I was supposed to do a favour for a friend today. It involved some fabric and the Go! Baby. (Not for you Cindy, yours are done.) I used the Go! yesterday for some sewing I needed to do today, and things went wrong.

The cutting mat, which was showing definite signs of wear, went from not good to useless in a matter of minutes. I noticed that the minimal number of Drunkard's Path blocks I was cutting for myself were not cutting square at all. I was holding up the outer portion of the block and the lack of a 90 degree angle was obvious. I don't feel that I have used the Go! enough to warrant the cutting mat being useless so quickly. I cut 36 charm squares, stacked four to a cut, and I went from passable cuts in the beginning to disappointing by the end. The cutting mat started losing little bits of plastic and looks like this now

You can see bits of the plastic hanging off at the top of the photo near the middle.

Do you have a Go! Baby and have you had the same experience. It seems I am going to have to buy cutting mats in bulk because I do enjoy the ease of cutting with them.

I used the charms I cut to make a quick quilt top today. Old friends of ours have just had their second child and it is a boy. I had the perfect fabric for a boy (which I obviously can not remember the name of suddenly because my mind is losing brain cells at the speed of light).

I'm rather pleased with the outcome considering I only had the one charm pack to play with. The outer border is from Java by Moda which I bought on sale ages ago and it seemed just about perfect for this. I have enough of it to use as the backing as well.

I then moved on to my DS Doll Quilt. I pieced a simple backing, using the equilateral triangles on either side of a strip of the white fabric and I intend to use that is my signature block. I am keeping the remaining back white as, quite frankly, I was at a loss of what to do otherwise.

That doll quilt is now layered up and basted and awaiting me to come up with some ideas of how to quilt it. Suggestions welcome!

Tonight I have something to do which I think of as uniquely English, but that may be because it is nothing I ever had to consider before having children. The quest to get your child into a 'good school'. My girls go to a village primary school but we do not live in the catchment area - hence the daily school run. They go to that school because it is the school they attended before we moved to the Isle of Wight. Three house moves in three years and another change of school was too much upheaval and we tried to minimise it by returning them to their original school,

Unfortunately there were not any (reasonably priced) houses to rent within the village. We got the best house we could within a five mile radius. Where we live is not in the catchment for our high school of choice either. In fact our catchment area is the same as the one John went to high school in and as he considers his years in high school more in terms of survival than educational he is adamant that our girls do not attend school there. I tend to agree.

Which leads me to tonight, and the open house at the school of choice for us. The catchment school for their primary. There are two sides to every coin, and it is brilliant that this school got an outstanding evaluation last spring from Ofsted. It is considered one of the top high schools in the country apparently. As I said, brilliant! Only now everyone and their brother want their kid to attend this school and competition just increased hugely. Bugger!

We will go to the open house and be impressed and then hope beyond hope that the fact that Helen was attended a catchment school giving her a step up in the acceptance process will be enough to get her in. If not we have our wild card, which is that it has a specialised art department and accept a number of students on that basis. Helen's teachers consider her quite gifted in art. I think she is too, but I have the biased parent's opinion. We can apply for a place based on her art abilities if we fail to get her in the normal route.

And so starts the year of stress, and waiting, and not knowing for months and months. Is anyone else experiencing this? I believe that with our luck we will get her in and then end up having to relocate again at which point I would have to take to my bed!

Susan

I am in Control!

Yes, I think I am starting to actually get my mind sorted, and the things that need sorting sorted too. Bit by bit. And it feels brilliant to do so.

I spent the morning juggling 46 people from 11 different countries into swap partners. How on earth do most people do this? I contemplated putting all the names into a hat but decided I wanted to have more control. (There's a surprise!) I got there in the end and didn't find that there was one person left out or anything like that. Breathed a huge sigh of relief on that one! Now all I have to do is enter all the info into the computer. Then email each participant. No, problem, because then I can start stalking my partner and doing some sewing! The good bit will start.

Next I turned my mind to the Scrappy Swap, and based on my partner's mosaic I pulled a variety of scraps from my stash. This was harder than I thought it would be because my partner has a much more muted palette choice than my usual in your face colour. But I dug, and then dug deeper, and eventually came up with this -

Now I will see if she comments on the Flickr page. I think she will. She has swapped before and I have faith! If she doesn't like any of my choices that isn't a problem but I will probably have to go more colourful. I have started thinking about what the extra should be for this swap, but not yet come to any conclusions. (In that you should read that I don't have a freaking clue!)

I moved on to the DS Doll Quilt Swap and started working on the back of the equilateral triangles quilt. And my thread broke, and then broke again, and again. Eventually, after I readjusted just about everything that I could on the machine it started to behave but it was too late then. The school run awaited. So no photos to show progress there.

The postman continues to be the nicest I've ever had. I got the penultimate Brit Bee package back with my blocks. These came from Jenny, are beautifully done and I love that she did a different lay out so I am going to have a good balance of circles to other lay outs.

I have a few more things I want to check off my list today, not blogging type things but things I have promised to do for other people. If I manage this I will consider this day an unqualified success.

If you haven't yet entered the giveaway and want to then hop over here and leave a comment now. Nothing more expected of you than that.

Susan

I am Woman; Watch Me Multi-task

Yeah, chance would be a fine thing! If I was the master at multi-tasking then my house would not stink of burnt rice right now! Apparently I cannot work on a spreadsheet for my swap, talk to the patent agent for our company, cook rice and reply to emails all at the same time. Something had to give and now my house reeks.

I have spent a good deal of time on my computer today replying to comments, sorting out the swap, etc. If you left a comment and I failed to reply then I do apologise. I ran out of steam after about 200 emails. There was a wee back log, shall we say. I do appreciate each and every comment I get on my blog (except the spam ones which are creeping in more frequently) and try to reply to everyone but it may be just too much for me this week.

Thanks to everyone for your terrific response to my giveaway. It has been lovely to have old friends enter as well as meet lots of lovely new people. For those who decided to follow this blog, welcome and I hope you like it enough to stick around.

If you are in the Modern Christmas Tablerunner Swap - please ensure that you have sent me your postal details as well as having a  mosaic posted on the group page on Flickr. Just about everyone has but there are a few more to go.

I did take a little time to sit down today and have a play with my crochet hooks and some cotton yarn.

I think I may be down to have a table at the PTA Christmas Fair so need to find some smaller things I can make and sell for small amounts. Because you know, and I know, I wouldn't be about to shift a whole pile of quilts there. So I tried making some snowflakes. I experimented with different size crochet hooks and came to the conclusion that the larger hook is the best, which surprised me. I also played with patterns, making up my own eventually. That would be the one of the top right. These snowflakes would need to be soaked in a fabric stiffener and pinned out to give them more shape definition and durability on the tree as a decoration. But as the start of a small project, what do you think?

My only fabric news is slightly old news. I got my fabric for the October blocks for Brit Bee from the lovely and talented Miss Laura Jane at the end of last week but I seemed to have other thoughts in my posts, and sulks about car reversing, etc going on. So here, belatedly, is the latest block fabric.

Our brief is to make stars. Any kind we like. Big ones, small ones, singular ones, multiple ones. Just so long as it is stars. I think I am going to like this month. Thanks Laura!

So my best cooking pot is sitting outside with oven cleaner sprayed in it to see if that will shift well cooked on rice. I have to leave the house in an hour to take Helen to dance and the girls are not fed yet. Best get a move on and see if I can manage rice on attempt number two. Best stay in the kitchen this time though!

Susan

New Skills

You would think that if I was learning something new it would be something good -  like paper piecing or the like. But no, today I had the pleasure of learning how to trim the ends of wires, and then crimp them, and then place them in these little terminals, etc. Exciting! No, not really but essential to our business and a way that I could help himself when usually I can't help him with that sort of thing.

So, no sewing to report.

We did go for a walk together, to a magical little place that is just a couple of miles from where we live. It is a peaceful little string of three ponds between some fields and accessed by a public footpath. I think of it as magical because at this time of year there are always so many dragonflies there. I cannot express the feeling of standing motionless and having one land on your arm. It makes something light up inside me.

I would like to bedazzle you with photos of dragonflies - but I'm just not that good. We walked through some more fields and up into the woods. There the girls discovered a Geo Cache. If you have kids and have never done it before, it is an amazing way to get them to go for a walk. It's like a treasure hunt on a larger scale. They have to look very hard for many of these cache, and they are everywhere in the world. Anyone can do it. It doesn't cost anything. It gets you outdoors. What more could you ask for?

Inside many GoeCache boxes you will often find small toys, or key chains and the like. The idea is you take it and leave something new in exchange. Helen had planned ahead and brought a selection of small things with her though we hadn't realised. It meant she got to put in some of her treasures and walk out of the woods with this -

A Wee Grufalo

I have to say that the Grufalo is the coolest thing we have found in a GeoCache yet. But I can recommend Geo Caching as something fun to do with your kids if you are at a loss some weekend. Though you will need a GPS receiver to play this game. I think if you have a smart phone you can have this function - through an app or somehow. (You get a clue who in this family does not have a smart phone and does not have the GPS function!)

Despite having no sewing to report I do have a little bit of fabric to show you. First off, more of my bee blocks have arrived.

By Lolly (aka Laura Jane)

By Ceri (aka Ceri)

Thank you to both of you. They look absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait until I have all the blocks and can just play with layouts. Almost there.

Finally, I got a hugely wonderful surprise in the post yesterday. One of my very first bloggy friends, and certainly one of my best bloggy friends, is Annabella of Life's Rich Pattern. I offered to do a favour for her and in return she sent me these incredibly FQs. I was gobsmacked - to use a great expression from my northern roots. I am also incredibly thankful because I love these fabrics.

Delighted by Riley Blake

I have chicken satay to go on the bbq, taking advantage of more of this nice weather. Last night's bbq went down a treat and the girls liked the earlier falling of darkness because apparently it is a lot more fun to toast marshmallows over the glowing coals in the dark. I agree with them. We'll do it again tonight.

If you are looking for the giveaway it can be found here. If you want to sign up for the Modern Christmas Tablerunner Swap then today is the last day you can do it. Please go to the Flickr site and sign up and send me the details or it will be too late. And it is the most brilliant group of people.

Susan

Questions, and a Giveaway

A few questions.

Why wasn't it this hot and sunny when I was in close proximity to beaches for half the summer?

Why do I always wake up early on a weekend but need an alarm on weekdays?

And now the question I really want the answer to. Why didn't I see that little silver car behind me yesterday when I reversed my car? Why?!!

Well, enough of that. Now you know why I was in such a bad mood yesterday. I was dealing with feelings of total inadequacy. It would help if I hadn't made my stupid mistake outside the school, with witnesses, and have the other car belong to one of the other school mums. But it happened and I will have to just suck it up and get on with it. Yesterday's self pity party for one is officially over and time to move on. But I still thank Mr Cadbury, and a particularly nice vineyard in Chile that makes a delightful Malbec.

So on to more interesting stuff. Did you enjoy school? Did you like literacy (as they call it now - I think we just called it English class)? I loved it, loved (and still do love) reading, loved writing. I could write a proper sentence but ask me to break it up into all its grammatical glory and I hit the wall in my knowledge. How about punctuation? Did you get back reports with little red marks all over it where your teacher corrected your work? I did.

On the other hand, there is punctuation of a different sort these days. I ordered some Punctuation - by American Jane for Moda. It was a Punctuation FQ that was missing from a recent fabric order. I discussed it on the blog. Well the company sent out another FQ to replace the missing one. Only they actually sent me another ten! So I added one to my bundle to make it complete, and then I cheekily added another because I loved it. But I decided that I would let you all share in the bounty by giving away the rest.

You have two chances in this giveaway. For the first chance, leave a comment. That's it. You do not have to follow me. If you want to, if you like my blog - then follow away. But otherwise, just leave a comment, say hello, tell me where you live or something like that.

For a second chance at this giveaway - blog about it and come back and leave a comment telling me you did.

I am happy to post internationally. Remember, if you are a non-reply blogger and I have on means to get hold of you then I will have to redraw and choose someone who I have the contact details for.

That's it. Eight FQs of Punctuation up for grabs. The giveaway will end on Thursday, October 06th at noon British time.

Good luck!

Susan