Books

Hi Everybody

No sewing on this post, just a new book that I purchased

laurie lee Christmas Village

I love the cover of this book, it looks so innocent.

Also bought a memoir of Pam Ayes (I love autobiographies, especially people I admire).  Pam always makes me laugh, and I loved her show on Radio 2 – pity it stopped.  Does anyone else remember the show.

pam ayres

That’s all folks

Daisy

Autumn/Winter Stash

Hi Everybody

I have once again succumbed to buying more stash, without actually having a plan for the material purchased.  Naughty me!!!!  The truth is that I need to buy some clips and curved safety pins but thought some material would make it worth while, as I ordered online.  I have subsequently drawn out a plan for the American Indian Quilt and cut the material ready.

Well I have been busy sewing, lots of hexagons ready for the final parts of the Seasonal Quilt which you will see in the SAL update.  Also been busy on Audrey and can see the final ahead of me.  Perhaps I will have another finish before Christmas.  I purchased a cross stitch magazine and have three small seasonal cards to stitch and I have to finish the Christmas Bauble I started ages ago – not sure where I have put those.

Well here are some photos – first up is the new stash

new stash oct 2019

I’ve thought about having Winnie the Pooh material for a while and I adore the Sausage Dog images.  It is nice to have something to look forward to don’t you think?

Here is the American Indian design

Indian quilt

The inner piece is going to be 2 totem poles and some smaller squares – I think at the moment – it could change.

Here are some close up of the designs

I think that I am drawn to pink and blue hues quite a lot even though I love green and purple shades the most.  Strange!

Last but not least, here is where I am now with Audrey.

audrey-20th-oct-2019.jpg

Here are the freebies I mentioned above and an extra patchwork freebie picked up at grocery shopping.

I am going to be busy!!!!! ta rah for now.

Daisy

 

 

SAL Update -Seasonal Quilt

Hi Everybody

It has been another busy week, both at paid work and on the sewing front.  Three weeks ago I debuted my Seasonal Quilt and now I have been busy sewing lots of white hexagons and have decided how I want the corner sections to look.  I have also sewn together the spring border sections

top border

This is not complete, just sewn in sections – three white and coloured centre.

This is how the bottom and side border will look

side border

bottom border

And this is the roughly laid out idea for my corner section

corner section

I think that I need to add one more layer of white along the top and bottom edges, so that when I add the binding it doesn’t cut off any coloured sections.  Does that make sense or has any body got a better idea?

Well that is all for this post, please pop along to the other group members to see what they have created.

Anyone who would like to join our group can contact Avis the first name in the list below.  Thanks again for reading.

Daisy

Sunday Sewing & Hetty

I thought that I would combine the two posts today as not a lot has happened in the past week.

I have been busy sewing whenever there has been a spare moment, but time does fly by.

I have continued sewing Lady Greensleeves and have made small progress, mainly stitched the green area around her hair.

Also been stitching Audrey in the evenings, not too far to go now.

Well onto Hetty, we have just had a wonderful time together, despite the fact that she bit my finger earlier this morning.  Definitely a bird with a taciturn nature.  Hasn’t quite mastered the fact that ” you do not bite the hands that feed you “.

However, we played with an old cotton reel, her chucking it off her cage top me putting it back on.  Then she flew to and fro between the two lights and finally landed on her small stand.

She quickly made her way down the ladder and across the sand towards the edge of the top only to hang upside down over the edge.  This seem to be a favourite position of hers.

Well I hope everybody had a successful week on the sewing front.

Daisy

 

 

 

 

September Sunday Sewing

Hi everyone

Well the weather is miserable but I am fairly happy with my Sunday sewing, having dedicated most of the day to stitching , wait for it, yes I picked up Lady Greensleeves and decided to try and fill in the gaps.

This is how it looked in June (can not believe that was the last time I done any sewing on her) …….

Friday 14th June 2019

and this is how she looks now …..

28th September 2019

I have also done some more on Audrey, this is where I was ……

Audrey 22nd Sept 19

And this is where I am now …….

28th September 2019

Well I must dash, hope you enjoyed the visit and that you have achieved your goals this week.  Catch up with you soon

Daisy

 

Autumn 19 for 19 …..update

Hi Everybody

Well the end of September is nearly upon us and time for a review of my achievements (if any) over the past year.

  1. Read 19 Books (5 books read – 2 still reading)
  2. Sewing Projects (1 new start – no new finishes – 4 already done) (owls coloured in ready to be used in a sewing project) (butterfly colouring design 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 starting on border sections, and 1 Scrappy/Evolution Quilt part finished the top – hand sewn)
  4. To Not Buy Clothes as much (Total failure – bought new dress , new embroidered pinafore and pinstripe leggings)
  5. To Eat more vegetables (1 x Aubergine grown and eaten. another 1 growing but not sure on weather now)
  6. To write To Penpals (wrote 2 letters to Australian penpal and 1 letter to best friend)
  7. To create something and sell it for Charity nothing to report here
  8. 8.To watch 19 DVD’s or Movies Nothing new here
  9. To Finish my 1st Novel (Still a W.I.P.  Have wrote another chapter) nothing new here
  10. To write a Small Poetry Book (2 more poems written)
  11. To laugh more – Lots of laughter I’m happy to report
  12. To Play my Saxophone Nothing to report here
  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 not any big achievements but step by step we will get there.  Perhaps I need to get out more though!

Daisy

Sunday – other sewing and news

Hi everybody,

Firstly some sad news – the little baby dove is no more – my husband found the remains in the garden and the parent doves just sat looking at their nest.  We do not know what took the baby.

Now onto some sewing news, I have been rather naughty and purchased some new stash with the idea of making something smaller – some cushion covers.

Last week was a washout health wise and I have been careful not to overdo things this week although I had to do some catching up at work.  I also managed to do some sewing on Audrey in the evenings.

Here is where it was last week

15th Sept 2019

And here she is now …..

Audrey 22nd Sept 19

I have decided to join the SAL that Avis started to help me with the Seasonal Quilt.  At the moment I am sewing/basting loads of white hexagons.  If you would like to join I will include the link below.

Well that is all folks.

Daisy

 

Sunday Sewing – SAL Update

Hi everybody
Firstly thank you Avis for allowing me to join and for Claire for asking me.  My name is Susan but I use my nick name for my blog – Daisy.
I have just joined this SAL so I look forward to many happy Sunday SAL’s with you all.
Just a little bit about me – I am an avid cross stitch fan as you will see by my blog and I love Blackwork which I hope to do more of in the future.  I can knit – just the basics really but I cannot crochet.  I have a Meyer’s Parrot called Hetty who sits with me in my sewing room, sometimes quietly sometime distractingly noisy.
I have also recently tried my hand at patchwork quilting and it is this that I am going to choose for my project in this SAL.  I had loads of ideas and bought the fabric to make them – originally machine sewn, some have the top part completed ie my Bee Quilt and my Pirate Quilt.  I have five more already cut out – I am afraid that I do dabble in more than one project at a time so maybe doing this SAL will help keep my focus on one project at least.

This is the Bee Quilt (my design) -with a removable bee cross stitch (not my design) as the centre piece.

This is the Pirate Quilt
finished top sheet
Then I thought that I would try my at a hand sewn hexagon styled quilt which I called My Seasonal Quilt.  I have designed my own pattern and the centre piece is already complete.
This is the SAL Project
finished 2
At present I am preparing/basting some white hexagons to make a border around this and then I have to work on the border section.  I may ask lots of questions so be warned!
Well that is all for this week, please trot along and see what the other members have been up to.

Hetty’s Birdy Bytes

Hello Everybirdybody,

What can I say – I had the unexpected pleasure of the company of my human mummy for an extra 4 days though to be fair she was in her bed in the other room – I squawked for her but she didn’t come to me so I was quiet as she must be ill.

However, she had promised me another cage revamp as I make quite a mess what with my shredding habit, destroying the toys she provides for my amusement.  So here are the samples she has created with the intention of removing the snuggly that I haven’t taken too.  (Other birds love them – she protests)

revamped toys sept

cage sept 2019 before

Hetty has wrecked the mirror and pulled the bell off the bottom (vandal)

Doesn’t like the green snuggly – never been in it.

So  – new swing toy with chewable parts which I have added as she destroyed the original parts.  Two newly revamped wooden toys with bells on (wooden parts from Northern Parrots).  They will not last long!! He! He!

Oh dear – after all her kindness I am in her bad books – whilst snuggling I got moody and pecked her fingers quite harshly –  don’t know why just did.

Preening myself quietly.  Bad Bird!!

Hetty

September in the Garden

Hi all

The garden is still looking pretty but things are beginning to turn autumnal (I like that word).  The burnished leaves of the Maple Tree start to turn coppery colours.  I was wondering does anybody know whether you can get the sap out of the tree that is actually maple syrup??  I’m sure I saw someone drill a hole in a tree and hang a container downwards to collect the syrup on a TV programme a long time ago.

The patio Sunflower has produced smaller and smaller flowers and the leaves are slowly dying.  The dahlias are still standing tall and one stands out from the rest

alone

Proud to be different!!!!!!!

The insect life and bird life are still thriving though.  The Ring Necked Dove’s have made a nest in our cherry tree and yesterday I managed to get a photo of the little baby – he is just at the front of his parents breast and I think the half of eggshell is to the right of her.  Didn’t want to get to close.

baby dove 1

By the way, I have names prepared.  As I call the doves Romeo and Juliet, I have decided on Leonora for a girl and Federico for a boy. (Mad woman I hear you say).  This pair had a boy last year which I called Martino.  I only know the sex when they have grown as the females have a smaller head and less markings.

Also we had a visit from this little Red Darter Dragonfly, pictures do not do it justice, which I think is a male.  It seemed to keep darting at the lawn which is probably where it gets the name from.

dragonfly 1

(t is cleverly disguised is it not.  Just off centre head facing north easterly.)  Wings not visible.  About 2 1/2″ long.

dragonfly 2

That is all for now, thanks for reading

Daisy