Absent.

I'm dealing with some pretty awful stuff right now and it's lead to a real bad case of Can'tbebothereditis. (Maybe thats why I'm having problems with the fans) All patches and quilts have been put to one side for now and Hunney has helped me to get my cross stitch frame and table up to his study so that we can be near each other. Maybe on good days, like today I'll post a picture, but don't hold your breath, Mrs Speedy Needles just isn't home right now.

I'll see you soon.

I'm Stuck.

I don't know where to take this top, I sorted scraps and cut and sewed squares, then when I put them together and it really didn't look right, so I un picked squares and got a bit fussy and put some of them back together, and it still didn't look right. So now I'm stuck and this pretty little top is hanging of the Bannister waiting.

When Moya was here on Friday we went through all of my small collection of fabric and I have nothing that looks right as a border. I did wonder about setting the fans on point and adding four huge triangles with some applique on them, or more fans, but that goes back down the wrong colour scraps route. Suggestions anyone?
While she wasn't looking I snapped a sly pic of Moya, here she is adding applique to her third ballet quilt! She must be heartily sick of these by now.

We usually manage to turn the living room into a disaster area, but it looks relatively tidy in this photo!
So having run out of steam on the fan quilt I settled down to do a jigsaw puzzle over the weekend. I started this one at lunch time on Saturday and finished it on Sunday evening! Hmm, I did take breaks, honest.

The colours are much prettier in real life, it was difficult to get a picture as it is on my sewing table, by the window.

I missed doing a give away on my 100th post and my 150th but it's my birthday soon, so I'll do something then. Not that I know yet what I'll be giving! Hahaha.

Things to do today. Break up the jigsaw and do the next part of the mystery quilt.

Have a good day.

2.5 inch squares.

I feel that I achieved quite a lot yesterday. I put the sashing between the fan blocks, then did some cross stitch. Still can't tell what that critter is.

Then I played around with my scraps, unlike many of you ladies, my scraps are not sorted according to size, or ready cut into nice neat squares, I'm one of those who just throws the scraps into a basket and forgets about them until I need them. Moya helped me to sort out some likely looking pieces on Wednesday and yesterday I ironed and cut them. How many 2.5 inch squares does it take to fill an ice cream tub?

More than this. LOL That is 210 squares, stitched into pairs and pinned ready to be stitched into strips of 4. I didn't do the math yet, so I don't know if this is enough. The quilt police can go sing! I'm making this one up as I go along as usual.

I want to try to make this a little bit longer rather than leave it as a square, so I'm looking at adding something, I don't know what yet, to the top and maybe the bottom. Perhaps some applique. When I finished off the fans it was the first time I had done hand applique since I was about 9, I was very pleased with myself and would like to do more.

My popular Patchwork magazine has turned up, so I could be getting on with the next part of the mystery quilt, if I grind to a halt with this one.

I'm off to play with my squares, have a good day.

A few days of nothing.

Nothing very quilty that is. I've been dithering about and wondering what to do next. I could have gotten on and done all kinds of things quilty. I've been dreaming about making a blue and white hexagon quilt, I have more charms for the nine patch I made a start on, there are some ready made Sunbonnet Sue's and flowers languishing in the drawer, but none of that appealed.
*
So I got on and did a little cross stitch.
Here's how that is looking now, the next little critter has his feet and belly. It's difficult to see what he is yet, but thats ok, cause I don't have a clue what he is anyway! I'm hoping to get some more of the lil guy done today. Maybe once he has a head some of you will venture a guess.

After I've had a play with something quilty that is. My sister called around briefly yesterday and inspired me.
About a month ago I was lucky enough to win these lovely fans in a give away on Karen's blog.
I'm sure she said they were left overs from a swap she took part in. I want to try to include either her name, or the name of her blog into the name of the quilt, as a reminder of their origin. Thank you again Karen for being such a generous lady.
Two still need trimming to a final size and about half of them still needed to be appliqued, I did that last night after Moya had helped me to sort out some sashing, which I'll be putting on this morning.

We also had a good rummage through my scrap basket in the hopes of finding enough bits and pieces to make a scrappy border. I think we managed it. I may make a start on cutting up the scraps later, or I may get on with my critter, I'll see where the days takes me.
*
Thank you to everyone who commented on my Strawberry Lemonade quilt and pillow slips, I enjoyed making them and loved to get all your kind words.
Just to avoid any confusion, no I'm not hot blooded enough to have no quilt on my bed at the moment, but Strawberry Lemonade will be a winter quilt, the batting which I found in a charity shop is quite heavy and very warm, it will be going on the bed later in the year.

I'm off to play, hope you have a good day.

And Matching Pillow Cases.

My second post for Sunday, but I just had to show off!

It took me all of 45 mins to cut the blue and put together these two pillow cases, made to match the quilt in my previous post.

I did a little cross stitch while watching the Formula 1. More watching than stitching to be honest, what a great race, well done Louis Hamilton, and way to go Rubens Barrichello, it's been a while, but worth the wait.

Lots of great finishes in my world today. :-)

Another One Done.

I did it, I finished 'Strawberry Lemonade With A Large Vodka'. Why a large Vodka? You ask. You'll notice there are no close up shots of the quilting. I assure you I had not been drinking!


Here it is all spread out on my bed, the picture is a bit dark around the edges, there is a skylight directly above the bed which causes the shadows.
I think perhaps it could have done with being about 2-3 inches longer, and I didn't measure for the skirt, just guessed. Can you tell? I did leave of the final border at the very top, so that accounts for the slight shortness.
The binding was a PITA to put on over the skirt, I had thought to put the skirt and the binding on at the same time, but decided against it. I'm glad I decided to go with this design / layout it was a new experience, and I would do it again.
Here you can see how I made the skirt in three pieces so that it would fit around the leg posts at the foot of the bed.

And of course the label. Thanks to Kate and her Another Little Quilt Swap, I've gotten a taste for these hand made labels, much more fun that my ready made ones, I'll have to use those up on other things.
It won't be getting used for a couple of months, it was VERY warm under there last night and this morning as I completed the finishing work by hand.

As I said, I have plenty of blocks, jelly slices, and layer cake slices left, as well as a considerable amount of the blue. I think I'll be making a couple of Pillow slips and calling it quits with this fabric for a while, but I will be revisiting it at some point to make a lap or cot quilt.

So hey ho, here I go, I'll be making pillow slips today.

Hope your weather is better than mine.

I've been tagged.

By Loopy Lou!

I know some people don't like these things, but I'll play along and if the folks I tag don't wish to thats ok with me.

There are 5 questions....

1 What were you doing 5 years ago?

Pretty much the same as I am now, I was working for the same company and just getting back to cross stitch after a break of a few years.

2 What 5 things are on you TO DO list today?

Grocery shopping.
Buy new socks for Hunney.
Pop into my friends shop with a charity collection box.
Carry my cell phone at all times. (I'm on call)
Finish my latest quilt.

3 What 5 snacks do you enjoy?

I'm not really a snack person.....
I love fruit, melon, bananas, apples, plums. And if there are figs in the house I just keep eating until they are gone!

4 What 5 things would you do if you were a billionaire?

Help out my family,
help out Hunneys family,
retire to New Zealand,
open a quilty / stitchy shop, (with a coffee lounge and a library of useful books, sewing machines, etc, etc)
have all my quilts professionally quilted!

5 What 5 jobs have you done?

Hmm, let me see....
I've waited on tables,
worked in a deli shop,
health care assistant in a nursing home,
and support worker for LCD,
now I am senior support worker, health and safety lead and the training and developement officer for LCD.
Does that last one count as the 5th job? LOL

Which 5 people will I tag?

I'll just choose the top 5 on my blog roll as it stands now.


Tazzie quilts.

Sew Create it.

Michelle's quilts and stuff.

Grains in the wind.

Patchwork Penguin.


Edited to say..

Blogger is being a PITA! It won't let me comment at the moment so I'm having problems letting people know they have been tagged. I'll keep on trying, but just in case you see your name up there and I didn't tell you, here's why!

Spot The Difference.

Been busy at my cross stitch again, I've put in mostly back stitch and two little bushes. Here's the last picture I took, at the beginning of June,

And an update, taken this morning. The back stitch has added a little definition to the wolf cub and also on the ground, showing the pebbles more clearly. The little gorilla has also been back stitched, before doing the tiger cub I'll get on with the next creature and a little more of the ground.

I still haven't been back to the Strawberry Lemonade quilt to put on the skirts or the binding, it's calling to me though, so maybe in the next few days. Incidentally, I think I have enough of that fabric left to make a smaller cot or lap sized quilt, so I've been making plans for that too.

Thank you to everyone who came on my walk with me, I wish we could have all gone together in person, I love to walk, but walking alone is not nearly so much fun as walking with friends.

Have a great day.