Stash Crisis!

One bright and sunny morning  with  laptop tuned into the Craftsy Class I began work on my Tinker Tote.   

I don't normally need sewing supervision but Licky Lou obviously thought differently.   Have to say she took her self appointed role of Quality Controller very seriously......

given half a chance she'd have had her nose under the needle.    Won't tell you how long it took me to choose fabric ( it's way too embarrassing) but eventually the first side was finished.

Quickly got the hang of the quilt as you go method of making the bag.

Second side is almost done now too.

It's easy as long as you're not the sort of gal who finds the concept of 'random' piecing somewhat akin to having your fingernails pulled with rusty pliers (or having a boil treated by your mother)

Since I mentioned my mother.....

she and her woolly stash (this is the tip of the iceberg... you can't move for the stuff) are making yet another take over bid for my little sewing room.

I tried to get her to tidy up......

she flapped her knitted pseudo elephant ears at me.    When I tried to force the issue.... 

she threatened to yarn bomb me!!     I'd have defied her but I know she's too good a shot.    In case you're wondering she's back to knitting squares again.   Not for the Dog's Home this time.  This time her needles of fire are clicking furiously to help knit enough squares to  make a story blanket for the Minister at Chris's Church.   I have to keep reminding her they only want a blanket.... not a fitted carpet!  

Now for my Stash Crisis.    After years of randomly squirrelling fabric in tubs and boxes in nooks and crannies everywhere I have a burning desire to get rid of it!!    Not all of it of  (heaven forbid).  But enough to substantially reduce the fabric mountain and maybe warrant buying a few of the trendy fabrics I love and don't have room for ;o)   I need to make scrap quilts and I need to make them NOW!!  

Now (before you mention it) I know need to finish all the ones I've got that are in various stages of construction too.     We all have those... don't we?  Makes me feel so much better knowing I'm not alone ;o)

So... wish me luck and watch this space.

What else.

There hasn't been a good day to get to grips with the Flame Gun yet.   It's way too wet and 'steaming' weeds is not the object of the exercise.  It was decided that Maintenance Man would be the one to burn off the weeds.   However...   Mac obviously wanted to be the first to use it (it's a man thing)  so he sneaked out early one morning.   I almost had a fit when I looked out of the landing window and saw him shooting flames across the drive.  Puff the Magic Dragon had nothing on him!   Good job there were only a few cows about to witness me flapping about in my dressing gown trying to stop him from melting the soles of his trainers and spot welding himself to the gravel.   That strip is as far as he got before thinking better of it and beating a hasty retreat back to his workshop.  Thank goodness.

What else...

It's official.... I have M.E.... and here was me thinking I was morphing into a sloth!  Fortunately I  now have some medication to help with some of the symptoms.   Unfortunately my little brain is so worn out some days it just won't boot up.   Deletes words when I'm in the middle of a sentence...  makes me look like a real numpty (idiot) in conversation.   Makes it hard to string a written sentence together too hence the lack of blog posts and comments this past few weeks.   Heck... it's taken me so long to write this post my hair has grown an inch!

Never mind..... it's not going to get in the way of my plan to decimate my stash!     Like I said... watch this space.

OK..... I'd better publish this post before my brain does something stupid like deletes it.   Believe me it has happened!

Hope you are all beavering away creating beautiful things to brighten your world but if you happen to be making a mess of everything you touch right now... join the club!! :o))

See you soon.....

Hugs

Josie

Be More Dog!

Are you feeling listless and down in the dumps?  Lost you joie de vivre?  Been a while since you saw your mojo?    Do yourself a favour and take a look at this.......

OK...   have you decided to 'Be More Dog'?    I have and it's cheered me up no end.   I don't intend to go the whole way with it though.... there are certain body parts I can't reach even if I did feel the urge to lick them!

While I haven't actually being sewing much this last couple of weeks I haven't been totally cut off from all things stitchy.    I signed up for another great Craftsy class....

settled down with a cup of tea and a biscuit (or two) and devoured the whole class in one sitting.

Thoroughly enjoyed it and got so engrossed by the time the video ended I felt like I'd actually made a bag (wishful thinking)!   I did make a start......

I printed out the pattern and prepared it ready to go.    In the pic I've not quite finished trimming the handle part of the pattern.   Honestly... I'd have carried on and worked till the cows came home to make the bag if I'd had all the fixings to do so.    Had to order then wait for some interfacing and canvas to arrive.   It's here now so no excuses for not tinkering with my Tinker Tote this weekend.   Kitty is coming down for a couple of days and I'm sure she'll crack the whip.

What else.

Chris.... Sally and me had a play day.   We decided to work on some little embroidery kits we picked up.....

this is me 'distressing' a piece of organza by singeing the edges.   That part wasn't in the instructions it just seemed like a good idea at the time..... till it caught fire!  

The three of us had a great time stitching.....

Above is Chris's .....below is Sally's

and finally....mine

OK.... I didn't get finished... surprise!   I'm just excited that my fingers are getting back to normal and I can stitch again :o))   Happy day.

What else...

A visit to a local antique (junk) shop paid dividends.   I found this....

A great mirror that's exactly what I had in mind for my bedroom.  It's blemish free and well worth every penny of the £20 price tag.   It's next on the list of things to be painted.

Still doing battle with these dastardly things....

I've lost count of how many I pulled or poisoned this summer and still they keep on coming.  Look....

there wasn't a weed in sight a week ago....grrrrrrrrr!   I will not be beaten.... NO!    I have a new weapon in my weed killing armoury.....

a Flame Gun..... I don't mess about.   Mac has made me promise I'll have a hose pipe with me at all times in case I accidentally incinerate something I shouldn't.... he's fond of that caravan (shed).  Hummm... maybe giving the ability to shoot flames to a middle aged woman in a bit of a snit isn't such a good idea.

Well.... I'd better get going.   It's time I walked down to the post box to see what goodies the postman has brought me.    Fingers crossed it's something nice and not more junk mail and bills!

Hope you are all in good fettle and are milking every opportunity for having fun that comes your way...

See you soon (hopefully with a finished Tinker Tote to show)

Hugs
Josie  xxxxx

    

Yoo-hoo......I'm back!

Did you miss me (just a little bit)?   I missed all of you... loads.

It's been a strange old summer here.   Life has been taking so many pot shots at me this last few weeks I'm worn out from dodging bullets.   More about that later (maybe).   

I can hardly wait to show you this....

the dastardly quilt frame has a new home in the conservatory.    Perfect place for it don't you think.  Lots of light and plenty of room to wrestle with quilts.   Now all it needs is a quilt on it.......

It took all of my negotiating skills (and one or two threats of violence) before Mac finally agreed that the dining table and chairs could go to make room for the frame.    I would have preferred them to go far away to a new home where someone would love them again but Mac (the pack rat) wasn't having any of that. They are now stashed in the caravan (mobile shed).   Don't you just love a compromise.... better than murder and much less messy!

Now I've something else to show you. Something that I'm thrilled to bits with.....

my first piece of hand painted (by me) furniture.    Amazing what you can so with a can of Laura Ashley Pale Duck Egg paint and a few knobs!   I dismantled all the door furniture,  cleaned and oiled the hinges,   fitted new magnetic catches and put the whole lot back together again all by myself too.   Now I'm on the hunt for more things to paint .... my pine bed perhaps.... I'm thinking big!

Picked up a new lampshade for the standard lamp on a trip to Ikea.   Love the stitching on it and loved the price too.    Oh... and I painted the lamp stand with leftover duck egg paint too.   Waste not... want not  ;o)

Now I have a confession...... I signed up for both FNWF and FNSI this month and didn't post after either of them!   A crime worthy of being put in the stocks and pelted with rotten eggs for and one for which I am shamefaced and sorry.    No excuses.... when push came to shove.... I lost the ability to communicate.   No words would come however hard I tried to write.    Like I said.... it's been a strange old summer here.

I did work on FNWF.    Kitty was here visiting so she joined in too......

    

get a load of those blue fingernails.... they match her car!!   Honest. 

I thought starting a new project would be just the tonic I needed....

I'm hiding behind the pattern because I look as rough as a Badgers behind (being polite here).   Now... because my fingers were still misbehaving  I decided to prep the applique using the  Apliquick tools I bought at the Quilt Festival last year..... 

I cut out shapes in lightweight fusible Vilene (medium weight is recommended but... you know me).   Yes... that is a glass of Chardonnay sitting next to me.   I make no apology for being tipsy in charge of  an iron when I fused the shapes onto the back of the fabric.   Luck was on my side and I didn't mess up.   Next I took up my tools (they look like metal chopsticks don't they) and with a little bit of fabric glue on the seam allowance I started shaping.

The tool in my left hand is a little heavier than the right and has a forked end to help hold and steady the applique shape.  The right hand tool has both a point and a shaped wedge  to smooth over the seam.  It's amazingly easy!   Makes small pieces so much easier to handle... especially if you are feeling all fingers and thumbs.     

I managed to prep this block while Kitty stitched

Flushed with success I prepped this one too.....

So....why didn't I post about it?     Hummmmm......

Followed through with the same project on FNSI  when I prepped these......

those of you who are observant will no doubt notice that my fountain block is facing the wrong way!  Oh well... I never claimed to be perfect! :o)  Now I have four mini blocks waiting till I can stitch again.

So why didn't I post about these either?   Hummmmm........

I give in.  I'll tell you.  I might be about to indulge in a bit of a whinge so I'll apologise now just in case.  

I've been depressed!  There... now you know.     Hurting all over and feeling constantly exhausted will to that to a gal.     

After a lot of blood tests and visits to 2 doctors so far I've been referred to a third  GP... to check for ME.   That's the chronic fatigue ME not the me...me!    Are you with me?   Reckon I'm the surgery's 'hot potato' right now.    So far they've diagnosed Diabetes and a dodgy thyroid!  Do I win a goldfish?   Nah... just more tests!   Luckily my blood sugars are normal I just failed the glucose tolerance test.  Seemingly it's genetic..... Dr said I should have taken more care when selecting my parents!   I really must speak to my mum about the milkman!   Dodgy thyroid could be caused by an infection and might clear up on it's own.... fingers crossed.   See what I mean about dodging bullets!     

But......I'm writing again..... yippee...... things are looking up!  

I can see a lot of blog visiting happening soon ..... something else I've been unable to do recently.  Boy does it feel good to be getting back to normal (!).   

OK..... I'm going to shut up now before I bore you all to bits.    It's time for a glass of wine and an hour of mindless TV before I turn in for the night.    

Hope you've all been having a great summer.....  

See ya soon 

Hugs

Josie

Phew!!

Honestly..... I didn't mean to be away so long.  Didn't  mean to loose track of all things bloggy and certainly didn't mean to get so far behind with reading what you've all been doing.   So... where have I been and what have I been up to.   Hummmm......would you believe me if I told you I'd been abducted by aliens?

No?

Not even if I showed you a photo of one....

OK... I give in.   It's a pic of Chris modelling her latest innovation.....  Kanzashi flower sleep masks for more attractive Nana Naps!  Somehow I don't think they're going to catch on.

To be fair.... Chris deserves a medal.  She's the first one of us to crack those dastardly Kanzashi flower makers from Clover.  You wouldn't believe the trouble I had trying to make one.....

I read the instructions.....

Licky Lou came to offer some moral support.... I was getting frustrated because my hands hurt so much it was hard to fiddle with the template

She thought kissing me better was the way to go!   It worked!   I love her to bits!  Sorry I can't show you the flower(!) I made... it went straight into the bin.

As I said.... Chris has making them down to a fine art....

Sally and I are going to pick her brains.... assuming we can find them!

I did manage a little applique.....  

my stash of baskets is growing..... ever so slowly but steadily.   I found some more lovely background fabrics .....

so I'm all set to keep plugging away.

Took time out to play with some little half inch hexies.....

don't know what they're going to be yet but they are so addictive.  I can see a lot more of them in my future.  Did I mention I have some quarter inch hexies papers!    I'm wondering if anyone ever tried them and didn't end up in rehab.

What else.   Sally brought her latest 'flimsy' over to show and tell....

Isn't it gorgeous!   Both she and I cut the pieces for this one while we were away on retreat.   Mine is still a WIP... well I never!    The pattern is Seville by Cluck Cluck Sew  and the fabric is 'Etchings' from Moda.   One day I'll show you mine.... just don't hold your breath.

Tina visited and showed off the progress on her hexie quilt..... she is behind there holding it... unless it is really levitating....

Remember she's sewing this with 'invisible' thread!    Personally I think the fact that she works in an operating theatre and guddles about in peoples innards beside the surgeon gives her an edge.  She knows all there is to know about suturing tricky stuff together.

What else?

One of my greatest wishes came true......

Julie at Little Cotton Rabbits has for sale patterns (and they are downloadable) to make her fabulous... wait for it... Little Cotton Rabbits.  If you've never visited her blog get on over there right now.... her bunnies and other knitted stuffies are totally gorgeous.   There's a pic of  the most gorgeous little bunny dresses you ever saw pegged on a line.   Takes 'cute' to a whole new level!  I've got my fingers crossed for an elephant pattern in the future.   

That's about it for crafty stuff.   Not a lot of progress for such a long break.

Outdoors things are progressing.....

yesterday I unearthed the caravans hard standing from under both grass and weed.  Honestly... it's been buried so long I forgot it was there!  Took me all day to dig it out.... don't tell my mum... I'm not supposed to be doing anything.  

Remember I told you she didn't like the caravan because it was 'green' (covered in algae)... well

I cleaned the front half... can you tell the difference (ha)  The rest will have to wait until my buttocks unclench. Honestly.... of all the muscles to stiffen up from overworking it had to be my  Gluteus Maximus and very maximus they are indeed.  (note to self:   must diet.... again).

This arrived today.....

it's a huge bag of Bark Mulch.  Something tells me it's not going to go very far in this garden.  Still.. I'm ever hopeful that it (along with some ground membrane) is going to go a long way towards stopping the annual invasion of the field next door into my flower bed.   Maintenance Man is coming tomorrow (along with his 13 year old son who shall be named  Mini Maintenance Man)  to spread the stuff as far as it will go.

What else?

Our staircase is now sporting this contraption......

It's a stairlift to transport Mac between floors.   He wanted one with go faster stripes... I wanted one with an ejector seat aligned with the landing window!   OK.... don't get your knickers in a twist... I'm only joking.  Besides... I'd be the one who had to climb the ladder to retrieve him from the conservatory roof! :o))  I love him really.

Do you see that dark shadow at the top of the stairs?   First time I saw it I nearly flipped.   I thought I'd caught an 'orb' in the photo.... good grief... the house is haunted!!     Further investigations revealed a blob of melted chocolate on my camera lens.    I obviously watch too many 'Most Haunted' programmes.

What else?

Last week I caved in and went to see the Dr who took no less than 12 phials of blood for testing.  I'm not holding out much hope for a diagnosis.   Mr T (Chris's husband) suggested it might be  Brucellosis  but as I'm not an old cow and haven't aborted a calf recently I think he's barking up the wrong tree.  Still... that's a farmer for you and I do appreciate the concern.

Ok... I'm finally running out of steam.  When I started writing I didn't have much to say... funny that.  I'd better go and find something to nibble before I head on up to bed..   I missed dinner tonight and don't want to wake up with the midnight munchies at 3am!

Hope you are all having fun and doing stuff that makes you happy.   I'll be very happy once I manage to catch up with all your bloggy goings on....

See ya soon

Hugs

Josie

Yet again.....

I'm playing catch up!

Believe it or not  I was there on Friday night sewing along with all you girls.

I wouldn't exactly say I was sewing up a storm but I did enjoy what I was capable of doing.   That amounted to snipping, tacking and then glue basting those little baskets onto their background fabrics.  I have a goodly pile all ready to be appliqued now and I'm feeling much happier for having played with fabric.... beats soil any day of the week.

Couldn't have had a better evening.   Really enjoyed playing with my baskets and watching the practise sessions for the Canadian Grand Prix.  For once the room was light and bright.... see all that sunshine flooding through the windows.   Amazing as it was after 8pm!

I had real live company too....

Mum and her knitting came to stay for the weekend.   There was wool and bear parts everywhere.  Total mayhem too with Bagpuss chasing the wool and mum chasing Bagpuss.   This place is so close to being a nut house it's scary.

Saturday morning and another sunny day... it was beginning to look a lot like summer.   Took my baskets  into the conservatory......

didn't manage to do much though.... it was too darned hot in there!    We  really need to get roof blinds but Mac isn't keen.  He fears that flies and other creepy crawlies will be queueing up to use them as a latrine!   Don't you just love men when they are being stubborn.

Hate to say this but those baskets were the only things sewn since I was last here.    No guessing what's been keeping me busy.....

It's looking better don't you think.

  

The garden maintenance man arrived and boy could he dig.  He reminded me of the Energiser Bunny. 

The veggie bed is ready for planting but as Mac (the green fingered one) isn't at all either well or with it at the moment I can't see a future for it this year.   I suspect a bumper crop of Chickweed is in the offing....

Did you know it's also known as Stitchwort... now you do.   All may not be lost..... I've heard you can make soup with it.

Might get a nice crop of cooking apples this year too......

for once the blossom hasn't been blown off by winds and rain.   Just look at the colour of that sky.... gorgeous isn't it.

Caught my mum trying to pull Sticky Willy out of the flower bed.......

that's not the maintenance man...... it's a weed.  You can Google it if you don't believe me :o)    Unfortunately the real maintenance man only managed to work for a day and a half before succumbing to a kidney stone... ouch!    Think it'll be a while before he can make it back here.

I'll be getting back to normal (whatever that is) sewing and  blogging very soon.   I've been banned from the garden till further notice... by my Mum & Mac!    You know how much I like turbo digging... supersonic weeding... road mending and death defying tree chopping well.....  I've been forbidden to do any of it any more.   

You must know by now I'm not one for using common sense. Once I decide to do something I go at it like a bull at a gate and now I'm paying the price.   This last week I've been suffering from extreme exhaustion... fevers and intense pain in all of the joints in my hands and feet with my shoulders and neck thrown in for good measure.    I've been a right misery guts I can tell you.   I've had episodes like this before but not quite as bad as this one.   So maybe it's time to admit that I'm not superhuman (or the Incredible Hulk in disguise) and tone down the sorts of things I get up to outdoors  (gardening wise that is) ;o)

So with me restricted to ladylike (!) pottering in the garden from now on and the maintenance man out of action this place will be a wilderness soon.   Ces't la vie!

Please accept my apologies if you've mailed me and I haven't replied yet..... I will... I promise.....  hand on heart.   My little fingers can cope with typing again as long as it's in short bursts.     Looking forward to catching up with what you've all been doing......

In the meantime what do you make of this.......

Words fail me!    Does she  think she's rehearsing for Strictly Come Dancing?   Hummmm... her partner looks a bit wooden to me!

See you soon

Take it easy on yourselves and remember to have fun whenever the opportunity arises

Hugs

Josie