Just fooling around...

I am having such a nice time at the moment. Funny when the kids are off school how relaxed it is around here. Yer, OK! so I lose those precious hours in the morning when I do the housework and blog, but not having to be in and out of the car, having time to walk, slow down and just enjoy my kids company. Bliss... The first day of the holiday was Friday, my youngest was still in nursery, so the older one and I had special time and went out for a tea and chat (he had juice). It is funny, I so never wanted the baby days to end, but we are in a whole new time now, we talk and laugh and share our idea's on the world, its a great stage. Once we had collected little brother we just mooched around the garden and then a trip to story time at the library, this brought lots of memories back for my older one as we used to go every week before he started school and do you know the librarian remembered him, he was so pleased. On Saturday it was 'Mommy's Day' it was my patchwork course, this was the block we did this month, and next month we are on to putting the quilt together with its boarders etc...a bit scared of this part.
So with the holidays up on us the craft box is all ready, full of last minute make and do! I wounder what they will make this week...See the plastic box, this was a bargin, only £3.00 and full of glitter, lolly sticks, pom poms, fibers, googly eyes etc. COOL!
To add to the joy a little thrifting, my new apron, such a lovely print, sorry it totally clashed with with raspberries. This little sweetie was 35p!
I leave you with some of the fooling around in the garden, playing tents, as only a four year old can. Archie is most interested in this. He is so loving having all the extra company.
Let me tell you he has been a tinker since Charlie and Lola (our GP's see previous posts) arrived. He got extra cuddly which I though real cute, then after a nearly a year of being house trained he started peeing in the house. HORROR!!! Anyway I think we have got him sorted now, lots of extra love and cuddles and he especially stays around me at the moment I think he is reassured he is part of this family. As for Charlie and Lola, just too cute, they chat all the time, their little noises are so cute. Have a good week and I will catch up with you in a few days as I am spending some time with the children.

Just a personal note to say thank you to all those who have read my blog and those who have supported me with lovely comments. Its my 100 post soon and in true blogging tradition I am going to do a little freebie. So watch out for that post, hopefully some people might delurk and say HI. I am thinking about either some fabric or some wool, depending on what the winner is in to, or if not a little gift, anyway something that would make you happy to come through your post box!!!

Garden of delight! Wittering on totally off topic...

OK so I am on day six of this beastly infection, my throat feeling worse than ever and I am not getting enough sleep to recover form it. I am not very patient with myself when it comes to coughs and colds, instead of just accepting I am poorly and I need to rest I almost up a level to compensate. So every now and then my body shouts ''Slow down Suzie if you will not I will make you' do I ever listen...So here I am once again feeling grumpy and frustrated with myself for my lack of getting things done. This was not helped by yesterdays 'Manic' day. Some days just go kind of crazy. I must have loaded my little one into and out of the car at least 14 times. Plus its been walk to school week here (no easy task with two children in two different schools, Oh! to be home schooling) so that was one less trip, but the two mile walk to and from our village school just about finished me off for the rest of the day, I felt like someone was stomping on my lungs. It was also a PTA event and along with baking and running children back and forward it was all to much. To add insult to injury I had to leave the event without tiding up as it was so late and I had to put my kids to bed. As a committee member this did not go down very well. I get so cross that sometimes people can not see that without any help I do the best I can, most members had left the children with partners or sitters, I do not have this luxury.

HEY what happened to my picture???

OK whinge over lets talk holidays. Yippee my older son breaks up from school today and we are both so exited. We have so much planned and have spent nice moments sitting this week planning our time ahead. We have started to pack up this holidays craft box, I love this bit, I even bought some funky clothes for the children. So far we have organised to spend time with some friends, a trip or two to the beach, BBQs, lots of fresh air etc...

Now the weather here is a bit of a joke, we had a fab April but May is a wash out. The good side to this is the garden is lush and green and its all going rather mad. Listening to the forecast is its going to be a wet Bank holiday and may improve later in the week. So I think I will keep those wellies out a bit longer...
Due to my lack of crafting, I have just flopped most evenings instead of my usual flurry of knitting and sewing. As I mentioned yesterday I have been rather active with the camera. We had a good day between rainy ones and I took some snaps in the garden. The view is from my kitchen window, kind of cool do you not think, this is also the view form my bedroom window, of course my bed faces the window and its such a great view. The others are my boarders, they need a lot of a attention, but they have that lovely cottage garden feel at the moment, not to groomed if you know what I mean. This shot is a tease, my favourite flower is a peony and they are just getting ready to bloom, they usual come out around my birthday and I have to admit to chopping them and bringing them into the house for a little treat for myself.

I apologise for the lack of crafting and I hope you hang around whilst I get back on course. I will be quite next week as I will be spending much loved time with my children, however they always inspire me to be creative which of course I will bore/share with you with you the following week. I know I have this button on my blog, but I wanted to bring it up today. Throughout our village on every lamp post and rail someone had tired yellow bows to throughout the night. It was a shock to see, mixed feelings of it looking so pretty, amazed someone had done this, talk about giving up your own time for others...and so utterly saddened that this little girl is still apart from her Mommy and Daddy. My heart breaks for all of them. It seems like the world is praying for them, as day by day goes by and the news covers it less and less my heart as a Mommy weeps. Hold your little ones close to you and be thankful that you are not going through every Moms worst nightmare.

Self portrait Tuesday/Amazon!

Holly Molly (seems to be the in saying as the kids come out of school at the moment) my Amazon order arrived, at last. I ordered these books ages ago, but I had a pre-order in the trolley so it was never going to get here until that book was due out, so I changed my order and BINGO it arrived. What joy. I am a real bookie. I adore the look and the feel of most books. Pre-children I used to spend hours in book shops, long before we had the big stores with coffee shops in. My house has books all over the place (yep I mean all over, little piles here and there) I am very comforted by books, I feel very odd when I go to a house with no books out. SO a nice little selection...I needed a treat I have felt rubbish this week. I have had a sore throat and generally feel horrid, my voice is a scratchy squeaky sound in the morning and at night, despite being tired I keep myself awake with a pathetic little cough that actually really hurts. SO as you can guess I have been dreaming about all the stuff I want to be making, but not actually getting a lot done. I guess I am run down again, it happens! So on with the goodness. I sat up late in bed with my ipod plugged into my ears a lemony drink and went through all three books. Naughty but nice. Well actually not as great as I would have liked... Simple sewing is the most lovely book, in look, design and content, anything that you do not have to enlarge using a copier is good with me. I have seen it on a few blogs and felt the need to buy, it did not disappoint, if you loved the Amy Butler's In Stitches, you will like this, Snap is the word I would use!!!But just look at this hat, it is beautiful, I so want to make at least three of them. It also helps that it is in my all time best colour...Green, yum!
The surprise treat was Yer I made it myself, I was not sure this would be any good, it was a cheapy. Well I assure you its a joy, fun and frivolous, but not for everyone. If you are neat and precise this is NOT the book for you. I do like my work to look neat and professional at times but sometime I just to it for the fun of it and relax the rules, well actually anyone that knows me would tell you I do this most of the time, especially with knitting. Well this book embraces this theory to the max, some are just plain silly most are fun, this skirt is a treat and as for the chapter on felt, Oh lovely stuff... Sadly the House proud was a disappointment. I have seen most of the stuff before and mostly around the eighties, I still have the craft books to prove it. I have read various reviews of this women, cool funky style etc...and I guess if she is reaching out to a new generation then that's cool, but it just did not do it for me. I did however like her pattern making skill...where did I put that old newspaper then...Now if this has wet your appetite on reading material now go and hop over to Treefall, after a well deserved trip to New York her review of her purchases are just fantastic. I am not a city girl and have no inclination to head off to a city, but what that girl has brought back with her is enough to make you run out and drop all responsibility and buy a ticket to NY.
Self portrait Tuesday!!! I have been reading blogs for about a year now and had my own since January. When I first started there was pattern to the days ..Self portrait Tuesday, Thursday-corners of my home and WIP Friday. Some bloggers still stick to this others come and go with it as they feel. I have never been inclined to do a self portrait, but whilst I have been off colour and not making much I have been doing lots of camera play, so much so that my oldest wanted to get in on the act, so a few snaps later (well a lot of snaps later)...now it might look fairly anonymous, but in fact its good likeness, I am known for my rather wild curly hair, the present colour is a shocking red, more so than on this snap, but I think a good job was done here. So I guess I might be getting out my old digital camera for my budding enthusiast...

Patterns in motion...

Well I have done enough wittering on about this pattern over the last week. Before I put it in its envelope to return to its owner I thought I would show it to you. Its been a great and useful pattern, so much has been made form it. I have made three toweling robes for my babes using the poncho pattern, numerous baggies (trousers) for my wee man, the T'shirt pocket top was cut from this pattern (although quite easy to do without a pattern) and my friend has made waterproof all in ones for her children. Not bad going hey? Sorry its not a great photo, at least you get the idea. So if you have children, lots of fabric and want a quick fix this is for you. Also I have used the binding pattern to make my own Bias for other projects. Now this was one I bought a few months ago and have only just pulled it out, I love the style especially being able to move from sleeveless to sleeves, I thought it would be quite versatile. I am slightly worried as I am rather, well how shall I say this...curvy in the bust department, so potentially this might not be too good a look on me. Anyway its my next planed sewing project, fabric selected and I just need to get on with it now.

Putting my foot in it!

Well after the success of the the trousers and by that I am not complimenting my own work, I mean how happy they made my wee man. I actually did use up some of the bits of fabric left over and made a couple of embellished Tee's. We went with white and navy. I copied a pattern pocket so it was nice and neat. The buttons came from my Mother in law, when she passed away I got lots of lovely sewing treats. They are the cutest little while rabbits and I have wanted to use them for a while. The card said they came from WHSmiths, I never knew they once sold this kind of stuff.
I am sure you are aware how I love my machine, well there are still a few things I have not used or are a little unsure to use. Only once before have I used the button hole maker foot and I adore my button foot, this saves so much time, especially when you have numerous buttons to sew on. So I had a little time to play so I got them out and as if by magic...perfect (well as perfect as I can manage) they did the job just great. I am so loving this button hole foot, I hated it on my last machine it took for ever and had rubbish results.
So there you have this weeks 'makes' a groovy pair of trousers and two matching Tee's. The knitting's coming on, the front of the tank top is finished and I am half way through the back. As for the other WIP, the quilt, Mmmm I am having fun with this, regret buying cheap padding as it is not going through the quilting foot very well, its been unpicked a few times, I also have no quilt pins to hold it together well, I think I might have to resort to tacking...Ek!
Managed a little bit of gardening yesterday, in the rain...I did my daily blog reading and I got quite giddy when I saw what French Knots had come up with. The tea cup idea is real cool! Now I have a lot of tea cups, I have a bit of a thing for them, but none I wanted to fill with soil, so I paid a visit to three charity shops in our village and eventually came up with these sweet ones (I also got a lovely skirt, an embroidered Victorian style nightdress, a hand made crochet bed jacket and some smurf dolls for my boys-I used to collect these when I was little). Its funny I did not want the saucers so I asked if they wanted to keep them and sell them on. He said I am sure we could come up with a price for just the cups. The teacups has been priced at 50p for the three, he them charged me 75p, I questioned this (embarrassed as it was all ready ridiculously cheap) but he was very confident and said no it was 50p a cup and saucer. On returning home the label said 75p for a set of three. It was nothing to do with the money I just felt a bit, well, stupid really. Anyway are they not just super? I think they look very good around the table. Thanks French Knots, I have a feeling these might be popping up all over the place, a 100% of the credit to you, she has such good ideas.


Have a great weekend, I am off to pull together an outfit for my child's Drama class tonight and prepare lunch for eight hungry people...

Please Note Sorry about the pictures, the colour is not good, I think we are about to have a storm its so dark here and its only 10.30am

Introducing...

Introducing to you our new family members. Can you see them? They are rather small at the moment. This is Charlie and LolaOur little piggies arrived on Saturday. They are just so sweet. They are both girls, Yer I know, but Charlie can be a girls name also. Their characters are already showing and they are both very different, one is fast and full of beans, the other is chatty (yes chatty, she chats so much) especially when in a cuddle, almost purrs. The children and I have read the 'How to' books and we know that this is a good thing. I was very nervous about getting these as I have lost a few well loved pets over the last couple of years (to old age) and its so distressing also with the children getting older they understand and feel the loss which obviously causes more upset.

So this is my company in the house when I have those couple of hours in the day after taking the children to school and nursery, whilst I run through the house doing housework, then blog and if lucky maybe, just maybe, get some sewing/knitting done. Archie the Big Bunny is not getting left out and its rather cute because he has come over all cuddly at the moment, he keeps giving me a little nudge for attention.

OK the housework is done, well as much as I do it! The dinner is prepared, today's blog post written and now I am off to my sewing room with my ipod, a few new podcasts to listen to...See you tomorrow.

A good day

What is it that makes me grumpy? What is it that soothes me when I am moody? The need to play, the need to create. I Just get twitchy when I am not making something. Its like every day I have to feel I have made something, be it a big project or just a little thing. Yesterday was a good day... Google has been down so I was unable to blog...Ek! Calm down Suzie calm down Suzie...So I went into my sewing room room and looked at which project I should work on. Ah! the trousers for my wee man. There is a reason I felt this was THE project. Its a friends pattern, my friend that moved away in January, well she let me have the pattern until she was settled as with moving and a new baby on the way, I guess she knew she would not get much sewing done. This is such a great pattern, between the two of us we have used it for so many things. Simplicity 5807.
It has a cape sort of coat pattern on the front of the sleeve, but we have used it to make towelling robes for all our children, they are so cute and great for the beach and much cheaper than the ones you see in children's designer style catalogues.
Anyway as her new arrival is sleeping like a dream and generally fitting in with the family, at the moment they have seven people in the house! I guess she feels ready to get her beloved sewing machine into action. So the pattern needs to be put in the post. With this in mind I needed to get on with the trousers. I selected the fabric, I love this, is really funky fabric and suits a little long haired curly topped boy. Its from my local patchwork shop, I bought what was left in the bargain area. Just enough for me to make a pair of trousers and maybe patch a pocket on a plain white Tee to finish the out fit off. I have a little left over which will go in my patchwork 'BITS' box.
So what do you think? I was going to bind them at the bottom with some blue bias tape, as I had made them a little longer than needed I made a large double hem which not only looks kind of cool, but helps them to hang well so I left the bias off. I tried them on him at various stages 'Mommy they too big' and 'Mommy not pins' to 'Mommy they fit, my cool trousers' and ending with 'Mommy are they PJ's'
Once at the right size, they would not be taken off his little body, so after a bit serious crafting we even wore them to pick up his big brother from school, he went running around the school yard shouting 'Mommy made these' Ah how to make you feel really special...
I leave you with the kitchen table, we are on a bit of a Charlie and Lola frenzy at the moment. I will share with you tomorrow why...

I Have Been Tagged!

Sarah from Small Fox has Tagged me, Mmmm I have to write seven random facts about me and then tag seven more people for them to do the same. I have enjoyed reading these, they give you a little more insight into the lives of the authors of blogs that I read regularly, Sarah's facts centered around toilets!!! What does that say about her (cheeky smile from me)!

Fact 0ne Since I can remember I have always been arty, as a little girl my Dad used to bring me home lots of pads and pencils from his work (it was his own company so, NO, he was not stealing). I used to play for hours imagining I was an artist or a teacher or in worse case scenario anything that involved paper, pencils and glue like working in a postoffice.

Fact two I nearly got in to art college, this was my dream, my ambition, I so wanted to spend all day doing arty stuff, I spent most of the play times at school in the art room, I had a real cool art teacher who would allow me into the classroom to work on my projects, I even went there when I should have been at other classes..tut...tut... she was so supportive. Sadly this was not the chosen career my family wanted for me and despite getting to the interview and loving the whole experience I was diverted from the path. I went to floristry college instead (a much more suitable profession for your daughter I guess). This is when the rebellion started, yer yer! I am older now with children of my own and I realise that we all go through it. I did get to work in a floristry shop that provided floral decorations for the Royal family so I must have done something right.

Fact Three I buy fabric, wool and paper stuff, I do this instead of taking Prozac!

Fact four I am adopted and the name my birth mother gave me was Dorothy, may be that's why I have a lust for red sparkly shoes?

Fact five I always wanted to marry a vet, well that did not happen. I did, however, work as a Veterinary Practice Manager (OK when I started doing the job it was more like receptionist). This came about as I was told it was unlikely I would have children (Oh how I remember that day, I cried for so long) it was suggested I take a less stressful path in life. I talked it over with my partner and I went for a job in a vets. It was great, I have such great memories of that place, I sat one day with the cutest poorly puppy on my knee, he had a drip in and had to be kept warm, Oh it was such a hard job I can tell you... The worst part of it was the smell of autopsy work on sheep, OH MAN!!! that is such a bad smell.

Fact six Despite being told it was unlikely I would have children I now have two great kids, yer I had a few problems and my body is paying for it, but they have just completed my life and made sense of it all. I think being adopted I went through my life with no identity, I was even teased about it at school, suddenly it all made sense. Two little people I grew inside of me, and continued to feed myself and watch then grow, its amazing, it totally changed my life, the person I was to who I am , the values I had to what I have now , to my faith...
Fact seven I think its really important to think of others. It shocks me how little people actually do this. Its one of the things I teach my children, always think of others.

From silly things like when buying someone a gift, to really give it thought...what would they like, how can you make it extra special, making a cake when someone is feeling sad or a meal if someone is ill-through to the big things in life, thinking about the children who live in boxes in our cities, how hate causes so much pain and suffering. If you are aware of these things you can make a difference.

OK that's my seven facts...a bit serious possibly...maybe the next tag of seven facts for me should be silly facts about me...Do you know I was going to do this four days ago and since then most People I would have tagged have already done it. So I make an open invitation...if you have not been formally tagged, consider yourself TAGGED by me.

I have been surfing a lot lately and found some good blogs and I will gather their addresses up and get them linked up later in the week so you will have some places to be linked to.

PHOTOS (1) The finished Tank top (2) Look Mom I can knit, OK he is pretending, this is the next knitting project the small sized tank for the little one! (3) Who's sand pit is this? (4) I snapped this flower in the garden on a mega photo session, the flower itself is not so perfect but I liked the composition of the flower and the sky.

Sweet Treats

OK I know that the last week has been a bit of a crap week posting wise, sorry guys, it has been a funny old time and I hope that mentioning personal stuff like funerals etc has not upset anyone. I did get some very special emails and I thank you from my heart for them. So I guess its time to stop feeling sorry for myself and get the stiff upper lip going (us Britt's are so good at it don't you know). What better way to start your day that with a little sugary goodness... I spy a beautiful hand made card as well, nothing nicer than treats in the post. This is from my Stamping Internet pal, you should see some of the stuff she makes me, we swap each month a little paper related homemade treat, its great fun.
In keeping with making me smile, I pulled out my leaving gift. My friend Caroline moved away in January, she was my knitting partner and general creative friend, I am missing her a lot at the moment. Last year we both got sewing machines together and we got so excited, its so great to share stuff like that with someone who understands and not thinks you need to get out more! Included in her sewing machine package was an amazing thread kit, in it a great thread rack. In the UK its really hard to get these here, I searched ebay for months, she knew I secretly had a passion for it and on her leaving she presented me with the box, and inside the box...
Yippee, it is so cool, it is going up on my sewing room wall, whilst I planned to decorate it (a lot of sewing room decorating going on, check out Treefall and SouleMama) well its not getting done, so I pulled the box out yesterday and got all giddy. I am going to keep my embroidery threads on it, a local sewing shop has some on offer at the moment and depending on budget I might look at treating myself as I have a couple of commission related cheques to go into my account.
So the weather has taken a cool turn, its a little draughty and sometimes quite wet, but when its just that breeze I pull something warm and comforting around my shoulders and this weeks choice is my wrap. Please excuse the arty photo, but the green shows the colours off well. I once read a blog that really had a go at people who photographed their knitting and sewing in this manner, personally I rather like it, but it stuck with me that people might think it pretentious. Its knitted in Kidsilk, its so soft and a little fluffy, I have to keep taking it off my little one as he runs of with it wrapped around him trailing on the floor, cute maybe, but I do not fancy washing this too often!!!

Oh Smallfox tagged me and I have not followed it through yet, tomorrow.....

Getting stuff done

OK so I was going to wait to show you these little mitts, changed my mind... I am pleased to say that they are totally my design, I could not find exactly what I wanted and I only had one ball of this lush wool to work with, so I made it up as I went along, OK I ripped them back a couple of times before I got it right. I am doing my first BLOG SWAP with Small Fox I am knitting her a pair of gloves. Small Fox sent me a couple of pictures of what she had in mind and a colour list, I went with sherbet colours. Once finished I wanted to add a little bit extra so I got some LOVELY silk yarn (Debbie Bliss) and a crochet hook and got busy, again making it up as I went along. I was told to go crazy...I guess I did. I also made a little flower pin to match to pop on a jacket. I am nervous though, will she like them? will the colour be OK? will they fit? I have added another knitted item, but I want to keep that a secret, plus some lovely Liberty and some patches of Cath Kidston fabric that I know she will LOVE.
The bank holiday weekend was fun, I did not take the children away in the camper van as it was forecast rain, and it did rain. We had one Fab day on Saturday, I spent all day in the garden with the children, not that they needed me to play with them, they seem to do that together quite well at the moment. Although I was not really allowed to get on with my knitting due to requests for drinks, I am hungry etc...
I like these photo's they really capture their relationship at present.
Remember all the good weather last week resulted in lots of fabric getting washed? Well it meant a lot of ironing, I am getting there, I just need time to get on with the making. I am at present on top of my commissions, I am quilting the quilt, I stated it on the machine, unpicked it and then forgot to buy the cotton I wanted and pins to hold it all together when I was shopping at the local quilt shop at the weekend. There was a reason for forgetting, I was rather giddy about collecting an embroidery machine to try out, its my birthday next month and this could be the treat I am hoping for. Just waiting for a free hour or so to get it out, so far I have read the instructions and learnt how to thread the needle...

Summer is on its way...

Summer is on its way, Yippee! Its official in our house now, the summer china has come out and the ice cream bowls are ready. We are all set for those long days chilling out in the garden. It was even warm enough to have our evening meal in the garden with out pulling blankets around us.

This was a long post with lots of photos, for some reason blog land would not put up my pictures, So I have deleated the origianal post and just left in the first and last paragraph.

A last note.
Thanks again for all your kind messages, the funeral went well or as well these events do go. My family is not a close one, which makes me very sad, so it was so good to catch up with some family members who I have not seen for a long time. This would have made my cousin happy, she was always good fun and people seemed to be drawn to her sense of fun. A sad loss for the world but a gain for heaven.

A BLUE DAY!

Retail therapy

Thanks you for your kind comments about the quilt, I am very pleased with the colour way, although this was effectively put together by Moda so I can not take all the credit here. I spent some time yesterday working on it, then had to rush out for the nursery run, leaving quilt-in- progress in a pile, came back and picked it up. STOP!!! Camera NOW...this picture really touched my heart, the sun streaming in through the window, our much loved wooden rocking horse bought for my children by a special friend and the wooden floor. Maybe its just me but it all looked so warm and welcoming! So off we (my smallest one and myself) went to the local fabric shop, we bought the padding and the backing fabric, I wanted something tough and plain, so it could be used a lot and not take away from the many colours on the front of the quilt. So it all went in the washing machine, just to make sure it would not run!!! Oh yes and must not forget 'Mumble' the penguin, he did not need a wash but my little one did not want to be left out of all this activity so he washed his 'Mumble'.
RETAIL THERAPY-Yep I shop when I am down. I can go weeks without buying 'stuff' then spend a lot very quickly. I guess I have reason this week, but I need to curb it as it will have an impact on next months budget, BIG TIME! Anyway that's the confession done with on to the goodies...Look what came in the post for me...
Love the pattern of this bag, I was recommended this company by a friend who assured me if you love Boden you will like this, so I bought one item, a dress, I am not a big dress fan (something to do with Breast feeding for three and half years!) So this was a treat.
Oh Boy! what a treat I am so loving this dress. The fit is great, I need to 'dart' it in under the arms a little, but it is so nice, an everyday dress but just my kind of thing. As for the rest of the catalogue... Some nice skirts that I would happily wear, but a little bit to, well, it is trying very hard to be its own style and its not quite mine. Saying that I think I will wait until the budget is OK and buy the dress in a different colour. I do this if I like something and it fits well, I buy it in a few colours (especially around sale time)
These arrived last week, I have been wearing them all week, they are the most comfortable things. I saw them at the Harrogate stitch show and thought they looked really funky, alas I did not buy them. As we are quite 'surfy' in the summer always down the beach with the Boards (not that any of us can surf but we can dream...) we saw a lot of people in them, again I never thought to get any. Mostly because they do look funny, they make your feet look HUGE...Mickey Mouse feet. I look down at them and see big round blobs of colour. That said I want another pair they are SOOOOOOO comfortable. Do you think I like green? I L.O.V.E. green!

On a much more serious note, it is my cousins funeral tomorrow so it will be no surprise I will not be wittering on to you tomorrow. It will be a sad day, I still can not believe that we have lost her. As a Mom my heart goes out to her Mom who had to watch her daughter suffer so and eventually watch her slip away. It seems so wrong, no mother should have to watch their children pass away. So sad also for her sister and ofcourse her Husband, I can not imagine the pain any of them are feeling now, may peace be in their hearts.

Blowing in the wind

We are just having great weather at the moment, its so warm, well HOT!!! But Oh Boy! do we have it windy, its a warm wind, it does not make you run for a blanket to snuggle up in, more turn your face to it and feel the warmth of the breeze pass over you. So its great weather for washing all that cotton that has been put aside for 'various' projects. So four wash loads later... The washing line was full of fabric, once one lot was dried the next lot went up, all waiting to be ironed that evening! Feeling in the mood for playing with fabric I thought I would work on some fabric I got at the patchwork shop last weekend. These are strips of Moda fabric, all pre cut, I had planned to make some summery bags with quilt strips running through, lots of birthdays in June and July so good for gifts, I threaded the machine and my fingers just worked away with out really thinking about the end result... SO I sat and sewed, sat and sewed...I had my ipod on and I was listening to cast-on. Now I have a theory about knitting and sewing, that it is not so much what you knit/sew, but what you knit/sew into it, your thoughts, the place you are in when you knit/sew it, the love for the person you are knitting/sewing for etc... I realised as I was happily sewing I had been thinking about my cousin, not of her passing, but the memories of our childhood, I remember staying over her house one night and she taught me to crochet ( I must have been about 10 years old, nearly thirty years ago now) OK so I did not get the hang of it , but I manage a chain. So suddenly to hear Brenda from Cast-on talk about memories in the things we make, well it sent a shiver down my spine.
So I guess I am making a quilt, I will name it after my cousin, its not going to be a big fancy thing to precious to use, in fact I want it to be a practical, loved quilt, a garden quilt, one for rolling around with the children on a hot summery day, for picnics in the park or sand filled buckets at the sea side. Yes a family quilt made with the memories of someone special.
So later I am looking forward to a trip to the fabric store to buy a good strong backing fabric, I think its going to need it!
Oh Hello Archie Bunny! He's also loving the sunny days too, lopping around the garden with the kids, nose pushing you for a cuddle if you sit still long enough, he's just the cutest, So forgive my indulgence in posting this unrelated picture.