I meant to blog, honest!

My days have kind of crashed into a sofa-coma as soon as the kids have hit the hay this week.  I have been sewing; drilling a nice big hole into my middle finger with all the hand-stitching and binding I have been doing.  I'm not too happy about that, so I'll be on machine duty for a few days.

I took photos along the way, to prove how productive I've been though…

This is a Father's Day cushion for my Dad.  I spent most of Sunday pulling and cutting fabrics, over-thinking some of the fussy-cut text and generally trying make my super-sized She Loves You block from Jen Kingwell's Quilt Lovely, perfect.

I managed to get a couple of flower heads onto my Amitié BOM over the weekend too, and today I had a good go at the sky of my #mysmallworld…

I am starting to have palpitations about the end of year teacher gifts, with dear son moving up to middle school, I have to go large!  And I have a couple of must-do projects to get off the ground too, so no time for slacking.

So that's where I am at.  If I go silent again, I am likely to be stitching sleeping xxx

Progress…

I love being able to see my Amitié BOM quilt progressing; I took this during the torrential rain this afternoon…

… and now I only have 2 more leaves to appliqué.

I am hoping that over the weekend I will be able to top those stalks with flower heads!  I have swapped out the very curvy flowers from the pattern; check instagram for amitiemysteybom2014 to get an idea, and will be using the, what I call, double Jen Kingwell flower ovals, which I can cope with!  After the hash-up I made with my claw-like centre leaves, I won't be making the same mistake again!

It did amuse me when I did all that cutting on Wednesday, how, when the BOM began, I was picking the exact fabric as shown in the monthly photo guide, too scared to deviate, but now… what the heck!  Confident?  Over-confident?  Time will tell.

So have a great weekend everyone; I am hoping for a mix of sunshine and showers sewing xxx

We'll Meet Again...

Dear son was doing the evacuee and songs from the war effort type things today…

Fortunately we couldn't locate a nice wooly tank top, otherwise he would probably have passed out in the heat, (got to love a sudden Summer!).

I, on the other hand took part in our work's Wellbeing Awareness Day, sampling some raw chocolate delights, and then a relaxation half hour, before coming home, to some lovely fabric mail from Justine & Lisa…

Pretty good for a Thursday x

I did it, I did it!

All 22 blocks made…

Woo Hoo!!!

I also cut all the remaining pieces for Months 2-5 that had been awaiting extra fabrics from future months or that I had generally slacked on!

It's a bloody good feeling to be at this stage - cutting and marking up for hand-stitching is such a long-winded affair, and definitely not my favourite part, BUT getting so much done in one go is great.  I am good for about 6 months solid hand sewing now!

More prep...

I am on some sort of quilt-nesting mission right now.  Today I have prepped the whole of month seven of the Amitié Mystery BOM, having prepped the hexies for month 8 already.

I am going to machine-piece these, in-set seams 'n all, and in my head they will be perfect!!  And I am going to get all 22 little blocks made tomorrow.  That's if I am not distracted by the sunshine, my new book or some other shiny.  Tesco are also meant to be delivering back the Hudl, so we'll see how that goes, eh! xxx

Getting caught up...

I hope you all had a lovely weekend; we had a kid-free couple of hours on Saturday, which is always good, and managed to have our first BBQ of the summer yesterday, woo hoo.

I cut another 96 hexes for another Amitié Mystery BOM border, each from a different fabric…

I am planning on saving the two hexie borders for my holibobs, to appliqué on if/when the mood takes me, but I will baste these at my leisure and look forward to finishing them off.

I also finished the book I have not been reading since about September!  I have about a dozen books piled up ready to read, and I am loving being able to lounge in the sun and see what is in front of my face, so happy!

This evening I made my Stitch Tease Bee blocks for Di.  These, from an Ashley - Film In The Fridge tute were super easy and nice to make; thanks Di!

I now have to just get the Inbox under control, well you can't have everything!

Purple Friday...

Over breakfast the girls remembered that they had forgotten to bring a party invite home.  The party is tomorrow!

So this evening I did the swift pulling, cutting, sewing thing.

I midi-sized Svetlana's Lola pouch pattern for the 8th birthday girl…

I managed to get this all done whilst the girls were at Brownies, having stitched on 10 more badges before they went.  When they came home, they had Thank You flowers for my help at the Pack Holiday.  They are just schmoozing me for next year no doubt!

So another week done, and a busy weekend ahead, I hope you have a good one too xxx

Finishing touches...

Just the binding to stitch down, and my Instagram #1000flyingfollowers giveaway prize will be finished…

Please don't feel too neglected if you are not on Instagram, in a month I will be celebrating my 5 year blogiversary, so I'm sure I will be whipping up something for yous then.

PS. The Hudl was collected at the second attempt, after yesterday's cock-up, a teeny consolation x

Good with the Bad...

I topped 1000 followers over on Instagram today!!!!  I am obviously celebrating with a giveaway, so if you haven't ventured to the dark side, now may be the time.  I am @mrsflyingblind in case you didn't know.

Last night I cut all the pieces, and today I pieced and hand quilted a Small Wonders cushion top from Jen Kingwell's gorgeous Quilt Lovely.  I loved making this…

I also spent the day waiting for a DPD driver to come and collect a faulty hudl (tablet), note to the driver, THIS IS NOT MY HOUSE!!!

And Tesco, you then wasted another 2 hours of my life being unable to comprehend that I could possibly need to go to work, do the school run, yes, twice a day and not be able to be home 24/7!

The freezer door being left open, and the whole contents now residing in the dustbin were the perfect end to the day.

I'm going to bed xxx

May Mojo...

Well you would be forgiven for thinking that my mojo has returned!  In May I started on the awesome #mysmallworld QAL and this in turn, along with my new super-duper x-ray specs, has got me back into my Amitié BOM stitching, which I am loving completely!

I didn't realise quite how much I was in denial about my eyesight, because what I was fearing was becoming a 'chore' has become a joy again; the frustration of not being able to thread a needle is a thing of the past!!

June will include a bit of ageing, and what feels like a million kids' activities, events and meetings, so we'll see how the stitching goes in the 5 minutes I might get to myself.

Linking up with the other stitchy folks at Fresh Sewing Day.

Shattered...

Me more than the girls, if all the chattering still going on upstairs in bed right now is anything to go by!

But hey, a good time had by all, a dozen more badges to stitch on, but at least the washing is done already…

I was also able to do a bit of doodling on Touchdraw today or the first time in ages, between the Tesco delivery, making chocolate flapjacks for Cub Camp and re-tie-dying the girl's crafty Ts for them.

Can't believe it is Friday again tomorrow, Half Term really hasn't been long enough, I haven't even had the sewing machine out (yet)!

It's all so quiet!

I got home from my night and day on the Brownie Pack Holiday last night feeling like I had done an international flight after a spot of marathon running!  Absolutely exhausted and loving the silence.  Excited son and husband were at least 700 decibels quieter!

The weather was kind, the 17 girls were generally fun to be with, and I got to play with fabric in the form or making Elmers!  There was very little sleep for anyone, but I managed to get my hexie rows stitched together at about 11pm and drank my way through about 12 tiny cups of tea.  I left just as the tie-dying was getting rinsed and the Tuck Shop Haribo was wearing off.

It was fun though, although today, getting Cub Camp gear ready, sewing on a few more blanket badges, relaxing in the sun for a bit, then watching The Hobbit and taking it easy with dear son, was the perfect antidote!

Tomorrow the girls will come home, the washing will pile up and the squabbling will return, but for now I am happy with the comfortable silence, and a really big mug of tea x

Let this be a warning!

DO NOT leave all the badges in a pile for a year, and then think its a great idea to get them all stitched on the camp blankets in one hit!

Ta dah though!

1hour and one sore finger later!

I now only have 4 new ones to stitch on to their jackets, then I can tackle the Cub blanket!

So Happy Bank Holiday weekend everyone - I won't be blogging on Monday as I will be away with the Brownies, so hopefully I will be back and enjoying the peace and quiet on Tuesday evening.  Wish me luck!

Bee Forgetful...

I realised (thankfully) whilst wracking my brain cell trying to think of something to post today, that I haven't shown you the Bee blocks I made for Stitch Tease this month for Val.

These are those perfect Bee blocks that you would never, ever want to make a whole quilt of yourself, but by delegating to the muppets happy friends in your Bee, you get all the pleasure with limited pain yourself!

I do like making blocks like these, and although these would only measure up to being two 12.5" blocks if joined, they felt like way, way more!

With Val's fabric colour requests, (the bottom teal is really teal, not blue), she is sure to have a stunning quilt x

End of Part One...

A day at the machine, with a little hand-stitchery in there for luck, and I have Part One of My Small World completed.

I am loving this, I really am.

So the final section came together without any dramas; I appliquéd the petal block and little doorway, but machine stitched the cat flap curve at the bottom!

I wish I had a load of top tips to share, but I didn't do anything too special.  However:

I pieced the sky by cutting 1.5" strips of all my low volume fabrics, and then joining them in pairs, cross-cutting 1.5"x3" pieces, as they are far more machine-friendly, and over the whole sky the repetition will really not be noticeable.

For the tiny (2" finished) pinwheels I cut pairs of 3" squares, stitched round the outside with a 1/4" seam, cut across both diagonals and then trimmed to 1.5" square after pressing; I did the same with a 6.5" square for the larger pinwheel.

I also used the quick HST and twist method for the QSTs, rather than cutting all the triangles and having a bias nightmare.  This makes two, but as there is another in a later section, something tells me templates were not used!

All obvious I'm sure.

No prizes if you can spot the block I inadvertently flipped; I am not in the slightest bit niggled by it, as I think I will be swapping up some of the blocks as I go along anyway, using up some mishaps and fussy-cuts as the urge takes me.  I am hoping to work in some pieced letters too of our initials, to personalise a little more, well it is My Small World after all.

I know I will not keep up this momentum; my plan is to work on this when I feel the urge, but to try and keep up with the QAL at the slowest.  The finish date is just before our wedding anniversary, and as this is planned to hang above our bed, I am hoping to have it completed by then, sentimental old thing that I am!

So that was a grand day off; I even basted a few hexes for my Amitié BOM.  Go me!

Secrets out!

Over the last couple of months there has been a little bit of secret sewing going down, and over the weekend just gone, there were two reveals at the Brit Bee meet at Di's.  I was sad not to be able to make it, missing out on the banter and cake, but grateful that I was never going to make it, rather than having to cancel last minute because of the 'ick!

Both Di and Troods have just had big birthdays, so we did what we do, obviously.

For Di we went all 'sewing themed' using Bonnie & Camille fabrics, or similar, and I opted for the scissors from Kumiko Fujita's 318 …

And for Trudi, we made leaves, again, little 6" blocks…

The finished, and almost finished minis look like this, (photo shamelessly stolen from Jude's blog!)…

Happy belated Birthday's my friends xxx

I think I have a couple more things hiding up my sleeve, or elsewhere, to show, maybe; seriously thinking my memory has bailed on me like my eyesight!

Off we jolly well go!

Official Day One of the My Small World QAL and I am on it!

I pieced the first couple of sections of Part One when I got home from work this afternoon; the sun had come out, and I wanted to start!

I have a little patch of sky…

… and some flats...

Over the weekend I also cut papers and basted the teeny hexes; 1/2" sides!  I will take these to Brownie camp, just in case.  You know the score, take nothing, wish you had; take something, no time at all, but hey!

The pace of the QAL is going to be perfect, I need to play catch up on my Amitié BOM, and come the weekend I will be resplendent in new reading, aka sewing glasses, and will be able to basically see again!!

My eyesight has got progressively worse over the last 6 months, and being the numpty I am, I suffered in silence, when all I should have done was get my eyes tested!  My distance vision has hardly changed in the last couple of years, but being mid-forties, the presbyopia has hit hard!  So if you thought my stitchy output has been a little slack, and my blog reading, commenting and replying has been on the scant side, this is the reason!  So once I have recovered from the Brownie holiday, I'll be back on the tiny stitching and reading after dark, with a vengeance.

Sicknote...

An unwelcome, unscheduled day at home for me today; looking after myself rather than anyone-else, so lots of catch-up TV and re-hydrating was in order for the day after the night before.

I did manage to do a little gentle cutting later on this afternoon for My Small World; all the pieces up to Part One stage 6, I think, plus a lot of 1.5" LV strips stitched together, for trimming down as required as the QAL progresses…

And that's me back to the sofa again now; hoping for a less bathroom-based weekend ;)

It was red and yellow and green and brown…

And scarlet and black and ochre and peach
And ruby and olive and violet and fawn
And lilac and gold and chocolate and mauve
And cream and crimson and silver and rose
And azure and lemon and russet and grey
And purple and white and pink and orange
And red and yellow and green and brown and blue.

That's lots of brown!

Potiphar, you did great xxx

Another little tote...

Before SMS Giveaway Day, I'd cut all the fabrics for my own version of Ayumi's Little Patchwork Tote, pattern from Krista's Make It Take It, and when the giveaway fun was over, I finished it up…

Made with some cuts of Cotton & Steel's Black and Whites, it looks pretty grown up to me.

My adjusting of the bottom and last panels mean that I somehow went a little squiff in joining one side, but nothing that I could face unpicking for!  I think I will use it to keep my lounge sewing in order, rather than the pile of bits that tend to accumulate next to the sofa.

I substituted the handles with the webbing I use for key fobs, as I did with Gertie Pie's Nun one, which I think works perfectly; I'm all for a super shortcut.

So today I worked, as tomorrow I have a few things to attend to, including the KS2 performance of Joseph & His Technicolour Dream Coat, so I will be back with ringing ears and proud mummy grin xxx

I am definitely going to, are you?

xxx

Winner-time...

Thank you so much to everyone who entered my SMS Giveaway Day giveaway.  Your unsuitable jobs had me in stitches; you are all bonkers!!

So sad but true, only one winner, and that is…

Email in your inbox my dear; enjoy!!

Better late than never - Giveaway Day!

A promise is a promise, so when I got home from work today, I made a belated prize for SMS Giveaway Day!

A sweet little tote made using Ayumi's pattern found in Krista's beautiful new book, Make It Take It, which I received on Tuesday...

If you would like to be in with a chance of getting your hands on this token of my appreciation, you can have two chances as I am feeling generous guilty:

i.  leave a comment letting me know the job you are least suited to - I am probably not really suited to my actual job, nor being a Nun, for so many reasons!

ii.  leave a second comment if you are a follower, old or new, and let me know how, GFC, Bloglovin, whatever, the more the merrier.

I will mail internationally; will re-draw if you are a No Reply blogger and don't leave an email address in you comment, and will delete comments in excess of your two allowable, harsh, I know.

The giveaway will remain open until 9pm BST Sunday 10th May, so I can email the winner before I go to bed!

Good luck xxx

Give it away, not a giveaway!

Well where did SMS Giveaway Day come from all of a sudden - guess life still goes on even when I have taken myself offline more than usual - dammit - I will make amends tomorrow… I hope!

But what I have been making to giveaway are pressies for the kids' friends.

You may have spotted this on Insta-Face, but for those who haven't, and because I am quite proud of my paper-piecing achievement…

Made using the awesome free pattern, found here, I then transformed the 10" block into a tote bag for the girls' best friend…

And as mentioned before, I made an Anna pouch, another of Svetlana's lovely patterns for the party this coming weekend…

Please accept my apologies for the very yellow pics, it must have been the only sunny moment on Sunday!

So those are the latest makes; I have shopping and Bee blocks to share, but guess I better get my prize-making thinking cap on and bring up the SMS rear xxx

Receiving End...

On Saturday I received my parcel of goodies in the #ukminiswap.  So worth waiting for!

My partner was Annah (@this_malarkey), and she spoilt me rotten with a fantastic mini; EPP, appliqué, LV and all the other stuff I love, and the most awesome bundle of extras…

Thank you again Annah xxx

So that set me up for a good long weekend; new trainers, some sewing and a day out with the family today.

I know it's May the Fourth, so I'll just re-cycle the picture that has me smiling, even at the thought of it…

Back to work tomorrow, not so happy about that one xxx

April in the bag...

My April looks quite healthy, especially when making my Betsy Travel Bag felt like it took the month to make all on its own!

May is going to start and end with long weekends, and I am determined to make the most of them, just maybe not with stitchy stuff, but I'll try.

Linking up my latest with Lynne and the Fresh Sewers and wishing you a good couple of days until we meet again xxx

From the boy...

Stitching up a birthday present for a girl friend, not a girlfriend, who is having a Disco party in a couple of weeks.  Dear son asked her for her favourite colours and so I am hoping to finish turning this…

…into a pretty little Anna pouch this evening.  Svetlana is on a roll of awesome pattern releases at the moment, so do pop over for some beautiful inspiration.