Easter work in progress

I promised in last week's blog that I would let you know what became of some of the wonderful fabric purchased in Helsinki. I can't show a completed article as I only managed to get a few hours in today as all the kids turned up yesterday and we spent a great day in the garden, egg hunt and all, but progress has definitely been made.

 

I thought the big bold black, white and turquoise canvas would be perfect for a beach sized bag. So this is it so far. I have gone ovesized too as I though it would suit the oversized print too.

The Kona cotton lining is in carrot, which I really love as I have a thing  about orange for holidays these day. It will go with a fab pair of orange patent gladiator sandals that I virtually live in when the sun comes out too.

Need to go and get a magnetic  closure and a giant orange bottom for the tab and add a load of top stitching to it I think ....roll on next weekend. 

I'm back

To say it's been a while since you heard from me last would be somewhat of an understatement I think. I haven't blogged since September so after more than 5 months I thought I would just let the outside world know that Emily's Mum is alive and kicking and perhaps even kicking a bit more than before if truth be told.

It's not been the best of times in Quilty Doings land this winter with one thing or another. My little old machine is sitting neglected in the corner wondering what is has done wrong. Too much life and too many airport lounges have taken their toll on me, in both body and soul. I have completely lost the route to my sewing room and I swear a family of squirrels has taken up residence in my stash (OK, I exaggerate - no squirrels). I have been distracted but I need to recover some semblance of sanity so hence forth I shall "blog-on" regardless and share with you my little plans and events as and when they happen, whether good, bad or ugly but I will warn you, it could be quite a bumpy ride.

As I write  I am currently aboard the 15.35pm flight back to Edinburgh from the sunny and very busy Smoke, after a visit to see my poor old Pater. He and his troubles have been the main cause of my lack of web presence these past months. It's been tough and will continue that way. I have though, now finally realised there is little that we can do sometimes to change the future, so, with a heavy heart, I have left him and my Mum sitting holding hands in his Care Home room. Together but both in their own little worlds. He has a big birthday next month, nearly the biggest you can get, so let's hope that it will be a little mini celebration of sorts and another little milestone reached.

 

Even though I haven't been stitching, thoughts and plans have been hatching in the back of my brain all these months and small purchases have been stacking up in the den. The simplest and weirdly most exciting of these was a find in Devizes this actual weekend.  I was walking through the covered market there when a lady with a very mixed bag of a stall caught my eye. I spotted piles of boxes of children's hankies and I immediately had to set about buying up her whole stock at the bargain basement cost of £1.50 a box. Ages ago I saw a quilt made from vintage hankies which I fell in love with. It was not one of those boringly obvious ones you see all over the place, but a really cool and interesting one and I have been on the hunt for reasonably prices children's hankies ever since. The quilt had reminded me of the my Auntie Rita (such a 50's name). She gave me a box of these bright little squares every year for my birthday when I was little and even though she is long gone, I can't see one of those colourful pieces of cotton without thinking of her. I have them all ready now after this find, but hey, guess what? I can't find the blimen' quilt link anywhere, nor remember what it exactly looked like, or what made it so particularly brilliant. Best I get creative.

Anyway, after said hankie purchases we started to walk away when 'OMG' as they say in some daft tv show or other? There in front of me was a giant pile of plastic takeaway tubs packed to the gunnels with every kind of mother of pearl and vintage style of shirt button. I have been struggling to find a fresh supply of these and I  refuse to the pay the extortionate prices charged in all my local haberdashers which has led to a case of what can only be called "button angst". Just imagine my glee at this second find in one day! I really am a button fiend, as any of you who follow me regularly on Flickr will know.  I love a bit of a button detail when it comes to my bags and small makes and if it's not a big red button it just has to be a good old fashioned shirt button. But happy readers, the tale gets even better. Not only were these quite fabby little buttons, but these delicious fat boxes of loveliness where only ten of our best English pounds a piece!  An absolute bargain given the hundreds in each box, so despite already having a backpack with me that any burly paratrooper would struggle to carry, two said boxes of these buttons were quickly purchased and are currently the most precious pieces of cargo aboard this British Airways flight.

So anyway dear webby friends, it's back to the office tomorrow, but first of all let me share this little preview with you for next week's post. With the arrival of the Easter weekend next Friday I will get let out to play from the day job and come hell or high water I will be at my sewing machine using some of these stunning fabrics, which I found in Helsinki last month.  

Aren't they  amazing? 

 

I could have bought acres more but there is only so much excess baggage costs that the Beloved will pay. Two pieces may turn into holiday clothes I think, but the rest? Well you will just have to come back to see.

Thanks for not forgetting about me and I hope you've all been keeping safe and snug with your own loved ones. See you next week .. .