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!!!!!!!

It always pay to check!!

Lets start with last night (I haven't used that phrase for some time now have I?).  IT was our WI meeting and I must report that my sweet chilli drumsticks went down well - well, they all went anyway!  I was also voted onto the committee and voted as Vice President - nothing changes for this bossy boots then!!  All in all it was a good evening - I even came second overall in the competition category and was given a little prize.

This morning I could easily have rolled over and gone back to sleep - but it was 8:40am (yikes) and I had to go out to a church meeting!  The meeting was to agree what notices went into our village magazine and lasted nearly two hours - we got distracted! -after which I filled the car up with diesel and collected my prescription - you see, my day has been full of mundane activities!  It was only after lunch that it began to get interesting (if that's what you call it).  You see, it's a Scamblesby sewing day tomorrow and I had planned to start a Christmas wall hanging - just the backing before you start to add the hand sewn details.  No problem - I had cream for the centre, red check and red spots from a previous project that had been planned but not executed and some green for the tree on the centre.  So I started to hunt and found everything - except!  The red spotted fabric was missing - used, I later remembered, for the sides of my blue Ultimate Carry All bag when I ran out of the blue.  With no way of getting fabric here in time, and no wish to go on a mercy buying mission, it was back to square one - but then I remembered.  Last November I prepared two blocks of the Lynette Anderson Seaside Town to take to our Norfolk retreat (they also went to Scarborough!) so I could take them to do - who doesn't love some foundation piecing after all?

Talking about foundation piecing - have you heard the news?  There's going to be a second Splendid Sampler - I'm giddy!!!!  Come on Sewingbuddy - you've got just 6 months to finish number one!

I am confused!

Something very strange is going on - I slept well, work up to the strange sight of a blue sky and a yellow object shining down and the second load of washing quickly completed!  What on earth is happening to me?  Daisy was quickly dispatched to the groomers for her 6 weekly trim and the chicken drumsticks were skinned and marinaded in a sweet chilli sauce (it's this month's recipe from the Slimming World calendar so I thought that I would make them for the WI supper tonight)




With Daisy back home, I raced through the wrapping of birthday gifts for tonight and then took the girls out for a walk whilst that strange yellow ball was still in the sky.  Heck, I even managed to finish de-cluttering and cleaning the kitchen surfaces - all before lunchtime!  Seriously - I think I need to visit my GP.  Something is clearly wrong!!







After lunch, life slowed down a little.  Truthfully I had promised myself some sewing time this afternoon and so put the radio on whilst I tried out the Youtube video to make a 15 minute make up bag that I had meant to make yesterday.  With the machine working, I then started on a couple more Peter Rabbit knitting tote bags - well, why wouldn't you?




And where were the girls?  Well, the door was open to the garden and I was worried at one point that it was too quiet (Millie can be a Houdini!!) - so I went to investigate and came across them both sunbathing by the front door - bless!




With energy levels flagging, I then cooked the drumsticks - along with some stuffed chicken thighs for me.  WI day is always a busy one but the appearance of sunshine seems to help speed everything up!  It certainly makes everyone feel better!  Oops - better go and get the second lot of washing from the drier - soon be folded and put away!

Wowzer - what a day!!

Truthfully I am not, by nature, a spontaneous girl.  I like to know what I am doing (although am happy to change if I am in control of the change!!) and today was no different.  I had it all planned - a day of bottoming out the kitchen, making a couple of Peter Rabbit knitting tote bags and, perhaps, a 15 minute toiletry bag that I had seen on youtube - "just because".  The day started well - I had had a good night's sleep, stripped the bed and washed the bedding - then started on the kitchen - all before 10am.  Then the phone rang!!  "Err - just wondering whether the "kennels" are open the first week in July? the voice said - Mum!  As we chatted about her unexpected holiday in July, I could hear Dad in the background - which is how I ended up in PC world!!  He wanted some advice about buying a new computer and printer - and came home with a new TV!!!


After that bombshell, we decamped to Sainsbury's and had some lunch.  Not being prepared for the outing, I had nothing that was Slimming World friendly and so had some Macaroni cheese (I knew the cheese sauce would be high but figured that the pasta was free) and a yoghurt.  On my way out my guilt overcame me and I asked one of the ladies to show me the nutritional information so that I could come home and work out the syns.  As a comparison I was going to have steamed salmon and a yoghurt (both free),  whereas my pasta n yog combo works out to be 23 syns in total !! Yikes!!  (It was nice though!)  Ah well - fruit it is for pudding then!


A visit to Sainsbury's also gave us a chance to look for Easter Bonnets (yep you read that right!)  My brother runs a children's group and they enjoyed decorating Easter bonnets this year so, when he saw some reduced in Sainsbury's (30p!) he bought them for next year! However he was 15 short - exactly the number on the shelf as we walked in!



Back at Mum and Dad's, I then set the tv up for them and attached their other bits n bobs (think Now tv box etc).  Why do they never make things easy?  I think that I tired poor Dad out - but at least I have left them with a working tv that is big enough for Mum to see from her chair!  I also caught a progress glance at the conservatory.  Apparently tomorrow the electrician will arrive to discuss socket placements and there is an outside chance that the glass might start to be fitted!

Now - where is that dark room?  I think I need it now!

Blue is the colour, ..........

Last night  I was dropping off to sleep on the sofa and so went to bed fully expecting a great nights sleep. How foolish could I be?  Truthfully I did read for a little (and the book did have a disturbing ending) but I could not have foreseen giving up on sleep by 3:30am!!  I got up, made myself a cuppa, shuffled piles of "stuff" around the craft room and then went back to bed at 4:30 - only to wake up at 9:04!!  I felt shocking, and have done all day, but I had things to do etc so got up! (I don't think that the "girls" would have allowed me to sleep in anyway!!)

What was so pressing?  Well,truthfully, a Tesco shop and a stop off at Mum's - I just didn't want to waste the day.  Mum had the conservatory people back - installing the frame and roof.  I am rubbish at judging sizes from just the foundations - but its beginning to look QUITE large!




Back home,shopping unpacked and a beef casserole made (currently cooking in the oven) I started to open the post.  Do you remember that i went gaga over some very expensive Emma Bridgewater fabric and wall paper?  No - I didn't pay the £66 per metre for some - but, err, I did come across the last tea towel on Amazon - so i just had to have it - right?  Given Daisy's penchant for chewing tea towels, this may just end up as a bag instead!




Talking of blue (did I not mention that blue is my favourite colour?)  I was given half a dozen blue eggs yesterday at Slimming World.  I have heard of them, of course, but have never had one so will be intrigued as to whether they are any different from the normal ones!

Given how much my eyes are closing whilst I type this, I don't think that sleep will be an issue tonight.  However, I have herbal sleep tablets at the ready - just in case!

The simplest things .... and all that!

Remember Friday's blog where I wasn't feeling great?  Well, by Sauturday I was floored!  Headaches, dizzy, shaky etc - all I could do was to sofa surf and doze my way through terrible TV (Holiday on the buses, Carry on camping etc!)  After nearly 10 hours sleep on Saturday night, I felt a tad better but not great - so Sunday saw a similar routine - gee, I have never slept so much in my life!!  Hooks and Needles commented that there was a virus going around - and I certainly seemed to have passed it on - Sewingbuddy tells me today that, sadly, she is coming down with similar symptoms!  It's certainly not nice - but the lack of food does help the old dieting!  Stepping on my scales this morning, I have almost wiped out the weight gain from the sewing retreat and have lost 6 pounds since Friday morning !! (Yes I know - it will all come back once I start to eat properly!!)

So, onto today.  I woke up feeling much better - if still a little muzzy - so have taken my time getting back to normal.  First job to tackle was cleaning out the fridge - I know I know!  I have spent some time planning my diet for the forthcoming week and so need to know what was still in date etc and, of course, one job leads to another.  Still feeling delicate (probably the lack of food affecting energy levels by now) I treated myself to some sofa time before running up this very simplistic project.  I wanted a small waterproof bag to put cotton buds in and so used some of my lining fabric to make one.  Hardly worth posting I know - but, after several non-machining days, you cannot imagine the pleasure that I got from completing this!!  I did try to do some embroidery over the weekend but concentrating with your eyes doesn't help the headaches!

Today is one month away from the start of my cruise journey (I have to leave home around 10pm on the second before travelling over to Trisha and Julia to pick them up) and our e-tickets are now available to download (it's real now isn't it?) .  So I did find some time to continue with the outfit assembling - well, I could do that sitting down now couldn't I?

The last activity for today was, of course, going to Slimming World to assess the damage.  It would appear that not eating much over the weekend really helps the dieting effort - as I maintained from two weeks ago.  So that is the holiday weight gone for good - right?