Wednesday, 27 February 2008

Ready to Fly.

The problem with being so single minded is that I get things finished very quickly!

Yes thats right I finished it. On Monday night I left it all laid out on the floor ready to baste.


So on Tuesday morning I got on with that then, quilted in the ditch. There was no way I was going to try anything fancy which might spoil this beauty. By the time Hunney came home looking for his dinner I had the binding on and ready to close.

It took me 5 hours to close it up and bury all my quilting threads after dinner last night. Hmm, Hunney still has a problem with burying threads, I've explained and shown him how it's done, he's listened to the knots popping through the fabric, but still insists that they will come undone! LOL


These pictures really don't show it in it's full technicolour glory. It is beautiful. At 70x87 it's the largest quilt I've made to date. I think in future I'll stick to the quilt as I go method for larger items though, as this one gave me one or two problems working with it as a whole. No pictures of the back you'll notice. ;-) No truly huge mistakes or disasters but there are one or two small folds which should not be there. I'll work on my technique during future quilts.

I have quite a bit of the batik fabrics left. There was more than enough to have given the stars their middles, but I didn't want to risk out weighing the butterflies. There was also enough of the upper wing fabrics to have made the lower wings with the same stuff, but I went for the scrappier look of all 40 fabrics! (I don't think it's right using the word scrappy when discussing this beauty, but it would be a good one for using scraps. Imagine all those beautiful butterflies made out of all your favorite little bits and pieces.) I have a half baked plan for all the off cuts and left overs, hmmm........

Have a great day.


Monday, 25 February 2008

Playing with batiks.

Hunney lived up to his name and bought me a Cindys Butterflies kit for Christmas. Last week I pulled it out and started to play. I forgot to take pics until yesterday. Here it is with all the butterflies appliqued in place.
I don't have one of those fancy machines which embroiders, so my stars will be blank. There was more than enough of the batiks to make the whole stars but I thought they may outweigh the butterflies.
There was a little shuffling around after this point.



Hunney came along and looked and suggested one or two moves. It's amazing what another set of eyes will see!
I've started construction now and have the first 4 rows completed. I have the backing pieced and ready to go, the wadding is out of it's packaging and being shifted from pillar to post. I have two days off work and don't have to be in until 3pm on Wednesday. Plenty of time to get it finished, question is, do I quilt as I go, one row at a time, or do I crack on and get the whole top done, then worry about quilting?

Have a great day.


Thursday, 21 February 2008

In response to some questions.......

It would seem that my recent replies to certain memes and games have provoked yet more questions, seems I should perhaps let you all know a little more about myself.


I'll start by expanding on my single word answers and go from there.

I have a love hate relationship with my cell phone. I HAVE to carry it at all times when I'm 'oncall' for work. I love the convenience of it, but hate having to tie myself to it once a month.

Hunney and I are not married we are engaged though, we met 8 years ago in an internet chat room and became almost inseperable almost immediately. After a short visit here to the island to meet me in person he went home to New Zealand, sold his house and car, worked his notice and came back here to be with me. I love him to bits, he is the best thing that ever happend to me, I had never met anyone who was prepared to give as much to a relationship as I was. 8 years later we still share everything, still support each other, still surprise each other, still discuss everything, still focus together on joint goals and help each other to achieve individual goals. He is my everything.

My wild hair? LOL My hair goes from one extreme to another, long, short, long short! Right now it's on it's way to being long again, it's at that inbetween uncontrollable stage, too long to keep tidy and too short to fasten up. It was naturally red, these days it's an auburn colour, no not dyed, it just changed colour! It's naturally curly, wavy and straight, everytime I wash it something different happens! It's wild.

I love my parents, but they also drive me nuts! They are divorced, and behave like a couple of teen agers, avoiding each other and sniping at each other! Thank goodness I have 3 sisters and a brother to share all that. There is no other word for it, Mum is a fuss pot! She fusses over everything. And Dad, well, what can I say, there is his way and there is the wrong way. No discussion will be entered into! LOL Like I said, I love them.

Life is my favorite thing right now. I love my life, I have a wonderful home, a Hunney who loves me as much as I love him, loving kids and I enjoy my work. 10 years ago things were a lot different, looking back makes me really appreciate just how rich my life is right now.

Yes my favorite drink is tea, I practically live on the stuff. My colleagues call me the teapot. My boss can't get over how often I'm at the kettle but I still manage to achieve all the goals I have in a day and help others to do their work too! First thing it is Tetley tea with milk and one sugar, then all drinks after that are Twinings fruit infusions. Still classed as tea. I do like regular glasses of red wine though. ;-)

My dreams and goals. Right now our goal is to save the airfare to New Zealand, it's time we went for another holiday. Ultimately though we want to retire there. I have been for a visit, just once, it is a beautiful country, I love it. Hunneys family were warm and welcoming, I miss them terribly and can only imagine how it must feel for Hunney to not see them for years on end. A slightly more drastic relocation than the latest house move! LOL

I recently posted pictures of the new place. My sewing machine and laptop both live in a corner of the dining room, I have my stitchy stuff spread out in here too. My radio is close by I have it on when I'm sat here using the laptop or doing my crafts. It's also convenient for the kitchen. Music plays a huge part in my life, Hunney and I both have a great love of music and our CD collection is vast and ecclectic.

My ex? Like I said, 10 years ago my life was very different. Nuff said.

I fear loss, I wonder when it will all go wrong, when this idyllic life of mine will all fall apart, I fear that something will happen to cause me to loose Hunney, or something or someone will come between me and my kids.

In 6 years time I want to be either in NZ or well on my way. My youngest will be 18 by then, school will be finished, he will be a young man and able to make his own decisions. Hunney came here because I have kids, he doesn't, if he had, things may have been more difficult for us.

Cosy? On any given evening I could be in any of 3 places. At work until 10pm. Alone downstairs while Hunney is studying for his degree in the office, or we could be together cozied up on the sofa. :-)

Since quitting smoking together almost 2 years ago, Hunney and I have both put on rather a lot of weight! We both admit we need more exercise but both lack the dedication to get on with it!

I'm not much of a one for cakes and sweets. Can you pass the sausage rolls please?

I was born here on the island, I've never left except for holidays. My parents owned a house in Lezayre, I grew up there, went to a school less that 2 miles from home. I once spent a year living in the islands capital city Douglas but hated it, I came home to the north of the island and ever since I have lived in Ramsey. My childhood home is still less than 3 miles from my present home, I can walk there in 30 minutes.

Housework is a necessary evil. If I don't keep the place clean and tidy my crafts would get dirty! LOL Hunney helps a lot though. He say cleaning oven and grills is mans work! He says cleaning bathrooms and toilets is mans work too. See why I love him so much?

I'm a jeans girl, I love them, they can look smart or casual, they take years of punishment and still don't wear out.

Hunney and I do watch TV, but during the day I leave it switched off, I have better things to do.

We have no pets at the moment.........We both grew up with pets, cats, dogs, rabbits, the usual collection. We would both love to get a pussy cat and this new landlord will allow a cat. Well we live above his ventinary clinic! LOL But because we plan to be gone from here in a few years we don't want to get a kitten. We are looking to adopt a middle aged cat. We couldn't bear having to say goodbye. Hunney did that when he left NZ. The cat left it's new home and was never seen again, it broke Hunneys heart to think she had wandered looking for him and had possibly died somewhere alone.

Hunney and I use our computers to keep intouch with friends and family all over the world. Hunney uses his for his degree studies and submits his assignments online. I use mine to shop for crafty supplies, there is not much to offer here on the island. We met through our computers.

I do not, nor have I ever owned a car. I have had a few driving lessons but didn't enjoy them, I have no intention of ever learning to drive, I have feet on the end of my legs and I can see the bus station from my sitting room window! Hunney drives a Subaru.

I very rarely wear make up, when I do it's usually something very subtle and only people who know me well would be able to tell.

My favorite store is online, it's where I purchase my quilty stuff.

Summer will be here soon. Right now we are having an unusually warm winter, or is that an unusually early spring, the temps are dropping well below zero at night but the days are very warm, last week we were in shirt sleeves! Winter isn't done with us yet though, she'll be back.

I like some of my colleagues, some of them I just mosey on with, can take them or leave them, some I really like, I get on great with.

I've always loved the colour green. Blues come in a very close second, in particular I love a certain shade of royal blue, but I love all greens. I think thats in part because of my love of nature, it always amazes me how many shades of green there are in a garden or forest.

Hunney makes me laugh, my colleagues and clients make me laugh. I love to laugh.

I cried in January. I stubbed my pinkie toe! Oh it hurt so much, Hunney was at work, I was all alone and my pinkie was sore.

I think I'm ambidexterous because of Mum, she is also an ambi, but she is a partially converted leftie, I think I learned to do some things both ways and no one corrected the things that came out lefty because I had learned them from Mum.

My father taught me to sew. Mum is not great with a needle, besides, she was busy on christmas morning way back in 1970 something! So Dad stepped in and helped me to get started on a tapestry kit I had recieved. Dad is quite accomplished with a needle. He often repaired his own sails and still does his own basic clothing repairs. My maternal grandmother was also a massive influence on my early sewing years.

I work for Leonard Cheshire Disability. I love my work. Leonard Cheshire was a member of the Damn Buster Squadron, he was an exceptional man and I am proud to be associated with his name and the foundation.

I don't know how I know who is on the phone, no other family members seem to have the ability. I try not to let on but just occasionally I answer by saying ''Hello.....whoever'' It's good fun sometimes. LOL

Yes, 3 tattoos. They all came along after I left my ex. I have a phoenix at the top of my left arm. It's meaning should be obvious. On my right arm I have a seagull. Many years ago I read a book by Richard Bach entitled Jonathan Livingston Seagull. He is there to remind me to continue to strive to do the best that I can, to be the best person that I can be. The third tattoo was actually the first, it was my cry of freedom! The real Loulee was released, my sense of humour and personality started to re assert themselves. It was the most painful of the three and is definately the funny one.

What? Oh! You want to know what it is? and where? LOL Its a huge shiny red apple, about the size of my palm, it has a stalk, and a leaf and one bite gone! And it's on my bum! LOL And no, it would not be improved by the addition of a wiggly, wiggly worm! A colleague at the time did her best to get me to add that detail. LOL

I have 3 children, the oldest, my daughter is 19, she is an art student. My boys are 15 and 12. I love them all.

Living on an island I grew up loving the sea. It's difficult to get away from. Dad has always had boats, always wooden boats, and we had our family holidays on those boats. His current boat is called Master Frank and was built here in Ramsey.





Wednesday, 20 February 2008

One Word Challange.

One word answers only!

(It's not as easy as it looks!!)

1. Where is your cell phone? Upstairs
2. Your significant other? Hunney
3. Your hair? Wild
4. Your mother? Fussy
5. Your father? Himself
6. Your favorite thing? Life
7. Your dream last night? Weird
8. Your favorite drink? Tea
9. Your dream/goal? Relocation
10. The room you’re in? Dining
11. Your ex? Arrrrrgh!
12. Your fear? Loss
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Relocated
14. Where were you last night? Cozy
15. What you’re not? Skinny
16. Muffins? Nope
17. One of your wish list items? Relocation
18. Where you grew up? Lezayre
19. The last thing you did? Ironing
20. What are you wearing? Jeans
21. Your TV? Off
22. Your pet(s)? None
23. Your computer? Necessary
24. Your life? Wonderful
25. Your mood? Happy
26. Missing someone? Nope
27. Your car? None
28. Something you’re not wearing? Make-up
29. Favorite store? online
30. Your summer? Soon
31. Like someone? Yes
32. Your favorite color? Green
33. When is the last time you laughed? Yesterday
34. Last time you cried? January
35. Who will/would re-post this? ????

Thanks Jeanne, I enjoyed doing this.

Who else will give this a try?



Thursday, 14 February 2008

Twisted Strips is finished.

I didnt quite finish it yesterday before I had to go to work, so took 20 mins when I got home to finish closing the binding. Hunney was amazed. Not only by it being done so fast, but also, like me, by how the addition of the blue flowers as sashing and border and the black binding changed it.


If you remember I had selected a group of fabrics I particularly didn't like and wanted to use up. Once I had them made up into blocks I liked the result even less! LOL Then came accross the blue trousers and chopped them up. It started to look better at that point, and better still with the addition of the black binding. I quilted it with a very simple in the ditch around the blocks then an X accross the blocks and finally up the sides of the strip of strips in the middle.

Now I'll have to come up with something else to do. I'm itching to do some more stitchery. I enjoyed the little pieces I made as Christmas cards and fancy having another go. Can anyone suggest a good site for patterns and inspiration?