All about patchwork

When I was having an enforced(!) clearout I found this book. I'm not sure where I picked it up, but I love these old books. Published in 1973, this softback book is a little gem (if you like English paper-piecing that is!)


(Is that me, the dutiful wife, sitting demurely stitching away at her hexagons? No! Of course it isn't LOL)

It has a large section on Hexagons...



Some ideas for leftover hexagons like decoration on clothing (gag) and cute kids waistcoats...



Gift ideas for the man who has everything ;-)...



and trousers for the boys...



The caption is great, it says "...Make extra patches to lengthen trousers as the child grows." I can just imagine the horror on their little faces were I to make them such items LOL

Of course, the book adds yet another project to my huge handwork 'to do list"!!:



I just love this design, but I think I'd better try and finish my hexagons first!

Finding a needle in a hospital

Last night we had another trip to the hospital. We put the kids to bed, organised a kind babysitter and headed off for blood tests to see if there was any infection as I have been in a lot of pain the last few days. By 1am we could go home and they would let us know the results later. At 4am I got a phonecall from the hospital and was given the all clear. It wasn't a wasted trip as I had a dressing change on the wound which is now more comfortable and I was given some much stronger painkillers to cope with the pain. I am to take it easy. (no more vacumming for me - hee hee!!)

While sitting around at the hospital from 10pm until after midnight when I finally saw a doctor I thought I'd keep busy with some handwork. I had grabbed my sewing bag so quickly that I hadn't looked inside and I hadn't noticed that I'd taken my needlecase out!! I couldn't sew a stitch as I didn't have a single needle with me. I was so annoyed at wasting all that time that I could have been sewing. So instead DH and I played "I spy".... I spy a drip stand, I spy a heart rate monitor... It was actually quite fun :-)

Now I'm in bed again. getting up every now and again to keep active, but not moving the furniture around LOL.

In my previous post, I was giving away some 'bits and bobs'. I used a random number generator as everyone is out. Joyce (no blog) has won the bits and scrappy quilter has won a surprise! Please let me have your snail mail addresses and I'll pop your goodies off in the post.

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...)

I'm home

Well they certainly don't want you leaving a dent in those hospital beds!! This morning, I was woken early, vitals checked and after being escorted to the facilities, returned to find my bed was pretty much 'out of bounds'. I was seated in a chair, given breakfast, given a few practice steps with crutches around the ward and up and down the stairs (I'm an old hand at crutches!) and now I'm home.


I didn't get much of that TLC I was hoping for in the hospital, I think they've changed it to mean 'Tough Love Crew', but I'm not complaining. My ordeal is over for now and we'll see if this plate removal helps.

I managed a bit of handwork, although the anaesthetist scuppered that plan yesterday, with his pre-op medication. In fact I can't remember a single thing after taking a few tablets for my 'nerves' :-)



While I was waiting for physios, doctors, crutches etc I managed to applique these 8 hearts that I had basted over papers many years ago.



The original pattern called for them to be sliced in half and sewn together with different partners. I'm still thinking about this part...



In the meantime, I am under strict instruction to do no strenuous sports etc for the next 2-3 months (oh, so no change there then LOL). For now I am merely (a) S.O.R.E. (a Sewing Operative Resting Extensively!)

'My' Singer Treadle ( a.k.a. Another new project)

Luckily the week is flying because I'm not sure I could cope if it dragged and in a few hours I will head off to the hospital. My bags are packed, my freezer is full of meals and the washing is sort of under control... Anyway, I had meant to blog this before, but things kept popping up and one night I'd sew (I hardly ever get a chance to sew during the day!) and the next I'd fall asleep putting the boys to bed...

But on Saturday a special thing came to live at our house...



This is something I have wanted for ages. Before I sewed as much as I do now, I just wanted the legs to make a table, but now I want to get it working again if at all possible..



I don't know the model number or anything about it other than it's a Singer so if anyone could help me out with a bit of background info on it, I would be most grateful. ps I may not reply for a bit, but will try as soon as I can :-)



I just love it and I hope to sand it down, clean it up and look at it lots... and dream about restoring it properly!!



(DS2 checks the drawers...)



(Here's hoping I get restored properly too!)

Sewing, the great stress reliever

Yesterday the hospital phoned to inform me that I had an appointment for my leg surgery next week. NEXT WEEK!!!! Last time I spoke to the lady at the waiting list office, she gave me the distinct impression that I would be lucky to have one in the next few months!

My stomach has been churning with the news. I needed some mindless sewing, so I made some more units for Bonnie's mystery. When nervous thoughts crept back in, I put a block together.



Luckily DH was playing tennis so he didn't get his fingers in LOL.


I was hoping to get this mystery pieced before I go to the hospital next week, but I have a lot to do before Thursday (like stocking the freezer, spending time with the children, planning some small handwork, calming my nerves...)

Why the surgery?
In 1997 I had a bicycle accident in Germany and broke my femur. This was pinned. Incorrectly.




After the pin was put in, I went back to see the surgeon and complained that I couldn't walk without extreme pain. He looked me over, took x-rays and then suggested we 'shorten the other leg'. Call me crazy, but I didn't think that was such a good idea! I asked for my x-rays and said I wanted a second opinion. He said I could get a second opinion, but that I could not have the x-rays.


The doctor I saw for the second opinion, referred me to the University hospital in Tuebingen, Germany. Six months later the pin was removed and corrective surgery was done on my knee to correct the angle of the leg.




18 months later this knee plate was removed and more corrective surgery was required to correct the length. Bone was taken from my hip and put into my femur to lengthen the leg.




Both corrective surgeries were the result of the first ridiculous operation.

When I went to see my second opinion doctor again after it had all been relatively corrected, I explained that I still had the plate in my hip, he said "No problem, just come in one morning, I'll take it out and you can go home in the afternoon". Call me crazy again, but no thanks! I wanted just a tiny bit of TLC with that. So I have had this plate in my hip for a while.

Had, I not had 2 children, I could easily have ignored the constant pain, the limp etc, but it's getting to the point that I fear I will struggle as a little old lady. Also, having 2 boys means Mummy should really be able to kick a football around.

So next week I go off to have the hip plate removed. Wish me luck, wish my boys luck (Granny is here for a few more days, but has only managed 4 nappies in the same amount of years LOL) and just keep on quilting!!!

A time to break down, and a time to build up

I have sewn part 1 of Bonnie's Double Delight mystery quilt, part sewn part 2 and 3 and had a sneak peak at parts 4 & 5!!

I laid them out on the floor to have a little look at how my colours would work. I pronounced "I like it"!

DH walked past. "Have a look" I said proudly...



Well, he thought there was something not quite right :-) He tried a few variations replacing the 9 patches for 4 patches etcetera etcetera etcetera... In the end, he went back to Bonnie's original design LOL, but I changed the pinky-peach for red. I guess he's just not a pinky-peach kind of guy :-)))



I did make a few teeny-tiny little fabric purchases including the brown for this quilt to make my stash work. There were only 6 FQ's of the brown 'dinky diamonds' left in the shop which was just as well as I needed a yard and a half! Unfortunately one of my sneaky purchases was the peachy-pink!!! But I shall use that on the back with the now discarded 9 patches.


Building work has resumed. Walls have come down and dust is trying to settle in every single nook and cranny in the house.



We no longer have a family bathroom downstairs.



Just as well we now have a new one upstairs.


The children did some building too...




We no longer have a gingerbread house :-)

UFO's: Ending the year how I plan to begin

I made a mini list of my most pressing UFO's (in my sidebar) and last night decided to tackle the borders of my Orange Crush mystery quilt. The border pieces were half done and just needed putting into rows. Then the plain blue inner border and the plain red outer border needed cutting and piecing.

I read the instructions where Bonnie says something like "Now for some Maths...". Uh-oh!!



Well I just decided to wing it with her measurements. (I didn't even measure my quilt to see if I was going to be lucky or not LOL). And it all fit together just fine. Whew!!! My kind of quilting!!!

Now for the back. I plan to piece the back from strips I cut ages ago.



I haven't really got a plan with the strips, I know I had a few ideas, but can't remember which one I had planned to do as I had cut these strips so long ago.... I'm sure I shall think of something. But at least I am tackling those UFO's which is a good thing as an evil temptress has informed me that Bonnie is starting a new mystery called Double Delight on New Year's Day and I just love the sound of it so.... I have pulled fabrics and am thinking I may join in if DH's sewing ban is not put into place!

And while I was sewing last night, the others were doing a puzzle...



I have said if there's a sewing ban, then there will also be a puzzle ban, a tennis ban etc etc...

On another note, I did really well this Christmas. Sharon's gift went everywhere with my Hexagon's in. I have 2 fabulous bags for my WIP's from 2008 (one from Peg and one from Sharon - Thank you both again!) I also joined in the BQL Secret Santa and got a stunning folder cover for the 'Handmade gift"



and some cool notions for my "Purchased Gift"




Our neighbours returned from their holiday in New Zealand and surprised me with some great fabric and some fun panels. My favourite fabric saying was in this picture....




"Me Quilt? No, I just collect fabric!" Umm, well, yes, I guess so LOL

Kate also kindly sent me some blocks from a swap we did together a while back and as I still had some over from when I made my scrapbuster quilt (as seen in my header) I thought I'd like her spares to try something else a bit scrappy again... (Umm, about clearing those UFO's... well, yes, someday!)



The extra pineapple blocks are pretty cute too! Thanks Kate!


Now, it's just left for me to wish everyone a Happy, Hearty, Healthy (and most importantly handcrafty) New Year!!!

Hello again

There I was last Monday, minding my own business when WHAM! I got struck down with the most nasty flu. Today was the first day I have been up and feeling ok pretty much all day. A whole week of coughing, nose-blowing, sick children and definitely no sewing. I managed a very few stitches on my hexagons one evening, but it was too much like hard work LOL

As the whole family was finally well enough to go out today, we braved the masses so that DH could make a start on his Christmas shopping (Men!).

And tonight I made a start (and a finish) on 3 quick adult stockings to go with the boy's Christmas stockings...



And I also photographed the packaging of my BQL Secret Santa...



What a cheek! As if I would open it before the 25th!!! :-)

A year of bags

This is my December BQL Bag Challenge bag. I somehow managed to keep up with the challenge and made 12 very different bags throughout the year. And what a year! Although I have given many bags away, the photos remind me of what a year this has been. Good, bad, sad, fast... and I shall look forward to 2009.


I have put a Flickr badge in my sidebar with all the photos of the bags that I made in the 2008 Bag challenge.


Thank you Kandy (who needs a blog so I can link to it!) I'm not sure what next year's challenge is and whether I'll be able to keep up, but knowing how interesting this challenge was, I imagine I shall be very tempted!

Roses are red and pink and....

I have not been blogging much as I am not permitted (!) to be on the computer too much these days LOL. This does mean that in the evenings I get exposed to a lot of television (!!) and (luckily) quite a bit of hexagon handwork too :-)

Here are my hexagons so far...



I have a ways to go. I still need to border the rose panel with cream roses and attach it. This I will do last. I am sewing the hexagons in sections. The big gap will become a whole new section which I will join later. (At the moment it is still in 3 sections.)

I got a wonderful and very welcome surprise from Guðrún! More gorgeous rose fabrics.



These have already been added to the above sections, but just need to be stitched on. Thanks Guðrún. The sweets were very welcome too :-)

I have finished the tree skirt. I struggled with the tension on the back for ages and in the end thought that for something that will be used once a year for a few weeks and only viewed from the top I am not going to agonise over it. So it's done and already in use.



This week I also received an African block from Kate for our private blockswap.
We have now decided to swap smaller blocks so that we can potentially work on the borders of our very unplanned quilts.



Thanks Kate, this is a really cute block.

Also on an African theme. Mother has finished 2 scarves for Ruth's Scarves for Africa project...



In case I don't get any more computer time between now and Santa's visit, I'd like to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and thanks for visiting!

More of the white stuff

Kids (like me) dream of days like this! School closed due to the snow!!



It was wonderful walking in the snow...



feeding the sheep...



And building the boys first ever snowman....



There has been crafting.

I have pieced the top of a tree skirt.



I VERY loosely followed the tutorial on Crazy Mom Quilts's blog for a log cabin tree skirt. Yes, very loosely LOL, but I like it. Now just to quilt it, cut it, bind it... perhaps by Christmas eve (next year!!) as I am having some tension issues with my quilting and it's driving me nuts!


And Mother has knitted me a scarf (from wool I bought to knit myself a scarf LOL).



My mother is an amazing knitter. Now Mom's knitting some charity scarves for Ruth's Scarves for Africa project. She will probaly knit 3 or 4 scarves in the time I would knit that one scarf!!