Saturday 23 July 2011

Should probably have stayed in bed...

I've been having one of those days...  It started with sleeping in.  Fairly normal there then..  Then there was passing out asleep during breakfast.  Usually I manage to get food down first, but no, not this morning.  Woke up choking on my toast. 

Then I had a go a dying some towels, trying out machine dye this time.  Managed to sneeze whilst emptying the packet of dye into the washing machine...  Wonder just how harmful dye is?  I snorted a nose full...  Well, it didn't kill me. Black snot isn't too attractive though!

I was hoping to have that unpicked quilt top sashed and done, but it hasn't quite gone like that...  In fact it's gone bad to worse!  First was the fact that even when I thought I felt perfectly awake I'd sit down and start it and be half asleep in a matter of minutes.  Every single time.  Yet when I picked up something else to play with I was fine.  It was kinda weird.  Then mum hit on the reason..  I cant get it done cos my brain keeps thinking that its done it already.  Might sound a bit odd to you, but makes sense to me.  I get like that when I have to repeat doing something, half my brain sort of switches off.  

So, day after day of trying to get it done, finally a breakthrough today!  I was doing so well, on the last stretch...  then I managed to knock a full, large mug of extra strong tea flying.  It is a small cupboard.  It was a large mug.  

Thank god 90% of my fabric is in plastic boxes with lids.  The remaining 10% including the quilt top and the backing fabric (my favourite print in the quilt top) all got covered in tea. 

So I've spent the last couple of hours wiping up and drying off tea, and soaking and "vanish"-ing fabric.  Oh and that wasn't the last of the fun tonight...  Sitting in my cupboard sponging tea off every visible (and not so visible) area in storms a very angry bee.  Followed, naturally, by a very excited Elliecat.  
Dumb bee just refused to be rescued so I'm afraid yet another one bit the dust.  I say "yet another one" as I've woken up to a dead bee at the foot of my bed every morning this week.  Elliecat apparently loves me...  What gets me is why in the name of the wee man are bees fighting their way thru the small open crack of window, thru the closed curtains, to die in my house?  I don't make it easy for them to get in, the house isn't full of enticing flowers....  I love bees!  I hate seeing bees die.  
Anyway, I came out of it with a few bruises, and Elliecat may or may not have been stung - she's certainly twitching her lips and pawing her mouth an awful lot.  So now I'm keeping a worried eye on her  in case she starts swelling up or something...

Speaking of bees, I can show you the two blocks I got done for July...  I did get something right this week!



I got the ideas from Susan Briscoes Japanese Taupe Quilt Blocks.  My lovely friend Mimi sent me that book and it's absolutely fantastic.  Hardly any triangles!  lol  I had to adapt them a bit as the book size is a fair bit smaller than what I needed, but I managed to come up with sizes to make a 12.5" block without losing the block design.  Quite pleased with how they turned out!
Oh, that reminds me.  Mimi has set up a shop!  The button is on my blog; over there, to the right, spot it?  Hope you'll stop by and visit :-)

17 comments:

  1. What a day! Hope the tea stains came out of everything. And black snot is not nice. I've spent time in Beijing so I know this.

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  2. What a nightmare day! (is that a good description?). Hope you get the quilt sorted soon. Elliecat, you deserved that sting, leave the bees alone!
    Love your blocks; a whole quilt of the second one would look amazing.

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  3. Ouch what a day! I love bee's too, their buzzing always makes me giggle :)
    I hope you got all of the tea out!
    Ashley x

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  4. Ah, I wondered why you were quiet. I'm so sorry. Sounds like we both had a Friday 13th.

    I love those blocks! So glad the book is coming in useful, and that the designs look amazing in colour!

    Naughty Elliecat! At least she got her comeuppance! She'll be fine, Fizz got a sting on the mouth before and was pawing at it and licking her chops for a little while but that was it. She didn't learn from it either! Tut tut.

    Today is lovely and sunny today so hope we both have a better day! xx

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  5. I'm sorry to laugh at your misfortunes, but you do tell a good story. Black snot indeed! Probably better than if it'd been bogie green!
    Our cats eat bees and wasps too, and no harm seems to come of it.
    Love those red blocks.

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  6. Love the bee blocks, sorry to hear about the bee problem, even more so the tee (!) problem. Hope you get the top and the backing cleaned, tea is a dreadful stain :-(

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  7. Oh dear-- sounds like quite an unlucky day- but your quilt blocks sure turned out great!! I love the patterns on them-- quite different from any of the other blocks I've seen from this Bee. I might have to check out that book. I'm right there with you on avoiding HSTs for now. Here's to having a better day today (raising my mug of coffee and taking a sip-- and hoping I don't spill it!)

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  8. despite all that you still managed to produce some beautiful blocks ... dying bees seem to make it into my flat and die on my windowsill ... why?

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  9. Oh dear! What a day!! I can sympathize with spilling tea (everywhere) and oddly enough the dead bees in the house. In our last place we'd get a bee at least once every couple of days. They were so exhausted by the time they got in that they just died. It was weird! Hope your kitty didn't get stung!! I love the blocks--they look fantastic...the white on the red is just striking!

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  10. I loved reading your post. It's a lovely blog, and have great resources. Just keep it updated with fresh posts like this.

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  11. Oh my what a time of it you've had! And yet you still make it sound funny (should I be laughing?). I'm more than happy to unpick your quilt if you want to post it to me. Jxo

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  12. oh my, what a day. Keeping my fingers crossed for the "vanish"-ing.
    I love the red and white blocks, both look great.

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  13. S'not a good day then eh?! lol.
    P'raps Ms Ellie Cat is trying to bring a little ray of sunshine to you with her daily bee deposits....p'raps she's reminding you that soon You will be Queen Bee? ;-)
    Cloud brings me Headless Rabbits.....Plinky can only manage Slow-Worms.
    Those blocks are just gorgeous sweetie.......Gor Gee Ous!!!

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  14. i think a whole quilt in that second block would be STUNNING! love it. poor elliecat, bee stings are no fun!

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  15. You're hilarious! I can imagine you smiling as you type out that account of your day, so at least you can still see the funny side, love the Bee segway too :)

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  16. Sounds like a terrible day but you survived! Beautiful blocks.

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  17. Greetings from Tunisia! I've just dropped by from Quilting Bloggers, trying to escape the heat while hugging the AC and enjoying your blog. Your quilts are great--love the styles and colors--kind of sassy like your prose. You've got me laughing my head off. I'll definitely stop in occasionally to see your latest projects.
    best, nadia

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