Blog Archives

Pearl Wedding Anniversary

05/29/2013

30 years ago today!

I look at this photograph of the two of us and on the one hand we seem impossibly young and on the other it seems like yesterday.

On the whole the past 30 years have been kind to us, we are both basically healthy, we have a house in an beautiful part of the country, we have enough of an income to allow us to enjoy life and, most importantly, we still love each other.

Looking through the photos in the Wedding Album is bittersweet. There are so many good memories attached to the day, everybody is happy with smiles that reach right to their eyes, everything is before us and what can possibly go wrong. But 30 years has taken its toll. So many of the people who were in the photos have died in the intervening years. Leigh's parents and mine smile out of pictures with happiness and pride. Now there is only my mother left and I know today will be full of happy memories tempered with the sadness that my father is no longer here to share them with her.

Friends whose relationships we thought were rock solid have long since divorced. So many people we have lost contact with over the years and we wonder what happened to them and hope that they are happy. The two beautiful little girls who were my bridesmaids are now in their mid 30's, older than I was in this photo, and have children older then they were then. There are also photos of people who have remained friends to this day, people who have been part of our lives for all of our lives and whose friendship we treasure. People who as they go about their daily life demonstrate that commitment to each other and a willingness to work hard at a relationship that changes continually means that a long and happy marriage is possible.

Tucked away at the end of the formal shots is a candid snap of a friend of mine meeting a friend of Leigh's. They had never met before the weekend of our wedding. We'll be celebrating their Pearl Anniversary in a couple of years.

Oh and for anyone who has read this far and is wondering why I'm blogging about our anniversary instead of out there celebrating it Leigh could not get the time off work. Tomorrow and the rest of the week he will be home and we will celebrate but not today. And to be honest after 30 years celebrating one day late makes no difference whatsoever, we are together and looking forward to the future, if it is as bright as the past 30 years than it is certainly something worth looking forward to.

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Completed the block

05/23/2013

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It's all sewn together. It all fits where it's supposed to. It has two tiny little puckers but not enough to worry about. Strangely enough the same colour fabric on two different quarters puckered but nothing else did. This isn't my favourite of the Craftsy 2013 BOM blocks completed so far but as with every block I have learnt something new, improved my skills and risen to the challenge. Roll on June I can't wait to see what the next block is like.

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Sewing in Circles

05/22/2013

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This is the block that has been causing me so much angst. It's just sitting there waiting for me to pluck up the courage to have a go at sewing a curved seam. I'm procrastinating about doing this to the point where even housework seemed preferable but no longer today's the day. I can do this, I can do this, I can.....

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Block Swap Adventure, May block sent

05/17/2013

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Black & White version of BSA May block

I've posted my block to Cyndi, my BSA partner for the month. She asked for a star block and I found one I liked in Quilters Cache. For the moment I'm only showing a sneak peak in black and white as the block hasn't reached Cyndi yet and I don't want to ruin the surprise. As soon as I know it has been safely received I'll show the block in all its colourful glory.

If you like the idea of sending and receiving patchwork blocks in the post from a variety of friendly people around the world have a look at the BSA site and join in.

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Almost ready for quilting

05/17/2013

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Sampler Quilt version 1 ready for quilting

Last year Michelle at Quilting Gallery did a Beginner's Quilt-Along and I thoroughly enjoyed following along every week and making the blocks. In fact i enjoyed it so much I made each block three times. The plan was to have three quilts and see how different they would look simply because of colour choices and block placement. Once the tops were pieced everything came to a grinding halt, using the excuse of problems with my sewing machine I avoided putting the quilt under the machine to do the quilting. I was scared I would not be able to quilt this top well enough and that it would be ruined. Well it's time to face that fear, I've added the wadding and the backing, sorted out the quilting cotton, given the machine a good clean and inserted a brand new quilting needle. As soon as I get the first few stitches done I'll be fine but right now I'm still feeling rather apprehensive.

I linked this to
Patchwork Times Design Wall Monday

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Celtic Comfort Cushion Cover

05/11/2013

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I love knitting cables. I say that now but I avoided cables for years because I thought they would be far to difficult for me to manage but I was persuaded to have a go and now I find I can't stop.

I wanted something relatively small and simple to knit that I could do while watching tv but had enough complication to keep me interested.

This pattern by Mary Henderson was published in the Simply Knitting Spring 2013 magazine and it's a lot more simple to knit than it appears. I'm using yarn from my stash, Patons Tweed Double Knit in bracken, I've no idea how long it's been there or even if it's still available but it is nice to knit with and as the pattern calls for 5mm needles the cushion over is growing quickly.

The idea is to complete a couple of covers and use them to accent this lap quilt. I think the colours work together but I'd appreciate hearing other people's opinions.

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My homemade seedling containers

05/10/2013

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I try to put as little as possible in the bin that will end up as landfill. I'm always looking for ways to reuse, repair or repurpose items that might otherwise be thrown away. Even things that will eventually go into the recycling bin I'll try and find uses for before they are eventually discarded.

My husband loves his fizzy drinks so we tend to end up with a collection of empty plastic drink bottles. I've been looking for a way to make use of them and while standing in the greenhouse looking at some seedlings that were obviously feeling the cold I had a brainwave. Why not use those bottles to give each seedling its own mini propagater to keep it warm and help it along.

I took several clean, empty bottles and removed all the labelling but didn't worry about the bits of glue left on the sides. Then very carefully, starting with a craft knife but moving over to scissors as soon as I had made a slit in the plastic, I cut the bottles about a third of the way up from the bottom. I made some drainage holes in the base and cut a slit up the side of the top piece to help it fit back into place.

Then I filled the bases with some compost. Transplanted my seedlings into their new homes. Put the tops back on and returned them to the greenhouse where they are thriving.

As these seedlings grow on and eventually get planted out in the garden I hope to continue to reuse these mini propagaters many times and when they eventually fall apart on me they will still be suitable for recycling.

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Block Swap Adventure

05/05/2013

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My partner this month was Cyndi who lives in California. Very soon after we have received partner details I had an email from Cyndi explaining that she would be at a temporary address for the summer and would be on holiday for a couple of weeks in May. Because of this I didn't expect to receive this month's block quite so promptly. It was a lovely surprise when the postie rand the doorbell and then handed me the envelope that turned out not to have one but two blocks inside. They fit in beautifully with all the other blocks I've received. When I get a second block included I always set it to oneside in order to make a cushion cover out of it. When I eventually have enough blocks for my Cacti quilt I will also have a lovely set of matching cushion covers to go with it, each one reminding me of the lovely people I meet via Block Swap Adventure.

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Craftsy BOM May 2013

05/05/2013

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This was an enjoyable block to make. The end result looks complicated but the block is easy to put together. Seven of these individual blocks were required for this month and not one of them needed to be unpicked and resewn, none went together back to front and all the points meet where they are supposed to. All of that is a first for me. Normally I learn by trial and error with a lot of error teaching me how to do things properly but not this month!

Now that I am feeling pleased with myself I'll have a go at finishing the April block. Not made any mistakes with it yet but as curved seams are involved I've not been brave enough to actually put it under the sewing machine and finish it off.

Here are some of the other May blocks

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