Sunday 19 December 2010

Christmas makes


I should have been looking forward to the arrival of eldest daughter from Devon today but quite sensibly she has decided to postpone her journey, I can only hope that the weather improves enough for her to get home at all. So instead I took the dogs for a long walk which was bone numbingly cold but fun, and then had a go at a table decoration.  Flower arranging is not my forte as my sister-in-law told me but I'm very pleased with the result.  The mat under it was my first go at patchwork a couple of years ago, It one of my Christmas traditions that I make a new decoration every year, previous years have included felt tree decorations and Christmas bunting.




This is this years, they were originally lavender bags but I got this idea and I like it although I should have made 5 hearts. (Sorry about the flash)  Never mind I like it and that's what counts isn't it.

 Looking quite festive.



This is another of our traditions. I bought this when my children were very young and filled the pockets with sweets and little gifts.  They took it in turns to have a pocket.  All my brood are in their 20's now but every time I suggest not doing it they are horrified, I even have to send eldest daughters down to her so she doesn't miss out before she comes home.  The gifts are still the same as well.

Just so you know that the sewing machine hasn't been idle on the run up to Christmas, this make up bag is supposed to be a present for a friend. I could always make her another one, I just love the colours.



We have a close friend who is unfortunate enough to have his birthday on Christmas day and I always find men's birthday cards so uninspiring so I thought I'd make one and came up with this. I'm so pleased with it I think I'll make some more in different colours.

 Anyway this is probably the last time I will write a post before Christmas so I will wish you all a GREAT CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Gillxxxxxxxx

Thursday 16 December 2010

patchwork lesson

I have so much going around in my head at the moment that I can't sleep and have been up for hours so i thought I tell you about this lovely lady I met on holiday.
She is the mother-in-law of a friend and was kind enough to put us up for a couple of days even though she didn't know us from Adam. I was very nervous about staying with a complete stranger but I needn't have worried. Her name is Edith and she has been quilting and crafting  for years so of course we hit it off straight away.  She had a whole photo album full of photos of every quilt she had made and given away and a cupboard full of the ones she had kept.
Quilting is something I haven't done too much of and so I was given a lesson on accurate cutting and sewing the pieces together, so watch this space.  Mind you she had a very posh machine compared to mine. Any way here are some of her quilts from her cupboard

.





This is a panel from her latest project. a clever lady.


Gillx

Friday 10 December 2010

Surprises

I love surprises and the one I received this week was especially welcome.

I have said before I hate technology, more from frustration than anything else, lets face it I spend half my life on a computer but every time mine crashed I just wanted to scream and throw it away.  Well this week my laptop referred me to my administration for the third time this year and enough was enough. It was costing me a fortune just to get it repaired, so i decided to buy a new one.  As Mr T and I were going Christmas shopping anyway this seemed like the perfect opportunity.  Having been blinded by science in the apple store I have my new laptop, which I am getting to know my way around bit by bit, but it is very annoying because of course I have lost all my bookmarks and history etc.  Luckily I had just backed up everything else after putting the holiday photo's on.



Anyway to get back to the surprise. When we got home having spent a fortune not only on my laptop but also on Christmas I was fairly depressed but there sitting in the porch was a parcel addressed to me. I thought it might have been my "Secret Santa" and was quite excited, but No.
A few months ago I signed up for PIF  at Em's Shabby Shack and I had totally forgotten that I hadn't received my little gift, well here it was.  How fantastic was that so thank you Em you made my day.
Here a couple of photo's of what I got


I think this Guy is great fun.



I have never had a Christmas mug, the photo is awful but the mug is great. The strawberries in the back ground are on my new oven gloves( I set fire to the others).


This is something I have bought one of my girls for their stocking( haven't decided which one yet) but I think it's a fantastic idea for someone starting out in crafting like my two are. Of course I could always borrow them, just to have a look.


On a Sadder note, my Friend Karen from Tilly Rose has had to take a break from blogging as her husband is ill and I just want to let her know I'm thinking of her.  She is such a lovely person and if you read her blog you know she has enough health issues of her own without this.  Hang in there Honey.

Thursday 2 December 2010

Home again, Home again.

Back to normality, well almost. I want to know what you have all done to the weather while I've been away, we got on the bus at Heathrow on Sunday to travel back to Norfolk and of course promptly fell asleep, only to wake up to find the everywhere in Norfolk covered in snow.
I would complain but I love the snow and it makes me feel Christmassy which I must I just couldn't do in the sunshine it just didn't feel right somehow.

I did see some great Christmas trees though.







I want one of those pressies


This one is made of old push bikes.








So I now need to write my cards and send off my parcels including the one for my Secret Santa. I have brought her back something from every where we went. but when you find shops like this one in Kia Koura I couldn't resist. 




 I love patchwork quilts but have never actually attempted to make one myself, but I have had a lesson while I've been away. But that's for another post.


 My son would approve of this on his bed.


 I love these fabrics but would you believe I was close to my weight limit so had to resist these.

 This is just a small selection of the fabrics, they had every colour in every shade.

These I just couldn't resist, well I am an unreformed fabric addict, and button addict, I bought some of those as well. A few buttons weren't going to take me over the limit were they, and as for the magazines well they hid in my jacket.

Anyway time to catch up with 6 weeks worth of your news.
Gillxx