So much time, so little done

I know I'm still at work and the school is closed but this week I seem to have done so little!  I finish on time, I'm not shattered, my brain is not fried and yet I've done hardly anything!

 I worked on the japanese folded hexagons which are about to become a bag.

 Just for reference the sides measure 4"

Laying them out ready to sew together.  It is actually done now except for the final little bit which I want to leave until the ladies in class have seen how to construct the bag. There will be a picture next week. This is a lovely portable little project - ironic that a portable project should have a nice little bag to carry it around - a bit of a chicken and egg situation I think. I've written instructions for these and they will be available for free from Hilary's High Street Quilting and on this blog when I get round to putting them on. (This week I hope). It was very quiet this week what with the holiday season upon us, so those of us who were at the class had plenty of cake to eat. Walnut Whip Whoopie Pies mmmmm.  The swirl on the top didn't quite work because the ganache had set too much, (why, when I want it to set quickly does it take so long though?) but they tasted yummy anyway.

Yesterday I sat and stitched the binding on to my Durham Quilt whilst watching a very exciting F1 race. I always thought racing cars was a matter of putting your foot down and the fastest person won. How wrong I was - I love the strategy, the chance, the sheer determination. It's boring if there is a dominant driver (Michael Schumacher and Sebastien Vettel made it rather monotonous) but yesterday's race was edge of seat stuff.

It was my intention to take this out into the garden and photograph it - you need lots of light to see the quilting.  The photo above was taken with very bright sunshine behind me - hence the shadows, but by the time I had finished sewing on the binding it was pouring with rain and hasn't stopped since. So you'll have to wait a little longer to see the finished thing. I loved stitching it and I love the finished thing, although the sewing together was a little traumatic!  Heyho - you can't have everything.

Hopefully by next week my energy will return and I'll have some finished things to show. I have a lovely stack of fabric in my basket.  It's so beautiful I can hardly wait to get my hands on it, but I'm being patient. Watch this space.....

Letting the dust settle - but not on my hexagons

Probably not a good title for a blog, since mine is probably the dustiest house this side of forever. As I've said before - being shortsighted has its advantages.

I've been cutting out hexagons for a little folded patchwork bag.

Someone brought a bag into work on Friday so I haven't written a pattern but it was so lovely I wanted to make one. I just counted the number of hexagons and we'll see where it takes us! I've made similar before so it should work out.

I cut out large hexagons, then smaller ones with a matching piece of wadding. Now they are just waiting for me to sew together.  Something I will enjoy whilst quietly not watching the television. I do that more than I thought I did. 

The first one is tacked and ready to sew. However,  I really must get on with the Durham quilt which, at last count, was in the ripping apart stage.

Now school is broken up I will be able to get on with my work much better. Having pupils and staff in does stop me getting on! It also means that I can finish work when I actually should, thus having some useful sewing time left in the evening.

Ben has been here most of the weekend because his mummy and daddy have been at a wedding in Saltburn by the Sea.  We've built the same jigsaw about five times and played trains until my knees are sore with the crawling and I'm begging for mercy.

'Fiery Flynn to the Rescue' (Thomas the Tank Engine - but I don't know why Ben shuts his eyes really tight when I get the camera out.)  We've been to the park where we were 'Superman' and Fireman Sam.  Watched butterflies drinking nectar, collected eggs from underneath a rather indignant hen, fed Flossie Rabbit with dandelion leaves, made a Batmobile from Playdoh and run up and down the stairs more times than I care to mention now he is nappy free.

So now I have a cottage pie in the oven for tea and a nice pile of hexagons to sew. The dust has settled and it can wait there a little longer before I even think about getting out a duster. Actually a couple of weeks and then it will be banished, as my very house-proud friend is coming to stay for a week in August. Better clear the cupboards out too and wash the powder drawer in my washing machine.  I'm looking forward to all the trips we have planned around my beloved Northumberland.

Stress out Sunday

So it's a day of rest and relaxation?  Oh no it isn't.

I was working on the Durham quilt yesterday, punctuated by a visit to the head teacher's house for a bbq.

Sewing the vertical sashing on the back

Pinning the horizontal sashing in place with the half inch finished square to match the front sashing.

I'm not very sociable so always find these works outings traumatic.  Balancing a paper plate, wondering if the meat is cooked through, warm drinks, strangers  - you get the picture.  So I didn't actually eat anything and consequently was hungry at the normal time.  I ordered a takeaway Indian Meal - which had something missing.  I popped round to John's to deliver theirs (they are more tied now by babies). I was only out about four minutes when I saw the driver outside our house.  Will was handing over the mis-delivered dish and taking delivery of the correct one. Unfortunately he gave them the wrong one - my Korma. So I had to call them back. However it was delicious when I finally sat down to eat.

The satellite dish has a fault so there was no telly last night.  I thought it might be something to do with the weather - we have had very hot days and thunder. Unfortunately it is still not working. I don't watch a huge amount of television but I do listen to it.  Of course it would happen for F1 weekend and the British Grand Prix - horror of horrors.  I couldn't get the FreeSat to work, nor the Freeview and when I tried to get something online I downloaded a virus.

To cut a long story short I also have a flat tyre, I burnt the toast (as in there were flames) the supermarket was so full of people it was making me feel giddy and I didn't get everything on my list. And then I fell asleep for most of the Grand Prix. And now my quilt looks like this:

AGRRRHHHH! So tonight I will be ripping stitches and re-sewing so that everything lines up properly. I'll be tumble drying the washing because it's not all dry despite the lovely weather. I'll have to climb over a strange little motor thing and a big air compressor which mysteriously appeared in the kitchen and seemed to have taken root. It's ok though, I don't want to go in the kitchen because it still stinks of burnt toast. Oh and my house looks like someone picked it up and shook it.

I made these on Thursday,

Strawberry tops - made with fresh cream and lashings of chocolate.  I'd love to say they were delicious but when I got home the spares had all been eaten so I have no idea what they tasted like.

Ben stayed on Friday night so I got a lot of cuddles and those precious feel good moments you get with a two year old on a voyage of discovery and wonderment.  That's the bit I intend to remember, but,  ROLL ON NEXT WEEK!