My Felt Aquarium

All sewing and craft related projects continue to be on the go slow at the moment.  William is, after all, only 4 weeks old, and with Freya in tow too, most of my time and attention is in their direction.  A situation made worse by an extended period of illness; a cold then sickness for Freya and a cold for little William too.  I won't go into details, but our house resembled a chinese laundry for a large apart of the weekend, in a desperate attempt to banish the germs!

However, prior to this I was able to complete a little project that I came across on this gorgeous and irrisistable website;  http://www.purlbee.com/

I am in love with all things felt at the moment and I couldn't resist having a go at making the mini felt aquarium.  I already had a stash of felt and just needed a couple more colours and some magnets...and I came up with this...

And I even got to use my lovely pearl cotton threads to stitch them together.  Here are some close ups so you can see them more clearly.

A pair of angel fish

A jelly fish, coral and sea urchins

Clownfish, coral and urchins

It has pride of place on our fridge door :-)

I really enjoyed this little project and it is all I can do to resist making more felt creations.  I must concentrate on my coursework!  But there are some gorgeous little Easter projects and a funky Halloween bag that I figure I could adapt to make into an Easter bag ready for going on an Easter egg hunt...we shall see.   

I have somehow found an hour or two to do some coursework; I am currently using the textured papers I made to create designs based on photographs of the Jersey landscape.  So far I have come up with 4, and I need about 3 more.  I shall post some pictures next week. 

And as usual, I have been surfing the net and I keep finding things that I would like to buy, (oh dear bank balance) and most recently another magazine to subscribe to!  This one is a new title that comes out on 28th February, called Modern Quilting and first heard about it this morning on a blog called Lily's Quilts.  (Click on her link on the right hand side of my blog for more info.)  The magazine looks like it has a really fresh approach to quilting with a contemporary style (hence the title) and I think the projects are going to be right up my street.  I have managed to get a 6 issue subscription for £18 as I was one of the first 100 subscribers - can't wait!! 

A Super Surprise

In my last blog post talked all about how I have decided to subscribe to Popular Patchwork magazine.  Things have moved on considerably since then...

First of all I received the lovely Jelly Roll Sampler Quilts book in the post, along with a large box of metallic Maderia threads which was very exciting.  The book is so inspiring with such wonderful designs and fabrics, I do highly recommend it.     

I also went to the shop and purchased the latest edition of Popular Patchwork as my subscription does not start until next month.  I was enjoying a cup of coffee and a very rare quiet moment with both children asleep, when I came across an article all about The School of Stitched Textiles, who are my distance learning provider.  Articles in this magazine usually span a couple of pages, and I was reading with great interest, the story of how SST had been set up, and then I turned the page, and to my amazement I saw the following...

In case you can't see it clearly, it's a photograph of my work, with my name under it! 

It was just pure chance that I bought a copy this month, and I knew absoloutely nothing about it so you can imagine my surprise.  I am completely chuffed to bits that they chose my work and it has really boosted my confidence.  When you study from home it is very easy to think that your work isn't good enough, that other people's work is better etc. etc.  So this has really spurred me on and made me believe that I can complete this course and that my work is as good as everybody elses after all.

In other news, there has been a flurry of Valentine creativity in the house, and it is only now, 2 days after Valentines day that I have had a chance to blog about it.  Here is my creation, an idea that I found on Pinterest a few weeks back and couldn't resist making; 

The top hearts are actually sewn on by machine, which was easier said than done, because unlike fabric, one false move with the needle and it would leave a gaping big hole in the paper!  Overall I am pleased with how it turned out and Pete seemed to appreciate the effort so it was worth it.

Of course Freya had to make a card for her daddy too, and I have to say I was highly impressed with her commitment to the heart collage, and I think the results are are delightful...

Note my attempt at slightly arty photographs here - having been looking at a host of other blogs, some are literally works of art in themselves - mine is far too functional - must try harder!

And finally, here is a picture that is completely unrelated to anything crafty but it is so adorable I couldn't resist posting it...

Bathtime!

 

Popular Patchwork

I realise that having a new baby and a toddler is not conducive of high output of C and G coursework.  In fact it has come almost to a grinding halt, apart from about an hour's work yesterday when Freya was at the childminder and William was sleeping.  

My days are filled with toddler entertainment and my nights with feeding and nappy changing.  Not a lot of 'me' time.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining; my children are my pride and joy, but I would be lying if I said I didn't miss a few quiet hours with a needle and thread or working on some designs. 

Anyway, I had been thinking for some time that I would like to subscribe to a quilting or craft magazine so that I can at least keep abreast of the crafting world, and start a collection of magazines to refer to in the future.  (I used to have about 6 years worth of The World of Cross Stitch but I gave them all away.)  And when I was in my local Spar shop, I spotted Popular Patchwork...

After a quick flick through thought I would make the purchase.  I am only half way through reading it (2 children now remember!) but I am really enjoying it and decided to subscribe.  The added incentive being that if you subscribe now, you get a free book...and who could resist!

So I am awaiting my new book with much anticipation, so that I can drool over more gorgeous quilts and maybe get some inspiration for when I one day in the distant future get a chance to do some sewing again.