Yahooooo - the new foot pedal for my Bernina sewing machine arrived in the post during the week so I can get back to sewing and quilting again - I think Mr F was secretly pleased that I couldn't use my sewing machine for a few days as it meant the dining table actually LOOKED like a dining table rather than a "craft centre and hive of activity" and there were no pins or needles or scraps of fabric all over the afore-mentioned table or on the floor or on the chairs! Why is it that even if there is a single pin on the floor, clever Mr F always manages to find it by stepping on it??!! Now, I'm just bursting with inspiration, so I need to get out my cutting board and rotary cutter and a little bit of fabric, and I'll be in heaven!
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Yes it really is that Hairy Hound's First Birthday. It seems impossible to think that we first picked out this tiny scrap when he was just 4 weeks old. He bounded into our lives and has brought along a lot of laughs and a few tears along the way..... .....he is still a very naughty, mischievious puppy, for instance his favourite trick is sleeping on Mr F's chair (sometimes jumping onto the chair when Mr F has just got up to make a cuppa) and yes I KNOW he's snuggled up next to one of my quilts!! and he snores louder than Mr F and as for Jasper's farts - well, they certainly are silent but deadly. He recently picked up a frog and ran around and around the lawn with it in his mouth - much to the amusement of Mr F - luckily the frog escaped with nothing more than a free ride across the garden, and then another day Jasper picked up a freshly laid egg, which he proudly carried around, wagging his tail so hard we thought it was going to drop off - and very obediently sat down, opened his mouth and let me take the egg out - and any damage to the egg? No, not even a crack..... .....and here is the Birthday Boy himself, tucking into his supper - looking every inch the Handsome Hound that he has become, and wearing his new collar that we bought for him. Happy Birthday Jasper - here's looking forward to lots more fun and lots more birthdays with you! True to form, the British weather didn't fail to disappoint, and we've had a typical Easter Bank Holiday weekend, weather-wise, and it was cold and windy and rainy. The flowers in the garden have been a bit battered by the weather, and now look past their best, and even the chickens looked a bit bedraggled scratching around in their corner of the garden..... .....although these golden yellow miniature daffoldils bobbing about have certainly brightened up a very dull grey afternoon. Oh well, when it's weather like this what else can you do, but sit curled up on the sofa with a nice cuppa and some hand stitchery to pass the hours away hehe!! Janette has written about my black and brown batik quilt over here on her blog. You remember the one with the Fire Flower quilting design and the gorgeous copper thread - well anyway, Janette is the fabulous longarm quilter whose services I really could not do without. Her wonderful studio is over at East Bergholt - one of my friends, Heather, dropped a quilt top off there last weekend, and I can't wait to see how hers turns out! While we were delivering Easter eggs at the weekend, we saw these cute baby bunnies with their mummy - and aren't they just adorable? They are Continental Giants, and as the name suggests they are HUGE..... .....here you can see just how big these bunnies really are - my lovely god-daughter Rachel is holding one of the babies! These are just soooo cute, and as you can imagine both my daughters fell in love with them wanted to bring one home - just goes to show that little girls never really grow up! Yep, I've been shopping at Etsy again!! Well, as my sewing machine is out of action for a while, I had to do something to pass the time away hehe!! I love the jewellery designed and made by Amanda Davie - when I saw this statement piece I couldn't add it to my shopping basket quick enough!! Amanda writes on her Etsy site that taking time to pause, and reflect on where we are, and who we have become, is just as important as checking off all those things on our "to do" list. But often we don't take time to reflect, and continue moving, just for the sake of moving. When we do this, we end up feeling frustrated, and worn out. Well, I couldn't agree with her more! Amanda says she created this charm style necklace as a daily reminder, that it is ok to stop "doing" and take some time to just "be". She's included a bit of deep green sari silk, a vintage-styled replica of a hand held mirror (with real mirror), a raku fired hand charm (from Peru) one of her crystal and recycled bullet casing charms, a wire wrapped blue chalcedony, and one of her word charms created from brass, glass, and vintage dictionary text. The entire assemblage hangs from 31" of antiqued brass style chain. As a final flourish, she has added a sweet little heart connector at the back of the chain. Oh please hurry up Mr Postman!!
Well this is just how I looked this morning. Four days off work for the Easter holidays and a host of sewing projects to tackle - so what would make me look so glum? A loose wire in the foot pedal of my Bernina! So what's a girl to do? Ohhh - a bit of online shopping to order a new one, and a quick call to my local quilt shop to get my Bernina booked in for a long-overdue service (I have been taught well by Annie, at Quilters Haven, about keeping it regualrly cleaned and well oiled) and when I get back from my hols in Noway it will be waiting for me, as good as new again! And as for the rest of the holidays?? Well, a clean and tidy home - no threads or pins or scraps of fabric to litter the floor, and quality time spent with my girlies. Hmmm - although I could do just a little bit of hand sewing hehe :) Now, please excuse me while I go and make a cuppa, sort out some embroidery threads, and sit down for a relaxing afternoon with some stitching! Wishing all my blog readers a very Happy Easter. Wherever you are, I hope you all have a great time with family and friends over the holidays, enjoying time being with your loved ones. We certainly will - Beth is home for a long weekend, so I'm going to spend some time with both my girlies :) ..... .....and I just HAD to share this picture with you - Beth bought me these beautiful flowers when she came home yesterday - and they really do smell as wonderful as they look! I have some very exciting news to share with you all - in a couple of weeks, Mr F and myself are off on our hols - and what a holiday it is going to be! We're off to Norway, on board the Marco Polo, to cruise the fjords. I am so excited - the scenery is going to be just wonderful!.... .....we will see the spectacular Hardangerfjord, and see stunning landscape where sheer, forested mountainsides plunge into the still waters. The first port is tiny Ulvik, and we'll go on an excursion through the almost unimaginably beautiful countryside, then re-join the boat in Eidfjord, from where we will then take an excursion to the towering Voringfossen waterfalls. The following day we will cruise through the narrow fingers of mighty Sognefjord, the world's largest and deepest fjord. This scenic route will take us to Flam, the remotest corner of the fjord. From here, we will board the world famous Flamsbana Mountain Railway to witness the sheer beauty of the journey to Myrdal. Later that evening, we will enjoy another breathtaking cruise as we float into wondrously scenic Naeroyfjord....... .....and finally we will dock in Bergen - an ancient Hanseatic city of cobbled streets and medieval houses, and birthplace of composer Edvard Grieg. We might visit the vibrant harbour and fish market, stroll past the wooden warehouses of Bryggen and take the Floibanen funicular to the summit of 'Mount' Floyen. Hopefully while we're in Bergen I'll be able to visit the quilt shop there - just don't tell Mr F hehe!! Yes it's really that time of year again - it's my wedding aniversary! I really can't believe those years have gone by so quickly. getting married, raising a family, moving house, changing careers - we've packed an awful lot into that time..... .....24 years ago was a bright, sunny gorgeous day - AND it was Easter Saturday too - and now my neice, who was one of my bridesmaids is getting married herself this year, and one of my other bridesmaids who was just a little girl at the time, got married last September. How time flies!!..... We've been out for a lovely meal at the Wilford Bridge pub, at Melton - Beth is still in Reading and Alice didn't want to come along, so it was just me and Mr F. I had a delicious fish pie and a large glass of Pinot Grigio - and as you can see we had lots of cards, and Mr F bought me some beautiful flowers. |
About me...Hi - welcome to my quilting blog! My passions are my family, my dog, my friends and sewing, not necessarily in that order! Archives
July 2023
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