. I'm babbling and I'm uhm-ing a lot and I mispronounce words and have a weird accent and...well this is new and just making me nervous lol!
But I made this video to answer some of the questions I've had about how to hand quilt the flowers I'm quilting on my AMH quilt.
So here goes nothing...please don't laugh!

Now how helpful was my 'burying the knot' mime?! ;-)
I forgot to mention that I peel the paper pattern away as I go, it helps me to see where I'm burying my knot as I change thread colours. I just keep pinning my pattern down to ensure it stays put.

Thank you for watching...I've always wanted to say that!

x Leila

Go Anywhere Bag

2011-09-02T00:06:00.000+02:00

I was so excited when Anna asked me to test her new bag pattern a few weeks back!
She is such a talented pattern maker, I absolutely love the 241 tote so I had great expectations of her new pattern.

I was not disappointed!

The pattern is very clearly written and has photo's for each step along the way. I personally love a pattern with lots of pictures as I tend to not be the best pattern follower, and the pictures really help me stay on track.

The Go Anywhere Bag lives up to it's name as it holds so much you could go anywhere with this bag!
There are two large exterior pockets. The pleated front pocket is divided up in three pockets, a perfect place to put everything you need close at hand like your children's toys or baby bottles, shopping lists, sun glasses, camera or this time of year I like to carry a small umbrella.

The back pocket closes with a magnetic snap. It would be the perfect spot for a book, some magazines, a change of children's clothes, nappies or an extra sweater.
The Go Anywhere bag also has a slip pocket inside for your wallet, keys, phone and it even has a space to keep your pen.

There's a space and a pocket for pretty much anything you might need or want to carry with you. Which makes this bag super practical, despite it's size you can arrange it so that you always know where everything is!

I was a bit late posting pictures of my finished bag - sorry Anna!- I was waiting for my fabric to arrive. As soon as I spotted Hometown canvas I just knew this was the perfect fabric for this bag. What better than all these city names as a reminder that indeed you could Go Anywhere?!

The pattern is available on Anna's blog here.

x Leila

Fresh Sewing Day #5 (I think)

2011-09-01T09:59:00.000+02:00

It's the first of a brand new month. And as usual Lynne is hosting another Fresh Sewing day as well as the second Small Blog Meet.
Let me show you what I have made this month, I've been pretty productive if I do say so myself!

Many of you asked for more information on how I'm handquilting my AMH quilt so I'll be working on a little tutorial/ 'how to' over the next few days to show you, hang on tight!
Now head on over to Lynne's to link up and meet fellow new bloggers, just follow the link here

x Leila

What I'm Making ~ Random ~

2011-08-31T14:59:00.000+02:00

A little sneaky peek...something I'm working on that would be a bit premature to reveal just yet.
Ooooh the intrigue!

Sewing more of these fun little wallets for the shop. In an attempt to start stocking up for the supposed Christmas rush Etsy Success is warning us about {already?! I kow, I felt the pressure of my newsletter lol!}

Hand quilting some more flowers.

And just so you know I didn't actually do all of this today! I wouldn't lead you on to think I was perfect or anything ;-)

Have a happy Wednesday!

x Leila

Paying it Forward

2011-08-29T19:46:00.000+02:00

I survived this weekend's birthday celebrations, the rain, the thunder and the kids!! Thank you all so much for your kind birthday wishes, my boy had a blast.

I even managed to cram some sewing in and made three little gifts for my friends who in turn will pay it forward.

First up is Julianna, she told me she would like a potholder. I'd been wanting to try this potholder from Suzuko Koseki's latest book Natural Patchwork, so I decided to make one for her.

This type of binding was new to me, you just wrap scraps of fabric around the edges and sew them on. I really enjoyed experimenting with this as it was trickier than I thought at first and you get a less 'clean' result than with normal binding. I so enjoy this type of messy patchwork, it's very liberating!
I imagine that with use this potholder may get some lovely stains for Julianna to patch up again and again. I can only dream of the kinds of wonderfulness in design that may bring!

Shannon said she loves zippered pouches, her favourites showed a love of blue and orange ..oh so tricky for me!!
So I settled on this little zippered coin purse in lovely Ruby Star Rising and Kokka prints.

It's perhaps a little more muted than what I've seen in your faves Shannon, but I hope this still fits the bill!

Suzanne said she would like anything so I thought she might enjoy a set of patchwork coasters. The inspiration for these also came from Suzuko Koseki's book.

As with the potholder I hope these coasters will get stained and patched up by Suzanne over time. Even though this design is quite different from Julianna's potholder I still think the coasters would look just as lovely all patched up!

All three will be in the post tomorrow.
I'm so looking forward to see how these lovely ladies will be paying it forward!!

x Leila

Six

2011-08-26T10:36:00.000+02:00

Today you are six I can hardly believe it!
You've started at the 'big school' now and you're so proud of yourself and so am I.
You're really good at maths.
You don't like kisses.
You ride your bike to school every morning and you hardly ever fall or complain about it.
You're bright, and smart and funny and gorgeous and I love you more than rock & roll!

Happy birthday little monster of mine!

x Mum

241 tote #2

2011-08-25T12:10:00.002+02:00

I had so much fun sewing my 241 tote I couldn't resist making another one! I really enjoy rummaging through my stash looking for the perfect combination of fabrics for this bag.

I chose one of my favourite fabrics for the front panel, it's a vintage kitchen print by Yuwa. It's slightly heavier than normal cotton because it's textured. Perfect for bags and pouches. The stripes and pockets are normal home dec weight.

Like I did with my first bag it closes with a magnetic snap and I added a key chain and hand stamped label as well.
Since some of you asked, I purchased my stamp on Etsy here .Kerry recommended Tommie a while back and I fully agree she's lovely and makes wonderful handcarved stamps!

Since it would be pure greed to want to keep this 241 tote for myself as well, I decided to list it in my shop. But not before I have one last pose ;-)
It even matches my outfit!!

x Leila

Work In Progress ~ Wednesday~

2011-08-24T09:45:00.001+02:00

I've finally made a decision what to do with my Anna Maria Horner stash.
A quilt for my bed, that's what I settled on a while back but the design.. I couldn't make my mind up about that. First I started ambitiously with some English paper piecing. I love this design, but I feared I would never ever get a full sized quilt finished this way!

Then I though I'd let my fellow Fresh Modern Bee2 members come up with some amazing blocks, and they did!
But all the while I wasn't sure which way to go with this quilt. Until finally I made up my mind and went for squares...genius right?! No, not really but I love simple patchwork squares and these fabrics are so pretty to look at why cut them up even more? I made big blocks 9" square with a few pieced ones scattered in to add a little interest and to use up some of the scraps I had left.

It's a big quilt 72" x 81" and will cover my bed up nicely. Basting wasn't fun, but I'm using this wonderfully soft silk batting and a voile backing. It's going to be such luxury to sleep under this!
I'm now figuring out how to quilt it. Because the design is so simple I want to make the quilting a bit more interesting so I'm experimenting with a flower design and perle cottons. I'll let you know how that goes!

x Leila

P.S. I've put some lovely Anna Maria Horner scrap bags in my shop they'd be perfect for some scrappy pillows or even some English paper piecing!

241 Tote

2011-08-21T12:28:00.001+02:00

I made a bag for me! I love my bees and swaps but sometimes it's so nice to sew something I get to keep.
Rather than trying to reinvent the wheel and drafting my own pattern I chose this wonderful pattern by Anna from Noodlehead fame. I really like the shape of the 241 tote especially the version with the exterior pockets so that's the one I decided to go for.

The front panel is a Nani Iro print, the pockets are something Japanese that I can't remember the name of and some Essex linen for the side panels. All slightly heavier weight fabrics than normal quilting weight cottons, I like my bags to be a bit sturdier.

I found this lovely linen look home dec weight fabric at Ikea that I used for the lining, this heavier weight lining helps to hold the shape of the bag without having to use the dreaded interfacing - bonus!
I added a little lobster clasp for my keys, and a hand stamped label just to make it look a bit professional ;-)
Doesn't my purse look great in this bag?!

I was hanging on to this old belt for a while knowing one day I'd find a good use for it, and it happened to go well with this bag. I love to recycle if I can!

This is definitely a pattern I will use again! You can buy one for yourself on Anna's lovely blog here.

x Leila

August Bee Blocks

2011-08-20T10:09:00.000+02:00

Today I want to share my most recent bee blocks with you.
First up is the block I made for Lauree in the Cocorico bee.

Her theme for the month is 'Kitchen Couture'. I drafted up this little pattern of a Japanese style teapot my mum used to have. Hers was black, as most of these iron cast teapots are but I decided to make Lauree's teapot yellow just for fun!

Next up is my block for Patchwork 318 bee. Ayumi chose "Sweets' Shop" as her theme for the month.

I made a green tea and vanilla rose ice cream cone, topped with strawberry whipped cream and red chocolate bow. I managed to square this block up wrong at the very end! But thanks to all the wonderful people over on Flickr I'm now convinced this mistake isn't too bad after all :-)

I don't know about you but starting in a new bee always gets me a bit nervous!

Last up is Reene's block for Fresh Modern Bee 2. She asked us to make our signature block, and sent some wonderful Hope Valley fabric paired with a bit of solid. I asked her if I could add some bits from my stash to make this + & x block.

Not sure if it fits the bill as my signature block but I so enjoyed making my + & x blocks quilt that I really wanted to make another one of these blocks!

x Leila

Small Sewing Projects ~ Fabric Baskets~

2011-08-19T09:36:00.001+02:00

A few weeks back I did a little fabric swap with the lovely Amy from Nana Company Knowing she has the most wonderful stash of cute and pretty florals I asked her for some scrappy bits.
After admiring my pretties for a while I decided I needed to sew something I can look at and use daily. Behold the fabric basket!

I used Ayumi's excellent tutorial to whip these up. You can find it on her blog This one is now sitting lovely on my sewing table holding all my bits and bobs tidy and in one place.
I knew I needed to sew a bunch more of these to scatter through the house in places where the clutter most often appears.

So far I have only managed to sew one other for the living room but I will sew a couple more for the bathroom and bedrooms.
I'm thinking Christmas gifts already wouldn't these be fun to use as a little gift basket? Hmm.. am I the only one thinking of Christmas presents already?!

x Leila

Lets start with coin purses

2011-08-18T19:06:00.001+02:00

I've been unable to take photo's for what seems like ages! It's difficult to decide what to show you first. Rather than bombarding you with a ton of photo's I'm going to do a few posts and try and get back up to speed ok?

First off I received the most gorgeous coin purse from the uber talented Kerry in the pretty little pouch swap.

I definitely got the long end in this swap, I couldn't possibly love a purse more than I love this one!

Kerry also sent me this beautiful pincushion as part of the 'pay it forward' game. It's now my turn to pay it forward to three of you. So if you would like to play along leave me a comment on this post. I'll pick the first three to reply and send you a little something. All you have to do is in turn pay it forward by sending a little pretty handmade something to three of your readers within a year's time. Simple enough right?

I made a little framed coin purse myself as well. I think it turned out pretty decent for a first attempt. I first made a couple test patterns out of left over scraps before deciding on the final shape and size.

This one will be winding it's way to a friend....shhh it's a surprise!

It's good to be back! Thanks so much for sticking around :-) Don't forget to comment if you would like to take part in paying it forward.

x Leila

2011-08-10T22:26:00.000+02:00

Hello my lovelies!
How have you all been? Good I hope :-)
I am back home and enjoying some quality time with Mr. Pfaff. Pom poms are fun but I missed my fabrics way too much!
Sadly I am having some technical difficulties with my camera and uploading photo's. Until I get everything sorted I'll remain a bit quiet on the blog. But I'm sure I will have plenty of new things to show you once everything's back to normal again... I'm working on a big quilt and some other fun stuff so stay tuned!

x Leila

July {or it's all about Lynne..}

2011-08-01T09:51:00.000+02:00

It's the first day of a fresh new month and that means Lynne @ Lily's Quilts is hosting another Fresh Sewing Day. If you have not seen Lynne's blog yet you're missing out- seriously! She's a bit of a quilting goddess you know, always coming up with great new designs wich she most generously shares with all of us and to top it all off she's hysterically funny!

Well I suppose you have all run off to her blog now but for those of you still reading...here's what I've been up to in July

1. Fluffy Pom, 2. Pom Pom's, 3. Pom Pomalong with me?, 4. For my partner.., 5. Pretty {little} Pouch Swap, 6. Pretty {little} Pouch Swap, 7. Rice Bowl Potholder., 8. Rice Bowl, 9. FMB 2 July block, 10. Teacher's gift Bunting., 11. #55 Linoleum, 12. #12 Broken Sugar Bowl

I'm still enjoying some time off making pom poms and the odd yo yo here and there but I'm starting to seriously miss my sewing machine! {addicted who me?!}

This month I'll be practicing some more paper piecing. I was lucky enough to be invited to join two new bees that I'm very excited about! I'll be blogging more about them once we get started some time in August/ September. But here's a little hint...

My very own Snow Scraper ;-)

---------------------------------------------------------

Now head on over to Lynne's to add your link and if you're new to blogging and would like to connect with other new bloggers and maybe get some more followers you should definitely link up to her Small Blogger's Meetup!

x Leila

Fluffy Pom's

2011-07-26T11:53:00.001+02:00

Goodmorning Campers! How are you all?
I've been without internet for a few days and it feels more like weeks with all that's been going on here. I'm having a hard time catching up on everything you all have been up to lately - sorry!
I am happily enjoying little blasts of sunshine inbetween the rain showers and pom pomming along the way. I just love these soft and fuzzy little cuties!

To make sure my pom pom's are as soft and fuzzy as they can be I decided I needed to split my threads. It's a little more work but I do like the extra fluffyness it adds to the finished pom's.

I find it easiest to cut a length of thread, tie one end to the handle of a pair of scissors and let that untwirl the thread as you separate them.

Wind up both sides of your pom pom maker, cut and tie as usual. Now sit back and admire your extra fluffy pom pom !

Not sure yet how I want to make strings out of my poms, I left long tail threads just in case I need them. I might just tie them all together or crochet a long thread and tie them to that... any ideas?

x Leila

PomPomAlong, Hexalong, YoYoalong {it's summer!}

2011-07-16T14:05:00.000+02:00

It's summertime and everywhere in blogtopia there are great ideas popping up for portable sewing projects.

After seeing this post I decided I need to make a couple of these fab pom pom strings while I'm out and about this summer. So I gathered up this basket full of pretty colours and I'm planning on getting busy with my pom pom makers!

Anyone fancy to PomPomAlong with me? If there's takers I will have a go at making a button for the PomPomAlong and a Flickr Page perhaps so you can show off your pretties? All you need is some Clover Pom Pom makers and some yarn in pretty colours and you're good to go. They come in packs of two different sizes - very convenient. I'm going to start with two and see how far I get, perhaps I'll order another set to have more of a variety in sizes.

If pom pomming doesn't strike your fancy how about a hexalong?

Lynne @ Lily's Quilts is hosting a Hexalong. She has guest posts lined up and templates to print and all sorts of fun in store for you this summer! Head on over to her blog to sign up and get all the details.

Or how about a YoYoalong?

Penny @ Sewtakeahike is hosting a YoYoalong, I'm planning on joining this one as soon as my Yo Yo maker arrives, I've got tons of scraps all ready and waiting.
Penny posted a great photo tutorial on her blog and also has one of those fancy progress bars to help you keep track of your yo yo making.

Be sure to let me know if you would like to pom pomalong with me :-)
Happy summer sewing!

Leila x

Sewing Bag

2011-07-14T17:37:00.000+02:00

I joined yet another swap on Flickr.
This one is particularly fun because you get to make a pretty pouch, I love a small sewing project one that I can start and finish in a day....you know keeping things simple ;-)
Well that was until I decided I just had to make the sewing bag from Suzuko Koseki's latest book Natural Patchwork

Granted I still finished it in a day but I spent it glued behind my machine!

This is not the easiest little bag to sew, the courthouse step blocks are tiny finishing at 2 1/2" x 4" but they're cute and you only need four blocks. I made three instead because I couldn't find a zipper long enough. It's the gusset that had me uttering one or two lets say 'less than ladylike" words!

I love how this turned out though, and I sure hope my partner will too.
Need to make one for me now...or could I persuade my partner to make me one?

x Leila

More Paper Piecing Practice

2011-07-11T09:53:00.000+02:00

Thank you all for your comments and helpful tips on my post yesterday!
As with most new skills you need to stick with it for a while to get the hang of things. The more I sit with this paper piecing thing the more it's starting to all make sense and not seem so overly complicated anymore.
That said I thought I'd have a go at my own design!

I even threw in some tiny curved piecing! I don't know why I did that really because so far all my circle piecing attempts have failed {I never blogged about those attempts either it was too shameful!} This half circle went ok, it was tricky and I did get some puckers but I don't think I could have pieced it any better.
And since I have too many blocks lying around as it is I turned it into a little mugrug.

Well once you've done it once it's quite easy to duplicate..

I wanted to try a different way of piecing the rice this time so I did reverse applique. Works just as well but without the puckers - bonus! I added a layer of Insulbright and made myself a new potholder.

All in all a pretty productive weekend. Anyone fancy coming over to tidy up my sewing room? ;-)

x Leila

Practicing Paper Piecing

2011-07-10T09:06:00.000+02:00

After following around the Ringo Pie girls like a puppy for months, I thought it was high time I'd start practicing paper piecing.
It so happened that for this month of Fresh Modern Bee we got to make whatever we wanted. So when my bee fabrics arrived I was quick to jump. It's always a bonus if you get someone else fabrics to experiment with....much easier to cut into right?! ;-)
I used Ayumi's tutorial for this coffee pot block, her work is such an inspiration and I'm so glad she was generous enough to share.

Here's my version.

I'm quite pleased with how it turned out, not perfect but it was pretty much my first attempt so that's to be expected.

If you are like me and could do with some help and tips on how to go about designing your own paper pieced blocks, Melinda has done a very helpful post on her blog about numbering your pieces. You can read it here

I'd love to hear your tips and tricks for paper piecing, do you have a book or site to recommend?
I need all the help I can get! If I get enough resources together to make some sort of list I'll do a follow up post to make it easier to find what you are looking for, sounds like a good deal right?

Have a happy Sunday,

x Leila

School is out for summer!

2011-07-08T13:45:00.000+02:00

Today was the last day of school for us. Six heavenly weeks of no alarm clocks and hopefully some specks of sun in between the rain ;-)

Last days are bittersweet, my little boy is not so little anymore and going to the 'big' school next year. He's had an amazing teacher {aren't they THE best?!} so I wanted to make something nice for her.

She can use these two strings of bunting for the kids' birthdays or other school parties or just take them home with her of course.

Same as last year the summer holidays start with both me and the little monster ill! I guess it was high time for us to slow down and relax a bit.

Have a very happy summer {or winter if that's where you're at!}

x Leila

My Quilt has a Story..

2011-07-06T10:14:00.000+02:00

...and you can read it at Quilt Story today!

x Leila

Six Farmer's down...

2011-07-04T13:09:00.000+02:00

..105 to go!

I might be the most reluctant Farmer's Wife of them all. Some days I really hate my Farmer he's so arrogant and demanding {why is it always the bad boys eh?} He sniffed at my feeble attempts to piece one of the more advanced blocks.

But then he smiled and gently pushed me towards these 'easier' ones and I was smitten all over again.

I went in this for the learning experience and trying to push myself to become a better or I should say more accurate piecer. I love sitting behind my sewing machine slapping bits of fabric together and see what I can create organically, I'm not one to follow a pattern and this is tough for me at times.

But I love the feeling of accomplishment when I look at my finished blocks {1" triangles and all} so I'm still sticking it out. Who knows maybe one of these days my Farmer will make an honest woman out of me ;-)

x Leila

Summer Clothes

2011-06-30T11:12:00.003+02:00

Summer clothes, originally uploaded by {Leila} Where Orchids Grow.

Via Flickr:
What I'm wearing today...
This morning a random stranger complimented me on my outfit and I realized I had made it all myself :-) That's a sure way to make my day!

Spring top in grey cotton voile - pattern by Made by Rae free tutorial on Sew Mama Sew
Skirt from Nani Iro dots - pattern from One - Piece & Skirt Japanese craft book
Luna Lovegood Scarf free tutorial on crafster in organic cotton
Bag from vintage fabric with doily pattern by me.

x Leila

p.s I'm having a Summer Sale in my shop

Farmer's Crush

2011-06-25T11:42:00.000+02:00

Two more blocks done for the Farmer's Wife Quilt Along.

And although at this point I'm finding this Farmer dude a little high maintenance...

..I must confess I'm having a little crush on him ;-)

Hope you all are having a lovely weekend!

x Leila

Swap, Bee & Charity

2011-06-23T11:35:00.001+02:00

It's been a busy sewing month. It always seems like this before the summer holidays begin and I know I'll be away from my sewing machine. I try and cram as much sewing in as possible as if that will help with the withdrawal ;-)

So are you ready for a bit of random sewingness? {yes that is a word!}

Swap:
I made my mind up and finished my "spicing up the kitchen swap" package for my partner.

I'm sending out a flowery apron, a potholder / ovenmit thingy that I'm quite fond of and a surprise little gift that would give too much away so that will remain a secret. I hope she'll be happy.

Bee:
June is Fissiet's month and she asked for log cabin blocks with lots of lovely neutrals and little coloured accents.

I just love this mix of fabrics she sent out and log cabin blocks...well I just can't get enough of them!

Charity:
After reading Jo's post about this wonderful charity called 'dress a girl around the world' I knew I had to jump in and make a dress too.
Every girl deserves at least one pretty dress right?!

If you'd like to read more or make a dress yourself you can find all the information you need on Louise's blog. It's a wonderful thing she's doing!

I guess there's nothing left to do here but a trip to the post office ;-)

x Leila

I'm featured!

2011-06-21T16:28:00.001+02:00

How cool is this?! My + & X blocks quilt is featured on Modern Day Quilts today - yay!
I'm doing a little happy dance!

x Leila

Fancying the Farmer ~ a summer fling? ~

2011-06-21T14:11:00.000+02:00

Ooooh I can see many romance novel blogpost titles in my future ;-)
If you have not heard of the Farmer's Wife Quilt along that's happening over on Flickr you might want to go check it out here It's a virus that's spreading fast through the online community and it's safe to say I got caught.

I lusted after the farmer for weeks waiting for the book to arrive. Finally today I heard the postman struggling to push something through my letterbox followed by a big thump...

So I ran to the copy shop with my Farmer's CD in hand to get all my templates copied. One huge stack of paper later I sat down behind Mr Pfaff to start what I hope will be a hot summer fling for me.

I find it quite fiddly working with templates, it's not something I'm used to. And of course I messed up my first block and squared the whole thing up too small! I'll have to redo this block at one point if. I decide to make the whole quilt because I don't know if I'll commit to this farmer dude just yet....I'll have to see the ring first ;-)

The next block went a little better because I eliminated the need for templates all together and just used my rotary cutter for the triangles.

Squared up correctly this time :-) This is going to be a great learning experience for me I'm so glad I joined in!

x Leila

~Sunday~

2011-06-19T17:24:00.001+02:00

It's been windy grey and raining here for days. Not very promising with the summer break starting in only a couple of weeks. I'm wearing layers of clothing again and scarfs, it feels more like autumn here, sun come back!

So huddled up inside as I am, let me show you what my highspeed Pfaff and I have been up to this weekend.

vanity winning over the cold wind I had to take the ugly old cardigan off to pose for the photo ;-)

First off I'd like to reveal the mystery item I made for my partner in the Spicing Up the Kitchen Swap

Some of you guessed it already, it's an apron. I'm hoping it fits my partner's bill. I'll make her something to go along with it I just can't make my mind up exactly what. Not for lack of ideas more for an abundance of them I can not choose!

Some sewing for the shop as well..

A small clutch from one of my favorite Yuwa prints. This print has different fabric swatches with little notes scribbled in the margins, I love it! It's like it came straight from an old dressmaker's studio. {my imagination runs away with me sometimes!}

From the old chair... a granny chic pillow cover made with vintage fabric and a doily- fun! I secretly want to keep this one.

And because I felt like I was neglecting the boys a bit, today I made these fun coin purses.

you can find these listed in my shop

arrr arrr! They make me smile, my 5 year old boy thinks pirates are for babies but he does like ninja's.

So tell me how is your weekend treating you? Anything fun happened, did you get some sewing done? I want to hear all about it :-)

x Leila

I love sponsored giveaways...

2011-06-17T13:41:00.004+02:00

Thank you Melody!!!, originally uploaded by {Leila} Where Orchids Grow.

...especially when I win ;-)

Look what the postman just brought me all the way from Melody Millers own doorstep....how cool is that?!

See the bit of Ruby Star Spring? I feel like such a rock star having a bit of this not yet released fabric in my hands.

Thank you so much Melody and Sarah!. Sarah hosted this giveaway and she's done one of the best interviews with a fabric designer I have ever read. If you haven't read it yet I encourage you to go have a look on her blog.

x Leila

Sewing my little heart out...

2011-06-15T17:20:00.000+02:00

...to keep the shop full :-)

First off I so enjoy a good scrap busting project, my baskets are overflowing with little snippets I do not want to throw out. So I made this set of coasters. Aren't they fun?

I even managed to use up an odd piece of lace and a flower applique that never found a home. I'm definitely doing more of these!

Then I felt the need to sew something a little more zen, and made this sashiko tea towel.

You may remember I made a quite similar towel before and wasn't happy with the way the stitching showed up on the back. So I decided this time round I'd do the stitching on a separate piece of linen and stitch that to the towel so the backside is concealed. I'm quite pleased with this solution.

Ok, so I have been rather busy there's more!
You may have heard me rambling before about how I get words or sentences stuck in my head. I often hear people talk about how they think in images I believe I think in words...if that's at all possible I don't know!

Today this is what kept repeating in my head 'sit in a chair and be good now'...need I say more?

Pfff best go take my own advice and sit down for a minute ;-)
All of the above is listed in the shop along with more "you wash I'll dry" tea towels I sewed up over the weekend.

x Leila

~Kiss my bag ~

2011-06-14T09:18:00.000+02:00

It's been such a lovely long weekend {we had yesterday off}
My brother's super talented girlfriend graduated from art academy and got to show her very own collection on this huge bi-annual fashion event we have here in town. I'm so proud of her, she did really well and got raving reviews!

Artez graduation show: Romy Kokke {the review is in Dutch}

To celebrate my brother gave me this amazing gift.

Kiss My Bag by Petra Hartman

This bag is made out of painted canvas, it's pretty much a painting like you would normally find framed, turned into a bag. This art project is called "kiss my bag" {don't you just love that?!} designed by Dutch artist Petra Hartman.You can find these bags and more of her beautiful objects and paintings here the site is in Dutch but the pictures speak for themselves.

More bags for me :-)

My bag from the Goodie Bag Swap arrived, it's such a bright and cheerful bag made with a mix of Echino fabrics. Jules / Relish Australia also included this cute little zippered pouch and some fab scraps. I certainly got spoiled this weekend!
I can't get enough of these swaps on Flickr it's all the excitement and anticipation...I think I am a bit addicted!

x Leila

+ & X Blocks Quilt Finished!!

2011-06-12T17:27:00.000+02:00

Quilt stats:
52" x 67"
Inspired by this amazing quilt by Setsuko Inagawa The tutorial how to make this block can be found on Amy Badskirt's blog There's a quilt along for this quilt on Flickr if you're thinking about making one yourself, lots of inspiration and advice can be found there.

I used tons of my favorite fabrics to make the blocks, the border is an amazing organic cotton I bought at Raystitch the colour is grown and it's so soft! The back is made from a wonderful Ikea fabric print with numbers.

What can I say I love this quilt! So much so I went a little overboard taking pictures of it by the mill. If you're not sick of looking at it yet you can see more photo's here.

x Leila

~Friday~ ramblings

2011-06-10T12:19:00.001+02:00

Remember me bragging about my brand spanking new Mr. Pfaff? It's gorgeous and I do not regret buying it, at all! But spending all your pennies on something big like that was a bit daunting for me {to say the least..}. Especially if only two days later the washing machine dies, oh no!
Lucky for me my father helped me out big time and the new one is being delivered today :-) I'm so thrilled because I can tell you hand washing is not an option with a little boy that insists on rolling round in the mud all day -every day!

One good thing about not being able to do laundry is there's more time to sew.
Here's a few things I made this week

I love this large floral print from Meadowsweet for Michael Miller fabrics. It has a nice vintagy feel to it {that's not a word!}

~~Both are~~ the apron is still available in my shop

It's almost the end of the school year for us, and although I can not wait for summer break {no more dreaded alarm clocks!!} it's a bit sad as well. Because next year my boy will be going to the 'big' school *sigh* it's a cliche but they really do grow up too quickly!

Some of you have asked me about the kitchen towels they're sold out at the moment {insert me jumping up and down for joy!}. But I'm happy to say I managed to snatch up more of the same lovely linen I made the first two from. I'll be working hard to list new ones this weekend! If you have any text requests please drop me a line and I'll see to it :-)

x Leila

~Wednesday~ Small Sewing Projects

2011-06-08T12:18:00.000+02:00

I am waiting for the weather to dry up a bit so I can go outside and take pictures of my new quilt. I am very excited about this one!

Meanwhile I've made some smaller things. This is a little peek of what I am making my partner in the Spicing Up the Kitchen Swap

I spent a lot of time crocheting those flowers {there are more than the one you see in this pciture} and adding the crochet trim. I think it's worth it and I hope my partner will love this.
It's not time for a full reveal yet, for one it's not finished and I don't want to spoil the surprise. But soon I'll show you what it is, in the meantime give it your best guess! I'd love to hear what you think this is.

More kitchen things...I made these tea towels as well, playing around with an idea I had.

I love how these turned out! They're so simple yet really effective. The linen I used has a nice heavy quality to it, wich I think is great for a kitchen towel.

I listed these in my brand new Etsy shop The 'you wash, I'll dry" towel is already sold!!
Is it strange that I feel a bit shy announcing I opened an etsy shop?! But I did, and since I am still mucking around there trying out different shop banners and adding more items you get a 15 % discount if you enter the code SHOPOPEN1 at checkout.

Have a happy wednesday,

x Leila

My Secret Obsession...

2011-06-05T12:47:00.000+02:00

The wonderful Kerry of Very Kerry Berry is hosting this fun link up party where we all get to talk a bit about our secret obsessions!

I first saw the incredible artwork of Ashes and Snow in a magazine a few years back and was so moved by the beauty of these photographs.

It is so worth a visit to their website and have a look for yourself.

And in case you were wondering.. none of these photo's are superimposed or digitally edited it's amazing!

I know this is supposed to be about non sewing obsessions but can you blame me for throwing in a picture of my biggest obsession at the moment?

I'm happily quilting away it's so smooth I can't believe it!!

x Leila

I ♥ my new Pfaff

2011-06-03T21:20:00.000+02:00

I know that most of the "tadaa I have a new sewing machine" posts feature a state of the art electronic device with bells and whistles, that on voice command will quilt a king sized quilt for you while you feed the baby and do laundry.
But today, I traded my old worn out Singer in for the Pfaff with IDT I have coveted for months.

I am in love!!

If you're looking for me I'll be sewing my little heart out on this baby!

x Leila

~ Buttercup Bag ~ Fresh Sewing Day #3

2011-06-01T11:03:00.000+02:00

I had such good fun reading through all your answers from my previous post! I think I'll do that more often just throw a couple of random questions in, it's such a nice way to get to know each other a bit better.

Do you have a 'to sew list'? I do, I have all sorts of bookmarks for tutorials I want to try and things that I want to make. One of the things I had on that to sew list of mine was the Buttercup Bag from Made by Rae It's such a cute handbag and it uses only two fat quarters!

x Leila

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm linking up to Lynne's Fresh Sewing day. Every first of the month she hosts a link up party for anyone that would like to show off something they've made. Go have a look if you like it's fun!

x Leila

Luna Lovegood Scarf

2011-05-29T11:59:00.000+02:00

Did you have your followers gadget disappear for a while too? It's seems to be back now but just in case it goes again I thought we could play a little game to get to know each other. We don't need profile badges and gadgets for that right!

So lets talk shall we? I'll go first and you can just leave your answers in the comments here, the questions are quite random- fun right?

Have you ever eaten a crayon?
I don't think I have!

The kid next door who is nine and in love asked me this the other day. Have you ever gotten a love letter?
My answer was yes of course loads, I get them all the time! ;-)

Wich perfume do you use?
I wear Allure by Chanel or Fuel for Life by Diesel.

Did you want a different name when you were little and if so what was it?
Oh yes I did, I wanted to be named Nancy for some reason. My son wants to be called James in his next life cute :-)

Have you ever been found playing air guitar?
Yup I have and I've played a fair bit of air harp, air flute and air xylophones too!

What was the crappiest job you've ever had? {remember you're not entirely anonymous online so if it's your current one perhaps it's wise not to mention any names!}

The crappiest job I've ever had was a paper route, I had it for exactly one day and then I gave up. I was about 15 years old and weighed 3kgs my bike was heavier than I was I couldn't hold it up straight. To top it off I had to drag it through the snow and got hit on by a drunk. Never again lol!

I crochet the scarf in the pictures using this tutorial It's called the Luna Lovegood scarf after the Harry Potter character and it's super fun and easy to make. I love Harry Potter!

I'm looking forward to getting to know you all a bit better!

x Leila

{Give Away Day} Winner!

2011-05-26T09:37:00.000+02:00

Wow, I am blown away with all your lovely comments, thank you all so much!!
Mr True Random Number Generator in all it's infinite wisdom declared comment #176 to be the winner.

Congratulations Pomona! please contact me with your details and I will send your package off to you as soon as possible!

I'm so inspired by all your great scrap use suggestions, it's what patchwork is all about really isn't it?!
I made a little collage of scrappy goodness from some of the things that were suggested by you.

1. 7 logcabin pincushions, 2. Mini Quilt from Smith's Aunt Leah, 3. Straps all, 4. I found a quilt top today!, 5. Swap Pot Holders, 6. Fabric flower garland, 7. Moleskine Notebook Purses 1, 8. Hexy MF, 9. Pillow, 10. Sonne und Regen, 11. Hip hippo baby booties, 12. coin pouch 1, 13. Tati Primeiros Botões, 14. the new happy bed, 15. Doll Quilt swap 10 Finished, 16. heaven!

Tons of inspiration!

Thanks again to all of you who entered and a big fat warm welcome to all my new peeps, it's so good to have you here!
I hope you had lots of fun entering give aways like a mad woman/man. Did you win something good?

I'll be back for some 'normal' blogging soon,

x Leila

Give Away Day!!

2011-05-22T23:55:00.003+02:00

This give away is closed and the winner is announced. Congrats Pomona!

It's like christmas!

I know all of you have lots of blogs to visit and many give aways to enter so I'll keep this short and sweet.

Here's what you can win.

One dish towel made of Essex Linen and patchwork scraps and a patchwork potholder, you may remember I blogged about it before.

I will also send you a ziplock bag full fabric scraps for your own small sewing projects.

I spot some Amy Butler, Denyse Schmidt, Joel Dewberry, Moda, and Kokka in here

To enter leave me a comment on this post, I would love to hear about your favorite small sewing projects or scrap buster projects.
This give away is open internationally, anyone can enter! You do not have to be a follower of my blog, but I do always like to give my readers an extra entry.
So if you are or become a follower please leave me a separate comment to double your chances of winning!

PLEASE make sure you leave me an email address to contact you! If you are not sure if you are a so called 'no reply' blogger check out this blogpost it will explain it all.

The give away closes Wednesday 25th at midnight {my time}. The winner will be picked by random number generator and announced here on Thursday the 26th.

Good luck!!!

x Leila

Log Cabin Pillow

2011-05-18T14:51:00.000+02:00

Today I have a new pillow to share with you all. I desperately want to replace some old and worn out furniture, but since I cannot afford to at the moment I decided to spend my weekend rearranging all the old crap. You know, to see if it looks better from a different corner of the room ;-) And it does sorta kinda..

Bought some pretty flowers and made a pillow from some leftovers of my + & x blocks {the quilt top is coming together nicely}. I love log cabin pillows, simple but very effective. This is now my favorite corner of the house.

Now I need to visit some good car boot sales, thrift shops , fleamarkets or whatever it is called in your neck of the woods for some lovely bargains!

Happy wednesday,

x Leila

{Blogger's Quilt Festival} Spring 2011

2011-05-13T19:19:00.000+02:00

It's that time of year again!

I decided to share my Boy Quilt with you.

I made this quilt for my little monster who is very specific about his likes and dislikes. His blanket had to be soft, and it had to be blue, absolutely no flowers allowed {believe me he checked every inch of this quilt for anything unacceptable!}

Lucky for me he approved of his new 'mummy blanket' and this quilt is being well used. Today I picked it up from the floor after a long day of being a fort and a raft and a cover for a very scary zombie and laid it on his bed again where it turned back into a blanket to snuggle up and fall asleep under.

Thank you for stopping by.
Have a good weekend!

x Leila

{Fresh Modern Bee 2} May

2011-05-11T11:51:00.007+02:00

This month it's Shiner's View's turn in the Fresh Modern Bee 2. She went to Amsterdam and brought back fabric {what else right?!} These prints are a bit more traditional than we normally get in this Bee, but I'm always up for a challenge :-) She asked us to make windmill inspired blocks, here's what I came up with.

I didn't get the math quite right on this one, I wish the corners would match up a bit better. But I do love this block. I'll have to make it again one day.

I'm looking forward to see how this quilt will evolve.

Something completely different, I can't get enough of this new to me singer. She's amazing! Her music makes me feel as if the world stands still for a moment and everything is peaceful and good. Don't take my word for it, have a listen for yourself.

For a good cause

2011-05-10T14:17:00.000+02:00

Allison from Little Island Quilting is having a very generous give away for Japan on her blog.

And if that wasn't enough she's also throwing in this jelly roll!

Head on over there for a chance to win these beauties!

x Leila

Goodie Bag Swap

2011-05-09T21:05:00.003+02:00

Goodie Bag Swap, originally uploaded by Where the Orchids Grow.

Almost finished bag for my partner in the Goodie Bag Swap.
This is one BIG bag, she'll be able to fit everything she owns in there and still have room left for a serious shopping spree.
Inside there's two simple open pockets for a phone and such and also one zippered pocket. The bag closes with a magnetic clasp.
The flower is a pin so my partner can remove that or place it somewhere else if she wants to.

I hope she'll love it.

x Leila

I linked up to Quiltstory Fabric Tuesday

+&x blocks (Fresh Sewing Day)

2011-05-01T11:50:00.000+02:00

It's Fresh Sewing Day again, hosted by Lynne@ Lily's Quilts click on her button and head on over there to link up your own favorite sewing project of this month!

Mine has to be the +&x blocks I made, there's a quilt along for these over on Flickr if you'd like to join in the fun.
I've sewed some more of these babies last week and I'm loving them to bits!

I don't think I'll end up keeping the blocks in this order but it's nice to visualize the finished quilt top with these collages.

The blocks are inspired by this quilt, made by Setsuko Inagawa that was displayed at the Tokyo Quilt Festival. We've since traced back this block to 1938 when it was attributed to Nancy Cabot, according to the Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilts by Barbara Brackman.

My weekend was all about the royals between Kate and William's wedding {that dress!!} on friday and Queen's Day yesterday I have seen enough people with silly hats waving for a long while now ;-)

How is your weekend?

x Leila

Making amends

2011-04-27T22:34:00.000+02:00

Months ago I finished this quilt, I enjoyed playing with the design in my head first, and then on paper. My heart skipped a little beat when I found the perfect fabric to work with. When insecurity set in I threw myself out there and asked for your help and received such great advice and encouragement - thank you!
My heart sang as I sewed out a horrible period in my life into these pieces of fabric. And when it was finished I was in such a hurry to share that I tripped over myself, taking pictures in bad lighting,editing without knowing how to, wich resulted in me cringing each time I look at them.

So today I'm making amends, I love this quilt for all it means to me personally, for how my friends both on and off line have responded to it so dearly. It deserves a better photo...or two ...oh go on then three ;-)

Birds and Empty Cages.

my tall brother holding the quilt up for me :-)

Phew that feels much better!

I've been happily sewing more +&x blocks {love them!} and will be back soon with some progress shots.

x Leila

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T21:21:00.000+02:00

We're spoilt with great weather, delicious food and lovely company. Hope you are all having a wonderful Easter too!

x Leila

p.s did you spot my Easter coaster on the table?

+ & x blocks

2011-04-23T10:38:00.002+02:00

+ & x blocks, originally uploaded by Where the Orchids Grow.

Yesterday Amy Badskirt posted a tutorial for these blocks. I just had to drop everything and start sewing them up. I love them!

Have a very happy Easter weekend

x Leila

Monday

2011-04-18T13:35:00.001+02:00

How was your weekend?
Mine was nice and slow I spent it watching a couple of dvd's, strolling out in the sun and sewing two new tops. It was hard enough taking pictures of me wearing just the one so you'll only get to see me in the grey top. The other is identical but in blue, you're not missing anything trust me ;-)

In case you wondered...I have a head just not one that's fit to be in this particular picture!

I have this sudden urge to improve my dressmaking skills and fill up my tired old wardrobe with fabulous handmade creations. It's not exactly working out that way yet, remember the dress I started on? Well it's half finished and not working for me at all! Chucked on the 'I'll get to this later" pile looking all sad and sorry making me feel guilty.

Anyway, despite perusing my patterns on hand frantically I could not find what I wanted to sew so I reverted to the full proof method {ahum!} of drafting my own pattern from a top I already had. This worked out brilliantly as you can imagine and resulted in a very baggy unflattering top destined to end up on the same pile as the dress - poo!
We can't have that now can we, if that wardrobe of mine is to be updated anytime soon. So I decided to improvise. Trust me normally this never works out to my advantage, but this particular time the sewing gods were on my side and I actually managed to produce not one but two tops that I am not ashamed of wearing in public- yay!

I particularly like this low cut back, but what is up with my elbows?! I need some anti-wrinkle elbow cream asap!! {is there such a thing and if so where can I get it?}
What do you think should I enter this in the Spring Top Sew Along 2011, or should I keep on practicing?

x Leila

~Bee Blocks Parade~

2011-04-13T14:53:00.000+02:00

How are you all doing?, it's been a while since we've last talked!
I had an unfortunate flu outbreak in the house and have been couch bound for the last week. But I'm up and about again. The sun is shining and I'm hopeful that was the last of the winter's cold creeping it's way out of our system.

April happens to be my month in the Fresh Modern Bee 2. I have sent out fabrics from my Anna Maria Horner stash asking for 'simple' blocks using squares and rectangles only. At first I was worried this wasn't going to be enough of a challenge. But I do love a simple block and find that there's lots of possibilities to be creative using simple square shapes.

Lynne's block.

We're only a couple of weeks into April and not all blocks have been made yet but there are some pretty ones popping up in the group already that I'd love to show off to you all.

First up is the incredible Lynne. It's hard to imagine her making a mistake, anything she touches turns into gold. I love how these two outer borders give your eye a place to rest and really help to sort of calm down all these little bursts of colour.

Chickenfoot's block.

Next is Chickenfoot's block, nice clean and simple squares and rectangles, it lets the pretty fabrics shine. I can't wait to finish this quilt and stroke all the beautiful soft voiles.

And there's Flightin's block wich is a stunner, look at this!


Flightin's block.

I love everything about it, the combination of fabrics is perfect, the fussy cut center.. notice that teeny dobby voile border around it? Love!

I never knew just how exciting it is to see the blocks for your month appear on the group pages, now I do I think I am hooked! Can't wait to get these babies back home and look at them up close and personal {do I sound like a quilting perv now? lol!}

I'm really enjoying my month, and looking forward to seeing the rest of the blocks being made :-)

x Leila

2011-04-06T22:48:00.000+02:00

I received my lovely doll quilt from the wonderful Brittney!

She did a wonderful job making this Roald Dahl inspired little red riding hood. The illustration from his book "Gruesome Rhymes" shows little red holding up a gun, this was causing a bit of a stir in the Doll Quilt Swap group. So Brittney decided to give her a rotary cutter instead, making little red just about as bad ass as I am ;-)
My partner received her quilt as well so that wraps up this swap for me...sad face. It was lots of fun and I can not wait to do the Doll Quilt Swap again!

Yesterday I got an email from the lovely Elaine showing off her version of my circle quilt tutorial. Isn't this beautiful?! I love it.

Did you see the hearts she added instead of some of the circles? Sweet! This turned out such a warm and cozy quilt it makes me want to snuggle up on the couch under this and eat lots of chocolate and watch crappy telly. When you click on the picture it will take you to Elaine's blog where you can read all about this quilt and her other fun sewing projects.

Thank you Brittney and Elaine!!

x Leila