Vintage sheet wonky stars

I made up this block as a sample to show the bee participants. I love it! I had this vision in my head of what the quilt would look like when I came up with the idea, and I think it might actually look even better in reality (which as you crafty people know isn't always the case!).

I used a star block from the Modern Blocks book to get me started, but will do up some different ones to keep things from looking too samey-samey. I really did feel that I didn't have enough variety in the sheets when I was making this up, when of course I have heaps - maybe I need help?

ETA: You can see more of my blocks over at Jaffa Quilts and Milly Made It - it was such a thrill when Megan and Karyn's posts popped up in my reader over the weekend - I can see why people get addicted to bees! I love the variations they've come up with, and I need to get working on my own.

Fabric printing

I've been hanging out to do some fabric printing for ages, and have assembled some supplies and books, but had sort of worked myself up into anxiety over how it was all done and consequently haven't ever done any. On the other hand, Heleen is a pro and she offered for me to come over and do some printing with her and just get a start. I went over Tuesday, along with Lesley, and had the best time. The Best. And of course it's not nearly as hard as I'd built it up to be - you just have to start. Who would have thought!? Heleen took some more photos of what we did so pop over there if you're interested!

I had plans to do all sorts of things, but I decided to start off with some apple printing because I'd fallen in love with this pin on Pinterest (funny though, I thought I'd copied the red and green colour scheme but it turns out I hadn't! At least not from that pin...). I took this photo with my phone and Instagrammed it yesterday:

Of course what with the filters etc. that photo isn't particularly realistic! Typical IG image really. This is the final result, barring a hem and a purpose.

It was a fun process and I can see a few more of these in my future! I had sort of imagined I'd make a tea towel with it, but the linen isn't really suitable and I didn't cut a big enough piece anyways, so not sure what I'm going to do with it! I didn't actually get much further than that to be honest, too busy talking, eating nice food and trying to take a photo of a tui in the cherry blossoms (unsuccessfully).

So I'll be off to the art supply shop in the near future to get myself some proper pots of paint and a roller thing.

Heleen gifted me some of the eggs from her chickens, and they made a marvellous Instagram photo too.

Second zippy pouch

This one is for Hazel's lovely teacher Ms. Nicholson



It's essentially a pencil case to put the Smiggle pens in, but I decided to put a bit of effort in because she really has been rather fabulous this year and anyone who can deal with that many kids on a daily basis needs all the affirmation I can give! Even if the fact she loves Smiggle (purple is her colour) drives the Smiggle-frenzy to fever pitch in the class at times! Her favourite colour is red, and hey it's mine too! (we share a similar taste in shoes) so I made up this bag using the 'Perfect Zip Bags' pattern by Elizabeth Hartman - I just checked for the link and the pdf pattern is out of stock... The pattern itself is super-easy to follow and this time the zip insertion worked nicely:



I'm not a 100% sure about the dart placement though, it seems a bit strange - the bag isn't hugely rounded, nor will it sit flat on a surface (it's propped up in the photo above) so it's a bit of 'neither one thing nor another'. I'd love to make one of the bags for me though, either the flat ones or the boxed bottom ones I think next time. However, there's no denying that it's a cutie, darts or not!

Stringing it out

How many posts can you get out of two pillows that you didn't photograph comprehensively before you took them off for a challenge? Three! Here are the two together.



I find it amazing how they have essentially the same fabrics (the spotty one has a couple extra) but completely different techniques and backing fabrics almost completely removes that similarity to the point where I don't know they go particularly well together. I don't mean that in a negative way or anything, I love them individually but not together so much. I think it's the very formal style of the Cathedral window with the freestyle look of the circles.

The modern quilting thing is funny isn't it - often I see it defined through fabric choices and negative space, as well as old patterns reinterpreted in the light of the first two criteria. So the Cathedral window pillow certainly qualifies for all three of those points - but what about the circle pillow? I think another side of the movement is heavily influenced by the use of linen and 'natural' fabrics, and a sort of Japanese/zakka aesthetic as personified by Rashida Coleman-Hales' work over at I Love Linen and my circle pillow definitely falls within that zone of influence. Are there any other genres of the Modern Quilting movement that you can think of?

Linen

I really love natural linen and I have no idea why - but I'm drawn to it again and again in its various shades. I particularly love it paired with cotton, either plain or print and most especially red! I don't like wearing it because it does that nasty wrinking thing that makes you look sloppy after 30 seconds, but in anything else it's my favourite and my best (to quote Lola).



This is the beginning of my second pillow for the challenge, and my first ever attempt at hand-basting. Now I know why I will never do this for a larger project, it takes forever! But linen, she's a difficult mistress and until I get some 505 spray I'm going to have to suck it up and do it this way. And there's no denying, the basting has a certain appeal! This linen is a darker shade, with an almost green tinge to it, which makes it hard to pair with things but I think it'll be better for the pillow than a more natural oatmeal.

As a complete contrast, how about this photo I put through various iPhone filters until it looks (to me anyways) almost baroque in its hues




Unfortunately I can't remember which apps I used - I think Snapseed and Super Retro...I need to write these things down! It's funny with Instagram, forcing you to use the square format is quite good as it challenges you to think about images in a different way. I had a hard time not changing the linen photo to that size!

Mike, Kate and Duncan

Mike, Kate and Duncan, originally uploaded by Hazelnutgirl.

My brother Mike asked if I could do an embroidery for him like the one in my header and I finally got it done the night before they headed back to NY - hence the inelegant photo. I would have liked to have spent a bit more time on Duncan's chin but I got his ears perfectly so they kind of balance each other out.

Linen and red

What's that I hear you say? Another close-up shot of linen with red embroidery? I do seem to have a bit of a mania for it at the moment, but I assure it will end and I'll be off in some other direction shortly. I'm a bit like that with breakfast cereals too...  When another blogger gets on a bit of a theme and post after post is variations on X, Y or Z and I often wonder if it will ever end. I kind of understand them now!  Forgive me bloggers who I have silently maligned!




This the back of my latest WIP, hopefully it'll be ready for proper viewing soon, though I've had a bit of a hiccup in the colour-selection line. If I'd just stuck with the red it would have been fine but noooo, had to get all fancy and now I have to go back and rip it out and redo it. In pink. Because Hazel insists it must be pink. And considering how she's been behaving in the last couple months I'm damned if I'm going to fight her on it, it's too emotionally draining!

Everyone says the Terrible Twos are so awful, they even have their own name for goodness' sake. Then I was told that three is worse and I should just start drinking while she was two. Pfft! A walk in the park.  I'm here to tell you that 4 may be delightful but 4.5 is frightful and I've never been angrier with her or more frustrated.  Or more in love.  But hoooboy, I'm glad I've got the 4.5 years practice under my belt because it's taking every ounce of self-control I have to negotiate conversations like this on a daily basis:

Me (very casually and following our usual routine): Ok, let's just brush you hair and braid it and then we'll go swimming with daddy.
Hazel: No. I don't want to.
Me: Well you have to have your hair braided otherwise it gets tangled in your googles. C'mon, just a quick brush and we'll go.
Hazel: No. I don't want to.
Me: Well we can't go until we've done your hair.
Hazel: But I want to go!
Me: Well let's do your hair then.
Hazel: No. No. No!
Me (in my laying-down-the-law-even-though-she-wishes-she-hadn't-started-it voice) Well we're not going to go swimming until your hair is done. What do you want to do?
Hazel: I don't know
Me: Well that's not an answer, yes or no?
Hazel: I don't know
Me: Ok then, we're not going
Hazel: BUT I WANT TO GO!!
Me: Well let's brush your hair.
Hazel. No, I don't want to!!!
...........................repeat ad nauseum for about 10 minutes until Hazel is placed in her room crying hysterically and I repair to the living room wishing the sun was over the yard arm. And we don't go swimming.  I'm assuming it's a "stage" and that it's about exerting control over her life but geez, does she have to choose such illogical things to control?  She knows they are too I think, which adds to her stubborness.  Today we had an episode after which she actually came out of her room after 10 minutes and said she was willing to get dressed and go out now. Oh please please please let it be the light at the end of the tunnel!

Mug cosy in linen

When I was in Visby (Gotland) for a conference a couple years ago I bought some fabulous handleless mugs from Szilasi Keramik. I love them for their colour and weight and texture, but I do not love burnt hands from trying to hold them with hot beveredges in. Maybe there's a trick to it that I'm not aware of but it meant they've languished in the cupboard ever since.

No longer! The other night I got mine out and had a think. I puzzled and puzzled, I drew up a pattern that had darts in it to get it to fit the angled sides. Nah. I puzzled some more. Then I went and googled 'mug cozy' and one of the returns had a curved template. It was for a Starbucks cup I think so not much use in practical terms but it was a "ah HA!" moment. But how to get the curve? So I thought a bit more and then realised I could roll the mug across a piece of paper and trace it and so the mug cosy pattern was born! After that it was simple as. A couple red buttons from the button box, a bit of red running stitch and I'm in looooove.

I'd like to make another one for Mat's mug - his is flat black and unglazed - well the shiny glaze anyways. I might document that one for a tutorial kind of thing in case anyone else is puzzling as well. I still find the shape of pattern to be somehow counter-intuitive although I can see the logic in it if I force my brain!