*fist bump*

i have really got to stop being a sporadic blogger (isn't that a fun word, spo-rad-ic, oh i'll be saying that all day now)

mostly when i sit down to write a post i know exactly what i'm going to write, today i'm just gonna 'wing it' as the young people say and see how it goes...

i know you've already seen this quilt so you can skip this bit if you want. at the dalriada festival last month there were these lovely, old, vintage-y tractors and i just knew i wanted to do a photo-shoot with some of my quilts. i always think that my photos aren't good enough and like always fret over them to make them just 'perfect' and if i do say so myself i rather like these photos (above) do you worry/stress over the photos you're going to post on your blog/internet??

i'm still doing craft fairs, and i really love them, it really is true all crafters are just the nicest people. this is my stall at the fine and dandy market, it's a monthly market in the crescent arts centre, it's brilliant really ecletic and the atmosphere is just 'buzzing' (you can see me taking this picture in the picture haha)

i've been on a cushion making kick lately, there are just so many ideas and designs for cushions, i've really made loads and have hardly posted any here cause i think you'll get bored looking at photos and photos and photos of cushions.

this might be my favourite cushion mr. badger i just love his little fat tummy and the contrast with the tweed, oh yea that's another thing i have fallen in love with tweed fabric and i can't seem to find it anywhere it's as elusive as linen!

hmm i think my unplanned-ness sorta worked in a big jumble type of way. what does everybody else do, do you plan out what you're going to write? or do you just 'wing it'?

rachael x

i finally found my headphones.

it's seriously been like forever since i blogged, lets just say it was my mourning time for brian haha.

anyhoo lets see what i've been upto:

i became a student :) starting september i'll be going back to school and i can honestly say i am beyond excited!! oh and yes i'm not looking at the camera in my picture and it kinda makes me look crossed eyed haha.

there has just been a little bit of fabric shopping, i finally got some briar rose and linen, which i already have some plans for :) oh and i got katy's blogger bundle, i seriously love this bundle and have had dreams about it haha i cannot wait to cut it up.

i've also done a bit of sewing, my new machine was meant to arrive ages ago, but it didn't (it came yesterday *yay*) so the shop very kindly let me borrow theres until mine arrived.

i made a set of placemats for a commission. i love that they're soo bright! the fabric is terrain by kate spain, i had a fat quarter bundle of it from ages ago and finally used it!

now you all know i love cows, right? you don't? well i LOVE cows i think they are just like the cutest animal, so of course i had to put one on a cushion. now i have to say i think she looks more like a duck, but i still like her :)

and finally

picture from google images

i discovered garth brooks music! ahh you can't beat a little bit of country music haha

rachael x

brian.

brian the sewing machine 2007-2013

well my sewing machine arrived back from london and i am afraid to say that he did not make it intact and he is no longer with us. what should have been a very happy day, very quickly turned sad, when brian of only 6 years was taken from this earth far too early. all i can say is brian you were a brilliant machine and shall be very dearly missed. 

now imagine 'i will remember you' playing quietly in the background and a montage of photos of me and my sewing machine laughing and smiling, haha.

rachael x

c the goose

well this past weekend i was at the fat quarterly retreat *insert excited squeals here* and i didn't take any pictures, not even one! bad rachael!!

it was amazing! meeting so many great bloggers and the best part all the accents, it was brilliant. actually every bit of the weekend was the best part. you know how at like a dinner party you're asked what 3 famous people you would want to meet? well i got to meet 1 of mine, the very talented katy,which i have to say was scary, she's like a proper celebrity, ahhh!! it was also great meeting all the other *celebrity* bloggers :)

i took part in the sample swap, and got like super lucky with the group i got

aren't they just lovely?! from left to right: pincushion from mary. fabric basket from sue. pezzy pouch from metro quilter and liberty pincushion from hadley!!!

i was soo excited to be in hadleys group, cause it means i got a liberty pincushion. aahhh! it's so, wow! that was another great part of the weekend, meeting hadley :)

now onto the classes 

stamp carving with tacha, which is actually harder than it looks. as you can see i made a smiley cloud, cause everyone needs a smiley cloud stamp haha

portholes with lu summers, oh she is such a hoot, i absolutely loved this class and will definetly be making lots of portholes cause really they're like almost magic, really they are! and because i have to be different i decided to make a cloud (yes i like clouds)

but it sorta turned out like a deformed flower / amoeba thingy, but i'm hoping to turn it into a raindrop and cloud quilt.

and because i just couldn't stay away from lu, i also took her hand-quilting class, cause i love all her hand-quilted quilts, they're a.m.a.z.i.n.g. my stitches are a tad wonky but that just adds to the handmade look and i'm hooked i think i'll be hand-quilting everything now :)

i also did the jammie bottoms class, but they're not finished, as soon as they are you'll be the first to know!

this is only part 1 of 2, so yaayy!! there's another post coming, but right now i'm declaring war on a moth in my bedroom...

rachael x

take your teeth out, tell me what's wrong.

it's too warm to sleep! so i'll tell you a story about my curtains :)

for ages i had pink checked curtains cause i love pink and i have a pink bedroom but they let the light and like even when it was pitch black outside, my room was never dark. i finally decided to get new curtains, black-out ones (ooohhhh) so off i went, searching and found baby blue polka dot curtains, perfect!! and they totally go with my room (which is now red, purple, white, black, pink and now blue as well) only problem is i sleep with the light on, cause yanno i'm scared of the boogey monster, you know the one that comes out and dances around your room? yea him. well anyway so i'm totally confused about my curtains, cause if i wake up in the middle of the night i just assume its daytime (because the curtains are daylight coloured) and then i'm utterly confused because i think it's daytime when in reality it's 3am and then i can't get back to sleep!

and there you have it the story of the confusing curtains :)

rachael x

linking up with random thursday

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

jellytots!

this is me! as you can see i'm rachael :) and i'm going to the fat quarterly retreat or the FQR for those people in the know haha. i think i'm going to be the baby of the group as i'm only 21 (which is like really old, i'm practically an adult, ahhh!) i come from sunny belfast and this will be my first time at the retreat annnddd the first time flying by myself, oohhh!!

i shall be wearing this fantabulous name tag made by the wonderful trudi you should seriously see the itty-bitty quilting, it's just soo totally wow!!

i'm doing the pj's class, portholes and handquilting with lucie summers and stamp carving, i'll be awestruck in every class cause it'll be like meeting celebrities!! i'm really looking forward to the pj's class, mine are going to be pink! the best colour ever :)

i'm really shy like really, really shy but i'm sure after about 10 minutes i'll be my giggly self :) (just warning you now i've been told i have quite a loud laugh and have even been known to snort haha)

oohh i'm sooo excited but as equally nervous, aahhh it'll be soo fun!!! :)

rachael x