I fell off the edge of the earth...

...and landed in a big pile of fabric!  No I haven't really disappeared off the map, though blogging-wise I might as well have.  It's been too long!

Things have gone a bit crazy over on my facebook page, where I recently announced a plan to sell some packs of fabric squares for patchwork & quilting, and I was inundated with enquiries and orders.  I've spent the last week using every spare minute to cut fabric, I had thought I'd cut enough to have a few spare packs for future orders (for instance, in case any of you lovely lot wanted one) but people just kept asking for them, and if everyone who asked for one confirms their order (most already have) then I'm all sold out!  

I will cut more in future and I think next time I will announce it first here, I feel bad that my lovely bloggy friends have missed out...sorry, it wasn't intentional!  

Here are  a few pics of the fabric mountain I've been climbing for the last few days...

 

 

So, I've finally finished, though I wish I'd cut a few extra - I think I could have sold them twice over!  I'm sure I'll do it again soon, but my cutting arm is tired out so not for a while.  And some of the fabrics that I've included are now running out, so will be going into my personal stash, which means I'll have to buy more fabric for next time - what a hardship!

I hope you're well, and that you have a lovely weekend.  I'll try not to leave it so long next time! 

Rachel xx

fabric, fabric everywhere....

...no, I'm not complaining, it makes me so happy!! Saturday brought me 2 lovely parcels, both presents from lovely bloggers....

a stack of vintage sheet fat quarters and vintage wallpaper pieces from the totally delightful Ada, aka Vintage Sheet Addict...

and, totally unexpected and stunningly generous, a piece of fabulous Dekoplus from my friend Jenny of The Custards...

big thanks to both of those lovely ladies, I am one lucky blogger!!

And inspired by all this gorgeousness (and by the need to make some space in my stash cupboard for these new arrivals) I rummaged in my piles of fabric today and pulled out some summer brights to play with...

Yum!!  Looking forward to getting my sewing machine out soon.  If you feel the need for a patchwork cushion cover, send me a message on this blog or e-mail me at rainbowvintagehome@gmail.com - I love putting fabrics together in unique ways to create one-off pieces for people, maybe you'd like one for your home or as a gift for someone?

Hope you're having a nice day. 

Rachel x

one of the reasons...

that I've been so lazy about blogging this week...

 

I woke up in sewing mode the other day, and didn't want to stop till I was finished...I still need to sew a backing on it, I'm thinking fleece for speed and ease, so that I can get on with the next one!  I've got a friend who's due to give birth any day now, so I want to get a lovely vintage fabric cot blanket made this weekend.

I am really pleased with it, it is not perfect but I have learnt loads in the process of making it. The fabrics are all vintage, and are pretty special - Heals, Marimekko, Graziela, Conran, Dekoplus, Tampella, Boras,scandinavian, barkcloth... the result of 2 years of slightly obsessive collecting (oh dear, I'm such a fabric geek!)!  I'll show you how it looks when it's finished, and hopefully the next one will be in progress soon.
 
If any of these fabrics jump out at you and make you wish you had a cushion cover or patchwork item for your home, let me know -  I would love to make something lovely for you out of some of my vintage fabric, email me at rainbowvintagehome@googlemail.com.  

Hope you've survived the half term reasonably unscathed, the weather here has been pretty vile but somehow we have come through smiling (so far - still 2 days to go!).

Hope you have a great weekend, love and thanks for taking the time to pop in, 

Rachel x

this week I've...

...not had much time for blogging!  So here are a few photos of what we've been getting up to over the last 7 days...

sending parcels (here's one just opened by Hazel)...

 

a magical woodland picnic in the heart of the city ...

 

kissing tigers...

cutting squares for a quilt (totally failing to fight the urge for rainbow order!)...

 

 eating dinner outside...

 

 receiving exciting Finnish birthday gifts...

 

baking cookies...

It's been a wonderful but busy week - I have also enjoyed our local open house arts trail (which deserves a post all of its own), danced and drank cocktails to celebrate a friend's 40th, spent time with friends, sat in the sun at the park, got the paddling pool out, sourced vintage loveliness for one friend's home and another's wedding...and of course that's just the good stuff, there was plenty if day-to-day tedium and tantrums to fill up any spare moments!

After all that I'm looking forward to relaxing this weekend.  Hope you've had a lovely week and that you have a happy sunny weekend! 

Rachel x

baby love

Happy Sunday! I hope you've had a nice weekend, mine has been up and down; F is away and I've got a vile cold which has totally messed with my sewing plans, but thankfully the boys have been generally pretty lovely so I am counting my blessings!

I'm very excited for my good friend Jo, who has just finished work because she is about to have her 2nd baby.  I think I'm going to sew something nice for the new little person, who is currently called Nipper, but if I didn't have the time or the inclination to make a gift, I think one of these would do very nicely...

one of Manda McGrory's stunning new Chevron cot quilts, from Treefall Designs on Etsy...

 

 a lovely bamboo Tree Friends mobile from Petit Collage...

this gorgeous vest by Scandinavian brand Snoozy, from Little Lollipop Kids...

or maybe one of Ellen Giggenbach's cheerful new Board Books from Templar Publishing.

So here we are, Sunday evening rolling round again, F will be back late tomorrow night and I will be one half of a parenting team again, rather than doing (or in the case of housework, mainly not doing) everything by myself.  I'll be so pleased to see him, and the boys have missed him loads.  I have coped fine without him but it's definitely easier and more fun with him here!

Hope you've had a lovely weekend,

Rachel x

what was I thinking?

My lovely partner F has just left for a 5 day jaunt on his own - it was originally my idea as he was stressed with work and needed a break, but now that he's gone I'm wondering what on earth I was thinking!  

So I'm on my own with the boys till early next week - I may not have time for much blogging, especially as F's borrowed my camera (his is a chunky DSLR, mine fits happily in a jeans pocket) - I'm already feeling a bit lost without it!  It's going to be a busy few days, the boys will miss their Daddy and the evenings will feel very quiet - a good time to get the sewing machine out.  I have just invested in a cutting mat, ruler and rotary cutter so that I can cut fabric for patchwork more accurately (I'm always a bit ashamed of the insides of my cushion covers!).

Here's a few projects that I've seen on Pinterest lately that I find inspiring; I think I could manage something along these kinds of reasonably simple geometric lines.

well what do you know, it's a rainbow....

block by Platty 82 via Flickr

love the yellow among the blues....

by  Manda McGrory of Treefall Design

plains and patterns, squares and triangles....

by Rita of Red Pepper Quilts in Australia, inspired by a tray designed by Maria Holmer Dhalgren

Now this is the kind of thing I aspire to in my dreams...it's by Lu Summers of Summersville, and I wish I had a 100th of her talent and discipline, it's so fabulous!

What I have noticed is that most of the quilts that I really like are made up of all or predominantly plain fabrics.  And most of my fabric is really not what you could call plain.  So thank goodness for the ever wonderful Jane Foster, for showing me how to make vintage patterns work in a patchwork project!

So I plan to start simple, use a mix of plains (if I can find any!) and patterns, and I think the time may have come to try something a bit bigger than a cushion cover....wish me luck!

Rachel x