The Sewing Dilettante

I've spent the last couple of weekends scouring the local charity shops in search of more vintage sheets for round 2 of the UK and Ireland Vintage Sheet Fat Quarter Swap, and I'm delighted with my finds! Every shop I've popped into has yielded at least a pillow case or two, so I've got quite a selection for my stash and a few for the swap as well. ;) I've decided to send in fifteen fat quarters, which means that I'll get a different set of fifteen back, at which point I think I'll have enough to embark on a large scale patchwork project like Judith's great charm squares quilt . Yay! The night-time photo doesn't do justice to these sheets, especially that pink 70s retro floral number in the top row, but I think these will find good homes with other vintage-sheet lovers. Speaking of photos - does anyone have tips on taking photos for blogs? My photos always seem a bit dark, wonky, and out of focus! Part of that, I know, is because I usually take...

Here's that promised roundup of highlights from Christmas (which now seems about a millenia ago!) Clockwise from left:  1. A special tied birthday quilt made for baby G by my patchwork pal, Mrs. L . Amazing, right? It's completely hand sewn except for the binding and features the cutest little fussy cut sock monkey fabric. The picture doesn't do justice to it all, because the weather here seems to have just one setting at the moment: grey, overcast, and wet. Trust me, though, it's a gorgeous, cuddly quilt with lots of visual and tactile interest for a 1-year old!  2. Two 'scrumptious' Moda charm packs I picked up on my travels in NH for next to nothing (or so it seemed when compared to the prices I pay here in Ireland and Northern Ireland). At least one of these is destined for a baby quilt for friends who have just announced they're expecting their first. Fun! 3. Baby G's first birthday cake! I made red velvet , and, inspired by Pin...

I've been MIA for the last little while as we enjoyed Christmas and the New Year in the States. It was a great trip and that little bit more exciting than usual because it was a year of firsts for my baby girl - her first Christmas, her first birthday, and her first snow fall! We had so much fun opening gifts, playing in the snow, and stuffing ourselves silly with birthday cake and holiday foods (though not, sadly, that Christmas pudding I made a while back, but that's a story for another day!)   We've been back to reality since early Monday morning and are all  suffering from some pretty severe and prolonged jet lag. Factor in some truly atrocious weather and the usual January blues, and it's proving pretty difficult to settle back into the normal workaday routine. One bright spot? Getting to send off  this  first birthday gift...  I waited as long as I could to take these photos, hoping the rain and clouds would lift for a while, but they never reall...