The missing mojo

I am not quite sure where my sewing mojo has disappeared to recently, but it definitely hasn't been in this neck of the woods for a while!

My poor sewing machine hasn't had so much dust gathering on it since it was sitting in a store room waiting to be picked off the shelf :(

Whilst the sewing machine has been sitting idle, there has been a (little!) bit of hand stitching going on.

On our cruise last year, we spent a day in Bar Harbor in Maine, and naturally I checked out the local quilting shop, Fabricate.

 Needless to say I did not leave empty-handed!

One of the things I bought was a kit for an embroidered sampler quilt based on the wonderful lighthouses to be found in that part of the world. It seemed like a very appropriate souvenir to bring back from a cruise.

The block above is the first of the nine embroidery blocks to be completed. Hopefully, the remainder will not be as slow in the making.

The other hand-stitching project is also a sampler quilt block, from the quilt class that I have been attending for the past year and a bit.  So, this is not the fastest project on the planet either! In my defence with this block, this is my second attempt at the stained glass window applique.

There were raw edges still visible in places in the first attempt at this block, which the more I looked at them the more apparent they became. So I eventually bit the bullet and started the block all over again. It is definitely better this time, although still not perfect. Hopefully any problems will be overcome when it is quilted :)

This is the final block of the sampler, so when I eventually come across that missing mojo, I might even manage to start quilting them.

If you find that missing mojo, you know where to send it!

Linking up to

New to Me in September

Welcome to another New to Me Link Party!

The Link Party where we celebrate the trying of something new, whether it was ultimately successful or not :)

New to Me's are fairly thin on the ground this month, unless I count in new wines or restaurants tried on our holiday in France, where there were lots!

My only crafty New to Me was the completion of the mount for my first attempt at counted canvaswork.

The fabric mount was backed with double-sided fusible web and then ironed to the mount board. If I hadn't seen it done at the EG workshop, I would definitely have been a bit sceptical about the process, but it does work :)

I am really pleased with how it looks and would definitely like to have another go at this. Next time though I will increase the size of the mount board slightly, as the current size 7.5"/19cm square is just that bit too small for commercially available frames, so I will need to pay a visit to the local framer to have it framed eventually.

My second New to Me is crafty, but not by me!

On our recent trip to N.Ireland I stumbled across a poster for a textile art exhibition in the Tourist Information Office in Ballycastle. Well, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see that, now could I??

The textile artist exhibiting was Eibhlin McCarry who does the most beautiful work with scraps of fabric and felt embellished with machine and hand embroidery.

These embellished felt pieces representing the Nine Green Glens of Antrim were amazing, but my favourite piece was this one entitled Sea, Sand and Shingle.

Indeed, I liked it so much that I did something I have never done before and rang up Eibhlin on the spot and arranged to buy it! Of course as part of the exhibition it had to stay in-situ until the close, so it is only now that I actually have the picture in my hands. A wonderful and lasting memory of a great holiday.

So that's my New to Me's for this month, now it is your turn to link up and share your successes or failures as we celebrate the trying of something new.

As ever please help to spread the word by linking back to this post in your post and/or adding the blog button to your sidebar.

Check out the other links too and, maybe, leave an encouraging comment along the way. The emphasis of this link party is to celebrate the trying of something new, whether it works out exactly as planned or not, so a little encouragement here and there would not go amiss! 

The link will remain open until 23.59GMT on September 30th, so you have some time to try something new and link up and join the party :) If your New to Me involves a Christmas or Holiday project then don't forget to link up to this month's Ho, Ho, Ho and on We Sew Link Party too, you could just win a Skinny Dips bundle of fabric from Plush Addict for your efforts :)

You will find the Ho, Ho, Ho and On We Sew Link Party this month at Practically Pippy


Looking forward to seeing what you have been up to this month!

An InLinkz Link-up

Ho, Ho, Ho and on We Sew in the sun

Welcome to another nudge to kickstart your Christmas and Holiday sewing, otherwise known as the Ho, Ho, Ho and on We Sew link party!

This month your hostess with the mostest is Karen, who blogs over at Practically Pippy. Karen is a wonderful artist full of great ideas for home decoration that are practical as well as fun, so be sure to check out her blog I know that you will be inspired :) You are going to love Karen's brilliant Mug Rug Gift Card holder tutorial, they are another perfect combination of practical and fun!

Naturally, a Ho, Ho, Ho and on We Sew Link Party means a giveaway too, and this month's giveaway is one lucky linker's choice of a Skinny Dips bundle from the wonderful selection at Plush Addict

 

If you haven't already come across the Skinny Dips bundle, they are well worth checking out, I used one of the bundles to create individual linings for these bridesmaid bags I made for my daughter-in-law last year.

 They were a great way to get a themed bundle of fabrics without having to go to the expense of buying fat quarters.

The lucky winner of last month's Village Haberdashery gift voucher was Benta who linked up her zippy pouches.

Christmas crafting has taken a bit of a back seat this month as I have been enjoying the sunshine in SW France too much to think of sitting at a sewing machine. However, I did manage to finish the counted canvaswork piece that I started a couple of months ago and it is destined to be a gift for my mum when I can find a frame that fits!

The fabric is attached to the mountboard with iron-on interfacing, which was a first for me and definitely something I would like to have a go at again.

If you have made any Christmas or Holiday gifts or Home Decorations this month head on over to Practically Pippy to link them up and you might be the lucky winner of that Skinny Dip Bundle, the Christmas Fabric bundle would be a great addition to your stash :)
The Link Party will remain open until the end of the month so you have plenty of time to get crafting!


As ever, these lovely sponsors deserve a big thank you for their generous support of the link party.

http://www.patchworkelephant.com/

Linking up to