Yes it’s true I’ve done this before (& perhaps with more style).

But, after the recent footstool & stool adventures I’ve had coffee sack craft on the brain. I really got a kick out of combining the sack & the ground coffee. The clock was constructed in exactly the same way as the Flocked Tick Tock.

It’s always coffee time at our place.

I’m planning on making a couple of clocks for the lovely cafe folk who’ve kindly saved the very best coffee sacks for me.

It does need a bit of refining but overall I’m pretty happy with the prototype & shall pick up a couple more clock mechanisms next week.

Happy weekend all.

& why this quilt is the absolutely perfect quilt for me.

My pink geometric is a long way off & I certainly won’t be able to quilt it myself.

Once I set to work on the green & grey one I couldn’t stop. I pieced the top entirely from stashed treasures … enormously satisfying for me.

Kate said “choose 12 fabrics”. So I did. This was great for me. First I hauled the grey bark cloth out and then pulled the rest together from there. The 12 rule meant I had to push myself a bit. I normally would have stopped after grey, grey, white & black. Probably thinking that anything else would be too much and take away from the bark cloth. I didn’t stop … I kept going with the green, the rust & the fish. By this stage I was feeling pretty chuffed with myself.

Kate said “chain piece”. So I did. I set everything up to make it easy (& fun too).

Kate said “rearrange by rotating, flipping & changing positions”. So I did. I approached this task with great enthusiasm, confident that this step was where I was going to make the geometric quilt my own. I was so beside myself happy with the ordered chaos that presented itself that I rushed straight to spotty to buy batting.

Kate said “pin carefully – basting is very important”. So I did. I spent a back breaking couple of hours on the floor. Luckily I had Nan on speaker phone to help pass the time & keep it real by giving me grief about the clapped out Janome and it’s certain inability to quilt anything successfully.

Kate said “quilt”. So I did. Despite not having a walking foot for the clapped out Janome I forged ahead. I stayed up until past midnight … sort of straight … sort of not … quilting.

Kate said “bind”. So I did. I used the lovely white sheeting that I had used for the backing and then hand stitched it into place with the green to add a bit of interest to the otherwise plain back of the quilt. Of course I was much more in the comfort zone with this task. Content to sit quietly with the quilt on my knee running my stitches carefully (but not too carefully) through the binding and the back of the quilt.

Kirst said “chuffed”.

Thank you Kate for sending me back to where it all began … with lovely Vicki, milky tea, the heater up too high, crap on TV … admiring the skill & quiet determination of a quilter at work.

I heartily recommend the geometric quilt pattern to you all … experienced or not. You’ll be thrilled with the result.

Pattern available here.

with the coffee sack, the hook, the machine & me.

I’m taking my own “have a crack” advice & have listed it in the sometimes shop.

If green isn’t quite your thing I’m happy to make to order. Just drop me an email (in the sidebar or the drop down at the top of the page) & we can work together to make one just for you.

I’m super excited about this footstool. I had an original plan which failed & instead of giving up I stuck with it & I think what I’ve ended up with is actually better than the initial picture in my head (& the old vinyl job too).

It was born out of necessity. The little guy had burst the brittle vinyl on one of my vintage stools. I was devastated & set about making a new cover for it.

Made from a gifted coffee sack & using the sewing machine, my crochet hook, and a needle I’ve managed to make something rather profesh & frankly something I would be willing to pay a lot of money for if I saw it in a shop. Hooray for having a crack & being able to make it myself.

I really had to hold myself back with the embellishment … l kept chanting to myself “less is more”.  Hoping I got it right.  I got the thumbs up from The Date which is massive.  His reaction to my makings usually sits somewhere around a vague nod & a grunt.  I got eye contact & a genuine “that is excellent”.

+ If you are keen on coffee sack craft you should click right here.

+ If you would like to own an addition cushion you should click right here.

It’s all about trouble shooting today.

I had a major fail with the coffee sack & crochet project. The open weave wasn’t standing up at all well to being manipulated by my hands & having the crochet hook shoved & dragged through the fibres. The sack was literally falling apart in my hands.

I was given some sage advice last year … “When things aren’t going right, step away & do something you know you’ll be successful at”.   I did – I went for a run. I’ve realised that I need to keep the weave disturbance to an absolute minimum & am now stabilising like a demon.

I think I’ve got it sorted now. I’d just like to say to any & all who’ve been disparaging about my 15 year old bottom of the range Janome … neither the machine nor it’s driver is the least bit fearful of hessian.

Do pop in & add your link if you’re playing along this week.