Ta-Dah 2! A second finish!

Linking my TWO finishes to Crazy Mom Quilts :D

It's almost too much, but I have ANOTHER finish - some socks I made for a pal:

Regia /Kaffe Fassett yarn, though I cant remember which colour selection. Love the yarn though!

Have another pair on the go for her hubby too :) Stay tuned....

Ta-dah! A finish!

Guess what I managed to finish? My two commission quilts, Oh yeah!

Have some loverly photos :)

This is the two of them together, not identical but fraternal twins. I used the same fabrics for both but went with whatever star fabric content I felt like at the time.

 

Another shot of the pair of them against my lovely beech hedge :)

I am quite chuffed with how they turned out, after being a bit ho-hum about them to begin with. I still have to finish some pillow covers but am not going to be long with that (despite all the ills that have been hitting me this last 2 weeks. Am beginning to think we are a secret germ-testing laboratory).

Really enjoyed this finish! Really looking forward to making something new! I sense some buckets in bright spring colours in the near future...

Awesome Films #624

Saw the Hunger Games tonight, for the first time. Excellent book and an excellent film version. 

Jennifer Lawrence is amazing, very true to the character, and absolutely stunning. Loved the ending too - excellent by itself, but an enticing nod towards another film. Love how creepy Donald Sutherland can be ;)

Almost makes me want to read the book again,  but I think I need something else; so what?

I usually read fiction, preferring crime, thrillers or something toothy without being too simplistic. 

- Don't like James Patterson (boring writing) most chicklit and tend to avoid anything too heavily recommended (don't like to follow the crowd).

- Do like classics, a bit of philosophy, drama and long words with a great plot or interesting characters. Last good reads - Lee Child, Terry Pratchett and Aline Templeton. 

Can anyone suggest anything new?

:D xx

Sneaky peek Middle of the night Wed/Thu

Do you think it'll catch on? hehehe *

Check this out:

* Not if the badly lit/ badly edited/ 'can't be '#@#@ bothered going up stairs again for the camera to download some decent pictures' attitude of the photographer is anything to go by :D

Quilt #1: quilted, binding machined on, still to sew down by hand.
Quilt #2: quilted, binding cut, ready to machine on.
Silly bits of fabric to put on pillows: cut and pieced, and ready to hem.

Oh yes!

too late for sensible navel-gazing

Do you know the trouble with reading on the interweb about all these fantastic creations? I am starting to feel like a total underachiever.

• I am not a mother of 5 who home schools, bakes cakes and cookies for the local church, and can bash out 12 charity quilts on a wet Tuesday afternoon while watching the entire series of Downton Abbey. 

• I don't run marathons or scuba dive; live in a fantastically dramatic climate involving snow shovels or tidal waves;  I don't have a farm with 1500 head of cattle, 4 llamas and a goat.

So what am I like?

Turns out I take aaages to do anything and even longer to decide what that anything is; I have the attention span of an ADHD goldfish, and hate to be told what to do, even by my own sorry self. 

I have one child, who is pretty darn good, and a lovely hubby who, despite some ill health over the last couple of years, is more than capable of washing up, filling the machine with dirty clothes and switching it on, and entertaining said child for a few hours while I snore my way through Saturday morning.

I don't have a job, other than looking after said family and house, and am not really actively looking for work just yet.

Hmmm.

Any redeeming features at all? 

1. I make a mean tray of shortbread; 
2. read like a demon; 
3. I can remember the words of about a gazillion songs; 
4. feed the birds in my garden regularly with lots of avian loveliness (even dried mealworms, yuk); 
5. keep my family warm with knitting and sewing, from head to toe....

 Does that sound like a good enough start?

Finish-it-up-and-then-bugger-it Friday

I think the title says it all really...

Was doing excellently well this week :D 

Quilt #1 top finished :) Second looks almost identical

Have finished the two quilt tops (Yay!) and basted them both (Yay!) and settled down to quilt one tonight.

Same one being pinned. I am a bit stingy with pins, as had to ration them between the 2 quilts :D

It started brilliantly, my sample quilting was spot on and I charged ahead with the main event. An easy meandering stitch, with Jeeves and Wooster (read by Simon Callow, I heartily recommend) on the stereo, a perfect light accompaniment to an easy task.

It was going well, I http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.co.uk/had the top done in a few hours, including time spent re-filling my glass of juice and having a break to stretch. I snipped the last thread, and turned off the machine, and laid the quilt on the floor to admire my handiwork.

Then I turned it over.

Bugger.

Guess what I'll be doing tomorrow?

Ever Late To The Party

Blogland is so busy! I've been reading for a few years now, and am so impressed with how busy and creative everyone is. I have followed and loved the Swoon craze,

Swoon from Jennifer at Twin Fibers

the Granny craze,

photo from SewCraftyJess

 the Scrappy Trip-a-long quilts....

Chopped Rhubarb from Crazy Mom Quilts

you guys are awesome!

I have a Swoon pattern waiting in the shadows, with fabric set aside all ready to go; I have read the tutorials for the Scrappy Trip along with delight (how clever!) and seen the plethora (good Scrabble word) of handmade bags and scarves which are in every corner of the web.

How much of it have I done?

Nada. Zip. Zilch.

Nothing,

To be fair, I have been busy on my own stuff, but have not managed to jump on any of the virtual quilt trips with you all. Not even the step-by-step Bee In My Bonnet row-a-long has been attempted, much as I love it. Those coffee cups, so cute!

photo from Bee In My Bonnet 

 

 

So.
I'm nearly finished my twin commission quilts, and will be done with them in a few days. And after that......?

I did harbour thoughts of  this wee beauty for my daughter,

but have none of the laminated fabric required. And if my hubby sees me buying ANY more fabric he will probably (and quite rightly) do his nut.

So then,
Any ideas for the next project?

Anyone?

x