Cupcakes anyone!?

I have been trying to make little practice pieces into finished items and this was one of my first bits of raw edge machine applique so it is about time it was finished off!  I made this way back in September and you can read about that here!


Originally I had a  little caption underneath which said " Cup of tea and cake?"


Now the colour just didn't go and I thought the legend was a bit tame for these three cheery, cherry cupcakes so girls I'm looking for inspiration to finish this off!

What caption can I add round the border to describe these cherry cupcakes?

Cupcake fabric on the back!

Thanks I am sure you will come up with better wittier phrases than I can...!


Come on Hadley!

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas....

Getting ready for Susan's Christmas runner plus goody swap and playing around with machine applique again....


This is what inspired me....

Result - a little wintry scene with trees, North Pole and a little deer running past....

With this method of applique and quilting at the same time the back gets a bit messy....but it is a lot quicker, and puffier!  But a bit more time may have made it look better! 

In the book the sign writing was in pen!  The wimps! Mine was with the machine and a little bit on the teeny side but hey didn't know I could....till I tried!


What has surprised you?  What have you done that you thought was impossible but you triumphed over in the end?


My list includes:


Jumping on horseback - only little jumps still and sometimes with Thelwell looking results!
Machine Applique and Embroidery - just beginning but such fun
Blogging - massive learning curve but loving every minute - thanks peeps that's down to you lot out there
Swapping - Susan and Helen got me in to and out of my first 
Going to the Festival of Quilts - thanks Susan, wouldn't have gone without you and it was such fun!


.....more challenges to come, I'm sure!




Go forth and do something that scares, unnerves you - but keep it legal ok?

PS With thanks to Hadley for satisfying my curiosity and for any nosy crittters like me here is the bookshelf where this photo shoot took place....

I'm Smitten...

I have wanted to do Free Motion Embroidery (FME) for so long.....


But it has taken this Goodie Swap hosted by the lovely Cindy at Fluffy Sheep Quilting to push me into it and I am LOVING it!  Yes I am shouting to anyone who will listen! 


I made a mugrug top that I love and I need to finish off so I can send it to my partner (sob, sniffle!)  but Sarah up in Shetland had the perfect and obvious answer - why don't you make another one - duh!  I can and I will!  I posted about that make yesterday!


Ages ago in preparation for taking on this goal of FME I bought a gorgeous book called Free & Easy Stitch Style by Poppy Treffry who lives in the UK in Cornwall!  You can get the book here!  And Poppy's website is Poppy Treffry.co.uk

It's a great 'how to' book with details on how to set up your machine, how to outline, shade and do applique, and what fabric to use.    


Poppy talks about finishing your projects to get that professional look and how to make up the stitching into beautiful and useful items.  She lists 12 different lovely projects and there are variations within some of those categories.  She includes templates to start you off on your own free and easy stitch style!  Great book - destined to become my great friend!


So having tickled the surface on Sunday I thought I should dive in with one of the projects from the book yesterday!  Here is what I made using Poppy's templates and adding a bit of writing at the bottom!  In her book these motifs are on the patch pockets of a pinny but here I thought I'd make a picture for a friend who makes cupcakes as a business, or it could become a table runner, a cushion?


Would you like a......

Cup of tea and cake?  I may join you then!


Must remember next time to choose a plain backing for any writing I do !




Cheers!


PS And Hadley if you are looking at this post I know what you are thinking they look like (little snigger!) and now that I haven't mentioned it, I can't see them as anything else - but who has three!?