Can You Hear That Buzzing??

The great thing about Bees is that after you have finished stressing and running around like a maniac, you forget that you have blocks to receive, until they start dropping through your letterbox. I now have 7 of my 12 (I only had 6 when I had light and took this picture, so more to come), and look how lovely and different they all are. Thank you ladies for the time and care put into these blocks, I can't wait to get my remaining 5, so I can get them all put together into a sunshiny quilt- and I might even make both of the blocks I've been sweating over for everyone else, for myself, maybe!

Ange x

The eyes are open, the mouth moves, but Mr Brain has long since departed......

(That is a quote from the greatest ever comedy, anyone guess which one?
That's kind of how I feel after the last few days, knackered, but I have been victorious, just! 

So, after LARGE piles of these

and these

I now have 6 of these.

Mr Technology tried his very hardest to defeat me though no I haven't lost the plot, quite as Hotmail had carked it this afternoon for MOST of the afternoon. I couldn't get the addresses until ten past 5, so after a quick scribble out of the labels, I pretty much ran (I don't do running, anymore) to the Post Office, and got there 3 minutes before closing.  So I am drained, but I have slayed my sewing dragon (so to speak!).

How is it possible when I say these crazy things, I google an image for them, and they really exist, weird. 

Now aside from a little quilt repair for my niece, the 5 year old vandal little darling, which needs to be done before Sunday, I am free to do some fun stuff. My friend has had her baby, and I am pleased to report it's a little girl, conveniently for me, and the present i started sewing 2 weeks ago.  So, that playmat top I have made up needs some basting, quilting and binding, all good fun!

Ange x

I Forgot My Old Work Motto.....

.......always under promise and over-achieve!  

When I joined this Bee I thought, 6 blocks in 3 months, no problem, so I joined another one, 12 blocks in 3 months with Christmas in the middle, what kind of idiot am I???  Please don't answer that as I am absolutely frazzled, and with my deadline for posting fast approaching (tomorrow), I am inching closer to being done.  Fortunately I have another 2 completed blocks on the board, yay!

And so that means, just 1 to go, plus, as I chose to paper piece, what is it I forgot I would also have to do?  You guessed it, the tweezers are out and I am carefully trying to remove all of those annoying, paper pieces.  Ok, lesson learned, I will be back tomorrow, and I will have made the last block and posted them all, because this will not defeat me, no no, I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!

Ange x

Buzz Buzz....

I am getting closer to finishing these Bee blocks, but oh my it's hard going, 3 down, and 3 to go. I have to say, the colour choices are waaaay more appealing for these blocks (but I still can't wait until they're all done!).




Onwards and upwards as I will bee sewing until the early hours.....

Ange x

Tag That......

My Red Sea Diving Friend

The lovely Gill at Red Raspberry has blog tagged me, to find out at little bit more from me with the following probing questions, so here goes *blinks eyes at the big shiny light in my face, interrogation style*

What is your second favourite craft after quilting/sewing(if you have one)?
Current second favourite would be crochet I think, I only started lessons in September, but it's quite versatile and fun, and I think with a bit more practise I could do even more interesting things (maybe)
 
If you had the chance to change one thing you have done in your life what would it be?
I generally work on the principle of don't regret the things you do, regret the things you don't, and all of those mistakes are why I'm here, now and who I am.

Western Australia

 If you were an animal, what would you be?
Oooh, that's a tricky one, my lovely man tells me I'm crafty (and i don't think he means it in a nice way!), so maybe a fox, and it is the symbol of Leicestershire, our home county.  
 
What is your all time favourite movie?
I'm not really a film buff, I prefer tv series', good ones, in the vein of The Wire, something gritty that keeps me on the edge of my seat.

What is your favourite book/author?
My favourite book of all time is Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy, it's an absolutely stunning classic.

Stunning NZ coast

 What is next on your to-do list of things to learn? 
In terms of crafts, and something new, I would like to do some screen printing at home (like the course I did last year), but I have LOADS of sewing/quilting projects I need to get out of my head and made first! : )
 
Where do you see yourself in 5 years time? 
That's a hard one, I try not to over think these things, but some planning really makes a difference and helps you achieve your dreams- I think I will see where the next 12 months takes me, and if you keep reading the blog, I'm guessing you'll find out....

NZ

Why did you start blogging? 
I mentioned last week about friends thinking my love of sewing/quilting/creating is mad, they just don't get it. Blogging gives me a way of connecting with like minded people, and engaging in conversation, it's an amazing community full of really fun and generous people, and I wanted to be part of that.  It's only been about 5 months but I already feel it's a key part of my creative outlet- a bit of a release valve on all of the crazy ideas in my head!
 
What is your favourite item you have ever made and why?
My favourite so far is probably the hexy quilt I am hand sewing for my little one (2 years and counting, and not quite finished yet).  Without getting all emotional and soppy, it's been an absolute labour of love, and I really want her to love and cherish it, and hopefully she'll want to pass it on to her child one day.
 
Who do you admire most in quilting blog land and why? 
Thats a tough one, and I don't think I can answer it with just 1 person. I admire all of the wonderful (mostly) ladies, who create and craft, take care of their kids and produce some absolutely spectacular items that inspire me to improve my skills, and "up my game".  Too numerous to mention them all I'm afraid. : )

How we got around Oz (without breaking down amazingly!).

What is the most interesting place you have visited or would like to visit?
Last question, phew. There are so so many amazing places I want to visit, Asia, Canada and South America, but sticking to places I have visited, my absolute favourites have to be Australia and New Zealand, I had an amazing time travelling around them in my late 20's, and it really gave me the travel bug, which unfortunately I don't get to engage with at the moment.  I loved the big open spaces of Australia, the aquatic life (I learned to Scuba Dive and cage dived with Great White Sharks which was phenomenal) and the refreshing approach to life. In NZ, the most amazing scenery which reminded me so much of home after 12 months away, but all combined in a smaller set of islands, the simple charm of the place, and the amazing variety of landscapes.  

Tongariro Crossing, New Years Day 2008

Well, that's enough of boring you about me, maybe you could take these questions and  apply them to yourself, you might be surprised about your own answers, and it's a great chance to find out a little more about you.....

Ange x  

Red Sea

  

While The Sun Shines Bright...

I decided to get a little photo of the Playmat top which I finished a couple of days back.  I chose to fill in the corner squares with some of the blocks from my Sew Stitchy panel, and I rather like them.  To add a little texture to the playmat/quilt I've also spent a little time embroidering some parts of those corner blocks, and its given them a rather nice feel, which some bits printed and others in thread.   So next I need to decide on a backing fabric, get it basted up and quilted, although I must get the other bee blocks finished first.

And on that note, I've finished my first paper pieced star for the bee, the colours are actually better in real life, and I rather like this one, but it's off to Heather in the US in the next few days, so I had better not get too attached!

And there is still plenty of time to join in with the Book Challenge, full details here, and sign up to win here (once you've completed your Book Challenge project).
 
Ange x

Fabricy Loveliness.........

 

 On Sunday, I had a little shopping "date" with the lovely Kerry @ PennyDog. We met at The Fabric Guild in Leicester, nice and early (about 9.30ish) and got to work relieving them of some of their excess stock.  For anyone who hasn't been to the Fabric Guild, it's a warehouse on the "not so pretty" does that mean there is a pretty side?  Don't ask silly questions Angela ; ) side of town, that import fabrics directly.  Their reputation can be for the more fugly/granny traditional style of fabrics, but in recent months they have definitely extended their range, and we found some Lizzie House, Constellations(!) (Kerry succumbed), some Creative Thursday, The Red Thread (i couldn't resist, there is just something about rabbits, ladybirds and mushrooms) a lot of Riley Blake, and some Alexander Henry (amongst others).       
  
And I got THE bargain of the day, £2 per yard, red and white stripe. I bought the final 4 yards they had, and it will be perfect for some bindings- probably with that Creative Thursday quilters pack I got, look how cute they look together in the photo (at the top)

It would seem I am also a sucker for a square-headed panda, so this little quilters pack also came home with me, what is it with kids prints?!?

 And, as a friend is having a baby, it seemed rude to leave without some of this £4.95 a yard supersoft flannel, it's lovely, and perfectly unisex (have you seen those racoons!), so if my friend has a boy or a girl, I'm covered (unlike the playmat quilt I started, which is soooo girly, it should never be foisted on a boy!!).

It's clear that Kerry is a bad influence on me, as I bought more than I intended, but we stayed in the coffee shop chatting for ages. It was lovely, all fabric and sewing related, which was great, and exactly why we need that East Midlands Modern Quilt Guild (yes Rob, I want to join the Guild for you, to save you from hours of boring quilting conversations, what a trooper I am!!).

Ange x