Flipp'in Fabulous FNSI !

Did I have a great time at FNSI or what!

Nothing went wrong!     Bet you can't believe that.  But it's as true as I'm sitting here in my wee goonie and baffies (nightdress and slippers) poking toast crumbs out of my keyboard.

Last week I did the grocery run on Thursday to leave the whole of Friday free for FNSI.  Maybe I should call it FDSI  because I really did sew the whole day.  Started stitching along with all you Southern Hemisphere gals..... picked up the European lasses at tea time then made a valiant attempt to stay up late enough to say 'Hi' to Canada and the US of A!    Wow... what a day!

Started out with some therapeutic slicing and dicing......

Cut the 200 blue squares needed for the next border of Natures Journey.  While the blade was in my hand I prepped the outer border too... optimistic eh.

Next... some chain piecing....

I don't often chain piece but I managed to make it work for me this time.    Before you all start telling me that chaining is super efficient and fast... I know all that and I agree (in principle).   My problem is brain saturation.   My little grey cells fill up very quickly and once that happens all bets are off.  I loose track of what I'm stitching to what and chaos quickly ensues.  That usually means a lot of unpicking.

No chaining the next step.  I needed to keep control and my cool for this bit....

Things went swimmingly well and pretty soon a miracle happened......

Ta Da!!    Another round of Natures Journey done and dusted.   I don't mind saying I love it to bits.  Plan is to work on joining the applique block borders today.   The girls are coming over so as long as I don't talk too much (as if) I stand a good chance of getting that bit closer to the finish line.

That was my FNSI now how about yours?    When the girls leave I'll be showing up on all your doorsteps to see what you got up to on Friday.....  provided you joined in of course.  

Thanks Wendy for hosting us all again and for the yummy cake recipe.  It's a keeper.  Click HERE to visit Wendy and all the other girls from around the world who stitched on Friday night.

HOT OFF THE PRESS.....

I did it!   I pieced and attached the applique borders this afternoon.   Am I on a roll or what!  Just two more easy peasy borders to do..... getting excited now.    

It's nice to be sewing again.  I've been working through a bit of a stitching slump the past couple of weeks.    Outdoor chores ate up lots of my time.   Jobs like.....

collecting rocks from the field next door... and hurling them over the garden wall.  Great Scottish pass time.  Shame it isn't an Olympic sport I reckon I could make the team.

My rock tossing did have a purpose......

Mac started work on some steps from the drive to the upper part of the garden.   Can't wait to cut the ribbon at the grand opening.    No more risking life and limb slithering up and down the slippery slope to short cut the route from top garden to drive.   Lost count of how many times I've slid down there on my bum!

Been doing a bit of garden work too (weather permitting).   I'm trying to clear the undergrowth around that path with a view to laying some membrane and bark.   I'm getting too old and cranky to have to dig out the darned path every year.    Won't tell you what Mimi is up to but she seemed to think my digging was for her convenience!

A lot of death defying lopping of tree branches and the removal of an old bush from the middle of the lawn has opened up a new view from the kitchen window.....

Nice to see 'the girls' enjoying a paddle in the river.   Wonder what those two were talking about.

Maisie might know....

but she's not saying.  

Well.... that's it for now.    I'm sewing again tomorrow.   I need to finish Natures Journey before Friday..... when the girls and I head off on retreat again.    Want to come?

I'm going now,   I've a lot of lovely blog visiting to catch up on and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it.   See you soon....

Have a happy time stitching....
Hugs
Josie   xxxx

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

FNSI (without frustrations)

That's right..... I had a calm and frustration free FNSI.   Why?  Because I did the grocery run on Thursday!    Beats me that I didn't think of doing that before.

Kitty arrived on Friday so I bullied persuaded her to join in the sew in too.   Except we didn't sew....

I had a sudden desire to play with yarn.   Not knitting.   I fancied an evening of crochet and who better to have around at a crochet-in than Kitty.   What she doesn't know about crochet you could write on the head of an applique pin.

Except for a miserable failed attempt to crochet a puppy (turned out more like a pear)  a few years ago I haven't picked up a hook for decades.   It took me the entire evening ( under the close scrutiny of Kitty) to come up with these...

If I'd been alone on Friday I'd have been very happy with 5 crocheted hexagons but as Kitty completed all of these.....

despite the fact that she was tutoring me..... I felt more than a little bit slow!   Still..... we both had a lovely tine with all you FNSI'ers on Friday.   I'm looking forward to visiting you all in the next couple of days to see just what you got up to.

Thanks Wendy for hosting another lovely evening..... I didn't sew but I did have loads of fun!

I couldn't shake the crochet bug on Saturday either.   I decided I'd practised enough to be trusted with some 'posh' cotton yarn I've been saving.......

I really think I like these.   I haven't a clue what I'm going to do with them so if you have any ideas feel free to share.   Must admit I'm feeling a bit addicted........

By the way.... when Kitty left this (Sunday) afternoon she'd made 87 hexagons!  She does everything at speed.   Oh... and I should mention that the pattern is free and available here at Crochet In Colour.

My sewing projects haven't been neglected but progress has been slow.....

I still need to outline the path on the Knot Garden with running stitch but at least it's been pieced.

Work has started on the July block of Natures Journey.....

Love...love... love it!!      Hope to get lots done on it this week.... eyes permitting.

On the subject of my eyes.... another visit to the Dr resulted in a diagnosis..... blocked tear ducts!   She prescribed some ointment which is suspiciously like axle grease only clear.   I was a bit dubious when I read the list of active ingredients and came across sheep wool!     Still... it appears to be working.   I've been doing my best to 'rest' my eyes as per Dr's orders... but it's been tough.  Hardly any screen time... hardly any e.mailing... hardly any blog visiting results in hardly any fun!

Hoping this week I'll do better.

Heck.... I've just realised I'm late for TV time.... better get a wiggle on right now....

Hope everyone reading this has an amazing week ....

See you soon
Hugs
Josie.....xxxx

FNWF and other stuff.....

I really hate to say this but I think I'd do much better if Friday Night with Friends was on a Wednesday!   

Don't know about you but my Fridays are guaranteed to be frustrating.   Grocery shopping for instance...  who doesn't hate that.   I'd give my eye teeth to live in a French or Italian hill village. One with a beautiful village square and an outdoor food market filled with scrumptious freshness.  I can smell coffee and croissants right now.... ahhhhhh.   

I wouldn't care if I never saw another supermarket in my life!   Every Friday I say 'never again'  and vow to order next weeks groceries on line and have them delivered but I never do it.   I suppose I'm just too picky to let someone else choose my chicken!

Sorry.... you came to see what I sewed with Friends on Friday not to listen to me moan.   Without further whinging here's what I got up too.....

I can't claim to have stitched all of the above on Friday evening .... I'm not that speedy.  The little lollipop trees and the cabbages (!) next to them I made earlier.    Friday night I appliqued and stitched the little blocks (bottom right) then prepped and began to applique the longer blocks on the right.

"That's not much"..... I can hear you muttering.    Well it was a lot for a woman with only one eye!

Yes... I'm still having eye trouble.  If it carries on much longer I'm changing my name to Cyclops. Took the problem to the Dr who gave me a steroid spray to stick up my nose.... very useful.  Friday morning the offending eye and cheek turned red and began swelling.  By the time I arrived home I looked like I'd taken right hook from a heavyweight boxer.   What was that all about!    I give up!

Swelling has gone down now.   Eye is still constantly wet and running and randomly making it's own decisions on whether to focus or not.    Back to normal then......

Deep breaths......

Ok.....    here's something nice (well I think it is).   The completed June blocks for my Natures Journey BOM.....

I think this is my favourite 'month' for blocks so far......

really enjoyed stitching all of them.    Was only a day and a half late for the end of the month deadline too.   I would have finished on time but just as I was taking the photo's to post to the SAL blog I realised my ladybugs were headless and legless.   I couldn't show them like that now could I... I do have some standards.....not many but some.

Now.... remember those second projects the girls were working on on retreat.... the ones I forgot to take photo's of?    Well here's Chris showing her 'second' quilt of that week......

Amazing what can be made from just one Jelly Roll isn't it.

This one is Sally's second project that she put the finishing touches too when she got home.....

It's a Hatched and Patched design.... love all those perfect little houses.

Had a lovely visit from Tina last week ....

she brought her latest EPP project to layer and baste.  This is a mat for her bathroom window sill...  lovely.

That's it for now.... I've nothing else to show you.

Time to get myself some lunch (late) and settle down to enjoy the afternoon watching the British Grand Prix and indulging in a spot of leisurely blog visiting.... bliss!

See you soon then.....
Have a great week
Hugs
Josie.....xxxxx

Fiddling FNSI....

I missed all the sew - ins last month so I was really keen to make the most of Friday night.     Had to take mum to an appointment on Friday afternoon so I packed a little bag.....

Most of you girls get to stitch at football matches or swimming pools or at the athletic track.  Me... I get to sit in the car outside the Chiropodist.    For once mum timed her appointment well.... Gardeners Question Time was on the radio.    Stitching along with Bob Flowerdew (that's his real name) is as good as it gets!  

I did stitch Friday evening too.   Took advantage of a dry spell to take my stitching out into the garden.   Wasn't out there long before couple of  neighbours  popped over for a chat....

Blanche (I made that up) seemed very interested but I don't know if it was my stitching or Tiggy doing her yoga routine that fascinated her....

I haven't a clue what this position is..... have you?

All in all I had a good time.....

The June blocks for Natures Journey SAL are finally under way.   I haven't had much time for sewing/stitching since I got back from the cottage so it was lovely to spend some quality time with one of my most favorite projects again.      

Thanks for hosting FNSI again Wendy....  you made my day!   Love your new website by the way!!   

Well... TV time with Mac is almost upon me again so I'd better grab a bite to eat before I head into the Bat Cave with my stitching.

Roll on tomorrow... I'm taking time off from garden/building duties to spend a whole day blog visiting..... see you soon then  :o)

Hugs....

Josie  xxx