Is it wrong to hand sew for three hours straight?

After a good nights sleep I woke up to another grey and overcast day - so what's a girl to do?  Clearly there was housework to do and, after 2 weeks away, closely followed by a weekend away, there was more than usual.  yet the GP bag was calling to me.  My target was to complete the hand sewing panel so I settled down and got on with it.  Lost in the project I suddenly realised that the time was approaching noon - oops!  On the plus side I did finish the panel so it was productive at least. (It is a bit chilly and I would have lit the fire just to complete the picture of contentment but I need a new fireguard!)

Of course the housework was still there so that was the next job before a spot of lunch and then to the sewing machine I was pulled.  One of the post it notes referred to a patchwork block roll.  I had made one at West Ashby but my mother had loved the colours - "that would make a fantastic cushion for my new bedroom"! (if you looked at her comment yesterday you will see that this kind of plea is a regular thing.  Fortunately for her I often indulge her whims!)  So I dismantled the inside sheets and ran a quick cushion up.  Fortunately this plan never materialised so I negotiated its release from Devon and spent half an hour or so returning the roll to its former glory - one post it note quickly dispatched.






Back to the GP bag the hand sewing panel had to then be appliqued to the front of the bag - oops - does that mean more hand sewing on the sofa - oh dear!










Tonight sees the return of the Tuesday patchwork evening class - we are starting to make a "lone star" quilt.  I was looking forward to this until a friend, who is extremely talented, confessed that she had taken her attempts apart so many times that the fabric had frayed and was unusable - oops!  This picture gives you a flavour of the design but I believe that ours will have 4 smaller ones.  I know that you need a jelly roll so I am using this one - Moda "Petit Odile" French General.  Wish me luck!





You know _ I have just noticed - for a girl who would choose blue every time this page has a lot of red fabric on it!!

New ventures start here ...........

Today being overcast and grey, I felt it only prudent to spend some time stroking the purchases that I made over the weekend. I say stroke - but the sewers out there will know what I mean - you just have to stroke and savour them before deciding which project to get started on.  I had had a bad nights sleep - my main issue was overthinking the amount of projects that need to be completed before the end of the year - and before I can get started on these new purchases - cue a wardrobe door full of post-it notes (one project per note) sorted into months - we'll blame Wendy - she said that I needed to prioritise!

The Gail Pan workshops were great - and it was lovely to see her quilts up close and personal (she specifically said that she was fine with us touching them and examining them) - but it did make me realise that I have the pattern and fabric for this lovely Christmas quilt.  I also really love the way that Christine has taken the free snowmen hearts released by Bunny Hill Designs and has made them into blocks.  Sigh!!!  I guess that next year's crafting projects are taking shape as well then! 

I also have blog envy and so will be working on improving mine - so if you start to see changes to the appearance then you will know why.  Whilst I am here I thought that you might like to see some of the purchases that fell into my bag this weekend - what a shame!

So - onto today.  This afternoon saw a new, and slightly scary venture for me.  I was asked to organise a 12 week Crafty Countdown to Christmas to raise funds for church.  Although others are leading some sessions, the first three see me leading the group in some redwork with the aim of making a Christmas decoration.  Having spent all that time preparing kits (remember the ironing of 144 6" x 5" panels)  I was pleased with the response and look forward to next Monday - with slightly less trepidation!

Tonight?  Well it must surely be the finishing of the Gail Pan sewing so that I can begin to think about making the bag up!

Sewing brings you together

Apologies for the later than usual post, and its unusual brevity - I have just walked in from a lovely workshop over in Barrowford, Lancashire.  Led by Gail Pan, and hosted by Patchwork Chicks, the workshop consisted of nearly 20 friendly ladies all working together to produce a stitchery and appliqued fronted bag.  Sounds easy?  After nearly 6 hours I had just about completed most of the central part of the central banner (as you can just about see from the work in front of me)!  However I had also had a fantastic time, meeting new friends such as Jill and Christine on our table and Karen who runs Patchwork Chicks - not to mention Gail Pan herself (in the centre of the photo) who gave each of us a huge hug as we left - we really felt as if we had made some good friends.

As it so happens Christine runs her own blog - Patchwork Allsorts - whilst Gail's blog is here.  If you happen to get the chance please pop over and pay them both a visit.

As for the bag - well you heard it here first - I will pledge to finish the bag by this Sunday - if only so that I can show "Sewing Buddy"!!

Patchwork chicks - wow!

So - as I said yesterday - today Wendy and I set off early to travel over to Barrowford ( a journey of around 3 hours each way) to attend a patchwork workshop.  Mad?  Yes probably!  But we had booked two of these - one at the beginning of August, which was cancelled, and one tonight and tomorrow.  We had agreed with the shop to "save" the cancelled workshop fees and "spend" them today when we came over - boy were we like kids in a sweet shop.  Its not real money if we have spent it already - is it?














We managed to find somewhere nice to stop off and have a coffee - closely followed by somewhere nice for lunch - before heading to the shop.



Afterwards it was straight to the hotel so that we could book in and get our bearings before finding somewhere for dinner.  We are attending a "trunk talk" this evening by Gail Pan - the Australian designer that I referred to yesterday  A "trunk talk" is where she brings samples of her work and talks about her sewing journey - should be fun!  And - with £40 left over from the fees - there will be more opportunity to spend money - go us!





Tomorrow we will be aiming to make this bag - wish us luck!

We're all going on a summer holiday (again!) .........

Okay - first off - let me tell you that this retirement lark is not easy!  Firstly you have to find a couple of hours to pamper yourself at the hairdressers.  Then there's the hardship of shopping in Tesco's when the children are back in school and there's actually room to park and peace and quiet in the aisles!  Then there's the lovely sunny weather to contend with.  If you were at work then you would have an excuse to stay inside whereas I was forced to go out, get some vitamin D and mow the lawn before the rain comes next week - in other words retirement is REALLY hard!

But seriously, after coming home from a two week holiday in Devon on Wednesday I now find myself heading off to a planned weekend away with Wendy at "Patchwork Chicks" - a shop over in Barrowford where we will attend an evening talk and a days workshop led by Gail Pan - one of our favourite designers who has come over from Australia especially.  The Santa cushion that I made last week is from one of her patterns and I love the combination of hand sewing and patchwork.  This is a long way round of saying that my afternoon should have been spent getting ready for our adventure - washing, packing and sorting out the sewing equipment that I need to take.  In addition we won't get back until Sunday evening and, on Monday afternoon, the church craft club starts - somehow this evening I need to iron 144 transfers onto the pre-cut calico, finish cutting the wadding and then glue with fabric spray  the calico to the wadding.  So what have I actually done this afternoon, apart from mowing the lawn of course - I coloured in.  Yes, and for this I blame you Cathy, I spent an hour colouring in!! 





















As I said - this retirement lark is far too taxing for me!!

Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork!!

When I returned home yesterday I was given a large bag of post to wade through - a kind neighbour had popped over everyday to rescue it so that the house did not look unattended.  As you may expect there was a lot for the recycling bin but two documents stood out.  One was my very first pension pay slip - one for the books me thinks!!  I don't know if I mentioned it but I had calculated how much the monthly payment was and I was only out by 31p - go me!

The second document also related to my pension - they had been told to change my tax code and so next month's payment would be £567 less!!!! What !!!!!! - trust me my pension is not so great that I could afford this drop.  To make matters worse they told me not to contact them but to take it up with the tax office in Wales - in writing.  Cue today's activity - a two sided letter, well argued and supported by no less than 5 pieces of evidence (all photocopied - thank goodness for the new printer) to explain why they have got the tax code wrong.  Let's hope that they have it sorted before October 2nd - when the next pension is due!  Thank goodness that everything was to hand - if only you saw the mess that my desk is currently in then you would know what kind of miracle that was!




So - after a morning of thinking, reasoning and arithmetical calculations - it was time to blow the cobwebs off and take the dogs up to the beach.  Katie jumped enthusiastically into the car boot each time - we may have turned a corner there.  I certainly must have done something right - the weather is, once again, lovely - t-shirt weather as they say.  Really, though, I was just trying to avoid tidying the sewing room!





After lunch, and the obligatory nap, it was time to focus on  fitting the new kitchen blind - what a performance!  I couldn't get the mini  hacksaw to work - the blade wouldn't fit in - after looking on the b & q site it would appear that the screw didn't go through the hole at the end of the blade - who knew!!  Then the fittings either end of the tube were different to those screwed into the wall from before.  Lets just say that the inner tube from the old blind has been ripped out and the new blind is on the conservatory table waiting for double sided sellotape to attach it to the old tube - I have had enough!!

I "heart" Tamworth Services

On the grounds that my day, so far, has consisted of a 300 mile drive from Devon to North Lincolnshire I wanted to spend some time praising my favourite service station.

 

Now I know that somewhere there will be a poll of service stations and seem to recall that one in Cumbria often comes out on top - but I want to speak up for Tamworth Services.  Located on the M42 the services are small and functional - toilets, Smith's Costa, Greggs, M & S Simply Food and a sit down eating area - certainly not the shopping mall type that seem to be opening these days.  However , for the past 24 years or so I have driven a number of ways from home to Devon and back - and have tried a number of different services - but Tamworth gets my vote every time for their quality of service and friendliness of staff.  In fact as I drove today, thinking about this blog, I stopped at the services and spoke to  a couple from North Yorkshire who felt exactly the same and always made sure that they stopped there.

Now I know that some of you may be saying - but the services are dirty (Tamworth is not) and expensive - and that is true - a Costa coffee costs more at a service station than in a high street shop.  However as an AA member I get a 20% discount at any MOTO services (which Tamworth is) and so the cost of the coffee is reduced to normal price (as it was mine was free today because I had collected enough points).  In addition I also get 20% off my M &S simply food purchases - who could be happier when they have a discount on their iced spiced bun and bag of Percy Pigs?

So - my question to you today is - where is your favourite service station and would you choose that route just to stop there?  I would for Tamworth!