Hi everybody

I have been busy again this week but feeling a little up and down really much like the weather.  Perhaps being a Virgo I am very close to Mother Nature.

Firstly some more patchwork – the hand stitched one ………

These two sections are now sewn together and I did not find it easy – the card board templates kept popping out at the corners when I bent the fabric to enable sewing.  Perseverance and patience were certainly required.

Next up, I attached some hexagons and diamonds on my blue block – this wasn’t easy either.  I am certainly pushing my boundaries and learning little things as I go along.

Finally, some more stitching on Audrey and the eyes have it …….

From spooky …

to beauty ….

Well that is all folks, hope you have an enjoyable week and thanks for reading

Daisy

 

 

Hi Hetty Here

Well it has been some time since we had such a funday.  My human mummy has been very busy lately.  I see her lay out all these brilliant jewel coloured fabric but she doesn’t let me near them as I’m sure she knows I will bite them and possible pull them to bits.  Hey I am a shredding type bird – what can a girl do!!!!

It’s been really warm lately and mummy has very kindly sprayed me with water on a couple of occasions and making sure I’m locked in my cage as I am fully flighted has opened the windows to let a channel of air blow around the house.

Here are some pictures of us together – I do love my mummy.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend.  See you again soon!!

Hetty

Peck Peck

Hi Everybody

I have been very industrious this week on the sewing front working on both the patchwork and cross stitch.

First up – cross stitch of Audrey

This is from 21st July to 3rd August – some progress made.

Secondly I have been stitching the Seasonal Quilt.  Unlike my other quilts this one is all hand sewn.

As you can see I have starting sewing the base colour that will link it all together.  I pondered quite a while on how to attach the hexagonal blocks.  Whether to attach each single block or to create a strip and attach that.  As is obvious I opted for the strip/section .  Do you take the card inserts out when totally stitched together or can I remove some now whose sides are all linked to another hexagon?

Other patchwork projects – I have sewn together some of the scrappy quilt I am planning.

The blue one in the middle will look like this when finished …..

I found the diamonds a little fiddly, but I am enjoying this process of learning.

Other news is the garden is looking lovely – we are very fortunate in our area as to not suffer the weird weather other areas have experienced………as yet!  I feel very sorry for the people who reside at Whaley Bridge.  Lets hope all the authorities can work together to find a solution and fix the failing dam.  I cannot imagine the anguish of losing everything to a torrent of water like that.

On a brighter note here are some flower pictures …..

The Day Lily is doing exceptionally well this year.  My husband took a photo of the first 4 flower heads to come out when I was at work and by the time I come home they were gone over.  The fuchsias are late flowering this year but still a splendid display.

And the birds …..

The doves were kissing and necking – so sweet!

That’s all folkss

Daisy

 

 

Hi Everybody

Well yes I have been a bit slack on my 19 for 19 review but here it is …

1. Read 19 Books (5 books read – 2 on the go at moment)
2. Sewing Projects (1 new start – no new finishes – 4 already done) (owls coloured in ready to be used in a sewing project)
3. Learn Something New (Learning Patchwork  – 1 Bee Quilt Top Finished – Pirate Quilt top nearly finished – 5 more partly sewn together by machine and 1 new Seasonal Quilt hand sewn half finished)
4. To Not Buy Clothes as much (Total failure – bought 2 maxi dresses and 1 denim jacket and 1 denim  skirt)
5. To Eat more vegetables (moderate success – growing Aubergines)
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. To watch 19 DVD’s or Movies (watched 2 new DVD’s – Mary, Queen of Scots – good, and another one – obvs. not so good can not remember title)
9. To Finish my 1st Novel (Still a W.I.P.  Have wrote another chapter)
10. To write a Small Poetry Book (2 more poems written)
11. To laugh more (laughed quite a lot)
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 – does this count as a No. 8 on the list – guess so!)
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

Hi Everybody

Hope you are all well.  Well this is going to be an allsorts type of blog again.  Firstly on the sewing front it has been too hot to concentrate properly so not a lot has been achieved.  At work it topped 40 degrees C in the office but I managed to stitch or baste a few shapes during my lunch hour.  (See pictures below in blue).  A little more achieved on Audrey – no photo.  No knitting and no Lady Greensleeves sewing.

Secondly I found some A4 pouches that fit into a Lever File so have decided to keep various shapes made into these until sewn up together.

Thirdly, I am the first person up in our house and after the storm on Thursday night I found this little fellow in the bathroom – a cricket (scoot by quickly if you do not like them – don’t want to freak anyone out). ……..

so I ran downstairs, grabbed a glass and piece of kitchen towel, captured him and ran back downstairs to let him out into the garden on a fuchsia plant.  Whilst near the back door noticed this little lady on the carpet so again glass and paper, captured and placed on the sunflower in the pot outside.

I am not sure why these creatures keep coming in when we recently purchased a perfectly good bug house for them to reside in ….

Went about our normal life and after putting the groceries away and going upstairs my husband called me back down to reveal “old jimmy cricket”  had re-appeared on the inside wall by the back door.  What is his game – does he think he has squatters rights (literally)?  So again I captured him and put him up the garden further away from the house.  Whilst there I took this picture of a rose and raindrop – just because …

This rose is called “Friendship” – is it not beautiful.

On that note – I thank you my online friends for stopping by and reading my blog.

Daisy

 

 

Hi everybody

Just a quick snippet today – some garden pictures to make you smile

My mother gave me an Aubergine Plant that she had nurtured in her conservatory but we do not have anywhere that was warm like that so I put it outside and the snails attacked it big time.  So this is the second one she has given me – more advanced with a flower and yes I have protected it this time.  Cannot wait for the vegetable to start.

Next up just a pretty picture of delicate flowers on the black grass.

and to finish some little creatures …

Bye for now

Daisy

 

 

 

Hi everybody

What a week I’ve had – it has been very productive both at paid work and home life.  I have been busy on the sewing front and you can see the fruits of my labours below.

More stitches on Audrey – such a beauty.

Now another new idea – some stitched and some just mapped out.  This is a scrappy type quilt nothing been planned exactly – I just thought I would make some different blocks and then put them together.  This is not everything just a few samples that are made using 5″ squares and hexagons,  2″diamonds and half hexagons and then some triangles.  The materials are bought in charm packs and some from Hobbycraft Store that I visited not so long ago.

Stitched items – well basted but not sewn together.

not sewn together.

These last two are machine sewn on one seam and I may change one of them – it’s a moveable feast at the moment.

 

I have also basted some more white hexagons ready for the Seasonal Quilt.

 

 

Hi everyone

I know it probably isn’t even a word but hey-ho it sums up this post which is mainly pictures anyway.

Firstly a “hello” from Hetty – been a bit quiet lately as it is molten season and she can be a bit hormonal and biting me.

Secondly – the garden is looking so lovely so I took new pictures of both back and front gardens

Front ……

perfect for an afternoon cuppa!

with the smell of scented roses – ahhh!!!

watching the bees – so relaxing.

Back Garden….

And here are some nuts……

baby acorns and hazel nuts off the twisted hazel tree/shrub.

And now for sewing …

Audrey and a border start to my seasonal quilt.

The end

Daisy

Hi Everybody

The robins had fledged and I have just taken a photo of their nest – it’s intriguing how the nest is constructed – isn’t nature wonderful.

So far this year we have two sets of blackbirds reared their young – the first had three babies and the second had two babies; the robin (second try) her first nest was disturbed by a cat and she fled the nest leaving four beautiful sky blue eggs.  Bluetits have ignored our three boxes – not sure why!  The ring necked doves made a nest in the leylandii hedge but something disturbed them and the two eggs fell on the floor.  I think it was a magpie in this instance.

My husband has made a rod for his own back, as they say – he coaxed the blackbird and ring necked dove to feed from a dog bowl with a variety of food in it on the back door step.  Cheekily the other day we sat up the garden with the back door open only to watch the dove walk quite determinedly towards the door (the food bowl was up the garden near to us by the way) and into our house, strutted around the dining chairs and then back out again.  Anyone would think he owned the place!  Luckily he didn’t leave a calling card.  Not to be outdone – the Robin gave it a try as well.

Here is the hardworking blackbird.

That’s all for now.

Bye

Daisy

Hi Everybody

Do you like a double entendre, I do as you probably can tell!

Well to put every-body’s mind at rest I’m talking flowers.  Here are some more pictures of flowers from the small to the large.

 

In order of appearance: Jasmine at the top – smells divine, then Lobelia, Patio Dahlia – just opened this morning, African Marigold in Vanilla – husbands favourite, and finally Double Begonia.

On the subject of the Double Begonia does anybody know why you sometimes get a single flower instead of a double?? Should we remove the single head? See Below Pic.

On a different subject, we have just visited a local garden centre because I wanted to plant a miniature herb garden in the pot where the pansies had been seeing out their days, so to speak.  They were now leggy and shattering.  I’ve purchased sage, thyme, curly leaf parsley, chives and rosemary.  The rosemary has been planted in the garden where it can flourish better.  I don’t have a picture but am very pleased that I can now add fresh herbs to salads etc.

Also, below is a picture which captures a new growth – another baby/sapling English Oak Tree. yaahh!  I have now transplanted it to a pot and put it beside the mother tree.   (The mother tree is in fact an acorn from Kings Walden Estate which a friend gifted me – maybe even the Domesday Oak which dates back to the reign of William the Conqueror).  I can wish he! he!

I also love the little purple flowers that this black grass produces.  I like grasses – does anyone else?  As you can see we also have some blue grass.

Well that is all for now.  Thanks for stopping by

Cheerio

Daisy