do not disturb...

someone has a new bed...

i saw this fabric at ikea and knew it would make a cosy pillow for this cheeky one...

fitzy is lucky enough to have a little christmas present in the mail, too. thanks to nat over at daily imprint i won this amazing and beautiful lead & collar set... and this festive bow tie!

he is going to look very smart on christmas day, let me tell you.  head on over to best in park and buy up big for the fluffy one in your life!



(please excuse my extended absence from this here blog... my mojo was lost, gone, kaput! you know how that is? but i feel christmas holidays coming... & some lazy days posting lovely things here...)

{making} patchwork dreams

i love it when what's old is new again. that's quilting for me, right now. it's (thankfully) not all about the Saw-Tooth star anymore, but rather contemporary design and modern colour choices. it's also very therapeutic!

purl soho is a new york based fabric/pattern store  mecca (online and bricks-and-mortar). they have totally been fuelling my patchwork inspiration. just have a look. A-maz-ing.

and then... well isn't it funny how this book arrived in the post just a week or so later?

last minute patchwork + quilted gifts is by joelle hoverson, and the owner of purl. oh my this book is a beauty. ranging from less-than-2-hours, to more-than-12-hours, there is some kind of patchwork to make for everyone. i've already made a handful of the flannel baby blankets... so easy yet so so beautiful! (and they turn out just like the picture - that never happens!!)

this book (thankfully) also has detailed instructions. so the amatuer quilter in me can fumble through without having to call my mum!

quilting is a pretty special thing, isn't it? i still remember going to a grade one sleepover at school... all the kids had sleeping bags. i had a quilt my mum had made for me. and i still have it.

a few favourites...

are you, like me, a compulsive "favourite-er" in your google reader? i highlight that little star every time i see something i like. which is, like, every second post i read.

so much inspiration!
so much lovely stuff!!

so... well here's a little post of this week's blog favourites (so far!)

(image : Sköna Hem) 

in another life i want to come back as a scandinavian local and have this summer house...


coats! i don't care it feels like summer in australia - these are tres chic!

these fabric covered thumb tacks look tricky to make... but the end result? wow!
 
a vintage fabric garage sale in brisbane? HELLO!!

what have you seen (and loved) lately?

{making} bird mobile

...a recent creation for a friends baby... i think handmade gifts are always nice, don't you?

i found the pattern here via here . If you've got a spare hour, it's tres easy!

{making} zakka

ok, so i've said it before. but i'll say it again: i love tea cosies. i just think they're... well... kitsch & comforting. there's something very homely about a tea cosy, don't you think? so when a good friend of mine gave me this book for christmas i was very excited. this book takes the humble tea cosy to a whole. new. level.

it's called Zakka Sewing, zakka being a japanese term for something handmade that is for around the home. think the squirrel tea-cosy, slippers, fabric book jackets, pencil cases, aprons... all done in a tasteful, quirky and beautiful japanese-inspired way. lots of luscious linen fabrics, wool felt, and hand sewn embroidery. the book gives you detailed instructions for 25 gorgeous projects... take a peek at some of the beautiful photos of what you can make.

 images :: STC Craft

if you like your home crafts, this is definetly a book for you! something a little different, and a little special. all of the projects would make great gifts if you can bear to part with them.

but first, i'm off to make one amazing squirrel tea cosy...i wonder what my grandmother would have thought of it?

let the fun begin

ok. i must admit that i have run from this for awhile. i'm not sure why, but probably the "stereotypical" view the (non craft) world takes on quilting.

but i have started a quilt.

eek!

i thought i would throw in a teaser of some of the fabulous fabric i'm using:




yes, out comes my orange obsession again!

they are by a designer called Lizzy House - she has a beautiful blog worth checking out!
the quilt (yes, my first ever!) is a childrens design. easy block design. wish me luck!

pictures to come...


images : andover fabrics