Mending Monday

You all know I have a soft spot for orphan quilts, right? Perhaps not the prettiest, definitely not the much sought after antiques - though sometimes vintage, those wonky first attempts, those gifts given that were perhaps not to the taste of the giftee, or those that have been well used and loved, yet still ended up orphaned on the racks at the local thrift.

The other day I needed a little pick-me-up and wandered into my local thrift store, my girl needed some new blue jeans and I needed to wander amongst the cluttered shelves for a look-see.  There on the rack of dodgy flannelette sheets was just such an orphan quilt. A plaid 9 patch number, "Well hello funny face!" said I. I noted it's hundreds of loose threads, it's random corner of floral patches, and the occasional open seam.

Of course none of these things deterred me, in fact they only served to endear me even more.  And so into my basket went the orphan quilt and then it came home with me.  It has gone through a good washing and a close inspection.  No matter the iffy nature of any quilt one finds at the local thrift, I know all too well how much work goes into each and every one.

So today is mending day, and as I clip loose threads and mend ripped seams, I think about the making of this quirky little quilt.  Sometimes I make up a story about the person whose hands toiled to craft it, a story about the quilt's life.  The quilts I find may not be the prettiest or the most well made, but I love them all the same.

Oh, and those blue jeans need hemming and maybe a bluebird or two and some butterflies.  I'd better get to it!

Happy Monday!

My Travelling Companion

On my European travels last year I had a constant companion, yes another other than The Lumberjack. A companion that made me happy and was a true help along the way. A companion of the handmade kind, my CarryAll bag. I made it just before my trip and it occurred to me I never shared it with you.

When I was all done with the making and I looked upon my sweet new rather roomy CarryAll bag, it made me smile from ear to ear. It was all sorts of colorful with sunny details put on and a fine fit over my shoulder.

I used a vintage Japanese tablecloth for the main out side that had been a gift from my mother, it has a nice nubby texture and lovely design. For the rest I rummaged around in my scrap heap.

It has a handy pocket on the back side that kept all of my important papers safe and sound.

It did a bang up job through London and Paris, often put upon by heavy loads, abused by the Underground and escalators, kicked under cafe tables and mistreated in various ways. Though it may have got a little grubby along the way, it never failed me and still made me smile. I received many compliments and a few comments of "Well now, that's an um... interesting bag."

I used fusible fleece for the lining, then quilted it with lines of stitching to give it a bit of structure. And of course extra handy pockets for the inside.

Oh guess what?! You could make one too if you fancy. I used a downloadable pattern by Farbenmix which you can purchase HERE
There are two size variations and all sorts of room for modification and embellishment. I have always been happy with their patterns.

My CarryAll bag was the perfect travelling companion indeed!

Home again jiggity jig!

Hello friends!

I am home again after a most amazing adventure over seas. Suffering a bit of jet lag and still processing the wonder of my whirlwind trip. Upon returning home to see the smiling faces of my family, receiving the best of hugs and welcome homes, I did indeed do a jiggity jig - albeit a little clumsily and haggardly.

I have many photos to go through and many tales to tell, oh yes I do! I think today I most want to share some pics and words about the Lola Nova Sewing Whimsy Workshop in London.

Look at this lovely group of creatives! The only one missing is my glamorous assistant and photographer Jane of Flaming Nora. Who, it must be told, I could not have done without!

The workshop was held at the marvelous shop Bermondsey Fayre , thank you liz for having us! It was a gray and grotty day out with a chill and bluster about, but inside the little shop it was cozy as could be and my workshop friends all sat round the table making wonderful bits of "whimsy".

It really was a special evening thanks to all of the ladies who came and shared with us. There was making and chatting and that great feeling of working together on creative endeavors. There really is something so rewarding in that.

I was so impressed with everyone's projects, what they came up with, the clever and happy bits of making going on!

Thanks to Jane there were heaps of pretty bits to choose from, it took a bit of strong will on my part not to run off with a bag stuffed full of her supplies.

Thank you Colette, Linnie, Abi, Laila, Jhilmil, and Juliet! You all truly made it an evening I will always treasure.

Oh, and here is a little peek at their fab creations!

What a wonderful time we had!

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A small note here to say that my thoughts and prayers are with the East Coast USA at this time. The devastation of Hurricane Sandy will be a long time in the recovery and I encourage you to donate to aid the relief efforts. HERE you can find a list of reputable charities. Thank you.

Simple Sewing with Lola Nova Book Giveaway!

Today is a day for celebrating! There is so much to celebrate; the UK release of my book Simple Sewing with Lola Nova, the bluebird sky outside my window, and a very special celebration today that marks the 9 year wedding anniversary with my sweetheart Andrew - aka The Engineer! I love you darlin'!

Since I am in a celebratory mood I thought, what better than to hold a Giveaway here on my shiny happy place?! Today I am giving away one copy of my book to one of my readers! Hip Hip Hooray!

How's about a little sneaky peek inside?

In the Vintage chapter, I show you how to create this "Little Joy Dress".

These multi-use "Pockets Full of Posies" are found in the Natural chapter.

And one of my personal favorites, The "Summer Tent" is in the Boho chapter!

The book is broken into the following sections:
Boho
Natural
Vintage
Eclectic
Whimsy

So you see, there is surely a little something for everyone!

All you have to do to enter the giveaway is to leave a comment here on this post! Easy Peasy no?

But wait! Don't answer yet, there's more!

If you "Tweet", Blog, or Facebook Share about this giveaway; you will also be entered to win a Mystery Gift! Ooh, doesn't that sound exciting and yes, muy mysterioso! If I told you what it was then it wouldn't be a Mystery Gift now would it, but it could be something from the book, just maybe.

Let's break it down one last time:
1. Leave a comment for a chance to win my book. Please make sure to leave a way for me to contact you should you be the lucky winner.

2. Let me know if you have "tweeted", blogged, or shared the giveaway on facebook for a chance to win a Mystery Gift! When reading the words Mystery gift one should imagine an echo for full effect.

3. The Giveaway will be open until Friday, September 14th and the winner will be announced Monday, September 17th!

Celebrate Good Times C'mon!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Celebrating the Hand-Made Life

Today I am joining in with Homemade & Happy's month long celebration of The hand-made life I will be posting once a week for the month of March.

I will share Josie's thoughts:

"Throughout the month of March I’ll be posting one photo each day on the theme of “hands”. I wanted to find a project that could provide daily blog posts, and in my pondering it felt good to keep this series nice and simple.

Why hands, you may wonder? Well, virtually every activity I do each day involves my hands – cleaning, cooking, sewing, writing, playing with the children, gardening, photography itself, tidying up around the house … everything that my day to day rhythm involves … and yours too, I’ll bet.

And in thinking how amazing our hands are, how expressive they can be, I thought it would be great to celebrate them. Sometimes they’re kind, gentle and delicate in their actions and at other times firm and strong. Our lives truly are hand-made, aren’t they?"

Wonderful idea don't you think! Pop on over to Homemade & Happy to see who else is joining in, maybe you would like to join in as well!

Have a happy hand-made weekend!