Dude! Where's My Quilt?

So I've got my Surfer Dude quilt top finished, according to this tute.

Approx. 51" x 55"

Only problem is, my nephew is at least 6' 2", and this quilt will just about cover his ankles!!

So I'm thinking, border, leftover scraps, etc. to eek it out a bit bigger without having to buy more fabric (haven't a clue yet what's going on the back or for the binding).

Need to get the old squared paper and pencil out again to do a bit of maths (groan!!!!!!!!!)

Just as I was going outside this morning to take pics of the quilt, this poor wee sorry sight met me in the patio:

We take a lot of pleasure from the birds that visit our garden, my youngest daughter in particular. We even have some nesting in our boxes this year.  We are just hoping this isn't the pregnant female we've been watching getting the box ready for her new family.  So sad.

A Few Recycling Ideas!

As I patiently wait to find out who my Mouthy Stitches swap partner will be (tonight's the night!) I thought I'd show you a couple of things I've recycled.

Baby daughter wants a doorstop, because her sisters each have one in their rooms, and at the grand old age of 10, she's wanting a bit more privacy!

So take an unwanted pair of gaudy orange Benetton trousers ....

no I didn't buy them, they were hand-me-downs!

 .... some delicious scraps that totally represent the personality of this child, and follow Elizabeth Hartman's tutorial to get this:

Fill with 1.5kg of dried peas, and that's one happy child!

The other thing I've recycled is a shower curtain for when I'm spray basting smaller items.

I don't think I'll ever go back to pinning and tacking again, but spraying smaller items in ones sewing room inevitably leaves sticky residue on mats and surfaces.

So lay down a machine washable shower curtain on the floor, and spray til your heart's content!  

After several uses, when the shower curtain becomes too sticky, simply throw in the washing machine, let it dry and then you're good to go again!

I also reuse clean shower curtains in the linings of wash bags and beach bags!!

So that's your recycling tips for today.

I'm all ready now for my all important flickr mail tonight, got me some of these ...

...and then the stalking begins!

Have a lovely weekend!