English Paper Piecing and another birthday!!......

Want to wish my mam a Happy Birthday for today...........hope she has a great day.

I was busy finishing of my table topper on Monday.  All the hexagons are hand sewn together, then appliqued on top of the material. I machine quilted it to finish it off. (click on the photos for a larger photo)

This is the front:

This is the back:

Close up of the back:

I was thinking I may sell this in the summer for around $50 to $60, what do you think?

I also finished a small tablemat, it's approx. 8 inches accross.  I hoped to get maybe $10 for this.  This is all hand sewn and has a heavy duty interfacing between the fabric layers........

The front:

The back:

I also took a couple of cuttings from the Fensham Lemon Geranium, again to hopefully sell in the summer.

Did you remember to put your money in your Daily Savings Pot today?

Money Saving Tip:

Looking for a sewing or quilting pattern?  Check the internet there are a lot of free patterns online; or go to the library and check out a book on sewing or quilting.  Same with knitting patterns look online.

Know someone who quilts, knits or sews, see if they will swap patterns with you!

A Happy Birthday and other bits and bobs......

Well it's my baby brother's birthday.  He is 40 today.  Happy Birthday Pete.  Gosh time has flown by.  It doesn't seem like two minutes since you were an annoying younger brother who was always in trouble, and I mean he was always in trouble......he was forever getting a good hiding (spanking)  We fought like cats and dogs when we were younger, but I feel the older we get the closer we are getting despite there being an ocean between us.  Mind you the comment about the gift I sent him wasn't nice..........I sent him a Poor Boy Canada Cap, this one.  They are very hip and trendy, he thought they were for old men.  Guess he's not up on the latest fashion trends, despite the fact that I have seen both George Clooney and Justin Timberlake wear those hats!!!

Laura over at Ten Things Farm has a weekly post where she shows you what she has been working on this week.  I participate and this is what I have been working on:

This is going to be a table topper or centrepiece.  All the hexagons are hand sewn together and are hand stitched on the background fabric.  I will sandwich it together and do a little machine quilting on it.

I am not sure if I am going to keep this piece or try to sell it in the summer?  We'll see.

Did you remember to put your money in your Daily Saving's Pot today?

Today's Money Saving Tip:

1. Don't Over-Purchase

The supermarket is a tempting place where the enormous variety invites you to spend, spend, spend. Try to buy only as much as you need to make a recipe, unless you have something else in mind for the same ingredients over the next day or two.






2. Buy Seasonal Ingredients


This is one of the most effective ways to keep your budget down; when fruits and vegetables are grown locally and needn't be shipped in from elsewhere, their costs drop substantially. So, try to use ingredients at the peak of their season: tomatoes, corn and eggplant in the summer; apples, pears and root vegetables in the fall; and peas, asparagus and stone fruits in the spring and early summer. Not only are these ingredients at their least expensive in season but also their peak of flavor.






3. Be Resourceful


If you develop the skill of using all parts of an ingredient, you'll be able to get the maximum value out of each and every one. For example, finding uses for herb stems or potato scraps, or knowing how to butcher and use all parts of a chicken, can be the first steps to real economy in the kitchen.

All the above tips came from this site