The final days of 2013 are being spent in the studio as I put the finishing touches on the BOM's for the year.  Last night the binding and hanging sleeve were sewn down on the Alphabet Sampler Quilt.

It is now hanging in my studio and I keep glancing over at it with gushes of love as I write the final pattern for it.  

The idea was born when I purchased a pre-cut hexagon honeycomb and I quickly drew up the letters along with little birdies and flowers.  I enjoyed stitching each one and it made completing the quilt a breeze when you are enjoying the process.

All 4 parts of the pattern are now in the CRAFTSY STORE for just $6.50 US each.  I can imagine this quilt hanging in a nursery or larger final borders could easily be added to make it single bed sized.  This would be a true heirloom once finished.

This will be my last blog post for 2013 so I would like to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy & Safe New Year.  Bring on 2014 - I'm ready for a fantastic fun filled year.

Love and Hugs,

Fee xx

Christmas Wishes

It has taken me longer to get back here than I thought.  Each year I seem to under estimate how busy life is going to get for me with working in the hospitality industry.  No matter how well organised I am something always crops up to steal my time.  This year has been no different although all of my shopping and wrapping was done nice and early.  I just have the fresh food shopping to do on Christmas Eve and some baking to do today and then I am done.

On the sewing front I have been working on the first block of A Woodland Christmas.  This quilt features these adorable raccoons - Aren't they sweet? 

I have also spent some time preparing some paper piecing so I can continue throughout 2014 with my Confetti Quilt.  I have chosen some different Fig Tree ranges of fabric so my quilt will be done in pastels.  This is one of my long term projects which I fit in between lots of others.  I am hoping that 2014 will see at lest one or two of my long term projects finished - That would be really great if I can achieve it.

The pattern is by Focus On Quilts and is just gorgeous the little hexies are just 10mm (1cm) so they are tiny !

The house is finally decorated and we are all set for our 18 guests for lunch on Christmas Day.  I will take this opportunity to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas.  

I have a feeling that 2014 is going to be a great year, I do hope you join me then here at my little piece of cyber space.

Love and Hugs,

Fee x

The Party is Over

The party is over and what a lovely day we had.  Lots of giggles and fun and way too much indulging !

 I made each of the ladies a Christmas Stocking with their name embroidered on the front and also made each of them a cookie jar which were a real hit.  All 4 ladies went home with print outs of the labels and recipes to make some for their friends and family.  They are so easy to do and look so effective.

This was our last get together until late February and was such a relaxing day - I managed to get the binding sewn down on 3 quilts so I was very productive in between chatting and eating !

Before I go I wanted to show you my latest Christmas decoration purchase - Just $10 from Coles.  Isn't it gorgeous?

Hugs - Fee x

A Christmas Party

Good morning, How are you on this gorgeous day?

I am in the final stages of getting ready for our sewing groups Christmas Break-Up day.  The girls come each Wednesday night throughout the year but because I work in the hospitality industry we close the group down for approximately 8 weeks every year so that I can work the long hours I am required to.  Before we do that we have a Christmas break-up day on a Saturday which is tomorrow!

I have made each one of them some gifts which I finally finished last night.  I can't show you yet in case one of them pops by the blog but I am happy with them and hopefully they will like them

We are all bringing a course for lunch and I am making some bits for morning tea.  I will take some progress shots tonight whilst I am getting it all together.

How about you, do you have lots of different Christmas functions to attend?  I love a party !

I have my Christmas hat and I'm ready !

I'll be back tomorrow to show you what I made for the girls.

Hugs - Fee xx

Christmas Cookies - A Freebie

This is my 500th post.  To celebrate I thought that I would have a give away - But a downloadable give away of some labels for everyone to enjoy.  I have just created these adorable cookie mixes in a jar to give to some friends this Christmas.  They are a great idea and are so easy to put together.

Firstly you will need to download the labels that I have created from HERE.  There is a circular label for the front and an instruction label for the back.

Print them out,  there are 3 sets per sheet and then cut out ready for adhering to the jars later.

I purchased 1100ml jars from my local cheap shop for just under $2.00 - They fit the mix perfectly.

Then you need to add the ingredients in the same order as they are listed.  To make it easier I made a funnel from some cardboard and gave the jar a steady thump on the kitchen bench after each layer to settle it.

1 & 1/3 Cup of Plain Flour

1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/4 tsp Salt

1 Cup Rolled Oats

1 Cup of M & M's

3/4 Cup Milk Choc Chips

1/2 Cup of Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup of Castor Sugar

1/2 Cup of Desiccated Coconut

Screw the lid on and tie with a pretty Christmas ribbon.

With some craft glue adhere the circular label to the front of the jar

And the instructions to the back.

And there you have the perfect gift for that special person in your life who has everything.

Hugs,

Fee x

I haven't been idle

Firstly a huge thank you to those people who have called, left messages or e-mailed me.  I am slowly catching up on them all and will reply in the next few days your encouragement and support means the world to me.

I have always enjoyed stitching the work of others - Far more than I enjoy stitching my own designs (that speaks volumes)  I think it is the fact that you can just sew without thinking about writing down instructions or thread colours as you go - There is no critiquing of your work on a daily basis as you question yourself or change your mind and end up reverse sewing.  

So for my relaxation I joined 2 Block of the Months this year and this is my progress on the 1st one ":Chick Jubilee" designed by Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs.  There are 6 blocks photographed here and I am currently working on Blocks 7 and 8.  Block 9 will be out soon and then I will be in the home straight with this one.  It is a gorgeous quilt and I have enjoyed stitching it each month.  So much that I have signed up for the next Anne Sutton one which is Woodland Christmas - The first block of that one has arrived too and I have made a start on it.

I also signed up for Fat Quarter Shop's Mystery Block of the Month.  Month 6 has just arrived but I have only put together 2 blocks at this stage.  I hope to catch up over the Christmas break.  I am not really a piecer so I signed up for this to challenge myself.

A few weekends ago I decided to use up the remainder of a Jelly Roll that I had sitting around - After just a few hours I had a flimsy finished.  I am really pleased with it.

Then I decided to make another easy flimsy from a charm pack and 1/2.  This time in Scrumptious.  Both of these quilts have arrived back from quilting so I have to pop the binding on this week.  So glad to have them finished !

And last week I put together these key rings to use as little christmas gifts for some of my cat loving friends.  They were so easy to make but look so gorgeous !

And finally I am currently working on stitching up some gifts for my Wednesday night sewing girls.  It is our Christmas Break Up day on Saturday and this is when we exchange gifts - I will be sure to take a photo before I gift them.  What about you are you on track with your christmas sewing?

Hugs - Fee xx

A story and a decision

Once upon a time there was a crafty mum who loved to sew, she loved to share her creations with her online friends and be inspired by them by reading and commenting on their blogs.  She found blog land to be a wonderful creative place and loved visiting it every day.  

She loved to treasure hunt and shabby up her finds to decorate her home and share with her friends her progress and her wonderful treasured finds.  She would cook and share her recipes and be inspired by the yummy food that others also created.  

She would share the ups and downs in her life including the birth of grand children, other happy moments in her life, the sad times, the lows, sickness and even death.  But would always feel that she was sharing amongst friends and there was always a shoulder to cry on or someone to wipe away the tears or even someone to celebrate with when things were wonderful.

Somehow this story took a turn - The crafty mum became a "business woman" her passion became her "job".  Her "free creating time" became "work time" and her inner fire and passion slowly began to fade.  She felt that she had lost her identity and that she could no longer enjoy the pleasures of her life as they became a necessity and a part of this "new life" that this mum thought she wanted and needed.  How wrong she was !

One day not so long ago this mum woke up and realised that this life was not for her.  Her heart no longer sung the tune that was the real "Fee".  So she decided that it was time to travel back down the path that she had begun on, the one that made her so happy and free.  

And here this story ENDS and she will begin again at the beginning ........  I hope and pray that you my blog readers and friends will walk back down that road with me .......

This means that I will not be designing in 2014 (other than the few commitments that I have).  All of my Club Commitments will be met by the end of the year and 2014 will begin a new era in my creative and blogging life.  From 1st January 2014 my blog will be centered around my family life, cooking, baking, treasure hunting and my crafting life.

I do however have a favour.  I no longer have my blog at www.designsbyfee.com but have instead reverted to my old blog address of www.mumscupboard.blogspot.com.  I would really appreciate it if you would update your links on your blogs if you have them or join the google connect in the side bar if you wish to continue to read my blog.

My blog will revert to 

www.mumscupboard.blogspot.com

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post and next time I come back it will be to show you some christmas decorating in my home.

Love and hugs,

Fee x

Still Renovating

We are still plugging away with our home renovations - As you would know it is a very expensive, time consuming and frustrating time.  To top it all off we also had some flooding around 2 weeks ago and in my studio which has made it worse.  So everything is currently out of the studio and clogging up numerous other areas of the house.  

The damage has now been repaired and I am currently waiting for the painter to give me a date that he can paint the room - I figure that I might as well paint it whilst it's empty but as each day ticks by I am getting increasingly frustrated !!  But I must remember the BIG picture - I will have a lovely studio once it's all painted and finished.

Today I thought I would show you the pictures of the bathroom all finished.  I have included some "before shots" so you can get a look at how "pine" it really was !!  I wasn't sure how the cream spa and basin along with the tiles was going to look and I can't afford to replace them at the moment but I have to say that I am pretty happy with how it all finished up.

Pretty different huh?

I love how clean and fresh it makes it look.

So we have now almost finished 3 bedrooms, a hallway, back porch and bathroom - I will show you some more "before" and "after" shots soon.  The new blinds have been measured up today so we are very close to a finish up that end of the house.

Hugs - Fee x

Finally It's Finished !!

Alphabet Sampler BOM

I am sew excited !!  The Alphabet Sampler Quilt that I have been working on for ages is now finished and ready for release.  

The finished quilt measures 30 1/2" X 67 1/2" and is designed as a large Wall Quilt - Perfect for a nursery, entrance hall or just to beautify your home.  There is also an option in the pattern for wider side sashings which will make it the perfect width for a single bed.  

It is being released as a 4 part Block of the Month.

The first 3 months each include - Step by Step Phorographic Tutorials, 8 Letters of the Alphabet, Templates and Full detailed Instructions.  The 4th part has the remaining 4 blocks as well as the finishing instructions.

The Quilt uses :-

90cm White Quilters Homespun 

90cm Red & White Spot

90cm Quilt Batting

200cm Backing Fabric

1 X Moda Honeycomb OR 28 X 7" Squares of Assorted Fabrics

1 X MODA Co-Ordinating Charm Pack

8 Co-Ordinating DMC Threads

1 Metre Weaveline

Each Pattern will be released on the 5th of the month beginning on the 5th October.

The cost is just $5.00 per month for a digital pattern for subscribers and just $8.50 per month for a paper pattern posted within AUSTRALIA FREE.

Sign up now over on the side bar to the right and have the first pattern delivered on the 5th October.

If you do not wish to subscribe then you can purchase the pattern direct from my CRAFTSY store each month for $6.50 per pattern.

Over the coming months I will also be featuring a few additional patterns and ideas that can be made using just the letters from the pattern sheets.

I hope you love it as much as I do and decide to join in.

Hugs - Fee xx

Scraps Disease

Being an avid crafter and quilter I do suffer from a number of ailments including compulsive fabric purchasing (which I might add is currently in remission YAY !), Chronic Hoarding and the inability to throw away scraps, selvedges etc.  I know that a lot of you will understand my ailments.

Do you keep all of your scraps in an ever growing scrap bin?  I have tried to cure myself by using up my selvedges and by cutting my scraps into useable squares and binning the rest.

I have this 2 1/2" square bin on my cutting table.  

Now I make myself cut odd pieces of fabric as soon as I have finished with them.

The 2 1/2" squares go into my tin and the off cuts go into the bin.

I have also begun to sew together all of my selvedges to make little lavender sachets.  Simply sew them together and then cut 2 rectangles or squares the same size.  sew 1/4" from the raw edge around 3 sides.  Fill with lavender and then sew across the top.

Then clip along the edges with the pinking shears.  How easy is that ?

Thankfully now I think I am on the road to recovery.

Hugs - Fee x

Lighting

The painter has prepped all 3 bedrooms, the bathroom and the loo ready for painting on Monday.  It's like living in half an empty house with the other half filled to the brim with furniture.

Hubby decided that today we would go shopping for new light fittings for all 3 bedrooms.  They all currently have 2 of these dark wood and amber fitting lamps installed in each room.

So off we went to our local light fitting store.  Having not purchased light fittings for years and years I was astounded at the choice and the beauty of them.

There were lots and lots that I fell in love with but most of them were a bit girly for hubby and as he was paying I had to tow the line.

I loved all of the ones with "bling" but they weren't really very practical for our home.  I could imagine valuable stitching time would be wasted washing those hanging crystals.

A lot of them were more suitable for modern homes

This one was a favourite, although hubby didn't like it at all. 

 Maybe I can save my pennies and buy it for my studio?  Now there's a thought !!

So this is what we ended up with - 6 of these.  The electrician is booked to install them once the rooms are finished.

It's nearing the end of the day and I have spent a little time this afternoon prepping some stitchery and a new project whilst I watch the footy again tonight.

I hope you enjoyed your Saturday.

Hugs - Fee xx