Domestic Numpty

Last I wrote I was anticipating the return of my man.  He called on the Friday night to say he'd gotten safely off the ship and was awaiting flights, "what have you been up to?" he asked. 
"Well, I've done 2 loads of laundry, some ironing, done the shopping, cleaned the oven, the grill, the fridge, the microwave..."
"Why?"  He says, "Its not like I'll be going anywhere near any of them!" 
I know I probably shouldn't encourage him but he doesn't half make me laugh.  He did then say that as long as there was beer in the fridge and the living room looked tidy he'd be more than happy.  Phew!  Cos after all that on Thursday and Friday the Crash came big on Saturday...  Eventually managed to stay awake for a wee while in the evening so I thought I'd make a start on the Welcome Home dinner, and do a cheesecake.

Got the base made, and thought I'd tidy as I go and get everything washed, wiped and put away before I started on the creamy filling bit, you know, proper housewife that I am... 
Next thing I know, I'm standing over by the bin.  The base tray is in my hands.  It is empty.  The base is all over the top of the closed bin, and all over the floor beside it, and even in Elliecats food dish.  Around me, the dishes are done, the counter is wiped, the crumbs and empty digestive packet are in the freezer, and I binned the cheesecake base.  '*$"&!^%*@!!!  Unbelievable.  Elliecat seemed quite pleased with it though!
I don't know, when I was working I had been known to answer the phone and apparently be quite helpful in my sleep - at home I blank out for 2 minutes and things go POO.  Snot fair!!!

Anyway...  Been a little distracted so not a huge amount of sewing done ;-)  Did have a few minutes here and there, so I used up some scraps and did some practice.

Bleugh scraps but I do so need Triangle practice.  Nope, still hate 'em! 

Had a go at this idea which I have to admit was great fun...

Did my first Mug Rug, and practiced sewing circles.

Did a cushion cover sized scrap block and I'm going to use it to practice Free Motion Quilting. 

Might need to do this a few more times...  Just as well I've got a few more ideas for scrappy cushion cover blocks!

Falling behind

Ah to be back in the cupboard....  I do so love my cupboard.  And boy oh boy has Elliecat missed me!  She took 48 hours to accept I was home and detach herself from my leg.  Awwww, it's awffy nice to be missed. 

I had a lovely week with mum and dad, and granny of course.  Even got a little sewing done.

I got most of it done with mum at the iron, steaming away, and I only had to sew a few strips together and add a border once I got home.  Tired as I was, I thought I'd get the borders done today...

Yup.  Should know by now not to sew when I'm tired.   Ho hum, need to remove the borders tomorrow and try and put them on the right way around this time.

I wish I had a completed single girl to show you...  I have made a start on the hand quilting but ohmygod it is tough!  If I attempt it again on another quilt it will only be on a quilt done in super soft cotton, as the cotton on single girl, although perfect for machine quilting, is quite tricky to get the needle through more than one stitch at a time.  I'm getting it done, but oh so slowly...  I can only draw on one ring at a time cos it takes me so bloomin long to stitch it that the vanishing marker vanishes before I'm done sewing!  I've got one full circle done, so only another four halves and four quarters still to go...  I think you might be waiting a while to see that one.  Have a holiday photo instead.  Here's some deer...





See the teeny tiny specks on the top of the hill?  Them's the deer...



The Lily's Quilts QAL seems to be flying along, as yet with out me!  I just cant seem to decide on my fabrics...  I've got another couple of projects in mind that I'm dying to get started, and I'm going to be doing a fantastic swap with the lovely Magpie Mimi so that needs to be organised - really looking forward to that one, I'm quite excited about it!  Also, it would seem that I've got rather a lot of tidying / dusting / hoovering / laundry / baking / shopping etc to get done.  I don't know...  I go away for a week, thinking my man will be home in May, I come home and find he's apparently going to be home this weekend!  Obviously I am excited, this is very good news, but, well, I was looking forward to a week in the cupboard now I've got 2 weeks worth of home preparations to get done in a few days!  D'oh!  Now where on earth am I going to put (hide) all the fabric that's snuck out of the cupboard?

P.S.  Thanks for all the comments on last post, it was lovely to come back and read them :-)  Did anybody like the songs or was that just me being a bit too daft?  Most likely...

Seven songs...

Just a brief post tonight, (ha ha ha that'll be right...)  cos the clocks just went forward and suddenly its later than I thought...  Mind you that's been happening to me every time I look at the clock for the past 2 days...  I'm guessing I've been zoning out a fair bit.  No Single Girl progress to report, but I did get this done.

Quilt top went together like a dream, but then it is pretty simple.   For the maths/puzzle lovers out there, its a sudoku quilt!   A friend brought the pattern and fabric back from Canada for me -  I do have fantastic friends :-) 

Wish I could say the rest of the quilt came together as easily as the top, but no, I messed up at every opportunity.  Including a lovely stint of automatic behaviour when I was doing the binding - I might have managed to sew in my sleep, but it would've helped if I'd actually managed to sew the binding to the quilt top and not the leftover edges of batting.  And as for the quilting...  To say the air was blue would be understating it.  In fact I'm pretty sure at least one day was spent where the only words out my mouth were profanities.  At least I can say I was quite creative with it...  Oh yeah, why?  Well at some point between the basting and the manhandling through the sewing machine the back got awfully saggy.  Whole thing had to be unpicked and redone.
Oh and a whole day was wasted coming to the (blindingly obvious) conclusion that learning to Free Motion Quilt should be done on small things 'til you get the hang of it, BEFORE you attempt it on a whole quilt.  Must remember to make some mug rugs to practice on...

I did get a lovely surprise mid-week though, when Rhonda from Quilter in the Gap  very kindly picked li'l old  me as one of her six blogs to pass the Stylish Blogger Award on to!  Check out her blog if you want to see what an experienced talented quilter can do!  So, first of all a big thank you to her, second I should say that the "rules" that accompany this award are to list 7 things about yourself then pass the award on to your 6 recently discovered great bloggers.  So, painful for me to think up, and painfully boring for you to read, here are my 7 things about me. 

1. When I was a kid I was scared of the dark..
2. I may or may not have buried my pet hamster alive.  Apparently they go into a forced hibernation if put in a cold room, and can be roused by blowing with a hairdryer.  Who knew? I didn't
3. I love Bruce Lee  movies and have them all on dvd.
4. I was once a barmaid.  I sucked at it, but I got free beer at the end of the night.
5. Ellie cat is my third tabby.  Clearly I am much better with bigger animals.
6. I have turned every single white item of clothing belonging to myself and my man grey.
7. I was born in in Edinburgh

And the blogs I'd like to pass this award on to are
A little bit of Plum Leaf
A quilt, maybe
Magpie Mimi
Quiltova
Vanilla Clouds and Lemon Drops
The Antipodean Artisan

I hope you'll have a wee nosey at them too, they're great!

Right, I'm signing off for a week, I'm going to visit mum and dad, and granny!

I laughed till I cried...

I had a go at a wee bit of a re-style...



£1 from a charity shop, light purple suedette top

 I know I moan endlessly about all the crap that goes with Narcolepsy, but in doing this re-style it was actually handy for once!  Instead of just plowing on and struggling to get things to work, each time I had to stop for a nap I woke up with new ideas, remembered things I'd read, and was able to try things differently.  I guess what I'm saying is that for once having to stop for naps all the time didn't have its usual effect of making things take sooooo much longer - having a chance to rethink so often actually helped things along!

I think its kinda cute.  And I must point out that the hem isn't squint, the doll is propped up squint.  Honest! It's lined too...  As you can no doubt tell, I'm rather pleased with it!


I did have the WORST cataplexy episode so far, for me anyway, on Friday.  (Cataplexy - secondary condition that sometimes but not always accompanies Narcolepsy, means sudden loss of muscle control due to change in emotion.)  I lost control over my eyes so my sight went, my face went, arms, hands, absolutely everything.  I tried to fight it, but it just got worse and worse.  Thankfully I was sat down so no injury or anything, but my head dropped at such an angle that I couldn't breathe and I panicked.  I managed to control it for a second or two which was just enough to move my head enough to breathe again, but ultimately the cataplexy took over again and I was completely paralysed for 5 minutes.  Not long, but it felt like forever to me. 

So what on earth caused it?  Little Miss Ellie cat, that's what.  Or who.   You see, I'd brought a cereal box upstairs to use to make a template.  Buy cardboard?  Nah...  Recycle ;-)  Anyway.  I'm sat at one end of the bed quietly reading blogs, and cereal box is at the bottom of the bed.  After getting her fill of attention from me, Ellie cat decided to explore the cereal box.  Cats seem to like cardboard.  Cats seem to like boxes.  Score! 

So, she had a good sniff, then had a closer sniff, then attempted to sniff a bit further into the box.  Little Miss Ellie cat got stuck in the box.  Not entirely happy about being stuck in the box she skooshed backwards, and, thinking that oughta do it she sat down and lifted her head...  With the cereal box still on it.  Ellie cat now had a cereal box for a head.  She tried to shake it off.  I just saw a cat body with a cereal box for a head, and this cereal box was shaking its head at me...  I think the weight of it maybe caught her out cos next thing I see is her tipping over onto her ass with her back legs going up in the air...  Turns out the edge of the bed is not the place to do that Ellie cat...  Cue slow motion cat with cereal box for head and back legs in the air ever so slowly slip off the end of the bed, ass first.... 

We are not amused...

So.  I've also been busy trying to catch up with my Single Girl Quilt...  I got a back made...

And I got it basted tonight. 

This week I shall be attempting some hand quilting...  And doll needs shoes...  And I have a quilt top I started last week to get on with...  And hopefully I'll manage to settle on a selection of fabric for the Lilys Quilts QAL.   Lots of sewing to be getting on with eh?  YAY!   :-)

I do like to see a sea of safety pins...