Pure Happiness in a pouch!

Did I get a pleasant surprise in the post this morning!?  Nodding and grinning!


I got a brown paper package tied up with string parcel tape which contained one of my new favourite things.....have a look for yourself!




Helen (aka Archie) thinks my sense of humour is the reason for the sock monkey and I am wondering whether the lovely Tanya @ Secondchance really knows me too well!?   After all she has been stalking me in a good way and made this gorgeous, spacious pouch for me...

Love the cute bit of stitching and the fussy cutting!

You can just see Saffy trying to get in on the photo!

I love the tree and the flowers and grass surrounding it so where better to take a photo of my lovely pouch than in a tree!?  You can just see the zip pull adorned with some lovely beads - another passion of mine!




Thank you so much Tanya and I am sorry if I stressed you out on your first swap but please know that you have indeed given me pure happiness pure love - well like the advert it says so on the tin pouch!






Tanya likes to recycle fabric - something I am in favour of too especially as my youngest has grown out of some pretty cotton Boden clothes!   They have done  well to last through one, sometimes two daughters and may need a new life!  So Tanya's children's clothes are in this pouch - how special is that - certainly something to be treasured and I will!






Now don't let the mamas know but Tanya also sent a bit of contraband along with some lovely scraps (including a lovely piece of Liberty) but like the dork I am I forgot to take a photo outside so this one was taken with the lights on...my contraband is the cute pincushion ring!

Shhh! Now don't tell Cindy, Hadley and Susan!  But do let Tanya know what a great job she has done!  

One more pouch and some greens!

My wonky blocks are off to the US of A to the state of Illinois no less which is quite a long way to go!  


But I couldn't send them off without a little thank you to Jane our fabulous mama who has organised this swap!  So a little pouch with some fabric scraps has made it's way into the package

A little wonky house of her own with matching logo to remember this fun swap by!  I sort of got carried away adding steps down from the door, windows, shutters, rooftiles, smoke from the chimney and a tree!


What fun!




Now in the Sew and Bee Happy bee I am in, I am down to make a green block for Kat.  I was just so impatient to get started that I have cut out my greens ready to make a white wonky star in the top left hand corner!  Hope Kat likes my greens....not a bit of brussel sprout in sight!

And that's the way it should be as far as I am concerned!


Hope to finish that block and get up to a few more makes tomorrow which is going to be a day for creating - yipee!  

A Tease....!

I have been working on a secret project for a few months and one element of that is complete!  I am quite excited about it and am hoping it will be warmly received...?


I did wonder about showing you a little teasing glimpse as the person this project is going to does read my blog...


Well maybe I could show you a little bit....

Are you intrigued?



I am also working myself up to designing something for my partner in the Mouthy Stitches swap!  I am going to be as good as I can and keep as close as I can to her mosaic - sorry I cannot show you what that is because that would rather give the game away!  


Anyway several participants have been making practice pouches so I thought I'd make one as well...


I used a little FM applique I made last year - which is my Flickr icon - and have made it into a little zipped pouch.  I used some of the green Metroliving dot fabric I got as the lining.

My first effort at the back of the pouch involved some FMQ flowers but I just didn't like it so I did something I never do - I unpicked it!  

Shows how much I love that applique!  I prefer this plain old dotty fabric I got from the Makery when I subscribed to Molly Makes!

Now I love my new little pouch!  All I need do now is fill it up!

A Dala pouch from Emily!

Way back in my first swap organised by Cindy at Fluffy Sheep Quilting I was paired with Emily Levey at Strawberry patch, or rather she had me!     She made me a lovely mugrug (with my initial on it and no I haven't actually used it but usually pin it up on my design board) , a cute little needlebook and a wee pincushion.


Here they are (oh and the chocolate is long gone!)

Well I cheekily asked Emily to make me a matching pouch and she did!


Look at this!

She knew I love Dala Horses and I cannot think she could have made it better for me....




Here is the back...

It is gorgeous....and they go together so well don't you think?

Not only that but she sent these as well...

Some pretty jewellry and some lovely fabric scraps...




Did I strike lucky - absolutely!  


I am making a small contribution to her 'going to FQ Retreat fund' after her poorly dog 'ate' up her funds with vet bills.  If you can help out too she may be willing to take a commission from you too...?  Why don't you ask her...?

The Happy Band of...

Mouthy Stitchers!


Yes I have joined in with that gabby lot!


Here is my inspiration mosaic which as pointed out on Flickr features a lot of stitching....

This is a swap organised by Hadley, Susan and Cindy all great gals and funny with it!  The aim is to make a zipped pouch for one lucky partner and send a Fat Quarter's worth of scraps too!  Nothing more, nothing less for a no stress happy swap!

Hadley thinks I am bonkers and it could well be true but let me attempt to explain my choices before you all agree!

First of all I was looking for pictures that hadn't come up before and quite frankly with 90 odd participants signing up in about two days and some posting mosaics with 25 photos I think it is quite an achievement to have found 15 that hadn't shown up before.

Secondly it is actually true I am a bit bonkers and love a great variety of things   - from cutey things like raccoons, cute kitties ( thanks to Mary @ Molly Flanders)  & shoes to more subtle loveliness of beautiful stitchery on linen and more loveliness from Mary in her brilliant yellow courthouse steps !

Plus I love all those things I pointed out on other people's mosaics so I hope that gives lots of choice for my partner to pick from!?  Phew it has been a busy few days commenting on nearly everyone's mosaic!  But that is also what this swap is about - supporting, commenting, encouraging and with mentions of whips in the back of my head, I am sure going to try and be as mouthy as I can!

Colour wise it seems I like bright combined with linen and contrasting stitching!  I can see that now I have done the mosaic....who knew?

Mug rug & goodie 2!

Partner 2 - I have good news! - I have now 'finished' your mug rug and goodie!

Really enjoyed making these and learnt new skills - how to make a zippered purse and my new obsession Free Motion Embroidery!

Hope you like both of these but if you don't they really can stay here.....just let me know!  These are so up my alley they feel like home!

Here is the finished mugrug, front, inspired by the pictures of Angie Lewin - love, love, love her artwork.  

and the more boring back

Here is your goodie, front  - the rotary cutter is to hide a bit that's too personal to you! 

and back...

and inside....

The two items are quite different but on the mugrug back and inside the pouch I have used the same fabric.   I thought it would link the two and also went with both items.

One question people - at the moment the mugrug is not quilted.  Cotton perle would be too thick for this but normal hand quilting is a possibility.  I could just outline the flower heads and the outside edge to give a bit more definition but I feel in this case that less is more!  What are your thoughts - I need to hear them!??

How to spend a lovely Sunday afternoon!

What did I relish so much that I just needed to tell you about?

Was it the huge pile of laundry?  You have to be joking

Was it reading all the lovely comments you dear kind people left me about little Hoo!  

Well that was certainly part of it and I thank you for giving me such confidence and for setting me up beautifully for a little bit of sewing play using this tutorial I found at Kat's blog Diary of a flutter.kat - a mumma's time to create!  

This is what I made  - a prototype lined zippered pouch!  I love it and beginning to end only took an afternoon!

Someone might be getting one of these in the goodie swap! Any takers?  

I thought it might do to transport a necklace safely ....?  Eh partner one?

Partner two I haven't forgotten you - just started your mugrug

Here is a photo of how far I have got....

The question is do I leave it a rectangle and use that grey stripe for some embroidery/quilting fun or do I trim and restitch into a square??

The other side will be very different not at all what you asked for but it is inspired by something on your blog....

You can choose which side you use!  But I have to finish and send it first!