None of my own work

I am not sure why I found Toni's UFO so fascinating!! But once I opened up her Orange Crush and worked out what bits were needed where, how much was left to do and what was missing etc etc. I just had to do it. It was like a puzzle that just had to be solved, an itch that needed to be scratched... I sewed and sewed until I could go no further. I emailed Toni about a few missing bits and in our emails I could tell Toni still really liked her Orange Crush... so I did what I could and yesterday I mailed it 'home'. Toni will have the last few missing bits to do and then hopefully it will no longer be one of her UFO's!!


At times while sewing on Toni's quilt, I remembered the companionship of sharing a craft, of working together, of being able to call a friend and say "come help me here please". When I lived in Germany, my good friend Birgit was a great sewing buddy. She would gladly be teaching me new things, cutting pieces while I sewed, working out patterns... I miss that.


My closest (in distance) sewing buddy needed some fish fabric. As neither of us could find any I painted her a trout instead.


I look forward to seeing what Vicky makes with it :-)

So, not much of my own to show... DH bought me roses for Valentines...


And I'm packing so I've not been up to too much else. Just a few more sleeps until we see the sun for more than a few hours a week!! I plan to soak up as many rays as possible! This is our last long holiday before we are governed by the school holidays so there may not be much sewing on this blog while I walk on the beach etc.

(ps I have made arrangements to deliver some Beertje Zonn for Sonnja to some special little children while I'm in South Africa and I hope that all goes well with that visit)

Anything is possible...

It is possible to clean the toilet, change the bedding and vacuum with crutches, but I wouldn't recommend it! LOL

Things are almost back to normal (for me) except I can't drive, use my sewing machine or do any serious physical activity (sadly this does not include the above household chores!!)

Husband dearest is also trying to de-clutter the house again so instead of getting bed rest I am getting re-stressed. Never mind, I shall wait until he has 'man-flu' again and then I will get him LOL!!

At least I can retreat into the wonderful world of blogging where you can meet people from all over the world, share thoughts, patterns, recipes etc and find out about doing nice things for others from the comfort of your own home.

One of my wonderful blog-friends is Sonnja. Sonnja selflessly makes fabric bears for orphaned and AIDS-affected children in Africa.

Here are some Beertje Zonn bears that Sonnja has made from fabric, I have sent her, but if you look on her blog you will see that Sonnja has made thousands of bears and thousands of little children have been given a 'Beertje Zonn' of their own.



If you would like to help Sonnja and send her some fabric for Beertje Zonn, I'm sure she and the children would be very grateful. (Details can be found on her website by clicking here)


Another person who would be very grateful of a giveaway is my DH!! He is climbing the walls with all my stuff. So I have put a little parcel together of bits and pieces that I will never use, but can't bear to throw away...

(A 'Farmyard Friends' pattern, a chenille dog pattern, a barely used cone of gold metallic thread, some hexagons, some Liberty Lawn swatches, a piece of purple lining fabric, some rhinestone-type embellishments, some paper roses, a horse tree ornament, some Seasonal mini panels and labels and a bag of very tiny rose scraps left over from making my September bag)
If you would like this parcel, just leave me a comment and I'll pick a name by my next post...

In the meantime, I'm stitching away at my rose hexagons...
(here's a view from my lap)


and revelling in real roses (from little boys who have the flu...)

Apples and Bears

My friend Birgit has a wonderful tutorial on her blog for making Apple placemats. Pop on over and take a look. The instructions are in German, but the photos aren't LOL. (Instructions not for commercial use and please don't download the photos without contacting Birgit etcetera, etcetera...)

Now if you have any spare fabric (!) and you're feeling charitable Sonnja makes bears called 'Beertjie Zonn' for African children affected by HIV-Aids. Here are some of the bears she's made with fabric that I sent her.

Sonnja blogs about all the bears she makes and she is just so clever turning your fabric into gifts for the children. Please feel free to click on her blog should you wish to send her some fabric. (Pieces only need to be 12 x 24 inches)

And if you still want to win some fabric for yourself feel free to comment on this or my previous post. I'll draw a winner (or two) on Monday the 14th.