I'll have 2 sweeties, Mum.

There is an excellent programme produced by the BBC called "Child of Our Time" which is following the lives of 25 children born in the new millennium until they are 20. It's not been on so frequently the last few years although I've just discovered I've missed 2 episodes in February - rats! Apart from getting to know the children and parents it has always been very interesting as they research "are we born or are we made."

One experiment I always remember involved the kids aged around 5 (I think) sitting in front of a bowl of sweeties. They were told they could have one sweet now or, if they waited 10 minutes, they could have two sweets. To a man they took the one sweet now thankyouverymuch. Proving that children are all about the NOW and not so good at thinking about a point in the future. Even if that point is only 10 minutes away! It's apparently why teenagers can make such bad decisions,  that cause-and-effect part of the brain isn't formed properly yet.

Where am I going with this? Well, on Monday night I realised it's the end of year summer disco at school next week. Would Chookie like a new outfit? Yes please,  Mum, can I have denim shorts with leggings and a new tee? No twirly dresses this year!  So off to the Next website we went. And that's where the problems started.

See, she spied these knee high lace-up boots and fell in love with them. And they were out of stock. So we had a lookie about and found proper Converse versions, only they are £60. Which is a lot of money when your feet are still growing. This is them.

So we had another wee lookie about and found very similar ones for £25. That's more like it! And when I went to order them? They were ALL in China or Hong Kong and would arrive after the disco. Plop. So we looked again for an alternative. And she rather likes these.

Now, it's her birthday next month and after a bit of a chat, Spouse and I decided to offer her the Converse that she really, REALLY loves as an early birthday present. I explained that she'd need to try them on in the shop and they wouldn't be here til next week. Which was fine. And then I explained that what the problem might be was her very skinny calves. I have problems myself with knee high boots being loose and I'm an adult - she's not-quite 11 and wearing adult sizes. And she has legs like matchsticks. But I explained (again!) that as long as she realised they might not fit and we might struggle to get a replacement in time for the disco (we'd get something - just not something as cool as these) then we'd totally go for it.

And then she did it.

She looked at me all thoughtful like. And said,

"Hmm. I have got very skinny legs. Okay. Forget the Converse coz I really want cool boots for the disco. Can I get the punk teddy ones? I'll save up my birthday money for the Converse coz it doesn't matter THEN if they don't fit."

My jaw may have hit the floor. Coz 6 months ago (hell, last week!) she would have sworn the Cons would be fine and fit and just get them please, Mum. She is just growing up so much just now. It's kinda nice but kinda sad, too. And she's got cooler boots than me.

P.S. All fingers crossed please that the damn things arrive in time after all that!!

a bit of a tart up

The new strings quilt was always meant for my bed so after it taking nearly 3 years to finish, I though my bedroom deserved a small bit of TLC to celebrate. It's not needing painted yet (next year, Spouse!) but new bedding, window treatments and stuff were definitely in order. Befores are on the left!

My bonnie quilt - the main attraction. I am loving the Ikea duvet cover (and new duvet!) though.  

A couple of new cushions for Fred the doorstop cat and a new jewellery box inherited from my Mum in the form of spice boxes. Never used for storing stinky stuff!

I went with the same rolled-up muslin affair that I use in Chookie's room at the window. There were string curtains there (you can just see the fringe along the top that's left) but certain small furry people were snipping them off one by one with their teeth. So I chopped them off at the top around Christmas. We have blackout rollerblinds in our bedrooms so don't need anything else but I hate bare windows. I also can't wait to get a cover for that scabby radiator!



And perhaps my favourite bit. The big sticker! After seeing my mum's I had to have one - £15 from Ebay. No bad, eh? Although an awful lot of people don't know what Carpe Diem means - I thought especially after Dead Poet's Society everyone knew what that meant. It had the translation underneath but I didn't stick that bit up - it was a bit proletarian. I can be such a snob for a working class girl!

 

So, our to-do list for the rest of the year is

Decorate Chookie's room. New carpet, new day bed, new storage. Hopefully when she's on the school trip in September for a surprise! Anyone seen any turquoise pony wallpaper?

Replace the back fence and buy nice shrubs for the back border. This summer!

Do something with the kitchen. Not the full rip-it-out we originally planned. But counters, appliances, paintwork - and there's a LOT of paintwork since all our cabinets have been done. After Chook's room - probably the week before Christmas!

 

I need a lie down just thinking about it. Oh, and spouse starts a new job in 3 weeks time. Just to add to the stress...good job I've a pretty bed to repose in with my smelling salts and gin!

Uh-oh.

I couldn't get on with Twitter, hate Google+ and am avoiding Tumblr. FIickr and Facebook are my social networking limit and I really don't need anything else to keep up with.

I resisted long enough. But I could like this instagram nonsense...

(I'm ochil_lynz if you're about, I could use the pals!)

some shopping and 2 birthdays!

It's known that I have a thing for 2 kinds of footwear. The brand Irregular Choice and anything in a sports utility style. So basically improbable but funky heels and gutties (trainers.) Well. Browsing a well known auction site I spied a pair for sale that combine both loves.  I had to have them. Had. To. They arrived on Tuesday and, as you'd expect from IC, they are presented in a brilliant box with patterned tissue paper inside.

And here they are. Weird, right? There's grey ankle ribbons tucked under the card insert to extra-prettify them. They are surprisingly comfy with that bit between your toes and I couldn't deny myself the Japanese influence. I'm hoping they'll be fab with my new favourite outfit - even though the spouse says it makes me look like Doctor Who. Not entirely sure that was the effect I was after. And, no, it doesn't involve a bowtie OR a fezz.



Also arriving on Tuesday were these beauties.



When I first saw Geekly Chic I knew I wouldn't be able to not have some.  I could use a new cross body bag (I'm thinking a satchel - any patterns I should know about?) and these were perfect but I couldn't decide between the blue or white cassette fabric. Then I found grey and all was right with the world!

Now, I have cats to marshal in the back garden (Jones has discovered his line is long enough to jump the fence. Bother.) but it's their 1st birthday so I'm feeling generous and have left them both enjoying the sun.

I myself have a cup of tea to enjoy and a book to peruse. Happy days!

Tiffany's Strings finished!

I've had a busy old day today, what with work, a new haircut, revamping my bedroom in a small way and finishing my longest WIP!!

The first virtual quilting bee I was in was the Scraptastic Quilting Bee, run through Flickr and started in January 2010 for 12 months. Each month the queen bee sent out a scrap of inspiration fabric and instructions for the block construction. The blocks were then made from bee mates stash using the inspiration fabric as.....well, inspiration!  In theory, you ended up with 11 blocks that would all match since they took their colour cues from the same fabric.

In November 2010 it was yours truly's turn. I had seen a fabulous string quilt some months before and thought it was beautiful so that was my block choice. But what to do about fabric? Then I stumbled upon a Moda scrap bag. It's basically a bag of selvedges left over from the manufacture of precuts. Some of them are 3 or 4 inches wide and you usually get most of the fabrics in one range. Perfect! I'll get one of them, send two or three strips with a solid centre strip and I'll get loads of different but matching blocks back.

Then 3 weeks before I was due to send out, in the midst of the joyful fabric choosing, Chookie knocked her front adult tooth out.

So in the midst of cancelled holidays and dental visits I kinda grabbed the first scrap bag I could find (from Simply Solids, I think) and a solid that would sort of match as long as I could get it from the same place. Which is how I ended up with Moda's Breakfast at Tiffany's by Fig Tree & Co and a Moda Bella solid in grey.

The month after I had 11 magical blocks from Nichol in Nevada, Jen in Wisconsin, Liz in Massacheusets, Susan in Maryland, Corey in Ohio, Kelly and Tami in Nebraska, Jennie in Illinois, Kristin in Washington and Heidi in Pennsylvania. And, yes, I realise that's only 10 girls. We had one flaker but Heidi made two blocks! And then, as is their way, my bee blocks sat in a drawer. I made some with my new machine in Christmas 2011 but my new year resolution this year was to get the WIP's done. So, having decided to make a bed quilt I set about making up the numbers to 36 blocks. There's some more history and links to progress in this post. And then I added borders so I knew it would be big enough. Quilted it in a sweary spiral last week. And finished the 28 feet of binding hand sewing this morning.

So, you wanna see?

It is, without a doubt, the hardest quilt I have tried to photograph. The colours are SO hard to get true. This fence one is pretty good, though. And, I know, it's got brown in it. *rollseyes*

The backing is from Erin McMorris "Weekends" line - Hopscotch in lime. And the binding is the same Bonnie & Camille "Marmalade" apron print as the last border. I love that line, I see a sneaky wee sale purchase a-coming.

Quite late on in my block construction I realised it would be kinda cute to include a selvedge. Or two! This is the best one, though, coz the whole name is there.

And here, finally, is a full shot. Colours are a bit washed out but I am hanging out my bedroom window to take this. It's a biiiig quilt. The spiral quilting worked a treat, though! I would definitely do it again and just grit my teeth that first couple of feet!

It looks great on my bed - the room has had a few wee additions to tie it in to my purple bedroom. It works really well though, I think, but I'll bore you with more house photos another day.

quilt deets
pattern is simple paper pieced strings using this tutorial but sized up to 12.5in unfinished.
the fabrics are loosely based on "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Fig Tree & Co for Moda with a Bella grey centre. Backing is from Erin McMorris' "Weekends" and borders and binding Bonnie & Camille's "Marmalade."
It measures a whopping 84in square (before washing) and is quilted in a spiral with Aurifil 50 thread.

a (half) day at the beach

If we'd known it was going to turn out as nicely as it did we would have made better plans. But when we decided that on Sunday, come hell or high water, we were hitting the beach? The best we were hoping for was dry.

Aberdour is about an hour (slightly less maybe) from us in the Kingdom of Fife. I shit you not, that is the region's title. The Silver Sands beach is super popular and consequently very busy - which is why we always head for the Black Sands which is a smaller beach with less green space but more rock pools and fun. It was cloudy when we arrived but pleasant. Not warm enough with the sea breeze to take the cardi off, though!

It was quite bright though, as evidenced by the squinting faces! This is about half eleven in the morning.

The sun properly started to shine about half an hour later though. Shorts got slapped on and my two intrepid beach combers headed out with a bucket and spade to look for sea glass for a future "make."

That's the only cloud in the sky over by those cottages - by this time the sun cream was out and I was about to slap a hat on Little Miss "do I still need to wear this - I'm nearly eleven, you know?"

Like I said, if we'd known it was going to turn out so beautiful we would have been better prepared. Chook was well seen to - I had a fleece and a sunhat for her (Scotland in June is unpredictable!) but the Spouse had neglected to bring so much as a hat for himself. Never mind the travel BBQ or appropriate footwear and we had to be home late afternoon. We really enjoyed ourselves, though, and plan to head back soon. Even if it's cloudy and cold (not wet, though) with the charcoal and some sausages. Nothing like the sea air to give you a ginormous appetite!

Late Fresh Sewing Day

Man - late again! I have such a busy and interesting life. Well - one of them is true. *g* Time for a look at all my makes from May!

 There's a few things here not strictly sewing. But what with the wee loo refit sewing time was scarce most of the month. 

There's also two things I've not shown here. My notecards that went out to my Hipbees mates with their stack of my fabric (it was a nice way to send the bee pin toppers!) and the progress on my Tiffany's Strings.

 

I added 2 borders, the quilting is done, the front of the binding is on and one side is handstitched to the back. It'll take forever since it's 83in square (that's 332 inches. 27 feet almost!!) and I forgot to take it to the beach today which is a shame because I would have had a few hours gentle sewing on the sand. Drat. However, I've done my chores since we came home, we're all set for work and school (apart from spouse's 4 weeks notice letter that he hands in tomorrow - gulp!) and I can without guilt go and sew the rest of the evening. Yay!