That was 2013

Another year almost over! Who can believe it? The last few months of the year have been particularly manic, and added to that has been my return to work a month ago (I took this year off on long service leave, it went by in a FLASH). Needless to say, I tried to squeeze in a bit of sewing, not anywhere near as successfully as I had hoped for, but nonetheless, I did my best.

I've taken on quite a few new projects this year, all big ones, and haven't really ticked much off my to-do list (including both the ones that were already in progress last year, and the ones I'd planned but not started). I did finally eke out a sleeping bag for each of my three kids - long-promised. Above is Elli's, pink of course! The pattern is by Flossie Teacakes and was very easy to follow. I often hesitate to sew little projects because I find them so fiddly, but this was not at all. I made all three in just a couple of hours.

The Marcelle is finished and currently in a state of half-quiltedness. Hopefully I will finish it in the not too distant future. This quilt did my head in a bit. I was glad to see the end of it!

I've made two Anna Maria Horner St Louis 16 patches this year, one of which is on our bed, the second still needs to be quilted. Such a great pattern (and quick!) and perfect for throwing together a huge bunch of your favourite fabrics.

I've been quilting along in the Amitie Bring Me Flowers block of the month. I'm only about two months behind, which is not too bad! Lots of applique in this one, my favourite!

I learnt to do paper pieced letters - and I love it! These ones are for Catherine.

Another one awaiting quilting, a simple subway tile pattern made up in Floressence (by Art Gallery Fabrics), with a few others thrown in. I love this one so much. This will be going to live with my aunt.

Finally, you might notice in the sidebar (and if you follow me on Instagram you may already know this) that we now have a shop! Jeannette and I started Polka Dot Tea Fabrics in October. We're running a little store on Etsy where you will find a selection of gorgeous Japanese texty, floral and geometric prints, and some other goodies. We're building up our stock of Michael Miller Cotton Couture solids (our absolute favourite solids - so lovely and soft and beautiful to sew with). If you're feeling the need for a little post-Christmas fabric shopping, pop on over and have a look. We have a sale on at the moment - just enter January at checkout for a discount of 20 per cent (minimum purchase is $24). Sale finishes on 5 January. We hope you'll come and have a look, and especially for my fellow Aussie readers, we'd really love to encourage you to shop locally! Particularly as the dollar is falling at the moment, it's going to become much better value to keep some of your fabric custom at home. Thanks to everyone who has supported us so far. 

Happy New Year!

Danielle x