The Quilt Show gift certificate

I have a gift certificate for The Quilt Show, which I think is for one year. If anyone would like this to try the show, if you don't already watch it, it's well worth it. Just leave me a comment and I'll pick a random comment. I'll pick a winner sometime on Wednesday 4th January so comments by 3rd January please.

PIF

Somehow, in the changeover to my new laptop, I've lost the list of people who signed up to do a PIF with me. I know that Peg was one, Vivien a second, and Pia a third, but I can't remember who else wanted to join in.

If you read this and know that you've already joined me in the fun, could you please let me know.

If you read this and fancy joining in but haven't yet done so, again, please let me know as I may not have filled the six places - six because I joined with two other people.

If you would like to play along but aren't sure of the way it works let me know.

A Happy New Year

First of all I'd like to wish you all a very happy and productive 2012. I'm looking forward to seeing what you all get up to and getting lots of inspiration for my own projects.

I'm not going to make any new year's resolutions, it's pointless as I rarely manage to achieve any of them, but I do have some ideas in my head which I'll try to achieve.

I'm enjoying a rare few hour
s to myself, well Ruby's here and is a little demanding, but apart from that the house is empty. We've had wall-to-wall visitors since the 23rd and Christopher has taken our current guests, friends from Panama, to Bristol for the day and I'm staying at home dog-sitting. It's raining and it's dull, but it's very quiet and there's no-one around that I feel I need to entertain (Ruby's just fallen asleep)

I did intend to do some sewing, and may still get round to it, but I'm playing with my new laptop, a MacBook Pro which I bought yesterday. My old one was fine, but my elder son needed a new laptop and so I sold the old one to him and now have a new toy to play with. I always forget the time it takes to set up a new computer and to come to grips with the differences.





















So, until 2012,

Best wishes,

Happy Christmas

Well, we're nearly at the end of 2011 and I haven't been too good about blogging recently, which is a shame really as I enjoy writing when I get started and always like to read your comments. I ought to make a New Year's Resolution for 2012 to write more, but I fear that could be the kiss of death!

I have got one thing to show for December so far. I made this for the girlfriend of my elder son's girlfriend's sister - if you can follow that. It wasn't easy as we'd never met, and had to look at fabric and design choices via email. And I didn't greatly care for the colours whilst I was working with them. But it's done, dispatched and arrived and I hope that the recipient will really like it.

BUT can you believe it - I posted it off without taking a photograph of the finished quilt! What a prune.

Well, unless I get around the taking any photographs of the little Christmas sampler that I've made, this will probably be my last visit to my blog before Christmas.

So, HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

What's going on??? (181)

This daffodil appeared in the garden last week! In a sheltered corner of the garden we spotted a whole clump of daffodils coming up. In December! And yesterday I found a few primula braving the weather. They must have been fooled by the exceptionally mild autumn we've had. I do hope that they're not all trying to flower else we'll have nothing for the spring.

And who's stolen my cute little puppy and left a dog instead? Ruby has grown so much, and of course she's still cute. She has mad moments every now and then and hates to be told 'no' but mostly she's doing so well. House training is virtually there, she lets us know when she wants to go out and as long as we're there to notice every thing's fine. She can 'sit' and 'wait' and is generally willing to 'leave it' though she's far too fond of biting my socks and clothes and I've got to do some darning, something which I never expected to have to do again. She will 'come' when she's called, unless there's another dog near by when she goes spectacularly deaf. We're working on teaching her to 'shh' as she barks too much.

We had no idea how much having a dog would change our lives, and how we'd have to adapt the way we organise things. But she's worth it.

Fruit

Last weekend my local quilt shop, Midsomer Quilting, had an exhibition. It had been inspired by the Twelve by Twelve exhibition held earlier this year and the title was to be Fruit. There were so many wonderful creations, covering a wide range of media and ideas. The slideshow has photographs of - I hope - all of them. I'm afraid my camera really is on its last legs so some of the pictures are not good. I have to get exactly the right distance to get a sharpish photograph and I seem to have missed on some of them. Mine was very poor, but luckily I was able to replace it with one I took at home, hence the different background.

Free digital slideshow customized with Smilebox

Starting to get organised

I don't know about you, but as soon as November gets under way I feel the need to start getting organised for Christmas. Although, at the same time, I hate to be forced to think about Christmas until late in December. I feel as if I want to go around the shops with my eyes cast down for several weeks, trying to avoid the over commercialism of it all, whilst at the same time I'm busy starting to make presents and decorations at home.

Well, I'm truly organised this year. I've made several small Christmas presents for family and friends, the yearly addition to my sons' Christmas decorations and am now ready to get started on making the Christmas cards. The embroidery machine has come into its own this year and I've made these candle mats and coasters.

The last few weeks have been quite difficult as Christopher's father died suddenly, so there was that to deal with and the funeral. I've been quite unwell with a bad cold that turned into a throat and chest infection, and I've had to deal with Ruby on my own for a lot of the time whilst Christopher travelled backwards and forwards to help sort out the funeral and everything that needs to be organised when you lose your last parent. Luckily he has a brother and sister to help share the load.

But things are settling down now, as is Ruby, and we're beginning to really enjoy her. House training is well under way; she's beginning to learn to bite less and more gently and is starting to respond to simple commands. And she's such fun to watch too. I'm convinced her father wasn't a cocker spaniel at all, but an elephant, as she's grown so much and has such enormous feet!

There's not a lot of sewing going on ...

because Ruby is taking up a lot of my time at the moment, and any time I do have is spent on houseworky things. Boring but necessary things. But I have been managing to grab the odd few minutes here and there over the last few days and find that she's beginning to occupy herself for longer now and not grizzle at me through the stair gate every time I go into my sewing room.

So nothing in the fabric line to show today, but here's a few pictures of Ruby to be going on with - so much prettier than anything I can make anyway!

Aah, the joys of a tummy rub.

Where's the shoe laces?

Butter wouldn't melt!

Well, If I can't see you I'm pretty sure you won't be able to see me

A few small finishes

I have managed to finish a few small projects this month so far, but nothing very much is going on here at the moment, apart from puppy sitting.  These have all been made with some of my orange scraps for this month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Our LQS is having a challenge to make a 12" x 12" quilt with the theme of fruit, so this is my attempt.

Just because!

And finally,

one very happy and rather grubby puppy. She's grown a lot and has really found her feet now and can be quite a monkey out in the garden as she investigates everything. Thankfully she's already responding to 'Come Ruby', which is an essential command as our garden isn't totally puppy proofed. We're getting into a routine now, after the shock of the first few days, and the weather has been really helpful as we've been able to take her outside every hour or so to prevent too many accidents in the house. I think she's beginning to get the idea. I shall be really pleased once she's properly housetrained and we can take our eyes off her sometimes.

Ruby, week 1

Well, we've now had the monster for a week, and what a week it's been. We knew it would be hard work, but knowing something is quite different from experiencing it and it was quite a shock to begin with. You can read all the books, but they're all written by experts who have completely forgotten what it's like to be first time puppy owners.

Day 1, just after we'd arrived home with Ruby, seen here with Number Two Son who was visiting at the time.

Day 1 - Ruby soon discovered her new bed and retreated away from all of the excitement. Her bed doesn't look as clean and new as that now!

Day 3 - off to the vet for her first vaccination

Christopher soon worked out that running up and down the grass was a good way to tire her out!

Hmm, Ruby soon discovered Christopher's carefully trimmed small euonymous and has since managed to flatten it. It's a favourite place to stash sticks and toys.

We're getting into a bit of a routine now, and it's leaving me the odd half hour here and there for the housework and washing (the kitchen floor has never been washed so much!) and hopefully I'll be able to get back to some sewing soon.

Apologies

I'm sorry that I haven't replied to people who have so kindly left comments on my blog over the last little while. Life got in the way big time for a few weeks, then Ruby turned up and then, just as I was beginning to feel that I could left my head above the water again, my email setup has gone wrong. I can receive emails, thank goodness, but I can't reply to them, or write emails at all.

So, this week, I'll have to try and get that sorted out.

PIF

I received this lovely gift, but due to new time waster in the family (more about that in the next post) I've only just been able to grab some time to write about it and thank Jane, of Sew Create It, so much for her kindness.

There was a pack of assorted teas and some scrummy chocolate which sadly I had to give to Christopher as it had gluten in it, but he's bought me some gluten free chocolate in exchange. Jane made an oh so useful tissue cover, which is something I've been meaning to make but never got around to and a lovely mug rug, which has room for a spoon and a teabag and is beautifully made. So, many thanks Jane. 

And now I need to start thinking of what I'm going to make, though I think those of you who signed up with me for the PIF may have to wait until next year now.

Whoops, there goes your titfer!

I've entered my little autumn quilt that I designed and made last year into this week's Quilting Gallery competition and I'd be so pleased if you were to pop over there and vote for me.

Ruby

We've finally decided to call our new puppy Ruby. She's seven weeks now and we collect her on Sunday; so exciting and a bit nerve wracking too.

Isn't she gorgeous? She's starting to look like a proper puppy now, someone we can envisage bringing home with us. Looking at all the photographs I've taken reminds me that I must give Christopher the camera some time so that he can take some of me holding Ruby!