9 Patch Perfection

We've been talking about the attractions and problems of hoarding on At A Kitchen Table (the lovely parenting forum where I hang out).  I'm not really a hoarder because I really don't like clutter, but you wouldn't know it if you saw my house!  It's overflowing with fabric, yarn, craft books, magazines, buttons, and all sorts of crafting ephemera.  Partly it's because our storage is really limited, but it's also because I really can't bear to throw away anything that is bigger than absolutely tiny!  So I am hugely keen to get going with some patchwork to use up some of the masses amounts of scraps that I have 'stored' in carrier bags...  I'd quite like to make some 9 patch and log cabin pin cushions, and maybe, if I have some bigger pieces, I could try some proper-sized cushions...

I've been browsing on Flickr for some 9 patch inspiration...  Look at these beauties!

1. 1930's 9-patch quilt, 2. Nine-Patch Quilt, 3. crazy9patch11, 4. Hugs & Kisses, 5. 9 errrr.....10 Patch Baby Quilt, 6. 9 A Day Quilt Along, 7. scrap 9 patch close, 8. crazy nine patch quilt

So, what are you guilty of hoarding?  Tell me all about it!  I was actually thinking of doing a hoard-busting challenge (with a prize of course - maybe I could declutter some of my craft books!) - if you're interested in playing along, please do say (you're not committing yourself - just expressing an interest!), and I'll try and think of some rules...

Before and After...

I came downstairs this morning to this terrible sight in my living room.... I've only used a tiny photo in an attempt to cover up my shame, but it's still pretty terrifying isn't it ?! This is pretty much what happens every time I put together a patchwork block. For this particular block - a Log Cabin pattern - I needed 4 co-ordinating lights & 4 co-ordinating darks, and first I had to decide which shades I had to use. Blues and greens maybe? Purples and greens? Reds & purples? Then I had to come up with enough fabric each of my chosen colours. And that, of course, meant getting out practically my entire fabric stash, unfolding it, trying different combinations, then trying more different combinations..... well, you get the picture. It's all tidied away now and, best of all - it came out happily in the end:

Prototypes and Being More Organised!

Have I mentioned before how much I love my needle book? Err - yes! About 100 times... It's just my favourite thing - practical, pretty, cool and always easy to find in amongst my crafty clutter. Recently I've decided that I would really like to extend the range of needle cases and books that I sell in the shop. I have a sweet little one using some yummy Kaffe Fasset fabric currently available, and they've been good sellers from the start.

So, I've been experimenting with something slightly different and here's one of my prototypes! I am really pleased with it - it's one of those projects where the finished product is actually fairly similar to how I imagined it might turn out. The foundation is thick pink wool felt. The cupcake case is a scrap of fabric recycled from an old Gap shirt, and I've crocheted the icing, using lots of different height stitches to create a swirly effect. I've added a red button for the cherry and some tiny beads for hundreds-and-thousands (sprinkles!). The pages are going to be creamy white felt, but I have to confess I haven't sewn them in yet...


Thinking about the usefulness of my needle book and reading Caroline's recent post on the subject of the Really Useful Box, makes me realise that my crafting experiences would be so much more fun if my various stashes and bits & bobs were better organised. What do you do to keep all your crafting stuff under control? Give me your tips!