Today...

... both my girls went to school. For the full day.

Today... felt a little bit like normal again.

Today... I hoovered for about two hours. Not so normal after all!

Today... I sat on the floor and finished my epp star. It is my first block for my Brit Bee Round Two quilt. Some blocks have already been made by the others. I cannot wait to show you. They are amazing.

What is it with the colour differences?! Same camera. Same location. Taken moments apart.
The one on the left is pretty true to the real colours.
The one on the right looks insipid with the pale orange scissors.
I don't do insipid!

Today... while I sat on the floor and stitched, I listened - to nothing. Blissful silence.

Today... I breathed some more. Breathing is good.

I think, my friends, that things are getting back on track. It is a good, good feeling.

Susan

PS: I am sure that you all understand my replying to comments has gone to pot over the past weeks. I appreciate every last kind and encouraging word and if I failed to reply please know that it wasn't for lack of caring or wanting to. I just lost the ability to express myself for a bit. Thank you so much for not losing your ability to make me smile and lighten the load.

All You Need Is...

... Love Perle. Oh okay, love is good to have as well. I'll admit that. But you can feel the love when perle cotton is in your hand. I needed a little perle in my life, and today I got me some hand stitching time.

First off, you need a friend. A fabulous friend who also has a daughter, and horses. Then you need this fabulous friend to invite your two children over for a few hours - for a pony trek and lunch. Suddenly you have breathing room when you haven't had any in weeks, or so it seems. Simply amazing.

Can't say I got a lot done. But I did feel the love. The front of my Mouthy Stitches tote was pieced, and I liked it. I know I don't usually say that without reservation - but I really do like it. Now I am hand stitching with the perle I am liking it even more.

I so hope my partner feels the same way. Lots more stitching to do, but I feel like I am on the right path now. Thank you so much for all the positive comments yesterday. You all convinced me to continue with this and I am so happy I did.

Susan

I am Still Here

Really, I am still here. Just taking care of life. Important stuff, that I am not going to talk about for a change. Suffice to say we are working on getting back to normal here. And for anyone who has been worried or wondered, Emily is doing great. It has been a difficult three weeks and things are not yet on an even keel. Getting there might be slow going, but we will get there.

So with a quick chorus of 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' I shall show you the little, tiny bit of sewing I accomplished today. Not much, but better than nothing.

It is for my Mouthy Stitches tote. Not sure what my partner will think. Not sure what I think. It is a work in progress still. If it doesn't float my partner's boat then I might just give it away here as I think we are in need of a little giveaway in the near future. Something to make me smile.

There is obviously more to do before the front of the tote is finished. As I have not decided just what else I am going to add yet (really, when do I have a clue) and I am sure perle handstitching should come into the as of yet unformed plan - just what do you think of this half baked idea? Does it work or should I start from scratch on a different unformed plan?

Opinions? Please say, honestly, if this idea has a future. My brain is rather frazzled and I am not as decisive as I might be usually.

Susan

The Story of Tips

Yesterday I introduced you to Tips. There was some speculation whether something dire had happened to either Sprinkles or Slush, and Tips was a replacement. No. There was also speculation that Tips was a rodent of a kind other than a gerbil. No! So why did we increase the resident gerbil population?

Emily started talking about getting a friend for Sprinkles and Slush last week. What with her being ill and all I don't think I shot the idea down well enough. I did, however, explain that gerbils are territorial little animals and it is very difficult to introduce a new gerbil to ones that are already established in a gerbilarium.

Instead the girls asked their dad if they could get some new fish for our aquarium. This in itself poses problems as our rather large catfish tend to think new introductions are lunch rather than fellow fish tank friends. But in the scheme of things new fish was a better idea than a new gerbil. Off they went on Saturday.

Needless to say Emily scuttled straight over to the rodent cages in the pet shop. And Emily fell in love - with Tips. Fish were bought. Gerbil treats were bought. They left the shop without said gerbil. Emily fell apart emotionally. Himself gave in, and home they came with Tips.

What followed involved hysteria on the part of the girls. Sprinkles and Slush gave Tips a welcome worthy of gang warfare. It was not pretty apparently. I did not witness it. Tips had been removed to safety by the time I arrived on the scene.

So there we were. One mother trying desperately not to say, 'I told you so!' Two girls upset, and one husband informing me that the pet shop had never said anything when told the new gerbil would be joining two others. (Himself hadn't been in on the conversation where I told the girls what would most likely happen.)

Back they went to the pet shop on Sunday. Oh, said the pet shop person, yesterday's salesperson should never have sold you the gerbil knowing it was to join two others. It has always lived on its own so will always have to live on its own. Our mistake.

Cue big apologies on their part. And the deal of a lifetime of a new gerbilarium, food, bedding and treats for the grand sum of £20.

So we are now the proud owners to three gerbils, in two gerbilariums, in a house that barely has room for all the crap in it already. But Emily is still in love with Tips, and she has parents that are too soft for their own good.

Admittedly, even I like Tips, in a 'she's a rodent and don't make me touch her' sort of way. She is the easiest of the three for being held. And looks ever so sweet in her favourite sleeping positions, which are either with her head stuck in an empty toilet roll tube (as seen above) or in her food dish.

And that is why we now have another gerbil.

Susan

Miss October

I am so excited. Round two of Brit Bee has got off to an incredible start. When I signed up for the bee I was a bee virgin - so to speak - and actually had no idea what I was getting myself into. It was quickly established that joining up was the best quilty decision I ever made. And I got my Drunkard's Path quilt out of it which I love, love, love.

So what do I do for round two? Well, I looked at the first round and thought about things that I loved, and learned. I didn't know before we started that everyone could make a different block under the parameters set by the queen bee of the month. I didn't know about solids used in quilting. I didn't know about paper piecing. Quite frankly, I didn't know a lot.

What I do know now is that I want my bee buddies to each make a different block. I want a dark solid for the background. I want the colour palette to be more controlled than in my last quilt, though still bright and modern.

Above are some of the quilts created in the inaugural year of Brit Bee. As you can tell this is a very inspiring group. Below are a  mix of star blocks that have been made in the bee. (Are you starting to see my theme here?)

I have posted out a tonne of fabric because I have left it up to each individual to piece a star, or two, of their choice from as small as 6" to a maximum of 24". The background will be Kona Coal.

Ultimately, I took my inspiration directly from the skill and ideas of my fellow Brit Bee buddies. And then I combined it with this quilt I happened upon, below.

This quilt was created by the lady who blogs here. Her blog is in German but her sewing is amazing, and her sewing space to die for.

And that is what I have asked from the Brit Bee group this time. Stars, on Kona Coal, in varied sizes. I know that I will end up with blocks that I never would have come up with on my own. And that is one of the thrilling things about being in a bee.

Before I sign off, Emily has asked me to introduce you to Tips. Tips joined our household this weekend. It is a long story. I will tell it some other time but for now - meet Tips.

Susan