It was a cold and blustery night...

... and the Captain said to the First Mate, "Have you finished that $%@!ing quilt yet?"

I only went and finished the Retro Flowers didn't I!

The continued cold and blustery-ness has put pay to being able to show you it in its full glory, but this, as my longest ever WIP, is done, ticked off, finished, complete, sorted!

I started it as part of the Retro Flowers QAL back in February.  10 months of putting it off, now over!  I even linked it up as part of the My Precious QAL too, seeing as it is made of my hoarded DS, but no, I could not face all those seams!  The curves are a doddle - there were just so many, and all those little sashing bits, ugh!

No pain, no gain?  You will have to decide when you see it.  I just know that this is now off my FAL list at last, and thankfully I love it!!

Pictures, many pictures, to follow as soon as I can get some, honestly, I am not going to let this one be a one-post-wonder.

If excitement-slash-relief is measured in exclamation marks, I think you can tell how happy I am.

Let's hope the rest of the week is as satisfying, and the rain stops soon.  My cousin's place has had a starring roll on the Exeter/National TV news yesterday/today as they are now living in the River Ex x

Ding Ding Round 3 in the FAL...

Well it's my turn to lay my virtual cards on the virtual sewing table and tell you what I hope to achieve in the third quarter of 2012.

Now as this spans the summer holidays, I am going to average my time out as just a little less productive than usual, as despite being off work, I will have constant 'companions', time away and who knows, maybe the chance to crack on with the 4 novels, (to read, not write), I have sat on my bedside table!

So I am going to go with my big three...

The Mystery Quilt, which has gone a bit more mysterious - I want this one DONE!!!

My Retro Flowers - I love everything about this too much to let it fester in pieces...

...and my Spring Carnival mega-cushion...

I also have my In The Frame Purse package and Brit Quilt Swap mini to complete this quarter.  But as I have to finish these, they don't really count; I only have myself to answer to for the 3 above unless I commit to the FAL, and my days of being lenient are over!

Linking up with Rhonda and the gang, how about you?

Blooming Wonderful!

The sunny weather is making the flowers grow... at last!

A quick photo call to prove it; please excuse the rushed pegging and lack of pressing...

So My Precious Retro Flowers are go, and I am loving them.

The sun has bleached out the photos a little, but I am not complaining, so the acorn block is blending with the background more than it does in real life.  4 down, 12 to go.
 
We spent the best part of today though at the Duck Race...

 

If they didn't swim fast enough - they got beaten with a stick!

We didn't win, but we had a BBQ lunch, played games and enjoyed the sunshine.

Hope you have had a good weekend too, and a Happy Mother's Day to all of you in the 'odd' countries celebrating today ;)

Please make sure you stop by tomorrow... there may be something in it for you!

This and that...

Today we have had more of this...

Some of this...

...this...

...and this...

Then...

...home...

Not so much of this yet though...

But hopefully later I will get to put the pedal to the metal and get those Retro Flowers blooming!

Needles, Pins and Super Things...

Last night I finished trimming all the 'petals' for My Precious Retro Flowers, 'hurray'!!!  This has felt like a mammoth task, and I am so pleased that I can now start piecing at long last!

So to celebrate I splashed out in John Lewis today and got some new pins and needles to ensure I am not left stranded at Retreat.  Having had a fatal needle-pin collision whilst making the Ditty purses, I was left without any spares, and all my old flower-head pins are now rather wilted; I didn't want to be embarrassed by my headless bent stalks!

Also pictured is the clasp I bought on eBay that arrived yesterday for the framed purse class.  I have to be honest, I prefer these bigger balls, and although there will be frames to buy there, I wanted to make sure I had a substantial pair!

I know I have some blog and email catching up to do, but it is almost time for the Homeland finale, so please excuse me whilst I pay attention elsewhere xxx

Saturday Stuff...

Today was one of those Saturdays, the house had to be put back into some semblance of order and the level of cleanliness raised somewhere above pigsty; this was followed by traipsing round the supermarket to replenish the sad looking fridge, whilst hubby got to endure a 5th birthday party with the monsters.

I did get my FQ Retreat Name Tag in the mail though, so my partner should be getting that early next week.

Late afternoon I managed a little comfort sewing; I now have half my Precious Retro Flower curves sewn up, and even managed to take a photo between downpours to prove it...

Now you will have to excuse anything untoward about this post, I am using the new Blogger interface for the first time.  I don't like it, but I've have got bored reverting to the old one and nothing is where it should be!

Anyway whilst you're here, please could you make yourself useful and pop over to The Quilting Gallery and vote for a few of my favourite people in the Just Squares & Rectangles Competition...

Krista's Full Circle
Sarah's PictureBox
and t'other Sarah's original Stained Pink.

Pretty please ;) 

I am so glad you can vote for up to 7 entries, and there are loads of others you may wish to consider (but not vote for) too.

Chores done, I should get some more sewing time tomorrow, although I'd like a lie-in that goes all the way to 5pm if that's OK x

FAL a La La La!

Time to link up with Rhonda's Finish A Long Q2 before I get stuck into the chocolate again...

I have a double roll-over from Q1 with my Hexi cushion...

... and the Mystery Quilt is still haunting me!

I thought I better chuck a couple more into the mix.  OK, so one of these will be a guaranteed finish, as I am almost there.

My Stained is up at the top of my 'big makes' list just now, and will hopefully be done and dusted this week, the quilting has begun...

And I have just started my Retro Flowers Quilt, and this is not one I want dragging on; I want it to be finished, like yesterday!

The final goal is the last FPPFTT block...

I finished the rest, so I want to complete the course; just like anti-biotics, if I want to get better, I can't give up before the end!

So that's my 5; however I also have a lot of things that I've not even started, like my FQ Retreat swaps, Katy's Stitch Tease block and I can't bring myself to think what else right now.

Today though, is typical bank holiday, it's pouring with rain and perfect for sewing, every cloud and all that xxx