oh pants!

Why pants?  Not really sure but better than other words I would otherwise be tempted to say!  You may of course insert your own personal favourite!

I thought with everyone settled into a new routine I could get back to stitching in peace and blogging more than just the occasional post but Tummybugitis caught up with me and was determined to strike me down!

Nothing much achieved therefore on Monday or Tuesday - nothing you want to know about!  TMI!!

Anyway Wednesday I began to feel better and yesterday even more so!  I got to the sewing machine and got several Bee Blocks done!  Hurrah!

Two for Emily for the Modern Stitches Bee

I just adore the wee star she asked for....wish I had properly read her instructions as she would have liked more if possible....would have been delighted to oblige!

Two for Jude and beeblessed!

One for Benta!  Poor thing she is getting this block for her Silver Wedding Anniversary quilt - hence the grey background!  But in our Star of Africa Bee he represents Scotland as he is of course Angus the Scottie Dog or Scottish Terrier!  Do you remember one with a pronounced Scottish accent in Lady and the Tramp??

I haven't been half hearted in this - honest- by missing out the corners!  Benta is making interlocking stars and each one will have a middle representing different countries.  The other stars will be filling in the gaps...

One started for Jen - so sorry Jen (also in the Star of Africa Bee and due in August - oops!)  I offered Angus to either Benta or Jen and Benta got in there!

Then I thought of another wee Scottish animal - well not only Scottish - but in the UK this normally timid little chap fares better than his American cousin who has out-competed him in the South! 

 I was having cold feet about him and whether he would look like he was supposed to but the lovely Helen urged me on!  I am hoping this rough cut out gives you an idea of what it is!?? well supposed to be!

Jen actually asked for animals - you would think by my past blocks of Hamish the Highland Bull and Nessie that there are only animals in Scotland - no offence up North this is NOT true!  

Jen wants to make a book for her kids to amuse them at the zoo or on car journeys - she is going to ask them to find the animals IRL!  Nessie was tempting I can tell you but I relented!

Only that one to finish off, some refining of a granny or two for Wendi (blocks too small - grrrr) and Lucy's feather block to do - which I am really looking forward to...might have to make some for myself!  I can't believe that it is still the first week of the month and I have got so many bee blocks done already....er ok one of these is overdue but even so....

Grr again as I have just realised I forgot the siggy blocks - ah well pride comes before and all that.

I am queen again this time in the Star of Africa Bee and I have asked for fictional characters from beloved books !  I am thinking the blocks will be the front cover and the siggy blocks - as I have now asked for long thin ones - can be the spine of my very own international library!  And I must make sure I read them all!  This Bee is proving very educational in a fun and chatty sort of way!

Rose stars in my eyes!

Rose Star blocks are so tempting and so more-ish and now I have the perfect place to stitch them in my new chair....

I have also made good on a promise - sorry Leanne for getting around to it so late!  Two wonky trees...

That wraps it up for now unless you want to see a puppy play with a plastic fruit carton - minus the fruit....

Much to her amusement and mine!  Who needs expensive dog toys...?  Not Maddie it seems.

I am gradually catching up with those bee blocks - here are two more.

Four Acre blocks from the book Modern Blocks compiled by Susanne Woods made for Chrissy in the Modern Stitching Bee...

The first is following Chrissy's colour palette

The brown was a bit of a problem as although I don't dislike it like some I just haven't bought much.  I have more in the beige, tan colour grouping from my early appliqueing days (making rabbits for Easter decorations) but only this brown!

For the second block we could choose our own colours and I seem to have been thinking of marmalade!

I have to admit I struggled with these blocks and re-stitched the seams several times.  A mixture of not reading the instructions thoroughly, wielding a rotary cutter late at night and not being good at maths!  Oh well I didn't actually hurt myself in the process just the fabric!  Ouch!

The other thing I have been doing is rearranging my sewing space - I love it and already feel a bit more productive!  Let's hope I can keep that up!

Before I had my back to the window and looked at the door...

My cutting table took up the opposite corner...

And after - the shelves have been cleared of toys and now have my crafting books and the ironing board in front...

This is an old bed chair but great for displaying cushions - mine, my mothers and Helen's - I just need to recover the chair in something quieter so the cushions take centre stage... 

Just by turning my desk around I get more light falling on my sewing, a pretty view out the window and it frees up space to fit my cutting table at the end of the room

Leaving space for a comfy chair so I can hand piece and quilt in comfort, by the window and next to the radiator!  Or it allows for a guest to sit and stitch - any takers?

Too lazy for words!

I have been such a lazy blogger since the summer break and have been slow to get back into the flow of things.  I apologise!  Though if you are as far behind as I am in reading blogs then you may be quite glad that I have been quiet!

Anyway by way of a bit of a catch up I have a few things to show you...

First and foremost is a fabulous gift from my lovely friend Susan (she is just one of the loveliest people out there but don't tell her it may go to her head)

Isn't it gorgeous - not for nothing have I been telling her how lovely her Drunkard's Path blocks and stitching are - so here I have my own mini - I love it!  And it's not even my birthday!  

Thank you SO MUCH Susan and I am sorry for being so tardy in showing it off but I have to say I was just enjoying looking at it, keeping it all to myself!  



Next did you join in the Japanese charm swap orchestrated by Sarah and Helen?

I did to my cost - what with everyone flaunting gorgeous fabric I succumbed not once but twice!  Here are my charms all nicely cut and I hear they have safely arrived in Shetland.  I am so pleased to get full use of my stamp sending those charms all the way up the UK and across the North Sea.

I have a soft spot for Red Riding Hood ever since my youngest had the leading role in year 6 in a production of Le petit chaperon rouge - yes all in French!  Fortunately several years before I had made her a costume so no further sewing was required on that occasion!

And Susan and Lucy encouraged me to pick the Paris print at the Festival of Quilts!  I love that it says 'je flane dans la ville de Paris! ' Nothing to do with quiche but all to do with mooching, wasting time, strolling, all that sort of stuff! Yes I would if I could especially in Paris! 

Anyway while looking for fabrics to swap - I don't know how it happened - but other Japanese fabrics floated into my basket!  

cutey animals....

sewing, labels and Paris!

Robots and cars

Then a new discussion thread came up on the Flickr site asking for details of our fabrics so I had to go back to the websites to look for information and guess what happened ....?  More fabrics sneaked into my basket!  It was just too awful to leave it there on the shelf when it can come and be loved by meeeeeee!

More animals....who could resist a cycling bear?

Transport - love those bubble cars! and more Paris!

Fairytales, robots, Paris and cats - Top Cat comes to mind and ChooChoo!

I have become a Japanese Fabric junkie!  Does anyone know of a cure?  

I seem to be going with buy as much as you can and when you have it all you will be fine....


Not sure that is viable longterm - we may be eating raw carrots till Christmas....oops!

Bee a Brit Stingy!

Did you know that Helen is an enabler?  She is - it's true!


I chatted to her after the Fat Quarterly Retreat and said how envious I was of the Brit bee love-in that happened there!  I wasn't the only one. . .I think they have sparked off at least two other Brit Bees that I know of!  Well done them!  

I then got carried away by making purses and got side tracked and enabled into hosting the In the Frame Purse Swap with the lovely Helen again!


Anyway she has been listening to others with the same thought and brought Sheila and I together to host another Brit Bee!   As we are a scrappy stash bee Sheila hit upon the idea of naming it Bee a Brit Stingy!  Well our common Scottish roots must be celebrated somewhere!

Helen created our button - not just an enabler you see she is a bit of a techno whizz - well she is whizzier than me and loves to experiment - just ask her about google docs!

So here is the list of lovely participants - some with experience of bees and some in a bee for the first time!

Miss January - Lucy @ http://www.charmaboutyou.com/
Miss February - Emily @ http://strawberrypatchramblings.blogspot.co.uk/
Miss March - Jan @ http://isisjem.blogspot.co.uk/
Miss April - Di @ http://willowbeckdesigns.blogspot.co.uk/
Miss May - Catherine @ http://sewonderfulife.blogspot.co.uk/
Miss June - Colette @ http://poppyandpoochie.blogspot.co.uk/
Miss July - Sheila @ http://bluepatchquilter.blogspot.co.uk/
Miss August - Me 
Miss September - Karen @ http://blueberry-park.blogspot.co.uk/
Miss October - Erin @ http://billybuttondesign.blogspot.co.uk/
Miss November - Charlotte @ http://charlottenewland.blogspot.co.uk/
Miss December - Janet @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/16380123@N03/ - Janet hasn't got a blog yet but you might know her as jintymaginty on Flickr!

We shall no doubt share our progress in the coming months but we are starting things slowly with a friendly little secret swap of a pincushion!  The Bee starts in earnest in January 2013!

Looking forward to the fun beginning!  Right now what pincushion shall I make....?

And if you are wondering where Helen is?  - she is virtually in Shetland at the mo' helping Sarah with the Japanese charm swap - she is enabling all over the place...just watch out or she will be enabling you too!   

It's not all bad news!

I may have been blaming a four legged furry friend for my lack of sewing activity!  Guilty as charged!

Part of the reason for agreeing to get a puppy was to help wean the kids of those screens and get them outside in the fresh air.  Not sure that has worked so well as they seem to want to play with Maddie inside the house rather than in our garden....strong persuasion may have been necessary!

So who has been doing the dog walking do I hear you ask?   Well now the kids are at school it seems to be me....but I have to say it has not all been bad news on that front....

When out in the English countryside who can resist?   Specially on a glorious Autumn morning with incredibly long shadows  (the only way I get to be giant sized) and fabulous light!  

Even little pups get to be bigger

I can do a cute pose!

What another photo?

At last let's get on!

Sewing is back on the schedule and will be posted soon!  In the meantime I seem to have joined another swap - that exciting swap going on soon !  Did you get in there?  Joining in has already concluded but you can sign up for the waiting list...

Here is my inspiration mosaic which is now posted on Flickr and means I am nearer hopefully to getting into the awesomeness of Mouthy Stitches 2!  Are we nearly there yet??

Hope some poor person finds some inspiration from this little lot!  I seem to have been affected by the 'low volume' crowd on the internet but still cannot cope without a shot of strong colour somewhere!  

Have I ever told you I love Orla Keily stuff - you can see her influence by my choice of leaves.  

Loving the FMQ in number 1 but also the cotton perle hand stitching elsewhere!  

I would happily make all of these or receive all of these in a tote bag.  Seriously - we only get one!? Sigh!

How are you getting on with your finishalong projects, courtesy of the fabulous Rhonda?  I am hoping I might just squeeze ONE of my three projects through by the deadline which is the end of September for Quarter three!  I am now targeting it twice thanks to May and her Lazy Bums!  More on that next week....

And I have finished the Wedding quilt top and the backing fabric has been chosen though I must go and buy it next week!

These strip pieced squares take quite a bit of stitching I have to say!  And this pattern, called Fractured Quilt, taken from the Quiting Modern book by Jacquie Gering and Katie Pedersen needed a bit more care than my usual strip piecing as the lines were to almost match up but not quite!

I have been a lazy blogger this past month - I will try and do better!  Though as you may see I am still going to be busy!

Have you missed me?

I have been on Flickr quite a bit and trying to get two children settled at school, one adult ready for Uni and working around a growing pup!

It has been a bit of a challenge!

Throw in catching up on the sewing I didn't get around to in August and something had to give - blogging was the one!

Anyway here is one thing I have caught up with - the Modern Scrappy Bits Swap!  I was invited to join by the lovely Oneygirl! or Leona who I had met through my first bee!  Who can refuse an invite?  Not me anyhow...

I didn't get much information from my partner - who likes everything and has no preferences!  Can I just say now that I find it really hard to find inspiration from these statements - isn't it just a little bit open and for me unhelpful!?  Sorry partner but there it is!

Anyway I finally decided what to do - a coin purse featuring two possible favourite colours  (I hope)!  Grey and yellow!  Good combination I thought!  

Then I decided on a star as the theme....

A Lu Summers inspired star shaped porthole with some yellow scraps from Katy - how could I go wrong?

My partner seemed to like dots so I shared my collection and added some pinks that she seems to like too!  Hope I guessed correctly??  Time will tell...maybe!