wip friday

and it's friday again .. wow, this week passed really quickly. I had planned to post more often this week (and I do have things to show you) but as usual there just wasn't enough time for everything.
Thanks for all the nice comments about the book, I am really excited about it and can't wait to see it live.
I usually don't talk much about movies, but this week I went to see Water, directed by Deepa Mehta, and it was so good I had to mention it. Now I just have to find a way to see the other two of the trilogy (Fire and Earth)...
And last night I went to the fair one last time, the polka dots bowls were all gone but I managed to bring back a few other nice things all the same (photos and post soon).
The work in progress above is a small quilt which will have one of my favourite color combos of the moment - white/red/blue - no doubt inspired by that gorgeous book. Have a good weekend, everyone :)
 

weeeeeee !

ok, some of you have probably seen this announcement already, like here,here or here, but I hadn't posted about it yet (I was really good about keeping it quiet) but now I'm soooo excited that it's finally happening, so here it goes !
Almost a year ago Anna invited me to be a participant in this book, along with all these amazing and talented women. And just look at the fantastic projects ! I won't tell you which one is mine, but it shouldn't be too hard to guess ...
The book is now available for pre-ordering (directly from Snowbooks, until Oct. 12th - just click on the button above) Pre-ordering ended today, but should be available from amazon.co.uk soon (it will make a great x-mas gift .. just a hint ;)

sorry, had to take some of the links out, as the book site wasn't supposed to go live yet it is now, so I've put them back !
 

the red & aqua swap

These were made for the red & aqua swap, and are now on their way to the other side of the Atlantic. I decided to try out a new softie pattern, something simpler than the ones I usually make, and with some patchwork worked into it. Don't know how I ended up designing a bunny (or something that looks like a bunny) but for some reason it was the only thing I kept drawing...And I wasn't so sure about those ears, but now I love them.

The apron is inspired on the pattern from the Machine Made Patchworks book I, and I made it to match the softie. It's not exactly a very functional apron for cooking, I think, but maybe for crafting it would be nice. It has 3 pockets so if you're like me and tend to forget where you've put your scissors, or pins, this would be a good way to always have them on hand.

The colors of this swap are two of my favourites, so I guess that's why I enjoyed putting it together so much. And below, a few other things I sent as part of the package.

* cherry blossom glasses *
* children's book and 2007 diary *
* merino wool, fabrics and lollipops *



 

wip friday (and some new pouches)

New batch of pouches I've been embroidering the last past nights while watching the west wing. It's funny how I do most of my sewing (or knitting) while watching tv, but the fact is these two things just go together so well for me. Like working but relaxing at the same time, if you know what I mean.
Lisa posted today about feeling stretched lately, and this issue is something that I come across now and then in most of the crafty blogs. The need to know how to balance our life in terms of the time we spend crafting, working or playing. Because although crafting is something we do because we enjoy it so much, a lot of times it can feel like work (or even harder). It's so difficult indeed to find that balance, just hoping some day I can get there ... in the meantime, a lot of running around trying to catch my breath in between is how I usually do it.



and today is friday, so here's my current wip
... a little something for the red & aqua swap



... and some new quilted bags in the making. Have a good weekend :)



a couple of pouches will go here but the rest will be available on the online shop soon
 

i ♥ cath kidston

a sneak preview of the autumn catalogue, with my list of favourites. Everything in this catalogue is so cute and adorable, a bit too girly and romantic sometimes, but mostly right up my style (who am I kidding ? I don't have a particular style, I love minimal swedish design just as much as this english countryside feel, so no wonder I feel like redecorating every other week)

* the tea dresses ... ah, love the red polka dot one. If I was a character in a Miss Marple novel, this is what I'd wear for tea *


* the knitting bag and matching needle roll * the flowered wellies (T., this immediately reminded me of you), perfect for splashing on the rain *


* the lovely cushions, definitely makes me want to make some new ones * the tote bags *


* gorgeous fabrics and knitted toys * egg and tea cosies (yes, you heard me right. Egg cosies... isn't that so cute ? *

 

thursday mix

just some photos to brighten this cloudy day .. it's officially fall now, my favourite season, but did it have to rain so much ? traffic was hectic this morning, I was just not used to that yet.

* purchasing vintage buttons on ebay *



* another piu-piu pouch, sent to Li Li as part of a trade *



* bookcover #214, order from V. *



* one more flower bag, order from A. *


 

new skirt

no, not one of the patterns from the new book yet, but from another machiko kayaki book, which is in fact my favourite. The denim I used was not the best for this skirt, since the pleat doesn't stay down how it should (probably due to the fabric material), but I love this design. I shortened the pattern for a more summery version, but my next one I think will be full length.
For more machiko kayaki, check out mariko's blog supereggplant.

♥ birds in the air quilt
♥ anna's new wool bag

 

feira da luz

couldn't resist buying these, and neither could T. (well, at 50 cents each who can blame us ?)
I had planned to get a few baskets for the bathrooms at the new place, but couldn't find any that I liked, so instead I had to make do with these and one more bougainvillea for our tiny terrace. But I haven't given up on the baskets yet, next week I'll go back for a second round ... To see more photos of the fair, check T's photos at Flickr


Feira da Luz
até ao próximo dia 1 de Outubro,
das 11h-24h, no Largo da Luz

 

good mail

Receiving good mail always makes me happy :)
Ever since my pre teen years when I used to receive dozens of penpal letters each month, opening the mailbox is always one of the best parts of my day. During the last few weeks I have received wonderful swap packages, and lovely giveaways from generous bloggers, so I thought I'd share these with you now.

from Lisa
I was lucky to get one of her recent fabric giveaways, and just look at what she so generously sent ...



from Maize
Maybe you didn't know, but lovely Maize not only makes beautiful jewellry from recycled silver but also posts a weekly crafty karma giveaway every tuesday, and I was the lucky winner of this amazing needle set (love the pendant detail). thanks so much, Maize :) Now, go check her shop



As you know, I've been making a lot of Gimme your stuff swaps recently. All sorts of amazing packages have started to show up, just look at all these goodies ... thank you so much ladies :)

from Barbara, all the way from California
The japanese towel and the flower buttons are my favourites ... to see what I've sent her, check here




from Siggi, in Germany.
We agreed to swap crafts magazines and a few treats. The easy fashion mag looks great, maybe I'll be able to sew a few items this fall...



from Kwoozy, in Australia
She was my June color-iffic recipient, and I was really glad she proposed to make this swap. Just look at that candy stash ... and the hello kitty fabric, isn't that just adorable ? and you were right, kwoozy, the cat fabric is just perfect :)




from Laurence
a beautiful vintage polka dot linen fabric, the latest Interweave Knits (love the cardigan on the cover), tea and candies (my favourite caramels) and delicious trims, appliqués and threads.



and finally, a couple of non GYS swaps...

from Li Li, in Singapore
She was looking for the new Marie Claire Idées fall issue so she proposed a new swap which I immediately accepted. I sent her also a piu piu pouch, and in return she sent me this fabulous japanese crafts book I was looking for. It has to be one of my favourites, I just love the designs and the color combinations. And of course, she had to add a few hello kitty items, she knows I'm a fan :)





from Caterine
Caterine had commented on this post a while back that she could find my favourite incenses in a local shop, so of course I immediately suggested a trade. She sent me 3 different ones, and a few fabrics as well. Still can't believe I could get these again, they just smell amazingly good.





 

♥ more japanese crafts books

I've been meaning to get these for a while now, and the free shipping from YesAsia really doesn't help controlling my buying impulses. Let's see if I can tempt any of you as well ...



Skirt à la Carte
ISBN: 4579110005

Another amazing sewing pattern book by Kayaki Machiko. I think I'm going to use a lot of skirts this winter ...




I've seen these patchwork books in so many blogs already, but I just had to have my own copies. And they're truly amazing, I could spend the rest of the day just looking at these pictures.

Machine Made Patchworks II
ISBN: 457911082X




Machine Made Patchworks I
ISBN: 457911020X




Design Collection for Kids
ISBN: 4529042049

More cute embroidery inspiration ...



And I still have one more book to share with you (might actually be my favourite of them all) which I received from a swap recently, but I'll show you that later (a big swap post will follow soon)