The dog ate my quilt...

Late one night last week I got a phone call from Keith, who was in London, to say India had texted him with this message; "Alfie accidentally chewed a hole in your quilt. What should I do? Mummy is going to be so mad."



When I saw what he had done I was mad and sad. I made this quilt when I was deep in the quilting phase of my sewing life. Before kids - should probably have been out doing something more exciting, but oh well! It represents hours of work and now there is a big hole slap bang in the middle of it.

However, if I'm honest, I've never really loved this quilt. The dark green print was brought back for me from the USA by my parents (long before we moved to live there) and I do love that fabric, but the large scale floral print that was all I could find in the local fabric store to pair with it never really did it for me.


Apparently Alfie didn't like that print either as that was what he chose to remove from the design.
For most of it's life this quilt has been folded up in a closet, because although I was pleased with how it turned out technically it never really reflected my style. By modern quilting standards it certainly looks dated. It was only on the bed because Alfie had chewed the corner off a different quilt we had there. Which now means he has bitten a chunk out of all four quilts currently on a bed in the house. So, if you're a quilter reading this I'd love your advice on how I should go about repairing the quilt and if you're a dog whisperer - advice please on how to stop our almost five year old dog chewing his (and my) bedding!


"Sorry I accidentally chewed your quilt!"
When I first saw the damage to the quilt I was, I'll admit unreasonably upset. I'm tired and lonely when Keith's travelling and something like this brings out the, "It wouldn't have happened if we hadn't moved!" reflex more usually yelled voiced by the girls than me. To make myself feel better, I dropped all plans for making a dent in the housework while Florence napped and decided to seek solace in some new sewing. Just one hour (I set the timer) to create something new, or at least make a start. I got out some fabric I'd pre-washed before we left California, pressed it and started putting together a Little Luxuries blanket for Georgia - the second of five I thought I would have completed before we moved - hah!


After an hour the fabric was cut and basted, I'd prepped the bias binding and I felt much better. So much so, in fact, that I realised this is what I need to try and do every day. One hour to do what I can rather than being overwhelmed by not knowing where to start on the many, many projects I have stashed in my sewing room and my mind. Another hour the next day and the voile bias binding was made and attached. Another leisurely evening hand finishing with a movie and my husband (returned from his travels by this point) and it was finished. Something I had been putting off for six months. Done!


I like this simple little blanket so much more than the old quilt. Even though it's super floral, the colours are modern and the fabric feels so soft - but hopefully not good enough to eat! You can't help but feel happy when you're working with Anna Maria Horner's fabrics - stunning in every way. When I've got through the 101 other projects I have planned (one hour at a time!) I'd love to make this quilt for our bed. Basically just a giant version of the Little Luxuries blankets that we all love so much.

Three down, three more to go...
Does crafting cheer you up when you're down? How do you find the time to do the things you love?

Little Luxuries. Love

I took a welcome break this morning from a week of packing to stitch the binding onto this blanket for Savannah. It's an Anna Maria Horner Little Luxuries Receiving Blanket. I made one for Florence a few months ago as a stroller blanket and discovered that it made the most incredibly comfortable travel blanket when it kept us both warm and cozy while she sat on my knee on the flight to Paris last month. I decided then that I should make one for everyone in the family - that's five more! The big girls picked out the colors they liked from the selection of project packs at the AMH shop and lucky for me they went on sale just as I was about to order them! Making five new blankets, however simple, while you're trying to get organized to move to another country is a bit ambitious so I knew I had to start with Savannah's as she hates the "itchy" airline seats and blankets. There is certainly nothing itchy about these gorgeous blankets. As everyone says, AMH voile is buttery soft and cool to the touch and the flannel is so cozy. It's just thick enough and big enough to keep your lap warm while you're travelling and it rolls up nice and small so you can stuff it in your bag with all the rest of your gear.


Action shot by Savannah!

The project pack doesn't come with instructions but it's easy to put together especially if you are used to constructing quilts. I always make my bias binding using the continuous binding strip technique which I think makes the voile much easier to handle. You can make as much as you need with a 19 inch square and still have some left over for another project. I decided to hand finish the binding partly to add visual interest and also because I've never had much luck machine stitching bias bindings! It's not the strongest finish but I love the way it looks and slowing down to hand stitch really makes you appreciate the beauty of the fabric design.

Savannah was sitting next to me as I put in the last stitch and she couldn't believe how quickly it was hers. I love that her first instinct was to turn it into a cape...







...and it passed the "itchy" test with flying colors!

Things to do on a rainy June weekend in California

Build a zip line for your toys...

Teddy had a blast!

Finish a quilt for your friend's birthday...

Make the most of the overcast lighting to take funky photos of it!

Impress your twin sister with your ability to spell the word bathroom all by yourself. Make Mummy smile with your cute drawing. Wait for Daddy to come home to fix the problem inside the bathroom!

Start sewing a teacher gift.

Make (lots of) pompoms.

The weather recently seems to be training us for our return to Europe. We should have spent the weekend at the pool, but we kept ourselves busy inside. I'm impressed at what the girls achieved once I said no more T.V.! And yes, my first proper post is about the weather - I'm British - it's my birthright!

In other news... Florence blew her first kiss. No photographic evidence, just a memory to preserve.