Saturday 7 June 2014

Wooooo weeeee woooo

That was the Dr Who theme tune... did you get it?  Mr CA had a birthday at the end of May.  He's very hard to buy for and his wishlist is very uninspiring.  I needed a plan.  5 minutes on t'internet and 2 tickets were booked for the Dr Who Experience along with a hotel in Cardiff.  Now I wanted to add some homemadeness to the mix.  The next day (after I bought the tickets, not the day after his birthday, that would have been pointless) was the Guild of Modern Quilters of the East Midlands meeting, conveniently held at Stitchcraft... a quilt shop.  

I took the free pattern for a Tardis very generously shared by Trillium, and off I went.  Fabric bought, sewing machine out, massive mess around me, a Tardis was born.



It's paper pieced, though I think that's obvious!  If I'd only thought about it earlier, I could have done some embroidery on it too.  Want to see the back?



No?  Ah well.  I made it up into a zipped pouch.  Quite a large one as the block is 10".


Some stash fabric for the back...



Some more stash fabric for the lining...



One fat quarter wasn't enough for the lining, so I used 2.



The birthday arrived. The pouch was handed over.  Know what he said?  "What is it?"  Well Mr CA, quite clearly it's a Tardis.  "Yes, I know, but what is it?"  

Birthday present FAIL.  And that, ladies and gentlemen, marks the last time I will ever make anything for him.  Ever. 

23 comments:

Christine said...

Men! I think iot's fabulous

Jacqueline said...

Only a man could say that. It makes me feel like knitting my husband a pair of socks for his birthday and oops, making one 2 inches bigger than the other!
I think you have created a wonderful gift and I'm not even a fan of Dr Who.

Margaret said...

Oh dear! You mean he doesn't know that he should put his stitching into the zippered pouch ;-) I hope the trip to Cardiff was a roaring success

Pam @Threading My Way said...

Typical guy!!! If you relent, next time put a note with the gift to tell him what to use it for. I think your Tardis zippered pouch is AWESOME, Wendy!!!

JoJo said...

I have a lot of Whovian friends who'd love that pouch! So when is the trip to Cardiff?

Rachel said...

Regrettablyy, sometimes all that painstaking ingenuity is not as much appreciated as it might be!

Aunt Marti said...

Oh Wendy! That reminds me of the time my DH picked out a quilt in a shop, and I bought the kit in secret. I made the quilt, and when it was finished, he said "Well, that's not my favorite of all the quilts you've ever made." But I bought the KIT, it's the exact same fabric as the one in the shop that you really liked!
I gave that quilt to a friend.

Anna said...

Really nice !!! My daughter is a fan of Dr. Who too...
Have a ngreat weekend !
Anna

Sandra :) said...

I think it's cute, but guys are a different species - they're definitely from a different planet, anyways! I rarely have success making anything for my guys. My one success was a New England Patriots (football team) quilt with matching throw pillow, for DS1. He also fell in love with one of my earliest quilts (which wouldn't even qualify as a quilt, it was so badly made) and still uses it. Quilt for DS2 was "too hot". Pillowcases with beer bottle fabric got put in the linen closet. Denim first aid zipper bags (they're in construction, and frequently come home with cuts and slices that they've wrapped with toilet paper, then covered with black tape!) - laying in their closets. I haven't tried sleep pants - those actually might be the one thing the kids would use, but hubby wouldn't. I don't make hubby ANYthing - he doesn't want anything (gift cards to the beer store are accepted though, lol) and wouldn't use anything I could make. Little boys are fun to sew for though - I think once they hit puberty they're permanently in the difficult stage, lol!

Sarah in Stitches said...

LOOOOL... They're quite ridiculous, aren't they? I'm knitting my husband some house booties at the moment (photos will be shared once they're done) and his comments are hilarious. I think you did a fantastic job! :D

Katherine said...

LOL... really the last time ever? ;o)

Belated happy birthday to Mr. CA!

Thought your Tardis block turned out pretty awesome, Wendy. Sure he wasn't just messing with you a bit?

Sheryl said...

You are not alone. My DH has a whole collection of 'what's that for' gifts collected over the years. Just as well you didn't embroider it. Lovely work.

Nancy Lee said...

I think it is brilliant and I want to know where I may obtain the pattern for the clearly obsessed Whoians here in my house. Perhaps if you had included a note book, some first aid stuff, and a granola bar or two you could have called it a time whimey emergency kit?
The Dr. Who Experience was checked off Miss B's to do list last bank holiday. So jealous!
Give Him some time. He will eventually see how awesome it is that your create gifts rather than buy them from a shop.
Happy Birthday to him, and please, let him live to see another. :-)

Unknown said...

Send it to me!!!! I love it and I'd appreciate it!!! Here's a big hug to you, you deserve it for making such a fantastic gift! Men, they just don't get it!!! Chrissie xxx

margaret said...

MEN what more is there to say.

Jane said...

lol, he just needs a little training. Well done on getting the tardis pieced, it looks brilliant

Maria said...

LOLLLLLLL Men!!!!!! I think you did a fabulous job.

heart of charnwood said...

Oh i would have been totally arsed off at that comment, it looks great, well done!

Ella and Nesta said...

Maybe he didn't have his glasses on...

pennydog said...

Yeah that's cos pouches need to have PURPOSE innit? If you had said it was for something specific (it's a pouch for dirty socks when you go on holiday or it's a Doritos cosy spring to mind lol) then he'd have totally got it. I think anyone who doesn't make "stuff" would be exactly the same, even very grateful ones, he's just comfortable enough to ASK the question in the first place! You're welcome, Mr CA.

Joy said...

Aw, men can be so darned unreasonable can't they! Never mind Wendy, you did a great job and the pouch could be very useful to him if he'd give it a thought or two. Ah but we love them still, don't we - don't we? Have you forgiven him yet? I hope the show was enjoyed by both of you and the accommodation was great! xoJoy

Jo Ferguson said...

A few years ago, I made a table runner for my dad. He lives in a different province so I mailed it. When he opened it he asked me "What is it for?". I told him "It's a table runner." He responded "That's what I thought it was but I wanted to make sure you knew what it was." I responded politely "Yes, Dad, I knew it was a table runner, when I made it." He seemed happy with that. It was the last gift I ever made for him.

Sheryl said...

Hi wendy, you are not alone - my DH has a whole collection of "what's it for" gifts collected over the years. Nice work.