my rewards

Remember I was telling you about my reward scheme? I finished off 5 things this week, so I got to make 5 blocks for Leo's quilt at his mama's house.

What's that you say? There are 9 in the photo? Oh. I guess I got a little bit carried away. Oops.

Still, 9 down, only another 27 or 21 (depending on whether I go for a square or a rectangle quilt) to go. Each block is 15.5 inches, so it's going to be a big quilt, ending up at about 90 inches square if I go for square (I am leaning that way) which would make a nice tent draped over a couple of chairs, wouldn't it?

Thank you all so much for helping me destash earlier. I have a few more books I need to get pics of and put up in the next day or so. I like this method of Spring Cleaning. I should probably do the same with my fabric cupboard too, but digging about in there can be a little scary....

book destash

I'm having a tidy up/clear out/spring clean. I need to stop buying books that I only look at. So, I'm offering these up to you lot. They are all in pretty damn fine condition, mostly only glanced at before I put them up on the bookshelf and never looked at them again. The spines are all pristine, put it that way. I can take more pics if any one is interested, my camera battery was dying so I rushed to take these this morning.

Phew - that was fun! Everything has gone to a new and loving home, where it will hopefully get used and not just sit unloved on a shelf! Thank you every one for your interest, and keep watching - there's bound to be some more stuff coming soon!

making stuff for kids - GONE
warm fuzzies - GONE
Stitched in time - GONE
Doodle Stitching - GONE
Cath Kidston 'Make' - GONE
Quilting Illusions - GONE
Plush You - GONE
Simple Sewing - GONE
Last Minute Fabric Gifts - GONE

Basically the prices are around or less than half the price of what I could find on Amazon.

I'll have to get the scales out for postage, but I'll let you know .

Ok, that's it!

the reward scheme

So, I'm back. Did you notice I was gone? I did get back last Wednesday (I'll tell you all about my holiday in a minute, in case you're interested), but once home I realised I was drowning under a pile of WIPs and UFOs that seemed to be getting out of control. Why do I have a tendency to start stuff, and go bang at it for a bit, before I get thoroughly bored and move on to the next bright idea? Please tell me I'm not alone. I have a cupboard that is far too full of fabric I've bought with great intentions of making something out of it, but that just sits in plastic boxes, or envelopes with notes stuck on it 'use this for X,Y,Z pattern' and the like.

It got me thinking, if I can bribe (sorry, REWARD) my children for good behaviour, can I do the same for myself? Would it work? Well, so far, almost a week in to my new reward scheme it's going ok.

Let me explain how it works....

For every WIP or UFO (this includes swaps and quilting bees and the like) I complete I can make one quilt block for the new quilt I'm making for the ginger one (for at his Mama's house - because he's getting a new bed there ) or one quilt block for Miss G's new quilt (for at Mama's too - they're getting BUNK BEDS! Very exciting!)

The WIP List is ever growing, I keep remembering stuff I have to finish off and keep adding to it, so when it becomes a definitive list I'll upload it and start crossing off. In the meantime I have completed (since last Wednesday)

* rocket pillow to match the prints charming quilt (for Ginge)
* sewn the binding on to the 'taking liberties' quilt I started back in January for my friend Alex and her poorly knee (which is actually much improved now)
* hemmed a table cloth for my best friend, Sash (who only bought the fabric back in October last year)
* made a pin cushion brooch for a swap on flickr (but not mailed it yet - I'm getting there)
* 2 drawstring ballet bags for my friend's girls who just started ballet (too cute - little girls in tutus make me go all teary eyed)

Not bad, eh? So I can now make myself some quilt blocks as a reward. 5 blocks, actually. It's almost as good as getting cake.


Now, on to the holiday (or adventures of a picnic quilt)

We had a wonderful time, the weather was perfect - not too warm, not too cold. Although it did rain BUCKETS one day, it was only one day, and that's not bad considering it's still early in the season.

Miss G was most impressed by the graffiti. Apparently artists can apply for a spot, and are given a wall/part of a wall to use. It was amazing, there was so much great artwork all over the place. But this piece of Ganesh was my favourite.


The picnic quilt was used every day, on the beach, or back at Granny's house to sit on, and then on my bed at night because it was a little nippy.



Ginger much preferred wearing pants to swimming shorts whilst digging in the sand.



Salt Lakes are AWESOME - I'd never seen one before. The water looks pink in the sunlight, and there's foamy bubbles flying around all over in the breeze. It was too cold to go into the water, but Miss G told me that in the Summer people are swimming in it. I should give it a go, it might help my God-Awful eczema. Ginger was very excited by the bubbles, and then spent the evening licking his hands because they were salty. How pleasant.



Check out the sunset over the lake. Beautiful.

time for a quick break

That's it - I'm off to Spain, with the monkeys, my best friend and Miss G's best friend (handy that - mummy and Miss G having best friends who are mother and daughter) leaving the poor husband to fend for himself for the next 9 days (the cats have also gone on holiday, I don't trust them to behave whilst I'm gone).

See you when I get back, hopefully a little bit tanned from the sunshine (please let there be sunshine).

thank you

A week or so ago I offered Miss G's old curtains up to the first person interested, in order to get them out of the house, where they'd otherwise sit never getting used and causing arguments between me and the husband as to why I have to hoard every scrap of fabric just in case'. Steph took me up on the offer, and said she'd like to send something to say thanks.

I was expecting a little easter egg for the monkeys. I was very wrong.....

This beautiful wrapped pile of presents arrived yesterday morning...



with something for each of the monkeys and for me too. Not just any little old things, though. Easter bunny t-shirts for the monkeys (for egg hunting this weekend) and a beautiful linen and - I am pretty sure - Liberty print apron for me.

Steph, thank you so much - you're far too generous, and we love our gifts soooooooooooooooooooo much.



There were some bunny lollies too. They got devoured, in about 2 seconds flat.

the picnic quilt - all done!

In this bag....



you find this.....



when unfolded, becomes this....



(punches the air) whoo, it's all done and ready to come to Spain with the monkeys and me.

Sunday Stash - on Saturday

This month over at the 8two8 group is Lisa's turn. Two interesting facts about Lisa;
1 - she runs, a lot. It makes me tired thinking about it
2 - she makes awesome quilts. Like this one.
That particular one will make me weep when it's finished, I know it will. So simple, and so effective.

So, sticking with the simple, Lisa wants black and white blocks, which she will then sash with bright colours. I had a little panic, thinking I had nothing, but starting digging and actually found quite a few bits. Some of them are around a yard or more, I most definitely have enough for two 15.5 inch blocks.

I'm thinking of a log cabin type, or square in a square with a skipping girl in the middle for one (thank you Tam) but I'm stuck for the other one. Any help here would be greatly appreciated.

Go and visit Tam and check out more stashes!!!

I like birds, but this is going too far

Apparently I can't use my fire at the minute.

Well, it would be quite hard to use it....



with it being in bits...

Can you see up there? It's a bird graveyard. Over the past, oh, I don't know, 9 years, since we moved in to the house, birds have been flying down the chimney, getting stuck and dying. Unbeknown to me, or at least that was the case until today. One got stuck in the flue, it was scratching about, upsetting the cats, so the gas man came round, got the stupid thing out, only for it to promptly fly back on to the roof and down the chimney again. It's still in there, it keeps peering down through the hole to taunt me. I have a good mind to shove a cat up there, but I'm a bit afraid one of my fat cats would get stuck, or be too stupid to catch the bird anyway.



What a fun day. I was going to the park, with the ginger one, and the picnic quilt (it's quilted, the binding is half sewn on, it just needs handstitching to the back). Now I am too afraid of bird infestation to leave the house. What if we came back from the park and there were a row of birds sat on my sofa?

It doesn't bear thinking about.


(and yes, I do need a chimney guard, and I have been talking about getting one for the past...well...9 years. I might pull my finger out now....possibly)