Monthly Archives: April 2017

TBT!

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A Throwback Thursday picture of the Boys and one of their most favourite children’s characters, Thomas The Tank Engine!  DH and I read the stories to both of them again and again and I just love them, they have a kind of innocence not seen in some of today’s childrens books.  This was taken at Great Central Steam Railway in Loughtborough in May twelve years ago and the Boys were nine and five.

At Quorn Railway Station

DH, Youngest and I in the carriage being pulled by Thomas.

I hope you are having a Happy Thursday.

Hugs, Susie x

The Wednesday Wag!

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Mom has been busy with work this morning but then did some tidying in the sewing room, otherwise known as Eldest’s room, so I have been keeping her company!

I did get into trouble earlier though as I had not long had my breakfast when I was pestering Youngest for my lunchtime biscuit!  Mom came downstairs at 12.00 Noon when I have my biscuit and I was right on her heels and I got into trouble for almost knocking her downstairs.  Mom said it was obviously the Witching Hour but as it was Noon it was the Airedale Hour and I was obviously hexing her if I did not get my biscuit!

I decided to make myself scarce this afternoon and have been on Mom and Dad’s bed as the sun shines through their bedroom windows in the afternooon and although it is cold today it is nice and warm in the sunshine.

Eldest and Girlfriend came for a visit last night and so I had a great time with them and was sad when they went.

Mom says she has lots of quilting to do at the weekend so I can keep her company in the sewing room and then Monday they have house jobs to do, so I will be staying out of the way if the vacuum cleaner is out all day again.  I hate that vacuum cleaner!

I hope you are having a woofy Wednesday

Treacle

Monday Mayhem!

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Monday sure came round fast this week!  Well no quilting got done because by Saturday I was exhausted!!!  It had been a really busy week business wise and making sure all the work got done meant working late and we were all up early on Saturday for DH and Youngest to go swimming so by lunchtime I was beat!!!  I know that if I do do any sewing it usually goes wrong when I am tired, so I may as well save time un-picking by not actually doing it!!!! 

Sunday, with DH’s help, I got a lot more Spring Cleaning done.  DH helped with the heavy lifting and moving of furniture and Treacle just kept us company.  In fact the weather was quite nice so she had the back door open so she could poddle in and out as she pleased, so by last night she was a tired little girl!  We got a lot done and in fact we just have the kitchen to do next weekend (which is another long weekend for us) and three bookcases to sort and tidy and then it will be done for another year!

DH is at a swimming event next Saturday and Sunday as President so I will have lots of quilting time then.

Youngest went back to college today after Spring Break which was a shock to the system after two weeks off but it is only five weeks in this term before he gets May half term off!!  However it will then be seven weeks before the end of this first year of college (okay so where did that year go?!!!!) which will take us up to the end of July (okay so where is this year going?!!!!) and we will then be looking forward to our summer vacation!!!!  Do you want to know how long it is until Christmas!!!!!!!!! 🙂 (245 Days)

Speaking of Christmas I am busy trying to sort out a swimming club trip to see the above Pantomime at the beginning of December!!!!  You see you have to sort things out this early to make the bookings so I have an excuse to talk about Christmas!!!!  The parents think I am mad sorting this now at the start of Spring but believe you me it is like moving the Seventh Fleet to organise a trip and you should see the paperwork!

I am going to get some home jobs done tomorrow as I have managed to get caught up with work and do some grocery shopping.  Our weather is forecast to be cold for a few days so the heating is back on again (!)  with possible snow flurries!  We didn’t get any snow in the winter months but now its Spring, we get snow!!!!

I hope your week is starting off well.

Hugs, Susie x

Arctic Thursday!

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Today is like the Arctic here and the heating has gone on again!!!  Of course I knew this would happen as Treacle has had her haircut!!!!  She has spent most of the day curled up on Youngest’s bed and everytime I saw her, she was scowling at me!!!!

Here is the picture for TBT of Eldest and Youngest ten years ago, aged 11 and 7 at Urquhart Castle on the shores of Loch Ness.  As you can see the weather is sunny but cool but not as cold as today!!!!  I love these two to bits!

I have spent the day at my desk and tomorrow I have house jobs to do and a basket of ironing and hopefully get some quilting done as well.

I hope you are having a Thrilling Thursday

Hugs, Susie x

The Wednesday Wag!

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I’m Back!I have returned from my spa day and Mom says I must weigh 10lbs lighter after all my fluffy coat has been removed!!!  Youngest actually collected me in his car and it was great I could see out of the back window whilst I was lying down!  Here I am waiting for my lunchtime biscuit.  It is hard word at the spa!

A standing position.

Of course I now need an afternoon snooze!

All of my beds and patchwork quilt are now clean, but they just don’t smell like me!!!  Give it say five minutes and they will all be mucky again Treacle!!!!!

Have a Woofy Clean Wednesday, Treacle

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Gone to the Spa!  Back Later.

Woof, Treacle

 

Save

Tuesday!

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We did not do a lot over the Easter weekend but everyone had been so busy up to the Easter weekend that it was quite nice just to relax!  Saturday evening DH, Youngest and I went to Harts in Nottingham for dinner.  DH had received a gift voucher for dinner for his Birthday last year and we had only now just got around to sorting it out!  It was a lovely evening.

Easter Sunday was another lazy day and the weather was not good so we watched some films and had dinner and that was about it!!!  Of course there is no swimming either as we have the week off so we are not all up at the crack of dawn!!!!!

We, in the UK, always have the Monday off as well and I did think about getting some spring cleaning done but that thought soon passed!!!!!  I have started and done some jobs already but the big jobs, like the kitchen, need to done so from next weekend I will start and try and get it finished asap!!!!!!  Next Saturday DH and Youngest are out swimming so I am going to get on with some more quilting. 

We all went to see this last night at the cinema and it was really funny, well worth seeing if you get a chance.  Eldest has already been to see “Fate of the Furious” which I want to go and see and then we saw trailers for another few films which are coming out later in the year!!!!  It is feast or famine sometimes with movies!

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter.

Hugs, Susie x

Treacle had a busy weekend doing not a lot, but as we were all at home she was constantly awake so is now catching up on her sleep!!!!  Spa day tomorrow!!!!!

The Last Baby Quilt.

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The final baby quilt I made has been gifted to the expectant Mom, Donna, and she loved it.  The theme for the nursery is elephants and stars so this is the material I got.

A closer view of the fabric.  Unfortunately although we took the pictures outside they don’t do justice to the colours.  The inner border and back is actually a bright blue spot and goes well with the blue water in the elephant print.I loved the fabric and as you know elephants are one of my favourite animals.

A picture of the back.  I decided not to do a heavy free motion quilt on this but just the diamond pattern as I thought it would obsecure the pictures of the elephants otherwise.  Youngest was helping me by being the quilt holder.

I have now moved on to doing my second super secret quilt and have Youngest’s all ready to start quilting and then I will be on to Evalyns.  I will show you the fabric I have chosen for hers tomorrow.   DH is off tomorrow and we have some jobs to do and grocery shopping and then on Saturday evening we are out for dinner.  The weather is not suposed to be very good over the Easter weekend but at least it is dry but very cool.  I cannot believe the difference between one weekend and another!

I hope you are having a Thrilling Thursday!  Treacle was too lazy yesterday to do her Wednesday Wag, because of the cooler weather she has gone back into hiberation mode!!!

One upside down asleep Airedale!

Hugs, Susie x

Tuesday Thoughts!

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Well the final episode of Bones has aired in the UK and after twelve years of dedicated watching I feel it went out with a whimper instead of a bang!   I think it was because they only allowed the final series to be twelve episodes instead of the usual twenty two and the producers felt they had to do a big storyline which seemed to be badly planned and rushed.  It would also have been nice to have a crossover with Bones and the X-Files instead of the bad crossover with Sleepy Hollow but we viewers are never consulted on these important issues!!!!!!!!

Talking of changes here is the new £1 coin which has twelve sides and has just gone into circulation.  Of course for those of us of a certain age they remind us of the old Threepenny bit, below.

The new £1 coin is supposed to be less able to be forged but I am sure some enterprising criminal will find a way to do it!

Talking of old coins here is the old six pence which up until 1946 actually had 50% of silver in them.  Brian May of Queen actually uses a sixpence as a guitar pick instead of a plastic one as he finds them too flexible.  He will use the serated edge of the coin to get a different sound.  Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top uses a Mexican Peso. 

The worst coin we ever had was the half penny!  They were a complete pain in your wallet and most people ended up just putting them into a jar and saving them up. 

Since the weekend when we had temperatures of up to 70°F and it was lovely and sunny. it is now down to 50°F and freezing again!!  I have booked Treacle in for a spa day next week so of course it will be cold until then and afterwards too!  Our Weathermen are forecasting a fantastic summer with wall to wall sunshine but as they forecast this every year we are not holding our breath!!!!!!  Tomorrow I am out for Lunch with Jayne!!!

Happy Tuesday

Hugs, Susie x

British Quilt & Stitch Village 2017

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This quilt is called Fossil by Shiela Harris

Warning heavy picture post!

I went off to the Quilt show on Friday and I have not been to this show for about four years and usually quilt shows get bigger over the years but I can honestly say this one hasn’t!  There were certainly less trade stands and less quilts.  Although the quilts which were entered were lovely.  Enjoy!

This is Ornithological Oddessy by Anne L Beaumont which won her category of Special Theme Quilt and won Overall in show.  Anne drew all the birds except the woodpecker and it is hand appliqued by the needle turn method and hand quilted. 

Giant Hexies Galore by Brenda Wroe

This group is from the Modern Quilt Category and although not a favourite of mine the ladies did wonderful work.

Spearmint and MInet Accented Table Cover by Brenda Shingler

Meadow Flowers by Brenda Shingler

Jelly Cats by Tracy James

In the Footsteps of Dragons by Sheilah Daughtree

Diptych:  Inspired by Klimt by Eleanor Marsden which won first in this category.

Churned to a T by Abigail Sheridan de Graaff

Kirsty’s Victorian Fantasy by Irene Conley

A close up of the victorian pictures on the quilt.

One Lump or Two by Mrs P Underwood

Reflections by Deborah Griffiths  Machine appliqued and free motion stitched.

“ILL met by Moonlight Proud Titania” by Stephanie Preece 

Sunny Sampler by Karen Kirk

Too Cold for Snow by Helen Walland The Silver Darlings by Reosemarie Taylor

Hexagones from a Jelly Roll by Angela Whiston. From Ireland to Indigo by Ruth Duffy.  Dyed indigo pieces and inspiration from Ruth’s Irish roots. Cupcake Heaven by Brenda Wroe  As you can see you can’t see the cupckes very well from a distance and the light was shining on the side so I got a close up, below, of the cakes. Love the Colours, but ….  by Lyn Smolenska  A stack a wash quilt learnt at a workshop but Lyn still does not like it! Fizzi-Pops by Marilla Taylor  A quilt practising curved piecing, hand stitched and quilted.  Grandpa’s First by Mr N G Mery.  This quilt was made up as he went along with materials to hand for his first Grandchild. The Elephants in the Room by Ruth Hooper, using mostly leftovers and is for her new Great-Niece. Floral Impressions by Anne Gosling

Pickled Clematis by Anne Jeater Machine applique and hand quilted. Dresden Burst by Kathleen Merry Should I Stay or Should I Go? by Abigail Sheridan de Graaff who is born in the UK married to a Kiwi and has lived in both countries several times and her heart lies in both!  It won first in the Walll Hanging Quilt Category.

I apologise to some of the ladies whose quilts are not named but where the quilts were displayed it was very difficult to get in and photograph them and then trying to match the quilt with the descriptions afterwards has been quite difficult.  They were all great.  I also apologise if I have mis-labled any!!!!! 

My only complaint on the day was how rude some of the attendees were!  I had one woman shut the door on my face, several times I was pushed out of the way whilst trying to look at fabric at the stallholders and I was queuing at one stall to get to the front and this woman just barged her way past three of us to the front!  after two hours I had had enough and left.  As I say not a big show!  I have purchased my ticket for the Festival of Quilts in August in Birmingham where there is so much more room and also a lot of stallholders.

I did get some fabric for my next planned quilt which is for Evalyn’s proper bed, now she has made room in the nursery for Owen!  I will show you pictures of that tomorrow. 

We had a great weekend, weather wise, and managed to get lots of jobs done.  Next week is Easter so we have a few things planned and more jobs of course and I am hoping to get some more quilting done. 

I hope you had a Happy Weekend.

Hugs, Susie x