A little crafty catch up

I've got quite a few larger projects on the go at them moment so it's been great fun to work on some small and really quick little makes.  These actually came about as a result of some furniture make overs that Andy did to freshen up some 'new to us' furniture.  He did such a lovely job, I thought it would be best to add some protective little mats to prevent them from getting excessively scratched.  I like things to naturally age rather than be damaged through neglect, if you know what I mean!!

So first up was this 'Quilt As You Go' runner.  This was a brand new technique to me.  I 'met' Jera via Instagram and I was very inspired by her beautiful quilts, you can see more on her blog here.  I was thrilled therefore when she suggested a little swap, so I sent her some pretty fabrics from my personal stash and she sent me her lovely book..... result! The fabrics I used were all from the very pretty Ballet Rose collection, which I have loved ever since they arrived for the website and our newly painted hall cupboard provided the perfect opportunity for me to use them.

Now I know a pink set of drawers in your hallway is not everyone's cup of tea, but oh boy...... I love it and I love my husband even more for not only agreeing to the colour, but then painting it for me....I knew he was a keeper the moment I met him!

Can you see that cupboard in the kitchen, the white one, well under the lamp is this little mat.......

I just love Dresden Plates...for this one I used a mix of all my favourite 30's Repro's and ditsy prints, which I hand stitched on to some Essex Linen...it makes me smile every time I turn that lamp on!

Just out of sight in the kitchen is our new dresser, a £40 bargain on Ebay...can you believe it?  It was originally orange pine with rather twiddly glass doors, but again with a lick of primer and paint this was the result.   It's now home to my crochet Mandala which I made back here and for the scales to sit on I delved into my scraps to make a simple little quilted mat.

Who would have thought that scraps could be turned into something so pretty.  (I started of with 1 1/2" squares which I made into 4 patches then stitched these together.)

I've also made a couple of gifts.  This little mini quilt was a thank you to gift to one of my friends for having us over for a Halloween supper.  The leaf pattern was from my other favourite book of the moment 'Quilty Fun' by Lori Holt.  Now I know this book is extremely hard to get hold of in the UK, I got my copy at Festival of Quilts. 

If you're on Instagram, Lori is also running a Christmas Quilt Along, using blocks from the book, plus there's been a lovely bonus Christmas Tree block.  We're four blocks in, but they're super quick if you want to join in....Pop in the hashtag #haveyourselfaquiltylittlechristmas to take a peek!  Here's my blocks...

Finally here's a little pencil case I made for Poppy to take her friends birthday party.  The squares were left over from previous projects, and I added the little embroidered name tag.  From experience, I know Poppy loves to receive personalised things, so I hope it was well received.

That's it for now, but I'll be back on Wednesday with the next instalment of the Patchy Heart Quilt Along..... this week it's all about layering and quilting.  I hope to see you then!