Sunday 10 January 2016

Friday Night With Friends.....

 Friday was a strange day here in South West Scotland.

I woke up and it wasn't raining!   That was odd for a start.  I set out on the grocery run happy and relaxed.   Should have know it wouldn't last.   By lunchtime we'd  had rain... sleet and finally snow.     By the time I arrived home I was soaked to the skin.  Frozen to the bone. And more than a bit ticked off.  

When I finally made it into the sewing room I was greeted (actually she couldn't be bothered) by a rather sad looking Tiggy.....


This is what a really fed up little cat looks like after weeks of rain.   Pour soul.   She's as sick and tired of being damp as I am.   Looks like she's lost all hope of a day in the garden that doesn't leave her looking more drowned rat than cat!   Anyone got any tips on cheering up a depressed kitty?

She did hang around (albeit halfheartedly) to assist with the cutting of all these squares though.  She's not one for missing out on a sew in.....


After I'd warmed up and had a cup of tea I did some thinking.  Really productive thinking.   As you know a while back I decided to join Audry in her Quilty 365 Challenge.     I'd like to say I deliberately waited till 1st January to make a start but that would be a fib.    I just couldn't get my backside into gear before the new year arrived.     An evening with all you girls finally gave me the momentum to get going.

First off I decided that I wanted to use just two fabrics for circle backgrounds.   Spots and gingham. Then I decided I wanted to set the blocks 'on point' so I could play around with the setting triangles. How about that.... two major decisions in one evening.   Can't begin to describe how chuffed to bits I was.  

Next... I began to applique the circles that I'd prepped earlier in the week....


I really like this 'tree'.   It does look better when it's 'on point'.  


This is another favourite cut from a charm square of Curio fabric which I've been saving for something special.  

All in all I manage to applique 6 of the 8 circles I'd made and I was very happy.


Just realised that green circle at the top looks plain.... it isn't.   It's a text print.  Don't know what happened to the photo.   Rubbish photographer I think!

I really hope everyone who joined in FNWF had as good a time as I did.   Thanks Cheryll for hosting yet another lovely sew in.    I very much appreciate it.  

I'm about to head up to bed now for some much needed beauty sleep(!)    Tomorrow morning (weather permitting) I'm off to audition some chickens.   Won't be bringing them home though.  The weather has been too bad to get the coop sited.   Besides the girls and I are off to the cottage for a week at the end of the month and I really can't contemplate leaving Mac 'home alone' with poultry.  Not when he wants to call them.....  Kebab,  Bar-B-Cue,  Kentucky Fried,  Casserole  etc.   Seriously!

Before I go I have one last thing to say.    I want to thank all of you who leave lovely comments on my posts even though I haven't been responding or commenting myself lately.    I do so appreciate your support.     My resolution for 2016 is to make finding time to visit and chat a priority.    Chatting is what I love to do (you'd never have guessed) and I miss it terribly.

So... watch out!   I'll be about!

Have a great rest of the weekend doing what makes you happy.

See you soon
Hugs
Josie   xxxxx


31 comments:

Granny Anne said...

It really has been a weird winter this year. We actually didn't get snow unti just before Xmas. Since then I think MotherNature has been trying to catch up. I myself haven't made it to the sewing room yet this year as we just got home from a business trip to New Orleans. It was down right chilly there too. On the bright side, another off the bucket list. Soon I hope to touch the fabric in my sewing space. Good luck to you! Best wishes!!
Granny Anne
krbassoc57@gmail.com

Michelle Ridgway said...

I felt chilly just reading about your outing. Here we are sweating it out in Oz! Poor kitty sounds like he has a bout of cabin fever...a new toy perhaps? Well done on your circles. Still giggling about the prospective naming of the chickens lol! Enjoy your time away x

kiwikid said...

Oh I feel for your prospective chickens...fancy being named those names!!! No cuddly pets there for Mac!!! You did really well with your circles!! Poor Tiggy...not being a cat person I don't know what to suggest...maybe you could run up a cat raincoat to make her life a little easier??? Hope the weather settles soon...hot day here today, will be heading to the beach after lunch! Have a great week.

Maria said...

Oh I do love reading your posts Josie. It's like sitting having a chat with you...
Hope kitty was able to go out in the garden for a bit...
Love your background fabrics for your pretty circles. Great FnwFs sewing....
LOL tell hubby those were the names I wanted for our lambs but not Kentucky of course..just Cassie, Rossie and Chops....
Have a great week at the cottage...

Raewyn said...

Great to see you had a good Friday night, tucked away out of that dreadful weather. Wise idea to keep the chickens away from Mac too...sometimes there is a very fine line between a tease and reality!! Great work with the circles, they will make a fun quilt by year's end.

Anita said...

Lovely projects and yes.......we
can see who's boss. Lol.
Cheers, Anita.

Ondrea said...

Oh dear! That weather would be rather depressing. As for your depressed kitty I would recommend some Bach Flower Rescue Remedy and perhaps you could spend more time playing with her. I found that my cat was much better after a big playtime. Sadly, he is no longer with us. *sigh* I love your circle blocks especially with the checks and spots. Great idea. Your poor proposed chooks may end up feeling very insecure with such names and not produce any eggs! I hope your poor kitty cheers up soon.

margaret said...

good have a get together with friends and natter. Your circle project is coming along ell, I admire the commitment of a block a day but have not signed up for it myself. Glad you are back to blogging, I was away from mine for 3 months! but kept up with everyone else`s.

Lin said...

Looks like you made a good start. We were luckier than you as the rain in Somerset over Christmas was no where near as bad as in the north. However, now back home in France it is tipping down and with lots more and wind forecast! Have a good week Josie. xx

Shirley said...

Happy Belated New Year to you Josie. May it be a good one. You have started it well with your new project. I shall enjoy watching it grow. I have been seeing video clips of cats playing in ball pools. Maybe a mini one would cheer your cat

Jeanette said...

Love your circles. Hope your furbaby cheers up soon. I feel for those chickens getting names like that. Just as well you aren't letting Mac care for them. Hugs, xx

Yvonne W said...

For some silly reason I thought you lived in Australia-- but realise now that you live in Scotland-- very different weather to here. I felt chilled to the bone too reading your blog!
I must say that your circles are perfect. Mine always has a bit sticking out not wanting to stay in the circle. You have lots of fabric cut up for these blocks-- happy sewing.

Helen said...

Love your projects, you achieved so much well done to cat for the enthusiastic encouragement :)

Maria said...

Great start to 2016, Josie...love the fabrics in your circles and I'm impressed with how you've appliquéd them so they are still perfect circles...I'm not so good at that!! Lol. I've finally put your blog on my bloglovin list as before my visits were a bit 'hit and miss' 😒. Poor Tiggy, that weather sounds tiresome.

Susan said...

Happy New Year to you too Josie.
I love those circles - especially the ones you featured. Its hard to imagine how wet & cold it is there - it is blisteringly hot here and just as awful.
I love the names for the chooks - but I couldn't call them those names.

Jayne said...

What a great way to use up stash,my Jack Russell just looks out the door when it is raining and refuses to go out unless desperate, I am down in Yorkshire the weather is no better here!

Quilting Chemist (Danette) said...

Lovely circle blocks. The weather here is cold and snowy too.

Jocelyn is Canadian Needle Nana said...

What lovely stitching! How do you get those circles so perfectly round? Strange weather here too; no snow for Christmas and it rained buckets yesterday. Meanwhile, Happy Stitching in 2016 from Ottawa, Canada.

House-elf said...

Wonderful that you are going to have chickens. We had Black Rocks, Buff Orphingtons and ducks. Love your tree circle. The colours are fab! Great idea to chat with like minded friends. I'm back this year having flirted with Facebook I am back where I belong -Blogland!

Flickenstichlerin said...

What a day and what a productive Friday evening. Hope the cat gets out to play in the garden soon.
Greetings,
Sylvia

wish2stitch said...

I hope the weather improves. We have seen that you been getting more than your share of rain in your part of the world. Your Quilty Challenge quilt is looking lovely.
PS I would be hesitant to leave poultry in Mac's care with names like that too.

Sparky said...

hi Josie...lovely start to your new year...your blocks are a delight
, your love your companion too

Linda in Calif. said...

Sometimes just making those decision can take me a whole evening. Good for you for making two of them. And may I say - great decisions. I love the fabrics, and them being on point - and yes I can see the text on the green circle. Very pretty of them.

Cath said...

Hello Josie....sorry I didn't come by sooner for FNWF catch up....no excuses really but I am here now! Great project that you are working on...I shall have to swing by that link to see what it is all about. I love the 'misters' humour when it comes to naming the chickens....hilarious! Have a great week!

Unknown said...

poor Tiggy - or is this just to get more treats.....
love the circle blocks.

Janice said...

You have shamed me into commenting and not just lurking. I wish I could send you part of our heat, so we could both have a happy medium. Today is nice and cool,for a change and we received some much needed rain. It sounds like you are having a shocking start to the year weather wise. Good luck with your chickens. I have to admit that when some friends had some cows on our place we named one Barbecue and one Casserole. We were nicer to our chickens. I'm looking forward to seeing you circles progress. A great way to showcase fabrics.

Fiona said...

How gorgeous are those Josie..... so glad to read you.... my list of blogs went into cyberspace and I am slowly gathering them again... sometimes I forget blog names and don't know where to look (I know... forgetfulness can be an advantage but this time it wasn't) so I'm back to stalk....x
Hugz

FloS said...

Hi Josie ! What a beautiful start for 2016 !!
Florence

Maria said...

Hi Josie, just checking that you are okay as you haven't blogged in quite a while xx

Chookyblue...... said...

hey stranger where are you????
I hope your not on the darkside........

Susan said...

Josie - your posts are a delight - I've been a bit slack reading some blogs lately - work trips away, sewing deadlines etc etc....Love your circles...too much for me to take on - especially love that tree one. But I've read this blog after your most recent one . . . .so I see that you had lost your mojo a bit - maybe you need to come back and re read this post and buoy yourself up again.