The Sewing Dilettante

Last week, I put the finishing touches on the little baby quilt I've been working on over the past few months, and I'm really pleased, not least because the quilt's intended recipient isn't due to make his/her appearance until the end of this week. Phew! I was definitely getting a bit nervous about finishing this in time, but now that it's ready, baby can come just as soon as he/she likes! (I'm pretty sure my friend feels the same, too, but for different reasons!) The end result is only about 28 inches square, which is smaller than I would've liked, but I think it'll be perfect for a teeny, tiny newborn. Since mum and dad didn't want to know if they were having a boy or a girl, I pulled all the bright, non-gender-specific fabrics I could find in my stash and aimed for an eye-catching mishmash of colour interspersed with blocks of white and cream. I followed the design of this amazing quilt , and, while my quilting turned out a bit more wonky an...

I admit, this post's title isn't quite as catchy as 'born in the USA', but it certainly sums up what I did while in the States a couple of weeks ago. You see, in addition to those lovely little purchases I made at Portsmouth Fabric Company , I also picked up a handful of colourful prints during a trip to Mary Alice Dalton's Children's Couture shop in Belmont, NH. Mom and I had been told about this hidden gem well before baby G arrived, and it was decided that, on her first visit to the States, we would call on Mary Alice, along with several other mums, grandmas, and babies, to marvel at (and purchase!) the beautiful, skillfully crafted children's clothes she makes. Duly we did, and what a pleasure it was! Mary Alice's tremendous abilities as a seamstress were clear in all of the lovely outfits displayed around her charming boutique, and her amazing selection of bright and beautiful fabrics made me feel like a little kid in a candy shop! It took me sever...

Two weeks ago, I fully intended to write an update about the zigzag baby quilt I started a while back (it's actually progressing nicely. Hoorah!). Obviously, that didn't happen, primarily because I was preoccupied preparing for baby G's first transatlantic trip. That's right: at the ripe old age of five months, this little kiddo is already an international jetsetter, having flown over to Boston to pay a visit to all of her family and friends in the US. She handled the flights with aplomb and, of course, charmed the million or so people she met during our stay. She even managed to convince her besotted grandparents to take care of her for the night while hubby and I whisked ourselves away to  a fancy hotel  on the coast to indulge in a bit of pampering at the hotel spa and explore the charms of nearby Portsmouth, NH (ignoring the rain as well as the hotel's occasional resemblance to  the Overlook . Freaky.) Included amongst those charms, much to my delight, was ...