{a holiday to cornwall}

i just got back from a lovely week in beautiful cornwall! i've always wanted to go and im soo glad i did, i absolutely loved it! we went exploring all around and we were very lucky with the weather.

it was a long way, driving over 900 miles in a week and sitting in traffic for 2 hours on the way down and way back which is fine when your singing loudly to taylor swift (probably much to the annoyance of the other drivers.) our view waking up every morning was blue skies and the sea (i didn't realise how much i missed the sea being in derby.)

the days were spent exploring the beaches, eating ice creams and pasties! i was there for 7 days and had 6 ice creams it was great, and just my opinion but roskillys ice cream is better than kellys! as for pasties i am not a fan, that was james's thing (he even brought them back with him :) in the week we went to kennack sands my favourite beach and one that we paddled in many times! a day in falmouth (where i might have got a little burnt) was brilliant, exploring the streets and eating ice cream on the beach (we did a lot of this.) st.michaels mount was amazing, being able to walk across the path that is covered by the sea most of the day was a great experience, and while people may laugh at crocs they were the best shoes to wear the whole week, being able to paddle at a moments notice! 

being in cornwall we couldn't not have a cornish cream tea! now i am not a fan of jam but it was delicious!  and we followed it up with an ice cream (are you seeing a recurring theme here?) this was in cadgwith the cutest little fishing village and where we spent our last day after visiting the seal sanctuary, spending the morning giggling at all the funny seals! we also visited st. ives a place i definetly want to go back to! cobbled streets, fish and chips, ice cream and seagulls, perfect! my little present to me from my holiday was the cute little seagull pouch from the poppy treffry shop in st. ives, i think it is the absolute perfect momento from my trip away! it was just what i needed a nice, relaxing trip away beside the sea with lots of ice cream :) and i definetly want to go again!

rachael x 

AGF Stitched - Palisades Quilt : :

hello! and welcome to my stop on the Palisades Quilt by Fat Quarter Shop and Art Gallery Fabrics. i say this about every quilt i make, but this quilt was sooo fun to make! and came together really quickly while looking like a really complicated pattern! 

i chose boardwalk delight by Dana Willard for my fabric, because it just screams summer and bright sunny days (and it really brightens up the grey days we've been having recently) it was a joy to work with and had me smiling while i was sewing away :)

the quilt pattern is brilliant and easy to follow! and while it does look complicated it really isn't and its such a fun quilt to make! it would be a great quilt to make for a new-ish beginner! 

it makes a nice, big quilt perfect for the long summer nights on the beach (one can dream!) or for cuddling under in our uk summertime :) the quilt is a free pattern so you can make it too! you can find the pattern here 

the fat quarter shop has also put together a fun video to help you make the quilt! i really like this quilt and it would look great in all different fabrics and how the fabrics really change the look of the whole quilt!

i still need to quilt and bind this quilt and cannot wait to have it finished i *think* it might be my new favourite, and i'll have to be careful because my mum has got her eye on it too :)

you should pop over and see all the other amazing quilts (they are totally awesome) 

Tina from Emily Ann's Kloset

Amy from Diary of a Quilter

Erica from Kitchen Table Quilting

 Melissa from Happy Quilting

Rachael from The Floral Suitcase

Amanda from Jedi Craft Girl

Megan from Quilt Story

Heather from Quilt Story

Melanie from Mostly Crafty

Brooke from Silly Mama Quilts

Afton from Quilting Mod

Lucy from Charm about You

rachael x

{caravan tote + tilly}

I have finished university for summer *yay* so i came home for a bit to just relax and unwind and do nothing except sew! I have soo many projects that i want to make, but i knew i couldn't get them all done so i focused on just a few!

one fabric line i have been crushing on is fleet and flourish by maureen cracknell, i have wanted to sew with it for ages, but there was uni deadlines and the fact that i didnt know what i wanted to make, so it has sat on my shelf patiently waiting to be cut in to!
Then my friend mentioned making a bag and *ping* yes1 i would use it to make a bag, we settled on the caravan tote by noodlehead and i got to work!

the pattern called for a solid piece of fabric, but me being me had to do something different! i did 3 inch patchwork squares and then cut it to size, and the fabrics go perfectly with essex linen in grey, which i used for the contrasting band at the top! i quilted the outside and used heavy weight interfacing to make it sturdy enough to stand on its own.

this bag has a front zippered pocket, this made me wobble a bit and want to give up! but i persevered and i beat the *dreaded* zipper (i may have given myself a pat on the back!) when making the inside of the pocket i wanted to add a fun surprise, cue a magical unicorn to peek at me :)

i got really confused making the lining for the bag and found it hard to figure out which fabrics to cut for which part, but i got there in the end! i used fabric from maureens first fabric line, wild and free (another favourite of mine) i love the fun mix of fabrics and it brightens up the bag! also look at that magnetic clasp, soo proud of that :)

i think its the extra little bits that make handmade items special! i added a little bit of extra fabric to the handles to lengthen them and also because i can and its cute :) i also added some ribbon for a little tag, to add to the handmade look! do you like the handmade look, or do you prefer items not looking handmade?

i am definetly not a bag making person, give me a quilt to make any day, but i am super happy and proud that i completed this bag (there may start being more here on the blog) i read lots of reviews before making this bag, to help me along, but i still found the pattern quite hard to understand, which may be because im not a bag maker, overall it was a great pattern and makes a good room-y sized bag, its already had a workout, going shopping in town :)

today is also tillys birthday!! she is 14 and looking as good as ever :)

rachael x

linking up to finish it up friday

{paperie pillow}

i am off uni now for easter *yay* 2 weeks to eat lots of chocolate and get caught up on all my work :) my sewing time has been limited, but i'm hoping to change that soon! and today i have a finish to share with you!

i'm sure by now you have all seen the fabric paperie by amy sinibaldi (nanacompany) there is only one word to describe this fabric... PRETTY! it is so pretty and the colours are soo sweet, if you have followed nanacompany for a while, you will know this is totally her style!

it is a limited edition collection of 10 fabrics so i treated myself to a half yard bundle and then when it arrived it was far too pretty to cut into! i ummed and ahhed for ages about what to make! i had recently enrolled in maureen cracknells craftsy class 'quick quilt as you go' and fell in love with the herringbone quilt! i thought it was a tad ambitious so opted for a cushion!

i have tried quilt as you go once before and really enjoyed it so i was excited for maureen's class! the directions were brilliant and really clear to follow! i made 2 herringbone panels for my cushion, working with the 45 degree angle was a bit tricky, but i got there in the end!

i am soo happy with my finished cushion! i love how it is finished off, i used the gingham check from wild and free for my binding and i think it goes perfectly with paperie!

when i was piecing the cushion top i added in some lace for that 'nanacompany' feel! i think it just adds that extra bit of sweet!

i loved working with paperie and i *may* have already started another project with it :)

do you have a fabric you're loving at the minute??

rachael x

linking up with fabric tuesday

{a trip to pretty fabrics and trims}

yesterday i decided i needed a little treat, so i took myself off and went and visited the most cutest fabric shop! i drove for quite a while and only got lost a few times :) but finally i arrived at pretty fabrics and trims!

and let me tell you, this shop is adorable! and sarah and her mum are just soo lovely! and sarah was nice enough to let me take some pictures :) when you first walk in you're just greeted with the best sight- all the fabric!! it's wonderful and even more so because i haven't been fabric shopping since i came to derby! look at that rainbow, perfect!

most of the fabrics are colour co-ordinated! which makes it soo good to go to the exact colour you need and find just the 'right' fabric for your project or just because! 

look at all the colourful thread, they have every colour that you could ever need, i had to be good and stay away from them!

if you know me, you know i like (love) pink! so this was one of my favourite shelves, all the pink! 

see? so cute! there are lots of quilts dotted around the shop, and just look at that vintage picnic quilt *gasp* so pretty! it is such a lovely place full of fabric and quilt-y goodness, i think i will definetly be making another trip up (down?) there again :)

and of course i couldn't leave without a little treat! i seemed to be in a floral-y, vintage-y mood! that red floral on the bottom has been on my wish-list for quite a while! and i just decided to pick fabrics that i liked with no real plan, and i don't think these necessarily 'go' but i kinda like them altogether, i especially love the brown, it's soo hard to fond good browns these days! 

it was a really nice day out, and i really enjoyed my little fabric treat to myself! so if you're ever in the area, you must put it on your 'to visit' list!

rachael x

{that's no moon}

i didn't make any christmas presents this year (last year) apart from one, i made a geeky pillow for my boyfriend! any star wars fans out there?? have you seen the new movie?? it's amazing!! anyway...

this pattern has been on my 'to-make' list for quite a while! the pattern is the patchwork death star by quirky granola girl! i have to say i was quite surprised at how many grey fabrics i actually had (25!) i really didn't think i had that many.

one thing that stopped me from making this was that the pattern was EPP (english paper pieced) and if you know me i am not a huge fan of hand sewing! so i used bond-a-web, cutting out 38 individual pieces in various shades of grey and ironing them onto a grey background. i then stuck the death star onto the black background and sketch stitched around a few of the pieces to add some death star detail :)  

i did a simple envelope back using polka-dots as its become an almost joke how much i love red and white polka dots! i also added a little accent of the maths print from elementary by sweetwater, as he's studying maths at uni i thought this was perfect!

it didn't feel complete, so a little bit of hand quilting around it and some 'handwritten' embroidery to add to the cuteness and it was done! i also had just enough of the text-y print left for binding which i think is just the perfect finishing touch!

i kinda wanted to keep it for myself, but i was good and he seemed to really like it, yay! so although i didn't make many handmade christmas presents i had lots of fun making this one!

rachael x

linking up with fabric tuesday and sew cute tuesday

{adventure}

hello! i am blowing the cobwebs off and welcoming in the new year! 2015 was a mixed year, with me moving away from home and over to derby to study illustration at university! :) so the last half of the year was spent meeting new people, moving into halls, learning how to cook and wash my own clothes, but i think i've got a good routine now! with all that happening there wasn't much sewing happening! here is a little collage of some of my favourite projects from last year:

i really enjoyed all my projects and im looking forward to finishing off my alphabet quilt this year, i think it might be a favourite! 

it has become a bit of a 'thing' to choose a word for the year and this year i have decided to follow and choose a word! my word for the year is ADVENTURE! i spent the last week of 2015 being a tourist around my hometown seeing all the sights and going on little adventures! 

being a tourist in your hometown is soo much fun! i choose 'adventure' as my word, because i want to leave my comfort zone and say 'yes' more, to be open to new opportunities!! so although it is a bit cliche, i really think 2016 will be my year :)

did you choose a word for the year??

soo i know it's a bit late but HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all!! :)

racahel x