My latest project: a quilt! I'm not sure what size it is, maybe cot size? But I love the idea of a cuddly quilt to drape over your lap as you stare at the dismal skies outside. A little bit of nostalgic cheer on a rainy day! I got the idea from the book "stitched in time" by the very clever Alicia Paulson. It is based on the "baby clothes quilt". I made the quilt of eighty 5" squares of vintage fabric salvaged from my nannas house, my sister's baby clothes, my old pillow cases, the salvation army (the cheapest and best shop in the world!) and the bargain bin at spotlight. To make some of the squares extra special I hand embroidered them with pretty designs like a bluebird, a little canary and a big red letter "a". Overall the quilt cost $35, very far from the price my mums friend said it would cost to make a quilt (400-700 dollars). The $35 was spent on the batting, the backing and the pretty polka dot bias binding I bought from spotlight, so the quilt top was basically free! On a sad note, I look into my antique linen cupboard and see the eyeburningly scrapless interior! I dont think it will take me very long to build my stash back up though!

At the moment I am binding the quilt. I managed to hand bind one side of the quilt, but it has taken me 5 months, tres sad... so I have given in to the temptation of the sewing machine. Do you know how hard it is to resist when you have a brother sewing machine whispering to you "use me!!! your quilt will be finished in 20 minutes!!! continue at this rate and it will end up covered in dust!!! in the attick!!!" Probably not, since you probably arent dotty like me, and you probably dont talk to your sewing machines either. Any way, I am in the process of appeasing the wishes of my sewing machine. Oh by the way my sewing machine's name is Mr Sew Sew.