Homepride Flour

Aren't these the cutest boxes of flour that you've ever seen?

DH brought these boxes of Homepride Flour home from a recent trip to our local Sainsbury's. Not only is the packaging adorable and completely retro, they're practical too. The boxes are self sealing which means no more dealing with messy bags of flour and their square shape take up less space in the kitchen.

DH tells me that Homepride Flour has been around for ages in the UK (since the 1920's in fact). How could I have missed these in my local supermarket? I haven't yet cooked with it but I am officially a fan!

Patchwork Hedgehog Pillow

I've been trying to complete a ton of unfinished projects this week and here is the latest one. It's a patchwork pillow using really cute hedgehog fabric and gorgeous fuschia linen.

All the fabrics and pattern were part of a kit that I purchased about 2 years ago but the source escapes me at the moment. I just remember falling in love with all the hedgehog feature fabric and bright colors.

The completed pillow is 20"x20"square and it has a simple envelope closure in the back. However, it's indeed just a simple pieced strip of fabric with solid pieces on either side.

I can't believe that it sat around unfinished for over 1 year!

Introducing "Dolly"...the ClothKits Doll

This week, I finally finished this doll for little miss. She's lovingly referred to as "Dolly" for now but we like her just the same.

"Dolly" is made from a Clothkitty Kikki doll kit, from clothkits. Her dress is made from the Dove and Cherries dress kit, also from clothkits.

"Helloooo!" Dolly...

And here she is before the dress was completed:

 I really like the little bracelet detail...

I really like the concept of clothkits (fabric, pattern and instructions all in one kit) and this was my first kit from the company. It's also the first doll that I have ever made. Plus, it's one of the few dolls I've come across that actually resembles my daughter.

I'm really happy with the results but I didn't find the process too easy.  It's probably just me, but I realized just how much I hate sewing curvy lines and using a 0.5 cm seam allowance. I'm much more comfortable with straight line stitching. Her legs sort of overlap and she has a wonky neck but I'm sure little miss doesn't mind :)

I suppose this is why I love quilting so much!

Retro Bunny Baby Quilt

This week's project was a sweet little baby quilt/play mat for a good friend who is due any day now with her second little girl. She mentioned to me that she really liked handmade items so I thought I'd surprise her with a little play quilt made with some "retro" bunny fabric that I had in my stash.

Since time is precious these days, I decided on a simple stripe pattern for the quilt top and used the "backing + binding" method to finish off the binding. I usually like to bind my quilts with separate binding fabric but I wanted to give this method a try. With help from this tutorial by You had me at bon jour, I found the technique quite easy. In fact, I was able to baste, quilt and bind the quilt in one evening.

Instead of a gift bag, I found this gorgeous tote from my local Cath Kidson. I loved the colors and thought it would be more useful for hauling around baby stuff vs. a traditional gift bag.

Finally as a little reward for myself, I picked up the latest issue of "Ideal Home" magazine. I'm a sucker for nautical themed decorating and this issue is absolutely packed with all things coastal. A perfect summer read :)

Sewing in the rain...

It's been raining all week here in London. Rain means no trips to the park for the little one. It also means that "nap time" is indoors at home.

However, I did manage to take advantage of nap time this afternoon to get some quick sewing in...

Sneak peak of a baby quilt in progress...

While I pieced a few things together, I found that listening to the rain outside was really relaxing. I must try and do it more often. Not hard during British summer!

New Toddler Books for the Summer...

With end of term and the summer holiday approaching I wanted to find some new additions to our book library...

1. I first picked up "WOW! Said the OWL" at my local library and fell in love with Tim Hopgood's wonderful illustrations. 

All by Tim Hopgood...

- "WOW! Said the Owl" (nice introduction to identifying colors)

- "It Was a Cold Night" (good introduction to counting)

- "Tip Tap Went The Crab"

2. A few Poundland (aka "Dollar Store") finds. Yes, each were only £1!

"The Tail of the Whale" by Ellie Patterson

"Oscar and the Cricket" by Geoff Waring

3. And because I like to "keep it real", a Disney Fairies sticker book because the little one is ALL ABOUT the "fairies" at this moment (£1 at Poundland too).

Now let's get this summer started!