Full of cake...

Today saw the final instalment of the November birthday celebrations, and not a cake too soon!

Between all the calorific binging, shrieking and smiles of the last week I did manage to get my sewing area tidied…

Tomorrow I get to have a haircut and a few hours to myself, and then I can start thinking about Christmas!!!

PS. The work announcement was all over the News last week; our site is remaining, but in what guise is still to be decided, so I am not out of a job just yet, so watch this space xxx

Weekend catch up...

Well Half Term is over, back to work and school today, fog, gloom and general feelings of bleugh!

But the weekend was good!

Halloween shenanigans, Bee blocks and an awesome Rugby World Cup final for a perfect Saturday.

Sunday was a TV-lazing day, although I did manage a little stitching; part 4 of My Small World now only needs the clamshells appliquéing and then I'll be able to piece the last couple of blocks together for that section.  Not quite the progress I has hoped for over the holiday, but hey ho.

Now we start the manic sprint to Christmas; one parent's evening tomorrow, and fireworks on Thursday not to mention the usual round of Scouts and Brownies this week; then we hit Birthday-silly season; I will spend next weekend wrapping and panic stitching!

Here's to a week of no surprises xxx

Let the (fun and) games begin!

Last night we were out until late; the Year 5s had an awesome send off, so these three…

… were a little tired and more than happy to mooch about for most of today, meaning I got to stitch up these Amitié BOM beauties without resistance…

They are un-pressed, not wonky!

We also got to register for this year's Library reading challenge.  Guessing the first couple of books will be finished by the end of tomorrow, as, surprise, surprise, typical summer weather will be headed this way tomorrow.

Hey Ho xxx

Parking...

Well if the news/weathermen are to be believed, we took our lives in our hands to brave the outdoors today and spend a couple of hours in the park!  Fresh air may have been in short supply, but the kids had fun on their bikes, and I was able to do a little Amitié BOM stitching…

When we got home I finally got round to making the bias strips I had planned on prepping a few weeks ago.  I always get round to things eventually!  I didn't take any pictures but they turned out rather well.

I ordered some Aurifil 40wt for my Betsy Travel bag too, so I have parked that project until it arrives; I figured the slightly thicker thread, in 2310, creamier than my usual 2021, and some new heavy-duty needles will see me right.

I have a list for the nest few days, Bee blocks and other 'must-dos', it's all good.

Have a great and smog-free weekend everyone xxx

Betsy vs the Egg...

Apologies for the absenteeism; the kids were with my parents for a few days, and so dear hubby and I made the most of the peace and quiet, and quite frankly computer-time was the last thing on my mind.

Today the kiddos came back, chaos descended, but somehow I managed to make a start on my Betsy Travel Bag…

Sooooooo much cutting and interfacing; this has all the makings of being the most complex and expensive bag I have or will ever make, but I am loving it so far.  I have used my hoarded Cotton & Steel linen, which was waiting for the right bag, I've popped in a little old skool Melody Miller, and am using some gorgeous yarn dyed Essex linen in Flax from my lovely buddy Jude's Etsy shop.

I am not sure when I will get time for the actual sewing; tomorrow has already been earmarked for new bike practice by dear son at the park, so it will definitely be making an appearance on my Q2 FAL list.

I am slowing eating my way through the Easter treats, and a first for me, I am actually struggling, (i.e. I haven't managed to wolf the lot in 3 days!), so for once stitching, or the plotting thereof, is taking priority over chocolate!  I'm sure it'll pass.

Marking the day...

Dear hubby and I still like to celebrate Valentine's Day, which means gift swapping and a quiet 5 minutes before the kids start demanding!

This is the love token I whipped up…

So simple, but says it all.

We spent the rest of the day up in London, visiting the British Museum and seeing the Mummies exhibition to tie in with dear son's current school topic.  We also ran round the National Portrait Gallery, glancing at the Grayson Perry exhibits then spending longer in the queue for the loos!

Sunday allowed a little more secret sewing, and the first day of half term has enabled me to tick off the kid's trip to the dentist, take a trip to the library and order fairy wings for World Book Day.  Doing well.

End of days...

Ooh that sounds a bit more dramatic than I was intending!

If the weatherman is to be believed, the weather will be turning wetter, windier and colder, so I am glad I got to put my feet up for a little while in the sun today.  It was beautiful.

The feet up was a break from the preparation, both of what I am taking away, as well as what and who I am leaving behind for the weekend.

Yep, it's a Brit Bee Weekender, and I can't bloody wait; it has been a long time coming.  Some of our wonderful number will be absent, in body at least, which we are all sad about, but they will be in our thoughts.   The remaining baker's dozen, (not a quilter's dozen, 'cause that would be 12 and a half, I suspect!), will be stitching, munching and talking, printing, munching and talking some more, from tomorrow afternoon until Monday.  Did I mention that I am rather excited!?

It's a long old journey from here to the Peak District, and I wouldn't do that for any old body!

This evening though, (as if I didn't have enough to do), we went to visit dear son's next stop on the educational ladder.  We have a peculiar system here with years 6 to 8 attending a middle school before moving onto the Grammar, and tonight was the open evening.  We were impressed, but boy those year 8s look big!

Roll on tomorrow, and roll on next September.

Sew So September...

I think I left my sewing mojo on holiday; I can't remember such a meagre month.  I am really hoping to rectify that in October!

In my defence, there have been a couple of magazine commissions too which will be revealed over the next couple of months, and my #IGminiswap top, which is on my hit list to be completed on the weekend…

Dear son was probably the most productive one this month.  His first You Tube video has been viewed way in excess of his expectations, thank you to all those who have seen it already, please click the link above if you missed it.

And guess what, a second video has been posted today, so please watch, like and subscribe, and make me the best mummy with the best friends in the whole world, again, thank you!




Linking up with Lynne and the other Fresh Sewists xxx

We're all going to the zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow, zoo tomorrow...

Yes, tis true.  I finally get to go on a school trip and it's to London Zoo.  Wish me luck with my quota of 6 seven year olds!  I am hoping it will be a cheerful day in amongst so much other stuff right now.

And if you would like, or need something to make you smile, which I guarantee will make one young lad really really happy, please check out my son's first YouTube video.  It's a stop-motion Lego adventure, it's only a couple of minutes long, but he has been monitoring his stats since he posted it a couple of days ago, and a little surge in interest will make his day…



If you, or the youngsters in your lives have a YouTube account, or log in using Google and can Like or even subscribe, oh please do.  I promise you won't be inundated, it will all be short Lego or Minecraft movies, suitable for all the family.  When he's a world famous film director, you can all say you knew him at the start.

Thanking you in advance xxx

Good 'un...

A little while ago dear husband asked for a pencil case to hold his drawing pens.  OK, he may have had to ask a couple of times, but yesterday afternoon I grabbed a quiet half hour and got stuck into my Spoonflower/Heidi Kenney Nuns!

I obviously used my method for the flat pouch as per this month's Love Patchwork & Quilting, adjusting the measurements to fit the pens, and it turned out rather nicely.  It's gone down very well too,  and that's what matters.

Today there were haircuts for the girls, a trip to the Library, an afternoon in front of the TV and I have just prepped another little block for my Ode to STGB…

Today another light went out; RIP Robin Williams xxx

Mixed bag...

Today started at about 2.30am with torrential thunderstorms and has continued to be hot and stormy all day, so I am trying my hardest to stay awake for the England game tonight.  I have some threads to sort out in the meantime...

... but the binding will have to wait for an earlier, brighter game.

Those are my FQR2014 tote bags for the sample swap - I will tell you the full horror/joy of making them once they are finished.

I have also stitched up a boxy pouch for a sweet friend this evening, but no pics of that I'm afraid.

Dear husband has a handmade-free Father's Day to look forward to, and as we are out to lunch, it will probably be a sewing-free day too.  There's a huge pile of ironing with my name on though, dammit xxx

Here we go, here we go, here we go!!

Despite the face, perhaps to the contrary, dear son had been looking forward to today for a long time...

Building a Tudor house!

He was suitably dressed as a peasant, and had a relatively cool and comfortable day; those kids in the full Henry VIII / Elisabeth I polyester regalia did not look so fresh by the end of the day!

I, on the other hand, have been looking forward to this...

Although not as much as these people down the road...

Whatever random things you have been looking forward to, enjoy, and link up with Cindy and other Randomeers xxx

Creeper!!

Yep, there is a Creeper in the house!

Dear son pieced his cushion top this afternoon, accompanied with cheers (well, 'Likes') from Instagram, and he loved every minute of it...

There was very little parental intervention, just a little pinning and seam pressing, but this is all his!

He was even keen to be an #auriboy - he used the best green thread in the house, of course!  And there were even enviable points...

Tomorrow should see the cushion finished, and one even happier lad; there were no harsh words nor fabric hurt in the making, so it's all good xxx

Bits & Fobs...

I am shattered!  It was a long, albeit sunny day with the county's Brownies and Rainbows.  No mishaps, a nice group of kids to wangle, including my own, and everyone went home happy, and surprisingly that did include me...

And, because I can't quite believe that it is the last day of May, one, or rather 6 last finishes of the month...

3 teacher gifts; two Architextures for the chaps, and a little Nordika for another teacher the girls have rather too much of to ignore!

... and a preview of the fobs I am making as limited edition, unofficial FQR souvenirs...

They can have another post nearer the time, but I have a feeling my May mosaic is going to need all the help it can get!

I am going to try and keep my eyes open a little while longer, but I might be fighting a losing battle; so see you on the next page xxx

Has to be done!

Before tackling the joys of the playroom, top of my half term hit list, the girls and I popped into the local antique shop on the way to get some provisions for lunch.

I haven't been in there in ages, not a lot changes, but I did spot these three well-worn beauties...

And this fun little thing...

I may have been sniffing out the fabrics, but the girls were more intrigued by the local taxidermy!

I didn't come home empty-handed, channelling my Brit Bee buddy Jude, I picked up a huge bargainiferous cut of denim...

Happy happy.

But after lunch, my view wasn't quite as pleasing on the eye...

... but over half ended up in a black sack or tub for getting shot of, so a job well started - there are still a lot of board games and things that need to be re-united with all their pieces but we are getting there.

Tomorrow we rest!

Man Present...

I promised you something a bit more interesting than my kids; oh that's not quite fair, but you know what I mean, so here you are...

My brother-in-law has a big birthday coming up, and I wanted to mail something to add to his collection of 'oh what on Earth is she going to send next time?' gifts!

Lots of Echino, a little Melody Miller plus some other bits and bobs from my stash, and I think suitably manly...

It finished up a little on the large size, 20" square, quilted with a mixture of Aurifil 40wt 2021, and the last few inches in Gutermann, because I ran out, dammit!

I have going from being totally unsure, to thinking it looks just the job; I just hope it receives a warm kiwi welcome.

Back tomorrow and I'll be linking up a little something with Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day, hopefully! xxx

Bank Holiday Fun...

I have had a really busy weekend of the family-variety; lots of shopping for shoes and waterproofs, junkfood, skateboards and rollerskates!

We went to a couple of boot fairs today, and scored the aforementioned skateboard for £1 and skates for £2, last of the big spenders we are!

I even got a little sewing in too, piecing the top for my Siblings Together quilt...

The blocks were randomly placed; I did lay them out on the floor last night, but being so mahoooosive it was a bit hard to really see what was going on.

In real life it is not quite so bright, and I like it better than these pics show - the details are lost in the sunshine, still, I'm not complaining about that!

Oh, and did I mention that there was a little online fabric shopping, you wait to see what I got!!

I have just cleared by Inbox, and still want to scoot through my Reading list, but that may be a job for the iPad in bed, so commenting will be minimal, there really are not enough hours in the day round here xxx

Monkey Business...

Mr Chimp went to the library, Waitrose and the garden centre to see the pets today...

We dodged the showers and got home in time to get in some sewing...

My giant Oakshott Carpenter's Star, in case you hadn't guessed the other day; I see more one-block quilts in my future for sure...

I need to get some wadding before I can go any further with this, but it was great to get this far.  I'll give you the full deets when I am done, deal?

Not sure what Mr Chimp wants to do tomorrow, he might end up watching DVDs if the weather forecast is to be believed; I've got my new issue of Love P&Q to read, so I'm in no rush to go out again. xxx

Life is a rollercoaster...

If you follow me on Instagram, you will know that yesterday had its ups and downs!

It wasn't all gadding about and guesting over at Sara's you know.

I went back to work; 'nuff said, albeit that my day was cut short with a hospital visit; a girly with a hurting hip/leg, which is already pretty much better, but that involved waiting for 3 hours, (even having been referred by our GP!), only to be told to come back if it gets worse... we are not going back!

Yes we have that bloody Mr Chimp again!

And then the arrival of a bundle of gorgeous fabric from Denyse Schmidt...

I say from, as in, it really was from Denyse Schmidt she arranged it and everything, because this is her Hadley collection!!  How bloody thrilled and excited am I!?

We exchanged emails a few weeks back, and now I have the full pre-release in my grabby hands...

Sadly no sunny photo opportunities today; loudest clap of thunder at 6am and then rain pretty much non-stop from then until about an hour ago, so you will have to make do with these; but believe me, I'll be getting more snaps as soon as the sun comes out; I need to capture these for prosperity...

And before you all launch in, I know there is a lot of brown, but Denyse does good brown, rich chocolate, none of that stuff that reminds you of babies or really old ladies!

So I am now thinking on what to make; the prints remind me so much of my 1970s childhood, I may have to go with that and run, and run!

OK, I think I have exhausted my supply of exclamation marks for the day a lifetime, so I better love you and leave you.

Here's to a fun and fabric-filled weekend folks xxx

Love Sewing...

Not only a fact, but a new magazine too!  My subscription copy arrived this morning, complete with Liberty bonus booklet and a FQ of Kirstie fabric!

I had about 2 minutes to flick through it before heading out for a rather bracing Easter Egg hunt; 1 hour of clues and questions, up and down some rather big hills, and all for a cream egg for the kids!  Still, it means I can indulge later with a clear conscience.

So back home and after lunch, I pulled out the FQ and knew exactly what I wanted to make...

I used Svetlana's excellent tutorial to make this drawstring bag.  I haven't made a casing top like this one before, and I like how easy it was and how cool it looks.

The casing and lining were scraps I won from Collette, and they match perfectly, and I knew this was the project to use one of my long-time coveted and ultra-precious kerchief girls from Brit Bee Terri...

Finished off with some aqua ribbon, and only after I had finished, I realised not only was it the same colour, but a perfect fit for my filofax.

I would love to be able to tell you more about the actual magazine, but I haven't had the chance to really look yet.  However tomorrow I only have to cook the Easter lunch, so I am planning on putting my feet up, having a good read, and maybe eating a little chocolate; I am looking forward to it!