Back to normality!

After four wonderful days off and a very Merry Christmas, life returned to normal on Thursday and I was up before the birdies and off to work. I'll be on call during the New Year celebrations, in fact, I'm on call right now, evidenced by the two phone calls I received before 09.30!  Well, that's why they pay me. :-)

Was 2011 a crafty year for you? 

I finished only 3 quilts in 2011. Hard to believe I know. 

Butterfly Fling.

 The Shirt off His Back.

Charming Stars.

But I've also knitted my way through the year and forgotten to take pictures of some of that.

I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in Chookyblues SSCS, and making handmade gifts for other friends and family. I have all manner of things planned for 2012, I promised DS Jiffy a new blue quilt, and I have all manner of WIPs up in my play room.

This will turn into a ramble if I don't leave soon so

Happy New Year to all of my readers.

 I wish you all the very best and loads of time to do the things you love.

Best wishes for 2012.

Was Santa good to you?

He was very good to my household. I'll not bore you with all the details, but here are a few highlights.

The TV was very much like my new sewing machine, lots of consultation and it arrived and was opened early. Look at that grin though.

 Hunney found me a cute knitted bunny.

 Mum found me a moon gazing hare.

 My secret Santa Sue made and sent these adorable elves. Thank you Sue, I love them. Thanks also to Elf Chooky for all her organising. I do hope those last few stray packages arrive very soon, if they didn't already.

 My DD bought me this lovely book. Lots of inspiration to be had here.

I hope you all had a wonderful time. I know we did. 

Happy New Year to everyone, may 2012 be blessed with plenty of time for sewing/knitting/crochet.......

Nollick Ghennal as Blein Vie Noa.

  (Manx for Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.)

Wishing all of my readers all the very best for 2012.

Have a Happy and Crafty New Year.

Secret Sewing.

Like most crafty folks at this time of year, I really can't show you my current projects, but I have been sewing, honestly. I've used both sewing machines, my lovely old Silver has all manner of fancy stitches at the touch of a button.

 I had fun with lots of Figgy off cuts and some lace.

Look at all the trimmings, see I really must have sewn.

Now I'm off to knit!

SSCS Ornaments.

My partner Claire has received her package so I can show her ornaments.

 Not a very good picture of these little sequined balls. They're very pretty and shiny with hundreds of sequins, beads and pins. The kits to make these and much much more are available here.

I also set to and stitched this wall hanger. 

Merry Christmas Claire, Chooky and to all who took part in the SSCS 2011. I hope you had as much fun as I did and you get some wonderful surprises on Christmas day.
*
It's my sons birthday today. He made it all the way to the grand old age of 16!
Happy Birthday Son.
That means it's also time to put some decorations up. I dug it all out last week so that I could put the calender up. Now for the rest of it.

Ready for rows.......

I've been playing about with my blocks this morning. I think I have them just right.

After lunch the sewing begins.

Play time

I can't get over how much I actually managed to get done yesterday! I made a table runner for mum. It just needs it's binding closed. I've gotten it pinned.

 I then tipped out an old laundry basket that lives in the corner, it was full of off cuts of fleece and batting, so that's all tidy now and I have a few pieces all set for next time I want to make place mats, or other smaller items, a bag of smaller bits that can be used as stuffing and an empty basket waiting for the next collection of stuff.

While I was having a tidy up in project corner I came across a Fig Tree project, you know I can't resist those fabric collections!! This is my take on Moda Bake Shops Charming Hearts.First I cut a bunch of white charm squares then played about a little with two charm packs.

Then I appliqued some hearts cut from left over charms.  Once I had those complete I spread them all out on the floor to play about with the layout, then wondered if I might need to make a few more, to make it a little bigger, as it didn't seem all that large. and that was before I sewed all the blocks together, although I didn't add the border yet either....... But I do like to have plenty of quilt hanging over the sides of the bed, that means there is plenty left if someone gets greedy in the night.

Maybe a wider border, or a third round of border?

I resolved to think about that for a while and tidied everything away. While I was in clean up mood I had a good sort out in my other project boxes, my table and my desk.

Seeing as my Hunney still wasn't due home for another hour I then got stuck into one of the chests of drawers. Not the nice one, where all my Fig Tree fabrics live along with other new fabrics, nooooooo, the other one, where the 'other' fabrics live.  It holds my collection of reclaimed cottons, usually chopped from old clothing etc. There was also quite a lot of curtain samples, I thinned those out a bit and there was a collection of

 "Oh, you sew, I have some fabric you might like"

 stuff. The majority of that is gone. I gave it to the charity shop earlier today. 

My button collection had outgrown it's tin, so the whole lot was tipped into a larger tin, from it's various corners. The ribbon collection was untangled and also went into a new tin. Books and magazines have been put away and well, it feels like a different room! :-)

Now I'm off to play in my nice tidy room.

SSCS Delivery

 Weeeeeeeee!  Look what arrived today. Perfect timing, it's wet, miserable and blowing a hoolie, I really needed some cheering up.

The lovely Sue from Charlottes Cottage sent two beautifully wrapped packages. This one for later.

And of course, ornaments for now.

Aren't they just gorgeous? Now I'm itching to put my tree up. But I won't. Those of you who have known me for a while will remember that I wait until Joe's birthday on 10th.

Thank you Sue. I hope you enjoy your package and ornaments as much as I have enjoyed this one.

Thank you Chooky for all your elf work.

*

I'm on a day off today. I had planned to sit up in my playroom, but got stuck here at the puter! At least  I managed to get a few rows of knitting done while reading blogs.

*

I have new stash to show off and more on the way, but that can wait for another time. Right now I'm off to find a safe place for my new ornaments and then off to play.

Still Stitching Secrets

But I can reveal that I've started knitting a shrug for myself. It's a boring simple pattern and good for going on auto pilot.

The collection of little stockings is growing. They take just over an hour to complete one, from start to finish, so are good to fill a little time here and there. 

On The Sleigh.

I finished, It's gone on it's long journey.

It works.

I got to play all day yesterday, I hid away upstairs in my room with my new sewing machine and played. :-)

This is the second project I produced, I can't show the first just yet, it's a SSCS item.

This wee Christmas pail was quick and easy to put together using some Honey Bun strips.

*

After I wrestle with some wrapping paper and tootle off to the post office with my SSCS package, I'll be able to play some more. :-)

Santa Came Early.

Santa and I have discussed a new sewing machine on several occasions, and I got my hopes up more than once. This year he came through and Jenny is here!

 She was delivered yesterday, about an hour before I had to leave for work. I knew she was coming and had been waiting all morning.

 You're lucky I remembered to grab the camera.

 Hunney had to help, she's very heavy and I really don't 'do' polystyrene. (Shudder).

It was at this point that I forgot to continue with the pictures.

*

Merry Christmas Everyone. I hope your dreams come true this year too.

I did it!!

As I suspected, my first effort was a little on the small side, so I restarted with an extra 10 stitches and here you have it. One left mitten. :-)

Now all I have to do is to see if I can convert my scrawled notes into a right hand mitten.

Hehehe.

*

After a panicked email to Chooky blue begging for a couple more days, I managed to find a little time and was able to complete my SSCS gifts this morning and >Phew< they will be away in the post next week, all on schedule, no extra time required.

*

Off to work.

Pattern Grrr

I decided I was going to knit me some mittens. :-)

But I can't find just the right pattern, so I'm making it up as I go.

I think this prototype may be a little small and my muse has kept me awake half the night planning how to do the thumbs!

Watch this space.



Do you remember?

Some of you may remember that two years ago my Hunney and I were married in his parents garden is New Zealand.

That would be two years ago today! Happy Anniversary Darling. And thank you for the flowers.

Sorry it's not much of a pic, but it's almost dark here, so had to rely on the flash.

Flying out of the door to work...........

So an almost wordless Wednesday.

Two little stockings, and the next one is on the needles.