Quilt top finished!

Last night I had to stay up until 2am to collect Sos from her night out in town so I thought I might as well use the time productively. As a result I finished piecing the main part of this top, and then this morning I attached the borders.
I think it has turned out alright. Not a normal Triple Chain build up of colour but I knew it wouldn't be. I think I'll quilt big swirly patterns in the yellow centers. I'm about to go fetch B from hockey practice, and then I'll get the wood from the shed and set up the quilt frame in the hall. Its ages since I've hand-quilted a big top and d'you know I'm looking forward to it!

Another Random Dozen!

Another Random Dozen from the Lid! I don't know why these are such fun- maybe because the questions are things I never think about, or maybe because answering them shows up every one's eccentricities? Anyhow, for whatever reason, here they are!

1. Tell me the absolute best way to watch a movie.
Since I rarely go to the cinema it has to be lying on the sofa with my feet up and ALL the sitting room cushions behind me. (Yes of course other people want the cushions, but I'm the Boss in this sty!)

2. Do you ever think about your own funeral? If so, do you have specific ideas about how you would like it to be?
Sometimes…I just hope the Church isn’t empty, that’s all!

3. Are you more of a giver or a taker?
Giver, I think…I hope…oh goodness, I dunno…

4. Vacations: planned activities and schedules, or play it by ear?
Play it by ear, but buy a guide book and do as much as possible whilst away! One year I got so carried away with making the family visit and see everything locally that they mutinied and tried to abandon (read: 'wall me into') me in a 5th Century monk’s cell!

5. What is one often overlooked item in your home that needs to be cleaned regularly?
The top of the sideboard where the CDs are kept: I’m always on a mission when I’m looking for specific music and I think ‘oh I must come back and clean this’ and then I forget again once the music is on.

6. Name a cause that means a lot to you.
‘Bothar’! It’s an Irish Charity which sends cows from here to Africa, educating the families about looking after them properly. People can make a living for themselves with dignity.

7. Do you eat a regular old peanut butter jelly sandwich, or do you customize it? And by the way, jelly or no jelly?
I’m intolerant to gluten so…no sandwiches, biscuits, cakes, pizza, pasta, blah blah blah…and yes, it’s a darn nuisance. (but I do sometimes stick my finger in the peanut butter jar and lick it off, yeah yeah disgusting and unhygienic, I know.)

8. If we were having a conversation in person, how would I know if you were nervous?
I think I say everything twice, you know, repeat myself and say things again instead of just shutting up and not saying anything, did I say that I tend to repeat myself?

9. Do you have an elaborate bedtime routine, or just the basics of tooth brushing and jammies?
Brush teeth, jammies, check for a hankie under the pillow and then bash the pillow into the right shape!

10. Have you ever regretted something you wrote on your blog?
Not yet………….

11. Has anyone ever told you that you look like a famous person or celebrity? Did you agree?
The Michelin Man- no comment.

12. If you were going to dedicate a song to a loved one or friend, what would the song be and to whom would it be dedicated?
I once texted in to the Radio Station’s ‘Lunchtime Choice’ programme and asked them to play Enio Morroconi’s ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ for my three daughters who happened to be home from school that day and driving me absolutely nuts- but they didn’t oblige! In retrospect perhaps it wasn’t very kind! (But it is the perfect song for them, in my opinion: the girls, however, see themselves more in terms of the 'Magnificent Seven' theme tune apparently.)

I sew all night, I sew all day...

All I've done today is sew patchwork! I decided to try a funky version of a Triple Irish Chain pattern.
This is the work in progress, I'll let you know how it progresses. Not sure whether it will work, but the jelly roll fabric is just gorgeous. If it doesn't work I'll rip it out and do a nine patch perhaps. Anyhow working with this fabric has been really up-lifting today!

Old Hat! New Hat!

I just received an email about this Online Open Studios Event being hosted by http://www.interweavestore.com/Mixed-Media/Magazines/Studios-Fall-2009.html.?a=qa090928. What a fun idea!
On Saturday Oct. 3rd all the participants (including yours truly here!) will he hosting virtual tours of their studio space: can't wait- I love seeing how other people organise themselves....or don't....
So that's the New Hat!
Now for the Old Hat!
I know these are about a week old, but I was about to post these photos when I got sick, so here thy are. When I drew up at the folks one day the sun on this acer and gladioli were just lovely, but I think I over exposed the photo as here it lacks the dense coppery sparkle it really had.
This lap quilt I finished last week. I pegged it to the hall curtains to photograph! The navy blue fabric is some wool blend which makes it very tactile. I took it into the living room when done to show the family and B asked could she have it while she was sick as her 'downstairs' Quiltey. I washed it yesterday, but it will probably stay on the sofa. It never ceases to surprise me how comforting a quilt is when one is poorly, or just cold.

The Hub finally put up this old wall shelf, which came from our last house in East Africa. Its nothing special really but I just like it and I like the continuity of objects moving with us. The pictures are paintings a great-great aunt did many years ago, which have travelled with me since I was a student, and the photos are of family. I just thought it looked nice...

...apart from the wall which looks like it's had one too many collisions with something! Isn't it annoying the way things show up in photos which you don't notice in real living?

This morning I got out the jelly roll of fabric I bought at the Festival of Quilts and am looking at patterns to use it on. I feel like beginning something new and beautiful!

Lingering Lurgies

Apologies for that long silence...or were you relieved?
Today is my first day out of bed since last Tuesday. I don't know what nature of bug I had but it was nasty. I still ache but otherwise am ok and trying to catch up with myself now. A waste of a week.
B is back to school today for the first time, as after her asthma and cold-bug she remained unwell, and, after a further Doctor's visit, was told she had a grumbling appendix. (Yes I thought they were the pages at the end of a reference book too...)

So, nothing exciting to report I'm afraid, but I'll see what I can drum up for tomorrow!

Not impressed

Considering there has only really been two of us at home this week, apart from brief forays in search of clean clothes from Sos, I'd like to make a formal complaint concerning the amount of laundry, washing up, and ironing which have accumulated.

To whom it may concern:
I am not impressed.
Yours,
Heckety.


Two days ago B discovered the Farm game on Facebook, and has been very busy playing it. Great enjoyment has been derived especially from the peculiar time frames involved in growing the various crops. Apparantly strawberries take four hours from planting to harvesting, and I think wheat takes four days! She has been giggling away to herself, not good for the asthma, but great for her morale. As the children and grandchildren of gardeners and farmers she and Sos have been highly entertained at the ridiculousness (is that a legitimate word?) of it all. But it has kept her happy so who cares?

The Hub returned home this afternoon from his week's course; the subject was ultra-sound, as usual I got the wrong words, as I frequently do. I love words but the correct ones don't always lodge in my mind, or come out of my mouth (or fingers, I suppose, since I'm typing).

Have any of you seen the film 'Secondhand Lions' with Michael Caine, Robert Duvall and Haley Joel Osmond? We first saw it a few years ago then recorded it last week off the TV.We have watched it three nights in a row because it is just such great entertainment. Its set in '50s America and concerns responsibilities and imagination and growing up. I'd really recommend it.

It wasn't me, I didn't do it

It wasn't so much a bad day, as just the sort of day you hope isn't repeated too often.



Firstly, B is improving slowly. She still sounds like an antiquated steam engine but she is breathing more easily. She spent most of the day on the sofa again because doing anything leaves her breathless and exhausted, but her eyes have a bit of a twinkle.



I fetched my car from the garage last night and it is going beautifully now. Poor thing, it must have been struggling for ages.



This morning I took out a partially quilted top which I'd abandoned several years ago and started to sort it out, quilting it on the sewing machine. All was going fairly well until I caught my shirt front in the fabric and proceeded to quilt myself into the quilt...Not recommended...



After extracting myself from that (a bit of ripping and a bit of dodgy language) I decided it must be a judgement on me for not doing the chores first. So I went and cleaned the bathroom. All was going fairly well until I was cleaning the shower and turned it on with me under the shower-head...cold water too...



Later I needed to do washing up so I took the flowers out of the sink which Mum had brought B yesterday, and arranged them in a glass jar. I picked some extra flowers from the garden to go with them. All was going fairly well until I accidentally knocked over the full jug of water from which I was about to top up the jar...two liters of water over the counter including my mobile phone and a lot of papers...



(remains of quilt top and shirt!)

Sos came home briefly to eat and collect her flute as she wanted to enter 'Sligo's Got Talent' which is on in town tonight! What a noodle! She has spent most nights of this week at my parents' since she is taking every opportunity to socialise, if that's what you'd call it? I'd say it was burning the candle at both ends!



At tea-time Dilly phoned to persuade me that I really wanted a nine-month-old donkey and several geese...



And at quarter past eight this evening (after dark) I went through the front hall and discovered the front door standing wide open...weird! The dogs were wandering around the kitchen un-fazed, so obviously there was nobody there but...



I forgot to post this yesterday as I finished it the previous day. Its just cot quilt size, but I took a photo to show the quilting from the back too. The quilting turned out middling I think, but it was so much quicker doing it by machine even if the workmanship is not nearly as good.



This evening when I took the dogs out Foaly was on the edge of the boreen and delighted to pose for photos! I took quite a lot as he has grown so much. He's such a character!

http://hecketyathome.blogspot.com/2009/07/photos-at-last-long.html -this is the size of him in July:



One last thing: the Bro sent me an incomprehensible email about his intended trip to South America in December, using airport codes to indicate destinations (like LHR-London Heathrow), which, if you don't know which country he's going to makes it a bit difficult to figure out. I emailed back ??? and he had the audacity to email ME back asking me had I never heard of Google? HUH! BROTHERS!