Just like a bus!

Well a country bus maybe. No posts for ages, then along come 2 in a week LOL

So I have finally been getting some sewing done & have had a range of companions. The cats LOVE my sewing room especially at the moment when the sun is stretched all the way across the floor. So much more space to stretch out in!!

 Diego loves to get in real close to see inspect the latest project.

 REAL close!! LOL
Yes I am wearing sunglasses in my sewing room. Here's why.

They also love watching Bird TV from up this high, it looks like they could be in the room with you!! LOL.

This little guy spent hours tapping on the window with his beak trying to get my attention. Drove the cats batty!! They so wanted me to let him in to play. Was I mean to leave him outside?? I don't think so.

I have had a baby quilt project on the machine for some weeks now & it is so close to completion which is just as well since the baby in question is 8 weeks old already. However I think this quilt will last him a fair while as it has ended up around 54 inches square!! Not sure how that happened exactly but that is the size it wanted to be, so it is. Just need to decide if I am going to quilt it or send it out?

This little chipmunk cheeks is the nephew of The Prince. Dad is an Aussie, Mum is Swedish & the little guy was born here in the UK. I tried to reflect his heritage in his quilt so there is a Swedish fabric in the border, an English print in the centres & the border, yellow border to reflect the Aussie sun, fabric to reflect the time of year he was born into (harvest pears) as well as crowns for the label to remind him of "that other birth" that happened around the same time.
Hope he gets from it years of comfort & warmth. Also that he feels the loving embrace with which we welcome him into our family.

Loving what I do & for whom I do it.

Lush x

Last of the Summer Whine

So alright, I have been going through the photos & not ALL of the Summer was a wash out.
Here are some of the better things that happened.

 The Prince's brother & his girlfriend came for the weekend & we wandered into the village & had dinner while watching the fun fair. Wandered back along the seafront home again. Nice.

 I remember the part of Harry Potter that described a tinder dry countryside & hosepipe bans etc & thought "well she seems to have lost it there". Turns out she was right. The "Green & Pleasant Land" does indeed dry out to an alarming extent. Who knew??

 Loads of lovely walks along the beautiful seafront. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE where we live??

 Turning one room in the house into a B&B & 2 into accommodation for student leaders turned out to be a great idea. We met some lovely people & I supplemented my income.

 I did some events. This is a Sunday morning on the hills behind Brighton, 10km run. My fave was the guy who turned up last, took off running, finished, jumped back in his car & left. All in under an hour!! Sicko!! LOL

 Morning visits from this little guy. Hard to see but in the middle on the garage roof. Diego is convinced he can catch him. Helped along by the little guy waggling his tail in a "come & get me" motion before scampering off in hysterics. Poor cat has no chance even if he has become an aficionado at catching mice in the neigbours shed.

Discovered an excellent local restaurant. Chef has worked in "hatted" restaurants & now has his own restaurant. Best pork belly I have ever tasted & The Prince said the fish was damn fine. Crescent Road Restaurant in Downtown Worthing. YUMMO!!

The Prince. Not drowning. Waving.

Had loads of swims with the Prince. People think we were a bit weird swimming but the water was warm & definitely inviting. I would rush home, change & off we would go. Lovely. If we had this kind of location in Australia it would be packed! Not that everyone stays out of the water, there are tons of these every week.

Weird fungal growth on tree in the park. Hope the tree survives.

Things to do when you are left with 6 pints of double cream? Make caramel sauce! Recommend you only keep one jar. Thankfully the Prince needed some gift bags for some project participants. Lush Home Made to the rescue. I even made the patriotic bunting.

 Now I need to go finish this baby quilt. Said brother, girlfriend & new baby are arriving at 5pm. So far it is still in rows. Can I give a top then take it back for finishing?? I am sure it's been done before. Right??

 One final tip. Don't quilt tired!! LOL
Loving what I do

Lush x

A little sewing, at last!

I have managed to get a little sewing done, not much but a little! I have completed another set of Sew Euro Bee an blocks. Not sure i will ever be caught up but just trying to not drown. Muchos apologies to my fellow members but I am trying, really.

Anyhoo, when I received this fabric I was not convinced of the plan but after cutting & stitching & seeing the original inspiration I am a convert. Just lovely, reminds me of sparkling water or diamond facets, can't wait to see the finished article.

I also needed to spruce up the spare bedroom with some colour so made up these cushions in some hand screen printed fabric from Prints Charming. Couple of hours & a finish, gotta love that!!! Cath & Kirsten from Prints Charming are both lovely, they have a range of fabric out with Free Spirit.

Check out my 50 pence @ car boot cane table, coat of paint works a treat!

 Gives a little pop of colour to an otherwise very white room. Now I am off to do a little baking & then maybe catch up on another set of blocks. Wish me luck!!

Loving what I do.

Lush x

Before the before, before & after

So I have been a very bad Bee member & am 3 months behind in my blocks but I kinda have a decent excuse I think.
The year started off calm & went to hectic in 0.3 seconds. 
New to me coffee truck delivered on 7 January. 
Unplanned trip to Oz took a 4 week chunk. 
Came home to sewing room looking like a storage facility. 
Started work the day after I arrived home. Been working 7 days a week ever since.
That pretty much sums it up. Here it is in pictures.

BEFORE THE BEFORE

BEFORE

See, there is a sewing machine in here, it's just impossible to get to it let alone use it!!

& AFTER

My cutting table

 Just ignore the pile of paperwork boxes, they still need to find a home. And I am not even going to go there about the stockpile of wadding behind those boxes. Yes I may need an intervention :)

 My ironing board & comfy chair. Almost obscured by the stuff for the eventual car boot. Not my exercise ball but those boxes.

All the pretties, back where they belong :)

 I am so lucky to have this space in which to create. Now I just have to carve out some time so I can justify this beautiful room. I started yesterday morning with one hour as soon as I woke. Seems to be this is the best time to exercise & create for me as it does not allow me to forget or get distracted by some other household task like cleaning or washing & gets the good stuff done. Like this blogging time.

I am so seriously loving what I do & especially with whom it is done.

Lush x

More evidence.

It's coming I tells ya!! Not that I mind cause it's my FAVE time of the year aside from SNOW!!!!

I managed to get out of the house early today & took Princess Daisy for a wander around the local park. It did us both the world of good. As much as I have loved having the students here, (and the money earned) today I did not need to make breakfast for them & I really enjoyed being able to get out for a walk before I throw myself into the day.
I find if I get my exercise done first thing, it gets done & I don't end up at 3pm making excuses for why I can't/don't want to go. Same thing with the hand sewing.
The morning was lovely, crisp & fresh just the way I love it.

I am really looking forward to the end of the Paralympics so I can get The Prince back. It really has been quite all encompassing. Thrilling & would not have missed the opportunity for the world but oh I am over the pressure now. I am sure The Prince feels the same. I am very fortunate to have corporate tickets to see the gold medal match of the men's basketball today.  Just a little excited!

Loving what I do

Lush x

She's Here!!!!

She's here!! She's here!! She's here!! She's here!! She's here!! She's here!! She's here!! She's here!! She's here!! She's here!! She's here!! She's here!! She's here!! She's here!! She's here!! She's here!!

She is BEAUTIFUL!!!

I will be belly up to the sewing table for a while.  Pictures soon.

Loving her!!

Lush x

Belated FQR or Fashion Anxiety Society!

I had a wonderful time at the Fat Quarter Retreat last weekend My I have meant to blog this for soooo long!! It has been 3 weekends since I had such a lovely time.
Anyhoo, as this is predominantly a record for me, here goes!

I was so nervous about attending the retreat, I nearly talked myself out of going. If it had not been for my Darling Prince I would have been at home cursing myself for wasting money. As it was I had a major fashion crisis on the morning and went through 3 outfits, did some grooming (read eyebrow/moustache stuff) & coloured my hair before I left the house!! This gave Claudia a good laugh when I mentioned I probably still had blue ears!! Smurf's anyone?

I should not have worried as everyone was absolutely lovely & I finally met some of my "imaginary friends" (as they are referred to around here) especially Helen who was just as lovely in person as she is on her blog
.
Funnily as the weekend wore on I discovered I was not the only one who was nervous & worried that no one would want to play. This effected young & old alike & I came away pondering the whys of this situation. No answers yet but I have been thinking deeply on this & some other issues that arose for me from the weekend. Talk about the ghosts of childhoods past, phew!

The organisers did an excellent job & I have to say a big shout out to the crew; Lily, Tascha, Brioni, John & Katy. Also to the helpers Lu & Mandy. I & many others can't wait till next year & I suspect it will sell out very quickly.

So what did I do on my weekend? Well I made 2 things that I have found mindbogglingly difficult to get my head around but have been on my sewing bucket list for what seems like forever.
Katy showed us how to construct a frame/clip purse & Claudia taught us how to construct a zippered pouch. I have already decided to make tons more frame purses but I think the zip pouch may be my one & only. Let's just say that despite fabulous instruction from Claudia, I found it a little confusing but I do intend to have another go at my own pace with the pictures in front of me, so never say never?

I found the weekend very relaxed, a great pace & the projects managable without feeling pressured to complete something. Mind you, I did finish both purses & could have made more if I chose to but I decided that chatting & meeting people was a better idea & this was just fine with everyone. It was a very relaxing weekend & a great chance to get to know people in person.

Sitting around having dinner after a trip to Waitrose was great fun & led to some hysterical conversations. My fave was hearing one of the tutors describing her "catchers mitt" method for stealth pooping!! My god it is a wonder any of us EVER leave the house!! I was seriously in danger of falling on the floor with split sides!!

Anyway here are some pretty pictures of some quilts that were made as part of the several challenges for the weekend. I am sorry but I have no idea who made what but you may find that info on another blogger who attended.

These were the Iron Man Challenge entries. Great fun was had by all who entered.

These are a couple of show & tell quilts. Really lovely work.

Trash, in the green shirt. Was great to find a fellow Aussie & enjoy a similar sense of humour.

Loads of time for chatting & getting to know one another.

These quilts were part of the session on shapes as a basis for a design challenge. Loads of fun & a great starting point for a top.

Some medallion centres or possible for placemats??

Some of the uglies - some of them came home with me to be put into tops for Linus quilts. Photos to come.

I had a great weekend, thanks to all concerned. See you all next year.

Doing what I love (even when I have to be pushed!)

Lush x