Newer Post Older Post

I'm joining the Finish-A-Long!


This year Leanne@She Can Quilt is taking over the FAL responsibilities from Rhonda@Quilter In The Gap and, having been through all the boxes in my sewing room and listed all my 'In progress' projects on a separate blog page, I realised that there are a few things I could feasibly finish by the end of March.  Nothing huge (don't get your hopes up, Sarah, I'm not secretly planning to have my hexy quilt finished by then) but they'll be finishes nonetheless.  I'm deliberately being realistic with what I'll be able to manage - there's no way I can finish any of the quilts I'm working on in three months so I've picked smaller projects to focus on finishing and I'll continue to plug away at the larger projects.  So, expectations set suitably low, here we go!



she can quilt


 
1.  I'd like to finish making these gorgeous Marmalade fabrics into a cushion.  Leanne sent me these and I decided to stick to the hexy theme she'd started (although I did have to change it from EPP to hand piecing) and I was inspired by this beautiful cushion, which Fiona received in a swap.




2.  Stumpwork anemone.  This just needs the detached petals preparing and attaching to the flower and then mounting on a canvas block. 




3.  I'm afraid there's no photo for this item because it's a surprise and the recipient reads my blog.  Instead I've emailed a photo to Our Dear Leader and I promise to share that photo as well as photos of the finished item when I can.  I can tell you that it's knitting and that I've probably got another two or three hours of knitting to go before I can cast off and then it needs blocking and the ends sewing in.  It's the project I'm focusing on at the moment and I hope it's going to be my first FAL finish!


That's all, folks!  I told you to set your expectations low - if you want to visit people with higher expectations then visit some of these loonies people!  (To be fair I think everyone has a longer list than me and I think it says more about me than it does about them!)  Or, better still, make a list of your own and join the fun!



I must confess celebrate a 2013 finish.  I was lucky enough to meet up with Danielle@Mes Petits Elefants on Saturday.  She's in the area visiting her husband's family and we arranged to meet at my friend's Open Studio.  Danielle is the loveliest person you could wish to meet and by the end of the visit I felt like I'd known her for years.  She was much more organised than me and brought some of her (beautiful) work to show me, I must remember to do that the next time I meet up with a quilter - schoolgirl error!  We swapped presents and generally had a wonderful time.

The most beautiful fabrics from Danielle - I had to keep my eye on the dress pattern piece as several people professed love for it...
A flying geese hexy pin cushion (made with Oakshott Lipari 
and Kona medium grey) for Danielle.

Yes, I was four days into 2013 and I'd finished something - a new record, I think!  For me, at least...


Archie has been on antibiotics and painkillers, again but is on the mend.  It all started on the Sunday between Christmas and New Year when he squealed when I opened his mouth to give him his liver tablet.  (A tablet for his liver, not a tablet made from liver!)  He did it again on Monday and Tuesday so on Wednesday, after he'd squealed and then ran away, I took him to the vet.  Blimey, did we have a struggle with him!  So much so that he jarred his leg and went out limping!  (His leg is fine now, he just had short walks for a couple of days, much to his disgust!)  In all the struggles the vet managed to catch glimpse of the back of his mouth and said that one side was red and sore and she said he could have eaten something sharp and scratched his mouth and started with an infection/abscess.  (He's a bit of a scavenger when he's out on walks and it's quite likely that he's found a bone left by a thoughtless food fairy.)  Given his age she decided that the best thing to do was to put him on antibiotics (rather than knocking him out to get a better look) and hope that they did the trick and, fingers crossed, he seems to be responding.  He was never poorly (or off his food or walks!) but he's now letting me give him his tablets without squealing.  Although by the Thursday morning he'd taking to sloping off each time he heard me pop a tablet out of the foil and by Saturday he sloped off as soon as my alarm went off...he's far from daft!  In a way it's lucky I have to give him a tablet first thing each morning as it would have taken days for him to show any other symptoms.  The only other thing I noticed was that his catching was atrocious (he's usually very, very good at catching biscuits!) but it's not something you'd take him to the vet to discuss!!  I've taken to giving him a tiny bit of cheese with his tablets, to encourage him to swallow them and he's very keen on the cheese but not so keen being clamped between my knees and having his mouth prised open!



When you asked if I wanted some cheese you failed to mention the tablet that would accompany it #notamused

What?  Again?  Are you sure?  I had one last night, you know...any chance you could skip the tablet and just give me the cheese?

And it's been a little chilly in Archie Towers recently...

Any chance we could have the heating on?  Just for half an hour...


That's it from me, I'm off to make a cup of tea and do a spot of knitting!  I'm afraid that, as usual, I'm behind on my emails (46 to reply to and counting - that may not seem like a lot to most of you but it'll probably take me the rest of the week!) but I'll do my best to catch up...or give up!  Oh, and I've had to stop accepting anonymous comments as I was starting to get rather disgusting spam comments.  I hope it doesn't cause a problem for anyone - you can always email me instead!

Happy stitching!

Edited to add: I managed to get some better photos of 'Leftovers' when the light levels were higher.  It was much flatter after it'd been out of the drier for a few hours and I helped it on its way by putting it under my bottom sheet and sleeping on it - worked a treat!


Much better than my last attempt!


Comments

  1. bless him - poor little lad! Being an overenthusiastic puppy type, Katie is more than happy to take a tablet - mainly because we cover them in peanut butter!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh, poor Archie, hope he's fully recovered soon! Don't feel bad about your FAL list -
    I've only got one thing on mine!!
    Rx

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your Lipari pincushion is lovely, and I bet your FALs are quality over quantity:-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Get well soon Archie! Poor boy, we give tablets to Connie buried in a blob of liver pate - I don't think she even chews it, straight down the hatch.
    I only have one more than you for my first quarter FAL list - I know my limits! :-)
    Your meet up sounds lovely and great pincushion you made!
    Hugs to you both xx

    ReplyDelete
  5. It is great to meet up with other bloggers. I am glad that you had a good time. Your FAL list looks achievable I am sure that you will do it. The hexies will make a gorgeous cushion. Di x

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love that pin cushion!

    Gentle tickle on the tum for Archie from me please,

    Fiona

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh Archie, could you look more badly done by if you tried?!!! Bless!

    Laughed aloud at the image of poor Archie clamped between your knees and having his pills forced down. And loving that you joined in the FAL.

    ReplyDelete
  8. sounds like you have been busy - Archie stop being difficult for your mom! hope he gets to feeling better. Love the hexies - top photo

    ReplyDelete
  9. Poor Archie -- he has had a time of it! Glad the antibiotics did the trick and hope he's feeling way, way better.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Poor Archie! I have made my list nice and small and acheivable as well :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Oh poor Archie! Hope he is okay now, Sam takes tablets like treats, we are very lucky, apart from the ones we got after he had his teeth out, he would not take them, so we did the same as you, wrapped it in something and..whoosh... it was gone! Don't worry about replying to this, 46 is enough for now :-) Hugs xx

    ReplyDelete
  12. Good luck with the list, love the pincushion and awww :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Your 'stained' looks wonderful, two in one, really.The back is equally lovely.
    You always seem to come up with something small and stunning - a magnificent little pinnie. Love it!
    Glad Archie's on the mend. Happy knitting. x
    P.S no need to reply, you have enough to catch up with.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Love your pinnie. Can't wait to see what you have been knitting. I am nearly at the end of a 'lace' pattern scarf, I should've added it to my list!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Poor Archie! Our George had a similar thing, only it got all infected and his whole face swelled up. They ended up having to put him under to take a look and clean it out - vet said it looked like something bit the inside of his cheek. Maybe that will teach him to quit hunting critters...but I doubt it!

    ReplyDelete
  16. That stump work looks really interesting, and I am very pleased someone else has added a non-quilting project to their FAL (I have both knitting and crocheting in mine, I hope I'm allowed!)

    ReplyDelete
  17. He deserves an Oscar or the doggy version should be an Archie really!

    Love the stump work you must finish that! And the rest ! Intrigued by your knitting mystery you tease! Glad you are in and off to look at IPs!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Nice list there - interested in the knitting!
    Hope Big A is now feeling much better xxx

    ReplyDelete
  19. That pincushion is lovely, so crisp. Poor Archie, I hope he is soon off the tablets and feeling better. I love anemones, I had artificial purple and red ones as my bouquet, many moons ago.
    Good luck with your finishes.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Best of luck with the list. Hope Archie is feeling better :o)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Aw poor Archie! I hope he makes a full recovery. Does he wrap himself up in that quilt? Your quilt is fabulous H! And well done for joining FAL! I'm still in denial! Jxo

    ReplyDelete
  22. Good luck with the list, and the ongoing battle of the tablets ;o)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Oh dear, poor Archie! Keep the heating on, just for him! Was really brilliant to meet you on Saturday, so glad we managed it! Hopefully will see you again in not too distant future, we'll be back at some point! In the meantime, I'll join you in the WIP addiction - maybe some of them will turn into finished projects this year.. I hope so! Danielle xx

    ReplyDelete
  24. Instead of having half baked ideas and orphan blocks hiding (from hubby) in grocery bags and pillow cases, I splashed out at the supermarket on the weekend and bought some see-through plastic lidded tubs for my WIP's.
    Had to go back for more. So embarrassed. Way too many to count...but my Tower-Of-Tubs looks spectacular! A sort of "sculpture", really. . . Noice.
    I shall watch your Finish-a-longs with interest. I like your alternative idea to ironing..brilliant really.

    Too cold?? My door is always open Archie.... of course TODAY the door is actually firmly shut...its going to be 40 degrees :(
    And DONT reply :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Oh poor Archie, though good he didn't need anaesthetising for the both of you- it cost us a FORTUNE when Fletcher had teeth pulled just before Christmas :(

    ReplyDelete
  26. Oh poor Archie. My Took is having the same sort of issues, and not liking the antibiotics one bit. Unfortunately Took is a cat...and very hard to fool when it comes to treats. We used to stick our dog's meds in a bite of hot dog.... Maybe Archie would like that.

    Your projects look wonderful too.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I've just disabled my anonymous comments too and I notice several others have. I suppose someone has got a list of us all :( I love your marmalade hexies and the stumpwork. I think it's such a good idea to actually finish a manageable amount, rather than make massive lists. And, last but not least, poor Archie I hope he's back to !00% soon :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. I love the 'not amused' photos of A and hope he is feeling better. How lovely to meet Danielle and good luck on your lovely list!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Glad Archie ok now.
    Love that wee pincushion, such a clever design.
    Good luck in the FAL, I am off to join in now.

    ReplyDelete
  30. I am so glad you are finishing along, the list is lovely! I hope Archie is better by now, he sure looks cute. And how lovely to meet another blogger, I love the pincushion!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Those are cute little hexies. Good luck.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, I think I'll need it! Sorry, I couldn't reply by email as you're currently a 'no-reply blogger', I hope you see this and know I tried to reply!

      Delete
  32. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love comments, thank you for yours!!

P.S. I've had to activate comment moderation for older posts so if your comment doesn't appear, it's probably in my inbox awaiting my attention!
P.P.S. If you have a 'no reply' account (no blogger id/a wordpress blog/you aren't sure), please feel free to leave me a separate comment with just your email address in it (myemailaddress(at)wherever.co.uk to save any bots grabbing it), I shall add that to my address book so I can reply via email and then delete that comment. No worries if not, I shall reply within the comments!