:: Blogtoberfest day 9 - more X's and gift-wrapping ::

Not much sewing time today.  I was in 'X'-mode still, after yesterday's Christmas 'X' sewing marathon, and made two potholders for home, out of a few pieces of a Sweetwater Reunion layer cake.

{{XX}}

We use these more as trivets, to put hot pots onto, rather than to pull things out of the oven.  Here are the backs - more Reunion. 

{{a good view of the quilting! and evidence that I'm mucking around with our tag-placement}}

They're under 10 inches square - maybe about 8 inches square - so a good basic size for hot pots.

In other news, it was a very happy mail day.

{{love}}

I looooove Melody Miller's fabric designs - she's the very clever lady behind all the Ruby Star for Kokka ranges.  Now - she has created a gorgeous book with her business partner Allison Tannery.  It's a gorgeous book - beautifully photographed, and with a whole heap of really sweet gift-wrapping ideas.  

The idea underpinning the book is to make beautiful wraps that can then be used as something else - such as bags, bunting, home-decorations, cushions - so that we don't end up with garbage-bags full of sticky-taped paper and curling-ribbon at the end of every birthday and Christmas. 

It's broken into chapters based on gift-shapes! 

{{love this chapter - for 'oddly shaped gifts'}}

And every chapter ends with extra ideas, headed "but wait, there's more!".

I bought my copy via Roost Books, which I found via Melody Miller's blog.  It's just so sweet, and reinforces the loveliness that can be shared by home-made gifts and wrap.  

A reminder - our Blogtoberfest giveaway - leave a comment on any of our October posts up until midnight Australian EST Friday, 26 October, to go into the draw to win an ipad-zip-pouch.  I'll get sewing for the zip pouch in the next couple of days so we can post pics.  Please make sure we can find your email address via your comment - so check that you are not a no-reply blogger.

'til tomorrow.  xoxo cat