Wednesday Rockpool

Lets just check out this little band of sea-farers !!! 

Designed by Fiona Tully of 2 Brown Birds - these guys are a riot. This pattern is called Pirate Posse and I can't decide who is my favourite.

The beard just kills me - but I love the whiskery dude as well.

Fiona is a super talented toy and quilt designer. She makes the absolute cutest play sets. You have to go over to her blog now and check out her Happy Campers pattern.

 It is my favourite (the shower is the best !!).

Yep, Fiona is another of the Creative Abundance team and also lovely beyond words.

You guys have probably heard me talk about my work friend Carole before. She is an incredibly skilled seamstress and has a fantastically creative brain. Carole made the gorgeous knitting needle dress for me for Sewing School.

This time she made the coolest shirts ever. Of course I say "Carole, there isn't much time, just fudge them. No-one will be wearing them so don't worry about buttonholes or anything."

Then she returns with two beautiful shirts with the most exquisite attention to detail. Check out what she did with the selvedge !! Designing fabric is a blast but one of my favourite things is taking my strike offs to school when they arrive to show Carole. She is always so excited and has so many ideas about what to do with them!! She makes me forget the crazy market preparation slog and gets me excited.

Today's giveaway will be a copy of Fiona's pattern and a set of Buoys FQ.

Oh and in America these are pronounced boo-eeze. 

Same language-so different.

Birthday -yeah 48 (I had to check)

It's my birthday - and the start of Rockpool week - does life get any more exciting than this ?

To celebrate and because I haven't done it for ages- there is 25 % off all patterns in my shop, including all these rockpool dudes below

 Gary and Glen 

 Brighton

Little Boats

Sea Stars

Pin whale

Stay tuned my friends, see you tomorrow.

and the beat goes on....

 I don't think I am winning at the moment - I feel like I am getting nowhere. I work faster and faster and yet....

 It is totally fine of course, I know by now, that the lack of output is cyclical. I need to rest or slow down or something before the next big idea takes over my brain. You guys all know I am not good at slow or resting but I am trying!!

 I popped in to let you know that Rockpool is shipping and in stores in Australia (I haven't heard about the US yet ) . 

That means that next week is rockpool week here on the blog and there will be posts everyday and giveaways galore !!

 Now that I have written that on the blog - it has to happen.

I'll snap out of my funk and see you on Sunday !

Bastard - the quilt (a musical journey through one quilter's stash)

Go on... let it out. Have a big guffaw at my expense.

It took me four days just to sew the top together. Admittedly not all day, I lost the will to live around 5pm each afternoon.

Before you ask..No I am not reallylearning to love quilt making.

 Although I do like quilt finishing.

 I think I could love it, maybe, if it weren't for all the precision - and the freaking pressing.

But truthfully, making sea stars was way more fun.

 Special thanks has to go to Emma who helped out with all the complicated maths.. and the instructions.. and pretty much everything!

The free quilt pattern can be downloaded on the Ella Blue website and it is called Leaky Boats. They could not be swayed to use "Bastard"  - bizarre ! but that leaves it free for the musical !