portuguese woven yummyness

hey there yes another update!!!!!

have you seen gertie's coat sew along......

the pattern is ace and i have it in my sewing cabinet snuggled in beside........

this f-a-b-u-l-u-s fabric, it's Portuguese and woven and has just the right amount of shinny in the sliver!!!!! i really do love it i have been wondering what to do with the 2 yard's in my stash for ages and this sew along came..... thanx gertie

now let's get on with the muslin!!!!!

xxx

quilt along update

so a update on the sew along......

here we have my quilt top and basted (but in need of a trim & a camera with a flash)!! for my granddad's 70th birthday.....

this is the pattern from this book i omitted the top and bottom border as i want to get another 1 started the quilting get's done next week so..... i might just get 1 off my xmas list!!!
wish me luck

and watch this space for quilting idea's

why not join in????

xxx

swapping fun!!!!

do you enjoy a swap?????

this one look's fab just had to sign up!!!!

how could you not!!!

now to have a look at my stash!!!!

xxx

gail mahon's craft ni

another post huh already!!!!

must be on a roll

so over the last week i have been involved in helping gail mahon a very talented ceramic's artist based here in derry, who is taking part in the
august craft month ni....more craft ni here too.

the theme of this month was
SLOW MOVEMENT,

so came to life gail's
ceramic's patchwork installation
in collaboration with my much loved
mission hall quilts

with gails vision of contemporary art and traditional quilting coming together, to create a whole new feast for the eye's... something different..... she hit the nail on the head!!!!

i did my best to get over town as often as i could but dear reader's kid's just don't like a rota, and my boy's never go to sleep at the same time so!!!! as all of the quilting work was hexagon's or elongated hexagon i mentioned crochet hexagons.... and Gail loved the idea.... here is a crochet hexagon made with a 2mm hook then done in ceramic's, fired and painted.....

the round's here are to emulate bobbin's of a sewing machine

do you see all the wadding here and then the material, within the hexagon chain here.... gail really wanted to look at the way in which things are constructed.... the bit's of cotton you see on the outside are actually her design too....

all in all i have had a fab time with Gail and her installation, which is now on show till September the 5th at the tower museum,
running along side the loose threads quilting exhibition i shall be posting about that tomorrow too

GAIL MAHON'S
facebook
website


i look forward to working with gail in the future, but i'll let you know more on that later
xxx

my confidence growing

so like the title say's my confidence is growing
i headed over to hansel & gretel today to see how my taggy's were getting on, and well,
10 have sold it has been a while but i am very happy with it!!!

see my taggy comforter's there????
on top of the granny square's blanket

there is lot's of new yummy stock in, i really do love Irish designer Aine Clarke colour pallet she really does have a eye for colour.....


there is a fab fab sale on at the mo well worth a wee peek
and for once a place with good stuff for boy's too!!!

the website

the facebook

the ebay

xxx

what lovely ladies!!!!!

so the lovely heather is having a giveaway
i have only just found her blog but it look's like a dam good amount of inspiring reading will be done!!!

also KarrieLyne is also having a give away too.....
i have only just found this lovely blogger too she has a wee quilt along going on just now well worth a wee look

so GO GO GO enter

are you still here!!!!!

xxx

toot toot & crochet!!

hey there....
so me and the boy's had our first ever train journey, we went to portrush
the journey was longer that i thought, but the view's were amazing,

so after 1.5hours and a change we were at our destination!!!

the beach is to die for who would have thought a beach so white and a sea so blue in the uk...

i managed to get the last of my crochet trim finished whilst on the beach!!! this has been a long time in the making so can't wait to get the whole thing put together!!!

and of course we had a go at the show's we call then in Scotland but in northern Ireland they are called the amusement's!!!! i can't wait till they are older to go on the scary rides!!!!

on the way home we had a better journey as we managed to get a table!!! do you recognize the crayon roll??? i love the view out the window i would love a caravan, i have even bought one of the saving's you have to use a can opener to open...... all me sewing money goes in there!!!! wish me luck

so peep's what did you get up to this weekend??? anything fun
xxx

gertie's sew-along

fancy making your own winter coat?????
or a summer coat if your in the right place!!!!!!

well gertie is the lady for you
you can get the pattern here with a 20% discount!!!
and badges here!!

i so can't wait!!!!

are you in??????

xxx

fancy a stocking swap????

so peep's feel like getting chrstmassy?????

well selina's got it covered with a lush stocking swap!!!!!!


i reckon this will be so much fun
i have fabric earmarked
can't wait till my partner is introduced
why not join in and get yourself in the mood for early order beat the rush!!!

xxx

my boy's rummage!!

so this week's flea market find is a bute!!!!!

me and the boy's went in to a couple of shop's looking for some men's bed-sheet's for my next quilt adventure!!! but alas no luck was had on that front but up on a shelve behind other dare i say it BORING toy's.......

i found woody!!!!!
if your a regular you can imagine my squeal of delight (on the inside) when i seen him after finn's birthday , this lovely woody cost us a mere £2.29 can you believe it, hence the squeal on the inside!!!!! and yes that is the typhoo tea monkey..... 99p

check out more rummager's here

xxx

new to stash mmmmm

hey hey hey peep's
so i have been at the bargain table in mission hall again.... i feel that i just can't walk past it i have to have a peek...... there's always something that will grab my eye!!!!!

a lot of this is ear marked for taggy comforter's more bag's for my wee shop that will be opening soon wish me luck!!!!!

this is a sneak peek at my vintage kimono silk's i have been buying these form a man in japan and now don't know what to do with them..... they seem to lovely to cut up but it must be done i have to share the vintage loving!!!!
i am open to suggestion's!!!!
any ideas?!?!?!?!?

xxx

quilting & giveaway win

so peep's how's your Friday going......

mines is going fabi have been doing a lot of quilt book buying all second hand...... and off the internet.... have been more than inspired,

i have my only granddad's birthday coming up and i think that this quilt is more than easy but will help me with my cutting skill's..... and he will be so chuffed at the effort this is from the big book of quilts & quilting

in another book i have found this quilt i think it will be a ace decoration for festiveness :)) it's size being 170x170cm will be a challenge !!!!! maybe this will be for next year!!!! this is from quick quilting

the creative quilter look's to be a very informative book much more write up than the others i am intrigued by the sashiko quilting and love the wall hanging too

and i have saved the best till last folk's....... i won a giveaway over at kelly's this lady is so talented and even more organized.... did anyone catch her sew-along???? only one word for her FAB..... and only one for me CRAP!!!!!! i am still on part 2 there are 8 part's but this will be a Xmas present to it's OK to fall behind!!!!! OK OK i'm wandering i know!!!! the book i won was a book i have been lusting over for .... well since it came out!!!!! whip up mini quilt's i feel so lucky to have won this and after my mountain of to do's i shall be trying my had at the follow your heart art quilt....

have you guy's got your eye on any fab project's ?!?!?!?!?

xxx

an erra has ended .....

but a new one has begun.....

do you remember this post?????

well it has ended that was on the 31st of July i became a non breast feeder to this wee lovely boy......

i have to say it appears that i am a lucky mother as (touching wood as i speak) i have not had any bother, the first night was 15 mins crying i went in after 5 mins, then waited 10 more and he went to sleep, the night after was for 5 mins..... and it's pretty much been the same ever since never cried past say 10 mins crying at the most and he's now sleeping through till between 6am-9am depending on you know teeth..... and the mood he's in!!!

i feel pang's of oh guilt, loss....... but i had to stop the feeding i was no longer enjoying it...... also he is 19 month's old.... i said i was stopping at 13 month's....
so i just thought i would let you all know where we, me & Frazer were as you were kind in your word's which were very much appreciated

xxx

sunday funday

so another day of sunshine graced the emerald isle Sunday passed

so we headed down to the wee harbor Finn really does love seeing all the boat's,

then off to the beach we all had such a fab day. Finn loved the sand, Frazer loved the water and i well i just loved watching and picking shell's.... wet pocket's just reminds me of being a child and spying all the lovely shell's and stone's!!!!!

after a while we we headed home i got some crochet done in the back garden did you see the new banner :) also i am loving that there are actually food stuff's growing in the back garden!!!! i look there's a bush of rocket!!!!

we are at the moment being swarmed by wasp's not to sure if there is a nest about but up to 20 a day?!?!?!? hectic i really have no problem with bee's but wasp's ....... so not keen on them...

did you get up to anything nice this weekend ?!?!?!

xxx

a few scrap's a quilt along

well hello there lovely reader's

GOOD MORNING!!


this morning going through my reading list i notice
a few scrap's is having a quilt sew along but not any kind of quilt along..... it is going to be all about the free-motion quilting...... not the pattern of the top, i think that this will be such a informative sew-along, i have still not finished this quilt due to be honest time but fear comes it to it a fair bit too..... also how the hell do i lower the feed dog's really have to get the manual out!!!!!

here is the quilt in question.....

i also have 3-4 more quilts 1 want to make so must get to making!!!!

i hope that Christina will be covering
how to gain confidence in quilting....
as i want to do train quilting for my boy's.....
cowboy-hat quilting for my grandad.....
and ball's of wool & needles for my granny mattie...
i have been bitten by the bug!!!!

Christina is holding a giveaway with this quilt along it's open till the 21st......
so go have a wee peek
i believe this is for new quilter's as-well as old

xxx

steak and ale pie recipie yum yum....

you may all know me as a sewer, a mummy and a thrifty lover but today i though i would share my passion for food.....

this is a defo a firm fav in my house
it's all in the prep too so no labor intensive cooking required!!!

so what do you need for this winning meal :)

450g diced steak beef
250g of button mushrooms
2 onion's
440ml of stout
400ml of water
a good shake of gravy i would say 4-5 tablespoons
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoon's of tomato puree
2 teaspoons of brown sugar
black pepper to taste

now you could make your own puff pastry but i just buy it pre made!!!
so all i need then is a egg

now for the prep......

brown the steak, then add the mushrooms & onions, leave for 5 mins then add the flour then leave for a couple of mins

whilst this is going on add all the other ingredient's in to a pot bring to the boil then, cook for 5 mins

now transfer all ingredient's into a pot and put in the oven for 1 hour at 200c 400f gas mark 6 stir occasionally, then for the last 15 mins remover the lid
this is also when you should have your egg beat and pastry glazed as it should go in when the lid is removed from your steak

i always serve this with creamy mash as the dish is full of gravy goodness
is you put you mash on the plate as a big donuts then you can put your steak in there and add your puff to the top

be prepared for a clean plate!!!!!

YUM YUM!!!!

for desert why not try......

cat Taylor's brownie's, i shall be trying these out sometime this week
OR
frog, goose & bears, shortbread, something else i shall be trying this week

hope you all are having a fab weekend
and you like my steak pie yummyness

xxx

finn's 3rd birthday

so three years have passed and......
my wee boy Finn is growing up before my very eye's....

i mean how did he get from

here.......

to here......

i still remember him being handed to me in the hospital....
"it's a boy"
my first question was
"is he ok...."
and he was and still is and of that i am very thankful

Finn had a ball at his part and loved his house i was so happy with the turn out, I'm glad that so many of his wee friend's made it over.... they really made his day,

the cake was much enjoyed by the......... mother's, all the kid's wanted the marzipan!!!!!

saying this everyone had to wait for wee frazer too wake he's been having so much bother with the teething of late bloody back teeth are killing him the wee dote....

when everyone was away home me and the boy's had the last of the bouncy fun..... finn really did love it infact today when we woke he asked
"where bouncy????"
to that i said
"away home"
i defo found this easier than the question
" where woody"
when he opened the buzz light year !!!!!

i hope everyone is having a fab weekend
have you been up to anything fun????

xxx