Saturday 30 March 2013

IF YOU ARE...

.... in the UK DO NOT forget to put your clocks forward tonight  xx

For the first time in YEARS I am working the night with ONE less hour x Its really exciting xx

One more bag for you to see...


this one is for a friend who LOVES red, green and any flowers ..

 

These are getting a bit addictive ... lol x

I know I said I was cutting back on swaps .... BUT they always seem such fun .. SO .... I have joined a table runner swap AND a charm swap!!  I WILL cut back after this ...He-He .. just don't hold your breath! I DO have a lot of fabric to use up !!! lol x

Keep smiling

Diane x

Thursday 28 March 2013

THE APRIL BLOCK......

... for the Simply-Solid-Bee has been announced x There are a couple of variations in lay-out, this one seems to be most popular at the moment...


I used the insulated wadding to make it into a candle mat x so far the idea for ... a different idea/item for every month ... seems to be going OK xx

keep smiling

Diane x

Wednesday 27 March 2013

WE HAD....

... a wonderful night at Congleton quilt group last night x LOTS of show and tell x

We also got our bears back..


PLUS the binding fabric... and 2 little tags for the hanging. I finished mine off this morning..


JUST have to remember to take her back next time xx

Keep smiling

Diane xx

Tuesday 26 March 2013

GETTING READY...

...to go to quilt group in Congleton tonight xx we have visitors from another local group coming to do a BIG show-and-tell xx Looking forward to it xx

ONE more bag to show you...


because I am making these as Christmas presents I am making them with a specific person in mind... makes colour choice MUCH easier...


soooo good to be ahead of myself xx

keep smiling

Diane xx

Monday 25 March 2013

NO SNOW ...

... for us in Cheshire ... thank goodness, my heart goes out to all those WITH snow drifts and WITHOUT power for cooking and heating xx I am VERY glad to live here protected by hills on 3 sides xx

I think we are just about caught up on all the sewing I did while in my lap-top-less time x I have one more project to show you... be warned this is proving to be an ON-GOING project.... so you will be seeing much of the same over the next few months xx

Got you interested?

WELL... its a bag x I had been to my friends house for tea, and we were having a brew .. I was moaning that I like patchwork bags BUT, they are always floppy... even with wadding! She has a couple of bags that I have made for her and she uses them on a regular basis ..... and she was saying that she likes them MUCH better than the-bags-for-life that advertise the shop/supermarket for free, and, although they last a long time soon look grubby and nasty xx


 As we began to put the world of bags to rights SHE  made a suggestion that I combine the 2 to produce a bag that is sturdy and looks good x

I just laughed... but the idea took hold and EVENTUALLY it was driving me crazy enough that I did just that!

The first bag was OK.... (inside bag cost 0.29 p!! not bad ... fabric from my stash!)

 
 
 
 

... however there were "things" that could be improved ! HOWEVER I enjoyed the process...AND I kept going ....changing and (hopefully) getting better ... NOW I AM MAD ABOUT BAGS ... well mine anyway xx

I don't want to send you all to sleep ... so I will just show you one more for today..

 
 
LOVE the inside fabric ... found it while looking for something else!!


I am  thinking that if I keep going for a couple of weeks I will have my Christmas presents made well in time xx mmmm MUST make sure to keep one for me xx

IN THEORY I should be making ... at the least.. a dent in my stash... cant see one yet! lol

Keep smiling

Diane xx

Sunday 24 March 2013

OH! WHAT A NIGHT...

... we had the most wonderful time last night xx ...


Alfie was SOOOO on form x  beautiful voice .. lots of changes of pace and style xx AND I was exhausted just watching the amount of energy they use up!! LOVED every minute xx

Adam and Caroline had a great time too..


mind you I did not take a lot of notice of them!! BAD mother xx He-He .. I was pre-occupied x!

Seems the seats were hard! Who sat down long enough to find out? lol x

Back to catching up! I have made a sample block for each of the blocks to be made for the Simply-Solids-Swap.. I was going to save them up and make a quilt for Adam and Caroline ,they have been up on the wall (the blocks... not Adam and Caroline!), and, I have kept looking at them. I decided I did not want to make a quilt ...SO .. just to make life a bit more difficult for myself I have decided..... That ......I will make "SOMETHING" different each month with the practise blocks!! THEN give the item to Adam and Caroline!!!

HEY! Why make things easy for yourself!! lol x

With the February blocks...

 

I have made 2 cushions x


AND with the March blocks .. 


I have made a lap quilt..


this is a panel I bought recently and thought would be fun to use on the back..


I am waiting now for the April block to be posted so that I can ... Make-And-Think xx

Keep smiling

Diane x

Saturday 23 March 2013

A WONDERFUL DAY...

... that's today xx ....for my family anyway.... and I do so hope for yours as well  xxxx

My son heard he has the new job (promotion and pay rise) that he went for xx My daughter and her partner (in Australia) got the new apartment they went for

                                            AND

most important of all I get to use these tickets..


I DO hope this post is coherent!!

To try and distract me for a little while I will continue to up-date you on my "no-lap-top projects xx

I used these fabrics...


on the latest round of the Mini-Mystery-Round-Robin... cannot show you because ITS A MYSTERY xx

Josh.. my grandson had his 10th birthday...

 

and YES .. because it is us ... there was CAKE xx WHERE did those years fly away to?

I posted previously that Gwen, one of the ladies from Congleton quilt group ,gave me 8 Stack-and-whack blocks... that I made into a quilt top. Well, I have quilted it...

 

It is going to be a present for my mums birthday..




the fabric on the back reminds me SO much of a skirt she used to wear... I am sure it is VERY close to the original fabric xx

Keep smiling... I am BEAMING xx

Diane xx

Friday 22 March 2013

BIT MORE...

... catching up from my lap-top "less" days x ... mind you I was going to post twice yesterday but got distracted by this...


Michelle at the Quilting Gallery organised a mug mat swap and these are the wonderful mats that I received from Kathy in the USA...

 

they are MUCH to lovely to put a drippy mug on, SO, I am using them for some lovely candles at the moment xx

She (Michelle )has organised another swap ... Looking forwards to spring..I had a think... and this is what I came up with....

 
 

I have plenty of time to change my mind and make something else if I change my mind xx lol x

I also made my block for Lorraine in New Zealand , for the Christmas block swap..


SNOW again this morning here in Cheshire ... some SPRING this is! So, off to make a brew and a biscuit xx

Keep smiling

Diane x

Thursday 21 March 2013

CATCHING UP...

... it just seems that when you don't have your lap top ALL this time appears ! Sewing seemed to be a good alternative ... well I COULD have done some house work!! THAT thought lasted about as long as it took to pass through my brain!! lol x

I made my stash blocks. First was for Jackie in stash#3...

 

she is making a scrappy trip-a-round-the-world quilt....

WELL it will be SCRAPPY and BRIGHT xx

Then I made the stash #4 block for Kelsey..


I had to wait to make this one as she wanted us to use a specific white ... that very few people could get... so she sent out the fabric x I have to be honest comparing it to other whites I have ... I could not see any difference! But its her quilt x

I thought it was going to a tricky one to make ... but it came together really easily xx

More later... keep smiling

Diane xx

Wednesday 20 March 2013

SOOOO HAPPY ...

I got my laptop back WhOOOO WhOOOO xx

 SOooooooooo happy x No more struggling to get Adams laptop to turn on! No more struggling to get connected to the internet xx AHHH

This is also making me VERY happy... I will going on Saturday xx


I will be posting in the next few days to show you what I have been sewing while I have had NO laptop ... and so more time to sew xx

Keep smiling

Diane x

Friday 15 March 2013

STILL....

......not got MY laptop back.....

STILL.... got to try and use sons VERY doddgy one...

STILL cannot post pictures...


HOWEVER .. I am getting LOTS of sewing done, I will have SO much to show-and-tell when I DO get mine back... early next week I hope xx

AND I have to share with you all that .......a week tomorrow ... that is Saturday 23 March.... I am going to Manchester Arena to see...

ALFIE BOE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SCREAM!¬ I am like a teenager ... be still my beating heart!! (YES I know that is a Sting song... but Soooo right!)

Keep smiling (I'm beaming xx)

Diane xx 

Thursday 7 March 2013

AHH! THE JOY....

...... of having the use of a borrowed lap top! NOW.. don't get me wrong, I am very grateful to my son for lending me his lap top xx HOWEVER ... I miss mine (the nice man in the shop says it CAN be mended .. WooooHoooo x). I cannot load any pictures, so cannot share my recent sewing x AND after you read the FUN I have in my attempts to log on I am sure you will understand why my posts are few and far apart at the moment xx

HOW TO USE ADAMS COMPUTER....

FIRST  ....Find and press on the special place to the right side of the front of the laptop.... you need to do this because the start-up drive is a bit doddgy x

THEN ......press the start button... keep pressing until the blue light comes on.... if you press too long it will turn OFF, don't press long enough and it wont turn on xx KEEP repeating the first 2 stages until you get the screen to light up xx... OH THE JOY xx This can take many attempts xx

THEN... try to get connected to the Internet   xx This again may take many attempts x  I have found that when the box that tells me I am connected to the server comes up it is best to keep it up and only try when it tells me the signal strength is "excellent" ... if just very good I may as well go for a walk and try again later x

WHEN connected I have to hope it is in a good mood ... sometimes instead of going to the address I type in I end up on random sites!!

WHEN I do get onto the site I want, I mostly ..get to read posts YAAAY   xx Mind you I cannot always post comments ... so don't be surprised if you get multiple or no posted comments from me xx

OH JOY xx Mind you I do occasionally get to the site I want...AND get to post comments and even write a post xx ... that is if it allows me to publish this post... OH JOY xx

Keep smiling

Diane xx 

Saturday 2 March 2013

OH DEAR!

........my poor laptop is feeling poorly at the moment xx So much so that it is going to have to go the shop!! EEEKKKK! ....so if I am quiet it is not that I don't want to talk to you... its that I cannot x

I am on my sons ... borrowed AND VERY temperamental "old" laptop today, in an attempt to catch up on e-mails and Blog reading xx

Keep smiling 

Diane xx

Friday 1 March 2013

A VERY HAPPY..

... St Davids day to one and all...


For those who don't know ... he is the Patron Saint of Wales xx and the Welsh flower is a daffodil . I don't have a real one in my garden, but, I got this one yesterday... and supported the Marie Curie nurses at the same time xx

Keep smiling

Diane xx