a runner, some stockings and bread

I've done quite a bit of sewing - but then, that's not unusual for me. As the sign on my sewing room wall says "my sewing room is my happy place" so it makes sense that I spend a LOT of time in it. So, what have I been making?

Well, Joanna asked me if I'd make her a runner for her living room window sill. She gave me the sizes but told me she didn't mind what colours I used or the design I chose. I had a bit of a think and decided to do a sort of bargello design and this is what I came up with. I am sooooo happy with it.

For the back, I used a piece of Russian doll fabric that I've had for quite some time. Joanna loves Russian dolls so I reckoned, if she didn't like the top, she could always turn it upside down ... but why she wouldn't like the top, I just don't know! She does like the top! She's only seen it in photos but, as soon as we are let out, this will be heading her way.

After that, I made some stockings for my tartan bee shop. First a couple of patchwork stockings -

And a couple of cuffed stockings.

I've temporarily closed my Etsy shop as I'm not going out right now - even to the post office. I have plenty of other cuffed stockings cut out and ready to sew and have 4 sets of squares ready to be sewn into the patchwork stockings so plenty to keep me going.

We were running out of bread so I'd been using my breadmaker quite a few times. It makes perfect bread every time but I got a (crazy) notion to make some in my mixer instead. My problem - always! - with non-breadmaker made bread is getting it to rise properly and this time was no different. After waiting nearly 5 hours, I finally just thought "to hang with it" and put it back in the mixer for its last 10 minute knead. It then went into its tin and did rise - because I set it on the open grill door whilst the oven below it was on! After baking it looked good.

It tasted good - if a little salty - but, as I said to Douglas, the breadmaker bread is so easy in comparison and tastes good too so why put myself (and my Kenwood) through the torture?

I'd put in an order for groceries 3 weeks ago and they got delivered yesterday. There seemed to be an awful lot but, since it's nearly 6 weeks since I was at a supermarket, I'm not beating myself up about it. As expected, there were some substitutions most of which I understood. The one that puzzled me was, I ordered 2 small bags of shredded iceberg lettuce. The bags weigh 100g each (about 4oz). They didn't have any so what did they give me 2 bags of shredded iceberg lettuce weighing 260g per bag. OMG! I don't know if we'll get through that much lettuce - I thought it might be a bit of a struggle to get through both 100g bags! I'm going to have to investigate if lettuce soup is a thing.

Stay home! Stay safe! 💕

2 finishes and a lion

I spent a l-o-n-g time last week finishing off the two quilts I was making with my scraps. I am sooooooooo happy with them both. I've decided I'm giving one to each of our girls and they're both delighted by the idea.

Here's the front of one of the quilts:

And the back:

The front of the other one:

And the back:

I used up most of the scraps I had - although they seem to be breeding again!! - and I used up oddments of bindings all joined together for the outside bindings. I didn't have enough of the navy blue sheet I used for the fronts so used up some jade and some jade/blue stripes on the backs. I didn't have quite enough of the stripey one to do all the rows so used a navy spot on one of them - on the 2nd and 4th rows - and a navy stripe on the other. All in all, a LOT of leftovers were used up in these quilts. Very chuffed about that!

So, the lion. When our girls were wee, I made them a big sit-on lion which we called Benny. Debbie asked me if I still had the pattern for him but I didn't so the internet searching started. Joanna did most of the work but didn't quite get there. She showed me a lion she'd found which was similar but wasn't a big sit-on one but it was by the same designer which meant I knew what to look for. I found the pattern on ebay and, within days, it was in my grubby paws. This is the picture that goes with the pattern.

Debbie assured me she'd make him herself but asked me if I could do the pattern for her - it's printed on a grid and you're meant to draw if copying it on to 5cm grid paper. I decided I'd rather see if I could get it to print out to size so I scanned a 4 wide by 5 high block from the pattern which is what would fit on a sheet of A4 paper, printed that out and WOW! it printed out with the grid measuring 5cm. I couldn't believe it had worked at the first attempt!

Anyway, I printed it all out, stuck it together and cut it all out and this is what we've got.

We've got all the fur fabric, the felt, the laces for his face and paws ready to go but he'll have to stay here until we're allowed out again. Hopefully in the not too distant future.

On that note, I have to say, the worst part of being on lockdown is the lack of family hugs. I am definitely a hugger and to not be able to hug my girls and my wee girlies is so hard. Like I said - hopefully in the not too distant future. Stay home. Stay safe. 💕

knickers etc

I thought, instead of another post showing how I'm getting on with the scrappy quilt - it's going really well! - I thought I'd just post some of the wee things I'm doing to try and make my days just a bit different. Please note - if the sight of underwear drawers upsets you, maybe you should click away and come back another time!

Don't say you haven't been warned! :oD

Whilst we're told to stay home, I'm trying to do small jobs that don't take more than maybe 15 or 20 minutes at a time - mostly so I don't get fed up with the job and leave it half done. I started with my aforementioned underwear drawer. It's never really untidy but I got it all straightened up - although I have to say, those 2 pairs of socks that aren't lined up are a bit annoying to me! Only sensible underwear in my underwear drawer - how boring! LOL

Then my PJs and nightie drawer. I'm hoping the nighties will come back into circulation soon. It's still too cold for them at the moment but, hopefully soon!

I then tidied all my Christmas jumpers into the one box - they had previously been in 2 places.

I then moved on to the bookcase of my favourite books. I took them all off, dusted then put them back in alphabetical order. Sad but true! Needless to say I read a few endings whilst I was doing this one! LOL

Next came the blanket box at the bottom of the bed which holds my aran cardies and some jumpers. As I was doing this one, I decided to wash some of the jumpers and cardies as it was a lovely drying day. They now smell that unique smell of things that have been dried outside. There's nothing quite like that smell!

This is a job that Douglas did for me. The slatted shelf was in this cupboard when we moved in but it was lying against the wall. We think the boiler must have been replaced at some point and the shelf taken down from its original place (you can see the wooden bits on the sides where it had been before). Douglas fitted some more wood to the walls and put it back up for me. It's already being used.

This was my 15 minute job this morning - to tidy my stud earrings. They're always fairly tidy but now they make some sort of sense - at least to me!

Lastly, we've been doing some jigsaws. We're deliberately only doing smallish ones - no 3000 piecers for me! If you look closely, you can see this one has some bird shapes in it.

So that's just some of the wee jobbies I've been doing this week - in between sewing, of course! :o)

coming along nicely

In my bits and pieces post, I showed some bits and pieces (!) I was sewing together with a view to making a quilt top with them. This was how the baskets of bits and pieces looked then - 29th February this year:

This is how the baskets looked yesterday - 20th March:

I had thought I'd make 20 blocks but, when I had made 20, there were still so many bits and pieces left, I decided to keep going until I had used them all up. I didn't quite use them all up, there were still some strips left but I decided that 40 blocks - enough for 2 quilt tops - was enough to be going on with ... for now!

Not only were there a few strips left, but also some shapes - circles, drunkard's paths and tumblers - which I decided to leave for another project on another day.

I was pondering how to put the blocks together - I want to put some sort of plain colour around them. I decided I'd use navy blue as I had a navy sheet in my stash which would do the job perfectly. Then I came up with the idea of doing the quilt as you go (QAYG) method to quilt these. What that means is I'd only be quilting 12½" squares and not a big quilt. I've used the QYAG method a few times before (here's one and here's another) and was very happy with the outcome and let's face it, quilting 12½" squares is much easier (for me) than quilting a 62½" by 50" quilt!

Anyway, that decided, I got to thinking about what I'd use on the back and had a brainwave - or was it a crazy idea?? - to use some of my massive collection of 4½" squares. I'd need 9 per block so for 40 blocks, I'd need 360. Totally do-able!

Today I got started sewing them together. At this moment, they're in rows of 3 just waiting to have their seams pressed to one side.

Next job is to make them into 9 patches and start quilting the blocks. I'm quite looking forward to that - mind you, after doing 40 of them, I can imagine I'll be well and truly sick of them!

Finally, I think it would be remiss of me to not say anything about what we're *all* facing just now. Please stay safe. Stay away from people - staying away from my wee girlies has to be the hardest thing for me to do but I will do it for their (and my own) safety! Be sensible. Wash. Your. Hands!

!!! 3 !!!

Our wee Emily is 3 today. Goodness me! How did that happen? I remember exactly where I was when Jason phoned me to tell me she had arrived ... at long last!

We all went to Emily's house on Sunday to have a birthday picnic/party with her. No way could we go outside but we were all quite happy inside! Before I show off the photos of her playing with her picnic basket and blanket, let me show you the finished quilt - the front:

The back and the embroidered label:

I made some mini napkins to go with it:

Then I had some fun making "food". First of all some sandwiches - ham and lettuce on the left and cheese on the right.

Some Oreos and jammie dodgers:

Some ginger nuts on the left and crackers with cheese on the right:

Some triangle cheese and some babybels:

And some egg sandwitches on white bread.

Honestly, I had way too much fun making the food and had to make myself stop! LOL

Here's Emily on Sunday emptying out her picnic basket with all the goodies inside. You'll notice she had put the quilt upside down - Pooh had to be upwards!

She had lots of fun sorting things out -

Then her mummy and Auntie Jo joined in the picnic fun pouring cups of tea and filling plates for anybody who wanted one!

Isla was very tired as she sat on her Grammie's knee wearing her bear ears hairband but she would not give in!

We all had a lovely time - it was a really fun day.

Happy birthday, Miss Emily. Have a lovely day! 🥰

bits and pieces

I've been busy trying to use up the wee scraps of fabric that seem to breed when I'm not paying attention. I decided to gather some of them into two baskets - one full of strips and one full of bits.

Then I started sewing them together to make wee blocks.

Then into bigger blocks ...

... until they were roughly 12" square.

I now have 14 made and will keep going until I have enough to make a lap quilt. I'm enjoying doing it as playing with fabric - no matter how small! - is always a favourite game of mine.

I was over at Debbie's last week and got to play with these girlies. Just have to blow my own trumpet here to point out that both girls are wearing outfits I made for them.

Molly had to get in on the action too - she does like sniffing faces! Isla loves watching her.

I was there to help get Emily to her audiologist appointment. The testers were very impressed with her telling Debbie that one of the tests she did was usually only done with 5 year olds. Emily isn't even 3 yet. I'm sure I said last time that we are soooooo proud of her - and of Debbie and Jason too. Let's face it, they are the ones who are bringing up a child with hearing problems and they are doing a grand job!

I put away my small blocks temporarily as I wanted to make a small picnic blanket for Emily's birthday - she's 3 next week! Where has the time gone? Anyway, we're giving her this picnic set -

... and I wanted to make a blanket to go with it. I finished the top this afternoon and am absolutely delighted with it.

It's only 36" square which, hopefully, is a good size for a wee girl to have a picnic with her teddy bears and dollies. I doubt she'll get outside for a picnic any time soon - if it's not raining, it's snowing or blowing a gale! She'll be able to use it inside the house until it is warm enough to take it outside. I know she'll have fun with it wherever she plays with it!

where to start?

Well, here we are again. Thinking about giving this blogging malarkey another go. Why? Well, because I missed it! I missed being able to look up when something happened or when I made something. I know I can look all the photos up on the computer but it's not the same. I actually enjoy reading my blethers that go along with the makes - don't know if anybody else does but that's okay. I'll eventually post all the things I've made in the last 2 years in backdated posts. It might take a while as there are, not really surpringly, a LOT of photos!

In the meantime, what's been happening around these parts? Well, these parts have changed in that we moved house. The house we're in now is as close to our dream house as we can get. Not in a town. Not in the country. Big enough for me to have a sewing room that doesn't have to double up as a guest room. Big enough for Douglas to have a study/office where he does whatever he does in there. Safer not to ask! LOL

The garden is fairly big but not too hard to look after. The street we're in is quiet but there is also always some activity. We live close enough to big towns to be at the supermarket in under 10 minutes but there's a local shop & post office close enough to walk to - which we do often. Use it or lose it, as they say!

We got a wood-burning stove fitted last month and that just makes the house even more of our dream house. We've always wanted a fire and this one is just the bees knees! This was the day it was fitted - Douglas couldn't wait to get it lit and just sit by it. Of course, Tilly had to sit beside him!

We still need to redecorate that wall but all in good time.

The most important change is that our new granddaughter, Isla, made her debut last October. A wee sister for our Miss Emily and adored by all. She is now 4½ months old and watches everything Emily does.

You can see that she's desperate to be able to play with Emily. Won't be long!

Emily is nearly 3. Where has the time gone? She is such a clever wee thing. Her (lack of) hearing has not stopped her in the slightest. In fact, the speech and language lady who came to their house just to check how her development was coming on has signed Emily off as she is as good as, if not better than, hearing children her age. So proud!

She's a good help around the house for her mummy - although I'm not sure the Clangers appreciate her trying to iron them! Hahaha

The tartan bee is doing well. I sold so many Christmas stockings last year that I've already started sewing them so I might have a good stock by the time the buying of Christmas stockings restarts - in about August!! I've also recently designed and sewn some project bags which I am inordinately chuffed with. This is the one I finished this morning and just loaded into the shop.

We'll see how these go before I make more.

I'm going to stop there. There's so much more I could say but we'll go with this for now.

PS: Gosh, it took me a while to remember how to load in photos and make links open another window. I think I got it!