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A few sneaks from the sewing table!

My sewing day has been...Fold, Glue, Press. Fold, pin, sew, trim. Will the shop be ready in time for Christmas? We'll all have to wait and see...

Siya'll later...

MAM2 in progress..the Sneak Peak

I spent the better part of today sprawled in the front living room. I sketched out my quilt idea then thought OK now I need to fill in the colours....Father was occupying my usual workspace (his bed lol!) so I trailed downstairs, piles of fabric in hand.
I thought up a few idea's either random patchwork or an actual design. In the end I chose the plus quilt only my version is slightly different from the normal construction as I mostly wanted to use my Echo prints for the pluses, I had to use 4 of my Madrona  Road prints too (make note I don't have the whole collection of either. 16 Echo and 6 Madrona Road from the citrus colourway)

 These 3 panels will go on the back of the quilt along with some paper pieced blocks.
These first two will sit either side of the block with a neutral print above and below them

The block will be halved (2 x 3) and go above and below the pieced blocks with a solid print above/below them. 

I just have to colour in the pattern for reference when it comes to sewing as this will be bigger than any quilt I've made in the past.

Shockingly I have no other projects on the go! I'm not sure what I'll make next...any idea's?

Tomorrow I start a new job! I'm thinking as to weather I should pack up some lunch now or wait till morning...it shouldn't take too long just sandwiches to make.....

Siya'll tomorrow =D

The big reveal!!!

So over the past few weeks I've been sharing sneaks with you on a secret project.
It all started with some sketches, that you may have missed

That became fabric wedges turned cushion tops

With some rainbow bands/sashing

Some linen backing and stuffing 

Became cushions

For all the pictures of this process you can check out my Secret project reveal if you like you can also add me on Flickr too. Now I just have to sew up all the openings and fish out some buttons for the centres of each cushion....40 to choose.....

I'm working on a tutorial/pattern as I've taken a lot of pictures from each step so stay tuned for that.
I also stuffed the heart pillows....they are in one of the pictures, they too will be added to the mix.
I'm still thinking of names...need to actually start writing them down and seeing how ridiculous they are, then I'll need labels.....

Tonight I'm linking up with


I'm out to the cinema and will be celebrating Mother's birthday tomorrow...which reminds me I haven't yet wrapped her present.....
Siya'll tomorrow =D

Oh Hello.....Did ya miss me?

I noticed how some of you missed me...(you know who you be!) 

I've just been feeling a bit blah with the weather and all I hate it!! Friday was a long day. We actually finally got some seeds with just 2 children who attended who seemed to be more interested on playing games than actually gardening, so I made sure it was all done correctly. (Good thing Father taught me the basics I would like to thank him for my gardening skills) I then had to type up some paperwork to go with the folder for the course.
I was a little disappointed/hurt that the manger didn't even say bye before she left as I don't think they'll be needing my help next week as things go back to 'normal' and there will be 4 of them there. (I guess they may ring if they do....)

I haven been sewing and working hard to finish off my secret project. I'm happy to say the main part is done and now I'm just waiting on a delivery so it can be fully finished!

I had to spend some time at the iron to flatten things out and smooth out a few hundred creases! After the delivery gets here and is done I'll just need a good strong needle and thread.

Just want to say a quick thanks to a follower called Ada K. Sadly you're a no reply blogger and I'm not sure you'd read the post again to check if I comment back. So thank you so much for your kind words and for following my blog.

Not sure what I'll be working on next, thinking on doing a few mini-mini quilts to use up some of my scraps. Just gotta find some backing fabrics (I have a few feet of bottle green fabric!) 
I'll also be sketching up some ideas for a logo..still no name thought of yet.

Mother is off work for the next two weeks. On Wednesday we're going to see the new Batman movie and it's also her birthday(remind me I have to put a pillow in her case then wrap it!)...the rest of the week who knows.....

I best get to checking the spiced plums I put in the oven..if you'd like my recipe just ask.

Siya'll tomorrow...=D

One step closer!

Today I was out with the child lol! Seriously only one child showed up for gardening today, most of the others are probably enjoying fun sunny holidays abroad! We expanded the area of soil, before F (the new volunteer from the start of the week) came out to help us. We did most of the work I must say whilst the child kept wanting to take breaks or play around in the soil. Tomorrow is the last day for the Activities and no seeds have been bought as yet!!!! We mentioned to the Chairman that we needed some from last week and still nothing! Will be a shame to have dug up all that area for nothing! The manager said she'll have to run out and get some if the Chair doesn't get some by err tomorrow!
I think G was jealous that he had to stay indoors, doing some coursework stuff and miss out on all the gardening fun! He'll be out there tomorrow...so he hopes. We all had a laugh back inside whilst the child had lunch. (men can be really mean and tell thee worst jokes ever!)
I actually love gardening. There's something rather fun about being outdoors digging up soil ready to plant your own produce. Here at home we have a vegetable patch that I was sad to miss out on helping with due to volunteering.
There was some paper work and such to sort once the child had left. There were some missing forms that needed to be filled out..only with most of the children on holiday it may be a bit tricky to get them done!
F left early and I stayed to help sort out the paperwork and a few other bits and pieces. They seem to be happy enough to have me there as I think I've been rather helpful. I'm still looking for a proper job though....

Back home was continuation of my secret project....I guess you may be wondering why it's secret? I wasn't sure if it would work when I first started it as it came from an idea I saw and then adapted it to my own style. I had a task cutting and sorting making sure everything matched up right so I could make a decent tutorial at the end. I then hit a minor bump, as I forgot about one major aspect of the project and had to do some speedy calculations and searching for the missing part. I found it eventually after a few hours of looking.

I've still been working hard on it and shockingly have no other projects on the go! This has been a main getting all the major leg work sorted so I only have the final part to finish once my order comes through.
After that I can get to work on my sorting things for my Etsy shop! I still have to come up with:

• A cool and catchy name
• A logo
• Prices - thinking of doing a survey for ideas 
• Shipping costs-can go to the post office to get that sorted
• I need to get packaging and such for the items some are small and others are quilts or cushions- I think Father can get some envelopes for the smaller items...may have to look online for bulk boxes.....
• Getting some business cards printed after step one and two
• Taking pictures of each item and then uploading and editing them
• Organising the pictures in the shop
• The grand opening and crossing fingers that all goes well! 

I'm sure I'm missing something there, I'll add it in If I think of anything else....

More pinning to go, which is going faster than expected. I'm onto step 5 now. 

Siya'll tomorrow =D

When Hay fever attacks!

I really hate hay fever! I took some tablets this morning, but they seem to of had no effect. I'm going to blame the weather! I have been blowing my nose for the majority of the day! My poor innocent young bin full of snotty tissues! I also feel oddly nauseous don't know if its the hay fever or down to something I ate....
Today volunteering was cancelled due to the blamed weather. It was too wet to go outside, so there would have been no point sending the poor children out there!
So I got to go home super early.
I buckled down and got a whole lot more of the secret project done before stopping to eat some lunch then leave to go to the hospital. I was in the waiting room for nearly an hour after my appointment was supposed to be! It was for my teeth. I have to have a small operation done to remove some skin that is covering my back molar, the Dr was baffled as to why my teeth had grown like that which was rather funny. Apparently my wisdom teeth are buried so they wont actually come through and I don't have to get them removed either. They'll contact me with an appointment date for the operation. He said it should take no more than half an hour and healing should take a week or less....

Getting back home was more work on the project half of step 4 is done! The other half is in progress. I just need to place an order to finish the project completely. I won't be breaking the ban either.
I guess I can show you a sneak peak....

Hahahaha *wipes tears from eyes*

I have taken way more pictures so I can write up a tutorial eventually...

I also need to think about pricing for my stock items. I'm going to take a few pictures of the things I have then upload them on Flickr. I'll conduct a small survey to find out the prices potential customers would be willing to pay. Good idea? Bad idea? Suggestions if you have any....

Siya'll tomorrow =D

A solid affair....

Today at volunteering we made.....pineapple and peach turnovers.....Chinese chicken noodle soup....pancakes and yogurt smoothies (though we had to use a blender so they weren't quite smooth) One poor boy left in tears after being told he had to try some vegetables when he really HATES them....another boys turnovers burnt, but he tried one anyway and took the rest home.....2 girls did not enjoy the not so smooth smoothies....at least half the children came back for seconds or thirds of the soup and took to some home.......
Twas an interesting time. Afterwards I waited with one of the girls who's Mother was over half an hour late to pick her up! (yes the same woman from last week!) I'm not too sure how many will turn up tomorrow as most of them are going on holiday (some people have all the luck)


I have a confession. I have been cheating on prints for the last few weeks with Solids! I have been using them and no other fabric. I love the punchy bright tones. The range of colours they come in and you don't have to pull out ones that match. Any combination of colours goes together. That's why I'm so totally in love with them right now!

 I'm glad to report part two of the secret project is done! So now I can move on to part three! The cutting is in process. Soon I can get back to sewing....

I'm having fun with this project...I may eventually need to buy some more linen...once I get some monies that is.....

Siya'll tomorrow =D

Love Patchwork Magazine.....

So remember the magazine I showed you all yesterday? Found here They are not paying me to review it this is just my take on the magazine as I haven't found many that I really like.

I took some snaps of a few of the projects inside

There are many others.  Full of colour, inspiration and a lot of different tips on sewing, cutting and buying fabric. It's good for beginners to advanced quilters. It's very detailed when describing how to make the quilt. I'd of liked there to be a few more diagrams on some of the steps, but it's still a great magazine.

I decided to chill out today and take some time to watch TV and relax a bit. I made a plum, pear and mango crumble for dessert the mango is a little sour)

I got some more sewing done and it's going together quicker than I thought. I have a few more to go then I can move on to step 3.

I have quite a lot of pieces left over so may whip up some cushion overs with them......

Volunteering tomorrow. Cooking session this time! 

Siya'll tomorrow =D

What's in your bag?...

So yesterday I had my full day 2nd interview. Full day being from 12-8.30! The company wasn't what I expected at all. The advert on the website I found it on was very misleading. It didn't highlight exactly what the company truly did and made it seem like it was an office job. It wasn't! We were out walking for all those hours. The job was for those people that knock on your door and ask if you've received a grant for house insulation. (the stuff that goes in your loft and walls to make it much warmer without need for heating!)
It was a very strange experience and almost seemed rude going into peoples houses. Sure we weren't selling them anything, but it didn't seem like something I could feel comfortable doing. We walked up and down the same street 3 times in 3  different time frames. The houses where people didn't answer on the first leg we had to knock back at on the 2nd and possible 3rd if they still didn't answer. It's a commission based job so the more people you sign up the more you get paid.
I wasn't keen on the idea you may be walking all those hours and could potentially make nothing for the day. My parents and the Older giant weren't impressed either. I didn't get home till after 10 as I had to wait for the last assessment then catch the bus. I think I would have gotten the job, but it wasn't the right job for me so I told them I wouldn't be interested in working there and it was left at that.
Mother kept me company as I ate dinner and she said I made the right choice. I could have left during the time, but I wanted to see the whole day through to get a better understanding of the company. I like seeing things through, just encase I miss something and wonder, should I of stayed.

(warning the following post has a lot of pictures!)

The title refers to what I was actually carrying in my bag yesterday as I wasn't sure if we had breaks and such and some other stuff was bought before the interview started

 My new bag that I've been using for a while as it was just sitting there and I spent a fair bit of money on it when I first bought it a year or 2 ago. I always have so much crammed inside it. Probably somethings I don't even need. If you look good you can see some handmade items I got from swaps or bought...the floral purse is not one of them!

This morning in the post I got my Graze Box my code for you to get a free box is here. The food looks so good!

After getting in from a lengthy shopping trip! I found this awesome magazine, which has some really great quilts, templates and inspiration inside. (Mother said to mention that SHE directed me to it..which she indeed did as the aisles have all changed again, so I actually walked past it) I'm not sure if it's just exclusive to Tesco. I found it on this site too..it's a little pricey though at £9.99 approx $15, but worth the money I'd say. I'll take a few snaps of the projects inside tomorrow for you to see.

Then I made some great progress on part 2 of the secret project. Even though I'm still achy from yesterdays walking, I pushed that out of my mind and got sewing up a storm...

Sewing table just before I went down to eat dinner. Yes I use a deck chair at the moment...folds down for easy storage...(and to hide the mess under the table.....Shhh)

I have a few jobs to apply to tomorrow one I need to pop my CV in the post. I'm looking forward to the volunteering on Monday! No 8 hours walking....

Siya'll tomorrow =D

Free goodies fellow UK bloggers?

Yes that's right. Last week the Mother ordered herself a Graze box and got some coupons to share with friends for a free first box. The bad news is it's a UK only site. The good news is that you get some free treats!
Her code is RN5F35LD and if you want another box my link is here so check it out and bag yourself and your friends a free box of healthy snacks. You can only use each code once. 
She's ordered 2 already and has been really pleased with her selections.  You don't have to eat all the contents on the some day. Going by the name you just Graze when you feel a bit peckish.  Though she recommends you eat the bread (if you order any) on the same day. The box comes with a leaflet to tell you more about the products and each box you order comes with 4 coupons to hand out to your friends. If they use your code you get £1 off your next box.

(disclaimer. You can not use your own code. Also I can not be held responsible for you getting hooked and ordering more boxes after you try one...)

Yesterday was a fun cooking session! We made vegetarian pizzas and fruit smoothies using soya milk. The children really had fun getting stuck in and being able to knead the dough themselves. They each made 3 small pizzas and ate one for lunch before washing them down with a few cups of smoothies. We had pineapple, banana and strawberry variations! 
Today was Gardening, Guy went out with the children, which were a new set as some just wanted to do the gardening (or maybe didn't realise how awesome cooking was). I watched them as they ate lunch, and boy were they crazy! I had to play detective to solve the who stole who's food! I joined them for a while outside and ended up covered in cobwebs and the odd spider!!! 
Afterwards I had a random interview for a job I don't even recall applying for, but hey. I was there for 5 minutes! I was not amused! They said they would call later If I was successful for the second round of interviews on Friday. I haven't heard back and now its after 11 so I guess not....

Upon getting home I'm glad to report the washing machine is fixed! The pipes were clogged with colour catchers, there were a good few in the pipe the Giants said. 
I was happy to be able to put my washing in.
I even got some sewing done today after reportedly doing none yesterday. I really wasn't in the mood to do any so I watched a lot of TV instead.

More progress on the secret project part 2. I had to cut some more strips as some colours ran out before others had, that I needed....I think now I have enough and there will be some leftover strips...

See that pile in the second picture? That's my stock for future shop...the blue item is a WIP quilt, that area had the most space for it not to be crushed after I had basted it..

I'm off to order me a free Graze box 

Siya'll tomorrow =D

1 more day

To enter my GIVEAWAY....why? Because I was so busy today I completely forgot until this evening. So you all have one last chance to rush over and enter. Tomorrow the Younger giant will pick 3 winners to receive some mystery goodies! (Not that he knows this yet!) 

Today was very eventful. I was woken up early by my dear sweet Father to unpick the pockets on his suit jacket. I just happened to still be half asleep and unpicked a pocket on the wrong side! So I had to sew it back up then unpick the right side. Mother thankfully was taking her time to get ready so I was able to get that done with moments to spare.

The shopping came late and the man was rushing us to remove it from the carts like it was our fault he was late! ( I blame the other perhaps slower previous cart emptier's!) So that was a crazy rush to remove and then check. Some things were wrongly delivered..or at least I hope they were as we sent them back. (I'm pretty sure they were wrong I know Mother wouldn't have ordered some of the things) I'll have to ask her when she gets back home. Its 10.42 at the moment and still no sign of them...not even a phone call! (RUDE!)

A picture of the strips for the secret project from yesterday.

In the mail this morning before all the crazy or maybe after I opened a parcel sent from my dear blogger friend Ida..it's also her birthday today! We swap often and these black fabrics she had were the perfect edition to my stash.

Then I sorted the charms from the 'What was I thinking?' swap into rainbow colour to go with the rest

Then came the cutting of all the other fabric into charms to be added to the piles

Still seriously lacking in purple, red, yellow, black and grey! 

Then was watching a bit of TV to take a much needed break,  eat some food. etc

I pulled out my D16 quilts to re-pin as I had used way way too little. I managed to pin one as I was making dinner and such inbetween this. I also added another layer of wadding to enhance the future quilting as the wadding I have is on the thin side 2oz I think....

I've just got to think of a way to quilt it as I'll be doing it by hand....I know Jano hates layers!...maybe I'll try a small area and see how he goes....

And just because some pictures of my fabric in stacks!

I need to add them all to my bought page....all in good time!

Siya'll tomorrow =D