Yet again.....

I'm playing catch up!

Believe it or not  I was there on Friday night sewing along with all you girls.

I wouldn't exactly say I was sewing up a storm but I did enjoy what I was capable of doing.   That amounted to snipping, tacking and then glue basting those little baskets onto their background fabrics.  I have a goodly pile all ready to be appliqued now and I'm feeling much happier for having played with fabric.... beats soil any day of the week.

Couldn't have had a better evening.   Really enjoyed playing with my baskets and watching the practise sessions for the Canadian Grand Prix.  For once the room was light and bright.... see all that sunshine flooding through the windows.   Amazing as it was after 8pm!

I had real live company too....

Mum and her knitting came to stay for the weekend.   There was wool and bear parts everywhere.  Total mayhem too with Bagpuss chasing the wool and mum chasing Bagpuss.   This place is so close to being a nut house it's scary.

Saturday morning and another sunny day... it was beginning to look a lot like summer.   Took my baskets  into the conservatory......

didn't manage to do much though.... it was too darned hot in there!    We  really need to get roof blinds but Mac isn't keen.  He fears that flies and other creepy crawlies will be queueing up to use them as a latrine!   Don't you just love men when they are being stubborn.

Hate to say this but those baskets were the only things sewn since I was last here.    No guessing what's been keeping me busy.....

It's looking better don't you think.

  

The garden maintenance man arrived and boy could he dig.  He reminded me of the Energiser Bunny. 

The veggie bed is ready for planting but as Mac (the green fingered one) isn't at all either well or with it at the moment I can't see a future for it this year.   I suspect a bumper crop of Chickweed is in the offing....

Did you know it's also known as Stitchwort... now you do.   All may not be lost..... I've heard you can make soup with it.

Might get a nice crop of cooking apples this year too......

for once the blossom hasn't been blown off by winds and rain.   Just look at the colour of that sky.... gorgeous isn't it.

Caught my mum trying to pull Sticky Willy out of the flower bed.......

that's not the maintenance man...... it's a weed.  You can Google it if you don't believe me :o)    Unfortunately the real maintenance man only managed to work for a day and a half before succumbing to a kidney stone... ouch!    Think it'll be a while before he can make it back here.

I'll be getting back to normal (whatever that is) sewing and  blogging very soon.   I've been banned from the garden till further notice... by my Mum & Mac!    You know how much I like turbo digging... supersonic weeding... road mending and death defying tree chopping well.....  I've been forbidden to do any of it any more.   

You must know by now I'm not one for using common sense. Once I decide to do something I go at it like a bull at a gate and now I'm paying the price.   This last week I've been suffering from extreme exhaustion... fevers and intense pain in all of the joints in my hands and feet with my shoulders and neck thrown in for good measure.    I've been a right misery guts I can tell you.   I've had episodes like this before but not quite as bad as this one.   So maybe it's time to admit that I'm not superhuman (or the Incredible Hulk in disguise) and tone down the sorts of things I get up to outdoors  (gardening wise that is) ;o)

So with me restricted to ladylike (!) pottering in the garden from now on and the maintenance man out of action this place will be a wilderness soon.   Ces't la vie!

Please accept my apologies if you've mailed me and I haven't replied yet..... I will... I promise.....  hand on heart.   My little fingers can cope with typing again as long as it's in short bursts.     Looking forward to catching up with what you've all been doing......

In the meantime what do you make of this.......

Words fail me!    Does she  think she's rehearsing for Strictly Come Dancing?   Hummmm... her partner looks a bit wooden to me!

See you soon

Take it easy on yourselves and remember to have fun whenever the opportunity arises

Hugs

Josie

Watch out.....

my Mum's about.

Here she is in the craft room (which she still insists on calling the dining room...she's trying to wear me down) sewing a scarf to the back of a knitted bears neck.....    

Looks like she's enjoying stabbing that little toy a bit too much for my liking.   Reminds me why I won't let her anywhere near if I have a splinter in my finger.  Or a boil on my head for that matter (I'll tell you about that later).

Success!!

After years of trying I finally persuaded my Mum to knit a toy.   I don't know who's more pleased... Mum or the bear!   It wasn't long before it had a little friend to play with....

actually bears are multiplying like rabbits over at her house right now.... what have I started!

Mac popped in curious to see what was going on.....

Him..... "Is that camera on?"

Me......."Yes"

Can't help but think I married Micky Mouse!

What about the sewing I can here you think...... well.....

Sweet Menagerie is almost done (not in the photo... that was earlier).   Only got one more white border to attach and it will be officially a flimsy.    As luck would have it I remembered I'd been working on a pinwheel quilt around the time I started SW.  After a bit of rummaging I found that project stashed along with no less than 2 metres of the exact same white fabric I'd run out of for SW.     How lucky can I get!

The pin wheel WIP was not so lucky though..... 

it's getting the chop... literally .    Decided what I didn't like about it (apart from the dodgy points) was that the pin wheels were just too big.   Seems I prefer them small.   As they were already sewn into rows (almost a flimsy) I took my trusty rotary cutter and got to work slicing and dicing them down from  8 1/2" inches to 6 1/2..... liking them much better now.... fortunately.

Bet you are thinking what I've done doesn't amount to much considering I've been AWOL for more than two weeks.   Well... I've had problems.....

the wheel fell off my barrow for one.   Right in the middle of me shovelling and hauling a ton of hardcore down the drive to fill in the worst of this winters pot holes.  I was not happy.

Was even less impressed by the state of the greenhouses.....

I've normally scrubbed and disinfected them way before now.  This year I'm so late the vines are in leaf and the strawberries already have their flowers on.   I'd like to point out.... it's not my fault... honest!    We've had so many months of torrential rain I was thinking about turning the whole place into a bog garden with the greenhouse as an aquarium feature.

The big (86 feet) flower bed looks like this.....

the field next door has moved in further than ever before.   As for the smaller flower bed.....

can you see it?   I'm having trouble and I know where it is... or is supposed to be.  As for the veggie bed....

perhaps this would be a good year to try out rice as a crop.

I've been forced to admit defeat!  I'm calling in a man do do the heavy digging for me.  Chris and Sally are having a real good gloat about it.   They've spent all winter telling me I'm getting too old for my turbo digging antics.  If they mention I'm 60 in December once  more I'll  be digging one big hole and planting both of them in it!

Apart from all that the caravan looks like a mobile Petrie Dish it's covered in so much Algae.  Mum wouldn't let me take a photo of it to show you.   To Mac and me it's a reminder of happy times gone by to my Mum it's an eyesore..... a very big... very green in your face one.    She's not a happy bunny.

This is though......

He/she (does anyone know how to tell the difference... apart from the obvious which I can't get close enough to see) has just feasted on the flower border.   What's the betting he/she didn't eat the weeds or field grass. Would you eat burger if there was steak on the menu!  Before you correct me... I know this is a hare not a bunny..... the long legs and big ears are a dead give-a-way.

Now... I said I'd tell you about my Mum and a boil I once had on my head.

I was about 10 years old when I developed a monster boil on my temple. In fact I remember my Mum and Nana discussing (at great length)  the possibility of it being a carbuncle.  Now...I was too young to have encountered a carbuncle but judging by the horrified look on their faces I knew it was nothing to brag about at school.   Whatever it was.... it was closely monitored till the day came when my Mum announced (with great zeal) that  it was finally  'ripe'!   If I'd know what was coming next you wouldn't have seen me for dust.

I was sat on a dining chair in the middle of the lounge and Mum began the Boilectomy.  She heated a glass tumbler... placed it over the boil and held it there.   When it was deemed to have been there long enough she tried to remove it.  I screamed loud enough to wake the dead.   Mum  let go of the glass and it stayed put on my head.  To give here the benefit of the doubt I think she'd underestimated the power of a vacuum!    Didn't do me any good though.... I was the one wearing the glass fascinator.

When she finally regained her composure  Mum scolded me for being a sissy and had another go at pulling  the glass (and hopefully the contents of the boil) off my head.   No way was that glass going anywhere without taking my entire brain with it.    Enter my Dad.    He took one look at me and my strange headgear muttered an expletive and headed off into his workshop at warp speed returning with a tea towel and a hammer!   I almost feinted on the spot!   

It all turned out well in the end.  Dad covered the glass with the tea towel then hit it with the hammer to break the glass and subsequently the vacuum.   He was my hero.   He saved me from having to go to school next day with a tumbler on my head.    Mum stopped trying to 'fix' me herself and took me to the local pharmacy where a nice man mixed up a glob of pink paste to put on my boil (with hindsight I think the tumbler was more attractive) and all was well in my world.

If you think that was bad.... my Nana used the same technique to cure constipation.  Being sat on a bucket with boiling water in the bottom was bad enough......trying to get up without taking the bucket with you or scalding your posterior in the process was something else entirely.  Besides.... it didn't work......  ever!

That I survived childhood never ceases to amaze me.    Don't you just miss the 'good old days'..... nah!!

OK.... I'm off.    I've rabbited on way too long and I have to be up early in the morning... hairdresser appointment.

Hope you are all enjoying whatever season it is in your corner of the world.

See ya soon....

Have fun...

Josie

You were right!

It does look better with the borders are on.......

I never would have thought I'd have to eat my derogatory words but Spam Fritters are on the menu tonight for sure.

I fancied an outdoor photo shoot (cool eh) to show off my latest finish but as it's been raining cats and dogs out there most of the year and I didn't fancy scraping mud and sheep doddles off my new flimsy (even if it was a freebie)  I opted for some conservatory pics instead.   It's a good job I did manage to get the decorating done in there before going on retreat...eh!

Took this aerial shot by balancing on the back of the sofa..... apologies if it's a bit blurry.  I was having trouble with my centre of gravity.... turns out it's lower than I thought!

There's someone else taking over working in my little room right now.........

 Tilly is here having a little 'creative' break.    It's true what they say... creative people are messy!   We've had everything but the kitchen sink dragged out in in search of  "inspiration".   Personally I'm hoping she's inspired to run the vacuum around  before she leaves!

It's looking good so far.   Actually it's looking even better now that it's finished.... I'll show you the end product next time.  

Me..... I'm working on another WIP that's been hanging around a bit too long...

I made a great start with this one a while back.   Managed to make all of the blocks before something else bright and shiny caught my eye.    Been busy adding  sashing and joining rows.  All is not well though.... I have a problem.    I haven't enough white fabric to finish!   The white I used came from stash and now I don't know where I bought it from or who the manufacturer is.   Before you say it..... I've cut off the selvedges.    If ever you needed proof I'm an idiot........

This is the pattern.....

 
 you can download it here if you love it as much as I do.

Back to my dilemma.    I have enough fabric for the centre sashing and first white border.  Enough white to complete the chequerboard border to which would  leave me two white borders short.   Rats!

First option...I could buy another white fabric and use that to piece everything from the blue border outwards. Hopefully the blue dividing strip would hide any shade difference.

Second option...... I could try to  re design the border.  With luck I could maybe squeeze two chequerboard rows out of the white I have and use those to replace the three border rows in the pattern.

But... I love the pattern just as it is!  (whinge....whinge)

Third option...... shoot myself now and save myself some angst!

If you were me..... what would you do?

So.... I'm not going to finish this quilt top this weekend as planned   Grrrrrrrrrrr!    Still.... I have other quilts in the WIP pile that I can work on so the rest of the  weekend won't be wasted.

On the home front Licky Lou and Bagpuss have both joined Mac on the sick list.   The vet treated them with an injection of long acting antibiotics (the cats that is....... much as I'd like to I can't get Mac to the vets).
The injection had a rather unfortunate effect on their little tummies.   I've been on Poo Patrol for so long now I'm beginning to see my yellow rubber household  gloves as a fashion accessory along with my new Eau de Disinfectant perfume.  Lovely eh!   Wish you were here?   Guess not!

Well.... that's all folks!    Nothing much else is happening here so I'll get out of here and leave you to enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Don't forget to have fun... it's compulsory
See ya soon
Hugs
Josie

Thank goodness for FNWF!

If ever I needed a good sewing session in the company of friends it was last night.   I know I've just had a week of sewing fun and frolics and I am so grateful for that .... but.... I've had a bad case of post retreat blues this week.    Chris... Sally and Kitty have all been feeling the same way.  Guess that's what happens when you have too good a time.   Turns out fun is exhausting... who'd have thought! :o)

FNWF got me sewing again......

I sewed together all 26 rows of the Pom Pom de Paris freebie quilt.    It really has been a nice quilt to sew... once you get over the headache of laying it out.    I made sure I kept my rows organised....

it might look like a jumble but all the rows were labelled with the letters of the alphabet which helped make the sewing session a very relaxing one.

Of course a lot of sewing meant a lot of.......

the dreaded pressing!       Am I the only one who has to concentrate hard on pressing not ironing?   I use steam.... so much steam that my glasses fog up and I'm ironing pressing blind.  Overall I think I made a pretty good job of it. 

Job done.....

I have to say It's taking me a while to get to like this quilt.  I love the pattern.  As for the fabric....with hindsight I think it would have been better suited to a different pattern.   Maybe I just can't love Spam pink and Custard yellow!   Too late now!  

I didn't stop there.......

 I cut the strips for all three borders.    I did intend to carry on and attach them but hunger got the better of me.   So I chose to end my evening with a nice meal.... some vino and an e.mail catch up session.  I'm still not up to date with that but I'm trying hard.

So..... now you know what I got up to on my Friday Night With Friends.    Hope all you girls who joined in are happy with the progress you made.   I'm ecstatic!

If you didn't join in the sew in why not pop over to visit Cheryll   (who coordinates FNWF) and follow the links to find out what everyone got up to last night.   You might just be tempted to join in next month.....;o)

Went to Kirkcudbright this morning to take Licky Lou to the vet and thought you might like to see a couple of snaps I took .....

the whole fleet of Scallop Dredgers were moored in town today... 

how about that.... our very own castle!

Small boat moorings further down the river.  Ok that's enough.   I don't want you thinking I'm being paid by the tourist board.

OK...   I'd better get going.   I'm hungry again!!  

Hope you are all having a fantastic weekend.....   I'm decorating the bathroom tomorrow... enough said!

See ya soon

Hugs

Josie

Some folks.....

are born to be slow.     I know this because I'm one of them.   No matter how hard I try to beat genetics and work as speedily and efficiently as the others I always end up like this......

reverse stitching!     I prefer to call it constructive deconstruction..... sounds a lot more positive don't you think.

Next day I got up with the larks and got down to business early.....

figured it was best to try to work out how to mitre my borders before my brain got bogged down with more important tasks.... like deciding what to have for breakfast.  

Success!

  

My mitre worked first time and I chose fruit & toast for breakfast.    Just go's to prove I'm a morning person.     Unlike these two.....

The things you see when you haven't got your gun.    Looks like I'm on retreat with a couple of weird cult members..... Mutant Ninja Turtle Quilters! 

Back to my quilt.....

with one more border and three mitred corners to go I got distracted by this.....

Yes!    I have pieced (almost all) of the blocks for another quilt.    Cutting hundreds (seems like) more pieces for this one took quite a while.   So did figuring out whether I could get a quilt designed for fat quarters out of this layer cake.....

 I did it!  Maybe a new career as a mathematician isn't out of the question after all.   Can't promise it'll look as good as the original pattern but I think it's going to look good to me... and that's what counts eh!

Sally finished piecing her second quilt......

she's resting on her laurels in the conservatory.... so smug you could just punch her.   She's done a great job though... can't deny it.   

There were quilts everywhere at one point......

the two on the left both belong to Chris.   She's been a woman on a mission all week.   You wouldn't believe she's started a third!    Somehow I didn't get close up photos..... silly mistake that had nothing to do with jealousy at all (!).  Actually I did get this snap of her trimming the blocks for Grandmas Garden.....

Clever eh!

Did we have a fun time or not!     Sally decided to do some floor exercises to ease a painful shoulder and neck and I thought I'd keep her company.   Chris stopped laughing long enough to snap us both rolling on the rug helpless with laughter.

All because I thought it would be a good idea to try to spring upright from the floor in one fluid movement.  We tried....... it didn't happen!   It doesn't look that difficult when street dancers do it  but then.... they don't have the gravity problems associated with (in my case) a fuller figured physique do they.

Remember I told you about the little cove where 2000 Acres of Sky was filmed.... well I just had to go and take some photos.....

Isn't it gorgeous....

Here's the little hamlet right on the edge of the beach where the main action took place.....

discovered the farmer whose cottage we were renting was actually an extra on the show too.   I really have to buy the DVD box set now don't I. 

Now.... I'm going to leave you with a cautionary tale.

Remember the bout of Norovirus (gastroenteritis) I had a couple of weeks ago?   Well.... it left me with a delicate little problem in the derriere department.    A problem which the girls (my so called friends) christened Henry and talked about constantly..... just to make certain I didn't forget my affliction.    Chris did stop laughing long enough to pick up a tube of salve for me though.   Now for the warning part.......

do not leave hemorrhoid cream next to your toothpaste.............

Hope you are having a great time and sewing up a storm.....

See you soon

Hugs

Josie