A gift of Joy!

I received a beautiful gift of joy this week from the lovely Linda of All Stitched Up :-)

Isn’t this mini quilt adorable?! So bright, fresh and pretty - and in my favourite colours! The photo really doesn’t do it justice, I wish I could show you all in person!

But the gorgeous quilt wasn’t the only passenger in the parcel! I was also gifted with this adorable little purse, exquisitely embroidered and incredibly cute…

I am a very lucky girl – thank you so very much, Linda! x

If you would like some great ideas on how to hang your mini quilts – go visit this post on Linda’s blog and read the comments – there are some great ideas! And if you like to make handbags – Linda has a gorgeous range of patterns available here :-)

Talking of patterns… I have a few to share with you from other fabulous bloggy friends – will do so soon!

You know, I was just thinking, when I read a blog I always have this (probably unrealistic) idea that the blogger is organised, peaceful and everything is under control… ahhh the serenity! Is it just me or do you do it as well?

Now I’m going to spoil the illusion… what is happening in my world right now? My dog is going ballistic on the beanbag behind me and my daughter is grabbing on to my right arm (making it incredibly difficult to type), pretending to be a puppy whilst barking and attempting to lick my face. Serenity? Hmm…. I think I remember what that means… somewhere in the distant past… Ha ha! :-)

Have a great day!

“WOOF WOOF!”

… ah well - if you can’t beat them – join them!!!!

Hugs! Vikki xx

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Thank you for the motivation!

Check this out…

Yep – that’s right - TWO finishes! :-)

Above: Lynette Anderson O’Rourke’s ‘Saltbox Sampler’ cushion, and below, Lynette’s Christmas cushion. With the addition of our puppy into the family this year, I thought it fitting to decorate the cushion with a festive doggy button. Too cute.

Thank you SO much for the motivation you gave me after responding to my blog post about UFOs! The majority of you thought I should finish the project nearest completion (the sampler cushion) because that would spur me on to do more! And you were right! I finished the second cushion too, and there’s still time to make one of the dolls before the end of July – my original deadline! So as a majority request, I will be completing Madame La Chat by Stephanie Novatski. This is what she looks like on the pattern cover photo, please excuse my blurry pic!

She’s quite a dame, eh? I couldn’t imagine many a feline brave enough to say “no” to her… not if they want to keep their nine lives! :-) That’s what I love so much about dolls – they have such great character. I think my version will be softer in expression as well as appearance – but we shall see – as they all tend to take on a personality of their own!

If you’d like to check out a few different versions of Madame la Chat together with some other gorgeous art doll creations, check out this post :-)

I’ve had a busy week sewing new designs and pattern-writing (more on that soon), and of course finishing my UFOs! What have you been up to? :-)

Hugs! Vikki x

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Walking the dog…

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Time to spill the beans…

… on my UFOs!

Considering how long some of these projects have been unfinished I think they’d be better named:

U F Uh-Ohs!

Oh my goodness, check out when I finished stitching this one! 2008! Eek! And I still haven’t made it into a cushion!

This beautiful sampler was designed by Lynette Anderson O’Rourke. I’ve got the borders… just need to “do it”!

Oh dear… this Santa doll goes back even further! I reckon I started this doll five years ago!

Double EEK!

I’ve done a bit of cutting, a bit of piecing and a bit of stuffing.

Here’s the head, legs and boots!

I told a dear friend recently that I’d never pieced a block before… but I have! I’d just forgotten about the little Christmas trees that appear in this Santa’s jacket! Isn’t it a lovely pattern? Click on the pictures to enlarge it if you’d like to see clearer. The pattern is called North Star Santa, designed by Cotton Way. And he’s quite a big fellow, standing at 34ins tall.

NEXT…

Another Lynette Anderson O’Rourke design (I love her work!) Okay so here is one I finished earlier… I made this one for Lizzie and thought while I was making one, I may as well make two! But this one still sits in my drawer! Tut, tut Vik!

NEXT…

Okay, this one isn’t technically a UFO, because I haven’t even started it yet! it’s a USP (un-started project!) But I’ve had the bag of fabrics for (ahem) 9 years!!!! One of the things I love the most about creating from patterns is gathering together all the fabrics, trims and embellishments. When I’ve got the kit all together I refer to them as “job bags”, and I have many of them stored for future USPs!

Here’s the contents of the job bag for “Petulia” by Sparkles n Spirit.

NEXT…

Another UFO… and another doll!

Probably my all-time-favourite doll design by my all-time-favourite designer. “Radical Rachel” by Patti Medaris Culea.

LOL… Poor ole’ Raddy Rache in an un-compromising position! But I couldn’t get all her bits and pieces into the shot without turning her into a gymnast! I stopped with the pattern because I didn’t understand it… but I really must study it again. I just love this doll so much and I can’t wait to get to the stage of drawing her face!

Alrightee… you get the picture… I have quite a few UFOs! But I think the next two are probably the ones I’m most “named and shamed” about – because I published pics of them on my blog almost a year ago now – and their progress is a big fat juicy NIL!

I need to turn this teddy, which is painted on fabric, into a wall hanging. This sweet design is by Luanne Wykes and I found it in Australian Bear Creations Annual Vol.11 no.1.

Last but not least, this gorgeous “Madame la Chat” doll designed by Stephanie Novatski.

She needs a bit of construction work! Why have I procrastinated? She has an elaborate costume and I got sidetracked. Excuses! Excuses!

So now, I am named, shamed and in need of some help… I don’t know where to begin!

So what do you reckon?

What project do you think I should finish first?

Whatever you choose by majority vote, I promise to finish that project before the end of July and have it posted on my blog!

Would you like to join me? Too many projects and don’t know where to start? Why don’t you “spill the beans” too? Let me know if you do! :-)

Until next time – happy stitching! Vikki x

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Living life creatively

I’m heading on an exciting journey of self-discovery at the moment… and hadn’t realised quite how much I needed it until it began!

I’ve always been a creative girl but I know that there is still a part of me holding back from exploring my full potential… but that’s all about to change.  Sometimes the planets fall into alignment, and those planets aligned for me when I purchased this book, and was gifted a place on Kerryanne’s e-course, Embracing the Passion.

The course runs for four weeks and for the past few days Kerryanne has been focusing on finding our “inner muse”… It’s been incredibly gratifying.  The thing that’s so great… is that there is no right or wrong, and because each student will explore their creativity in a private visual journal, there’s no pressure for it to be shared, no boundaries, no self-judgement… just complete freedom and liberation.  I am in seventh heaven!  As light as one of these white fluffy things…

I’m allowing myself head space to think for “ME”, and loving it!

I have purchased a visual journal and tonight will paint its pages with a primer so that its strong enough to handle the creativity!  OH YEAH BABY! :-)  Can you handle it?  Can you handle it?! :-)

So you’re thinking, geesh, Vikki’s this geared up and all she’s done so far is purchased a journal?????  Well, in addition, I’ve already prepared some creative mental space, you know, packed up the procrastination box and sent it on its way!  But today I also spent five hours organising and cleaning my creative space.  Want to see?

I know it doesn’t look very tidy… but believe me, it’s a vast improvement!  The giant teddy picture on the wall above my desk once belonged in my son’s nursery (12 years ago!) and although I can’t bear to part with it (excuse the pun!), my son isn’t the only one who has outgrown it!  I plan to cover it (to protect it) with fabric and ribbons and create a memory board.

A close- up of two of my magazine holders with “Tilda” cut-outs adhered to them.  I’m so happy to have them on display as they’d been hidden on my desk for so long!

A close-up of the treasures on the shelf above my desk…

 

I re-discovered my “fairy box”, one of a few boxes that I have containing various doll parts, whimsical yarns, and iridescent wings.  You can see one of my practice heads in this next photo, too.  Hmmm… my inner muse is telling me she wants to create more fairies! :-)

But you know, the time I have most of my creative inspiration is when I am quiet and peaceful in bed… I go to bed early some nights just to get that quiet space.

My current bedtime reading includes Kerryanne’s printouts from the e-course and the book I mentioned, ‘Make your creative dreams real’ by SARK.  Fantastic!  If you’re wondering if this book is for you let me read what it says on the cover… “A plan for procrastinators, perfectionists, busy people, and people who would really rather sleep all day”.  I think it’s awesome!

I also keep a DS next to my bed – my mind gets so busy with ideas that I have to calm it with word puzzles!  I’m into solving anagrams at the moment.  Can you spot something else rather lovely on my bedside table?

If you follow the Gum Tree Designers’ blogs you may have seen a few of these already… a few of us made this gorgeous “Florentine Doily” from a pattern designed by our lovely Fee.  We then did a swap!  I received Jenny’s beautiful version, isn’t it just gorgeous?  And I sent the doily I made to our lovely Joy.  We love doing swaps!

Well, before I go I’d just like to leave you with another beautiful picture.  This, together with the sunflower and cloud photos were downloaded from www.sxc.hu.  Enjoy! :-)

Until next time – enjoy living creatively!  Vikki xx 

 

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