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

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

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

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

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!