Mid month review

Time for a mid month review of what I've been upto. I had planned on posting this last week but I got busy and never managed to post it.

I've been out a couple more times geocaching but the darker nights are drawing in now up here and it's been cold so I suspect we'll not be heading out to do much more geocaching this year unless we get a really nice autumn day when I'm off work.

A wander at about 7.30pm gave us this wonderful looking sunset over St Mary's lighthouse. Pity we live on the east coast so don't get really good sunsets.

I also got some really exciting things in the post this past fortnight!

A box of goodies and some post from Australia!

Here's what I got from Australia! Dasha who blogs over at Patching Pixies read about my charm hexagon quilt and very kindly sent me a load of squares over from her stash to turn into hexagons! I am so grateful for them and they will keep me busy for a while.

The box contained some new Guide uniform just in time for the start of the new year of Guides over here. I've lost weight so I decided to treat myself to some new uniform that fits a bit better. I'm lucky that it turned up on the Tuesday right before Guides started!

The friend I helped with the giant green quilt gave me my reward for helping out too. It's a jelly roll of glamping fabric. Just what every Guide leader needs. This fabric will be to make something for me!

Pretty fabric and it's all mine!

Wedding quilt number 2 is coming on nicely. Not as fast as I'd like but I'm making progress. All the rows have been sewn together so I just need to get the long white strips sorted to join them up. That giant gap is where the pictures will go once I have them sorted.

It's been ironed since this photo. I promise!

I have managed to get some more hexagons made even though I've not managed to get any photos of them. I promise them next time.

In other news for those who have regularly read my blog I've had more disturbing spider experiences. But fear not this time it's me that came out on top. In August my sister and I came across a very large (by UK standards) spider in our hallway. Neither of us are big spider fans so by the time we'd argued over who had to get it with the hoover it was on the move. I chased it into our dining room (or my sewing room as I like to think of it) and lost it in there because it was so fast.

Fast forward to last week when I was sat minding my own business and putting together some strips fro the wedding quilt. My sister walked in, looked at the wall behind me and ran out the room screaming. Apparently the spider had taken up residence behind me to watch me sew. This time I wasted no time in getting the hoover and sucking him up. No more need to worry every time I go to sew about spider attacks now. Phew.

Tomorrow (or Friday for those of you in different time zones so who are already there!) we're taking th dog for her checks at the vets so she can start her chemo. Hope all goes well and my sister doesn't faint when the vet takes blood from the dog. 

...and finally

Apparently Christmas is coming. I know this because in the first week of September I walked into our local ASDA supermarket and was greeted with this selection in the bakery. I've also seen a chocolate advent calander in a shop today.

This is what ruins Christmas for me. In my head it should not even be considered until December. We should at least be allowed to enjoy autumn and bonfire night first!

Mince pie or Christmas pudding anyone?

P.s.. for a change this post actually shows no fabric that I have bought. My bank account is very happy with me at the minute!

Full time work. How do you fit it in?

I'm now 2 weeks into the new job and still adjusting to this working 40 hours a week thing. It's a big difference to what I was doing in my last job where I was contracted to 32 hours over 4 days but was lucky if I worked 20 recently.

I feel like I've not done any sewing for ages and I just wander past the room and stare at my sewing machine wishing I could be using it.

I bought my bike that I'll use to cycle to work if

a) the weather ever improves. I'm insanely jealous of those of you who get nice warm summers with that funny yellow thing in the sky. Sadly this whole concept appears to be lost on the weather we are having in the North east of England.

Shiny new bike. Not the most expensive ever but it does the job

b)I actually plucked up the courage to go cycle my bike! I haven't owned a bike for well over 10 years and it was very obvious to the guy in the shop when I bought it that this was the case. I need to go out and practise but I have no one to go with which I think is what is putting me off. That and my sister panicking at the concept of me cycling anywhere because I haven't got a helmet yet.

Amazingly we ended up picking the bike up in my fiesta and we managed to fit in in 1 piece. I was impressed and my dad was rather astounded! It's amazing what you can fit in a Fiesta.

Can you fit a bike in a fiesta? Yes you can!

I mentioned in my last blog (I think?) that it was a friend's birthday last weekend and we were meant to be heading to her's for a nice girly catch up. Sadly this didn't happen because she ended up back in hospital due to this mystery illness that the doctors are baffled by. So far she's lost 2 stone since Christmas and she is not someone who needs to loose any weight! I wish mine would go that fast. They've done lots of tests and have ruled things out but she's still a medical mystery... So on Saturday I went for a trip to visit her in hospital instead and took some cupcakes that my sister had made.

Butter beer cupcakes based on harry Potter ones. they tasted fab!

Quilting wise I've not got much done. I spent ages with my ill fiend working on a layout for the wedding quilt (this was the weekend before she was in hospital). It looks good and we spend ages balancing colours and different values and scales of prints. I got home and 2 days later looked at next to my computer and it's dawned don me we have the layout wrong. We should actually have 2 rows on 1 side of it not just 1. I think it'll work if I just shuffle the row over but I'm now going to have to take over our floor again to see. Oops

See that single row on the right? Should be 2 rows there now 1. Oops

I did a bit more fabric shopping (Pay day and sales = bad) This rather fab (and upside down. I'm sorry I have no idea how to make it right) how to build a fire fabric is going to be cut in 2. I'm keeping half and giving the other half to a friend for her birthday. She'll love it.

Upside down how to make a campfire fabric

The other ones are just rather fab fabric prints. Apparently my dad was home when these arrived and just groaned at the idea of more fabric arriving. Id best not spot anything else pretty this month!

Prettiness

More prettiness

I did manage to sneak in making that cathedral window pin cushion that I've been talking about making for ages but that's about it.

now do I want to put pins in this or just admire it?

In the next few weeks I'm expecting a quilt to quilt for a friend. She's making it for her friend's wedding and has asked me to quilt in on my machine because it's bigger and I have a walking foot which makes straight line quilting so much easier. In return I'm getting fabric. Oops

So that leads me to the question in the title. How on earth do you all fit in sewing around working and having a life? I feel like I get home at 5.30-6pm and by the time I've cooked and eaten I have no time left for much else. Any tips?

Planning and sun

I'm linking this blog post to the Let's get acquainted link up by Beth at Plum and June. Hey a girl could always use a few more visitors! So anyone who is joining me from there feel free to look around and tell me how you guys have great looking blogs. I just can't seem to get it right.

Well it was my last week at my old job this week and I now have a week off before starting my new job on a Friday. What an odd day to start work!

Everyone was sad to see me go but we all went out for drinks after work on Thursday so that was fun. Not so much for the people who were in work at 5am the next day I suspect since we hit the pub at 12 after work and spent the afternoon in the beer garden. I left at 9pm after we'd relocated to a different pub and back inside. I'll miss the people but I'll not miss the place. Hopefully we'll keep in touch.

After leaving work you'd think that would leave me with a week I could sew until my heart was content - you'd be wrong. Apparently my life is busier when I'm not at work then when I'm there. This isn't helped by British summer time finally putting in an appearance.

On Saturday (yesterday) enjoying my first Saturday off for a while I dragged my sister out for a walk. She took her Camera and I took my GPS (hey, I'm not passing up a geocaching opportunity!). The sun was lovely although there was a rather nasty cold wind.

First up was a walk around a lake to do a spot of geocaching and for my sister to take pictures of flowers and stalk damsel flies.

Sister taking pictures

Jack Sparrow? They had a film costume exhibition on.

QE2 lake - looks lovely doesn't it?

After that it was a trip to some local woods for a wander around. Sis wanted to see the wild flower meadow. I wanted to do the geocaches. A match made in heaven.

We both wanted Ice cream!

Bluebell woods

And that is all the excitement of this past week I'm afraid. I have bought a bike but I don't get that until Thursday and even then I suspect I'll have to spend some time learning to ride a bike again if my demos at the shop were anything to go by. I'll pop a picture up when I get it next week. In the mean time I have to go shopping for bike locks, and bags for it, and a helmet etc...

So onto the planning mentioned in the title. I want to make a quilt this week like this one

Film in the Fridge - Rectangle Squared

I love the colour grey so it seems like a good choice of background but which colours to use with it? (this is Kona mid grey in the background because it looks slightly odd in these pictures)

My plan had originally been for a green and grey quilt but I'm just not certain

I LOVE the bright colours and randomness of this selection but I worry it's slightly too purple?

The batik collection. It would certainly make for a bright and random coloured quilt  but I'm just not certain. Most of these batiks came from the US when a friend visited.

I think these all have good points but I just don't know which to choose. It looks like a nice quilt to make and I'd love something bright I can snuggle under after a hard day at work. I have no quilts for myself after all.

I'm off now to sort out a birthday pressie for a friend. Gotta get that done soon as her birthday is creeping up. It's getting harder and harder and we try and out personalise each other. She got me a mug last year with pictures on of us, I made her a jewellery roll (the first thing I'd made that wasn't a quilt from a pattern!), this year she got me a photo frame with pictures of us so I need to work on something epic! She's just got out of hospital too so I best go find a get well soon card.

Speaking of cards - it's my dad's birthday tomorrow and I haven't got him a card of present yet. Oops. Told you I was busy!

It's a new day... and I'm feeling good!

Well, as Muse put it in their song *.. It's a new day and I'm feeling good! And what a good month May was. I'll actually sad to see it go! Welcome to anyone joining me from the Lily's quilts blog hop and hello to everyone else!

It was a sad month too. I run a Ranger unit which is the oldest section of Girlguiding (the UK version of Girl scouts) that girls can belong to and our oldest member is moving away to another city with her boyfriend. I've known her since she was 10 and it's been nice to see her grow into a confident 22 year old from the shy girl she once was. We had one last meeting all together and my sister made cakes for the occasion. They were burgers and she make sugar cookie chips (fries) to go with them. they went down very well.

I FINALLY finished making the starry quilt that I feel like I've been making forever for a friend. She hasn't got it yet but at least it's done. It was my first attempt at free motion quilting and although not perfect I'm rather impressed with how it looks.

I've also been joining in with a paper piecing quilt along this month. The first quilt along I've done and also my first attempt at paper piecing. Subscribers may recognise some of these pieces but the first 3 are my new ones from last week and I have another 3 to get made for this week then it's all done! Sorry the pictures are sideways. No idea why or how to turn them.

I've also been working on that quilt for my friend's wedding. It's not until October but best to get things done early. The easy bit is all done now. I've got my coloured squares all made and I now have a fair idea of just how giant this quilt will be. The centre of these squares is blank for Guests to write messages and the big gap in the middle will have pictures in of the couple when I a) get them and then b) work out how to get them on fabric! This isn't the actual layout. I promise I'll mix the colours a bit more.

This month, inspired by watching the Great British Sewing Bee on telly, I've also tried my hand at making clothing instead of quilts or random items. I've made a trial version of a dress and a top. Neither have been made in proper fabric yet because I haven't worked out which fabric to use. I'm rather impressed with myself and my invisible zip inserting skills though.

I've also been shopping for fabric. I'm a bad person. My stash really is big enough already but I can't resist the pretty fabric, especially when it's on sale!

My ebay fabric

 And then there's what's been happening in my life. In the middle of the month I went on an occupational therapy open day at the local uni. I really think that's what I'd like to do with my life so I'm looking into how to do that. I think I'm going to have to go back to college to get some recent eduction and I'm probably going to have to try and get some work experience too.

The most exciting and recent change though is that after many years of searching and saying I was going to change jobs because I hated my current one I have a new job! It all happened so fast when last Thursday I got an email asking if I was interested. I went for 1 interview and then on Tuesday I was told I had a 2nd group assessment on the Wednesday then on Thursday afternoon I found out I had the job. It's not the most glamorous in the world - it's in a call centre but the money is better and the hours are more sociable. No more getting up at 3am for me :) I handed my notice in at work today and Thursday if my last shift.

That chapter of my life is over and another one is about to begin.

Now begins to great search for a bike so I can cycle to work... 

*other versions of feeling good available.

Progress, fabric and a dilemma

Another week and another lot of pictures. I'm very impressed at just how much I am fitting in around work at the minute. I've got my sewing mojo back. I have an urge to make a really pretty quilt of some sort and I suspect this is because of all the fabulous quilts popping up in blog land this week due to a blog quilt festival.

Progress

What isn't pictured here is the Sorbetto top I made (again another practise one) but I've ordered some fabric to make a proper one. It was so easy and took me under an hour to make! my justification is that I'm between sizes. I think I'll go with the larger one though due to my large chest.

Next up is the paper piecing sew along I was on about. Here are my first 3 blocks! Can you tell what they are? Can you tell what the smaller one is? It's actually a tea cup and another practise on that will probably turn into a mug rug. the contrast is greater in real life when my phone hasn't decided to put the flash on.

I like paper piecing it's a great way to get cool looking blocks but I had nothing but trouble with the cupcake and the lemonade. The lemonade is actually back to front.I cut my charm square for the lemonade the wrong way because I forgot to turn it upside down so I had to do the whole thing with the printed side of the paper upside down which made sewing fun! the cupcake was all good apart from I just couldn't seem to work out what angle to sew that top strip of icing. What a nightmare that was. Hopefully week 2 will go well.

Then we get to the wedding quilt I'm making. I'm got about 30 squares made today (not all pictured) by being sneaky and using the quilting tactic of chain piecing and not pinning everything which is what my friend was doing last time she helped. Hopefully I'll get a few more done this week then it's back to cutting strips of fabric. I need about 70 of these things!

Fabric

Yes, you remember I said I went on a fabric buying spree to cheer myself up? Here is the result. Lots of pretty fabric! This 1st lot is from ebay. Just a selection of novelty prints. It includes some funky owls, some dinosaurs and start wars fabric?!?! This is the only package my sister has seen arrive in the house and as far as she is concerned I won it. Sneaky me!

Fabric number 2 I bought from Fabric rehab which had a lovely selection of pretty fabric. It was a struggle to not buy more. I have some nice blenders (continuing my collecting of grey fabric!), some very mini hedgehogs and owls and some pretty purple and orange owls. oh and some penguins. obviously! There was a charm back of Summersville spring too but that's already been chopped up for the paper piecing.

Dilemma

In the best way I have a dilemma  It's just me being stupid in fact. I've had thoughts for a while (well years infact) of studying to become an occupational therapist (yes I can hear you all asking what one of them is. Google it because it's a hard one to explain properly. Essentially it's someone who works with people who have health problems or are old to enable them to carry on living a normal life. Make sense? No? Google.)

I have a thing at my local university on Thursday called 'So you want to be an occupational therapist' It's a day to find out about the course and the job and meet current students. And it's only open to mature students. i resent being called a mature student at 28 but I guess compared to the 18 year old I am. How sad. I don't feel like a mature student. Anyway my dilemma is what to wear. Normally to a uni open day when I was younger I'd turn up in jeans and a nice top but I feel like as this is a professional course and it's for mature students I should look smarter? What to wear isn't helped by our weather at the minute either. Parts of my local city were flooded yesterday and roads had to be closed.

I guess we'll all find out next week what I do. Although any suggestions are welcome.

Oh and due to the bad weather There is still no good picture of the starry quilt. It's a bank holiday in the UK next weekend so I'm not holding out much hope for sun any time soon.

Till next time!

A finish at last!

That's right. I've finally managed to finish the starry quilt! Unfortunately the weather here in Newcastle has been rather rubbish so I haven't managed to get a decent photo of it but I promise I will once/if the sun ever comes out again.

The finished quilt yay!

Finishing the quilt should of been as easy as just sewing a bit of binding on but I don't know if it was the tiredness of not having a day off work since the previous Sunday or what but I managed to make it harder than it should of been. 

It all started when I was changing back to my cream thread and I lost a tiny little screw from my bobbin. Oops. It took me about 10 minutes to find it because it is so tiny and it fell on very thick carpet.

Just to give an idea of size. look how tiny it is compared to the pin head!

Next up was the shop bought binding. I thought this would save me time but it took me forever to get the pieces joined and for the folds that were already in it to line up. Grr. 

Finally I did it although I suspect my technique of sewing the full lot on with a sewing machine could use a little practise.

My 1st attempt at free motion quilting a quilt. If you squint you may even spot some stars that look like stars and not just pointy lines.

I have also had a try at paper piecing this week in preparation of hopefully joining the sew along that Ellison lane quilts are hosting!

Flying Geese. Not bad for a first attempt. Excuse the random fabric and that I've not squared it off.

On the clothing front not much has happened. I've downloaded the pattern for a sorbetto top from Colette patterns so I may make a fake one of them this week. I love that it is American sizing because I can take 2 size of my UK size. Always a confidence booster.

My friend with a bit of dress making experience also got to see me modelling my unfinished dress mock up and has concluded that when I put the facing in it the neck should be fine although apparently I could do with more darts in the bust. She offered to attack me with pins but I politely declined.

Oh and because I've had such an awful week at work with them cutting my hours with no warning I splashed out on some fabric. It's yet to arrive but there will be pictures when it does. (Well I need something for this sew along!!)

..and finally...
This week when browsing around all the new blogs I follow (sorry - I can't remember where I found it) I came across a wonderful tool - Palette Builder 2.0. It goes without saying that I played around and some quilts may appear in these colour ways at some point! I'm a huge fan of the one with the daffodils.

Until next time when I will hopefully have fabric and decent quilt photos!
Thanks for reading