yum, yum, yum!

Douglas grew this. Isn't he clever?



We ate it. Oh. My. Goodness. It was so good. It tasted really tomato-y. Nothing like the tomatoes you buy in the supermarket.

There are quite a few more tomatoes on the plants. I can't wait to eat them. Well, actually I can. They're too green to eat at the moment! :o)

finished - Debbie's new dress

I finished Debbie's new dress today. I only had the zip to put it so it should have been a quick job but I managed to sew over the wee metal bit at the top of the zip bending the sewing machine needle and activating the safety stop on the machine. Wooops!

I just put in a new needle, re-threaded and paid more attention to where I was sewing. Job done.



I have another dress to make for Debbie but I'm going to move the sewing room around a bit first. Douglas had an old desk that I fancied so he put that in for me today. I've now got to move things around so I can make better use of the space. I'll take some photos when it's done.

garden visitors and a re-do

Here are just a few of the visitors who came to our garden this weekend.

A couple of sparrows on the suet balls.



A sparrow on the seed feeder on the clothes pole and a blue tit on the peanuts on the side of the shed.



A butterfly warming itself on the wall.



And here's what I was doing out in the sun this weekend - when I wasn't photographing the garden visitors. A while ago, I thought it was a good idea to put all my buttons in one box.



When I did that I blogged about it and said "I might regret it one day if I'm looking for a specific colour but, oh my goodness, I LOVE this box." Well, I did love the box of buttons but OMG it was so hard to find anything. In the end I would always give up and just go and buy some! Ridiculous when I have thousands of buttons!

So, this weekend I sat outside and separated them all out into their glass jars again. I even got Joanna to help me as it took so long to do.



Now I'll be able to find 10 white buttons or 6 pink ones much more easily - and without having to go to the fabric shop to buy them. Remind me not to put them into one box ever again! :oO

what I've been sewing

Here are a few photos to show what I've been sewing recently.

A couple of shirts for myself.



And a couple of pairs of jammy bottoms for Joanna.



My next project is one of the sundresses for Debbie. I cut it out yesterday so it's ready to be sewn now.

If the people at New Look patterns ever read this blog I'd just like to tell them that this pattern . . .



. . . is meant to be "easy" but the cutting out layout is certainly NOT easy. Having to cut the skirt pieces on the crosswise fold and then the rest of the pieces one at a time on a single thickness of fabric is not my idea of easy.

Oh, I managed to do it - I've been sewing for 40+ years after all - but anyone who has no clue what they're doing ie the people who might buy the pattern because it's "easy" - would have trouble with it.

At least the sewing part should be easy - hopefully!

tea party for Debbie's birthday

Yes, Debbie now lives in Canada but we decided that wasn't going to stop us having a tea party for her birthday. So we did.

Here's what we ate:

Tiffin - I make this most times because it's Douglas's favourite - or one of them.



Raspberry and white chocolate chunk cookies:



Polka dot slice:



These are called Lancashire Nuts but there are no nuts in them. They're basically biscuits (cookies to my US friends) sandwiched together with raspberry jam.



Banana loaf:



The Pioneer Woman's chocolate sheet cake (without the pecans). Deeeeelishhhhhh!!



And this is Rosie wondering if she'd get even a sniff of anything!



My mum went away with a doggy bag and Joanna took a doggy bag to her work. Douglas is taking another doggy bag to his mum tomorrow and there'll still be plenty left!

We've decided our next tea party will be when we decorate the Christmas tree. Can't wait! :o)

30!!!!!

Thirty years ago today, Debbie arrived. My Dad took this photo on the day she was born and I don't think anyone can deny she smiled for the camera! :o)



And this is a recent photo of her taken when we were in Canada - still smiling.



Happy birthday, Dibsi! :o)

We're having a tea party tomorrow for her birthday. She won't be here but the rest of us will be pigging out in her honour! LOL

busy sewing

I've been busy sewing for myself. Last week I made a blouse and - yay! - it fits!

This week I'm making another blouse using the same pattern. Only the hem and the buttons/buttonholes to do now.

After that, I don't know if I'll make a start to Debbie's sundresses or maybe make a start to some of the quilty things I bought in Canada.

Decisions, decisions! :o)