Quick off the mark

Well, I can't believe that I have had nearly 5 weeks off and it is back to work on Monday.  Where has the time gone!

With that in mind I have been very keen with this months HipBees bee block for Jude.  I got the parcel this morning and the block is all done

This was great fun to make and I still need to do the siggy block. I know that the first week back at work is going to be a manic, late evenings will start again etc, so I thought I would strick while the iron is hot. 

Beccy was also doing some sewing today, so seemed like as good a time as any.  This is her block.  A small error in the first bit of the log cabin, but not noticable really and she now understands what its all about!

I also got my Brit Quilt in the post today, along with some extras.  I really hope my partner likes it.

Cathedral window pincushion and teeny
pincushion

Some little panels: wonder what my partner will
do with these

 
I have decided this will be my last swap for a while.  I have loved this one and the purse swap that Nicky did at the beginning of the summer (well, in fact all of the swaps that I have done!) , but it has become increasingly difficult to keep up with writing the comments. It can be s0 discouraging  when your partner doesn't comment.  We are all such busy people and the fact that someone hasn't left a comment doesn't mean that they hate it, just that they don't have the time.  I have found it hard to find the time to comment, and I really do make an effort to try and comment at least once on each person. I don't want to be the person that lets my partner down, so I am going to take a small break from them .

I am ashamed to say I havn't really got in to the paralympics like I did the olympics.  I think the C4 coverage is so amateur compared to the beeb and the adverts were making me so mad.  I have been catching up on it all on the computer and that is working for me. Its such a shame as these olympians are soooo inspiring

The complete opposite to sewing....

..... is DIY.  And that is something I have been doing quite a bit of over the last couple of weeks.

I have painted and wallpapered my bedroom (I did the girls room last summer)

I have repainted the bathroom ceiling (following a leak)

I have painted the loung ceiling (HUGE job)

And today is was the turn of the stairs and landing

the streaks are bits of wet paint!

I didn't do a before and after photo.  I wasn't really going to blog this, but I had to tell you about 'getting around a situation'

I managed to get all my pictures down and paint the walls properly - thank goodness for extending paint rollers! Although, even with that, I was only just tall enough to still reach the top.  Anyway, I couldn't reach that one picture on its own, the one on the facing wall.  I have NO idea how I got it up there.

..... so, I had to paint around it!  Not ideal, but it got the job done

Tomorrow, I will be back with my extending roller and painting the ceiling :-(

This is the reason why: a new stair, lounge and landing carpet - being fitted in 10 days.  The girls have done all the work on the stairs - they stripped off the old paint, sanded it all down and then re-painted.  I would still have all that to do if it wasn't for them!

So, my house is a TIP and I am not getting any sewing done!

Finally some sewing

So, my BQ3S quilt is all finished

 I umm'd and aarr'd about the binding for ages.  I did a scrappy binding, but it seemed to take away from the main pattern, so I decided to go for a light one, which I think has worked

 The label is on the back and its all quilted on, ready to send at the end of the week

 I seem to have spent a lot of my time recently either doing my project  (for aat) or diy:neither of which are great fun, So last night I did a couple more of these

I thought it was all done but turns out that I still have one more quarter circle to do!

The weather today has been lovely. I sat outside for a while in the sunshine (sewing on the binding for the BQ3S) and then when the sun went in I came in and sewed some more of my Trade Winds

Its been nice to get back on the sewing machine.  And the diy is nearly complete too!

The end is in sight

Lets start with good news first .... I passed my personal taxation exam.  Phew! I found out this morning.  So now I only have one re-sit to do and a project to complete and I am done. 3 years of study is nearly over!  I have been working on the project over the holidays and it is very time consuming: a 4000 word essay on financial improvements to be made on a case study......

The girls and I went in to London yesterday to deliver this to Dan (my cousins little boy) 

 He loved it and wrapped himself up in it straight away.  He then carried/dragged it around with him and put his toys on it.  It's great to know that it will be so well used. 

  I just did some straight line quilting in a yellow thread and a scrappy binding.  Its difficult to tell in these photos but the horizontal sashing is red and the quilt is really colourful

                                   

 We had such a great day: Dan has grown up so much and he was a real showman!Another quilt that got some use this week is my Stained.  We got to look after Emily for a day last week
                                    

Her mum was very anxious at dropping her off as it was the first time she has had to leave her all day (I think most of us can all relate back to that!), but she was absolutely fine - she did a great job of keeping my two girls occupied all day!

So, got to go now, as we are off for a celbratory cream cake!

Perfect day to make a quilt

So, on the hottest day of the year, I decided to make a quilt.  Its nearly 5 o'clock and the thermostat in my living room says 29.5 degrees: all the windows in the house are open too.  It really is too hot to be outside so a quilt was the best idea, sitting in the breeze between the open windows

This is made with the Robert Kaufman fabric that came in my goodie bag from the retreat.  It is for my cousins little boy Dan, both of whom we are going to see in London on Tuesday

They are moving up to Sheffield at the end of this month so I thought a London quilt would be very apt

I havn't blogged since I got back home on Wednesday and after I met Sarah and Di on Tuesday.  What a fabulous day that was.  We met at Di's and spent the morning nattering and looking at each others creations.  Sarah had made zakka cases for each of the Hipbees

And she also gave us a little hipbee - isn;t it fantastic -  Made by Shannon who has an etsy shop Poppy Pocket: she is a very talented young lady! 

I was also lucky enough to receive this from Di: it's great and very 'on trend' too 

We had a lovely lunch and then went for a wander around Sedbergh - the weather was amazing and afterwards we sat outside in the sunshine.  Now, I didn't take a single photo: too much talking.  Di took her camera on the walk and snapped a few, so hopefully they will appear on her blog soon.

I was downloading the holiday snaps this afternoon: I love these two

.... and chill

I am still away in the Lake District having a very relaxing time. Lots of relaxation has meant lots of this

 The girls and I also took a 24 hour trip up to Glasgow last Thurs/Fri. Its not even 2 hours on the train and we stayed overnight.  The weather was unbelivable: so hot and sunny.
The girls hit the shops whilst I sat in the sun in a little street side cafe with a large glass of rose and my kindle - now that is my kind of shopping!! Lots of people watching and not much reading!!  It was also piping week up in Glasgow so there were bagpipes being played all over the place: I love bagpipes. And the buildings were old and ornate

Now, I know the weather had a lot to do with it, but I can recommend Glasgow to anyone for shopping and a mooch around. We really had a lovely time

We have also done lots of walks and had a bike ride through fields and hills

Tomorrow I am off to meet up with Di and Sarah - can't wait!

Busy not getting ready

The girls and I are off North tomorrow, to stay with my dad and step-mum.  I should be getting stuff ready but instead I got this done instead

The tiny purse that Rosa sent to me to finish off as part of the purse swap.  I kept looking and looking at it and in the end decided that I just needed to do it. 

Thanks to all of Rosas hard work in putting it together so well, it was not as difficult as I thought it would be, although definitely fiddly!

I am taking my double wedding ring EPP away with me to do some more of these

I am really enjoying doing this one and they are so easy to epp whilst watching the tv

I am also trying to finish off this project as well

 I have fallen out of love with this a little, so I am more determined to finish it

Only a few more hexies to go (which are already done) and then it will become a table runner.  I am hoping that once its FMQ'd it will appeal more

Whilst away I get to met up with Di and Sarah: fellow Hipbees.  I met Di at the retreat but have not yet met Sarah, and I can't wait.  What are the odds of us all being in the Lake District at the same time as each other!

Olympic sewing

As part of the 'middle' generation, I can't fail to see how the younger generation can not be inspired by team GB.  These are the real celebraties: who have got to where they are through sheer determination and hard work. So inspiring.  I have been glued to the televison (and also to twitter to keep me up to date!)

Which, of course, has been condusive to quilting on the settee.  I have finished quilting my Brit Quilt swap quilt

 I just kept it simple and quilted around each star with the corresponding colour thread

And the back of the quilt is all ready to go too

 I have also completed the first of our Hipbee blocks for Renee.  She sent us some Summersville fabric and asked us to make a house.  I have used this pattern before, a long time ago.

 It is an appliqued block and was great fun to do

 I also added a couple of sunflowers - they are my favourite flower. And Renees house number on the door

I just have to complete the siggy block and then I can get it sent off. 
More olympics tonight - so more sewing time for me then

Purse swap received

Yes!! Look what arrived today:

 All the way from Denmark: this AMAZING package from Rosa.  And the blog post that goes with my package is funny reading. Rosa said that the card she sent summed up perfectly how she felt!!

 The purse is fanatastic - the fabrics are so me and it is so beautifully made, all designed by Rosa herself!! Both sides of the purse have been fussy cut so precisley

 Can you see the little purse as well (my photography was a little rushed as I had a red warning light flashing I was about to run out of battery!) - that is a diy project for me - I really hope I don't mess that up! And fabric as well, and threads.., and liquorice, all wrapped up in lovely wrapping paper

And Rosa read me sooooo well: look at these tiny hexies for paper piecing! Can't wait to give these a go.

Thank you Rosa - you couldn't have read me better - and it is so hard to try to get things right for a partner in a swap, but you have hit the nail on the head!

July fresh sewing day

 Its that time of the year again: the first of the month, where I am linking up to Lily's Quilts , with my July makes.

I have to say, mine a very limited this month! I appear to have done nothing, but this is not the case as I will show you in  a moment

I have been busy working on the two swaps that I signed up for : the BQS3 and the purse frame swap

The mini quilt is a work in progress. The purse has now been received by its recipient, (who doesn;t have a blog) and thankfully she loved it!! What a relief

I have also finally made my ET block into a cushion cover.  I am so pleased with this

This is my first finish for Rhonda's finish along. I have so many things to finish before I can start the pile of new things in my head!

 And this is why I don't seem to have done a lot of sewing, I have been spending my evenings sewing scraps.  I bought some templates from paper pieces (fabulous service btw) and have decided to give the double wedding quilt a try!

I have a huge pile of these now and I am sewing away each evening, as well as trying to catch up on some other sewing

Yesterday was my last day at work for 4 weeks: hooray! Loads of sewing for me then