Saturday 23 March 2013

Friday Night Snow In!

Honestly..... I'm jinxed!    First time in nearly three weeks I get some free time and along comes a blizzard!



Now I bet you're thinking what a perfect opportunity to sit in front of the stove and stitch.  That's what I thought too.... till the power went out!    How women managed to sew by candle light beats me.  I couldn't do it even with the benefit of bi-focals!  

I'd just settled down to stitch when the power failed for the first time....


I was really enjoying working on Vignette (which from here on in will be called Old Faithful) when the lights went out.    There was a fair bit of fumbling in the dark (not that sort) before I found a candle and the means to light it.    That's when the lights came back on!  Figures!

Terrified the power would go again I dashed into the kitchen and threw some fish into the oven.... no way did I want to miss dinner!   Plated up a salad and crossed my fingers.   In the time it took to cook the fish the power went out 4 times  Still... I got to eat in the end.   In case you are wondering where Mac was in all this.... he was tucked up in bed sound asleep and blissfully unaware of the gale force wind howling through the trees and the 'white out' conditions outside.   Did I mention he's nocturnal now....  

Because I've nothing much by way of progress to show you from FNSI I thought I'd show you the little present I made Chris for her birthday (it was Tuesday).....


It's a little needle book......


I used a great little tutorial from NanaCompany.  If you haven't visited there before let me tell you it's fabulous!  Just be prepared to be there for hours.   

Chris liked her pressie.... but that was a given... it's PINK!! 

If I'd had reliable power last night I might just have made another one.... they are so addictive.....


had the fabrics cut out ready.....


managed a few minutes between black outs to practise my free machine embroidery (with hoop).   Honestly.... 59 and I still can't write my name!! 

I'm afraid there is not much else to say about Friday night except that I really did enjoy it.... blizzard and all.   I'm off now to check out what you all got up to last night so I'll leave you with some snaps of the day after the night before.....


so silent... not to mention white!


The big greenhouse  (behind the little one) is almost buried.   That drift is 8 feet high if it's an inch!  


The bridge at the bottom of the garden looks so pretty.....  only the roof of the wishing well (on the right) is visible above the snow.


The road out of here.....  which is impassable.   I walked it this morning and the snow came up over my knees.   Reckon I'm going nowhere till there's a thaw!



Down around the bend there a part of the Hawthorn hedgerow has fallen under the weight of the snow.   It's blocking the track.   Before anything gets in or out of here I'll need to get to grips with the chainsaw.


It's just so darned pretty though.......


The sheds look so wonky.... like they should have a gnome in residence.  Wonder if I can persuade Mac....   The doors are not going to be opened any time soon.... the whole of the back of the garden is under 3 feet of snow.

It's not all pretty though.   Just heard the horrible news that a large shed roof at the farm behind us collapsed under the weight of snow....... crushing and suffocating the cows inside.   Mums to be and mums with their new calves........ makes me feel sick to my stomach.  

We are totally cut off here.   There's been no traffic on the through road since yesterday morning.  Not surprising as there are 8 foot drifts blocking it in both directions.   Just seen the weather forecast and we have a warning of more snow to come tonight.

Its forecast to freeze later too which could make things difficult for Mac when he gets up at 2am.   I cleared snow in the little courtyard this afternoon.   All for the good.   A while later I discovered Mac with the garden hose washing away the residue!!!   What part of  'it's going to freeze tonight' isn't clear?   He's said he'd put down some salt.   So... we have a salt water feature now and that's supposed to make it alright.   I'm not happy! 

I'll need to set my alarm to wake me around the time he gets up.  He goes straight outside to his workshop  to watch TV.    What if he finds himself figure skating in the dark?  Lands badly after an unexpected Triple Salchow with back flip.   What if he breaks something or  knocks himself out.  He could be an icicle by the time I woke up and found him.   I don't think the emergency services have a team of sled dogs available to transport him to hospital.    You may think I'm getting worked up about nothing but believe me...... the way things go around here anything is possible!

OK.... I said I was going ages ago and I'm still here.   This is one of those times when my Dad would say I'd been vaccinated with a gramophone needle!  

I leave you in peace....... while I try to calm down.  

Have yourself lots of fun and frolics......
See ya sooner rather than later....

Hugs
Josie

Saturday 2 March 2013

FNWF and doing what I do best....

Procrastinating!     Well... it is what I do best.

I started out with a plan.   I'd cut out the templates and had everything out ready to get to work....


should have know things were going too smoothly.    When it came to the cutting..... I just went right off  the idea of using the fabric bundle I'd pulled out.   It's nice fabric but I just don't think it suits this quilt pattern.I fancied some really vibrant and zingy fabric so I searched  my fabric stash for some.   Can you tell me why I wasted an hour rummaging through boxes looking for something I knew I didn't have?   

That was the original plan down the drain then.

But.... while I was searching for the 'perfect' fabric for the first project these caught my eye.....


Two cute plastic cubes of 3" squares... one in greens the other neutrals.  What could I make with them?  They were cut out and ready to go and I was starting to panic that the clock was ticking on my FNWF and I hadn't done anything.

What could I make with 520 3" squares.....  nothing that I could think of on the spur of the moment that's for sure!  

I put them back in their little hidey hole then turned to the bookshelves for inspiration. Thank goodness I found some.....


courtesy of Camille Roskelley    I love this pattern in her book 'Simplify' and I just happened to know where I'd hidden stored a Pom Pom de Paris jelly roll that I got free when I took out a magazine subscription.   That makes this a FREE quilt... how cool is that.

Wasted no time (!) getting down to work.....


Got this far (those are little bundles of cut pieces) when I realised it was 8pm and I hadn't had dinner!   Of course as soon as I thought of food I was ravenous so I'm afraid the project was abandoned and I hit the kitchen.  You wouldn't want me to starve would you.  Salmon... yummy!

With a full tummy and a nice glass of wine I settled down to spend what was left of the evening stitching something I can't show you without having to kill you afterwards.   Wish I could figure out how to get those blurry photo's of secret stuff but it's beyond me.

So.... that's it.   My Friday Night With Friends...... thanks for your company everyone.   Thanks to you too Cheryll for making it all possible.   I'll be round to see what you've been up to very soon.

I've got loads of bloggy catching up to do.  Had the most frustrating week ever!  Apologies for being late responding to comments and e.mails.   I'm wearing my horsehair nightie to bed tonight as punishment...... I promise to do better.... honest.

Speaking of bed...... gotta go count some sheep!

See ya soon.... in the meantime.. have fun

Hugs
Josie