sewing sunshine

thank you for all the wonderfully supporting comments about yesterday's post, they really helped. I nearly deleted it later, but I'm glad I didn't. so thanks.
things are a bit better today.

and to bring some sunshine into this blog here's a little quilty picture I've made to hang above washing machine. I found this wonderful site with the most fantastic advice on quilting and free motion, called day style designs. I need to take a much better photo but I had such fun practising different little swirly free motion fillers, and some rather silly applique



the underwear on the line has caused much scandal with the youngest member of the family, could be worse, at least it's matching xoxo

stone towers

I took these photos a few weekends ago because I loved the way there was not just one stone tower




but almost a whole flock of them



each one precariously balanced

this is the one we added to the collection

this week I don't think I could make a single stone balance, it feels like there are stones crashing down all around. Miss K is having a hard time at school, and it feels like it's the end of the world for her, last night we had 4 hours of tears...... and today I've spoken to three teachers, made an appointment to go to school, spent hours reading parenting articles, and pondering self help book purchases, and eaten so much chocolate I feel slightly ill........

meanwhile E has started to compile a birthday present ideas list, so far it has on it ; a guitar, more lego (as if we didn't have enough) and a x board which as far as I can tell is the most dangerous looking skate board in the world

someone once told me it gets easier as the children get older

they lied

this week we've been.........

this week we've been............



scaring the post man



living a pirate fantasy life



eating soup



putting up a bird table, and delighting in watching it being visited



making aliens at the Hancock Museum

and splashing in puddles, drinking LOTS of tea, buying velcro so I can finish the worst sewing project in the world - EVER, reading a truly depressing book for book club, cutting back a hawthorn hedge to make some room for the bird feeder, and spending two days finding thorns embedded in my hands, realising I'm about 2 months late for something, and driving around the country way too much in a week of half term holiday - holiday for who I wonder - I'm exhausted

veggie magic

one of the weekly highlights for me is still our veggie bag
the best bit for me yesterday, was that hubby was home so he could carry it up the hill. I refused to let him drive, even though the car was available, so that he got the true veggie experience.



for the little people this was certainly the highlight of the haul



but for me - well take your pick, it could be a magic wand, a glamourous red finger nail, or best of all a red lightsaber !

rain fairies?

it feels like there's been an awful lot of grey and wet round here the last few weeks

in fact so much rain that these little mushrooms are popping up all over our garden.

either it's a sign of a lot of damp

or there are rain fairies in my garden?

I know which I prefer - what about you?

floodlit fountains

Sunday night, 7pm.
family all full of roast dinner, and eagerly awaiting the apple crumble to come out of the oven.
so we do eat the apple crumble?
oh no, we turn off the oven - leaving the crumble inside to let it cool down slowly, we wrap up in warm jumpers and we go out....

to the gardens, where there was a special late opening and floodlighting.

it is even more magical in the dark



trying to capture the fountains was quite a challenge,



as you still had to remember to watch out in case you got soaked....

splish splash

and the crumble was just the right temperature when we got home......

crazy mom's quilt a long finally finished

finally, 18 months after I started - shocking huh! I've finished the quilt I started as one of crazy mom's quilt a longs. I think she has run 4 or 5 since...........
no idea why it took so long, perhaps because I knew it wasn't for me, and was always going to be a gift for my sister in law and her husband, (it was going to be a wedding gift, a year later and it's a house warming gift too.........)

all of the blues were from my stash, and I only bought the creamy white sashing and some of the cream for the blocks. so it's almost a scrap quilt. love that. want to start another one.



here's the view the other way on, not sure which is the top



and here's the back, also pieced to save on fabric. finished size 5ft x 7ft.



it's called Scattered Blues. and I finished it in my new studio - still loving that.