Kindle Cases – waterbottles do your worst!

August 18, 2013April 1, 2015 ~ Cuckooblue ~ Leave a comment

I’ve been doing more sewing for friends, despite my craving to sew up some quilts again! I have a few more comissions to finish and then I am going to quilt to my heart’s content! But first, this is a water-resistant Kindle Case my dear friend asked me to make for his friend.

He chose Geranium in Sky by MoMo for Moda as the fabric, having seen it featured heavily on this blog! It is so rare now and out of print, but was a real find for me – and has been incredibly useful, not to mention popular!

I designed these really for the standard kindle e-reader, but will fit others except Kindles 2, 3 and Fires. Mainly because I have a standard kindle myself, seen posing above – useful to test the fit! Thankfully that’s what most others seem to have. I have also designed a Google Nexus 7 case – because we have one. No prizes for guessing why I haven’t yet made an iPad case… sadly…!

I lined this case with a felted black wool and interfaced with light padding to protect against scratches. I sewed in some waterproof fabric as an interlining. And a little label telling her who it’s from (care instructions on the back), and I’m ready to post it to her 🙂

The waterproofing is my favourite bit about my own kindle case, and the main reason I made mine in the first place. I LOVE my kindle. I like the way it feels, the way it reads. OK, so it doesn’t smell of book, and won’t replace books – I have regretted getting a few reference books on kindle that really are meant for idly thumbing through with a coffee and belong on a shelf. But it’s perfect (and instant) for novels.

Anyway. I don’t really want mine covered in a cumbersome book cover thing which makes it heavy and bulky, it’s perfect and neat to read as it is. I don’t really want the extra weight of a leather-bound beautiful cover with built in light in my handbag. But I do want it not to get scratched and mostly NOT TO GET WET. And OMG, there are so many things in my bag which could burst or goo over my kindle – water bottle/cup, blowing bubbles. weird toys, food. And in my imaginary dream life, I don’t want it getting splashed by the pool when I dive effortlessly in looking thin and aspirational whilst relaxing in a sunny land. Anyway, so I made mine, and love it. So I made some more 🙂

This is mine:

It’s in Ginseng Orchid in Celery by Joel Dewberry, a home dec fabric I ordered from the states years ago because I adore it (and still do) but have really not used it much. It is so beautiful in the flesh, but although it’s a gorgeous shade of green (and I’m not a big “green” fan), I realised I didn’t want a bag in it (it’s green – it doesn’t go with anything I wear!), the pattern is just a bit big for a purse… But it’s lovely on my kindle case. My case is slightly slimmer than my updated pattern because I didn’t need to factor in any extra room for the other kindle versions. I probably prefer it when they are side by side, but you wouldn’t know the difference if you didn’t see them together, and it’s always good to have wiggle room. Particularly if you really have to wash it – even at a cool 30 degree wash it might shrink a little. Better to handwash or spot-wash…

I have a few left over from the fair which I might list for sale. They are slightly “softer” in that the interfacing is less heavy than the ones above, but they are padded with cotton batting, interlined with waterproof fabric and lined with a soft jersey fabric, so should keep kindles nice and safe from everyday scratches! Here’s one I made earlier, as they say:

Isn’t it sweet? I love that woodpecker amongst those beautiful birch trees (Michael Miller). There is one on the back too.

Well, it’s past bedtime (isn’t it always?!), so I’ll say night night and see you next time.

Poppy xx

ps you can email me at poppy@cuckooblue.co.uk

or visit my flickrstream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/cuckoo-blue/

Parting is such sweet sorrow

August 11, 2013April 1, 2015 ~ Cuckooblue ~ Leave a comment

… and sorrow is was. My boss, colleague and good friend with whom I’ve worked for 10 years, is leaving Edinburgh and moving his family to Durham, where his lovely, talented wife has found a job which is perfect for her. The problem with being two married doctors (which they are) is that when you specialise and reach consultant stage, it can be difficult to find two jobs in the same city – obviously there are limited consultant jobs in each speciality in each city. So with sadness, I said farewell to a man who has nutured and encouraged me professionally, and has been gracious enough to also listen to my views, opinions and learn from me too – what a rare and beautiful thing that is for an employee, particularly for us doctors – the medical profession can still have those vestiges of the male-dominated profession it once was, and upon whose principles it was founded. But this guy is special enough to see past it all, and all my medical skills and achievements have been because he enabled me to believe in myself and brought out the best in me. Still wanted to slap him sometimes!

Anyway, enough of the sorrw and on with the sweet. This is a sewing blog after all! It was hard to think of a suitable gift. I had thought a large sofa quilt, but I don’t really know what their new house will be like, or how they will choose to dress it – I would hate for the expense and amount of work involved in making a quilt to go to waste.

So I settled on a family set of washbags/ toiletries bags, trying to second guess all their tastes, but keeping them fairly neutral, so that even if they don’t love them they should still find them useful…

Firstly David, the man himself:

(These are all cotton fabrics, structured with polyester batting, lined with white cotton canvas)

Coastal “painted planks” from Makower.

Next for his wife:

I love this fabric from Tanya Whelan – Blue Paisley from the Delilah collection for Free Spirit fabrics. I bought it for myself, but decided to part with some as they are such a special family to us! I was keen that their bags in particular coordinated together. Then decided to try and do so for the family!

The two girls – one is 18-ish, the other is about 21 or so. Both girls are very nice, clever and pretty, albeit with two different personalities (quite how it should be!) – they will go far!

Fabric is Freebird Geranium in Sky by MoMo for Moda, yes I know I love it lots!

I’ve had this piece of fabric for about 5 years, having made a bag with some of it. I really love it – it is a large scale print, so sadly you can’t see the whole print on a washbag, and I forgot to photograph the reverse! It’s Par Avion from the Flights of Fancy collection by Paula Prass for Michael Miller. I bought more of the brighter “spring” colourway, but have struggled to use that one somehow, whereas this one, ordered as an afterthought is more versaltile. Funny how that happens.

And finally for David’s son, who is 10. Not yet a teenager, but will be soon – how hard a brief is that? Anyway, I chose this fabric:

It’s “Bottlecaps in Multi” from the Going Coastal collection by Emily Herrick for Michael Miller. I struggled to find this in the UK, and when I did it was on offer (YAY!!) but there wasn’t much of it (boo). Anyway, My husband has chosen a washbag for himself after his last one fell apart (not one of mine, to be fair he’s had it years) in this – I love it when he asks me to make him something. I hope the kid likes it. He’s a gorgeous, well mannered boy, I wish it was easier to make fabric things that a boy would actually like!

And the family photo, smile everyone:

I wish this lovely family all the very best for the new chapter in their lives and all their exciting adventures!

Meanwhile, I have acquired a piece of this beautiful Harris tweed in a pink check as my friend would like a bag made in it.

There may be enough left over for a toiletry bag – I think it would be beautiful, and make a lovely gift! Having held the fabric in my hands I can see why it has its own act of parliament governing the right for the fabric to “wear the orb”, a particular label, which is the mark of Harris Tweed. Apparently it must be

“Handwoven by the islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides, finished in the Outer Hebrides, and made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides.”

It’s also very expensive. It’s like the champagne of cloth 🙂 I’m looking forward to working with it.

Till the next time,

Poppy xxx

ps you can email me at poppy@cuckooblue.co.uk

or visit my flickrstream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/cuckoo-blue/

Marmalade quilty love, teeny cars and more pink tweed

August 3, 2013April 1, 2015 ~ Cuckooblue ~ Leave a comment

The sun is still shining here in Scotland (Yay!!!) so I took the opportunity to photograph this little quilt made with Marmalade fabrics from Bonnie and Camille for Moda. It measures 31.5” x 36”, 100% cotton.

I was really excited to see a collection in flannels, so bought them for this quilt, making it gorgeously cosy and soft. I think it is a beautiful quilt and exactly what I would choose if I had a girl – definitely my taste!

I stipple quilted it, backing it in this Ikea cotton print called Rosalie based on a Cath Kidston design. The design is a little “pixelated”, but really it doesn’t seem to matter once it’s all sewed up, and makes a lovely quilt backing.

My only minor regret with this quilt is that I hadn’t realised only some of the designs were in flannel, and so I didn’t receive many of the beautiful prints I really like, like this one:

So I did buy some of this print and make it into a washbag, which is very pretty, and may be on the “for sale” page soon! I keep wondering whether to go the whole hog and reinvest in the whole marmalade cotton collection just to satisfy my love for it, but I haven’t got a daughter – and even this quilt has not got a home to go to yet. I might put it for sale too. And I still have enough of the flannel for a 45” x 45” toddler quilt (bigger if I use a border), so I can’t really justify it 😦 I think my affair with Marmalade may be over…

… particularly as I am falling in love with (and trying hard to resist) this latest collection again by Bonnie and Camille called Happy Go Lucky:

… But I am seriously trying to resist because I have already spent many impatient months waiting for the release of this collection called “High Street” by Lily Ashbury for Moda:

You can’t see much of the fabrics here, but trust me, the designs are too beautiful, with just a hint of ethnicity and yet such modern bright girlish colours! I have NO BUSINESS getting this, as I am not going to get a daughter, and all the babies coming are boys, but I so badly want to sew up this collection that I have promised myself I can get it. If I make some sewing money. And when it is released. Which is August in the U.S. and probably ages for the UK 😦

Instead I am busying myself with wee projects like this little washbag I made for baby Hamish – I know I made him bunting, but this print was too cute – check those teeny tiny cars! You’d think a child doesn’t need a washbag, until you think about cotton wool, wipes, cream, bath wash and later on toothbrush, their own toothpaste – they are more high maintenance than me!

…and despite my dislike of making the same thing over and over, I was persuaded to make another bag using those pink and aqua fabrics, but this time a bit smaller 10.5” wide x 3” deep x 8” tall in middle – and with the fabrics reversed – pink on top. I actually like it much better this way – like the size and love the pink tweed. It was given to me years ago as a present, so when it’s gone it’s gone – I should remember that and enjoy using it now! The felt flower is a brooch, so is removable. I probably would remove it if it was for myself, but a lot of folk seem to like it.

And purse feet! Well, they are my new favourite thing 🙂 I know, I need to get out more…

So I should get going. I have heaps of stuff still to sew up instead of sitting procrastinating at my computer! Such as: A huge beanbag (pattern review to follow) almost finished for my friend’s husband. More travel chalkboards. A quilt for my goddaughter to be. Some Happy Birthday bunting for same precious girl (almost done!). A wholecloth quilt for a neighbour’s daughter. A christmas stocking for a neighbour’s new grandson. Some baby quilts for a few babies – including my new nephew who’s on his way in a few months, I can’t wait! Some washbag commissions. That’s a sneak preview of the next few blog page!! And at some stage I’ll be listing a few things on my new “For Sale” page… hopefully…

Hope you are enjoying the sun wherever you are,

Till the next time,

Poppy xx

ps you can email me at poppy@cuckooblue.co.uk

or visit my flickrstream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/cuckoo-blue/

All manner of bits and bobs

July 19, 2013April 1, 2015 ~ Cuckooblue ~ Leave a comment

I haven’t been working on anything too big since my friend’s two bags, which I gave her today – It’s so lovely to see her reaction, she was so thrilled! Particularly with her bag, she loved the size, pockets, shape, purse feet and particularly the fabric – and I gave her a few wee accesories to go with it, which was a nice surprise for her. She really is a darling, it’s hard not to give her more, she’s so appreciative!

And the accessories – I actually stole the bigger flat zip bag on the left to keep all Kiddo’s wee toys and things for my bag…

Drawstring bags by the way! They are the business, it’s the cord and toggle that did it for me. I love this one and was tempted to steal it too, but my superego won in the end and did the right thing. My friend was pleased with it, so I guess it was the right thing to do!

Meanwhile I got some thick insulating batting from my local fabric shop at a good price – like a loon on ecstasy I couldn’t resist it, even though I had no idea what I’d do with it. It is thicker than insulbrite wadding which I’ve used for insulated lunch bags, but it would make rather bulky lunch bags. But tea cosies on the other hand… they are supposed to be thick and, well, cosy. And I had the perfect fabric:

Then I realised that I never use a tea cosy, and hardly even this tea pot. So it is going to be a present to my friend Caroline, who has an amazing farmhouse cottage in the middle of gorgeous countryside with the most stunning views of the sea… and who insists on using a tea cosy every time – how aspirational is that?! And I seem to remember she has china mugs with exactly this pattern on it. I may become number one friend 😉 She is making me Godmother to her beautiful daughter in August; she gives me a daughter and I give her a teacosy. Not an equal exchange but she will have warm tea.

Next up is a commission from a girl in our village, who bought a travel chalkboard for her little son at the craft fair and got in touch asking for one for a gift. This is for a litttle boy too, so I used some Thomas the Tank Engine fabric I had – it’s a fact that all little boys love Thomas!

These are great and with ours I roll up some paper and sheets of stickers, and put chalks and coloured pencils in the pouch, so it’s a lightweight but sturdy complete art pack on the go.

I used a zipper pouch rather than velcro spots as the child is still quite young, and I worried in case the spots came off despite the most superduper glue ever. I think it’s an improvement – and then the hubby said ” I don’t know why you don’t make the pouch as tall as the board, then it will fit full size pencils in too”. Doh! Of course. It is a bit more fabric, but I think it’ll be worth it – I’ll try it next time.

And finally…

My lovely neighbour has had a new grandson. She is a huge fan of handmade, and bought several things from me for him whilst he was still snuggled in his mummy’s tummy, including these two quilts (both detailed in my Flickr stream)

So I thought I’d make the baby a wee present, this time of some bunting, for his room, maybe on the wall above his cot or above his door:

Hamish! Isn’t it a sweet name? I can’t wait to meet him 🙂

Well I think I should get some sleep now – we are having the best summer I have ever seen in Scotland – Kiddo and I even paddled through the sea yeasterday and the water was warm! Actually WARM! But all this summer makes you get out and do things all day, and frankly I’m pooped. I tell you, we wouldn’t be a naation of couch potatoes eating deep fried mars bars and goodnaturedly grumping at our lot if summers were like this more often – the country has been transformed! We have builders working in our garden just now who didn’t touch the chocolate biscuits I gave them with their coffee but ate all the fruit! What the??!

🙂

Till next time,

Poppy xx

ps you can email me at poppy@cuckooblue.co.uk

or visit my flickrstream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/cuckoo-blue/

Sand, sea, sun – and a successful toddler bag

July 10, 2013April 1, 2015 ~ Cuckooblue ~ Leave a comment

We’re back from an amazing road trip adventure down to Cornwall, via Lancashire, Chorleywood near London to see my brother and his wife – and the house is even more gorgeous in the flesh than on the pictures by the way, am massively coveting – taking in Legoland, Somerset and Stonehenge on the way, then finally down to beautiful Cornwall for a week. We have never been before but we loved it, it does feel like a very different country to Scotland (I know it is technically!), particularly in terms of climate and temperature. Even the flowers bloom earlier and feel quite tropical, we saw banana trees and palms growing outside. Wouldn’t get that in Edinburgh…

And through it all the new mummy/toddler bag came through with flying colours. Here it is adventuring on the beach next to the other adventurer:

The perfect size, and comfortable, hurray, we have a winning pattern 🙂

Since our return, we decided to create a proper sewing room, as my hobby was taking over our house, with bits of fabric and notions gently multiplying… like triffids…

There’s a computer in here too… I may never emerge again 😮

So I have been putting it to good use already – well it would be rude not to!

Firstly a commission from my friend who wanted a new bag to fit all the stuff you need for a 20 month and 3 year old. She wanted a messenger, so I opted for a slightly small version of Jane’s messenger, blogged previously. It’s 13”W x 11”H x 4”D, and I think is a good size for the toddler stage. Charcoal grey canvas outer, waterproof interlining, grey and white leaf lining and the glorious Freebird Garden in Sky by MoMo for Moda. It took so long to find a fabric she loved with the brief “aqua, funky, but not too childish”, and then had to hunt some down through etsy, but it does look good! I still have to put a strap on it (in grey) but here it is (in my new sewing room hehe!)

and then outside. I decided to add a matching zip purse as a wee surprise :

And finally, she also asked for a bag for her friend, similar to one on my flickr stream but zippered in hot pink and aqua tweed “Scottish enough – but still modern”:

Here’s me trying it on for size; 14”W x 9”H at middle x 3.5” D – the bag not me :):

It is empty, and my boy had suddenly charged the bag to get in the picture, so it looks a bit crumpled, but it’s softly structured with interfacing (fusible fleece) so will hang straight when there’s something in it.

Well I think that’s enough for today! I still need to make a felt flower brooch using my sizzix big shot to go with the bag as in the one in my flickr stream (https://www.flickr.com/photos/cuckoo-blue/7435741132/in/set-72157630302387894), so the night is still young!

Till the next time,

Poppy xx

ps you can email me at poppy@cuckooblue.co.uk

or visit my flickrstream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/cuckoo-blue/

In love with my machine

June 7, 2013April 1, 2015 ~ Cuckooblue ~ Leave a comment

And I am! The new needleplate came superfast thanks to the lovely folks at http://www.uksewing.com/ who were just wonderful and coped admirably when I phoned up slightly hysterical – and it arrived the following day, hurrah! And it turns out, the whole episode was A Good Thing, as I now feel suitably chastised about not regularly cleaning out the machine now that it is supersmooth. And where is that ratatatatatat noise of it sewing? Gone. I had forgotten how quiet it is supposed to be! Ahem.

So I have been putting it to good use. First with the ill-fated quilt of my last post. It remained a bit ill-fated as I sewed a deep pucker into the back and couldn’t bring myself to unpick it after everything – I thought it would never get done! So I left it, beautifully scarred, but made with love. (and sanity). The back is completely plain, and with all our plain-backed quilts we never see or show the backs, so hopefully it won’t be too awful. The front looks good though, I think!

This is the beautiful “Etchings” collection by 3 Sisters for Moda. I have used their fabrics a few times and am always struck by how unbelieveably soft they are – why aren’t all fabrics like that? More than any other Moda fabrics. And they are genuinely luminescent. With gorgeous classic designs.The biggest problem is they don’t show up as beautifully on photos as in real life.

This is from a quilt I made with this same collection last year (https://www.flickr.com/photos/cuckoo-blue/7443697326/in/set-72157630302286578) – just to show you that amongst all the muted classic colours and patterns there are street maps of Paris and blueprints of French buildings – quirky and sweet, but still grown up. I really like the collection 🙂

We ran across the road to take this picture against the backdrop of the forest we live next to after I complained that the car isn’t very inspiring, snapped a couple of pictures and ran back as the baby monitor was out of range despite us being 10 metres in front of the house… So not a great picture of the quilt, despite the lovely setting sun, but those wildflowers make me happy! I can’t imagine what the neighbours thought we were doing. N said it felt like streaking. If only we were so adventurous!

Quilter’s dream cotton batting, pattern is the “double slice” free pattern by Missouri Quilt Co again (link to the tutorial/ pattern is in my previous blog post).

… And I made myself a bag for the holidays, a pretty one which still carries all that kid stuff! Hurray. I initially chose this wonderful home decor print by Valorie Wells called Finnelopy in Curry from her Novella collection:

It’s so great and I was so sold on this as THE BAG for the holidays. Started making it. Was uncommonly pleased with how it was all going. Then, partway through, the husband wandered in, casually said he “wasn’t keen on the yellow” – “but it’s OK, it’s your bag, if you like it that’s what matters”. Hmpfff.

So. Somehow I just lost 100% confidence in it, and changed my mind; chose instead a lovely print called songbird in powder blue by Little Yellow Bicycle for Blend fabrics and here’s my new bag for the holidays:

Sorry in advance about the rubbish photos, I was losing the light! This is the fabric as it actually is, the colour is almost accurate, so you might just have to use some imagination and “superimpose” this on my bag picture!

It’s a pleated bag, measuring 15” at botton, 14” height and 4” depth, and I can confirm it’s the perfect toddler bag size!

The interfacing makes it soft but structured and will stand on its own. I actually really love it 🙂 So bring on the holidays!

I won’t be blogging for a couple of weeks as we will be enjoying the longawaited and most welcome sunshine with some time off, so meanwhile I’ll leave you with a picture of a finished lily stem – I did them with pipe cleaners and green florist tape. They look really lovely actually, and the flowers have been getting lots of compliments – another silver lining to the needleplate incident 😉 I will show you how I did them in another post as the internet was no help in making the stems for me (though lily tutorials are all over the place, which is great!)

Till the next time,

Poppy xx

ps you can email me at poppy@cuckooblue.co.uk

or visit my flickrstream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/cuckoo-blue/

Needleplates and paper flowers

May 23, 2013April 1, 2015 ~ Cuckooblue ~ Leave a comment

So yesterday I mentioned a quilt I was making – it’s for my brother and his wife for their new house. They’ve bought an amazing Victorian house near London and have been doing it up.

(from blog: http://victorianrestoration.tumblr.com/)

This is a picture of their living room, which is on their blog. Isn’t it lovely? On the basis of that, I’ve chosen what I think is the perfect fabric collection for a vintage but modern, cool, quirky but elegant quilt. I’ve made the top. Very happy with it. I chose cotton batting and have basted it. I thought I was so in control. Then I started quilting it.

ARGHHHHHH!!! Total disaster! It felt like the fabric was snagging all the time, especially at the turns (stippling, so a LOT of turns), and on the back – looped stitches, puckering, birds’ nests, the lot. Very unhappy. Deep breaths.

Messed with tension. Changed needle – 3 times. Re-threaded bobbin. Cleaned out sewing machine. OMG I could have stuffed a cushion with the lint! For every sewist reading this – CLEAN OUT YOUR MACHINE RIGHT NOW! Thought I’d cracked it. Machine easier, quieter, but just as bad.

Finally I saw this as I was reassembling my machine –

See that there? That tiny tiny little nick in the needle plate at the bottom of the hole where the needle should go through? THAT’S MY NEMESIS.

Eventually I ordered a new plate, and I’m machine-less for a few days till it’s here. Almost hyperventilated at the thought.

So I revived a very old love – origami, which I used to do as a kid, and decided to make myself flowers! Origami Lilies to be precise, very therapeutic! Here is the start of my bouquet:

I used Hello Luscious By Basic Grey- the paper version of the “Hello Luscious” quilt I did for my niece Florence (below).

I loved those colours, but with a boy-filled household (even including the dog!) I couldn’t justify making one for this house – so perhaps the flowers will be a compensation!

I just have to do a few more and fit stems to them – will keep you posted. By the way they are so easy to do – if you fancy a bouquet which won’t die or give you hayfever, google origami lilies and have a go! It stopped my idle machine-less evening hands baking anyway… good news for waistline, bad news for husband and son who are active hungry boys who care not about waistlines!

Hope the sun is shining where you are, till next time,

Poppy xx

ps you can email me at poppy@cuckooblue.co.uk

or visit my flickrstream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/cuckoo-blue/

A Finish!

May 22, 2013April 1, 2015 ~ Cuckooblue ~ 2 Comments

So I’ve finally finished a quilt for myself in a fabric line I’d coveted for SO long – Butterscotch and Rose by the enormously talented Joanna Figuera of Fig Tree Quilts for Moda. I didn’t need another quilt. But eventually I guiltily bought some in fear of it being discontinued soon and regretting. But the guilt has passed now it’s finished and being used – and I LOVE it!

Aren’t the colours glorious? It’s so cosy. The patterns are floral and vintagey but with a modern feel, and as all their fabrics the colours feel so fresh and vibrant whilst staying cottagey. It’s about 52” x 56” (I’ll check those figures at some point, but they are about right, a perfect sofa quilt size anyway).

I used the “double slice” pattern for Layer cakes demonstrated here by the ever-perky Jenny from Missouri Quilt Company :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxC-0T5lXw4

It’s a great pattern, so quick and easy. I made another quilt top (which I’ll show another day as it’s a gift) with it recently – in an evening, and a real pleasure to do, easy but not too monotonous.

I used wool batting for the first time – Hobbs’ Tuscany wool batting. It’s gorgeous to use, really easy to quilt. It gives a puffier result than cotton, but not nearly as much as high-loft polyester – it makes it feel very cosy. I’m worried about washing it, but I’ve read lots of forum posts by folk saying they’ve cool washed – and tumble dried! – with no problems, so fingers crossed when that time comes. It’s drapes so beautifully. My little boy keeps cosying up in it which makes me smile a lot.

And here it is on our futon sofa ready for TV watching with the husband when the boy is in bed (if I ever get off the computer/ off my sewing machine – ha!)

Till next time

Poppy

ps you can email me at poppy@cuckooblue.co.uk

or visit my flickrstream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/cuckoo-blue/

Baby Emily arrives! well, she’ll need a baby quilt (and her mummy needs a bigger bag)

May 7, 2013April 1, 2015 ~ Cuckooblue ~ Leave a comment

My good friend, Jane, just had a baby girl, whom I met for the first time today, just days old! She’s so gorgeous, and tiny and precious. I got all clucky! The kiddo liked her too, but loved more that I had taken car lego with us to keep him entertained – I don’t think he is champing at the bit for a sibling – just as well!

Anyway, I had made her a baby quilt – the collection is Sophie by Chez Moi, cotton batting, stipple quilting, a pretty rose print cotton from Ikea for the back. It’s a charm pack quilt with 1” white sashing, 38” x 43” ish, I think. I just remembered to photograph it as we were getting into the car to go see her, so the backdrop of my driveway is less than inspiring, but here goes!

And she had requested a changing bag, as her previous one was too small already for her 3 year old, let alone a baby too. The spec – “not too girlie” “some flowers would be nice” “maybe purple” but “husband would like gender neutral”… Hmmm. I chose a large messenger (15” x 12” x 5”) style, charcoal grey exterior and interior, waterproof interlining (actually I just sewed in some of Ikea’s acrylic coated fabric), interfaced with fusible fleece and flap made from Amy Butler’s Memento in Mulberry from her Love collection. It was hard to keep faith that it would look nice whilst I was working with ALL THAT GREY but once the flap was on, it looks just great, and I hope she’ll be able to use it as an overnight bag/ large bag when her 2 kids are no longer needing changing equipment!

She LOVES her bag and it got a full seal of approval from hubby, so hurray! And I got to use purse feet which I love, I have no idea why I love them so much! Maybe because they are easy to use, but makes the finished bag look so much more professional, win-win. 🙂

I’m kind of jealous of this bag. I think I might have to indulge myself with something smaller but similar. Even with a three year old you still need a big enough bag to lug the water, snacks, sticker books, cars, trains, change of clothes (he’s a boy, if there’s mud, water or muddy water to be found, he’ll find it)… It’s so easy to get bored of the one you have (ahem, ones you have)… I feel some freebird entering my life very soon 😉

till next time,

Poppy x

ps you can email me at poppy@cuckooblue.co.uk

or visit my flickrstream at http://www.flickr.com/photos/cuckoo-blue/

bags, bags, bags of bags!

May 7, 2013April 1, 2015 ~ Cuckooblue ~ 1 Comment

I had a bit of a bag hiatus for quite a while whilst the quilting bug took over my life, but recently became inspired again. Lisa Lam of U-Handbag being the inspiration with her lovely pattern for the “Big and Beautiful Betty” shoulderbag. Well, I saw. I coveted. I coveted some more. I decided I didn’t need any more handbags. I slept dreaming of it. I awoke coveting.

So I ordered some supplies and my 3 year old and I thumbed through all my fabric until we chose a lovely floral red from Ruby by Bonnie and Camille for Moda. I could have guessed it would have been – I wanted florals and a slightly retro feel, kiddo will always choose red, as reed is his favourite colour. Because Lightning McQueen is red. And Lightning McQueen is his best friend. There is a lot of red entering our lives these days.

Anyway, the pattern was great, straightforward. The metal frame is sturdy and feels like a quality item, and it arrived beautifully shiny and new, in fact all the supplies were great – what a wonderful shop U-Handbag is! And this is what I ended up with. I fell in love a little bit.

The bag is good and strong and holds all the everyday things I need, including kiddo’s water cup and wipes, even a little umbrella – and yet is lightweight with a comfy strap which stays on my shoulder. In fact I loved it so much, I started dreaming of making another one… this time in Melody Miller’s “Love Typewriters” in teal. Well, once you think the thought, it would be a crime against the Gods of Creative Loveliness to ignore it, so I made myself another one, which I love equally, or even a little bit more…

A small interior pocket with magnetic snap closure is perfect for purse, mobile and and lip balm. I chose a beautiful print for my interior fabric by Blend – Songbird in white from the Vintage Summer collection. I adore it, though I have a weakness for birds of course. I have some fat eigths of this beautiful collection, ready for quilting, i can’t wait!

And then my neighbour saw it and asked for one for her daughter, following which her friend did the same, so I made 4 bags in quick succession. I have no idea how handmade businesses continue to make the same item over and over, because even with a straightforward pattern which I didn’t have to draft myself, and lovely fabrics, I was bored bored bored by number 4 – although I did love the final bag too:

The fabric is Alexander Henry’s La Strada in Black and White, with a print from the Curio collection by Basic Grey for the lining to provide contrast. Both of the bags as gifts were very well received apparently, which says a lot for the mothers who chose their daughters’ fabrics from my stash, happiness all round 🙂

But I think I’ll take a break from sewing any more Big and Beautiful Betties for a while, and just enjoy using mine!

You can get the pattern here:

http://u-handbag.typepad.com/uhandblog/2010/05/free-bag-purse-pattern-big-n-beautiful-betty.html

So. Many. Bags. And now I want a new holiday bag, for days out and all the stuff you need in the summer, suncream, water, snacks, childstuff – eeek. It’s not really need, but I want. And I want it in this (freebird by Momo, garden in geranium, I’m such a freebird geek, you can spot it in my flickr stream quilts)