Just touching base

My boss rang me at home tonight.  It looks as if things are really busy at work with the whole swine flu stuff.  I'm only meant to work two days this week.  Hope that holds!

I sewed the first block of the patchwork throw.  It took a few attempts (seam ripper = my new best friend!).  Yesterday I went to Spotlight to get some fabric for some t-shirts for Himself and bought a larger cutting mat and a proper ruler (and a whole lot of fabric for my stash ... it was reduced! - and a piece that matches the cross stitching I'm doing for mother in law for Christmas: bonus!).  I realised that the colours I had originally chosen didn't work for me and pulled some out and BINGO ... really happy with the result.  I think I was mixing warm colours with cool and they jarred.  Anyway, it meant redoing the first block (but I'm keeping it as My First Attempt) and found the squares I cut with the new ruler were much more accurate.  So I have now sewed two blocks and am happy with the result.

Golf with Two this afternoon.  Good fun.  Then dinner (just four of us tonight) which was a beef rangdang that Himself made ... sooooooo good.  I didn't make a dessert and copped a lot of jovial grief from Two.  So I whipped up ice cream with homemade chocolate sauce.  The ice cream was a good rich one that I have learned to keep in the freezer for emergency desserts and the chocolate topping was dark chocolate and cream.  Very nice!  Made up for the crappy banana cake!!

It's late and tomorrow will be busy.

Off to bed.

Admiration

I finally plucked up the courage to cut out some squares to piece together for the first block of my first attempt at patchwork/quilting.

Let me say that I have always admired quilters.

That feeling has just been multiplied by twenty zillion.

Tomorrow I will attempt to sew some squares together.  I have a feeling that my respect and awe will be incalculable.  

I'm not enamoured of the fabrics I chose but I will persevere.  It is an experiment when all said and done.

I bought a book on quilting today.  It has some good tips but I have yet to find something for the absolute rank beginner!  Hence my overwhelming admiration of anyone who can put two or more pieces of fabric together and get something half decent.

But I haven't yet wanted to throw anything in the bin so all is good.

I made Himself another windcheater and it does fit better but still needs some tweaking.  And I have fabric for an apron and a jacket for me.  And I'm still cross stitching.  

I baked another banana cake this afternoon.  Not a success.  The one I made a couple of weeks ago was deelish but this is bin fodder.  

Oh well.  Better in the waste than on the waist!!

damn damn damn

I took some fantastic photos of the river through the fog.

Couldn't upload them from the camera to the computer.

One kindly pointed out it was cos I am sorely lacking in the intelligence department where Macs are concerned.

Thought I had then uploaded and thus deleted the photos from my camera.

No photos.

Anywhere.

*sob*

Oh boy, ebay!

Two picked up the cutting board I bought from ebay and it is brilliant.  And Three and I collected the Horn sewing cabinet last evening.  It is also fantastic.  It's an older style but is in fabulous condition.  And cost less than a third of a new one.  

Remember I also bought a couple of books on quilting and patchwork?  One arrived today and it's a classic.  Literally!  It was originally published in 1932 and this version was copyrighted in 1962!  Not quite what I expected but I love old books so even if I can't use it I will keep it along with my other old books.  I have a 'beauty' book which dates from the 1930's.  I picked it up at a kindergarten sale for next to nothing but it is priceless.

I have played with my new sewing machine and LOVE IT.  And today I bought a new overlocker.

SOMEONE has a lot to answer for!!  Only joking, Chris!  But you DID inspire me.

Dinner's ready.  (You don't want to know!!)

Time flies!

This is why I love living so close to the beach....

I have been trying to upload photos here for a couple of weeks and blogger wouldn't let me so I chucked hissy fits all over the place and wouldn't write anything.  Like the mature adult I am.

The reason I wanted to put some photos up was that finally I was forced into a) finding my camera and b) working out how to get the photos onto my Macbook. Neither of which were hard but ... it meant looking, thinking and doing.

And the reason I was forced into a) and b)?  One's place was flooded out and we needed to take photos for evidence if there is ever an issue.  I doubt there will be as the owner got onto it very promptly and arranged for the developer to fix things.  What happened was that the builders put a snazzy planter box in the open space which is next to their apartment.  Only they didn't seal it properly.  So when we had the heavy rain a couple of weeks ago the planter box filled up and all the water seeped through the wall into their apartment.  Saturating the carpet, soaking the plaster and ruining the floor boards.

So the kids stayed with us for the week while the builders dried out the carpet and generally fixed up other bits.  One says the place still smells damp so I think more work is on the horizon.  They would move but this place is just perfect for them.  Right on the main street with everything they need and want at their door.

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When we moved last year I got rid of a lot of stuff.  Like my old sewing machine that hadn't seen the light of day for over 10 years.  I have taken to cross stitching like a duck to water and want to make cushions and other things.  A friend does beautiful patchwork/quilting (as does Chris) and I decided that I missed my crafty days.  So last week I bought a new Janome sewing machine.  I have also bought a cutting board, a sewing cabinet and couple of quilting books off ebay and can't wait to get started.  Himself has asked me to make him some fleecy tops which means I really need an overlocker as well!!!  And he didn't flinch (much) when I told him.  I went into the local haberdashery places and was overwhelmed with all the STUFF they have these days.  I bought new scissors, pinking sheers, pins, some thread and some poplin to play with.  I am so excited as I have never done any patchwork before and it looks quite complicated.  I was always put off in the past because what I saw looked so "folksy" but the work I have seen of late is just beautiful.  And I have nothing against "folksy" but it ain't me!

Last week Himself was home sick for most of the week and Three is also unwell.  Our family is nothing if not generous and they have shared their bugs with me.  So today I am home feeling sorry for myself and  I may yet take tomorrow and Wednesday off as well.  

And on that note I am going to curl up on the couch with the cats and do some cross stitching and doze.