portable ironing pad

Getting ready for  workshops at Festival Of Quilts. Ironing pads  available commercially not very inspirational. So guess what....another excuse to use some Amy Butler fabric to make  my own.
Layered as follows...cotton, insulbright, warm and natural batting and cotton backing. Up until 0100 free motioning, forgot to put the adjust  presser foot properly so had to unpick lots of looopey quilting, drat!.Pressing it was fun too- because of the insulating layer reflecting heat back, got a bit tooooo hot for handling, so it appears to do the job.

amy butler picnic blanket

Amy offers  this free pattern  on her site

Her laminated cotton is lovely , thin and pliable...not too difficult to sew

Still not too hot with mitered binding, luckily the binding is the same as top fabric, so mistakes not too noticeable. It used up the last of my enormous bolt of warm and natural, so I am now 

battingless

Off to use it at Hop Farm festival tomorrow....Bob Dylan is headlining whoo hoo

Got our wellies, waterproofs, jumpers and suncream ready...oh, and our picnic rug! 

ballband dishcloth

After consulting with my knit expert ( thanks Andy)
 I chose wigwam cotton tape and 5.5 needles to knit this dishcloth
 http://www.elmore-pisgah.com/ballband%20dish%20cloth.txt


Wigwam tape comes in such a  lovely range of colours, looks like everyone is going to get one of these in their Christmas presents this year....although they may not know what it is...(  winter blankie for a hamster? )

also finished making my hungry caterpillar binding for my long island quilt, ready for its return from the longarm quilters

jubilee beach celebration

Weather was pretty dire for 3 out of the 4 days, but we shot down to the hut on monday, set up shop, decked with more bunting and had family over for jubilee lunch .....no rain, and even short periods of SUN!

                                           
                       sister and assorted children arrived

 jubilee cupcakes were distributed, full of natural goodness

came home today after a brisk windy walk along the beach turned into a  heavy downpour


My current  iphone case is cracked so provided a perfect  retail  opportunity

easy sundress

Found this Martha Stewart sundress
used an old necklace chain  as  shoulder straps


http://www.marthastewart.com/270183/elegant-and-easy-dress

Looks OK from front , but definitely a touch of sack of potatoes at the back!
Photo courtesy of R who knows always like to take instructions ( photograph the dress ) literally, ha.

Reversible Windbreak

Needed to  make a nice reversible windbreak for my beloved beach hut as all the commercial ones I could find  were NASTY


http://www.yhmag.co.uk/craft-article-1078.html


Found some great fabrics at Dunelm mill, bought some 'spare' windbreak metal tipped poles, some bobble trim on ebay and Bobs your uncle! 
Tried to short cut by using my microtacking gadget to attach bobbles, but strangely enough, its not good enough and drifting bobbles will have to be sewn properly by hand with matching thread tomorrow, hand work, oh no, save me...

bobble trim....school report would read    ''could try harder"

beach huts R us

After a mere 13 years on waiting list we finally moved into  a beach hut on the south coast

Daughter seemed singularly unimpressed at the  cobwebby shed that awaited us... TA DAH!
 After 6 hours work we ( I )  had it under control. Robyn wanted to decorate the little table and painted a  beach hut on it   (of course)
Needs a bit more bunting, so I shall just have to sort out some fun  fabrics  to make some.
The hut is  not too far from cafe with  ice creams, and  we have a water tap about 1 min away, bliss!
gingerly lit a tiny barbecue  and sent smoke wafting over cafe patrons, so maybe we  need to rethink that