Hello again. I can’t even begin to tell you how much I miss my little blog but right now I haven’t got the energy to pop in and tell you about my crafting as I’ve been struck down with flu. On top of that my poor dog Aron has had to have a lump removed on his neck. I will be back soon though, hopefully with some pictures of the teacher gifts I am trying to make for Little Miss Bossy-Boots’ teachers. If I don’t feel better soon I might have to resort to buying them chocolate. Wish me luck!
May I have a quick little moan, please? For a while now I’ve been experiencing pains in my hip which have kept me from crafting and sleeping properly, hence the long blog absence. It’s only a niggle as long as I move but when I sit down it starts to hurt and seems to get worse as soon as I go to bed. Last week I was limping home from the school run and I thought “This is ludicrous, get yourself to a doctor, girl!” So I did and the diagnosis is Trochanteric bursitis or Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome as it’s now called. Apparently it’s quite common in middle aged ladies with slightly wider hips which, of course, makes me feel really good. Not.
Anyway there’s not much you can do as it’s one of those things that should go away by itself after four to six weeks. However, it’s a bit of a nuisance as I feel it most when I sit still which has made me avoid my sewing machine a bit. Not the best tactic as I’m planning on a mostly handmade Christmas.
Right, moan over. I have been sewing a little something which has been a real treat. I’ll tell you more about it at the end of the week but will leave you with a little sneak peek.
I will try my best to get back into blogging on a regular basis again as I have really missed it. More importantly I have lots on my to do list which I’m really looking forward to showing you. See you soon!
I still owe you pictures of the other packages which arrived on Tuesday. The first was the one I was super excited about: The table runner kit.
I won this table runner kit from Hyggeligt Fabrics on Lynne’s blog Lily’s Quilts. The Oakshott Rubies are incredibly beautiful. The colours are luminous and rich and change according to the light. Absolutely stunning. You really have to see them for real to properly appreciate their beauty. Because they are so wonderful I have decided not to make a table runner but a wall hanging. I couldn’t bear seeing these fabrics all sticky and soaked in juice or milk something which most definitely will happen with a four year old in the house. I won’t be able to start on it till next week but that’s alright. It just means that I can fondle the fabrics a little bit longer.
The second package was from Eclectic Maker and contained some fusible fleece, a fat quarter bundle of Parson Gray fabric and some other bits of fabric which hopped into the basket all by themselves.
Master asked me to make him a bag for his birthday that’s big enough to transport his laptop. I decided on Parson Gray, designed by David Butler (Amy Butler husband) because I thought they would be nice and manly. I love them so much I want to keep them for myself but won’t, of course. I’m just waiting for some waterproof rucksack material before starting on the bag. I prefer doing it all in one go rather than a little here and a little there.
These are the fabrics that somehow made it into my shopping basket. Some LouLouThi Curated Bloom by Anna Maria Horner and some Gypsy Girl Diamond by Lily Ashbury for Moda. The first is supposed to be turned into a top for me (as soon as I get my overlocker) while the latter is going to be cut up into squares for a patchwork quilt in green, yellow and some pops of blue.
Don’t tell anyone but I ordered some more fabric today. I’ll show you what it is when it arrives in a couple of days.
This is a filler post because I don’t really have anything to share with you today.
Dealing with the leak and going to the physio were the only things I had time for today. So I’m leaving you with a curious cow. Why? Because I can!
I’ve been working on my bath mat today but didn’t really have the time to take pictures while there was still enough light so I will show you my progress tomorrow.
For now I’ll just show you what awaits me most evenings when I try to go to bed.
Now if I’m really lucky the dog will have snuck in too. And then they wonder why I’m grumpy in the morning…
I’m a cat person with a dog. Master is a dog person with a cat. The cat and the dog aren’t the best of friends but have accepted that they have to share the house and us.
Charles brings me mice in the middle of the night, curls up on the sofa next to me or on my lap and generally makes this house a home.
Aron looks at me adoringly, ignores me when I call him and curls up on the sofa with me when I watch tv in the evening. He also gets me out of the house twice a day.
Of course I’ve made beds for both of them. Actually that’s not quite true as Charlie has a little quilt I made a long time ago while Aron has a nice fleecy bed in the living room. However, Charlie has decided that the Swoon cushion is his bed now and sleeps on it every day. Fine by me, it’s nice to know that things I’ve made are being used.
Yesterday Aron hijacked the bed and Charlie was not happy.
At least not until I gave him some rubs while sitting on the sofa.
I think I need to make Aron a new cover for his bed. Another Swoon? Stars? Stripes? Decisions, decisions.
I’ve gone and done it.
First I joined the Brit Quilt Swap Round 3. I’m very excited about it as I love swaps. Not that I’ve joined that many before, this is only my third. However, I’ve loved everything I’ve received so far. You might remember the goodies I got at the Fat Quarterly Retreat. They are all in use on a daily basis and remind me of a fabulous weekend and some really nice people.
Then there’s the gorgeous knitted cushion I received from Christina. It sits on my bed and makes me happy whenever I look at it.
I got my partner’s details and as this is a secret swap I can’t tell you much but I’ll make sure to post a few sneak peeks as soon as I know in which direction the quilt is going. One thing I can tell you is that I will have to buy some fabric as I don’t have much in my partner’s favourite colour palette. It’s very exciting to be making something out of my comfort zone.
Second, I joined a bee and am so excited about it. I’ve met most of the members that have signed up so far at the FQ Retreat which makes it a little less daunting for me. I hope they’ll be honest and tell me if I mess up. I already know what fabric I’m going to send out when it’s my turn.
I won this fat quarter bundle of Tanya Wheelan’s Sugar Hill at the FQ Retreat and think it’s perfect for this.
PS Come back tomorrow as I will be having a giveaway.
Amy from Amy’s Creative Side challenged her readers to show their messy sewing space and I’m happy to oblige. Last weekend my messy shelves meant I couldn’t find anything and kept losing things down the back while rooting around.
It was ridiculous, so I spent a little time (actually it felt like forever) going through my shelves and one box of fabric and now my shelves look like this:
I can’t believe it took me so long to tidy up. Sewing has become so much easier. Now for the rest of my fabric which is in boxes under the bed. Please send a search party if you haven’t heard from me in the next 24 hours.
Elisabeth: “Hello, Blog, how are you?”
Blog: “Lonely.”
Elisabeth: “I know I haven’t been around much, but then I haven’t been crafting much either. My mum was here for her birthday last week which means I didn’t do much (except baking and eating cakes. Oh yes, cakes, as in baking three and eating two!). I’d like to show you a couple of things now, though.”
Blog: “Great! What would you like to show me then?”
Elisabeth: “First, I want to show you a gift I got from my sister Kristine. She crocheted this lovely bag and showed it to me on Skype. When I said how cute I thought it was she gave it to me. Fabulous, isn’t it? Sadly I don’t get to use it much as Little Miss Bossy-Boots has taken it and is using it all the time.”
Blog: “That bag is lovely! What else did you want to show me?”
Elisabeth: “I suddenly had the urge to do some embroidery. The bird was inspired by a drawing I did for Little Miss Bossy-Boots. I’m not sure what I’m going to make with these two embroideries but I’m sure I’ll think of something at some stage.”
Blog: “Cute. How about turning one of them into a Kindle cover?”
Elisabeth: “Good idea, Blog, I’ll see if I can find some fabrics to go with the bird. The last thing I want to show is a really fabulous book.
You know how much I like Fat Quarterly, don’t you? I mean, I’m going to their Retreat in London, I go on and on about Katy Jones (bit of crush there?!)….. When I heard that they were writing a book I knew I was going to buy it and yesterday it arrived. I love it. Last year I bought some fat quarters and yardage of Echo by Lotta Jansdotter and I’ve been looking for a pattern to turn it into a quilt ever since. Well, I’ve found it.
This is my all time favourite block. I’m sure nobody who knows me is surprised by the fact that I’ve fallen for a block that’s called Castle Wall (for those who don’t know me: I studied Medieval English Language and Literature) and it’s by John Q. Adams, aka Quilt Dad.
Blog: ” I can see why you like Castle Wall. I’m sure it’ll look lovely in Echo.”
Elisabeth: “I can’t wait to start but I have to finish some work stuff first. At least I have a project to take to the Sewing Retreat. Although how much sewing I will be doing I’m not sure but more about that later. See you very soon, my dear Blog!”
Hello, how nice of you to pop in! I know I haven’t been around much and, even worse, I haven’t been crafting either. I was struck down by a horrible cold that left me so weak I actually went to bed during the day. Whenever Little Miss Bossy-Boots was in preschool I went to bed with a cup of tea and my Kindle and stayed there until I had to go and get her. My house was a tip, the dog not impressed with his lack of walks and Master had to hunt his own food.
I started feeling better last week and was looking forward to some nice sewing time when, bam, I was struck by one of my famous three-day migraines. Followed by a week’s worth of lingering headache. Boo!
This Sunday, however, found me taking some pictures in the garden with Aron and Little Miss Bossy-Boots. The sun was shining, my head was ok and I was wrapped up warmly.
I love snowdrops and crocus.
This wonderful boy turned eleven yesterday! We celebrated with biscuits and crisps for the humans and a bone for the dog.
Now really, does it get any better than this?
Afterwards, I took the Little Miss out on her new bicycle. Although she got one last year it was just too big for her and she couldn’t squeeze the brakes. When she saw this one in the shop she turned to her Daddy to get it…
Just in case you’re wondering what she’s doing, she’s wiggling her bottom. Why? Your guess is as good as mine.