End of May HOPE list

 At the beginning of the month I had a Hope list of items I wished to work on.

This is the result, considering we went away for one week during May I am really pleased with my progress.  I do find having something to aim for keeps me motivated.

May HOPE list

This is a list of craft items I wish to work on in May.

Bind the Friendship lap quilt  Completely finished

Knit a second blue sock Knitted and already being worn

Get up to date with Sewcialite blocks  Managed to make the three blocks from April

Work on Marjolein Bastin cross stitch Decided my eyesight is just not good enough for this, so have abandoned the cross stitch, life's too short to struggle.

I would like to start

A pair of red mittens Not only started but completed and worn them.

Machine Embroider Sweetpea May project  Did not like the May project so saved my money and worked on some machine embroidery houses instead

Prepare fabric for Patriotic Wreath Quick to make and completed it within a couple of days in frog fabric

Bright Side Quilt Along  Fabric arrived from the USA and I have the first block cut out ready to sew

Prepare fabric for Starflower lap quilt / table runner  Decided to make the lap quilt and have it cut out and blocks started

Sewing with a friend

It’s time to stay as safe as we can, but get back to a little normal. My friend Christine said she would join me for a sewing day. It has been really nice especially after yesterday when I had a back tooth removed Ouch!!

We each had our own projects to work on and spent five hours sewing and chatting. It was a first get together for both of us for over a year.

With plenty of room to spread out.

I was very productive, making block parts, still have a few to press before starting to put them together.

The family visit

What a special Sunday, first time in months we have been allowed to hug the children and enjoy a meal and some games together.They all arrived with Abigail driving her car, she is making good progress with her driving lessons.

Eleanor arrived with a home made Banana Cake, she knew it was a favourite of mine and the smell was delicious.

We had a nice meal together followed by carrot cake I had made from a packet and Eleanor’s Banana cake made from scratch, at 13 years old she puts me to shame !

We then played, what seems to have become our favourite game. 12 or 18 strips of raffle tickets were torn in half, and one half separated into single tickets and placed in  a bag.  A number of presents all wrapped were placed in the centre of the table and as soon as your ticket was pulled you received a gift and unwrapped it, then the fun began, as the next ticket pulled meant you could take someone’s gift, this went on for quite a while until there were no more tickets and you kept whatever you had ‘won’.   Just a silly easy game with no thinking !

It was nice hearing Abigails’ choices for University next year, even though she had no idea where the places were... think someone needs to buy her a Sat Nav before she goes !  I am so proud of both girls and their handling of the Covid situation, after months trying Abigail has also managed to get some part time work, her first job.

The gift

In between the constant showers I managed to get a photo of my beautiful Rhododendrons.

I am sure I’ve told this story before, but when my Uncle died and my Mum and I were clearing out his council flat we discovered in the garden a number of rhododendrons, I decided I would really like to keep one as I loved my Uncle Charlie and it would be a great reminder of him.

When I started to dig it out I found it had been planted in a large dustbin bag, it was still difficult to get it out but I managed it. Then I managed to get a couple more out, one for Mum’s garden and another for mine. Back home a large hole was made and in went the bin bag, both plants have survived, it was so worth the struggle to get them.

 

The white one is not as large as the red, both put on a lovely show at this time of year.

Yesterday I received a gift in the post from a sewing friend, thanks Christine.

These coasters are so cute and will look great on our next caravan trip.

Home again

Thought I better drop into a blog post since getting home from our week in Cumbria.

It was a nice time although the weather was awful, the site and owner were great.

Sunsets most nights were spectacular 

Too lazy to walk to the beach I took this from the back of the caravan.

The day after we got home I spent the day doing laundry, where does it all come from?

Today I managed to do a little sorting in my Happy Room and cut out some fabric for a new project I want to work on.

I decided to use my laminator to make some alphabet labels.

Cut them apart and using them on my new stacks of fabric.

The start of another BOM.

Cumbria Catch up

The last few days have seen tremendous thunderstorms, sunny days and everything in between!

These photos are a combination of days..

Fish and Chips from the Cod Father in Allonby were delicious 

Walks along the shore, the tide is in which means walking on pebbles [not good for my poor old knees!]

Storm clouds over the caravan site. The site was full every day with someone coming or going.

The view from the window and a visit from some of the resident doves.

A walk around Allonby and a reminder to recycle 

A wonderful wall reminder of Col. Tom Moore [ pity someone had parked a skip in front of it!

Parked on Allonby green, caravaning from a different era.

Allonby Cumbria CL

After a pleasant journey here with a couple of stops, including lunch we arrived at 1pm. The kiln Farm Site looks nice and clean and we were greeted by Vera the owner.  The caravans are in a straight line with paving slab parking spaces. The site is full with 2 Motorhome and 3 caravans.

Being only 100 yards from the sea we looked forward to a walk, but the heavens opened and heavy hail and rain fell.

Wednesday everywhere looks brighter, so be drove to Maryport, famed as the start of Hadrians Wall. First stop the very friendly Fabric shop!

Naturally some fabric had to come home with me!

We then walked around the town and spotted a guy painting a wall.

Must go back and see the finished design.

Lots of references to the sea 

Decked in poppies with a fine mosaic on the wall.

The harbour was our next stop and just love this statue

 

A Fishy Tale.

 

An interesting globe overlooking the harbour.

We ended our first full day here with an evening walk from the site, yes its only 100 yards, to the sea and had miles of beach to ourselves.

The tide was out and Allonby is in the distance.

Recycled mask and a new knitting box

I decided I had been wearing a mask for so long I need a couple of new ones. In 76 years I never thought I would say that!!

I had some disposable masks and decided to cut the wire nose part and elastic to reuse in a couple of home made ones.

I like many people that wear glasses find it hard to stop them steaming up but I wore the red one to church and had no problem even after an hour of service in doors.

I needed a new container for my knitting to fit on my little side table as most of the knitting I do is in the evenings watching TV.

I machine embroidered [pattern from Sweetpea I think] six five inch blocks and a couple of blocks with no embroidery for the bases.

Just the right size for the side table and ideal for my current knitting project, a pair of fingerless mittens.

Sewcialites catch up

I have been playing Sewcialites catch up. Each week is a new block and I have fallen behind with making them.

Part of my May To Do list was to get upto date with the Fat Quarter Shop block of the week.

 

Each block is designed by a different designer, love the names.. Gratitude and Delight

 

Hope and Earnest

This block is called Courage. I am making each block in as many different colours of Dimples fabric as I have with the same background fabric.

30 of the 36 made so far.

I ordered fabric for a new quilt I plan to make and it arrived a couple of days ago from the USA. I just love the colours.

The package is almost too nice to open.  This will be used for a BOM that arrives in my Sew Sampler Box.

Socks and starts

I have just completed the Kitchener stitch, have to sit quietly to concentrate on this!, of the blue socks made with West Yorkshire Spinners, Signature 4ply colour Winter Icicle. They match the fingerless mittens I completed a short while ago.

Last night I cast on for another pair of fingerless mittens in the same wool, but Autumn Leaves multi colour.

I suddenly decided I could not live without some project boards. I search YouTube and I think it was Lori Holt had a design.

Using fibre board, scraps of wadding and a 2 1/2 inch strip of fabric folded once in half and then half again. I glue gunned everything in place.

These design boards will be a great help when sorting out the pieces of a new block.

Mr H leave us alone!

We [that’s the Royal we... Chris] has tried a number of things to keep Mr H, the heron away from our pond. First he tried a grid a plastic hexagons that floated just under the water surface, next came serious netting, that looked awful! Plan C was a network of fine twine about a foot from the pond, and we are now keeping our fingers crossed.

The twine is hard to see and the black posts blend in. My Acers are putting on a wonderful show.

The gadget on the left side of the pond is an automatic feeder and the fish have learn the times it works and line up for food.

The other side of the bridge.

My new pansies and fruit trees are doing well, and the red Rhododendron is just coming into flower.

This side of the garden joins our neighbour and is almost hidden between Chris’s shed and the little summer house.

HOPE for the month of May

As HOPE is my word of the year, I thought I would make a note on my blog side bar of the things I hope to work on this month.

I have already completed the Friendship quilt, it is even washed and ready to use.

The fabric for the Patriotic Wreath sew along with Pat Sloan is cut out and ready for the start date, May 21st.

Four Sewcialites blocks are cut out and ready for the sewing machine, which will bring me upto date until the next Block is announced on Friday.

The blue second sock is past the heel and I am hoping to complete it this week.

Still not sure I want to do the Sweetpea May project.

It has been 15 + years since I did any cross stitch, however in tidying up I came across 

Marjolein Bastin pattern started about 15 years ago!

I have already made two of the set of four seasons, they are framed and hanging in the lounge.

 

I was really not sure my poor eyesight would allow me to complete the one I had started, but I am going to try.

I really do not like using a magnifying glass but may have to. So far today I have put a couple of dozen stitches in.

Really pleased with my progress on my HOPE list. 

The Friendship Bracelet

One of my Sew Sampler Boxes contained a pack of plain multi coloured Moda fabric together with what I can only call a Multi Colour Dot panel.

At around the same time as this arrived Pat Sloan put out a challenge to make a quilt from the new Jolly Bar Book Vol 3, and like her I chose to make the friendship bracelet quilt.

I managed to cut out all the pieces from the Moda plain fabric and use a white on white background fabric. It was quick and easy to make and I used the panel as the backing. 

My only real mistake, I decided to experiment with random wave line quilting, I am just not good at this and in future will either get my quilts longarm quilted or draw on a design and use my normal sewing machine.

Friendship Bracelet pattern on the front

Moda Bella Solids panel on the back.

The binding is 8 inch pieces of left over fabric joined and machined.

Ticket to Ride

The family exchanged some of their Ticket to Ride games with ours.  Chris and I played 

Pennsylvania a few days ago and today the Switzerland version

This is an interesting version dealing with Stocks and Shares along with the train rides.

Each version has a different theme along with the different countries.

This is Switzerland and you have to tunnel to its adjacent countries.

A great lesson in geography!

April Sew Sampler Box

What a great day this is turning out to be..

Started by visiting Higgins Garden Centre, a new one to us, and was delighted with the well presented and great choice of plants.

I bought white petunias, three trays of them, which as soon as I got home I planted.

Also treated myself to a pink pair of fleece lined gardening crocs !

Next stop was a visit to Poppy Patch to collect my order of wadding and June Taylor basting spray... I love this for basting quilts, so much better than 505 and does not effect my asthma [505 I cannot go near!]

While we were out the post lady had delivered my April Sew Sampler Box, only 9 days for delivery from the USA, my first box took over 9 weeks !

The Fat Quarter Shop are celebrating 5 years of producing these boxes and I could not be more pleased with the April one.