Out with the old ….In with the new!

Hi everyone

Well as the title suggests – something has been thrown out and it was with great sadness that I have had to dispose of a favourite pair of boots.  Yes – my black cowboy boots – have made their way to Boot Hill Cemetery in the sky at the grand age of 35 years.  They are well travelled having been to Cyprus, Spain, Menorca twice, Majorca, and Rhodes as well as local holidays around England, Scotland and Ireland.

old boots

The picture doesn’t represent the baldness of the suede but it is bad and the heels are bald as well and the boots let in water.  So fare thee well my trusted friends.

Now on to better stuff – I received some lovely fabric pieces from my penpal as a Christmas present ….. see below, and already I have ordered and received today some complimentary materials to utilize the gift  …. see other photos

new stash xmas present 2019Thank you Emma @Emma’ Craft Projects

I am thinking maybe a small quilt or cushion covers.

My to do list is growing – I must organise my 20 for 20 project list.

Well that is all for this post.

Love

Daisy

 

 

 

 

 

2020

Hello and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year to you all.

This is just a quick post to check into the new year, and I hope we all have a great crafty time of it.  Good luck with all our projects, new and old.

The only promise I have made to myself is to finish Lady Greensleeves.

Happy sewing!!

Daisy

Final 19 for 19 …….

Hello,

This is the final round up of my successes and defeats for 2019 …….

  1. Read 19 Books (6 books read – 2 still reading)
  2. Sewing Projects (1 new start – Dreamcatcher – Audrey finished plus Spring longstitch finished) -that’s  6 new starts and 5 finished projects plus some completions of longstanding WIP’s.   Lady greensleeves still a WIP, (owls coloured in ready to be used in a sewing project) (butterfly colouring design ongoing – to be made into cushion)
  3. Learn Something New (Learning Patchwork  – 1 x Bee Quilt Top Finished – 1 x Pirate Quilt top finished – 5 more partly sewn together by machine /  1 new Seasonal Quilt hand sewn centre piece finished  – all border sections are complete awaiting to be attached to main body of quilt, and 1 Scrappy/Evolution Quilt part finished the top – hand sewn.  In the New Year I will need to learn Applique for this project.)
  4. To Not Buy Clothes as much (1 tee-shirt purchased and 2 new pyjama sets. also 1 pair jeans)
  5. To Eat more vegetables (started having 2 meals a week no meat, vegetables on the up.)
  6. To write To Penpals (Letter, card and Christmas present sent to  Australian penpal and 1 card/letter to best friend).  Does anybody want to be a penpal?  If so send your address to my email: 01daisy1966@gmail.com  
  7. To create something and sell it for Charity Only charity deed was to purchase Christmas Cards as a donation to Kidney Research, oh! and a new poppy wristband.
  8. 8. To watch 19 DVD’s or Movies  (watched a box set (4 DVD’s) of Margaret Rutherford ( my husband’s favourite) depicting her version of Miss Marple – absolutely brilliant comic timing and shrewdness – laughed a lot – my favourite Miss Marple is Joan Hickson – who’s your favourite??  Have received a new DVD of Freddie Mercury as Christmas Present from my husband – not watched yet. (12 in total this year)
  9. To Finish my 1st Novel (Still a W.I.P.  Have wrote another chapter and feel it needs the characters padding out a bit.)
  10. To write a Small Poetry Book (3 more poems written)
  11. To laugh more Lots of laughter I’m happy to report
  12. To Play my Saxophone Played twice on a Sunday.
  13. To try and Learn the Ukelele Nothing to report here
  14. To Learn Pilates and Deep Breathing – (watching Darcy Bussell Pilates DVD – feel a little more flexible and helps with my Asthma)
  15. To Visit National Trust Houses/English Heritage places Nothing to report here
  16. To visit the V & A Museum Nothing to report here
  17. To visit an art Gallery Nothing to report here
  18. Go On a Long Walk Nothing to report here
  19. Go to Local Craft Fairs More Nothing to report here

Well – what do you think – some moderate success – other’s complete failure.   Perhaps I need to get out more though, I am determined to walk more this coming year.

Let’s see what 2020 brings!  HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE.

Daisy

Hetty’s Haul …….

Hi Everybody

Hope you had a lovely Christmas Day, Hetty was extremely keen to rip open her presents, little shredding machine that she is.

These are the new toys which she will happily chew to bits.

presents

Hetty’s new pellet, nut and seed food plus some treats.

hetty's food

All food products from Northern Parrots plus the abc toy and raffia mats, other present came from our local pet store.

Well the weather is miserable and I am having a pyjama day and will do some sewing.

Bye for now

Daisy and Hetty

 

 

Christmas Mash-up

Hi Everybody

This is my last post before Christmas, and it consists of a variety of subjects.

  1. Hetty’s presents
  2. New Stash 1
  3. New Stash 2
  4. New Stash 3
  5. Pemberley

 

  1. Hetty

I have splashed out a little on Hetty this year, she has food, toys and something to chew to pieces.

Hetty Presents 2019

She also has a new rope perch as she has started to rip the other one but it will not be wrapped up.

2.  New Stash 1.

new stash 1

This is just an idea mulling around in my head – a bright colourful wall hanging I think.

3.  New Stash 2.

new stash 2

I am thinking of using an octagon rose head centrepiece and surround it with the blenders in each pack making it into a square and than sew each square to make a quilt.  I think it is known as a Rose Window and I hope it looks like an old style quilt.  We shall have to wait and see …..

4.  New stash 3.

new stash 3

I am thinking of making some tablemats or drinks coasters out of this Lewis and Irene – The  Old Chocolate Shop fabric.

5.  Pemberley

Do you remember a while back I sewed a quote from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

well here is a reminder ….. it was from Riverdrift House.

centrepiece start

Well I found some Pemberley Fabric and now this will form the centrepiece to my Pemberley Quilt.

pemberley centrepiece

(Apologies cannot rotate for some weird reason)

I love how the fabric picks up the colours of the sewing.  They are violins on the fabric just in case you cannot define them.

These are the other fabrics, letters being posted, the pond, flowers, and images of the relevant houses.

I’ve not decided on the layout yet for this design.

Well that is lots to do already for 2020.  As well as the WIP’s I still have to do.

Busy 2020 for me.  What are your plans for 2020?

I think I will do another 20 for 20 – it did spur me on to do projects and read more.

My 19 for 19 will be on another post after Christmas as my final roundup for 2019.

So Happy Christmas Holidays and have a Wonderful New Year.

Love Daisy and Hettychristmas wishes 1

x & peck

Last HQAL Post before Christmas

Hi Everybody

I guess everyone is dashing around making and baking things for Christmas, so if you do not have time to read this post that is fine.

I have only achieved a little bit of sewing myself, mainly stitching the two sunshine borders together.

sunshine border completed

and finishing the bottom border multi-coloured hexies ready to be sewn onto the main quilt.  In fact everything is now waiting to be stitched to the main quilt.  Cannot believe how far this has come!

I joined this group only recently and have enjoyed the encouragement from my fellow stitchers.  Thank you all for your help and I wish you a Merry Christmas (not too merry we do not want wonky lines) and look forward to hearing from you all next year 2020.  Have a good one! x

Please pop along to the other members of our group to view their individual projects.

If you feel like joining our group please contact Kathy (1st name in list below).

Kathy, MargaretEmmaTracyDeb, Susan,  Nanette,  EdithSharonKarrinGretchen, Kathi,  Bella, Daisy and Connie

 

Hetty’s Birdy Bytes

Hello everybody

 

Hetty Hi Dec 19

I haven’t shown my face recently but in this post you are going to see it a lot as for the first time in three weeks my human mummy has time for cuddles.  We have shared loads of kisses through the cage bars and an enormous amount of strokes on the head.  My reason for confinement has been the wrapping of presents for Christmas and the need to go shopping for presents, thereby not leaving much time at the weekend for playing.  However, we have had a lovely long session of playing, cuddling and smoozing!!!  The pictures say it all……….Love mummy……Love Hetty …….kisses!!

 

 

Hetty Love Dec 19

hetty Merry christmas 2

Hetty giving heart wings and lots of fluffy love …….. by the way she loves hanging upside down just here.

Heart Wings Dec 19

And I know these are my presents – well who else wants toys and food from Northern Parrots.  Also I know from last year that the stocking hanging on the door knob is mine ie Winnie the Pooh.  I love ripping the paper off (you can see why I might have been confined to barracks – not very helpful when trying to wrap).

hetty-present-dec-19.jpg

Well that’s it from me for now and I wish everybody a Warm, Happy, Safe and fluffy Christmas.

Love Hetty

 

SAL – 15th December 2019

 

Hi Everybody

I have been kept quite busy this past week but have managed to sew some more of the Seasonal Quilt – just a little – but it is some more.  Hopefully with the 5 1/2 days off over Christmas I will be able to make better progress.

I think last time I showed you a mock of how the corner and top border would look.  Well I have been sewing the top border pieces together and have added the white hexagons to the side border of the multi-coloured fabric.

progress Dec 2019

Well this must be the last SAL before the end of the year so let me just wish you all a Warm, Safe and Happy Christmas and Prosperous New Year.

Please pop along to the other members of our group SAL to see their individual projects.

If you would like to join then please contact Avis (1st name in list below).

Thank you to everyone who has offered me encouragement in this new sewing adventure and for reading my blog.  Merry Christmas x

Daisy

AvisClaireGunCaroleSueConstanzeChristinaKathyMargaretCindyLindaHeidiJackieSunnyHayleyMeganDeborahMary MargaretReneeJennyCarmelaJocelynSharonDaisyAnneConnie

Sunday Sew-In December

Hello Everybody

Well the week has been very irregular, the weather has turned particularly cold and we have icy winds forecast, dinner dates – well brunch dates and birthdays all happened at once.  I have managed to stay on top of things – cards are written and posted, Christmas tree is up and the lovely husband has put the lights on the cherry tree in the back garden, and I have wrapped and despatched various Christmas Presents.  On top of that I am due to work extra days at the paid job due to having time off for the boiler being installed.

It is quite a relief to sit down and do some sewing – I have made more progress on the quilt which is displayed on other posts with reference to the SAL and HQAL groups.

I have also managed to make good progress on the Dreamcatcher cross stitch that I started in Oct/Nov time.

This is where I was ……..

new feather stitching

And this is where I am now ……..

dreamcatcher 2 Dec 2019

The colours have not shown up particularly well, there are greens, aquas, blues and purple with hints of golden yellow.  Not sure if it will be finished by Christmas.

That is all for now, I hope everyone else is getting prepared for the celebrations.

Daisy

 

HQAL – 1st December 2019

Hi everybody,

I have made small progress this time, just a little of the corner border sewn together and some of the individual pieces sewn together to create the border on the top and bottom of the quilt.  So eventually or should that be “Sew Eventually”, it will look like the mock up picture below;

quilt corner and end new

And of course I am sewing lots and lots of white hexagons and edging half hexagons.

Please pop along to the other members of our group to view their individual projects.

If you feel like joining our group please contact Kathy (1st name in list below).

Kathy, MargaretEmmaTracyDeb, Susan,  Nanette,  EdithSharonKarrinGretchen, Kathi,  Bella, Daisy and Connie