String blocks and Aprons

The last of my string work squares for the quilt I am making were finished today. Now I've got the difficult job of deciding how to piece them together, how to wad it, back it, bind it and quilt it! Now I know why I've never made a quilt before...not quite sure where to start on this next stage.

The apron I made for Lauren my swap partner in the Great Apron Swap arrived today so now I can show it. I used a mixture of new and vintage fabric, making the apron reversible. The pocket on the front is the main apron on the back. I've never made a reversible apron before, but felt that both the fabrics were so pretty and versatile that it would be good to be able to use both sides.

Nice big lined pocket on this side.

I have to admit I was quite pleased with it so made one for myself last week!

No the apron isn't wonky - it is the way I stand! Or maybe the way I had the camera standing - I did a timer shot!

Gardening Sunday

First vegetables from the garden! Yummy radishes.

The broccoli and carrot bed is growing well.

I am really excited about this gardening project of mine. We bought some more wood today to make two more raised beds - will hopefully be making those tomorrow all being well with the weather. I've got some more seedlings to plant, some potatoes for my potato tub and seeds to sow. Hoping that we can make a bit of progress towards the building of my glass house as well.

Our wisteria is looking stunning...

and the lilac tree is in full bloom - smells gorgeous.

The Great Apron Swap 2010

A parcel arrived this morning...

Addressed to me... oh the kind I like especially...

A pretty card, with a lovely note inside and a couple of tissue wrapped packages.

My Apron from my swap partner Lauren had arrived!

Blues and purples - gorgeous colours - so me.

And another! Naughty Lauren - lovely polka dots! Now I'll really have to get cracking with the baking, cleaning and tidying!

Now although I posted my Apron to Lauren on 17th May, it still hasn't got there :-( so will have to wait before I can show it!

Thank you Sarah for organising the Great Apron Swap 2010 - it was fun.

Shopping with friends.

Lala and I met up in Hitchin just after 10 am...I was a little late as I got a wee bit lost had to make an emergency help call only to discover I was only a minute away from our meeting place after all! It was a lovely day, the sun shining, but not too hot as there was a slight breeze.

We made a formidable team armed with our shopping trolleys! Here they are enjoying a touch of sunshine just outside the church in the centre of Hitchin.

My trolley ended up quite full as Lala had to leave at 1pm, so I stayed on for another hour and a half! I had a lovely time and we had a nice coffee, tea and cakes together.

So as not to spoil any surprises I will let Lala tell you what she bought herself...

Venturing into the Hitchen flea market I found a few treasures and interesting articles...

10 pence saw me buying this bit of Singer nostalgia!

I don't think it will be sharpening any scissors, but for novelty value, worth 10p in my opinion.

A selection of crochet hooks never come a cropper, especially as I lost a couple once when I went into London.

Another ornate tin box, this one more tea caddy size and in excellent condition for £1.

Next to the bigger one I bought in the weekend you can see the comparison in size.

Venturing round the CS, I found this pyrex casserole dish. I've been needing a casserole dish for ages and this is a good size for the four of us.

Berries on one side.

Peaches/plums (?) on the other.

Some lovely pink polka dot curtains complete with lining - perfect for some sewing projects.

A quilting and crafting book.

Lastly a selection of Miss Read books, which should keep me busy!

We have a date!

That's right NATS and I have a date today... we are meeting up with the lovely Lala, and going to hit the town, bargain shopping and lunching!

Yes, you guessed...I am excited!

Cycle of Light

Glowing like a ruby wreathed in flame,

Life's chariot paraded into the sky casting out his younger brother, the moon,

until when his march is over and his pale sibling the moon and his disciples the stars shall turn the suns light into the abyss of night

and forever shall this cycle of light and dark sustain the world.

(Written by DS2, Age 13)

I Don't Believe It!

Isn't it strange, how you never see something and then suddenly you come across similar things several times and end up with a little 'collection'. Well I can see a theme coming on here with the matryoshka dolls.

I went to get some teabags yesterday and went on a slight detour in the opposite direction to another town to browse some CS. Like you do of course. I didn't really see a lot, but did come home with this lady...

Inside her rather rotounde but pretty tummy, was not five, not seven, but NINE other little ladies! And just to show that I can count that makes TEN! Goodness, was I surprised when I just kept opening them.

It was somewhat cooler yesterday after a very stifling Monday - pottering round the garden I'm delighted to find that my beans have started sprouting.






Lots of pretty flowers are in bloom.


My newly planted front garden is coming on a treat.

Now for something quite different. I must have an exceedingly overactive, or perhaps highly optimistic is the correct term, imagination. I went to bed fairly early last night thinking, in the morning I'm going to get up at 6.30am, go for a jog..., okay that is optimistic... I mean a brisk walk, and then come home and get stuck into things. However, a night of tossing and turning, feeling really cold, and full of weird, not especially nice dreams, meant that the when the alarm went off at 6.30am, it promptly got changed to 7.30am. In turn, when this went off, it promptly got turned off and I finally got out of bed at 10.50am! HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?! Why do I do this? Why do I just not have the energy, motivation, or what ever to leap out of bed like I used to?

So having just eaten my porridge, with prunes and manuka honey, and writing my blog, I suppose I really ought to try and get on with something this morning before it has completely disappeared...I have eight minutes!

Fabric Addict Swap Arrived!

I've been anxiously waiting the post since Jen from 'The Mad House' told me she had sent me her fabric swap... For some reason only the postal system can explain it seemed to take ages to arrive. Of course was I home when it arrived? No! Fortunately someone else was so it was sitting there waiting for me when I came home today.

A lovely bundle wrapped in...fabric of course!

Now to discover what is in the bundle.

Lots of goodies.... chocolate bunnies - a necessary item to get the creative juices flowing. Some blue felted fabric, lots of buttons, blue of course ;-) and some pretty blue fabrics. Jen you know me so well!

That wasn't all. Included was a fabulous book on quilting. THANKS so much for this, I've been meaning to start for ages, now I have no excuse. Also some Forget Me Not seeds for my garden.



A really cute pin cushion with equally cute pins.

Oh and I couldn't resist taking another photo of these blue round buttons.

Thank you Jen for being such a marvellous swap partner. I love it all and can't wait to start getting creative!


Now my parcel to Jen was much quicker at getting there - it arrived the very next day!

You've already seen this picture in a previous blog, but just in case you forgot, I wrapped it all up in fabric.

A cute card, which unfortunately I can't lay claim to making, but it did come from a CS.

Another picture of the wrapped parcel. Lovely fabric, lets hope Jen likes blue as well!

A sewing magazine.

A couple of books for her boys, to keep them busy while Jen is sewing, or knowing Jen to read to the boys and enjoying the pirating activities with them.

Lots of goodies, vintagey cottons, threads, buttons, some felts, a brooch and a needle holder and pin cushion.

A mixture of fabrics.

The button mixture.


Thank you Helen for setting up this wonderful Fabric Addict Swap and many thanks to Jen for being such a lovely swap partner.

Weekend scorcher and carbooting treasures

It has certainly been a scorcher of a weekend, with Sunday being even hotter than Saturday. We've been pottering in the garden, doing some weeding and hedge trimming and mowing the lawns - well at least that is what hubby has been doing... I've been 'overseeing' the process. The sky is glorious and the birds have been singing all day since very early this morning. I've felt quite tired again today, so have just been taking things slowly, sitting in the garden, enjoying the sunshine and listening to the birds and enjoying the colours in the garden. Yesterday I went to a carboot sale - the first one I've been to this year. It was very hot and rather crowded so I walked around slowly with NATS my flowery trolley. I came home with a few treasures that I'm quite pleased with.

This lovely tin. I passed this tin by twice, asked the lady how much it was and considered it too pricey so went away. Later in the afternoon as everyone was starting to pack up, I went back and the tin was still there and I managed to get it for half the price she was originally asking so was quite chuffed. I can see a thing happening with tins, so perhaps need to do a 'tin post' sometime soon.

It's actually a little workbox tin and has cotton reel holders on either side.


You can still see 'Workbox' faintly on the top.

A little cross stitch for me to do and quite apt I think...

Hmmm.... another big tin....

Very ornate...

Made in Great Britain - perfect!

Even better...

Full of goodies...

Lots of buttony goodness...

Cute penguins...

'Foreign' buttons from Bond Street (?) and pretty blue glass buttons.

Rick Rack, bias binding and trimmings...

All in all a nice collection of vintage haberdashery.

I bought a few colourful zips.

A plate to add to my 'red' collection. For display at Christmas time.

A country cottage china mug.

A little collection of glass bottles...I have a few ideas for these.

Lastly a Silver (?) Heart trinket box for 20p. My MIL gave me one of these as a gift a few years ago, so now I have two - I might keep this, or it may end up as a gift. I will try it out on my dressing table with the other first. I've certainly got a few trinkets that can go in it.

I still have no email, but am sincerely hoping DH will have time to sort something out for me tonight as I am hoping to meet up with some bloggy friends this week. About time I got out and about!