happy housewarming

This week I have taken up residence in my mothers sewing room - which is basically just my little brothers room whilst he's away at university. I haven't sewn anything since I made that quilt for myself last year, which is still one of my my most favourite things, ever. I remember showing it to my friends when they came over and they loved it - mostly because it is made from flannel and brushed cotton, which makes it amazingly soft, and the perfect snuggly blanket slash throw when you're having a duvet day, feeling sick, or just getting a bit chilly whilst watching TV. 

That said, one of my best friends is moving out of home for the first time, and I wanted to get her and her partner something special for their home, and thought making a mini-version that they can have over the back of their sofa, for example, would be really nice. I picked a bunch of these beautiful woven flannels that I thought would suit her, but would also suit her boyfriends tastes, as they're noting too offensive! I'll keep you updated on the progress..!

these are a few of my favourite things

I've been watching The Great Interior Design Challenge (although I am getting a little tired of Bake-off spin-offs!) with my mum this week, and it's got me really thinking about my taste in interiors - I really couldn't think of anything worse than letting someone else design my bedroom or house?! Although it isn't exactly how I would want it, it's as close as i can it, living in my parents house. I spend a lot of time in my bedroom, and I love to have it just right (even if it's not always tidy.. shh), which got me thinking about whether I could relinquish decoration control of my little haven to someone else - the short answer is no. The long answer is.. well, could anyone really know what I want? What are some of the things that I love - natural items, crystals and wood and bark, earthy greens and browns, mixed with white walls and trinkets, old photographs and decorative glassware. But god knows what those designers would come up with - some of the awful things I have seen are fake panels decorated with wallpaper, painting beautiful original fireplaces and making some very questionable MDF shelving. 

Anyway, I am very proud of my little bedroom, and these are few of my favourite spots from around my room. My windowsill, has changed a little, and now features mainly plants, but I still have my vase of pheasant tail-feathers, my jars of rocks and shells, candles, my beautiful cigar boxes and testubes of San-Francisco sand and sea-water.

I am starting to have quite a lovely collection of art, too, including two beautiful prints from friends at my old internship that need to be hung, two paintings made by a friend from university (only one is awaiting to hung) as well as lots of lovely old postcards that aren't visible in these pictures. My current favourite 'Half Full' print that I picked up at free-art-swap in London a few years ago has pride of place, alongside two photos of the Salford skyline that my dad took in the 70's, which I think is now dominated by media city, and lots of framed bird feathers that I have found over the years, including my beautiful green-woodpecker feathers that I found at the allotment, some from my sad little woodcock friend, and pheasants and such.  I am also very fond of soft furnishings, my favourite being my handmade (by me!) quilt which is oh-so-soft and fleecy and will be with my for many a year to come.

quilt life

So here is a thing that I did: I made a quilt. Bit weird, I know, but let me explain. 

My mother has always sewn or knitted or stitched or quilted - as long as I can remember there have always been bit of thread or wool strewn around our living room and we frequently stab ourselves with needles or pins left on the floor.. But it's something that the women in my family have always done on both sides - one of my grandmothers worked as a dressmaker for a long time, and the other made clothes in a factory during the war, and I think it's just one of those things that has been passed down to my mum, and to me. That said; I drove my mum to a fabric shop to look for something she needed a few weeks ago, and this pack of pre-cut quilt squares caught my eye - some of them had bears and reindeer on and leaves and things, plus they were made out of flannel, so unbelievably soft! So my mum sat with me and showed me the best ways to sew them together, and how to quilt it by hand (that's sewing through all the layers by hand - the diagonal lines you can see) and do the binding and such. It didn't really take me that long, but it's not very complicated. You should see some of the things my mums friends do, they're absolutely mad. 

I am VERY pleased with my little quilt, it's super soft and even though it's quite thin and lightweight, its very cosy and comfy and I just love it. I know a few people in the blogging world are getting into crochet and knitting and such and so I thought I would share this! If you want any further details I'm sure I can do that , but please let me know what you think. (: