Hello Kitty Sewing Machine by Janome

When I came across this on Lizzy House's blog, I immediately fell in love with this Hello Kitty sewing machine :)

My first thought was that I can't wait to get this for my little girl when she is old enough to sew. However, I admit that I wouldn't mind owning one just for myself!

The reviews on Amazon are quite positive. People say it's a great little first machine for beginning sewers or for seasoned veterans who want a light machine to take to workshops.  It also reminds me of the Janome Jem that I used to own in the US.

I picture my daughter learning to sew on it in the near future or just sitting on my sewing table looking really cute. Sadly, I think it's only available in the US at the moment but maybe one day!

In Progress...

I got this lovely package in the mail recently from The Village Haberdashery and thought I'd share. I plan to use them all in a quilt (below) with the floral pattern as the large square centers and then the aqua for the little square. I just had to throw in some Pearl Bracelets in there somehow and I really love this pool color. The little girls will be used as the backing.

It's been a long time since I've added any new fabrics to my stash but with the new baby coming, I've been looking for some color inspiration for the new nursery. We plan to convert our existing office/guest bedroom into the new nursery and the walls are currently painted a soft blue. I think the paint color is really soothing so I will definitely keep it as is. Honestly, with less than 3 months until the baby is due, who has time to paint a whole room?

Anyway, here's my inspiration for the quilt: I pinned this picture of a Disappearing 9 patch quilt to my pinterest because I really loved the color combination of aqua and red.

                                                                 Source: threadtales.files.wordpress.com via Elena on Pinterest

I have no idea if I can get this completed before the new baby arrives but if I can at least cut up some squares, then I'll be happy!

A Pod of Whale Softies...

It's new baby season again. Not just mine, but I have several friends who have just given birth or are scheduled to so in the next few months. When I came across this whale softie pattern, by things for boys, I knew I could make time to make a few as gifts.

My 3 year old sat next to me for most of afternoon and she really enjoyed "helping" me sew. In fact, she asked if she could have her own pink sewing machine. My heart melted but I think we have to wait a few more years on that one! She did have a lot of fun helping me fill the whale with "fluffies" though (aka polyfill stuffing).

The alphabet whale is waiting to go off to its new baby owner and the pink one if for my little one. She chose it's yellow eye color from my felt scraps. Personally, I think they look like 2 sunny side up eggs but she adores it anyway ;)

Quick London Bus Cushion

A friend of mine asked me to whip up another London Bus cushion for her son and I was happy to oblige. I sold a few of these during a recent craft fair and still had extra fabric for another.

It's already off to it's new owner :)

Dog's Colorful Day + Do-A-Dot Marker Fun

I had the little one home sick from school this week so I thought I'd share a fun activity that we did together to pass the day.

I came across some cute activities on Pinterest related to the book Dog's Colorful Day, by Emma Dodd. We don't have this specific book but we do have Dog's ABC (also by Emma Dodd) which little miss really enjoys so I knew she would recognize the character. 

I found some Dog printables online, took out the Do-A-Dot markers and let her get to work...

Check out these other blogs for more Dog's Colorful Day activities: Adventures in Reading with Kids, Make Learning Fun & Sunflower Storytime.

New "Mommy & Me" books for the little one...

With baby #2 fast approaching, I've been hunting for books to read to Little Miss in order to prepare her for the new arrival.

These are my favorites so far...

(R) I came across Baby and Me, by Emma Dodd at my local bookstore. It's a sweet pull tab book about a little girl who looks after her dolly as if it was her new baby brother. Little Miss enjoys interacting with the book and learning about all the different things she can do to help the baby.

(L) There's a HOUSE inside my Mummy, By Giles Andreae and Vanessa Cabban was also another great find at my local charity shop. I especially liked this part where the book offers up why Mommy falls asleep sometimes. I think I relate a little too much!

Finally, I have I"m a Big Sister, by Joanna Cole on order from Amazon. I found good reviews for this one all over the web so I'm looking forward to it's arrival.

Again no sewing has been done lately but until next time!

DIY Easter Bonnet

The little one is having an Easter Parade this week at school and we (parents) were asked to make an Easter Bonnet for each child. I'm fairly sure this is an English tradition because I don't remember doing this back home in NY. My family and I used to visit the Easter Parade in Manhattan every year where the Easter bonnets are crazy and fabulous. Alas, this is pre-school, so here's my very first attempt...

Again, times like these beg for a trip to my local Michael's but as there are none in England, I made due with picking up supplies at my local Poundland (hat, nest, pompom chicks & bunnies), Tiger Store (ribbon, felt flowers) and even Butlers (bunny & duck ornaments).

I then used a combination of glue dots and Aileen's tacky glue to affix all the ornaments. The nest and and teal ribbon were sewn on by hand. 

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Here's the bonnet in action...despite near freezing temps!!!

Stay warm folks :)

Knitting & Stitching Show + Soft Monster Toy

I got a chance to go to the Spring Knitting & Stitching Show at Olympia over the weekend so I thought I'd share. I normally go to the show up in Alexander Palace but I was happy to go to this one too since it's not very far from where I live in London. I liked the fact that the venue was small, thus making it more manageable for a preggers lady to do in one afternoon. There weren't many quilts on display though but there were tons of venders on hand of course. 

I only had my phone camera handy so please forgive the shoddy pictures!

 (Some cute ribbon from craftyribbons.com and gorgeous Liberty lifestyle print bags at the Fabrics Galore booth.)

I did manage to actually get my act together and sign up for a workshop this time. I took a really fun Soft Monster Toy workshop so that I could bring home something for my daughter.

(That's my purple koala/monster WIP in the corner)

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I have so much fabric already that I didn't bring home much. Only a fun variegated ball of yarn (soon to be gender neutral hat for baby), some pre-cut hexagons and a super cute charm pack.

All in all, a nice afternoon out despite the pouring rain and I'm really glad that I could attend a shoe in central London :)

It's been a while + Purl Soho Review

Hi Folks. Yes, I know it's been a very long time since my last post. I think I needed a blog vacation for longer than I thought. I suppose I felt a little burned out after the holidays.

But the real reason for my long hiatus is the very happy fact that we are expecting baby #2 this summer. I've been experiencing a lot of fatigue this second time around so instead of using my spare time to sew or blog, I am trying to rest as much as I can.

I hope to get some, ok, any sewing at all done in the next few months but I'm going to let myself off the hook and just do what I can :)

With that, I'll leave you with a quick review of my trip to Purl Soho when I was in NYC over the holiday. Enjoy!

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I finally got the chance to visit Purl Soho back in December while I was in NY. I've been drooling over  their blog for ages so I'm glad I got the chance to actually visit the store. Unfortunately, I have to say that I was a bit disappointed. I guess I was expecting to find some new and different fabrics but didn't come across any.

The store was certainly attractive, but I came away empty handed despite spending a good 30 minutes looking for some project inspiration. However, it was exciting to see many of the actual projects featured on the purl bee to touch and admire.

The verdict? Purl Soho is great for fabric/yarn eye candy but I'm still loyal to The City Quilter for fabric.

 Modern holiday display & wall of fabrics

 Pretty quilts on display

Handmade wool felt ornaments