:: what have you been up to? ::

We have been busy working through some post-market orders, some Christmas sewing, more market sewing, and at this time of year - lots of pre-Christmas and end-of-school year busyness.

Here are some pics ... they're all iphone pics sorry ... need to download from my camera and I was a little too laz-ay to go get the cord.

First up, quilt-as-you-go bag panels for teacher-pressies. 

{{computer-bag for my younger child's teacher ... who is originally from England ...}}

{{tote bag for my older child's teacher, who wears a lot of red}}

Next up - and I need to do a full and proper blog post about the awesomeness that has been Kara's Secret Santa Swap - my Secret Santa Swap pressies arrived!! 

.

My Secret Santa was the lovely and very crafty Ros from SewDelicious.  Ros made some very sweet Christmas bunting, a gorgeous whale drawstring pouch, and included my favourite Lindt Santas (I'd share but they're all gone ...).  I promise I will take proper pics and do a whole blog post about the Secret Santa Swap.  It was really fun to be a part of it.

I grabbed a few minutes this afternoon to finish the binding for a (mahusive, 14-inch square) pot-holder that is headed to the US to be part of Amy's Mum's Christmas pressie.  

{{Aneela Hoey's Cherry Christmas + Bliss binding}}

{{the back - I do love the red stitching for the 'x'}}

We have a few new cushion-panel designs to show you too - the awesomely clever and creative brain that is Vee, whipped up some new ideas last weekend.  Vee emailed the file to Spoonflower on Sunday night .... and they arrived on her front doorstep on Friday!!  So super fast to print and post the designs, we were so impressed.  

The panels are already in our Etsy shop (click across and check them out!!) - but you will have to wait for pics here, as I've only got the instagram pics I stole from Vee's photostream, and I'd rather wait til we can share camera pics.

Here's to a happy week.    xoxo cat

:: 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

:: Blogtoberfest Day 8 - can you hear sleigh-bells? ::

First day of term 4 today.  Oh how I love the holidays, and oh how I loathe the back-to-school routine.   I won't go on, but I've had enough already.  And it's only day 1. 

Dropped the kids off this morning and nipped straight home with Christmas-sewing plans in mind.  Vee and I have two markets this term, and also want to get more goodies into the shop.  

What Christmas table would be complete without an 'X' marks-the-spot pot-holder?  They're the perfect  gift to yourself or someone else leading into Christmas, don't you think?

{{they'd make a cute quilt, wouldn't they?}}

So far we have 19 ready to roll (but 16 looked nice and neat in the photo).  Planning on cutting the batting and insul-brite tonight.  And hopefully choosing backing fabric and getting that ironed and ready too.  

Every pot-holder will be different.  There are multiples of the background green/white fabrics, but all the red/pink X's are different fabrics - so you can safely buy lots and still give a unique gift to all your friends and aunties. 

A few early favourites:

{{little elf-houses amongst the trees. and an owl perched right in the middle of the X}}

{{reindeer sheltering under the trees}}

{{elephants keen to replace the reindeers on Santa's sleigh}}

Time to get dinner ready.  Please scroll down to earlier Blogtoberfest posts to find details on our giveaway.   'til tomorrow.    xoxo cat

:: keep the paparazzi guessing ::

The paparazzi have tracked you down to your kitchen, where you are the shining star of your own kitchen dramas.  Just listed in our Etsy shop - our Shining Star potholder.

:: make sure they capture your best angle ::

:: just one more song? well ok then ... ::

Do you recognise the words - we cut up one of our singsongs teatowels to see what would happen.  Next minute, tiny paparazzi are swarming the building.  Who knew?

:: give yourself permission to shine .... hang on, that's another whole song ... ::

Happy weekend    xoxo cat