I'm back.

We finally have an internet and phone connection, yippie!

I'm not doing bad, the only boxes I have left to unpack are my crafty boxes. There is rather more of it that I anticipated. Hmm, don't tell Hunney! I was very good and donated loads to a lady who crafts for local charities, I sent lots of used charts to a cross stitchy friend and I still have far more crafty stuff than I could possibly use in a lifetime.
I have my new born quilty stash, my fully grown and recently cropped cross stitch stash and a general (Also recently cropped) crafty/card making stash. I'm going to need a chest of drawers for this lot.

We're settling into this new place, it's taking a bit of getting used to, especially for me. Ever since we moved in the island has been battered by storms. My bedroom is under the eaves and boy is it noisy. All kinds of horrors go through my mind as I lay awake listening to storm force ten winds gusting only feet away from my pillow. Last night I ended up in the sitting room on the lower floor, it wasn't much quieter there, so I put a movie on to drown out some of the noise and dozed off watching TV.

It's obvious to me that we have moved from a modern well insulated place to and old building, aside from the noise and draughts the place has character and because it is over two floors it feels like a house. I've taken loads of pictures, but the camera cable is still awol, we do have the beginnings of a study, Hunney has built his desk, and 'Deep Thought', the big computer is up and running again, books ahve made it back into the case but there are still one or two boxes of bits, all those little bits that seemed to have a home and logical place to be in the old place, but nowhere to call their own in a new place. I'll post pics, lots of pics as soon as I find that cable.

No sky TV here yet, hopefully the weather will calm enough tomorrow for an engineer to get a dish up for us, we'll see, right now it sounds pretty awful out there.

Right, I'm off to read your blogs and do a bit of catching up.

Take care.

Chit Chat.

I took a picture to proove that I have been busy, packing and patching! But the cable that hooks the camera to the computer is packed and gone to the new place! So no picture, sorry.

I'll just have to chit chat to you to make up.

I was woken early this morning and lay in bed listening to the black birds chirruping away out side. It was lovely lets me know that the dark mornings will soon end and that spring will arrive.

I've finished the top of the Trailing Hearts kit my sister Moya bought for me for Christmas. If you remember though I want to make it a bit wider by adding an extra side border, I have some fabrics laid by it just now and I take a look everytime I happen to wander by. (I took a picture, hoping to ask for your opinion, but as I said, the cable is temporarily unavailable).

Yesterday as the weather was poor Moya and I took our walk around the Manx Museum. It is currently host to a small collection of quilts. Some antique and some new. I bought a book about the exhibition and the history of quilting here on the island, I'd show you some of the pages, but you can guess what happened to the scanner huh? I'm gonna have a lot of catching up to do!

Marne, from Nanas Quilts asked if I had mentioned where I'm moving to. I didn't, I'm sorry, but I shall make amends now. I'm niot leaving the island, I'm not even leaving town, our new place is very close by. Why move at all you ask? I shall leave here with mixed feelings, I love this apartment, it is beautiful and the house is set in equally beautiful gardens. The downside is, the sound proofing is very poor, we can hear everything our neighbours upstairs do. The lady upstairs works at the local bakery and gets up at 4.15 am most mornings, we can also hear what is going on downstairs, I could moan on for ages, better to look forward.
The new place is another apartment, but we'll be on the top floor, I also happen to know that the sound proofing is much better as the previous tenants are known to a colleague of mine. There is no gardens but there are more rooms. A lovely big bright airy kitchen / dining room. A cosy sitting room, bathroom and under stair storage on the lower floor. Upstairs is a master bedroom with a walk in wardrobe, and two other bedrooms, one of which we'll convert into a study for Hunney. At the moment it takes me about 4 minutes to walk to work, at the new place it will take me 5-6 mins, because I have to cross a busy road! I'll take some pics once we're in and I've got rid of all the boxes.

It's dry today, so Moya and I are off out walking.
Have a good day.

Hi, Sorry I seem to only manage one post a week at the moment, I'll try to do better honest, but things are going to get worse before it gets better I'm afraid.

I have to start packing today as we move house on Saturday. There is no internet connection at the new place and Telecom say they can't get to it until 31st! No sky tv either, but the guys will be there for that on 28th.

On a brighter note I will have a special little area where I can leave my sewing machine set up and possibly even the ironing board. The first job will be to get some curtains sorted out. I found a single huge curtain in a nearby charity shop which will cover both windows in the dining room. It still feels new I don't think it got much use in it's previous home. I'd say over £150 worth and I got it for £10. I just need to get the shears out and hem the new edges.

Moya and I are going out for a walk again today, weather permitting, I watched the poor kids troop into school in the pouring rain, but that seems to have cleared now they have all arrived. We also want to go to the manx museum some time this week as they have a quilt exhibition on at the moment. They also have classes and demonstrations and other quilty events going on, but I don't think I'll get a chance to attend any of those.

Speaking of Moya here she is ......BYE!

More progress.

Here I am again, sorry it took a week. I've been busy you see.
Almost two years ago I quit smoking and since then I've put on a great amount of weight and I've decided it's time to do something about that! Sooooo! My sister and I have been out walking a lot, which cuts into my free time. Any way, you're not here to count pounds with me, you want to see my progress.


Here it is, the pieces are all appliqued into place now and the vines are stitched. I've used DMC 3364 for the vines, not too strong, not too pale, just right in my opinion. Once again the picture is a bit wishy washy, maybe it's not the light at all, maybe it's because the fabrics are so pale.


I have a thin inner border on now, it's an inch wide in a pale blue colour. I've also added the top and bottom sections of the wider pieced border. I want to try and convert this into a crib blanket for a colleagues expected baby, I'm thinking another border just on the sides, as at the moment I think it will be long and thin but hope that with the addition of extra side panels it will be a better shape. I'll have to go shopping, see what I can find.

I'm off now to get the pieced border finished before Moya turns up to go for our walk.

Have a great day.

Progress Report.

I finally got to do something. But, first a christmas present I forgot to mention! How could I do that? My penpal Maxine sent me these lovely fat quarters and a whole bunch of ribbons and braids.


There are some very pretty fabrics here, I've washed a folded them and added them to my small stash. I've no idea yet what I'll do with them, something will come to me.

Yesterday I decided to start on the 'Trailing Hearts' applique kit. Here it is, sorry the pic is so washed out, it was took dark to get a decen photo without a flash, even in the window.

I have it all cut and bond a webbed ready to applique into place either later today or tomorrow. Then I'll have to do a little stitchery for the vines before adding the borders.

Have a good day all.