The Opposite of Yesterday

It is amazing what a good night sleep can do for you. As much as yesterday was a total washout, today was fab. The sun shone, I got things done, spent time with a good friend, sewed some, and got an entirely unexpected gift.

I slept in. In this house 8:30am is a huge sleep in. Though I did go to bed late due to having my date last night. Reginald D Hunter was hilarious, as was his opening act - though if you are adverse to 'strong language' then it might not be for you. I belly laughed for two hours. Laughing is an excellent way to spend your time.

I hopped out of bed this morning and hit the floor running. I made chocolate cupcakes, chilli for dinner, and a key lime pie (which I shall report on tomorrow once it has been sampled). Ange came over with her daughter. We put my two girls in charge of her little one and it worked out beautifully. A picnic was quickly knocked together and we went off to a great playground and let the girls do the playing bit while we took care of the gossiping side of things.

The cupcakes were topped with popping candy which we found no end of amusement in.

On our return to the house I got some secret sewing done while Ange cut hexie papers. And the post arrived. I was very surprised to receive an unexpected gift. Anneliese, who blogs over at Mail From The Cheeky Monkeys, had sent me a sewing pouch she made. She hadn't been very happy with it during the construction and I thought it looked fab. So she sent it to me. A huge thank you to Anneliese!

Seriously, fabulous fabric choices, lovely embroidery and hand quilting, useful pockets and such abound. Who wouldn't love this?!

So I am about to fill it with an embroidery hoop and thread, and other accoutrements, and take Emily to her riding lesson. She can ride and I can stitch in the sunshine.  Perfect end to a pretty perfect day.

Susan

Piss Poor Planning

In my carefully organised calendar that I keep in my mind I knew this week was going to be busy. But I clearly had today marked down for sewing. In big red letters.

The weekend was busy - in a good way - as planned. Tuesday was an out all day sort of day - in a good way again. Wednesday was the girls' friends here and then a sleepover for them too. All went perfectly to plan.

What I failed to take into account was not how tired the girls would be today - that was why it was to be a stay home and veg day today, with me sewing - I planned for this. What I stupidly did not plan for was the fact that I would be the one most exhausted by the sleepover. Lord love us, but I am tired!

This is all I managed to accomplish in my 'whole day' of sewing.

A whole whack of scrappy binding that I need for a particular project. That is it! Nothing else got accomplished other than attempting to nap and failing dismally, and playing on the computer.

No sewing will get done tonight either. Because I have a date, with himself (just in case you were wondering). We are off to see Reginald D Hunter. I am looking forward to this. I hope he is even funnier live than he is on television with all censorship removed.

Susan

The Sample Swap

Last year at the FQ Retreat I signed up for the Sample Swap. I enjoyed it so much I have put my name down for round two this year. I need to make four of the same item to be swapped with my group at the Retreat. So today I got down to designing an embroidery for the hoops I plan on giving.

I decided on using the Underground symbol as inspiration as I wanted the hoop to reflect the London roots of the Retreat. I also decided I would go with embroidery floss instead of perle cottons for a change. I rounded up the necessary supplies and got to tracing out the pattern.

And then I started stitching.

One down. Several more to go. But at least I have made a start.

Susan

Traditions

Each and every year, as a family, we go off to the bluebell woods. There are lots of bluebell woods in the UK. But this is our bluebell woods, because it is where we always go. It is beautiful, and peaceful, and seldom crowded.

With the odd weather patterns we have been having in this country when we go has been getting later and later in the season. I know this as I blogged about it on 25 April, 2011, and on 13 May, 2012.  (Oh, seeing the changes in my babies over the past two years is killing me!) What does not change is the joy it gives me to wander through the dappled sunlight each and every time.

The girls have not yet reached the age of eye rolling boredom when told where we are going in this particular instance. Thank goodness, as eye rolling boredom does my head in and I am sure I never, ever did that when I was their age. Ha!

In fact, it did seem like they were enjoying themselves a great deal.

They spent the whole time in the woods without any sibling discord. A small miracle. Even when log wrestling, or whatever you want to call this (if you can tell with all those shadows happening).

Me? I was just happy to be there with my family. I like traditions, things we look forward to doing together. They mark the years and fill those years with good memories.

It has been a blissful long weekend. Hope the sun was shining where you were too.

Susan

My Fabric Mule Cometh

Oh happy days! Did I tell you that one of the lovely ladies who has been here this weekend is also my fabric mule? She has picked up some fabric orders I made and had shipped to her while she was in America, and brought them all to me this weekend. Happy, happy me!

So I am overflowing with fabric goodness here. To have all of it arrive on my doorstep in one fell swoop is amazing.

First up, from Jennifer at The Knotted Thread I got -

Some half yards of Simply Color ombres. I have some FQs of some of the prints and I have ideas buzzing round my brain of what to do with them. A bundle of the tone on tone chevrons - strictly for stash. Some flannel yardage of Terrain seed pods in orange for backing a quilt I will make with my three Terrain charm packs one day. The flannel is so tactile I just keep picking it up and hugging it.

From Super Buzzy, specially selected for me by Terri we have -

Fussy cut specials. You might notice that the yellow and red is the same print that I used for the giveaway day makes. I am showing you a close up of the double selvage so you can see how I used it as a fussy cut on the fabric basket I made.

From Amanda at Westwood Acres we have -

Two bundles. A FQ bundle of her Inside Voices IV - a bundle of the low volume fabrics that she puts together herself and that sell so quickly they are near impossible to get hold of. And a F8 bundle of the just released Full Moon Lagoon. Here's a closer look at both. The colours in Full Moon Lagoon make my heart flutter.

Finally, from Julie at Intrepid Thread, I picked up some different yardage that I fell in love with in a recent sale. All for my stash, except the Cuzvo for which some is backing and the other will join my other Cuzco until inspiration strikes.

That's all folks. The sun is shining, we have a ballet show to go watch. There is enough leftover food that dinner tonight shall be an easy affair for me. And I have yards and yards of fabric to roll around in. (I just might need more storage though.) Life is good!

Susan