Weight Loss

I have just finished a skirt and it is way too big!!! I measured and when I started it, it fitted. I know I have lost some weight but this skirt is unwearable.....it has a lot of work in it and is going to take a LOT of unpicking to be able to rework it. And I need to start unpicking and reworking now, otherwise I may as well just get rid of it now otherwise it will sit in a corner for ever.

Lesson learned:
- DON'T lose weight!
- Measure all the weigh through
- Don't get too excited about finishing without checking it will fit first

Sewing...

Things I have learned over the last couple of days:

- when you rethread your overlocker don't cut the thread too short!
- measure, measure and measure again
- lining a skirt isn't as difficult as I thought it might be...perhaps I have done it incorrectly?!
- be patient...understand that unpicking is a way of learning!

April...

...is here already. What happened to March? Where did it go?

 It was a time for sun-bathing cats...

 Beautiful spring flowers in my bedroom...

 Beautiful quilts on the bed (but only when the cats aren't about)...

And tired cats who can sleep anywhere...

April is a time for Vintage and Handmade Fairs , a time for the end of one course before the next one starts on May 1st, and a time for crocheting blankets.....

See you Saturday? x

Quick update...

Just to let you know that I have heard from the lady in Japan, and she says that she, her family and her friends are all safe.

Japan

Today I received my copy of the fabulous crochet accessories book from Pomadour on Ebay and Etsy, posted from Japan on the 3rd of March and arriving at my home today. Given where she is based I have been watching the news of the last 24 hours and can't imagine what she may be going through.
I have googled mapped her address and although about level with Sendai she appears to live on the opposite coast.
I can't begin to imagine how people are coping there, the news brings more awful updates every hour, the film and  photos are showing unbelievable scenes, it looks like a very expensive Hollywood blockbuster filmset. As I sit here with my lovely little house, surrounded by my family and cats, enjoying a cup of tea I can't believe how lucky I am, living in a country where natural disasters are luckily very rare.
Technology brings us all so close together, but when things like this happen it is a reminder that not only are we ruled by nature, but also that we are all so far apart.

The Bedroom.....

A VERY picture heavy post......

A new room isn't a new room without the help of some very nice swedish people....DH isn't swedish, the flatpack is......

He's gonna get this thing built, and doesn't require any help!!

He is very serious about this and tackles it from the inside!

My lovely curtains, courtesy of Mr John Lewis. They are called Magic Trees which I think is lovely, they are very serene and the calming colours are perfect (especially as they were purchased over t'internets).

My fab, gorgeous wardrobes!!! Love 'em...absolutely perfect, couldn't have asked for better! I can finally open my doors wide and peruse what I would like to wear from my clothers, I have never been able to do that before.

My lovely chest of drawers purchased unseen from Ebay. The seller is local, and delivered them for free and better yet, he stored them for 3 weeks until the carpet went down. His 3 yr old son helped deliver them and we talked about how much chocolate he could eat before he popped whilst his dad and DH carried my purchase upstairs. It wasn't supposed to go in the window, but my measurements were slightly out, though I think it is perfect where it now lives. The mirror is original and is bevelled, and Nick painted it, "stressed" it and waxed it and sold it for a ridiculously good price. I will definitely be going back to him in the future.

Our old bed and bedside drawers polished up with some briwax and looking fab, with bedding from Ikea YYs cat bed is back in place, and she is very happy to be resettled.

The finised article as built by DH, somewhere to house his "collection" including his crows which he has owned for about 12 years, but have been packed away waiting for a home. The baskets are to hide his crap in...keys, wallets etc.....

My lovely curtains.....again!

Once again, the drawers!!

The curtains in their full glory.

YYs bed again.

Crows and Topseys bed.

My beautiful light fitting which was about the 5th one to come home, but it is perfect, worth the search.

And finally, ready for catching up with everyones news.....

This was 14 years in the waiting (as I said previously, a very long story) but absolutely worth the wait....now I am planning the rest of the house.

If anyone needs a builder and painter and decorator I can highly recommend one from Burnley.

If anyone needs fab furniture, I can highly recommend a local guy.

Dh and I are both delighted with the results.

x

So excited...

...the carpet fitter is in! So in about 1 hours time we will be able to move back into our beautiful new bedroom. This has taken 14 years to get to (long story, I won't bore you - lol).
I have curtains to put up, new bed linen to go on, pine to wax, ikea bookcases to build and some chest of drawers to be delivered - what an exciting day!!
Photos will follow x

I have started a small collection...

These are from our local antique barn.

This picture so reminds me of primary school. I had a picture of a duck above my peg.

This picture takes me right back, it is so evocative I can feel the carpet on my legs.

I had to include this one as it made me laugh!! DD is having none of it, so DH will not be lucky enough to receive one of these on Father's Day.

And this picture......bloomin' chickens are the same whether real of fictional!!

Egg count today: 2

Audrey: 1

Amelie: 1

Egg sandwiches for lunch tomorrow and frittata for dinner!

Wet Sunday...

egg count: 2.

Amelie - 1, Audrey - 1.

Good Girls x

Another day....

.....more crocheting.

Please meet The Crochet Cat - Topsy.

She likes nothing more than sitting on my lap when I am knitting/crocheting. She loves being wrapped in whatever is being made, and she likes to be hot. In fact, she is known to sweat a little - EW!

Crochet Cat Heaven.

She is also happy to have yarn all over her. She doesn't eat it, chew it, or even bother with it, so there is none of that acky pulling it from the back of her throat.

Unlike this one. The Tail-less Wonder...P McGee (Pumpkin). I love this photo, taken yesterday as she was trying to hide from the painter.

This is a quick shot of the one surviving flower from Valentines Day. DH came home last night and asked who the rose was from...doh!

And finally, to those of you who still want chickens, look at my garden and think again. The bottom photo is a bad shot (through glass otherwise you get chased as they try and rush into the house). But can you see where my bluebells are? My bleeding hearts? My cowslips? No?? Thought not! The girls have eaten them!!

And to add insult to injury....egg count today is 0.

The bright green bowl in the first shot is Audrey's porridge bowl, Amelie prefers apples.

The garden hasn't photographed too badly, it really is a LOT muddier than it looks.

Back to work tomorrow. Assignment is done, I will give it a spell-check and tidy up on Sunday night before I hit the dreaded "Send" key, but it is done.

But now, back to some more of this

and a cup of tea

x