Happy Valentine’s Day

Its been an amazing valentine’s Day this year!

I have been the lucky recipient of two gorgeous gifts and they are each very special and beautiful. They mean so much to me. I am on cloud nine or should I just say, I am on
a-cloud
i-cloud !

Yes you guessed it right. HD got me an i-phone 5.

Equally special is my other gift that I won for being the first to complete this house block at the IMQG(India Modern Quilt Guild) Facebook page. Kausalya sent me 5 bright and beautiful pieces of fabric along with the cutest button box I have ever seen—full of goodies ! Thanks Kausalya.

 

A hot pad or a mug rug…

I love the colours in the mug rug/hot pad(am yet to decide if its a mug rug or a hot pad). The yellow, I think, looks lovely in the afternoon sun and the hexagon flower is one from my collection that would have made it to the grandmother’s flower garden quilt.

I quilted the background first, with batting and backing…a new technique for me and am glad the lines turned out all parallel to each other. The flower was the last to get added, completing it with a white border…wanted the border to be subtle so the flower would stand out, not the border !

This makes me feel how the simple paper pieced hexagon flower can be so versatile. So am back to my paper piecing of white hexagons to complete the grandmother’s flower garden quilt. It required almost 600 white hexies and I am around 100 at present.

Connecting to Sew Modern Monday !

 

A day spent with friends…

Its Dusshera today and we decided on a potluck party with friends… actually neighbours, but they are also our closest friends in town. we usually hang out with them.We were supposed to make only rice and mutton curry by lunch time. And I was the sous chef for the day at home. So after waking up kid and doing the housework and breakfast and all (the other regular routine stuff that had to be done by me as house help was on her day off), I settled down for the lunch preparation…thankfully it turned out well.

Lunch got slightly late as we weren’t ready by 1pm but it turned out to be a lovely small party at our neighbour’s place with a relaxed lunch followed by a looongish chat and tea and then driving down to South Mumbai to have ice cream at Naturals…then staying back at NCPA for some ‘time by the sea’ and snaps. We were just testing the new camera and the snaps turned out.
Finally we called it a day and settled down to a movie at home. Dead tired but a day well spent…felt like HOLIDAY !!

This is truly a WIP…a pinwheel hot pad in pink and blue which was to be completed by lunch as I intended to gift it to my neighbour as we were going to her place for lunch. But I don’t know bias binding…hence its yet unfinished. First thing tomorrow morning, learn to make bias binding…

Linking it to WIP Wednesday !

 

WIP Wednesday:Kitchen Towels

Lovely kitchen towels with triple hexagons in contrasting colours. Although the sides are not stitched yet, I wish to complete them at the earliest and send them as gifts to family members.

Owing to the beginning of the festive season here, one of them has embroidered stars.

Kitchen Towels

Connecting it to linky party WIP Wednesday !

 

House Warming

I am very excited about today’s update. My sister will be moving into a new house and I am giving her this key fob as a house warming gift(among other things)!

Key fob

The ribbon passing through the roof would allow her to hand it on a hook like an ornament without the key showing all the time and when she wants the key she can just pull it out and use. Discreet

Linking it to WIP Wednesday and I have another finish to report …
The cross stitch design on the needlebook was done last week so I added a flap to it on the rear for needles

 

Saturday Special: Assam tea

Received a bottle of amazingly strong Assam tea as a gift ! Yipee !

 

Saturday Special:Choco chip cupcake

Moving from banana cupcakes last weekend to choco-chip cupcake. Recipe remains the same—just substituting the banana with choc-chips.

Choco-chip cupcakes

A batch for my sis !

 

Mug Rug Swap Adventure 2

This is what I made for my partner…wouldn’t reveal more details as she might be reading my blog

Hexagon Flower

Its a lovely paper pieced hexagon flower on a vegetable dyed bottle green fabric.

Completed Mug Rug for swap partner

I am linking it to Sew {Modern} Monday !

 

Mug Rug Swap Adventure 2

I received my mug rug today from the Mug Rug Swap Adventure 2…I am on cloud nine! This is the first swap I have participated in and I am extremely pleased to receive this from my swap partner, Sonia. She has added a crocheted dish cloth and book mark along with the mug rug.

Mug Rug Swap Adventure 2

The mug rug is absolutely adorable.What really reflects her skill is that the binding is perfect, all squares match, the metered corners just turn the way they should and the back fabric has actually continued to become the binding. Love it !
The dish cloth of course is too good to be a dish cloth…I am just going to treasure it and put it up on the wall to show off to my friends Have already started using the book mark for the book I just started reading.Thank you Sonia for the lovely things …

 

Gifts Galore

Recently my sister sent me a bulk parcel . Among other things was this lovely silk bag. Its always a pleasure to recive gifts and more so if its something so adorable. The bag is made of a double weave silk which looks peacock blue from one angle and maroon from the other. Its decorated with lovely crazy quilt work. I have put my favourite pieces below.

Silk Embroidered bag

She knows I loved hand embroidered work so this bag is full of gold and silver embroidery,  satin thread embroidery, beads, sequins, pearls—just all of it.

I love the metallic silver embroidery here.

The gold metallic thread looks amazing with the golden sequins. Also I couldnt have imagined pearls to look good on a turquoise silk like it does here.