A little birthday blanket for baby cat

Happy birthday my super-softie!!

My biggest little boy is 5! I had hoped to finish his dog quilt, but with weddings, overnight guests, renovations, birthday parties etc etc, I just couldn't get to it. We had previously had a conversation about Mummy wanting to make him something and him wanting something shop bought. I told him Mummy had no money and he suggested I try and find some LOL. Then a few days later he comes to me and says "you can make me something or you can buy me something, but just get me something" LOL

Then last week we were driving back from swimming and he asks me for a 'little blanket for my baby cat'. I can do that! I had made a hoo-hah about wanting to make him something surely I can make a toy cat a blanket in a few days?

I sewed together some orphan scrapbuster blocks. Basted it, quilted it, bound it, wrapped it and all just in time for the big day...

I think they like it :-)

And as I yet again had tension issues with my machine while quilting this mini quilt, I am pleased I didn't tackle his single bed quilt!! Looks like I may have to bite the bullet and get my machine serviced. I have tried new needles, adjusting the bobbin tension, adjusting the needle tension, changing the thread, cleaning the bottom of my machine... Any tips for tension problems???

Giveaways

I won a giveaway! I've been so busy I forgot to blog it. Thanks Caryn - it's so cute!!




I'm inching up to 300 posts so I better get thinking what I'll be giving away in my giveaway!

T.G.I.O.

Thank Goodness It's Over!

We had the boy's combined birthday party at home yesterday. (DS1 will be 5 on Monday and DS2 will be 3 just over a week later.)

Yet again there was much baking in this house! A homemade 'Ben 10' cake. DS1 wanted a shop bought one, but when I went to buy it I was told that it was best to order them a week in advance. Unfortunately I didn't have that much time so out came the icing sugar and an attempt at 'Ghostfreak' LOL



DS2 wanted a smartie cake. I added the pigs as an extra. (It's unfortunate that pigs are pink as it made his cake look a bit girlie, but then again he is only 3!)



Not a single cupcake was left begging even with their ugly faces (and their wheat-free bases LOL)

The new kitchen came in handy...

Now I can put my feet up for another year!

Something Old, New, Borrowed & Blue

As I've had quite a busy week, and I'm quite tired, I'll be a woman of few words (and many pictures) of a friend's wedding that we attended on Wednesday, near London:

Here the boys make a run for the church after their 5 hour car journey...

(I missed the arrival of the bride due to an unforseen circumstance involving copious baby wipes and much embarrassment)

I am not a pink girl, but roses in any colour get me every time (especially when the bridesmaids roses matched my blouse!!)

The matching blouse (I wore it at our reception too!)

Pretty blonde girls...

Beautiful brides...

Happy couples...

Confetti monsters...
Partners in crime...

Horse drawn carriages...

My kind of cake!
(not wheat-free, but layers of marzipan - yum!)

Who ate all the (Gluten-free) pies?

I did, I did! And the sponge cake too!
Ok, not all of it.

The first pie was made for 'the girls'.

The sponge cake for Sam and his Mum.

And the second pie for my DSIL.

So I only ate a bit of all of them :-)
(especially as I'm the only gluten-free one)

Homemade Thimbles

a.k.a. the re purposing of old leather gloves...

My blog-friend Toni wanted to know what thimbles people recommend. Well, I recommend these ;-)



When I lived in Germany, I had a summer job working on a production line at a company that made heating components or some such thing. The other girls showed me their thimbles which were cut-off leather glove fingers and these were indispensable for doing something that we did with cogs (memory fails me here...)


Anyway, a few years back, I bought a pair of purple leather gloves at a flea market/antiques-type fair and thought they'd be great for these homemade thimbles. When I mentioned to the vendor that I wanted them very snug as I was going to cut the fingers off she looked aghast LOL. Never mind, I probably use the fingers more than anyone ever used the gloves as they were in mint condition.

I use these 'finger-hats' for just regular stitching as well as quilting and they work a treat!
I think I threw the other glove away after chopping off all the fingers, but this glove still has 3 thimbles left :-)


(To make your own, remember that a really snug glove or pair of gloves works best as the leather does tend to soften and stretch with age. And ideally in red or purple LOL!!)

Self portrait

I can't get enough of this weather

I have waited the whole summer for this!

It is so goodness gracious me beautiful around here when the sun shines (this is on the road to DS1's school from our house)... I just can't get over it. I know I am going on about it a bit, but after all the rain, I feel I'm entitled LOL. The red berries are everywhere. How come I have never noticed them before?

Even the sheep enjoy the views (this is up towards the moors - a slight detour, but I had to see the heather in the sun and believe it or not, but the heather looks better in the rain!! So here are views withouth the heather, but with sheep instead...)

The views up here are so tranquil. I have a thing about clouds LOL. I love 'Simpson' clouds as I call them. Big puffy white ones against blue skies - those are my favourites!

Here is DH strimming the lane...

On the food front: The blackberry's are out.

DH and DS1 went blackberrying and the fruit this year is better than last, so I've made jam and a pie. A neighbour also gave me some plums which made delicious plum jam. I love a bit of home-baking ;-)

And when the sun shines you can get your quilts washed!!

Sunshine and sewing

The weather has brightened here and we finally have some sun! and blue skies!!


It means that driving kids to school etc is a real treat...

And little little children can come along for walks in the sunshine past fields of cows...

And beautiful brambles...



To Becks where they can play with watering cans and water the plants :-)



And crazy Grandma's can spoil them with very early birthday presents of garden trampolines (reminiscent of animal cages LOL)

On the very neglected sewing front, I have finished my first Stitcher's Angel project.


My partner likes pink. I am not really a pink girl (unless it's pink roses of course!) so I have struggled a bit, but I hope my secret partner will like it.

I have quickly whizzed up a sock sack using an old sheet and some machine appliqued sock shapes. I was so tired of odd socks lying around!


It now lives in the laundry room and according to my DMIL contains 15 odd socks! Oh dear!!


And I finally got to the PO and mailed 2 very belated birthday cards and one of these blocks to Kate for our African Blockswap.


It's a simple Ula Lenz star block, but because I haven't paper-pieced for a while it took a bit to get back into a rhythm. Hope you'll forgive me Kate for such a simple block after your lovely one ;-)

The start of something new

My biggest little boy started Reception today. I am not accustomed to the UK schooling system. I went to school in South Africa. There the term starts in January. You start off in Sub A (now I'm telling my age because apparently it's now called Class or Grade 1!! Boy, am I old LOL)

Some other little boys wish they also went to school with their brother...

Anyway, it means he's at school all day (until 3.30pm) *sniff*. I guess I'll have no excuse keeping the house clean now :-)

Lookie here...

Come on in and see what's inside...



Dad has almost finished the new kitchen...



He just needs to paint the walls, put in the splashbacks, do the flooring, put in the plinth thingy-majiggies, and some other stuff Mum is clueless about.... then he can rest :-) (for a bit LOL)

Harrogate 2009

Today I visited the Great North Quilt Show in Harrogate.

Some photos from the show... in no particular order...

Well, let's get this out the way LOL. My purchases...

Mostly much needed thread, needles, much desired Tilda ribbon and fabric and a cute Melly & Me pattern... oh! And another rose FQ just because and from the same stand some cute braid..

Here's one of the corridors at the end of the day...

Some of the quilts:
Love the shirtings used in this one and the quilting was very cute...

For fans of Spiderman...

Loved the scrappy QST's in this one...

I would love to try one of these bags (especially the first one...)

These were very cute...

Scrappy heaven :-)

Such a fun quilt (buttons for mouths...)

I took this feather drawing workshop with Lilian Hedley - it was very cool...

This crazy quilter pieced these squares over one inch papers - It was gorgeous!

So pretty...

Classics! One day... *sigh*

And that concludes my brief tour of the show :-)

I had a great day out. Met a lovely friend for some of it, came home with some nice loot and all in all made up for not being able to go last year...