A bit of this, a bit of that .......

I guess that today could be summed up by the phrase "busy doing nothing".  After waking up to yet another misty, dull day (I REALLY hope that the promised sunshine arrives next week!) I decided to hop in the car and pop into Grimsby.  My main objective was ric-rac for the advent calendar (they only had the small sort - I have now ordered the larger version from ebay) but I also popped into Asda for "essentials" such as the special battery for my luggage weighing scales, a book / magazine to take with me etc! 








Whilst I was in Grimsby, I also popped into The Range - why not?  Since I am in "Kitchen sort out" mood, I put a couple of organisational "bits" in the basket.  Once home I then sorted another couple of cupboards (look away now Sewingbuddy!) and put the two different shelves into practice - they actually make the cupboards look half organised!  I now have just two more cupboards to get through before the end of the week!









By now, the new Gail Pan stitcheries had arrived via email so, naturally, I spent some time tracing them and assembling my holiday craft bag.  It doesn't sit well with me to wait a couple of weeks before sewing them - but, there again, I do have that darned waistcoat to finish knitting so I am not going to be doing nothing in the evening.

The final task of the day was to hunt down some mini spools that I will need for the advent calendar.  You know - one of those things that you bought over a year ago for another project but never used!!!  Now of course - you have no idea where they are - other than somewhere in the craft room - until you remember that you had a moment of organisation and put them in a box marked "spools"!!


 


By the way - do you remember my day working as a template designer?  Well, Sewingbuddy sent me a picture of the completed block - looks good doesn't it?  She just has to put a centre on and applique - getting rid of the "ears" at the top.

So - what would you do?

Last night I went to see the RSC live screening of Macbeth - and loved it.  I felt that it was a real classy affair and was slightly freaked out by their use of 10 year old girls holding dolls as the witches!!  For a few hours I felt really cultured!! (then came home and read chick lit!!)

This morning I woke up to yet another grey and drizzly day - I've had enough of this now!  We are promised nicer, sunny and warm weather from Monday - but I will believe that when it arrives!  In the meantime I "warmed" myself up by checking in online for our flights to Malta to pick up the cruise.  The check in opened this morning - so why not?  The check in for our flight home (boo!) opens next Thursday so  I will sort that out then.

Of course I promised the girls a long walk so, coat and gloves on, we bundled into the car and went to the beach.  At least they had a good stretch of their legs there although the low lying mist did make it difficult to see them at times!  Me?  I came back feeling red raw!

Now- to my moral dilemma.  You may recall me talking about making some Christmas presents on Tuesday - and being pleased with them.  Well, on looking at them in the cold light of day, there was an error in one part of one of them.  Surely no one would notice , I argued with myself.  But I would, I replied (I'm losing it - talking to myself like this!)  So I spent two hours this afternoon sorting the problem out - and feel much happier about doing it!


I also made the top of the advent calendar.  I could have bought a "block of the month" but have probably got most things in my "stash " so thought that I would try and save some money.  So far, I had the cream and the check fabric and have just bought the spots.  However a "BOM" does give you an incentive to get something finished rather than putting it off.  Hence my challenge for April is to do the background - check - embroider the advent numbers - check (I found this packet of wooden advent buttons in my stash) - and complete the tree - so that's my next task.  Sadly I now need to buy some ric rac - so that's my task for tomorrow!

A very "Necessary Clutch Wallet"!!

Today was another day "off calendar" (yippee - I am loving these days!) and so I decided to tackle a pattern that I have had for several months and wanted to make - just in case it turned out well enough for the cruise.  The pattern was for something called  a "Necessary Clutch wallet" and promised to hold everything - from cash to cards / phone etc.  Of course - as ever - the cutting out and ironing on of interfacing took most of the morning - although I did then spend half an hour fitting the lock!!




Truthfully, I did know that this project would not be completed in a day and, woop woop, planned to have tomorrow as well to finish it.  However - you know what it's like - you push onto get it finished now don't you?  Am I pleased with it? - Yes.  Will I use it on the cruise? - Yes.  Would I make another? - Yes - but with some modifications and a different fixing.  Now, of course, I am now left with a different problem - what to do with a totally free day tomorrow?  Well I do believe that I owe the dogs a nice long walk - so that's my main priority!  After that?  Well, that much missed red spotty fabric arrived today so I am sure that I could make a start on the Advent Calendar!!


I also manged to pop to Appleby's and hand in my signed contract - along with a couple more Peter Rabbit knitting kits.  Although the gallery doesn't open until this weekend, it looks as if one of the original kits may have already been sold - fingers crossed!


However, the main event for me today is a visit to the cinema tonight for RSC live production of Macbeth - starring Christopher Ecclestone and Niamh Cusack.  Wendy is going with me and we are planning a cinema picnic before it starts (well - she is racing in from work and so is taking her tea with her! I really hate hearing people eat whilst the film is on!)  Let's just hope that I have enough "syns" left over for a Magnum!!

A day of rest!

With nothing in the diary, I turned the alarm off.  The result?  I woke up at 9:05am!!!!!!!  Yikes - by the time I had showered, dressed, fed the dogs and had my breakfast, it was time for the mid morning coffee!

With nothing in the diary I had already decided to focus on some Christmas presents (only 260 days to go!!).  I have been working on aspects of them for a while so it was lovely to set aside a larger block of time to start completing them.  Clearly there are no photos - but I am happy with the progress!




I also managed to applique my March Gail Pan embroideries and cut the background down to size.  It was a "phew, just in time" moment - the next embroideries are due out at the weekend and I am trying my best to keep up!  If they are suitable, then I am planning to take the new embroideries with me on the cruise as a "mini project" - I have dreams of stitching under the sun!  Watch them come back incomplete!!




The other task for today was a continuation of this month's focus on the kitchen.  This week I want to go through every cupboard and sort / tidy / discard!!!!  Well, one cupboard at a time at any rate!  Let's face it - you empty one cupboard, create a mess and then have to find a way of getting it all back in again!  Even I can only stand so much!

Tonight?  Well, I ought to do my Spindle Cottage homework but then I will make a start on my waistcoat back - not long now to that cruise!!

Career change number three!

Well, I've gone from detective to template designer over the weekend.   Today I took another career path - one of IT technician!  This morning I spent a few hours sorting out Dad's new computer - it came set up but then you have to add emails (remembering passwords caused delay), back up their old computer, set up the new printer and test it - and then explain everything to Dad.  As I left to do a quick Tesco shop, I was confident that everything had gone well!

The Tesco shop was so that I had a couple of days at home ahead of me and didn't need to go out.  Of course, it was then followed by Slimming World where, drum roll please, I lost 2 pounds (not too shabby when you consider that I was poorly last week and thought that eating normally would sabotage me) and so need 2 1/2 pounds to reach my 5 stone (5 1/2 overall) award.  Guess that's next week's target then?

Driving home with a smug smile on my face - the phone rang.  "Where are you - could you pop in - Dad can't find things on the computer!!"  Okay - so maybe this morning hadn't quite gone as well as I thought!  However a quick cuppa sorted the problems out and I have left Mum with a duplicate list of instructions so that he can log in and access his favourite documents and sites.  Since they are both involved with their church's holiday club for the rest of the week, I am looking forward to a few peaceful days!

Tonight promises to be calmer - more handsewing but I am nearing completion on a particular present - which always feels good!  I have also received all the information for my "prison block" and have already thought of several ideas.  Now I just need to refine, design and make!!

This girl's still got it!

I woke up, this morning, to an emergency message from Sewingbuddy.  Her sister had bought an expensive "Persian dresden topper" for a quilt block but didn't have the right template for the bottom - could I help her and draft one out?  Armed with the correct measurements, and having watched the youtube clip for a "Persian Dresden", it was actually quite a simple task.  After church I scanned, printed, cut out to check and then emailed it through to Sewingbuddy.  I may be speaking too soon (it has to be made yet of course) - but it was nice to get the maths brain working again!



After that little episode, I popped out to mow the lawn for the first time this year - you know the sort of "take the tops of the clumps off" kind of cut where your mower is set as high as possible.  Having dodged the rain (it started just as I finished) it was a job that I was glad to see done.  I had planned to powerwash the patio this afternoon but those couple of rain spots persuaded me to carry on with the foundation piecing that I started yesterday.  It just felt like the kind of afternoon which required staying in (or is that just an excuse?)  It might have taken me all afternoon - but I managed to not only  finish the two houses for block 2 but I then prepared the rest of the block (tracing for the embroidery etc) and then made the spare two houses that will be used later - apparently.  I must confess to getting excited when I read that - I have done the embroidery for block three and the block needs two houses - problem solved!  Well - apart from the fact that block 3's houses are even smaller (groan!!)  ah well!

Talking about quilting (well - kind of) I came across this today - they are inviting people to design a 6 inch square to be part of a complete quilt inspired by women prisoners in Stafford prison - the completed quilt will be shown at the Festival of Quilts in August.  Well, you know how I am flirting with the notion of designing something for a show - this could be it!  You aren't guaranteed to be part of the final piece but I have signed up (and persuaded Sewingbuddy to do so - Louise, Heather and Wendy - are you game?)and we will see how it goes.  Given that I am going to the FOQ this year, it would be nice to see my square there - wouldn't it?

Playing the detective!

Last night I had a message from a friend - did I know where "Collision Lane" was in our village?  Thinking that this was a stupid name for a road anyway, I quickly doubted myself and checked google maps - replying no, why?  She replied saying that her niece was in a nasty car accident an this was the address given by the other party.  The insurance company couldn't find the address and now they were concerned that it was a fraudulent address.  Coming at it from a different angle, I asked who the driver was - she told me a name which I won't reveal here, but know and who lived on a Lane with a similar but different name.  Knowing the person, I strongly suspect that we are talking about poor handwriting rather than fraud and was happy to help. Not quite Sherlock Holmes - but on my way!

Today was my Scamblesby day and it took me ALL DAY to make two titchy foundation pieced houses from the Lynette Anderson block - now I just need two more, add sky and grass and then embroider - and the block will be finished!!






I had quite forgotten that today was the entry deadline for Dobbo's challenge - where I challenged people to make something from the Christmas wrapping paper.  Most others forgot as well but Pat and Louise didn't.  Pat was inspired to get her embroidery machine out to make this fantastic piece of lace and a tissue box cover, whilst Louise was inspired to make this lovely heart wreath - both winners in my eyes!




Louise also finished off this unique crossbody bag - made from 2 LP's that her father had drilled so that she could sew through them!

Back home and its time to try and loosen the padlock on the shed so that I can mow the lawn tomorrow!  Now - why am I just hoping it won't open!!!!!!!