A little bit dottie...

This weekend I am in Perth. We drove up to the big smoke on Friday afternoon, listening to great music, drinking yummy coffee and eating greasy service station food along the way!

We have a very special reason for visiting the city this weekend, and it involves the homecoming of my amazing long-lost sister, who has been living overseas for the last two years. Tomorrow morning we will all wake up early and head to the Perth International Airport as her welcoming committee.

In other news, do you remember this quilt top I started Aaaaaages ago, back in Kel's first FQ swap???? 

Well, last week I decided to get it out and get it finished, as it is a gift for my lovely mumma, and

I wanted to give it to her...

I had originally planned to replicate the same style as this quilt, but I changed my mind and decided to add some 'dottie angel' inspired 'doily splats' and decorative stitching....

It still is not finished, but the hand stitching I will be able to work on a little bit at a time

every time I come to see my mum...

I plan to embroider a few pretty words on the hanky, and maybe a pair of bunnies, as my mum

and her hubby call each other female bunny and male bunny respectively... or FB and MB, for short. 

I have backed it in a yummo worn out flannelette sheet, you know the kind that has lost all of its fluff... I also added the cute liberty-esque blue floral fabric as I felt that as it was, it was like it couldn't breathe! It was like the colours of a hot dry summer, and I needed to add a little bit of a breeze... if you know what I mean?!! 

I am also thrilled to say that my dottie angel book has arrived!! I picked it up from my dad's house today and it is BEAUTIFUL! I was surprised to open it up and see that the foreword was written by the incredible miss Emily Chalmers (my hero!!) and then I realised that it's not really surprising at all considering how AWESOME both these ladies are AND it got me thinking how much I would love to be in a 'dottie/chalmers' creative sandwich. 

At first I was a little disappointed at the lack of projects to make in the book, instead there is only a handful of 'how to's'... But to be honest I rarely make projects from craft books anyway. I just spend ages skimming over the pretty photos and use them as a source of inspiration. Also, a lot of the stuff in the book has come straight from the blog... BUT don't let that deter you, as the photographs are so gorgeous and having them all wrapped up in this delicious bundle of book goodness - it really trumps looking at the pictures on your laptop. It is, quite simply, one of the most beautiful books I have ever owned.

Reading through the book I feel like I can really identify with miss Tif, her love of crafting and her obsession with vintage fabrics are all things that resonate within me also. I am feeling very inspired by her book, and I am sure that miss dottie angel's influence will become more apparent in my own work, for sure!

Anyway, I am practically going cross-eyed staring at my screen. Last night my small person was babysat while I headed out to catch up with my people. This group of friends, mainly made up of highschool mates and a few who we met later, has remained fairly stable since I was about 13 years old. There was lots of drinking, dancing, catching up and laughing. It certainly was a fantastic night that ended with me going to sleep on my best friends couch at 3am. It even had a 'walk of shame' to collect my car today!! I haven't had to do that in a long time!! I am certainly glad that I do not get up to mischief as often as I used too...

I hope you had a fabulous weekend, whether you love the footy or not, grand final day is always a great day to catch up with your friends!! 

Speak to you soon.

xo