What a weekend

See  - the sun certainly brings me out.  We went off to a garden show on Saturday, its held at Wood Green Animal Sanctuary and we have been most years, not too expensive to get in, and not too big to wal k around.  There were a few things on our shopping list, and we managed to get some but not others...Hey ho that's life.  Spent the afternoon sitting in the garden sipping Pymms and planning..... its a hard life in the sun.  Mr D was in charge of the cooking, nice BBQ (Braai for you S.A. folk), two in a row..must be a record.

Sunday was planned out... plant the bits we bought yesterday, and get the Hay Baskets planted up, we are not planting hanging baskets this year as we will be away at a time when they will need a lot of watering, and there is only so much you can ask neighbours to do.  So, I was in charge of the Hay Baskets, and Mr D planted up some pots for the patio.

Two Hay Baskets back to back

These two baskets are ready to hang at the front of the house, sure they will look good once all the plants start to grow. 

 I have to show you this...

I bought 3 of these Iris plants in 2006, they cost me £21.00 in total,  I  thought that a lot of money at the time, but they were beautiful.  2006 was the last time I saw any flowers, just greenery has come up each year.  I have  spoken nicely to them, read about them on the internet, made sure the rhizome gets as much sun as possible as I know they like to sit on top of the soil lapping it up, but nothing until..... YEAH!! this year I have the one flower... goodness - not sure it was worth all that money and effort, but it is lovely.  Do you know these used to grow in our garden when I was a child, and my Mum did nothing to them, they just thrived.  Do we spoil our plants?????

I did say how hot it was didn't I, well we usually carry supplies of Jelly babies or Wine Gums in the car for long journeys (or short ones if I have my way!), but as I was passing the cash out tills at a well known supermarket (Lidl) a bag of Peach Loops jumped into my basket and I can strongly recommend them, so tasty... I digress... The Peach Loops were in the hot car on Saturday, and melted into one big jelly blob.

Peach Blob

Now, at this point most folk would just tip them in the bin, but much more fun to do this...

I really should grow up

I have done a bit of sewing, but the garden has been top choice this weekend. 

Hope you all had a good weekend. x 

-

Sunny Days

Oh yes we have sunny days at last, they seem to have been so long coming I have decided to share them with you.  I know you folk that live in warmer climes will think I am mad, but sometimes I miss the sun so much that when it does shine I want to shout from the roof tops.

Tuesday was just the beginning of the sun, but I was out and about, so could not lap up the beauty of the day. Wednesday dawned and the sun "had its hat off" very early.  I did loads of washing, and think this is the first time in months that I have been able to put it on the washing line in the garden

See blue skies, my South African grandson once asked if we ever had blue skies in England!

I just love to see clean clothes out to dry.  My feet had to go naked as well, don't you just love to feel the grass between your toes!

Not such twinkey toes, but nice to be free of shoes

These are my 'Winter' Pansy's, and they are looking great, but its almost time for them to come out ready to  put our summer bedding in their place.  I never know why we plant "winter" Pansy's when they look really poorly in the winter....

Not a great pic, but they did look cheerful

The other flower that is doing well (may be too well) at this time of year are the Aquilegia.  They just seed themselves, but are so pretty

Gorgeous 

I did have to get down to some work though, so I opened up the sewing room and began

Love this room

I bought fabric on Tuesday for the borders of Susan's quilt top, so I set about with the sewing.  I decided on Flying Geese (seem to be doing a lot of those lately).  It took me all day just to get the border strips made. 

Need to press that crease out

Then I thought I would make a circle of mini geese for the corner blocks (are they called ' corner stones'??), well how long would it take to make 4 little blocks......... about 6 hours... that's how long it took me. 

Cute aren't they?

Finished  Yeah!!!

I now only have to remove the paper from these little blocks, and I have just the right T.V. program to do it by.    

See you soon.

Hi There

Hallo,did you miss me??? I have been a bit neglectful lately???

I seem to have been very busy lately, so the blog has gone by the board and  my friend would call me a lazy blogger ....Sorry.

I have been working on a few secret items, so I can't even show you pics of those, but I can show you this...

Quilting beginnings

I went to Highampiecemakers (my Monday sewing group) yesterday, and instead of sitting talking I actually worked on my flying geese block.  I decided as this whole thing was a practice/trial piece, I should really try to practice some different quilting, and as you can see I started to play with pebbles..... I think it looks O.K. (its not perfect by any means) and when its finished I will show you again and you can give me feedback.  I have also quilted my Birdy Block quilt, and I will show you that once I have finished the binding. I was about to show you a picture of the quilt but do you know I don't have one, I really am slacking, shame on me.  Oh well, it will be something for you to look forward too, or not as the case may be!

Yesterday this quilt arrived, its the round robin group that I am involved with at flickr (go here to see others), so today I had a trip out to my LQS to buy some fabric (none in my stash worked) so at least I can show you a picture of the fabrics I chose (with a little help from my friends).

Ready to cut

So now I am planning how to do the next border.  I know what I want to do, just got to make it work.

Today is the best day weather wise for such a long time, and I really just want to sit in the garden ....yes, it really is that warm, but its swimming time tonight, and I know if I don't go I will regret it tomorrow. 

So, I have to love and leave you,

Thanks for stopping by.

What's been going on

I had friends over on Tuesday, and this is what they were up to...

button necklace beginning

Just look at all of those yummy buttons.  It took a while go get started, but once a couple of buttons were on the thread 'sewhappy'  whizzed away with it.  

Tah Dah!!!!

Don't think she will be going into production, but it looks good.

My other friend (otherwise known as Quackquack22), had seen that I had made a sampler called 'Misty Mornings'.  She has had the same pattern for about 9 years and was not happy starting on her own, so today was the day to get the magnifying glasses out and start.  

Can you see I have also been playing with PicMonkey.  My friend over here introduced me to it, and I think I could have fun playing.

The other bit of news is about my quilt that I was sending off to a competition......No I didn't win!  The magazine has gone into liquidation, so there will be no competition, and no prizes.   Bit of a shame really, as I am sure they would have received a number of quilts and I should imagine the quilts will now end up in some rubbish skip somewhere.  Good news is I can now show you my effort.

Summer Time.

I am pretty sure my little block would not have won any prizes as it was a 'modern block' summer theme, still I enjoyed making it. 

 

Who would guess just how long it would take me to get my flying geese flying!  I never really work out how long it takes me to make things, I just sit and sew when I feel like it, and things get finished when they are finished.  Sometimes that does mean I sit all day, other days I might grab a couple of hours, but as sewing is a pleasure and I enjoy every minute of it,  it really isn't a hardship. Since I started the pattern for the geese I have really wanted to crack on with it and thought it would be (at least) together in a couple of hours....... how wrong I was.  It has taken me the best part of two whole days.  I suppose I am keeping fit and giving my knee some exercise, because each time I sew a seam I have to get up, press it, then trim the excess fabric, in fact I think this is what takes all the time.

What do you think??

Now this is where it will have to stop for a few days.  We are going away for the weekend, so no sewing, and I can't carry on this evening because I don't have any Batting/Wadding, so sandwiching and quilting  will have to wait until next week.

Next part of the story

Well as promised I am back to show you how I am getting on.  I have played around most of the day, and have changed my mind so many times as to how I wanted my block to look.  I did think at first I would go rainbow colours, but it takes me so long to find the right bit of fabric and I am so impatient to get this started I am once again working from my scrap bag.  It still takes me an age to find the colour I want,  the floor is totally covered in bits of fabric, and I toss left right and centre, so everything looks a big mess.

I personally think this is a Tah Dah!! moment, but I suppose some of you clever clogs out there are wondering why I am so pleased with myself........this is my pattern made with EQ6 and I can't believe it is working.

Here you are

9.5" square.  all my own

I think I am going to make the other 3 of these exactly the same, then put them together and see if I still like it.  If it all works, next time rainbows might be on the cards.

Now while I have been busy Mr D has been harvesting his first crop of radishes.  O.K. O.K. there are not sackfuls, but he's the only one that eats them, it is a first time he has tried them, and he really didn't know  just how many would grow.  I also know that a number were eaten before they made the kitchen.

Look good enough to eat ....

I now have to do a bit of cooking, friends coming tomorrow.  I'd love to take photos of my culinary delights,  but its just Butternut soup.  

So Excited

As many of you know the weather has been wet wet wet, but this weekend we have had a few hours of dryness  Yeah!!! On Saturday a walk was on the cards, and what a nice walk it was, can't say the sun shone, but the rain did not come down. I spent the afternoon making another of my N.Y.B. so I am catching up.  I also spent sometime in cyber world.  Now, don't ask me how I came across it, but I found 'lesson 5'.  I had no idea what 'lesson 5' was, but once I read it, it sounded as if it might be a lesson on EQ.  Now, I have EQ6 (courtesy of a friend) but I am really rubbish trying to get it to work, so I thought I would try 'lesson 5'.  It took goodness knows how many hours, but I have managed to draw up my own block (jumping up and down screaming!!!!)   I had to leave the printing .....beauty sleep calling (and goodness I need my share of that).

Sunday dawned, but we had to go shopping...... not so bad, managed to get a few things that were on my list, but once back Mr D. had things to do in the garden ...yes another dry day, and I had a date with my design. Things did not go as expected  Grrrrrrrr!!, but after another 3 or 4 hours I have printed my pattern and I am going to trim it up and get ready to sew tomorrow.  Is this a Tah Dah!! moment, or should I wait until I have block made....... think I must wait.... no confidence  Boo Hoo!!

This is my pattern.