Divided Organiser Bucket by Busy Bean

Well I have as a good mornings work today.

As I was waiting for Miss Fishes taxi this morning I was going through my Facebook and found this how to.

So I popped over and had a look. I new I had some loose fat quarters floating around and new it would be perfect to store Little Miss Sweet Pea's play mat & toys in, instead of the broken box that it came in.

So this morning in under 1 1/2 hours it is all sewn up and filled with her things. I did alter the pattern a little , I didn't make the garbage box as I didn't need it. Also instead of unpicking some of the bottom seam and sewing the outer and liner together then turning it inside out then re sewing the bottom. I turned the tops of the inner & outer over a generous 1/2" then top stitched in a fancy pattern. A much easier way of finishing it off.

 

If you would like the pattern here is the link.

http://artgalleryfabrics.typepad.com/weblog/2013/02/fat-quarter-gang-divided-organizer-bucket-by-the-busy-bean.html

 

 

Rows 1 - 11 of "Row Along" by Lori Holt from Bee in My Bonnet

Well best laid plans don't always work out. I took the photos of all my rows early yesterday all ready for when I returned from the Osteo, so I could write my blog and what happened the photos wouldn't upload.

So I am writing yesterday's blog today, never mind.

This is another little "mystery" quilt that I had a serious head down bum up sessions at the sewing machine to catch up. Phew.

Now when this stared last year I couldn't afford to go buy a whole lot of bright fabrics that everybody else is sewing this in. So I used the same color family but what I had, therefore it is much more muted than other peoples.

Never mind I still think it is going to look good.

So far we have done mittens, leaves, apples, butterfly's, houses, stars, flying geese blocks, chubby chevrons, cups, 4 patches & thread spools.

I am quite excited to see the finished quilt I think there maybe 4 or 5 more rows to come.

So we will have to wait and see.

Here is the link

http://www.flickr.com/groups/beeinmybonnetrowalong/

Til tomorrow Mr CLI, myself, Miss Le Coiffure & the little Sweet Pea are going away for the weekend. We are going to watch Mr CLI race his race bike a motorcycle not a push bike lol.

Finally the Big Reveal

 

Well here it is the quilt that consumed all my spare time for about 6 weeks before Christmas.

I made it for Miss Le Coiffure and her partner for Christmas. She wanted the colors to match brown and dusty pink acrylic flower paintings that she has above her bed. Also she wanted stars and hearts.

As the brown & pink was a quite specific color I ended up adding some green so that I would have enough fabric.

Now this quilt is quite big 2.4 meters wide and 2.8 meters long, which I free motion machine quilted on my sewing machine.

It was made with 63 x 12" blocks which consisted of ...

 

4 fan blocks one for each corner

 

10 Goose Creek blocks

 

6 Pieced Star blocks

 

4 Star of Milky Way blocks

 

8 Starflower blocks

 

8 Coxey's Camp blocks

 

20 Heart blocks

Plus 3 special blocks

 

Lola the Staffy who lived with us as a puppy when Miss Le Coiffure still lived at home.

 

Tieka the tabby cat when Miss Le Coiffure came home before she got Lola she brought home with her a kitten Miss Tieka

 

Last but not least Zara a Bull Terrier who Miss Le Coiffure got as a pup for free because of her fathers parentage ! Her Mum is a pedigree miniature Bull Terrier but her owner thinks Zara's Dad is her sons Staffy that came for a visit !

 

Here is another view of the finished quilt draped over my bed.

 

Another view

Well that's it for today's show and tell. I have even asked to enter 3 quilts into a quilt show , very exciting this will be one of them.

What Have I Been Up To ... Christmas Sewing & Cooking

Well I haven't forgot you all I have just been very busy getting Miss Le Coiffures quilt finished for Christmas.

All I have to do today is sew on the binding then I can sit tonight and hand sew it down.

Here is it as I have left it, after Christmas when Miss Le Coiffure has seen it I will post pictures showing you all the details.

Also for little Layla "Sweet Pea" I have already made 2 Santa stockings one for her house and one for Nanas house it feels strange saying that, I have gone from being a Mum to a Nana.

So I have been working on her Santa Sack, which I will finish after I have posted this.

Isn't it cute for a little cutie.

Ice cream

Now what have I been up to ths morning some gentle beating using the electric mixer and some stress relieving using my marble rolling pin on some candy canes.

The end result vanilla ice cream, coffee ice cream and my christmas favourite candy cane ice cream. It is divine with its peppermint flavour and pieces of candy cane.

I must admit it is a very easy recipe

Ice cream recipe

1 x 600 ml bottle of cream & 1 1/4 cups icing sugar beaten to soft peaks.

This year I divided it in half and flavoured one half with vanilla not essence or extract but the actual seeds and the other half I mixed in broken candy canes.

That is were the gentle stress relieving bashing of candy canes comes in, because you want some pieces but also the fine dust which will flavour the ice cream.

Then comes the coffee ice cream. Now normally I make the ice cream above and add coffee flavour and crushed chocolate coated coffee beans, but as I have been so busy I haven't been looking for the coffee beans.

I fell upon the recipe I used on the internet yesterday , it is from Nigella's new show Nigellissima and is dead easy.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/one-step_no-churn_coffee_88525

If mixed the coffee and liquor in the bottom of the bowl while I measured the other ingredients. This gave the coffee time to dissolve.

Coffee ice cream

300 mls Cream, 175 grams condensed milk, 2 tbsps instant expresso coffee powder & 2 tbsps coffee liquor - I used tia Maria

Mix coffee & liquor together in your mixing bowl, add cream & condensed milk. Beat till very soft peaks form it took about 3 minutes in my mixer, stop scrap down sides keep beating till soft peaks form. Place into a sealable container a freeze 6 hours or overnight.

Well if I don't get a chance to post again before Christmas from the CLI family we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a safe New Year.

 

With a Passion

Well I have as a passion with things this week...

Last Sunday Mr CLI, Miss Fish and myself went to visit an old house that is being restored it dates back to 1873 called Narrapumelap built in the French Gothic style.

It was very interesting too see all the before photos of the rooms but sad also to see the vandalism that had been done to the rooms especially the beautiful marble fireplaces.

There were a couple of stalls we walked away with a beautiful orchid which now resides in our fernery.

The was also a stall with jams, Mr CLI loves a nice jam and bought one with passion fruit in it.

On the way home he was nearly licking his lips talking about his jam, then came up with the thought that wouldn't it be lovely to spread on a homemade sponge with cream and passion fruit icing.

 

So what does a good wife do but make a sponge and drizzle it with jam then a fluffy layer of softly whipped cream then top it all off with passionfruit icing.

Also I have been hand quilting my licorice all sorts quilt with a passion. It is always nice to get to the final stage of something. I have finished quilting all the stars and am now onto the straight pieces.

 

Unfortunatly Miss Fish is home with the sniffles so she is dampening my passion as if I go anywhere she wants to know . Tomorrow she is back to work Yippee !

What Have I Been Up To ...

Well as I sit here in darkness, well not really but we have no power so there are dark places. I thought I would catch up with what I have been up to.

 

Yesterday the day started of with cooking. Mr CLI needed a jam slice for a meeting ! I never realised that meetings need jam slices lol

Then I moved onto a pile of fabric I had been hoarding and started to cut it into all different shapes and sizes for a BOM quilt that I have been following/watching since last November.

http://www.craftsy.com/class/The-Craftsy-Block-of-the-Month/50

I had run out the backing fabric, so I thought I would go into town and get some more and while I was in there get a script filled and check my Tattslotto, just in case I was a big winner. Hah hah

Just as I was about to go to the patchwork shop then go home. I got an SOS phone call from Miss Le Coiffure, could I get the ingredients and come to her house to show her how to make minestrone soup.

Now the problem that arises with that it was midday and she lives 30 minutes from the town I was in and I live 10 minutes from there. So. Had to get ingredients, get my fabric - without any looking get to her house , show her how to make the soup the travel the 45 - 1 hour, depending on traffic and be home by 3 pm.

As Miss Fish gets dropped off after work sometime after 3 pm I am always home by 3.

Well did I make it , yes I did I was home at 2.59 pm, having done the shopping , organised soup and managed to eat some lunch.

Well out power is back on so I can on with the day, till tomorrow Hasta La Vista Baby ...

 

Sunrises and Sunsets

 

Were have I been in recent days.

Well I have been busy on Nana duty at my daughters so I have been seeing a few sunrises and sunsets.

I had forgotten how a Baby disturbs your sleep !

Anyway I can hear a little cry so I better see if I am needed.

 

She's Here ....

Well we're have I been for the last few days, googling over this precious little cherub.

 

She decided to come into the world early Friday morning, 28th September, after the nurses said " she won't be here till perhaps lunchtime". So the gauntlet was thrown down and just like her Mummy Miss Le Coffuire within an hour she decided to make a hasty appearance. Lol

She did catch the midwives out !

So I have been on hospital visiting, washing clothes and buying very very little baby clothes as she is only 5 Ib 14 Ozs about 1.3 kgs which is the size Miss Fish was at birth and as you can see by the photo she isn't little any more.

Is Layla precious = yes

Is Layla gorgeous = yes

Is Layla just kissable = yes

Now I might be a biased lol.

Well I am off to do more googling, sadly Pa Mr CLI has had only one cuddle on Friday morning because he had a meeting during Friday with people coughing and sneezing their germs - wouldnt you think with the whooping cough epidemic + other dangerous germs people would stay home with their germs. So he came down sick Friday night, so he is a really sad Pa :-(

Up With the Rooster

Yes I did get up early and there is a rooster nearby, when you go to our bathroom which is in the back of the house you can hear him of a morning. Sometimes you hear him in the middle of the night, I don't know what he is crowing about unless he is pleased with himself ;-)

Well I finished the stroller bag yesterday and dropped it off to Miss Le Coiffures house, so when her friend visits she can give it to her.

I have also started a nappy bag for Miss Le Coiffures friend, that is today's project, as well as the load of washing to be hung out.

As Miss Fish is in respite, booked in months ago because there would be a little baby this week and it would be easy for me if i didn't need to run around after Miss Fish.

But sadly still no baby and to rub salt into her wounds Miss Le Coiffure found out yesterday that a friend of hers gave birth to her baby yesterday 2 weeks early ! Mind you the baby was 8 lb 12 ozs = just over 4 kgs, so that baby didn't need to cook any longer.

She gave her large bump a serious talking to about showing herself, and what was the cheeky monkeys reply - a bad case of the hiccups lol

 

So our little cheeky monkey is due tomorrow and if she hasn't shown herself I will got to Miss Le Coiffure's house to spend the day, as she doesn't want to travel far.

So I must be off to finish the nappy bag so I can take it with me tomorrow.

 

Things I Like About Today ...

We had a lovely Birthday Tea at Miss Le Coiffure's. I took over all the ingredients etc to make homemade pizzas and I made an upside down cake for her birthday cake.

 

I have finished sewing the Licorice Allsorts quilt top.

 

I ahm .. Bought another cookbook .

 

The weather is beautiful , I have the windows open and the net curtains are gently moving in the breeze. Doesn't the sunshine put a smile on your face :-)

 

And I especially love parcels from America more fabric to drool over :-p

This 'n' That

First off I must wish Miss Le Coiffure a Very Happy 25th Birthday. Xxxxxx

No serious cooking done by me over the weekend Mr CLI made his famous soup. So there was tea for both days ! Yum. :-)

I woke yesterday with a terrible sore throat, so a day spent in the recliner under the back pergola was welcome. I feel much better today.

Here is a peek at the card I made for Mr CLI for Fathers Day.

 

Here is the progress of my Licorice Allsorts quilt, I only have to iron each square flat then lay them out in a pattern, then sew the squares together and then top will be finished. Yipee !

 

P.S. on the baby front only 2 weeks & 3 days to go .

TGIF

 

Well not a lot happening cooking or sewing wise at the moment. After seeing the osteo yesterday I feel like a semi has hit me and I have a view into what it would be like if I had a dowagers hump. Every time I walk I end up bending over and looking at my feet !

Still on baby watch 2 weeks and 6 days till her due date, not that I am counting lol

My Mum and I still reckon she will deliver early our bets are on this weekend or the start of the week, which means Miss LeCoiffure could be in hospital for her birthday !

Now something to make you smile, before I shuffle off to get a heat pack.

 

 

Fun Mail ...

I must admit that I grimace when I see Miss Fish coming up the driveway with a handfull of mail because I know that most are going to be bills :-( she of course loves it because it is more mail for her to open .

 

But when the postie delivers parcels that is something to smile about :-)

Now of late most the parcels have contained very little clothes or items for the very little person soon to be here, so soon that I had a phone call at midnight last night from Miss Le Coiffure letting me know that she had just got back from hospital because she thought her waters had broke !

Now this wouldn't be a problem except she is 3 hours away from the hospital that she is meant to be having her baby at !

So as a consequence I am very tired because I couldn't go back to sleep as I was waiting for another phone call, then I was awake very early this morning worrying about it. I think a nap this afternoon maybe needed lol.

Now below is the contents of one of the exciting parcels I received and there still one on its way !

These fabrics are from Pink Door Fabrics.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/PinkDoorFabrics

 

There is a jelly roll called Dainty Blossoms by Carina Gardner of Riley Blake Designs. Also a 1/2 yard bundle Tea Garden by Dena Designs, I am being very daring buying such large pieces I only buy fat quarters or 30 cm strips normally.

I also bought a fat quarter bundle of 6 prints of Trade Winds by Lily Ashbury from Moda in Malabar green, isn't that an exotic sounding color !

Just to fill the envelope lol I got 1 yard the main pattern from the Trade Winds collection so I have enough when I make a quilt.

What quit you are asking yourself , I really don't know, but when I finish my current quilt I will sit down with the fabrics to see what they " tell me " .

Now it is nearly time to fit the osteo for another fun filled session of trying to relieve my pain. Definatly a nap will be needed this afternoon.

Not A Lot Going On ....

Not a lot happening, just some final baby sewing. This is the nappy holder I made for the cloth nappies I bought for the soon to be here Grandaughter .

Can you tell I am anxious and very excited for the little one to be born. I hope she isn't like her Mummy and decides to some late.

I also finished on the weekend a bag that hangs off the pusher. I haven't taken a photo but here is the link to the pattern. It was another Moda Bake Shop pattern.

http://www.modabakeshop.com/2012/08/chic-mama-stroller-organizer.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+modabakeshop%2FJkDQ+%28Moda+Bake+Shop%29

 

Here is a sneak preview of the portable change mat that I made. I am keeping it to give to Miss Le Coiffure when she has the baby.

Well back to the sewing room to continue with te sat cot quilt, this one is special because it will have all of us on their.

Hop in, Hop out ....

Just a quick blog today. Everything was going swimmingly yesterday morning. I was into the sewing early to make the last baby item a bag to be attached the pusher. Then the phone rang ........ Sigh ......... Miss fish had the sniffles and needed to be picked up from work and brought home :-(

 

She was meant to be in respite and not coming home till today after work.

 

So I have been house bound and trying to sew while there are plaintiff calls from the lounge room wanting to know if I had finished, which is impossible. Miss Fish is well enough to eat and drive me crazy but not quite well enough to go to work!

 

Her nose isn't running today and no more sneezing, so she is on the road to recovery she might be able to get back to work tomorrow or Friday. :-)

 

I better go because there is more requests for drinks.

 

Very Little Clothes & Portable Baby Changing Mat

Aaaaaaaah that's the sound that came from mouth on Friday afternoon. What had I been doing, well for the previous 3 days I had wrangled my over locker thread so it actually over locked. Then I had finished over locking around the seams on the " new cloth nappies" that I had been making for our soon to be here little treasure.

Hard to believe that her feet are going to be so little, so as to fit into these !

 

To my disgust on Thursday I ran out of elastic, so into town I went and got more elastic then I spent the rest of the day pining little bits of elastic into the waists of the nappies.

Some of the clothes I just got off lay by.

So first thing Friday with some mumbling under my breath because it is an actual bugger of a job, I sewed all the nappies. Each finished one, with a smile on my face :-) , I dropped it into a cane sewing basket that was given to Miss Le Coiffure as a child , which I was returning full of nappies.

 

The only job left was all the snaps to be put on, this is a job the Mummy to be is going to do.

 

Well that got rid of nearly the last of the baby sewing. What I did sew today was a portable baby changing map, a design of my own. This I will keep to give Miss Le Coiffure when the little one is born.

I will post full instructions this week.

Now I only have to make the nappy holder to keep at my house for when the little bottom needs changing, that's tomorrow's job.

Poor old Miss Fish was very confused when I was trying to explain tht when the baby is born I will become a Nana. With a frown on her forehead she went to work, trying understand how I can be a Nana when she has a Nana ! This is something she will have to think through before she understands.

I will see you on the flip side.

A Quick Hello

Just a quick blog today as I am up to my knees in baby nappies. Not the old square ones you fold into shape, but the new cloth nappies which require quite a bit of sewing. I spent all day yesterday overlocking them, then sewing in elastic around the legs. This morning I only have to put in elastic in the waist.

Then I can ship them off to Miss Le Coiffurs to put the snaps on them, then we have to wait for the little bottom to fill it.

 

Some technical problems this morning as I can't load photos, hopefully by tomorrow it will be sorted.

 

 

Then I can ship them off to Miss Le Coiffure, for her to attach the snaps then we await the little bottom to got into them.

 

I have posted some photos of the current quilt I am making called licorice all sorts. Once the nappies are finished I can get back to it.

 

Licorice Allsorts Quilt and Very Little Pj's

Well last week I was wiped out with pain from my shoulder, yes I am still in pain and still being sent like a package in Australia Post from Doctor to Doctor, so after 8 months I have hit a wall trying to use my arm and the consequence was 3 days spent lying in bed trying to get some pain relief and the afternoon spent trying not to be sick because I am allergic to the pain killers :-(

 

So this week I am still trying to battle on because I have sold another quilt that I haven't finished. It is a nice feeling.

 

This quilt is much smaller than the last one and I am under less time pressure. I want to quilt this one by hand in Perle cotton. I called it licorice allsorts because when you look at the squares the have straight lines and are the colors of licorice allsorts.

 

I will show you the quilt as it progress's, at the moment it is still in the sewing squares together and there is lots of starching and ironing.

 

The pattern is from Moda Bake Shop.

http://www.modabakeshop.com/2012/07/vintage-modern-pinwheels-quilt.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+modabakeshop%2FJkDQ+%28Moda+Bake+Shop%29

Now for little Pj's, I went yesterday to pick up 2 laybys for my not quite here yet Grandaughter and couldn't help myself when I saw a sale sign.

 

What I found was 2 pairs of very cute Pj's. One mauve with little elephants on the flannelette pants and an elephant on the top and the other one is pink with stars, which she is going to be.

No justification needed for this purchase as the little one to be doesn't have any Pj's yet.:-)