Wednesday 27 February 2013

W.i.P. Meets Sunday Stash

We've been properly living in our new flat since Sunday afternoon. Yay! There's still a few things to fix and a couple of boxes to unpack, of course, but I'm finally back online for good (can you sense my relief?) and as of today I managed to put all my boxes of stash where they belong. Which means I also found the box containing recently acquired stash I'd already verbally confessed to on here but hadn't a chance to show off confess in pictures, yet. So, here we go!

Pearl Cotton for my HST Grecian Waters Quilt.


So pretty. Don't you think the set will work just lovely with my Christmas FQ bundle?


Making use of a sale and the postage these V and Co. Simply Color half yard cuts also found their way to me.


But onto my WIPs!


I finished another seven flowers on my train rides Wednesday and Thursday last week (over 500 miles in 27 hours with less than 17 hours between both rides). This brings the official count to 52 finished flowers and 14 with pre-assembled ones.


Finishes - a whole lot of moving!

Ongoing Projects (no longer stalled!) - 1
EPP hexies - 52 finished flowers + 14 nearly-theres

Stalled Projects (still) - 1
EPP parallelograms/stars

Planning Stage - 4
Wedding Anniversary quilt
Grecian Waters HST quilt
Quilt for the husband
Tons of baby things

Happy sewing!

Friday 22 February 2013

Update: The Move Part 2 (or 4 Depending On The Way You Keep Track)


I'm safely back in Berlin and relaxing at my in-laws after what has been quite the easy move and two busy days. After my last experience with movers, which some of you might recall, I was naturally somewhat anxious but everything went just swell this time around.

The movers were extremely professional and speedy. It took them just 2.5 hours to get everything into their truck yesterday morning and just 1.5 hours this morning to get everything into our flat. That's a total of four hours for everything. And I'm talking about two men doing the job. Last time it took four men 5 hours to load the truck only. What a difference! And it had nearly the same price tag! Telephone support was absolutely amazing, actually deserving the labelling support, too. I'm so relieved.

The afternoon was spent putting together several pieces of furniture and there's not a lot left to do tomorrow before we can start unpacking. Sure, we'll have to sort out one or two solutions for our new kitchen and bathroom but I'm confident. Same goes for internet and landline - already ordered and hopefully connected very soon.

I'll be feeling home and cosy in no time and I'll quickly be sewing again.

Thanks to all who wished me well and kept their fingers crossed!

Don't forget that you can still enter into into Pay It Forward here.

Happy sewing, friends!



Wednesday 20 February 2013

Pay It Forward! Handmade Swap

Signed, sealed, delivered - it's ours!!! We signed the lease for our new flat yesterday and I'll be collecting the keys this afternoon. Then it's off on the train again because the movers are able to make it all happen this week! Loading the truck down south on Thursday, unloading it up north in Berlin on Friday. I'm so happy and relieved that, somewhat miraculously, it all worked out in such a short time and with so much pressure. Some stress was involved but I'm okay now.

I'll be even happier come Friday with no damage to our property, of course, but I think it's just as well to share my happiness by finally Paying It Forward. Wow, I signed up for this back in September. Seriously feels like a lifetime ago with all this moving about!

Here are the "rules" (as taken from Alyssa's blog).

1. I will create a crafty gift for each of the first three people who comment to this post. This is a surprise, and will arrive to you anytime within the next 365 days.

2. In signing up for Pay it Forward, you are committing yourself to the project...someone pays it forward to you, so you pay it forward to others! Just post this, or something similar so others can get involved. Basically you will create your own post where you create gifts for 3 people as well.

3. You need to have an active blog of your own...{or some way to post up your PIF info like a flickr, pinterest, or Facebook account. Basically you'll need a place to announce your own PIF and to post some pics of the process.}

4. After commenting on this post, post something similar on your blog...so you can spread the pay it forward love. I will email you asking for your mailing address {and the online address where you are posting your PIF info} so I can get your crafty treat in the mail. Please make sure your email address is visible on your profile or leave it in the comment. I'll get back to you as soon as possible, but most likely only after the move!

Here's a little mosaic I made with things that struck my fancy lately. Why not make one of your own with subtle hints for me? I might even take note.

1. PTS5 Swap pillow from Fionapoppy, 2. Poseidon Patchwork, 3. Garden Trellis Detail, 4. Little Leaves, 5. PTS7 Received (explore), 6. Pretty {little} Purse Swap 3, 7. Queen Anne's Lace Pincushion, 8. Quilted Journal Cover, 9. Frame purse- Echino beehive

I'm so genuinely happy right now! Okay, might be the champagne speaking that my in-laws kindly served with dinner tonight to celebrate the occasion. (Obviously I wrote this post yesterday.) Then again, nah, not one glass. Certainly such a major load off my chest, though!
 
Happy happy sewing, friends!

Sunday 17 February 2013

Sunday Stash - Baby Edition

I'll keep this post short to make it easy to focus on the eye candy. *wink*

Early in the new year I'd ordered a 'normal cotton fabric' parcel and a 'flannel' parcel. The two top fabrics are for my Grecian Waters HST quilt.


The rest's baby goodness.


Here's the flannel. Any tips on handling this type of fabric?


They're lovely additions to my last splurge as well as fabrics I've been secretly acquiring ever since I knew of my sister and her partner's wish to conceive. Like these, for instance.


I really can't wait to get creating with them soon!

I'm off for brunch with the husband, parents, in-laws, as well as my sister and partner. Nom nom.

Have a wonderful Sunday and happy sewing!

Saturday 16 February 2013

Return of the Hexie Tin


The move is approaching. Not everything has been going as smoothly as desired but hopefully these things will be sorted by Monday or Tuesday. Fingers crossed that I'm in our new flat come the next weekend. It'd be nice to be living with my husband once more. I'm with him in Berlin right now, but he's been gone since the 3rd because he took up work on the 4th. Adding up the moving and travelling back and forth between Berlin and Bamberg, we've been parted longer and more frequently since the wedding than in the five years before. So odd.

In the meantime, and despite a flat in boxes and disassembled furniture, I had a very pleasant visit by a good friend from the UK and my sister to keep my company. Karaoke, good food, and lots of laughter certainly, and thankfully, took my thoughts of my packed up sewing machine and fabric stash as well. Never fear, though, there's things to keep my fingers busy still - hexies! Before our last move I basted a ton of them but never actually got around to sewing them up. They definitely came/comr in handy now.


On the top left are the 29 finished flowers from before the move, on the bottom are 13 I've assembled and finished over a couple of days whilst packing, and on the top right are 24 with the petals finally attached to the centre that will keep me busy until we, well I, finally move and on the train.

gratuitous shot of 42 stacked, finished flowers

I suppose I'll have to give my hexies some serious thinking and layout-ing after the move to see where exactly they'll be going. Exciting!

I'm off to catch up with your blogs now. Happy sewing!

P.S. My blogiversary is only three weeks away. Oooh, what to do, what to do? Fingers crossed I'm back online fully by then.