OPAM March

Here are my finished projects for March.

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Potholders in log cabin design. These have been waiting years (literally) to be finished. So I feel rather good at getting them done.

This is Acucat! My new giant pincushion (hence the "acu"bit.) I was so fed up of hunting for pincushion, needles, pins, threads etc. How they disappear while I'm working I don't know. But Acucat is going to change all that. I have put a bag of rice at the bottom to make it heavier so this is a sturdy cat that can sit beside me while I'm working ... the only thing that worries me is the interest Tiffi has been showing it. (Pattern: Born to quilt.)

Izzy, wizzy, let's get busy...

Another basket done. The birds are so cute. So now I can't wait to prep no 3. I have bought some pretty spring colours for that one. BUT - these boms don't count in the challenge, and this month I seem to have been doing a bit of this and a bit of that. (Don't I always!) So now I must use the last days of the month to finish something completely.

Glorious spring weather today, sunshine and just a breeze. It smells like spring today. So I just must take my furry friends on a nice long walk. Will do us all good. Tiffi and I certainly need to exercise a bit extra after a long, cold winter..... although we got in a bit just now when she "escaped" by crawling under the terrace (a wonder she didn't get stuck) and I had to run and get her. So when I get my breath back, we'll get cracking.

Have a beautiful day everyone.!

Who believes dogs are colourblind?

Here's my adopted piece of fur, Tiffi (really my son's dog, but she lives here alot). Not easy to make out head or tail, but I wanted to show her favourite space, my red chairs. Of course, the only furniture I have that dog hairs stick to! If I put a blanket in the chair she will avoid it til she sees her chance again. She just seems to love red - and pink!

When I was clearing out the loft a few old toys reappeared - Tiffi was helping out , as usual, and
went off with a pink bunny. She played with it for days, until it became so tatty it had to go in the bin.

Still not convinced? What about this: I was sitting quietly on the sofa with Tiffi snoozing beside me, stitching away at the block from Bunny Hill. One of the stars is pinky/lilac and I picked out 3 pink skeins of thread. Guess who woke up and took an interest in embroidery! She sniffed at the pink threads and licked them and moved them around on my lap, wagging her tail furiously all the time. We finally decided on the right colour and I could carry on stitching. She is sooo funny!

By the way, she is not sick or anything. Being a Norfolk terrier she has to have her fur plucked a couple of times a year, and at the moment we are midway in the process - so she looks a bit tatty.

Enjoy another spring day....

My first BOM

from Bunny Hill. Lagging a bit behind, but now underway. And such fun! I have used fusible web and blanket stitch, on advice from a quilting shop I found, as I am rather new to hand applique. But I do want to learn needleturning applique as I like the look of it more. So...the question is .. must I now use the same technique for all the blocks - or can I vary as my technique improves? Anyone out there got a view on this?

I've got BOM no 2 ready for stitching and can't wait to get started. So I'm going to hurry through my chores and settle down and enjoy myself.

Home again.

After a lovely week in sunny Spain, I am now back at home to rain and sleet. But who cares?

One day we decided to see Valencia, not knowing it was the first day of the Falla festival. The city was decorated and we kept running into Spanish ladies in their exquisite costumes in every colour you could think of. Really beautiful!

At the cathedral plaza we came upon a giant, wooden Madonna. (Not the singer - as my son pointed out to his young friend!)

Later in the day the ladies joined processions, all the girls carrying posies of flowers. The procession passed the Madonna and the flowers were given to men who then climbed the giant structure and clothed the figure in flowers. A wonderful sight and the scent lovely. I'm so glad to have witnessed this.

I did of course take some work with me, knitting and stitchery. But I have to admit I didn't do much ..... so now I'm a little behind schedule.

Have a great day!

Treasure Trove

I have been very busy lately turning out the loft - only halfway so far, as I keep finding things I had forgotten about. Lots of treasures!
Like the emboidered cloth that granddad used to have over the back of his chair (in the days of real hair grease) - the G stands for Garfild, but I'm not related to the cat! :) Now it will be a nice runner for my work table.
I also found 6 of his napkins - always white linen - and perfect as background material for applique (I hope). Another treasure is the little round mat with the crocheted edge.
So not so much new work being done - and March halfway! Must get my skates on....
And Saturday I'm off to Spain for a week in kinder weather ... I'm sure to have something with needles attached in my suitcase.

So I had better go and choose something now.