Athens time

Tuesday 8 November 2011

Do you sometimes feel ....

you are swimming against the tide?

From Drop Box

(photo courtesy of pinterest)

Sunday 6 November 2011

Ta Daaaah.....

And here it is, my 'nifty table-top iron as you sew contraption' in situ !!

Sooo handy if you have to iron every seam you sew. No more getting up and walking to the other end of the room!

From 2011-11-06


Once I twigged how to load the staples into the staple gun, it came together fairly quickly;

Start with the cuttingboard. You can see how it is overhanging the table.

From 2011-11-06


Cut the long strip of ironing board cover in two and join

From 2011-11-06


Cover and staple to the back (no, I am not left handed but I didn't have a hand left to press the button on the camera so I am just pretending here so you get the idea..)

From 2011-11-06


Cut off excess and fold over corners

From 2011-11-06


Same with the glittery heat resistant one and then the cuddly flannely one..

From 2011-11-06


and last but not least, reversed 'hospital bed' corners to tuck it all away neatly.

From 2011-11-06


And voila! I chose flannel because I like the feel of it and it will stay lovely to work on. I chose the colour because it is an even colour, warm, but doesn't get boring and won't interfere with whatever you iron on it.

I auditioned quite a few of my favourite prints for this cover, but I found that it was hard to find little bits back amongst the busier of prints and so decided the plainer the better. This is just a little warmer than calico! (and I also had it in my stash.. for one of these days when you just need it... and that day just came!!)

What am I up to?

Rainy, grey afternoon....

I had an idea !

(well, not strictly my idea... I have seen differing version around the net)

From 2011-11-06


I have:

- An IKEA cuttingboard, the one that slightly overhangs the table
- Cushioning felt ironingboard underlay
- Heat resistant wadding (or batting take your pick)
- Some nice flannel in a lovely warm colour

What am I up to?

Tuesday 1 November 2011

Fresh and Funky Bee - Some Great Girls !

Over a year ago we started the Fresh and Funky Bee. There were around 15 of us to start with (if I remember well...) and it was great to get to know each other and sew together!

This is the last block I have made for the bee and have now completed all the blocks so all my fellow bee members have had their month.



Sometimes in a bee, life takes over and people have to leave. Sad as it is, that is totally understandable and as the average lifetime of a single round is between 12 and 18 months, a lot can change!

This also happened to this bee, but the unusual thing is that quite a few of us experienced life changing events of some type or another during the bee's life. Some dear friends had to leave us. We understand and wish them well. The rest of us, even though it was very hard for quite a few members, continued and made up for those who left with an extra block or so here and there.

I myself tried to do my best and not disappoint but I must say I have been dreadfully late with my blocks!! My apologies to those who have been waiting but I am happy to say that with the above block gone I have fulfilled what I set out to do.

There have been quite a few changes in my life too over the duration of this bee and I am glad I managed to finish it. I have however let the girls know that finding a pattern, fabric, cutting and sending everything out for my own turn, is not possible for me at the moment. There are too many thing demanding my attention so I thought I would have to forfeit my go.

I had not counted on these wonderful ladies in the bee!! Several have offered to send me a block from their own stash if I only would mention a theme. I am very touched by their kindness and generosity and it would be wonderful to end the bee on such a happy note!

I have wished for a multicoloured star quilt (any star at all) on white or cream, any size block. This would leave plenty of scope to ad borders and sashing to make it up in a nice sized quilt! I am really excited about it and would like to say a public THANK YOU !!! to all the ladies in the bee. For thinking of doing this for me but also for being lovely fellow bee members! It has been a great ride and I only wish I had time to continue and do things properly (and on time :-)!!

Thanks everyone, long live the Fresh and Funky Bee because although the bee will be no more (for the time being at least) I know that all of us who have become friends will stay in touch !!