Fancy designing your own fabric?

I saw this opportunity over at Stuff Mummy Makes yesterday and I can't wait to get my thinking cap on.

You have until 24th March to submit your entries for a baby boy print for a Spoonflower/Michael Miller collaboration, while there's no chance I am going to win the contract, it sounds like a new way to start thinking about my fabric.

In the meantime, I thought I would share what has been keeping me busy lately (and will probably prevent me from blogging for the next week or so)

it is my detailed construction section for my final year project, hopefully it will soon be looking a little prettier!

J x

ipad case

Last summer C queued for his ipad on release day at the apple shop and it has been his baby ever since, he keeps it in a plain black Apple case that was starting to look a little boring, but knowing how much he protects it- not just any replacement would do...

-drum roll please-

C's ipad case!!!!

I'm quite pleased with it, other than a handful of beginner "duh!" moments it has turned out pretty well and it contained a lot of firsts;
- first pattern designed completely from scratch
- first gift made using my sewing machine
- first quilting attempt
- first binding attempt
- first raw edge applique

I had several points in mind for my brief, it had to;
- protect the ipad if it was dropped (to some extent)
- be easy to slide the ipad in and out
- not have a seam at the bottom (where it would need most padding)
- have no exposed seams on the inside
- it had to be manly fabric with an exceptionally soft, non-scratch interior

and I think all of them were accomplished! Except for maybe the manly fabric- that is hard to find, I settled on the polka dots but I don't think they are too girly to be seen out in public.

The front of the case has an oversized appliqued apple to match that on the ipad itself

and the back has a little apple camouflaged in the corner disguised as a polka dot

J x

It's fabric tuesday!

In honour of Fabric Tuesday at Quiltstory, this morning I finished off a wip that has been hanging around my sewing box for a while; some little pocket dolls from goody-goody that are the perfect size for little hands to grab. The little boy and little girl are all set to go off to their new home with my god-daughter in the next few days and have some sweeties and some pennies packed ready for their journey.

That is if I can find them... they just love playing hide and seek!

Jennie x

Finally a mug rug

I think I spend too much time reading blogs and not posting, so here's what I have been up to this week; my Dad's much belated birthday present!

It took a little while longer than That Girl That Quilt suggested, but I'm a newbie and it was my first ever real binding. I am quite pleased with how it turned out, just don't look too closely! Her tutorial for machine binding was much easier than I had anticipated after reading other blogs- just [another] one for the stop-reading-and-bloody-well-get-on-with-it books.

So I may be a little behind with the mug rug craze, but I loved putting it together, simple as it was, I felt like it was an achievement and with Chris looking over my shoulder asking for his own how can I resist making some more... I might have to improve on my fabric choices for men though, there's just so little to choose from. Maybe it can match his ipad case, we will see...

J