Sunday 18 May 2014

Stitching pears.....

is driving me bananas!!

Why.... because I'm stitching green pears on a green(ish) dotty background and I am boggle eyed!   My strongest crafty spectacles are about as much good as a chocolate teapot in this case and I've lost count of how many times I've attached those pears to my finger end.    

Oh well.... seven down...... nine to go........



It's not all been pain and suffering.     I finished all the applique for Block One of In My Garden.  Yes....the fountain is the wrong way round.   So much for remembering to reverse the pattern before tracing it on to freezer paper! It's not the first time I've messed up and it won't be the last......


Ta da!!


Block One is finished... done...  and I'm feeling flushed with success.  Either that or the menopause is making a comeback!     Block Two is a work in progress (the dreaded pears).... watch this space.

Mum commandeered my sewing room again this weekend


Her  latest project is a blanket for Maisie.    Bit of a big blanket for a very small cat.  It's going to have to be folded so many times poor Maisie will get a nosebleed sitting on it.  

What else?

It finally stopped raining long enough for me to get out into the garden....


to check out the damage to the big greenhouse.    What a ramshackle state it's in!   Weeks of the worst storms we've seen in years with gale force winds and falling tree branches all but demolished Mac's pride and joy.   The front view isn't much better....


Now  Mac is convinced we can fix it 'together'!   Which basically means he'll supervise while I do the heavy lifting.   I'll never forget the day we were installing the glass on the roof and he left me on a step ladder holding a large glass panel in place while he went to get some tools....  he only forgot I was there didn't he!! Had himself a cup of coffee and a bacon sandwich before he realised something was missing.....me!!

In the interests of sanity and the preservation of marital bliss.... I'm ignoring the greenhouse for now.    I've started digging instead.....


The veggie bed didn't have any occupants last year and guess what..... the grass moved in.   Darned thing has turned into an extension of the lawn.,   The ground is still soaking wet so no chance of giving it a good going over with my trusty garden fork.    It's a hands and knees job with a pair of tweezers (OK... a hand fork) .    Mac suggested I wore his old wet suit to creep about the soil... that man has a problem!

Right now you might be asking what happened to Maintenance Man.   Well...  he just went and got himself a regular job didn't he!   Can't say as I blame him....self employment in hard economic times is no fun for a family man.    So... it's back to the land for me.  

I'd almost finished ground clearing  .... OK... I'd reached the point where my neck and shoulders had solidified..... my little finger hurt... I was cold and wet and about to start blubbering when......


along came more rain.    Was I glad to see it... perverse or what!   Still... I got to go inside and once I'd managed to bend enough body parts to get into a nice hot bath all was well... until it was time to get out again!

Well... I think it's time for me to shut up.   I'm starving and the Lasagna in the oven is smelling oh so good.   Time to open a nice bottle of red and relax....ahhhhhhh!

See ya soon...... don't do anything I wouldn't do (ha... plenty of scope there then)!

Hugs
Josie

Saturday 3 May 2014

Friday Night With Friends....

Actually friends have been in short supply here recently so I spent my Friday Night with Family in the form of my mum.


She spent her evening working on her new charity knitting project..... hats for Africa.

 My mum and hats have always been a cause of great hilarity in our house.... think you can see why.   I can only think of one word to describe her latest look..... gormless!!    Whenever I'm feeling really down I take my mum shopping for hats.  After half a dozen  try on's we are both  helpless with laughter... tears rolling down our cheeks.... it's a great 'pick me up'! 

Here she is with her hat haul for the evening......


time well spent I think. 

As for me......


 
I got out Block 1 of 'In My Garden'  BOM and stitched down applique for all I was worth.  Stitched all those flowers on the left... finished off the trees (top left) and started on the water fountain in the centre.  It might not look like much to you but to me... it's a lot.   I can only do one size of stitch.... minuscule.   I'm trying not to be anal but it's hard to go against what comes naturally.

Still.... I have a plan!!     I can hear you all groaning......  stop it!  <lol> 

My new plan is suspiciously similar to my old plan I think...... tackle all the BOM's I have stashed and finish them!   So far it's not working out too well.   Instead of finishing one I've added a new one to the list....


    
I've resisted this pattern for ages but when I visited Sharon's blog for a catch up and saw the gorgeous blocks she's making from this project.....  I was pressing that 'buy' button before you could say 'fat quarter bundles'.   Someone really should confiscate my computer.   Hummm... better hide it!

There's a bit more progress here......


I decided to free machine stitch the applique bits of this design.    Really love that blue floral print.   I cut around the piece of Sticky Solvy just inside the border so I could peel it back to do the machining then


chop off the excess where the teacup is and fold it back ready for hand stitching.   Haven't started stitching yet.

Broke my 'no more random fat quarters' rule this week.   Bought three of them and all because my mum made me go into the craft shop so she could buy more wool.  That mini charm pack somehow got into my basket too  (Moda Wrens & Friends).     I picked up a new magazine too....


well... it came with a free stencil pack... so what if I don't stencil... it was a bargain!!    Some nice projects in the magazine.  This one is gong on my 'must make' list....


isn't it cute!

Now before I go...... here's another reason my stitching was slow.....


Maisie spread-eagle on my lap.... from hip to knees (mine not hers).  Fortunately she had the presence of mind to arrange her tail to protect her dignity!   

That's all  folks!!

I'm going blog hopping now to check out what you've all been up too....  having fun I hope.

See ya soon
Hugs
Josie