pot holders and lavendar bags

With the fabric I got from strawberry fayre http://www.strawberryfayre.co.uk/  several different projects came to mind: -

Pot holders either done in patchwork - a craft I had not tried or applique which I do like doing and which would give me a chance to try simple quilting techniques.  The pot holder idea would also work to stand pots on.

 Patchwork (of a fashion) was the only thing I could think of to do with 400 inch squares of fabrics.   Because the squares were so small this was a nice project to carry around.

 A selection of pot holders ready (mostly) to be pressed. Then to have a layer of wadding and a backing piece added, a little bit of very simple quilting and the edges bound.

  The other project being lavender bags.  I promised my Mother that I would make her some.  I still have a bag of dried lavender from my garden last year and she just wanted plain and simple bags to put under her pillow. 

 These have to have been some of the simplest things I have ever sewed.  Just two squares from a charm pack sewn together with running stitch, no turning right sides out and then filled with lavender and the last side sewn up.  The lavender is still very fragrant - last year must have been a very good year.
 

Back to work

It was back to work today after a week off.  A week in January with mild sunny days.  Whenever I talk about my time off and holidays I always go on about the beautiful places we have been to etc etc.  But there is one place we go to every time we have a break - the local recycling centre/rubbish dump.  It really is every time without fail I am beginning to feel that it wouldn't be a holiday if we didn't go.

I was rather busy yesterday so I didn't get to do anymore on the decopatch cat, Apart from choosing the eyes - I found a pair of blue eyes and a cat nose which were the right size in my box of assorted eyes etc for teddy bears and other soft toys.  I cut the backs off the eyes and the nose so they are ready to use.

This evening I made a couple more lavendar sachets - empty ones so there would be no issues with export.  Because they need to be filled later I have put a fastener on the back and a button for decoration.

 This is a link to a treasury I have made on Etsy.  I love making treasuries mostly because I really like looking a beautiful things.  It is very inspiring looking at the work other people are doing.
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTUzMTc1OTV8MTgyOTAwMTYzMA/secret-delight?ref=pr_treasury

A couple of days ago we went to the City of Canterbury and took a walk in Westgate Gardens, as it is winter the shapes of the trees can be seen - I like trees.
http://www.canterbury.co.uk/Canterbury-Westgate-Gardens/details/?dms=13&feature=1&venue=3030588


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westgate,_Canterbury

As a child I was often taken to the Westgate Museum (which is now open again) and to the gardens by the river Stour.