Working on the chain (piecing) gang #2

Hallo blog! Am sitting on my arse downstairs wasting time on the computer when I should be upstairs cutting and sewing, but just wanted to say have finished the first of the quilt top targets - the Irish chain patches are done, 24 complete blocks all ready to be used.
Now I have to carry on with the heart ones, which is more fiddly (although not much more) and I've been putting them off in my laziness.

But no more! off we go, up the wooden stairs to creativity :)

Have some inspiration -

This is what I can do when I try!

Holidays

Not usually something we do really, as in, take a few days out in the sun to do nothing, but the last year has been a really difficult one for us, so we have just done exactly that. 4 nights all inclusive in Spain, flying from the airport right beside our house (well, almost) and with actual yellow hot shiny sun when we got there. Aaaaaaaah.......

So relaxing. Little'un left with granny so I could get a proper break, and a good time had by all. Flippin marvellous. Will be doing that again.

Since we came back, have got 7 more squares done and another 6 half cut. Shame they all look like this:

(imagine the background is actually white and please excuse the rubbish night-time photography)

so I have nothing more exciting to show, but it is moving forward, albeit slowly. But moving is moving!

PS with extra GRRRRRRRR!

There is no such word as ADDICTING. It's just wrong and fills me with unmentionable horror and nausea. SO wrong. The word you are looking for is ADDICTIVE. You know, as in, so good you can't stop?

And while we're on the subject, hoi! Blogland! If you want to sneak a wee look at something you take a PEEK, not a PEAK. That's a mountain top.

Morons.

Still here

And much less snottery too. Yay! I can almost hear properly again. Now I have no way of tuning out the Blighter, though, but nothing in life is perfect. Had my best pal staying with us this weekend, and she finally understands what we've been saying for the last 3 years - that it is totally exhausting listening to our daughter's wittering all the time. She had it from about 6.45 am to mid morning, and now really feels our pain. Glad it's not just our imagination, I can tell you.

Sewing done in the last few days? HeeHaw. Nothing. Nada. Nil. Nowt. Flip all.

But I did rearrange my sewing room and it looks pretty good. Bought another table, moved the fabric, found shelves in other rooms that worked, basically made it ergonomic and more user friendly. Now I just have to be the friendly user!
Taking a few days off, and will be back in sewing mode next week. Have got a few blocks cut so lots to be getting on with.

It's all getting good.

PS. Check this out - how cool is this??

Fed. Up.

I am so fed up. Still havent shifted this cold, and its has left me deaf in one ear, and a sore throat has appeared this afternoon, with great pain swallowing and all the fun that goes with it. Am so fed up of being ill! The Hubby has been ill with post viral fatigue for over a year now, and I'm the one who has been carrying the family for that time, which has had a knock-on effect on my own health, me being diabetic and all. So my immune system in knackered (medical term) and I'm suffering for it now. Bloody Hmph. And cough.

But.

I know in the grand scheme of things we are very very lucky. We have health care and our own house, and we can still work (most of the time) and are educated with our healthy child having friends and family all around us.
And I managed a few more blocks for my friend's wedding present quilt.

So it could all be worse.

And here's something which always makes me smile (check for some language):

Thanks, Chive, for cheering us up every day :)
CHIVE ON!

A bit of inspiration

Love to read quilting blogs.The inspiration, creativity and talent of people out there is thrilling to see. Love the colours, styles, effects, and really love that people want to share it with others.
Am particularly in love with this block at the minute:-

This is from Red Pepper Quilts, and isnt it gorgeous? She made a fantastic quilt out of it too, called Labyrinth, and I am going to get cutting on this as soon as I can. Have still got a lot to do before then, and get so easily distracted :( so will have to knuckle down and STAY AWAY from Words with Friends, dammit!

Pictures!

Am feeling so much better today that the sewing machine was in action. Finally. Head has slowed down the production of snotter, and the whole family seems to be on the up again after the latest assault on our immune systems, so there was some spare energy for cutting today YAY.

Started a friend's quilt today, commission for a wedding, and we're going with hearts and Irish chain, simple but v effective. Simple once I figured out the heart piecing. Maybe brain still not functioning 100%...

Here's the evidence anyway:

The background of the chain IS the same as the heart, just bad lighting and night time photos dont help. Cool though, eh? And am v chuffed with the accuracy of the squares - seems practice does make perfect. And paying attention and taking it slowly does no harm at all. 

not given up

Have been madly busy. 2 p/t jobs and the house/child/husband to look after, and am just about to lose it. Luckily the 2 jobs become one from Saturday and we've just booked a few days away. Can not wait. Havent touched a thread of my 2 commissions, but am optimistic (well, why not?).
Its all good from February. Honest.

:D

Happy New (almost) Year

I know, premature, but am so busy doing two p/t jobs at the moment I may not have time to wish one at the appropriate moment, so Happy New Year!
No sign of sewing at Casa Crabbit just now, as no time! but have made another R2D2 hat for C, made a pair of welly socks for J, am knitting mittens for The Blighter, and started again a blanket, because I like to have a blanket on the go. And it's specially lovely to knit in cold weather, having a toasty bit of half-knitted blanket on your knee :)

Here's to more knitting, sewing, time to do everything, and a colourful 2012!

Bleurgh.

Am still alive, just fighting off a horrible cold that makes me cough up chunks of yuckiness and speak as if I am gargling with gravel. Not nice.
And it's sapping all my energy so all I can do is plonk myself in front of the fire, rather than be busy upstairs in my sewing room which is about 10 deg cooler.
Hmph.

This too will pass.

I hope.

Tidying up

Sorting out the sewing room finally, after months of ignoring the mess piling up in all the corners. Would love it to look like this -

Oooh! Colours!
Or I wouldnt say no to this either -

Gorgeous. (Apologies for not knowing the source of these photos.)

*sigh*

Maybe one day, when I get my act together...

Commisions

Have got commisions! One wedding quilt and one bedspread Union Jack design. Looking forward to them both. Denim, corduroy and twill for flag style, and heart design for the wedding one. Like this sort of thing:

Picture from grittypretty.blogspot.com. With self coloured but multi-fabric patchwork hearts on white background, may or may not do chain in between heart blocks.

And the Union Jack idea is along these lines (above), with denim patchwork from old jeans and cord for the colours - this one is going to be an occasional dog bed so has to withstand those claws :)
Who knew the UJ was so complicated? All the reds rotate round with different thicknesses of white; the angle; sizing. Prob not hard for those with bags of experience, but nicely challenging enough for me, and I get to use all those denim trouser legs I've been saving. Just in case.

Going Global

Well, on Etsy anyway :)

Have opened an account with www.etsy.com so can sell some lovely bits of quilting for some fabric dollars, hopefully. Check out FankleQuilting on that great site. Plus have a couple of commissions for the new year. It's all looking rosy at casa crabbit - apart from the water in the cellar. Thanks to all the lovely rain we've been having, along with the rest of the country, the burn beside the house has overflowed into the founds. Nice. Not by much, but enough to cause floating loose insulation. On the phone to SEPA it is then.

Goodbye to a friend...

..but more friends to be made :)

Sold this beauty today. Thanks to everyone who visited the stall, hope to see you around soon.

PS it was finished, not the top all by itself. Honest.

Showtime!

Another fab wee show to go to - this one is in Troon at the Walker Hall, on Sun 27th Nov, 12ish till 4 ish, with crafts, cakes, xmas shopping stall etc. We'll be there with our wee handmade decorations and hopefully make a few dollars to spend on xmas pressies :)

Facebook page :https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=270603346310701

So rubbish at putting up photos...

late night tv

Ok, so 10pm isnt late night, but watching it on 4OD at 11.30 probably counts a bit. Have really enjoyed watching Fresh Meat on channel 4, absolutely brilliant, takes me back to my uni days, although we werent all that photogenic. Almost as good as True Blood - how come all the good shows are on Channel 4 just now?

Ach well, def not complaining.

Been out today, to West Kilbride, where the lovely Lilith resides at Old Maiden Aunt, a gorgeous shop with gorgeous soft strokeable yarns and amazing vivid colours. I succumbed of course, I challenge anyone not to!

So am knitting a hot water bottle cover from my own design with a stash angora wool mix, that is turning out ok. Will try to post some pictures when I finally charge the camera battery...

waiting for inspiration to strike

More like waiting for the tiredness to go away. Been a busy few days at casa crabbit, loads of folk visiting, work going on both domestic and otherwise, with a very tired hubby and tired self and daughter to cope with. Not much creativity happening, other than the constant quiet background sock knitting. For me. Socks knitted by me. for me. This never happens. So I am claiming this pair for my own toes this winter, which is supposed to be a cold one.
The Blighter will be getting a welly sock pair immediately after. When I can be bothered :)

The Final Coundown

Well, only 1 sleep until the Ayr Racecourse Hospice Shopping Event tomorrow night. I'm not usually apprehensive about these things, but this is the first night I am selling my own products as opposed to stock. Will people like them? Will people like them enough to buy them? Will they like them enough to recommend them to others? Better stop there, in case I wind myself up too much.

Think we've done all we can. My pal Christine has been knitting socks like a machine, I've been washing and drying quilts and finalising price lists and all the bumf. Still have to get details out there to take away.


So, for all folk looking for early Christmas presents in aid of a very good cause, look out for Fankle Quilting and Knitting at  Ayr Racecourse on Wed 26th October and spend, spend, spend!

Thanks x

The art of perfection...

...is something I have never mastered. I have a healthy amount of 'oh that'll do' when am crafting, although when making presents for specific people I do tend to take more care.

I could use the excuse that 'only Allah is perfect' as a reason for my occasional slap-dash approach, but being non-religious I won't. Call it the desire to move onto the next thing more quickly. And everything I make is perfectly serviceable, and usually pretty ok.

So that's my quilting done, and the binding almost done, and only the perfectionists will be taking me to task on this one. Non-crafters can swoon in awe at my brilliance. Crafters can kiss my ass.

Glad we got that sorted :)

Working on the chain (piecing) gang

Have another quilt in progress, well, 3 actually, as 1 is basted (white one below), one is quilted but not bound, and another is in pieces hovering round the ironing board/sewing machine, and it feels pretty good. I like having a few things to work on, being of the butterfly-mind persuasion. The thought of only one project to work on seems really dull and binding somehow. I think I must like having the illusion of choice, even when decided by my own twisted brain.

Or it could be something to do with my personality type, ISTP, which is my new excuse for being rubbish sometimes. Well, there must be something in it, and it explains why my career path is a series of dead ends, rather than a road stretching out ahead of me, like Himself's .Humph.

But having a few projects on the go means that finishing them all happens roughly at once, and makes me feel great to suddenly have a load of complete items. Which is just as well as I'll be selling at the Ayr Racecourse Hospice Shopping Event on Wed 26th October with my pal Christine, also a quilter. We may even make some money! And that is a very nice thought at the minute....