pinch, punch emm second of the month

it' recap time! 2013 is over! and can i just say thank god it is! it was not a good year, but i think that's because it was an ODD number year! it was a mix of good and bad, quitting my job = bad, starting blogging and the floral suitcase = good and i just wanna say the blogg-y/quilt-y world is so wonderful :) so last year was swings and round-a-bouts.

recap time means collages! i can hear you all whooping! i know everybody says this but it really has been fun to look at my quilt-y makes from the past year, i sew-ed a lot more than i thought i had, like 11 quilts - that made me smile :)

2013 was the year i started craft fairs, boy was that fun! (that's not sarcasm, honest) as i've said before i really have learnt a lot, i'm thinking of doing a series of post for anybody thinking of doing a craft fair and want to know some more about it :)

... and i think we can all agree that it was the year of the cushion! (these aren't even all of them) cushions are a great way to get all the creative ideas bouncing around your head out in a quick, fun way and aren't as time consuming as a big quilt.

so it's a new year which means resolutions, here are a few of mine:

- blog my progress and finished quilt-y items more 

- to carry a sketchbook and doodle all my little ideas

- be more adventurous in my quilts and fabric choices

- take better photos

- learn to use photoshop and illustrator

i think that's enough to be getting on with this year, what are your resolutions? are you making any?

HAPPY NEW YEAR

and here's hoping for a great EVEN number year!

rachael x

the day at the ducks...

what absolutely, positively glorious weather we are having! and while out enjoying the marvelous weather (i was sunbathing) i get ambushed by mr. frog that was obviously my cue to go and get some work done.

on saturday i just took the notion that i had to make a swoon block like right away! by sunday afternoon i had a cute little quilt.

i got to get my wooden ladder out for a wee photo shoot this afternoon :) it's the small things that make you happy :) i'm a little bit smitten with this quilt. i had tried making a swoon block once before, and well it was a disaster! but this time i used camilles craftsy class and all my points lined up, yay!

they really are massive blocks, finishing at 24 inches, i added two borders to make it the perfect quilt size. i also did my loopy quilting again, this may be my new favourite way to quilt.

i even did a pieced backing which i might start doing on all my quilts, because it's sooo pretty! well in my humble opinion haha.

i'm already planning on making a full sized swoon quilt when i'm not as busy now i just have to pick out the perfect fabric. i feel like a quilter now, for making a swoon block haha

and on a completely random note, this is what happens when you find a spider, you throw your basket of fabric out the front door while screaming loudly and hoping the spider hasn't somehow crawled onto you!

rachael x

linking up with lets get acquainted at plum and june