Pretending it's Saturday........

It might as well be Saturday because I haven't a clue what happened to the weekend or to Monday for that matter.    

So... in my world it's Saturday and here I am reporting in with my FNSI progress!    I do remember I was there on Friday night sewing unpicking along for all I was worth.   The unpicking didn't start right away.  In the beginning I was going great guns.

While I was leisurely contemplating what to work on for the sew in I suddenly realised I hadn't even looked at the August block for Natures Journey.   Now I won't admit to panicing but after a slap from Kitty and a cup of hot sweet tea I girded my loins and got down to the business of piecing the first border.....

And here I am in action....... attaching the border....

Sorry I didn't have time to look up and as for smiling.... hard to do with clenched teeth.

I really should have opened a bottle of wine (darned diet) and loosened up a little before I sewed that border..... it looked like a dogs back leg when I'd finished with it.   Out came the seam ripper... again and again and......

I think my shenanigans were responsible for the exasperated expression on Kittys face.... either that or she had been sucking a lemon when I wasn't looking.     Why couldn't I be more like Kitty?   Calm.. cool and in control.   She gets things done.  No messing about.   She's a real problem solver and (bless her) she solved mine....... she got out the Gin!     Hic!   Thanks Kitty.... you're a life saver.

Things got a lot better after that.

I did manage to piece and attach all four borders to the centre block therefore I am declaring my FNSI a resounding success!     I hope all you fellow FNSI'ers had a successful sew in too.  I'll be around to visit all of you to find out.

Thanks Wendy  for hosting another lovely Friday Night Sew In.   Lang may yer lum reek! (as we say in Scotland)

Click here to see what everyone else got up to on Friday.

I did do more sewing over the weekend but to be honest it was all a bit of a blur.  That had nothing to do with the gin either.... honest.

I prepared squares ready to applique to NJ.   All 46 of them.....

Then I attached the second border and pinned the squares in place ready to applique.....

This is how it looks tonight......

Eight blocks appliqued..... only 38 to go!     I won't panic.... I won't!   

That's about it for now.   I just have time to share a bit of chicken with Maisie before I'm due in the Bat Cave.

    

Tomorrow (weather permitting) Mac wants me to help him fix the Septic Tank!  Talk about a a shi nasty job.   Never mind....I'm sure it'll be fine as long as I don't inhale.

Onwards and upwards...

Have a wonderful week .... 

See you all soon

Hugs

Josie  xxx

A Fine FNWF.....

Shame that the rest of the weekend sucked!   

In a nutshell.  On Saturday morning Microsoft decided to surprise me with the 'free'  Windows 10 upgrade I reserved a while back.    I don't think they realised (I certainly didn't) that attempting to download a NASA size upgrade down a Mickey Mouse phone line in what Sky News once described as 'remote, rural South West Scotland' was ever going to cause anything but frustration on a grand scale.   I would have appreciated a tip off so I could stock up on tranquillisers.

The pitched battle download started at 7:45am on Saturday and ended in the wee small hours of Sunday morning... a little after I'd fallen into a stress induced coma an exhausted sleep. 

Blissfully unaware of the technical perils of living in the sticks Microsoft promised the download would happily run in the background allowing me to flit through cyber space at will.   Two on line activities at once!  Here!   Never going to happen.  I'm almost certain our antique telephone exchange is operated by a little old lady in twinset and pearls who doesn't know the war is over!   Maybe I should knock and see if she's OK.... 

It was all worth it in the end.   Windows 10 is a joy compared to version 8.

Ooops... almost forgot I came here to show you what I got up to on Friday evening.  

I picked flowers.....

and as usual it took me ages to do it.    By the time I'd chosen six small pieces of fabric for the blooms and six more for the centres (I'd picked the stems earlier... thank goodness) my sewing room looked like a bomb had hit it.   

Chose fabrics for a couple more Stonefields blocks too..... the semi circle ones.   This is how they all looked on Saturday morning.... 

Managed to complete the blue semi circles but only stitched the plain yellow ones.  I'm thinking of swapping out that pink/white flower fabric.  It just doesn't look right to me.  Picky... picky.    The flowers have all been turned ready to stitch but only one on each block has been sewn down.

Oh.... and I prepared hexie blooms for the centres of two more Stonefields blocks.....

and felt very pleased with progress.

This is how Stonefields looks right now.

There are one or two blocks up there which will not be making the final cut.... I'll leave you to guess which ones.....:o)

Well.... that was my FNWF.   I had a lovely time.   Thanks Cheryll for hosting another great get together.   I'm already looking forward to the next one.....;o)  

I will be visiting everyone who joined in FNWF in the next couple of days.   That's a promise.  If life hadn't got in the way I'd have visited already.

After Saturday I didn't think the weekend could get worse. Wrong.  I woke on Sunday feeling sick as a dog and sounding like one too.   I slept most of the day which was just as well because being awake was no fun at all.

Fortunately I felt much better this morning (Monday)  and didn't have to cancel taking Mum out for the day.   Today is her 87th birthday.   She wanted  a trip to Carlisle.... fish & chips and lots of cake and caramel lattes.  Bang went the diet!  

Well.... it's that time again.  The Bat Cave beckons.   I'd better get my skates on.

To everyone who left a lovely comment on my last post..... I haven't forgotten you and I will be replying.... promise. :o)

OK.... I have to run.... I'm being summoned.   We're working through re-runs of Boston Legal.  I love that show.....  Denny Crane! <lol>

Have a fab week doing whatever takes your fancy....
See you soon...
Hugs
Josie  xxx

Sign up....Sign up!

For Friday Night With Friends!  

If you haven't signed up for a sew in before then you don't know what you're missing.  Who wouldn't like a whole evening (or day if you're lucky)  stitching along with loads of like minded gals from all over the world.   Guys are welcome too and I know there are some of you out there who love to play with fabric as much as we girls do.

Here's your big chance! It just so happens that it's  FNWF  at Cheryll's  place this coming Friday.  So... what are you waiting for......

CLICK HERE TO JOIN IN

...  

Dress is optional.... no one is looking!   Hope to see you there.....:o)

Right.... now for what I've been up too since I was last here.

First.... I worked like a demented beaver to complete this in time for the end of July deadline.....

but did I succeed......

Can't you go any faster mum!

I'm afraid not.   Despite Tiggys best efforts to speed me up I was a day late..... again!     Better late than never though so here it is.....  the centre block of my Natures Journey.

You can check out how everyone else's NJ is coming along HERE.

And there's more.....

I took a notion to work on this ......

Finished the knot garden and made the border blocks.   Then....

I stitched the flower beds and bird house and put together the complete 6th Block....

Bet you can guess what I did next......

I stitched block 6 to 4 and 5 then joined the two rows together.  Phew!   Only (!)  three more blocks to go.    I'm getting really excited now that I can almost smell the finish line. 

That's all the sewing news for now folks.   

On the home front..... the shed is almost finished...

Here it is being modelled by the not so sartorially elegant Mac.   I must say he put on a clean bib and brace for his photo shoot.   If you care to enlarge him you'll see he's got on a bow tie too.  Fortunately one that doesn't spin or he'd have insisted on a video!       Hummm.... methinks when he ordered the shed he opted for the 'Hobbit' version! 

Trust me.... it's bigger than it looks.

What else.....

My eyes are much...much better (the woolly ointment works a treat).  

I'm on a diet..... again! 

It's raining..... again!

And that's about it.    Life is so exciting here.   Just ask Maisie.....

Zzzzzzz  Zzzzzzzz

OK......I'll be back at the weekend to show you what I sewed for FNWF..... think I might work on some Stonefields blocks.   It's been a while since they saw the light of day.

Don't forget to sign up  (go on...you know you want to)  :o) 

Till we meet again

Have fun and be happy....

Hugs

Josie  xxx