Thrifty fabric finds & a quilt tadaah..

Hiya lovely bloggers :o)

Hope this post finds you all fine n dandy this Wednesday evening!

Oooo, I'm getting good at this posting lark aren't I? lol.

But I do have to admit that I wanted to write this post Monday. Alas time gets away from me too quickly these days.

Thankyou all kindly for your comments on my last post -the first in my little series of 'spotlights'. I always think it's nice to find out about lovely blogs and people you may not have heard of. I shall be spotlighting another victim  another blogger this weekend. It may even be you :D

I had a little thrifty shopping to do the other day, and I was so pleased to find some large pieces of lawn cotton fabric, and a most beautiful feathered organza that I absolutely adore!  :: 

This is all of them together::

A lovely Aisan style lawn -2metres (£1.95)::

Another 2 metres Aisan style lawn -£1.95::

Five metres of dress fabric I think it's a viscose blend (£1.95)

A most gorgeous coloured, 3 metres of dress fabric that I'm going to make at least one skirt with! (£2.25)

And this most gorgeous feathered organza!! The colours of the feathers are so beautiful -especially with that aqua colour! -3metres £1.50!

So as you can tell, I had a bit of a spending spree!

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Here's some pictures of another quilt that I keep forgetting to show you.

I didn't make it to any pattern -which shows! lol-

I quilted in the ditch in the end. That's after free-machine quilting it all first, then not liking what I had done, so I unpicked the WHOLE quilt and started again.

This is the back.

I did actually make this for someone, but I was so un-happy with it, that I didn't give it to them!

Sometimes I do think I'm just a tad of a miserable old bag, 'cos when I look at this quilt now, I like it, and think they would have too!!

I think I was just being picky after being so disappointed at my first go a free-hand machine quilting.

I used my walking foot to stitch 'in the ditch', and it worked a treat.

(I ought to say that my friend didn't go without a gift, I gave her something else!)

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A fun patchwork pillow that I made my son :D

Yes, he is much too old for monster and Mr Men fabrics, but it made me grin, so he got it :D

Well, that's me for today.  I suppose that's it on our sunshine for a while now too :o(   Can you believe it's the summer solstice tomorrow!  Lordy, halfway through the year already!

You have a great week my dears, and take care. xx

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This photo is for all of you lovely bloggy friends.  xx

This photo is for Jo and Jennie, who I know are both having a very hard time at the moment :o(

You take care my dearies, and keep your chin up! xx

This message is for 'Trills'!

Dear Trills, thankyou so much for always leaving such beautiful comments on my blog posts. Unfortunately blogger won't let me respond to any of your comments for some reason, so I have no way of contacting you :o(

But i just want you to know that I so appreciate your lovely words (as I do everyones), and they help to make my day.

I'm looking forward to when you get brave enough to blog yourself my dear :o)

Take care down there, and have a lovely week. xxx



Hello, Hello, Hello :o)

HELLO lovely people :o)

How are you?

Oooo, it's lovely to be back :o)

I've had a really lovely break, and I'm pleased I backed off for a little while. It made me realise just how much of my time is spent on the computer, and how little is spent creating and 'home loving' !

Anyway, i'm hoping that I've learnt enough to make things a bit more even now.

It was my youngest daughters 13th Birthday a couple of weeks back, and I was lucky enough to be a winner (yes ME!!) of some tickets to the pre-launch of the Harry Potter Warner Brothers Studio Tour.

So on her Birthday we whizzed up the M3 and M25 (motorway roads in case you're wondering:o)

to Levenden where they filmed parts of the Harry Potter films...

The model castle was magnificent. Shame about my crappy photography really, otherwise you would be able to see it better :o)

Obviously we had to have a glass of Butter Beer (no alchohol) which I have to say was delicious!  I shall be trying to replicate this during the summer months as I can still taste it now..Mmmmm

There was loads to see and do, even though it hadn't yet opened 'proper' to the public. We won tickets to go on 17th March, and it didn't officially open until 31st March.

I'd say it's a brilliant attraction to any Harry Potter fan, and my eldest daughter and husband aren't 'into' Harry at all, but they really enjoyed it too.

Just one thing to remember if you do go though.  I know generally the souvenir shops at places are expensive, but the one at the studios was extortionate in my opinion. It was really expensive as things go, so just be ready to take your credit card, cos' you'll need it!

~~~~~~

The garden has been popping out all over the place. My forsythia bush has been flowering since before Christmas (which at the time I have to admit had me a bit worried as to what would happen to it in the spring), but now it looks divine!

And we have frothy blossom everywhere, although i'm still waiting for my apple blossom :o)

And I've been getting on really well with my makes.

I'll be opening my Litte tiny stitches Etsy store again today or tomorrow, so it'll be good to pop my new makes in there :o)

All sorts of patchwork has been happening here,

which has been making me happy.

And I see that this super lady has had a gorgeous patchwork quilt made by one of her customers from the fabrics from her Etsy store which sells the most fantastic vintage, soft and cosy fabrics.

And I see this super lady is making the most gorgeous patchwork quilt too!  And as well as that, she does the most fantastic crazy patch blocks which are to die for!! 

Just pop over and have a look at these two lovely, brilliant people. I admire them both tremendously :o)

Well, that's it for me today lovely bloggers.

Pop back in a few days, as I'm gonna introduce you to my 'thrift store'.

Happy happy week to you all.

Take care now,

Love Donna xx

Sewing times and Thrifty finds :o)

Good evening people :o)

I hope this post finds you all fine and dandy on this 4th July :o)

Happy Independence Day to my lovely bloggy American friends :o)

D'you like my lovely old Singer Sewing machine? (above)

She's a beauty isn't she?  

I've had her now for about 9 years.  And we've done quite a bit of sewing together.

I adore the gold printing on her, and the grape vine front plate..

It's so pretty isn't it?  but old things generally are aren't they?

Well, I've made a start on my daughters quilt.

Below are the first fabrics that I cut.

They were my first 6" squares.

And below is my first 'block'

 :o)

I've decided to make her a seperate Dolphin cushion.

I'm quilting the dolphin panel (for the front) by hand.

And it's so enjoyable. Trouble is it's so s...l...o...w.... too! LOL

But the actual quilting has come up even better than I imagined.

If you look at the big dolphin above, you can see it just starting to show in the 3d  around the nose that quilting does...

That part of it always amazes me.

It's so simple, yet so effective ;o)

I've been slowly sewing it when my eldest daughter isn't going to catch me.

I took it to do today when she had her first days work experience. But unfortunately her work experience didn't happen :(

We got there early, but almost as soon as we were at the hotel (she's working there for the week) she started to have a humungous seizure, so I had to give her her emergency medication and bring her home :o(

But we don't give up easily! We're going back tomorrow to try again :o)

So wish us luck!

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And look what came in the post for me!

How spoiled am I?

I've lusted after this bag for ages and ages now, and it was finally in the sale at Cath Kidston.

reduced to £35.00

Oooo, I so love it, and I know a certain Rosey bloggy friend will love it too!

Trouble is, there appears to be lots of imitation Cath Kidston about at the moment.

It makes me want to stick a big label on my bag stating that it's a real one LOL ;o)
****

I finally started picking our runner beans yesterday.
Only a few, mixed with some of the french beans, but steamed over the new potates they were delicious :o)

This is our first hibiscus flower this year. isn't it gorgeous?

It was positioned there in the sun just like that.

Waiting for it's five minutes of fame on my blog ;o)

Other lovely flowers in the garden...

Above is my first courgette flower, although it does have a courgette on it too.

Our tomatoes are all reddening up.

This photo was taken last week, and I've now got 14 cherry ones going red, and about 7 big ones, and 4 plum ones.

Here's some of our blueberries this year.

last year we only had 4 berries on them:(

This year we have loads (theres another plant too not in the photo )

Yummy water melon (no, I didn't grow this :o)

And here's the little courgette growing below the flower that's now out

(sorry, i should have put these in order shouldn't I ? )

And here's my most bestest thrifty find of the year.

40 vintage sewing patterns for £10.00!

Yep, 40!

I was so excited when I saw these in the charity shop I can tell you!

Once I've finished my daughters quilt I'm gonna make a start on one of these little beauties.

I'll show it when the time comes.

Some of them I don't like/wrong size and I'm going to try them in my Etsy shop -which I have sadly neglected all through June :o(

But once this work experience is over I'm going to be listing and sorting it out.  I have to park and stay near the hotel where my daughter is in case of/when she has seizures so I can administer her emergency medication.

It's classed as an 'unlicensed' medication, so only me/dad or medical people can administer it, not her teaching assistants who are with her on her work experience and at school.

So fingers crossed she'll be having some work experience tomorrow, and I'll be doing some more sewing :o)

That's it for me tonight folks.

Oh, did anyone else have internet connection problems at the end of last week?

Half of our town and a couple of others around had no internet connection. Did that happen to any of you?

Just thought I'd ask, as you know how nosey I am, and so far no one (not even the service provider) has any answer! 

Anyway, you all take care now, and have a fabulous sunny (fingers crossed) week.

Love Donna xx



A commission Ta..daah.. :o)

Goodness me, it seems aaggeess since I did a blog post, and I've been so busy over the past week, the time just keeps running away again....

Anyway, how are you this warm and bright spring evening?  I hope this post finds you all fine and dandy :o)

What have I been upto?  Well, I finished my first Etsy commission :o)  Yay!

I was so chuffed to get this commission, then I was a bit scared when I did (well quite a bit actually lol) but I've finished it now, and it's on it's way across the lil' ole' pond.  

D'you want to have a look?

Here it is....

This was an action photo ( :D ) finishing off my last rounds..

See 'em?   I had to make four 17" x 13"  (!!) placemats with white and blue running through them..

I learnt a lot by doing this commission.

One of the things was as soon as you finish the job, post it off!

That's because I was going to post it this morning when I got back from the school run, but as I was packaging them (today was the day that I gave for posting them off),the school phoned to say they had to phone for an ambulance for my eldest daughter as she was having a really bad seizure.

So I had to rush to school, administer her emergency meds, then bring her home early and sort her out ...bless her. (She is fine, and this is a usual procedure :(  just in case you're worried)

She had a really bad one yesterday as well, which is why I didn't do it yesterday. But, I got them posted off in the end today, so alls well that ends well.

Second thing I learned was not to underestimate your postage weight (eh Jennie :o) )

BUT, I really, really enjoyed doing them, and I have learnt by my mistakes (no, really lol).

I've also been doing a small amount of patchwork. I used to do quite abit when I was younger, and I'd really like to do a bit more.  Not necessarily quilting, but I just like pretty, cosy patches.

I just used a thrifted piece of fabric, and crocheted around the edge, cos' I've found out that I adore crochet and patchwork together !

And when I finally get my childrens clothes (from when they were little) down from the loft, i'm going to patch and crochet a blanket :o)

I'd like to do squares with crochet joinings.

I've also got three of these on the go to pop in my Etsy shop..

They're lovely, lacy scarves. I have one sitting by my computer to do while I'm waiting for my photos to appear, one in the car, and another one by my bed (sometimes the one in the car gets transferred to my handbag to finish off while I'm in the post office queue LOL.

So if you see anyone crocheting in traffic jams (NOT when I'm driving I hasten to add) or in a queue, it's probably me  =)

We've been out inthe garden too this week. And here's our little tomato plants and beans and asters...getting bigger every day..

See these beans in a saucepan? well, that's my big old one, not one we use for cooking :0)

When the bottom kinda come away from the top, I couldn't bear to part with it, so made up a really good (not) excuse to my hubby that I desperately needed it to pop the runner bean seeds in. (not sure how I got away with that one, cos' I'm a terrible hoarder and it drives him nuts! LOL)

I have loads more to tell you, but i need some sleep now, so I'll try and pop back on Friday with the rest of my news.

Take it easy and enjoy the sunshine while we can =)

Love Donna xxxx