it’s still winter here in melbourne, but there are some sneaky signs of spring popping up here and there. for example, the magnolia trees are in full flower (i always think the blooms look like flocks of birds perching in the branches of a dormant tree)…

… and little orla has her ears pricked to the sound of birds chirruping outside (don’t worry, she won’t be able to eat any - she’s an indoor cat).

i’m enjoying the cosy, rainy days while i can!

in other news, my etsy shop has been re-stocked with pdf patterns, kits, and a limited supply of needle keepers.

i have some ideas for new patterns floating around in my head, and i’ll be sure to show you as soon as they come to fruition!

essie xoxox

the internet is full of cats. there’s long cat, spaghetti cat, party cat, simon’s cat, and of course all of the lolcats. but my favourite cat on the internet is a very special, very clever cat. her name is paisley, and she draws her own web comic (with a little help from her human, the girl).

through the wonders of the internet, pais, the girl and i have become friends. we send each other parcels from time to time with crafts and sweets in them. it’s like being pen pals! last week i got a particularly exciting parcel from them. inside were lots of nommy pretzel m&ms (now my favourite kind!), some pais-designed valentines, and the most awesome handmade magnet - it’s a portrait of orla!

pais and the girl use photos of people’s cats to make personalised cameo brooches and magnets out of felt. they are the coolest. you can get one from their shop if you want one - and as if you wouldn’t! they are the best! you can also get catnip mice, comics and other great things there. what are you waiting for, go and see!

hope your week has started off happily!
essie xoxoxo

it occurs to me that i’ve never taken a photo of the full completed scrap quilt that i posted about back in august. that’s because a certain tiny resident of this house has taken ownership of it…

if i get a chance to wrest it from her tiny yet determined clutches, i will take a photo!

essie xxx

happy halloween, blessed samhain, happy day-when-you-can-legitimately-eat-lots-of-lollies!

i hope you have some kitties around to keep you safe from evil! mine are definitely on duty.

well… mostly…

essie xoxox

today is a home day.
i am enjoying the company of a little tailless cat…

… and the beautiful posy of flowers that my mum picked for me when i visited her yesterday.

i hope you’ve got some equally beautiful things to enjoy today.
essie xoxox

my friend siobhan is making her first quilt! she’s using a gorgeous selection of liberty of london fabrics, and it’s been so fantastic to watch it come together.

as we speak, she’s pinning her ‘quilt sandwich’ together on the floor of my study.

ioan has been trying to ‘help’…

but that got him ejected from the room pretty quickly!

how great is it to have amazing friends who share your interests?
essie xoxoxox

we have a new family member in our house. her name is orla.
she very special, because she has no tail. it was damaged in an accident, and she was abandoned because her owners couldn’t pay for the surgery she needed.
she was taken in by the amazing ingrid, who nursed her back to health, and looked after her til it was time for us to find her and fall in love with her.

we are having lots of cuddles, and doing a lot of tandem loafing.

essie xoxoxo

my sajee finally has her own quilt, and she has our friend lili to thank for it. lili posted a photo of a cushion she was making using string blocks, and i thought it looked kind of great, so i had a go at it myself. it got kind of addictive, and this was the result:

i used heaps of scraps, and some carefully selected fat quarters, and i think it came together pretty well:

the backing is quite simple, to contrast with the super busy top:

and the blue contrasts nicely with the oranges and yellows:

but most importantly, it gets the tiny dog’s tick of approval:

i’m working on a pink and green one for myself now!
essie xoxox

p.s. if you want to have a try at a string quilt yourself, here are a couple of tutorials:
1. the sometimes crafter
2. p.s. i quilt

do you have a pattern that you come back to time and time again, because it’s just so great? i have a few, and the ‘library bag’ pattern by leanne of leanne’s house is one of them. i’ve made it for friends, i’ve made it for aunties - and most recently, i made it for one of my teachers:

we’re having a quiet day at home today. exams are over (hurrah!!!), it’s a lovely wintery day, and later this afternoon we are going to take this little beastie to the groomer:

i wonder how she will look once she’s all de-scruffed…