Hello lovely peeps … I know I haven’t been blogging regularly for some time, but if you follow you’ll know it’s because I’ve had a bit of a rough
summer year with my health.
However, that’s no excuse for bad manners, and I have some serious thanking to do for some lovely happy mail, before I crawl back to my corner to get on with planning the new term …
First off, thanks and delight to
Hadley@FlyingBlindOnARocketCycle – I won
and received the prize from her giveaway way back in
1952 August … and lookee see what wonders I received … Thank you again Hadders, it’s all just perfect! Zips too! (to make me face the fear, no excuses now – stay tuned! LOL)
Look at the little Melody Miller brooch and the birdy magnet!
How amazingly wonderful is this purse?? Forget all that “fits a chapstick and a halfpenny” crap.
This could accommodate a ferret, should the need arise …
… or indeed
16 my-kind-of-cute*
Aneela Hooey foxcubs …
grubby fingerprints all mine!
* I have a distinctly bipolar relationship with ‘cute’. My deeply supressed stiff upper Brit genes take over, I think. That and my synaesthesia kicks in big time - it's just one of those words that tastes bad - even typing it or saying it in my head makes me a little sick in my mouth.
This in turn makes me wildly reinterpret 'cute' in my head to something more like this:
Anyhoo, I digress ... This was also in the haul!
Now, I know I’m a bit late to the party here, but just in case you’ve been holding back on buying this, let me tell you,
Fat Quarterly Shape Workshop for Quilters is a
fantastic collection of all things inspirational … I read it cover to cover when I was a-bed this summer.

There’s a few serious must-makes in here for me, not least this wonderful Fast Forward/Rewind flying geese quilt from
<--
Tacha Bruecher
.... or this Orange Soda Pop from
Katy@ ImAGingerMonkey -->
I love the whole concept of the book and the way it builds on the amazing versatility of the geometry of quilting shapes. The instructions and whole tone of the writing are great too.
I would have loved to see some of the blocks multiplied to get a better idea of their ‘quilt appeal, but it was easy enough to close your eyes and picture it, just bein lazy ... but the blocks themselves, practical advice and the complete projects far outweigh the limitations of my noggin by a gazillion …
I don’t buy a lot of quilting books, the writing is just as important to me as the visuals and, historically, I have often been disappointed with one or t’other. I think
Shape Workshop and
Hexa Go Go (another thoroughbred from the
Fat Quarterly stables, so to speak) are absolute must-haves for anyone’s library. I would definitely have bought it if I hadn’t won it.
which I did. Squee! A feast for the mind as well as the eyes. Also, as I hadn’t made it to London for the
Fat Quarterly Retreat this summer, it made me feel all 'included'! Icing on the cake, Hadders! By hook or by crook, man,
I'll be there next year ...
Then, the day I got home from my hospital stay, I had such a treat waiting for me, from the most lovely
Mary@ MollyFlanders – a little surprise package just to say hello! Just look at the wrapping paper on this! Love. Couldn’t have timed it better, Mary! Thank you sooo much …
wouldn’t that make great embroidery?
that pincushion’s such a beauty!

This is a rubbery silicone ‘spool’ for keeping yer headphone cord untangled! Absolute. Genius.
It now lives in my bag - fools me every time when I have my hand sewing in there, too!

I also just got my winnings from
Leona’sQuiltingAdventure’s giveaway - 2 charm packs of Dear Mr. Claus from Cosmo Cricket for Moda - nice retro colours, not too heavily saturated … Yippee! Thank you Leona!
So, thank you very very much, ladies of the Blogolopolis. You brightened a pretty sodden summer no end!
I do have
some progress to report, and some really fun stuff coming up.
Bear with me and stay tuned! It could be to
your advantage … Just sayin.