Sew Mama Sew giveaway day!

It's that time of year again folks, Sew Mama Sew giveaway day! Thanks to them we get to peruse lots of lovely new blogs with the bonus of the chance to win some goodies :)
This time round we're offering 2 prizes to one lucky winner.

There's a festive table set of table topper and coasters in the ever popular Mama Said Sew by Sweetwater and a festive cushion in Bliss by Bonnie and Camille.

The table topper is approximately 9.5" x 15" and the coasters are approximately 4.5" square. I think they're festive without being too holiday specific.

The holly is raw edge appliqued with red Aurifil thread and I've used a lovely red fabric from the Rendezvous line by Kristian Howell for the backing :)

Yvonne has made a gorgeous cushion/pillow (depending which side of the Atlantic you're on) cover using one of the blocks from the Farmer's Wife Quilt book.

The colours are much prettier in real life, Winter lighting is so tricky! This will be sent without the pillow form to keep our postage costs low, it's a standard size so you shouldn't have any trouble finding an insert for it :)
So....now to the best bit. All you need to do to enter is leave a comment telling us your favourite holiday movie. If you fancy a second chance at winning you can click the follow button  and leave another comment telling us that you did or that you already follow us.
The giveaway will close on December 13th at 5.00pm PST. In the UK that's around 1.00am so you can rest assured I'll be tucked up in bed asleep then so I'll draw the winner using Random Number Generator when I wake up.
We're happy to ship Internationally but we obviously can't guarantee that the goodies will be with you before the New Year as the lasting posting date for guaranteed delivery by Christmas has now passed.
Again to remind you: 1st chance to win - leave a comment telling us your favourite holiday movie
                                   2nd chance to win - leave a comment telling us you are a new or existing follower   
I will try to answer as many comments as possible but please don't think I'm rude if I don't manage to reply to everyone as these giveaways can be so popular and I have a lot of sewing to be doing :) I almost forgot, please make sure I can contact you if you win by leaving an email address with your comment if you are a no-reply blogger. If I can't get hold of you and don't hear from you the day after the draw I will draw another winner.
In the meantime I hope you all enjoy visiting the other blogs taking part in the SMS giveaway. Good luck to all who enter. Catch you soon x

Updated to add - Winner of the giveaway was:

Thanks to everyone for taking part, sorry you couldn't all win something. Catch you soon x

I'm really trying...............

.......very ...... hard .... to .... keep ... up!!
 
No - don't say it.  Really.  Don't.  Okay.  I'll say it then.  Before you do.  If you haven't already said it! 
 I am very trying.

I know I try hard not be, but somehow it just happens.

Anyway, I digress... again....  What I was saying was I just can't keep up, everything goes so fast. I feel like everyone else is on 'fast forward' and I'm just about avoiding the rewind button!  An example? On the rare occasions Ralph and I are working in the kitchen together (now that's a whole other story!!!) I just seem to stand there doing ... whatever... and Ralph is rushing around me doing his version of ... whatever... like a spinning top.  It makes me dizzy!!

Here's an analogy for you. A treadmill test.  Nothing to it? Yeah ok! A white knuckle ride if ever I had one. Hanging on to the bar, gritting your teeth, gasping for breath, jelly legs.  You get the picture? I thought I was in a marathon. (Me) Can .. you .. slow .. it .. down?  (Nurse) Errm  it wont go any slower. (Me) How .. long .. was .. it .. for?  (Nurse) Errm 28 seconds.  (Me) What the ...........??!!!

See what I mean? I can't keep up! 

So what started this ... rant?  Birthdays.  Of course.


First it was Ralph's, a year before a significant one.  So to remind him that next year we'd be going out for picnics and such like on a weekday, not just for weekends. I made him a patchwork picnic blanket. You know, to go in the car we've decided he's getting as a retirement present. :-)

Lovely Butterscotch and Rose by Fig Tree Quilts backed with an old picnic rug

and hand tied instead of quilting.

 

I've had the fabric a while and knew how I was going to make it up. I was just waiting for the right occasion. I used a pattern from Camille's book Simplify.  It took a charm pack and a honeybun and made up really quickly. I decided to add an extra border using up the off cuts from the honey bun.

 

Now, here's my question.  How did it happen?  How did we go from

 

this

 

1982

 

to this ?

 

2013

 

In what feels like the blink of an eye?

 

I kid you not, this is taken at the top of the drive of the house we are renting!!  I tell you if it turns up at the next house I shall be convinced the kids did it !!

 

And speaking of kids, that was the next birthday.  Oliver's 30th.  Now look, something is just plain wrong here.  I can remember distinctly what it felt like when I first snuggled him into my neck at a few minutes old!!  I don't need to tell you it was bliss do I? 

 

It seems like only yesterday that he was like this

 

1983

 

and now he's like this

 

2013

 

with his own precious little one,

Mackinlay.

 

Don't get me wrong I have loved walking alongside Ralph all these years and hope to do so for many more.  And I'm so proud of my kids and their partners and children, so very proud.  But, in my head I don't feel like I've lived all those thirty odd years.  I go to tremendous lengths to avoid looking in the mirror but once in a while.  Out of the corner of my eye.  I see.  Someone looking at me.  Who is that  woman staring back at me???   I've got that dress!!  Well, who'd have thought it?  It must be me!!!!   

 

Like I said.  It takes me a while to catch up! :-)

 

So, before I go, a quick update on Correne. She's doing ok, it's a slow process for her, healing.  She's still mostly on her bed, rather sore still and vertigo rears it's ugly head on too many occasions. But she's going in the right direction. Thankfully.

 

It was so kind of you to drop by and chat or should I say listen to my ramblings. I'd be pretty lonely here talking to myself if not for you.

 

Take good care of yourselves and happy sewing. Xxx

 

    

 

 

 

     

    

Whoops

Well I didn't fall off the face of the planet but I do appear to have been rather lax in my blogging again. February went by in a blur and there was very little sewing going on. During that time our gorgeous Jess turned 16! I seriously can't believe how quickly life seems to be flying by. When I finally managed to venture into my sewing room the passage of time was demonstrated to me by the number of unopened white packages from the USA. The Fat Quarter Shop BOM that started in June last year has been dropping through my letterbox as regular as clockwork. How hard could it be to make one block a month? Well, in my initial excitement I got 2 blocks done on time...

June 2012 FQS BOM

July 2012 FQS BOM

and since then...not so much...Here are the packages from August up to February.

FQS BOM pile of shame

I've managed to make up 2 blocks from the pile of shame.

August FQS BOM

September 2012 FQS BOM

 I've still a way to go to catch up but I don't feel quite so bad about myself now that I've got 4 blocks made ;) Thankfully I haven't fallen behind in my HipBee commitments! This rather lovely flying geese block is for February's Queen bee, Di. Obviously I mean the fabric and the pattern are lovely and not my execution of it ;) Di trusted us with her precious stash of Ruby by Bonnie and Camille. It's going to be one pretty quilt!

Today I sneaked back into the sewing room to start a secret project which I should be able to show you next week. I think it's safe to say it'll be fab...Oakshotts + Shelburne Falls + Pillow Pop = win!!

Catch you soon x

August and a giveaway

Well I can't believe August is over half way gone! In the post-Olympic period I've got very little done but here are a few things that I've been meaning to share for a while. I was lucky enough to take part in a Fat Quarterly design challenge this month using fabrics from the British Designer, Nel Whatmore. My project is on the Fat Quarterly blog today! Feel free to pop over and leave a comment over there so the Fat Quarterly guys and gals know you've been, make sure to come back though to find out about the giveaway ;)

Fireworks pillow

August is the first month that the HipBees have been sewing blocks and luckily they're for me!! I sent out packages of Summersville with co-ordinating solids and asked for house blocks in return.

HipBee packages

 I've already received quite few of house the blocks. You'll have to check out the HipBee group on flickr to see them as I won't be showing them here until I've got them all :) I also received this super cute Summersville ring pincushion from Tanya which was such a lovely surprise!!

Ring pincushion from Tanya 

Talking of surprises, I received this gorgeous package from Sarah as a 'hello' to the HipBees. A Zakka pencil case and check out the cute bee charm made by the very talented Shannon, Jude's daughter. What a great bee to be in!

Zakka Pencil case from Sarah with Bee charm by Shannon

 So now to get to the nitty gritty of the giveaway that I mentioned a while ago. This little old blog has been in existence for 2 years now! Wow, where does time go? As a thank you for all your support we're giving away this awesome mini quilt that was hand-pieced by Yvonne using Vintage Modern by Bonnie and Camille. Check out the photos in Yvonne's flickrstream for more close-up detail. It is beautiful!!

Vintage Modern hexies hand-pieced by Yvonne

I'm also going to dig into my stash for some fabric goodies too! I'm thinking a little bit of Tula Pink and Amy Butler might be up for grabs....
So there will be one lucky winner.
You get up to three chances to enter:
1.  Leave a comment letting us know your favourite craft blog of the moment. We're always on the lookout for new sources of inspiration :)
2.  If you're a follower old or new just say so in a comment.
3. Blog, tweet or shout from the rooftop about the giveaway then leave a comment to tell us you did for another shot.
That's it. The winner will be chosen by Mr Random Number Generator after the draw closes at midday(BST) on Saturday 25th August.
Catch you soon x