Monday Makers:

It's not a fancy bit of sewing, but I wanted a quick make this week - I've got some advent calendars to make and needed something to protect the kitchen worktop so I can press all those fiddly pockets. 10 minutes later and, Hey presto, - a nice cheery fabric pressing mat

with a reverse that doubles a a design wall (for very teeny projects)

It's already been put to good use and a festive table runner for my sister in law...


and the first of those advent calendars for my little ones are well on their way

Linking up:

Crocheted Baby Blanket

Started last winter, I finally got around to finishing of my crochet baby blanket last month. Lovely little Georgia arrived safe and sound on Bonfire Night and is doing well. So here's a snap of the finished article.

All the blocks are from Eatons 200 Crochet Blocks for Blankets, Throws and Afgans. A great book it you want to try out crochet and are totally new to it like me. They have a nice reminder of what the stitches are in the back, along with edgings and how to change yarn colour.



At the start I was relying on youtube videos for each stitch too, but by the end I had the confidence to try for a wavy edge with no pattern at all! It's a real learning journey of a blanket, so I won't worry too much about the blocks that came out a little too small of the massively uneven tension in places!

Hope it keeps some little toes and finger snug and warm through the winter.

Linking up to Finish it up Friday

Woodland Height Chart: A FMQ finish

The Finish

A month ago my mother in law asked how to free motion quilt on the machine she kindly got me last year. So I got out this cute height chart panel I'd picked up and long since hidden away. I'm so happy I did. The Husqvana Automatic I use is an old machine, but a lovely one. All those problems of bunching fabric, eyelash like loops on the back of the fabric and general difficulties in getting the lines of stitching where I wanted, were gone.

So, off I set, trying out lots of patterns I'd been admiring on pintrest blogloving. I did loops for the sky (hoping to add movement), a bark pattern for the tree and a bit of a sampler feel for the coloured blocks on the left.

I can't say the quilting is all that, but I'm really pleased to have finished it and got my first FMQ project under my belt.


The Creatures

The Free Motion Quilting

The Woodland Plants

Linking up to Fabric tuesday at quilt story and a late link to up to Finish it up Friday, as I really love this and want to share it!

Slow Sunday Stitching

From this...

To this...

in the space of two weeks.

It's amazing what you can do when it's cold out and you're on an autumn caravan holiday on the Yorkshire coast!

Linking up to Slow Sunday Stitching, at Kathy's Quilts, WIP Wednesday, at Freshly Pieced, Wow on Wednesday, at Esther's Blog and

  

(by the way, just found a great list of linky parties organised by day of the week. Check it out here if, like me, you want to share but don't know where)