Dotty Locket's Birthday

So my lovely Dorothy is now 11 - incredible!

And she's off to big school next week!!!

When asked what she wanted for her birthday she said

"Um, books please!..............................................then if you need any other ideas I'd quite like some books ......................and if anyone else asks then books would be good! ............................. how about books? And if you're really not sure what to get then I'd love some books!"

What a sensible girl!

Can't think who she takes after!

Her wish was my command

a jolly good stash of books from various members of the family and more books bought with birthday tokens from friends - should keep her quiet for a while (hopefully!) and then I get to read them all!

She also got some artsy crafty things from us, beautiful clothes from Granny and Grandpa Dog (and a book!)

(one of Dot's new dresses and a new dress for Daisy too - doesn't mum and dad's garden look lovely?)

and lovely cooking things from Granny and Grandpa Biscuit


including this gorgeous cookery book as recommended by Clare - the recipes are fab!

as well as an MP3 player full of great music (that I REALLY want for myself) from Ally and co and lots of other lovely things from family and friends.


One of her absolute treasures is this Phoenix Trader Recipe Box from my friend Jane - Dot has been busily transferring her favourite recipes onto cards to put in it. She's becoming a really good cook.

So far she has received 5 home made presents.

(Fred looking rather strange here!)

The best being this gorgeous collaged picture by Daisy and Fred made out of old Country Living magazines (I really enjoyed helping them with this and Dot was banished to the kitchen to cook us scones and cakes so she didn't see what we were up to!)

I made her this butterfly from the Melly and Me pattern Blossom - such a fun thing to make

and then kitted her out with new things for school:
a patchwork pencil case with my very first inserted zippy pocket (wonky but functional!)


a co-ordinating wallet for her dinner money, bus pass, library ticket etc


and the piece de resistance.................................... a new school bag


(because she was worried that her old one would be too "bright and cheerful" for secondary school with her all black uniform!)


I loved sourcing the fabrics for this one and putting it together even if it did take 8 hours and still needs "tweaking" with some decorative red buttons for the front flap and a few more rows of top-stitching to make it super-strong (once I've replaced all the snapped sewing machine needles!)

(it's not really wonky - well not that much anyway! - it's just the way the flap has been put over)

It's fully reversible so she can have a "bright and cheerful" side too and has a gazillion different pockets (more zips - thanks to this tutorial over at U-handbag)


and pencil holders etc (the Russian doll bit in the next photo)


It has an extra wide strap but it can easily be folded over to make it narrower and it is nice and thick so it shouldn't cut into her shoulders - no matter how many books she puts in it!

Hopefully it will be sober enough to be "suitable" for secondary school but funky enough to pass muster with her peers (who will probably have designer labels instead of homemade!)

I've never found it easy to fit in with "the crowd" and I know Dot feels "different" too sometimes - what I would like her to be able to feel is "original" and "individual" instead.

I still need to make her a matching pencil roll and a P.E. bag - hopefully using this tutorial, and at the same time I am pootling away with some more mini-quilts. I started this one

originally for Sally-Ann who sent me this gorgeous Camper-van quilt. This caravan was going to be my "alternative camper-van" and is from this fantastic book by Anni Downs of Hatched and Patched. But the more I thought about it the more I realised that as the owner of the fabulous Daisy, Sally-Ann would probably prefer a real camper van quilt so I have started something different for her. So if any of my remaining mini-quilt-swapees fancy a flower-power caravan quilt then just let me know - it will look a lot nicer when it is finished I promise! (and I'll even iron it too!!!)

And if you've got to the end of this mammoth post then you clearly deserve a medal - so go and ask Trashy who she has put in charge of medal-making cos I haven't got any!