where did the week go!

Its  been a week since I last blogged.  I have tried to keep up with other blogs but last week I was rather tied up - all because of this little fellow:

This is Daniel, who is now 6 months old!  He is the smiliest, happiest little person I know.  I went in to london to pick him and his mum, Alison (my cousin) up last monday.  We drove through Hackney about 2 hours ahead of all the looting and chaos: very lucky.

Alison was so generous with Daniel, we had unlimited cuddles and play: he was never on his own!  The girls fell in love with him too and their were 'disscussions' concerning whose turn it was to do what! 

 I made this for him while he was here ( his dad loves it!)  I also made him a scrunchy toy: basically a crisp packet between two pieces of material - he loved it!

We took them back to London on Thursday - and I cried my eyes out!  I didn't want either of them to leave and had a mini breakdown at Alisons.  Then I had a 90 min drive home, still all teary!

I just wanted to go to bed when I got back but it was flower club, so off I went. And I won a display in the raffle!  Unfortunately, I had walked down, so could only pick a small display:

This was actually two displays and i chose the smaller of the two, to make it easier to carry home!

I have sewn a few more of these:

I have also cut out what I need for another 6 bags, so that should keep me busy.  I also made a couple more chickens.

Yesterday we had the Clacton carnival.  It started at 6pm and was about a 2mile procession: the crowds were amazing.  Clacton is a seaside resort so I imagine there were lots of visitors.  There were people on their balconies waving, in their gardens, sitting on the green, on the pier - just loads of people.

The girls had to hitch a ride - again - on another court float. (long story!!) but they had such a great time.  The weather was fantastic.  I can't remember the last time we went to Clacton.  Its a classic seaside resort: pier, arcades etc, but its also very smart.  We got home about 10.30.  Next weekend we have Southends carnival, which is another evening one and I am told is huge, so looking forward to that. 

 I have got myself immersed in to FMQ today.  I watched some tutorials on you tube : my fav being the one where the lady say you should relax and then pours herself a large glass of red wine: my kind of sewing :-)  So, after much practising this is what I came up with:

I really enjoyed doing this: it's not great and I need lots of practise, but I am pleased for a first try. 

I have also started quilting Beccys string quilt, will show that when its done, and also picked up some embroidery that I started a while back.  And obviously, I have also been working on my next module, which I have now completed, so just need lots of revision!

Sorry this is such a long rambling post.  I will try and keep up this week!  We are going to Lakeside on Tuesday (HATE that place!) and working two half days in the office, so not that busy!



Chickens and a bag

Another busy day for me, starting out with re-sealing the bath.  Horrid job, which meant that I had to take the old sealant off first.  It had got mouldy around the shower and tap end which is why I wan't to get rid of it.  boy, it was hard work getting the old stuff off!
Then sorted out my kitchen, did some gardening and a little bit of work on the new module.
Then, I got down to my sewing :-)

I read on  Judiths blog about her charity bee, which is a fantastic idea.  It got me thinking that I hadn't done anything recently with the material that the hospice ladies had given me.  Its all curtain samples, so not the think stuff we are used to and therefore I am limited in what to do with it.  After staring long and hard at it I came up with this:

 

Everybody needs a bag, so hopefully it will sell.  I plan to make more, as it was so easy.  I kind of copied a bag that I already have, that I use all the time and am pleased with how it worked out

Then I remembered this tutorial that I saw a while ago:  chicken pin cushions.  My sister in law makes these and had made me one a while ago, so I worked from hers and the tutorial to make these:

 

I stuffed them with toy stuffing loosely and then added some rice at the bottom for weight.  I use the one Ellen gave me to hold my pages down in my books when I am working at the kitchen table.

And then lastly this:

This is lovely sort of satiny material, but horrid to work with as it frays really easy.  I have been toying with the idea of making some little lap quilts with the satiny stuff, maybe for use in the hospice rather than to sell.  Thinking about that one.... Hopefully these will all sell well, and make money for the hospice. 

So,  a productive day. Tonight I will be having a bath (carefully as the sealant needs 24 hrs to dry!) and then I have Revolutionary Road to watch. 

Catching up

I am finally catching up on the mystery quilt.  I made the next two blocks:

I also made some amendments: remember this block

well, it was bugging me because it wasnt in keeping with the other blocks, so it has become this:

which I like way much better.  I also tweaked another block - i think it was the two blocks that had no white in them, and they just didn't look right.  i forgot to take a before picture of it, but its the bottom right hand corner block, I have swapped the outside corners to white, from yellow and I like that one much better as well.

I havnt tried the plaiting yet, I will do it but i want to see what fabric I have left - not sure if we have any more blocks to do (I Hope so!)  I have sewn two of the blocks together - in the right hand bottom corner.  The random bit of orange on there is what I will use as my fill in material, but again I want to see what blocks there are left to do.

And this was lunch

A vanilla slice, my fave ;-).  It's only 2.30 so I have time for more sewing, but first I need to squeeze in a bit of house work.  And it appears old habits are hard to break: I was downstairs at the kitchen table at 6.45 this morning, working on my next module!! (boy do i need that holiday in Turkey!)



Rubbish exam!

Thank you for all your good lucks.  Unfortunatley the exam was absolutely awful and on top of the fact that I always bottle at exams, I will be amazed if I passed.
There are so many accounting standards to learn that you can only really learn the popular ones, the ones that appear in ALL the past exam papers : but oh no, not today, it was all the random ones, the ones that are barely mentioned in the books and that have NEVER appeared on an exam paper in the last 10 yeaRS.  I did a lot of waffling and an awful lot of the course was not even covered. So, I am dissapointed, especially when I know I worked hard (I know I may yet be amazed and pass but i don't think so).
Still, I can retake it (one lady there today was on her 3rd retake!!) and I will carry on with all the other modules. BUT.... not this weekend.  This weekend I am going to sew :-)

This time tomorrow.....

....... it will all be over.  I am so fed up with revision!  On top of that I keep reading that this is the hardest exam and most people do about 2 re-takes :-(  Please don't let that be me.   I got to the point where I was just going round in circles and making silly errors and then confusing myself, so gave up at about 3pm today.

I have no sewing to show, so here is the first square from my log cabin knitting:

The picture makes the colours look like dishwater, they are in fact cream, deep purple and a deep pink and in real life actually look lovely.  I finished this square last weekend.  Only another 19 to go: actually they knit up really quickly so its not so bad.

This time tomorrow, my revision will be over.  The results take 6 weeks, and during that time I will start on the next module (aagh!) but this weekend is all about catching up on the sewing, so hopefully I will have lots of pics to show.

Giveaway at Fairyface Designs

Sarah, over at  Fairyface designs is having a giveaway.  You could be in for a chance to win one of these:

I don't know about you, but I keep on entering giveaways to win one of these: you never know when you might get lucky!  And even if you don't, then at least you have discovered another great blog!

New arrival, late notification

Look who arrived last Thursday:

Zoe had a little girl, Emily Sheila, who weighed in at 6lb, 2oz.  She is so gorgeous.  We went away Thursday morning, to my brothers and I got the text that evening, so I had to wait to get cuddles

Beccy and Emily

Zoe had her at home - rather dramtically actually.  She rang the hospital 3 times to see if she should go in and eventually they told her to take 2 paracetamol and wait, as there was no way she was ready as this was her first.  She gave birth to Emily on the bathroom floor, she was delivered by Tim (proud daddy) whilst receiving instructions over the phone.  Thankfully everyone was fine!!


Jenny and Emily



I had already made the quilt:

and had it all finished, but just needed to add the finishing touch, which I did on my return, just before we went to see her!

The pictures are rubbish!!! Thankfully she doesn't have a long name, as I blanket stictched the letters on!

I havn't done ANY sewing, my days are given up to revision all day :-(  I have my exam Friday afternoon, and then I will spend the whole weekend sewing, before my cousin and 5mth old Daniel come to stay!