New quilts and new babies

Now my little arrival James came into the world on the 30th August 2013 so I cannot pretend I have made this since but whilst waiting! I'm hoping to start making again soon to help make some pennies to spend on nappies and also because I have loved making these items so much.

James is a perfect little arrival and it's been so lovely to see him snuggled up in the quilts I have made for him. I'd love others to see their precious cargos snuggled up in my little creations.

This quilt is available on Etsy if you are interested!

Baby quilts that feed the imagination

This summer I have been quietly waiting for my first baby to arrive and in a whirl of nesting have been sewing my heart out! Quilts are not tricky to make and such fun, you can really let your imagination run wild! I decided to focus on my local landscape for inspiration, the downs and the sea. Below are some basic instructions but if you don't fancy making one yourself I have tentatively begun making them to sell on Ebay and Etsy at a starting price of £24.99. They make lovely gifts, contact me directly and I would be happy to personalise a quilt to your theme with a name or date of birth for just £45.00.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Quiltsfromthecoast.

The average cot dimensions are: 56cmx118cm, so a good size quilt in 56cmx 80cm

To make a quilt you will need:

A range of coordinated fabric.
Wadding.
White cotton backing.
Matching thread.

1) First make your background, it doesn't have to be complicated, simple stripes are a good place to start. Sew fabrics right sides together and iron open each seam flat. This should measure 49cm x 73cm.
2) Attach a border of your colour choice of 6.5cm wide. Sewing right sides together with a 1.5cm seam allowance
3) Tac the wadding lightly to the back of your base, now the fun can begin!
4) Make a little sketch of what you fancy to applique on, a boat... a rocket.....a car...... it's up to you!
5) Iron your chosen colours onto vilene or bondaweb to prevent fraying or stretching.
6) Cut your shapes out and tac in place onto your background.
7) Using a zig zag satin stitch sew into place slowly.
8) It's nice to add freehand embroidery too, an embroidery foot is worth its wait in gold!
9) When finished add your white backing. Sew right sides together with a 1.5cm seam allowance leaving a small gap to turn it the right way out.
10) Turn it out and iron flat. I like to run a straight stitch around the edge to finish it nicely!

Have fun, I did! Now all I need is a baby! So far a week overdue!

All sorts of things grow in my bathroom!

Mildew, cobwebs........no trees!

In my bathroom a miracle has occurred! A tree has grown! It's taken a while of course, they grow from acorns don't you know! The summer was full of stunning weddings, Chris excelled himself with baking two wedding cakes! I have spent the summer gardening, and preparing for my new job which I started in September. I have of course neglected to record and share any of my little projects, jam, harvest time, table plans, printing, set building. Last time I wrote I'd visited Charleston with my friend Helen Tovey. This is the next stage in my bathroom madness! And although my bathroom is still mdf hell it's getting there!

The tree was drawn in dry wipe pen then painted in tile paint. Tile paint is the worst product I have ever come across in my life! It just does not work at all! Do not use it. After 3 dreadful, drippy, yucky coats of tile paint I switched tack and used exterior gloss for metal as recommended in my hardware store. 

I then completed detail in acrylic and covered it in 3 coats of yacht varnish, I don't know how log it will last! Probably just as long as it takes for Chris to get totally sick of it and re tile! Not long then!



Next will be to mosaic the floor! Am I cracking up.....get it.....cracking up......mosaic.......oh well never mind!

A tribute to Vanessa Bell

Painting Furniture

I hate my bathroom! I mean really despise it! It's white plastic, lino covered and horrible! For this reason my beloved husband is planning on it being his next DIY mission, after he finishes the beautiful kitchen that is. Over the royal wedding weekend I went with my dear friend Helen to the stunning Charleston House, centre of the Bloomsbury Group and Duncan Grant and Vanessa Bell's family home. An artists' house that is full of life and love, a truly restful place that feeds your creative imagination. It's just outside Lewes and we went on a lovely sunny Sunday, the carrot cake is not to be missed! The decor of their home is truly inspiring and I came home full of beans ready to paint everything and anything! Perhaps because Chris is planning to rip out the bathroom soon he told me to go crazy and enjoy it! Helen looked a little skeptical, the Charleston look is a little eccentric in it's ways and possibly not entirely suitable for my 60s build flat! Undeterred however I got stuck in!

Firstly I primed the white plastic cupboards with PVA or undercoat if you'd prefer. Then I painted the furniture with 3 coats of bathroom paint. 

I pencilled in my design and then with some white acrylic paint I painted free hand. You could use stencils but the Charleston look is a little lopsided and faded so I chose to go with this feeling!

This is when I really started to worry that my bathroom now looked like a crazy person lived in the cupboard!

I kept with it and painted the second layer in dark grey acrylic.

Following this I applied 2 coats of Yacht varnish

I do not love my bathroom yet! I think the tiles need painting and that new taps would suit the style better, I also want to create a mosaic on the floor. However I'm pleased with the quirky results and think it's on it's way!
Dressed with jugs and brica-brac I now have my own little piece of Charleston interpreted by me.

Elderflower Cordial

900g/ 2lb caster sugar

30g citric acid

1 lemon

1 orange

10 large elderflower heads, washed and drained

Elderflower is so beautiful and grows absolutely everywhere, so access is easy. My ma lives in Tulse hill in London and made a huge batch, so whether you live in the city or the country it is blooming everywhere. I picked mine from my back garden and I can't tell you how wonderful the scent of the basket was . It's so easy to make cordial and it can be used in lots of ways, in champagne, lager, on yoghurt, in salad dressing or as a marinade on a fruit salad.

1) Put the sugar in a large heatproof bucket and add 600ml/1 pint of boiling water. Stir until dissolved and add citric acid. It can be quite hard to track down citric acid, it should be available from all chemists and brewing shops but it often sells out at this time of year. Chemists can only order in so much as naughty folk use it to cut drugs so don't be suprised if you get the odd askew glance as your desperately trying to track it down!

2) Grate the rind of a lemon and orange and add to mix, then slice the fruit and add that too. Put in the elderflower heads until they're submerged. Cover and allow to stand overnight or for around 12 hours. The sweet heady smell will completely dominate your house.  Strain through muslin and bottle. Ensure your bottles are thoroughly cleaned and bottles are sterilised by placing them in the oven at 100 degrees for 15 mins, soak the caps in boiling water.

Enjoy! It's a lovely gift too so make a big batch and hand it out to your friends.