Can't stop whistling Jerusalem!

Tonight't the night!  In our town the new WI (Women's Institute) starts tonight.........  And there's high excitment here!

My friend has set this up - and it's a new WI aimed at the 'younger' age group.  I imagine tonight we'll just plan what we want to get up to over the next few months, but it will be good to get involved in something new. 

Mark has been busy taking the mickey out of me and singing Jerusalem very loudly..... the tune of which I now have stuck in my head (so I am getting very anxious that I will march into the hall humming that tune and sound like a real banana!)

I am aware that some of the content of this post might only really make sense to English readers - not sure if you have the WI in all other countries too?  (I'd be interested to know)

Quick photo while I'm here

These cottons were my mother's day present...... when I got up (after my tray in bed of hand made cards and flowers etc) there was a treasure hunt all set out for me to find all these new cottons.... which was great fun for all of us!  I have used some of the cotton and as I feared it does have a tendency to snap - but I am sure I will be able to make use of them for hand sewing.

And a sneak preview

 Can you guess what these are?  More details in due course

OK I'm off to the WI.................................


x

What a lot to say

Grab yourself a cuppa this might be a long post (for my standards anyway!)

There are lots of bloggy things to be thankful for, and excited about today........

Look I got nominated for the leibster blog award.  How amazing that my humble little blog got noticed and appreciated by KristyLou enough for her to choose me for this award.  I was really tickled pink (as my Gran used to say!)



From my research of Leibster Blog Awards it seems that the intention behind the Award is to support and showcase blogs (with less than 200 followers) that you enjoy reading. I like the fact that it’s not a competitive thing – it’s really just about making others aware of blogs that you like.  KristyLou said she picked me cos we met through our stash bee.   Check the stash bee out, it's great fun, and I have been challenged to try new things and have a go at other people's ideas through the blocks each month.

Now, what I have to do is.....

In accepting the Liebster Blog Award you agree to :

1. Thank the person who gave you the award
So here I am personally thanking KirstyLou....................... THANK YOU!

2. Link back to their blog
Go and meet up with KirstyLou here

3. Copy and paste the Liebster award to your profile
Just did this!

4. Pick 5 blogs that you feel deserve to be in the spotlight (they must have under 200 followers)

1)  My first choice has to be Jan at Isisjem
She was the person who first introduced me to blogging, we were school friends together, and I love her blog, she makes the most wonderful bags, and takes some fab photos (check out the ones of the birds in her garden)

2)  My second choice is Jane at Kirby. Jane Crafty
Her's was one of the first British blogs I found, and she makes alsorts of amazing things, from quilts to cards to the most amazing couture bridal hair piece. She got in to crafting while recovering from a road traffic accident, and is so tallented.

3) Next is Life in the Little Treehouse
I won a fab little Christmas tree decoration in a giveaway from the Life in the Little Treehouse, check out her beautiful etsy shop.  Also the knitting..... shawls and tank tops for cuties etc

4) Next is Rachel at mammafairy sews
 Rachel made me my pouch for the mouthy stitches pouch swap....... the one I love so so much.  I am new to her blog, but she has made some of the most wonderful things - go an have a look.

5) Next is Helen at Archie the wonder dog
If you like dogs, then Archie is one of the best blogging dogs I know!  And there's always a good random fact at the end of the post.  Go and see!

5. Blog about it and leave a comment for your nominations to let them know that you have chosen their blog.


It's about time we had a photo!

I got my stash bee block finished early this month.   Look I actually tried paper piecing.  It was a strange old experience to begin with, sewing through paper..... and I'll admit there was a few attempts that went in the bin (holes in the star would not have been good), but once I got the hang of it, I loved it, getting the straight lines and good crisp points of the star was really satisfying.  So this block is probably on an aeroplane right now winging it's way to Cindy in America.  It's going to be sewn into a Quilts of Valour Quilt.


I had a wonderful parcel of kindness (and fabric!) through the post this week.  Do you remember I joined in with the sew mama sew give away at the end of last year?  Well Catherine at the sewing attic  won my give away, and we have kept in touch ever since.  She was having a sort out of her stash, and thought I might like to make use of some of the fabrics she was unlikely to use.  I couldn't believe my luck when I opened this parcel, all the way from new Zealand.

I am plotting some ideas with those little chickens you can see on the top!


Saturday night is usually my night to sew, and last night I got those old jeans out that have been waiting to be made into a jean skirt.  I used this tutorial from spontaneous threads.  And I have been wearing my new skirt today.

Please ignore the trays of random objects and garden gnome in the background!

And (drum roll please) I started cutting for my jelly roll quilt................................

 Then I started sewing together to make my square blocks.

And here is the pile of finished blocks.

It's certainly an ongoing project.

Game of tag

Tara at true,pure,lovely  tagged me for this fun blog game. I have followed Tara for a while, go and check out her amazing blog and her fantastic creations. It is a great place to find inspiration! This game of tag has helped me find some new bloggers.  I love reading about other bloggers and getting to know them beyond their amazing sewing projects, so I was very excited to be part of the game of "tag"!

RULES:

• You must post the rules.
• Answer the 11 questions that the tagger posted for you and then create 11 questions to ask the people you've tagged.
• Tag 11 people and link them in your post.
• Let them know you have tagged them.

Here are my questions from Tara:

Here are the people I am tagging:

Diane at Willowbeck designs
Jodi at Tickle and Hide
Danny at Mommy for Reals
Sami at Sami's quilts and crafts
Rachel at mammafairy sews
Lynz at Domestic Light and magic
Sarah at narcoleptic in a cupboard


This just for fun! So don't feel obligated to participate.

My questions:
1. When you were little,what did you want to be when you grew up?
I think I wanted to be a nurse..... or a professional violinist (that was never going to happen)

2. What skill would you like to learn?
I would love to play the guitar

3. What is your favorite season?
Can I cheat and say Autumn is my favourite season, and May is my favourite month?


4. What is your favorite t.v. series (past or current)?
I'm not really big on TV, but I used to like a drama called 'This Life' and more recently have enjoyed 'Survivors' and 'Donwton Abbey'.


5. If calories didn't exists what food would you eat all the time?
oooo cake (imagine a calorie free cake)


6. What was the first book you remember really liking?
Alice in Wonderland..... or any of the Enid Blighton books.

7. What is your favorite time of day?
7pm - when the kids have just gone to bed and I can take a breath and stay still for a second


8. What was your first job?
First ever job was fruit picking at a local farm, but this only lasted a few days.  After that I worked as a care assistant at a local nursing home.

9. What was your favorite birthday?
My 29th birthday, I treated myself to a holiday to Morocco, trekking in the Jebel Sahro mountains, and had the time of my life.

10. What was your worst cooking disaster?
Stinging nettle soup - a Covent Garden recipe using nettles from the allotment, it stank, absolutley stank of silage, and all had to go down the toilet!!!

11. What is your favorite color?
Green

If you would like to answer any of these questions feel free to answer in the comments. I would love to see your responses!


My questions for you:-

1) What is the meal and/or cake you most regularly cook?
2) If you had a totally free weekend coming up (and a decent amount of cash in your wallet) what would you choose to do with the time?
3) What have you made that you are most proud of?
4) What makes you happy?
5) What tip would you give me?
6) What was your best moment of the past year?
7) What would you recommend as your favourite book?
8) Are you afraid of anything?
9) What is your favourite drink?
10) What colour should I decorate my loft bedroom?
11) What's your best time saving advice?

Remember, you don't have to do this...... but if you want to then you're it!

x

Mouthy Owly loveliness

It's here...... my mouthy stitches pouch from the swap arrived yesterday.  And I am truly in love with it.  Look.................

 My wonderful parcel all tied up with lucious ribbon.

 This photo doesn't do justice to the wonderful aqua colours and orange bursts of colour in these tiny and so precise squares

And then........ my owly family

And my scraps...... blues (just the right colour for the stash bee block this month which is red white and blue stars)

So thank you so much to Rachel (aka mammafairy), I am thrilled with my swap, and for those of you who know that this was my first swap, and what angst I had about the pouch I was making for my partner, and the effort it took to keep up with all the commenting on all the photos in the flickr pool....... I think I had kind of forgotten at the end that I would be receiving my own pouch, and so I am one happy lady! All in all I have really enjoyed the mouthy stitches swap.  And Nicky who I made my monkey and tree pouch for has received it, and likes it, so that's great.

When's the next swap????

!