Occassionally I quilt

Not only do I send and gratefully receive a lot of parcels, but sometimes if all is right in my sewing world, I get to quilt a little something too...



This is the Miniature Booty quilt that I made Toni (a-la Ricky Tims' Convergence Quilts).



I put far too much chocolate in the parcel and so it weighed a ton. Because of this fact, I stupidly sent it surface mail and it sadly took forever to arrive. Thankfully it finally has and so now I can show it.





Unfortunately due to DH getting a move on with the renovations all creative sewing has pretty much ground to a halt! We are like the Higgledy Piggledy pigs, living in a higgledy piggledy house! (See, I read far too many children's books!)



And mummy pig is right "it's not a muddle! It is a pigsty" LOL



We have an almost completed bathroom next to an old kitchen.


(Before tiling above and after tiling below!)



We also have a work in progress utility room next to a stripped bedroom and nowhere to put anything!!!!



Apparently a new sewing room will be my reward for living like a Higgeldy Piggeldy Pig LOL

Kindness is sweeter than candy

Today I mailed my Booty swap disguised as some candy!



I hope my swap partner doesn't eat it!!



I also received a surprise in the post today. Josie a non blogger, non quilter, but wonderful old neighbour from Cape Town who needs to come visit me (at the latest next spring to help me with our garden as she has the greenest fingers EVER!) sent me a lovely parcel full of fabric-y goodness!




She writes:
"I don't know if these pieces will be useful to you..."
yes, yes, thank you!!!!
"...remembered that you like hearts and roses - and got you some oddments (FQ's?)"
Josie, you did great, thank you so very much for your generosity!

I absolutely love the "Breast Cancer" rose one (on the left). It's gorgeous and graduated so will make lots of hexagons. I actually only need 4 inch squares (or 10cms square) for a single hexagon, but FQ's are wonderful too especially if the fabric is this yummy!

Speaking of yummy DH and DS1 went blackberrying so that I could make some jam.



There were slim pickings so it may have to be a pie.

Meanwhile DS2 has found a new mode of transport



- the cooler bag! We've not used it all summer with this awful weather so I guess he wouldn't know what it's really used for LOL!

Group therapy

Just a quick post to thank one of my online groups: The British Quilt List for thinking of me and sending me these gorgeous comfort blocks.



Every thought that comes through the mail is appreciated because whenever I think I'm 'all better' something catches me out :-(
Never mind, at least there has been a bit of sewing!
Here's a blurry sneak peak of my very overdue Booty swap...



I'm sorry it's so late. I'm probably the last one to mail, but better luck next time as they say!!

Progress report

After another tidy up where the house is still nowhere near where it needs to be, I rewarded myself with some sewing... not much sewing, BUT I have almost finished my bag for Linda's bag swap and I have worked on my Booty swap as well as making my blocks for Aryn's quilt organised by Alison for Kid’s Quilts...


These were mailed this afternoon.

Here are some sneak peaks of the swap stuff...
Mmm... a bag perhaps? We'll see...



And what's this? It's awfully small....



Now it's packing and more cleaning and tidying in preparation for a very mini-break to London tomorrow where I will be delivering this...



Photos taken on our first sunny day in a looooong time!



With a label!


Oh, and here's the dratted trophy LOL.




And the article in the village paper...



3 of us (as in my family) made it in to the photo in the paper, except for DS1 who was hiding under a table!!! That boy is going to be the gray hairs of me!!!

I am not quite sure what to do with it. I have never won a trophy before and would quite frankly like to return it before I lose it LOL, but I guess it will have to sit around here and collect dust until next year!!

Here's the painting...


It's a bit blurry, but I struggled to get a shot as it has a plastic mount cover...
I did it while at college. It's titled: 'My dad was an electrical man'. Quite sentimental to me. Everything about my Dad tugs at my heart. We lost him when I was 12. Anyway I'm sure he would've been proud.(not of my dust though LOL)

When I come back I am going to clear out my sewing space and give some bits away so I hope there will be lots of homes out there... in fact I found ANOTHER bag of assorted African fabric scraps which I would love to giveaway.



There are scraps of all sorts of sizes and qualities and quite a lot so perhaps I should divide them into 2 bags... just leave a comment if you would like them and I'll draw 2 names on the 30th of August.