Tuesday 12 March 2024

 Hope everyone had a peaceful Mother's Day.

I was very lucky and got some beautiful treats from the children and my hubby.

Edyta Sitar Cocoa Pink fabric bundle

Edyta Sitar Season in Blue book - a wonderful book with lots of easy, quick quilt patterns.

Lori Holt Binding Buddies - love these, never seen them before and they are massive!!

  Last but not least a pair of Gingher Eleanor large shears.  I can't believe there will be no more Gingher scissors made so got these to match one of my smaller pairs with Shepherd's Bush fob.


As always, a little chocolate was added in here and there and to top it off this year for the first time it was just me and hubby invited to Sunday dinner at my Mum's house, which was delicious.

I haven't done any sewing - apologies to my RSN tutor Tracy who will not be impressed.  I have just been lots of time procrastinating about sewing and not actually doing any!!  Hoping that will change soon as I need to finish my RSN Certificate - it's taken too long, but I know I am not along with that challenge.

Take care all.







Sunday 3 March 2024

 My Sewing Space ...


Tula Pink sewing machine, daydreamer chair, horn cabinet, ruler rail above window.

Lego in Up as it's my favourite Disney film. Renaissance ribbons on curtain track.

Some of my rare Tula collections.

The rest of my Tula collections, books, scissors, fqb, and bags.


My wonderful Bernina Q16 Plus on five foot frame purchased in June 2023 and so far has completed 9 quilts and numerous Byannie projects.


Byannie quilt ruler bag. Coffee machine a must and my matching mini fridge



ByAnnie A Place for Everything.  This bag holds a huge amount of rulers, all for my Q16 longarmer


Tula Pink DejaVu Nightshde fabric for the whole of the bag.










I try to keep it tidy - that doesn't always last as it can be a bit of a dumping ground for everything and everyone unless I keep the door closed ;)



Saturday 21 October 2023

Stitchy Update - I am still here lol

I check out all your blogs but don't always have time to comment.  I will try and be a better blogger! 

Completed stitching over the last couple of years includes the following:-

A Jenny Adin-Christie Stump work embroidery class on retreat in Durham - it was fabulous and I was probably star struck, Jenny was a wonderful teacher and a lovely patient and kind tutor.


I embroidered a Crewelwork Christmas Tree for Stitch Magazine in the UK, this was a real confidence booster as I lack confidence in my work, but I thoroughly enjoyed completing it and the magazine editor was great to deal with making it a lot easier to take part in.


I made two By Annie A Place For Everything 2.0 bags, one for my bestie (the top one) and one for me in Tula Pink Deja Vu Nightshade.  Love these bags, I use mine for all my rulers for my Bernina Q16 Plus.


My Bernina Q16 Plus which arrived in June and has since completed 9 quilts.  I have this on the five foot frame and love it.  (part of my Tula Pink fabrics in the background).


Another project for Stitch Magazine, a mermaid completed using variegated threads and back stitch.  This was gifted to one of my Sisters-In-Law once completed.


My first piece of Stumpwork Embroidery for Stitch Magazine, The Clangers - one of my favourite tv programmes as a child.  This was a challenge but the results were worth it.


I am still cooking, baking and quilting when I get chance.  I have probably bought five lifetimes worth of embroidery kits, quilt kits and fabric (that age old immortal stitcher thing).  That's inbetween five broken bones, pneumonia, stomach problems and two lots of Covid.  We have been very lucky as a family, we didn't lose anybody but both me and my husband lost our best friends.  That loss has had such a big impact on our lives.  We try our best to remember all the fun times we all had together but when your own lives are a challenge those people leave a huge gaping hole that nobody can replace and they are truly missed.

We lost our beautiful Cocker Spaniel Merlin this year who still looked like a puppy at 11 years old but unfortunately arthritis had got the better of him.  We just have our Chihuahua, Lily, who is enjoying being centre stage but is also getting old and likes nothing more than the sofa and a few light cuddles.

We gained a family member when our daughter got engaged in July to a gentleman who has just slotted right into our family (a family that are mostly nuts lol) and we are now planning and sorting what, where, when and how about the wedding.

Happy Stitching all and I can't wait to be back in the Friday Night Sew In and see what everybody is up to.













Tuesday 3 December 2019

Gluten Free Morgan's Spiced Christmas Pudding

Ingredients:-

2 tablespoons Morgan's Spiced
75 ml Kopparberg Fruit Cider
75 ml IPA
2 eggs

50 grams Bob's Red Mill One to One Flour
1 teaspoon GF baking powder
110 grams breadcrumbs made from Genius Toastie loaf or stale GF bread to make it easier to breadcrumb
Zest and juice of one Jaffa orange
Zest of one lemon
one peeled apple chopped
30 grams ground almonds
300 grams Currants
 120 grams Raisins
120 grams Sultanas
110 grams GF Vegetable Suet
225 grams Dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Method:-

Mix all the wet ingredients together.

Mix all the dry ingredients together, except the flour

Mix them both together without the flour.   Cover and leave overnight so that the mixture takes in all the flavour of the alcohol.

Add the flour to the ingredients and mix well.

Fill three one pound pudding bowls and top them with a piece of foil pleated in the middle.

Pressure cook on high for 2.5 hours.  The longer you cook it the darker the pudding will be.  Once out of the pressure cooker remove the foil and drizzle another teaspoon of Morgan's Spiced over the pudding and leave to go cold.  

On Christmas Day place the pudding in a microwave and then light with your desired alcohol and serve with either Rum/Brandy sauce or whisky ice cream.

Enjoy :)

Wednesday 20 February 2019

A finish and a continue ...


I completed the Beekeepers Cottage kit and I am really pleased with how it turned out so it is going to the framers this week hopefully with a couple of others.


All those beautiful purples, greens and golds.


It was quite a bit longer than I was expecting.


I am now continue to stitch my Mani Di Donna black ruby purse pattern, hope this will be another finish this week.

First lot of physiotherapy for my collapsed vertebrae that has been causing all my falls and it went pretty well.  I am limited to what I can do because of the leg and foot but it was good to make a start.

Happy stitching all :)

Saturday 16 February 2019

Friday Night Sew In ...



I got a few more rows done last night for the Friday Night Sew In.  Thanks for hosting Wendy.  Pop over to Wendy's blog to see what others got up to and maybe next time you can join us :)

Have a good weekend all - it's short and sweet today as I am struggling with pain.

Beekeepers Cottage Day 3...

Day 3 of the Beekeepers Cottage and I got a few rows done.


I also changed it onto my needleneeds millenium frame so that I didn't damage the rows that are already completed.  It stretches it out really tight.  All the alphabet done in backstitch.

Happy stitching :)

Friday 15 February 2019

The Beekeepers Cottage Day 2 ...


I got quite a few rows done yesterday which surprised me.


Five rows of Herringbone stitch topped with little flowers of back stitch and detached chain stitch.

Blanket stitch topped with flowers of cross stitch in two colours and tiny french knots.

Basketweaving in Guilded Lavender thread from the Thread Gatherer which gradually changes colour through the skein.

Backstitched alphabet with a single 'b', flower and honeycomb.

I love the colours in this kit, they really compliment each other.

Thanks for looking :)

Thursday 14 February 2019

The Beekeepers Cottage progress ...


I worked quite a few hours yesterday on this little beauty and I am really happy with the result, no unpicking for a change!


The sun, moon and stars along with a couple of trees, all in au ver a soie silk, which is beautiful thread on linen, it has quite a sheen to it.

All cross stitch to that point and then it is on to the rows of different thread patterns which I will share with you over the next couple of days.

Thanks for keeping up with me and happy stitching :)

Wednesday 13 February 2019

Shepherds Bush Beekeepers Cottage Kit ...



Whilst I am sitting waiting for my leg and ankle to heal - I need to stitch - I can't just sit still - never have been able to.



This kit is one of many that I have collected over the years and I thought the possibility of me finishing it within a week would be pretty good - we shall see - but it will make me sit ;)

Beautiful brown/yellow linen with an assortment of Au Ver a Soie silks and Thread Gatherer silks bundled up with a couple of bee and moon charms.

I will keep you posted on my progress. :)