The Sewing Room

Dresses bikinis smocking and a give away.

2011-06-14T11:14:00.000-07:00

Wow three posts in less than a week it must be a miracle. Right where shall l start? lets start with the give away,the rules are leave a message for one entry if you are already a follower that,s two chances if not become a follower ,write about the give away on your blog and link back to me for a third chance . Well what is the give away l hear you say well this is one of the items a lovely little tea pot and whittards teaalso some of Dave,s letters which are so lovely if you have read my previous posts you will know all about them and something else,if you tell me in your message what craft you are into l will try my best to make it of interest l might even throw in something else to so you have to be in it to win it .The .closing date for entries is the midnight on the 24th of June and the winner will be announced on the 3rd of July it is open for all my friends near and far and across the pond. Right on with my sewing here are the twirly whirly dresses that l have made and the girls bikinis with their initials on the front ,my machine does not do a very fancy font this is the best one l could do,l could of hand embroidered it but l do not have the time ,the pattern is from sew beautiful magazine which can be found in my side bar on the left but l paid to download this one it is so adorable and l can not wait to see them in them, they are so easy to make so if you fancy having a go go for it ,sorry about the pictures being side on, my mistake could you just turn your head a little please.This is a little dress l really wanted to make with a sea side theme around the bottom and pleats down the front it is so sweet
and last but not least my favourite dress so far a little smocked dress and pants with bullion roses on the front and back of the bodice l realy enjoyed making this it,s for Chloe from Australian smocking and embroidery it is in one of there latest magazines l think it looks great in this cream and red spotty fabric l have more of this fabric to make the bigger girls an outfit each which is in the pipeline, l will show you more as they all get finished and pressed well more sewing to do so don,t forget to enter my give away by for now.

Hugs Pat.

So proud of my girls.

2011-06-11T06:25:00.000-07:00

Well my girls did the race for life this morning in one hour forty minutes,well done you three. They all walked it as Dawn has asthma and Lauren has tonsillitis and they where told on doctors orders to walk.It was a very emotional morning thinking of why we where all here and seeing the signs on the other ladies backs and who they where doing it for. The girls and Dave when we arrived. Laurens sign on her back .Hallam fm where there providing some great music THANK YOU HALLAM FM.There was a warm up for the ladies.Army cadets where there to keep order and did a fantastic job helping and encouraging the ladies, what great kid,s. Some dogs doing the race with their owners agh bless.The girls starting off,the atmosphere was fantastic.With the end in sight.The girls finishing and getting their medals.The girls with their medals and very pleased with them selves and so they should be and already looking forward to next year and Hayley may be doing another race for life in July at Rotherham with her work pals and if she does we will be there to support her.Have a great weekend hugs Pat.

Life at the moment

2011-06-10T08:52:00.001-07:00

Well l have been away for a long time but life has got in the way and l have had a bit of a blogger,s block . I want to say a big thank you to you all for the lovely comments you have left me l really appreciate them and you help me so much to carry on knowing l can look at these and know l have friends out there who care enough to to think about me and thank you Tracy for your lovely message and a big hello to my new followers . I have so much to tell you l don,t really know where to start, things have been very busy l have been sewing like made for the grandchildren as we are having a big family holiday there will be twenty one of us going all our six children partners and grandchildren we have rented a big holiday home in Wales we are really looking forward to it we are going to make lots of memories. This is my rack of clothes that l have made
and my messy sewing room . Dave has also made me a little ironing board for me,l have been keeping him busy.Here is Jessica modeling one outfit l have made for her. Dave has returned to work for one and a half days a week to ease him in gently but he has had a sore throat this week and our GP has sort of said it may be coming back and has put him on antibiotics for a week and if he is no better then he is to have another scan but there are a lot of sore throats about at the moment so hopefully it is only that, it is bound to be worse as he is still healing in that area,it is terrible living with this time bomb knowing that it could come back at anytime but for now life is good and we are making the most of it.I am very proud of my daughters Hayley and Lauren and my DIL Dawn as they are doing the 10 kilometer race for life at Clumber park tomorrow and we will be there to encourage them on. Our little Chloe is one today it feels only like five minutes that l was announcing her birth as l was blogging last year,HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHLOE WE LOVE YOU. Dave has taken up a new hobby of scroll sawing and made me this lovely sign for my little house and Chloes name for her Birthday and my mums garden sign he made for me. He really has enjoyed doing this and has helped with his recovery so much he has even done some jig saws.My little house looks lovely now that l have painted it l have also painted the fence and the ladders it seems once l have a paint brush in my hand l have to paint every thing LOL. House work as sort of taken a back seat for a while but once every thing is finished l will have to go through the house and have a late spring clean before we go away. Here is Maisy playing hide and seek with mummy dressed as Tinkerbell. Well that,s all for now l hope to be back soon with pictures of the girls on there run so good luck Lauren Hayley and Dawn.

Family heirlooms

2011-02-19T14:04:00.000-08:00

Hi dear friends,how is life treating you? good l hope.The weather is terrible here very wet cold and miserable,and not doing anything to make one feel very good,but what has made me feel good is this little outfit l have made.You might of noticed in my side bar that l follow some very clever ladies who smock, well this is a passion of mine although l do not do as much as l would like to, well February is national smocking month so l made this

From Australian smocking and embroidery
for my hope chest (in hope of more grandchildren) l started this a while back mainly because of Dave having cancer you start to wonder about your own mortality and l still have Samuel and Lauren who will leave home get married and have babies in the future and l have made lots of clothes for my other grandchildren and if by any chance l am not around l just want to make sure that they will have something made by me for their children, well lets forget the reason behind it and carry on.I was showing my DIL the little romper shoes and hat that l made and telling her about it being smocking month and she reminded me about Jessica's christening gown and my step granddaughters dress l made for her christening they where christened together well l had completely forgot about these and she brought them round for me and not only had l forgotten that l had smocked a bishop neck line l also forgot that l had also smocked the bonnet it,s amazing what you can do when you have too ,now if you would of asked me days earlier l would of said l had never done a bonnet like this l was also amazed at the work l had put into these dresses and was very pleased with myself it just goes to show out of sight out of mind l do not want to give these back l want them there as a permanent reminder because every now and again my confidence seems to disappear and l question my abilities even though l have made my eldest daughters wedding dress and helped my sister to make my nieces wedding dress and and Paige boy suits and matching waistcoats and cravats and loads and loads of bridesmaid dresses,l will have to see if l can get some pictures together and show you. But back to these dresses l know l will have to give them back but l am sure they will become family heirlooms . The dresses have petticoats under them and l have machine embroidered their names and dates of birth and the date of their christening on them but the rest of the embroidery is done by hand and Jessica also has a matching coat and bibb but the silk binding has started to yellow on this a and bit.I have found a couple of photos of that lovely day Samuel and Lauren where godparents,a little young but they do take their role seriously. Well that was then and this is now,Jess is four in July and here she is receiving her ballet award with honours.Well done Jess we are very proud of you.

I sent Harriet hare to my dear friend Alex from pink feather paradise and some bunting that l have made,l hope they have cheered her up a little,now it was,nt a swap but she sent me some
very yummy chocolate which l must say l did not share with any one, go and take a look at the other wonder full presents Alex received.
On a final note Dave is doing very well, lots more good days we have his MRI scan on wednesday l am sure it will go well.Next time l will show you some knitting that l have een doing for my hope chest so untill then have areat day and stay warm.

Hugs Pat.

Jack of all trades and master of none.

2011-01-30T09:38:00.000-08:00

Hi dear friends how was your week? mine was spent ill in bed with a stomach virus ,not very pleasant at all it has left me no strength to do any thing i was very frustrated i can tell you but i am feeling much better today.I thought i would show you what i made two weeks ago some are still waiting for buttons i will do these soon ,now i have made these with selling them in mind but not to sure about them so i have played safe in making them in the size of the granddaughters so if they do not sell at least their wardrobes will be full up, i have plenty more to do as i have so much material and of course the children will still have some but i want to get quite a few made before i start dishing them out but my main aim i want to do craft fairs and school fairs in the summer so what do you think ladies is it something i should do i would love your opinion please especially from ladies who go to these fairs is it some thing there is a call for i would also like to make PJS as well as other crafty things.I have some smocking just started i will show you it soon i have been wanting to do some for ages so today i got started on it but it does take me a while i suppose that,s why i do not do it very often,i have come to the conclusion i am a jack of all trades and master of none by that i mean i can turn my hands to most things knitting crochet sewing smocking embroidery to name but a few but i only know so much i am self taught but i wish i had learnt from a teacher but blogging has enabled me to learn from the best and i am always learning new crafting skills for which i will always be grateful. Well that,s all for now i hope you have had a good weekend and a better week to come.

Hugs Pat.

Oh what a week that was.

2011-01-08T11:05:00.000-08:00

Hi lovely ladies what a week i have had ,hospital went well on Tuesday found out we are both depressed so doctor put us both on medication Dave took his first tablet on Wednesday and had an allergic reaction and i rang NHS direct and they sent an ambulance straight away because he had stroke like symptom's and his face was going into spasms it was very scary so to cut a long story short we where in hospital from 8 o clock PM and got home at 2.30 am after they had given Dave an injection to reduce the spasms and check he was okay. Thursday my son gave us a surprise visit early in the morning as he was worried about his dad we had a lovely day with him and my other son Dean came round and my daughter Hayley and they all helped to take down the decorations and help me tidy up.Hospital on Friday and again this Monday but on a positive note things are now improving and we are starting to have good days at last.I thought i would show you pictures of my granddaughters in their cardigans when we had a small family gathering last Sunday and their hats ,don,t they look adorable and Oliver in his hat and Oliver and Thomas posing for the camera not to be out done by the girls they all enjoy posing for the camera can,t you tell and David and Jessica asleep on Xmas day they here both very poorly but it did make a lovely photo,Well that,s me for this week doing more knitting at the moment will share with you soon and maybe some sewing projects so have a good week hugs Pat.

THE NEW SEWING ROOM

2011-01-01T15:41:00.000-08:00

Hi lovely ladies i hope you enjoyed seeing in the new year we had a great time concidering i hate new years eve usually because i always get upset but last night was a good one my daughter and her family came round and Lauren and her boyfriend and his mom anne came round we had eats and drinks played scrabble and at midnight we writ our hopes and dreams on Chinese lanterns and lit them and off they went there where quite a few in the sky it was truly a lovely sight to see.Last post i told you about my sewing room well it started quite a few weeks ago just before Dave started his radiotherpy which was quite intence and after week four he went down hill and he needed a blood transfusion it has been a hard slog to get us where we are now,he is not eating but still being fed through a feeding tube straight in to his stomach he has an appointment on the 4 jan to have a scan while he eats and drinks to see what is happening as he seems to of lost the ability to chew so looking forward to that and hopefully some answers,Right on to my summer house which with out the help of my darling son Dean this would not have been possible, still a prodject on the go not quite finnished yet curtains to sort out and painting touch up to do but i think you will get the idea of how i want it to look so here the tour begins.

I covered my swivel chair i think it looks much brighter than the dark blue it was.

lovely shelf with a tea set on it both brought at the car boot £1.00 each,singer sewing machine table from ebay with sewing machine in it it works but needs a service and some attachments not really sure if this will be a goer as i already have 3 machines and an overlocker.
I painted my dresser looks much better.
Lovely pink chair from C.B.£5.00 phew that was a great bargain but you should of seen what it looked like before its face lift if i can find the picture i will show you this is a great chair to knit and crochet so comfy.

This is a little play area for when my granddaughters come for a visit pink chair £1.50 yes you guessed it the C.B. and sweet little pram £3.50 but this time from the C.S it was quite dirty and had some paint on it but some elbow grease and some beeswax spray polish and a bit of sewing and back to new,i have put a piece of remnant carpet down for baby Chloe to sit and crawl.
Do you like my thread rack £5.00 from ebay i would love another but can not find one .The door still needs painting and the outside needs doing but i will wait for better weather first,so what do you think of it.
Not much sewing as i have been keeping Dave company but i have done more knitting this time presents for my grandbabies for xmas i made four of these it did get a bit repetative at times but i am realy pleased with these aran cardies in wool and a sweet peplum around the bottom and great wooden buttons with flowers painted on them and they all had a hat will show pictures soon as i hope to have them all together tomorrow.Well have a great week hugs Pat

Happy new year!

2010-12-31T07:50:00.000-08:00

Hi, dear blogging friends, i hope you all had a great christmas, as i did. Just thought I'd stop by an wish all my blogging friends a very healthy and happy new year. Haven't blogged for a long time, hubby's been a bit poorly, but is hopefully on the mend now. The sewing room is moving, not very far just up to the top of the garden Dave bought me a summer house for Christmas and it is my new sewing room it is all insulated and has under floor heating all mod cons how lucky am i. But on saying that we had so much snow that it brought down the guttering and then as that landed on the conservatory roof that collapsed also well we were in such a mess three weeks before Xmas and that is the room we use for Xmas dinner all fifteen of us well you would think no chance but we had two lovely guys come and as soon as they knew about Dave and the stress it was causing us they pulled out all the stops and one week before Xmas we had a lovely new conservatory and yes there is a Santa clause they restored my faith in people. Here is my sewing room I will show you the finished result soon but here it is in construction. well it is just a quicky as we are getting ready for a family get together for new year and we get to try this lovely raspberry cheese cake out of my lovely new book i had i will let you know what it tastes like. 2010 Has been a very tough year and to be honest i will be glad to see the back of it but it has been much easier to bear with the lovely comments from my friends thank you for being there for me oh no my eyes are watering now i must have something in them. Have a great NEW YEAR stay warm and stay safe and have a great time best wishes Pat.

My room on a budget and lots of other things.

2010-10-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

Hello dear lady friends and a special thank you for your lovely comments they have cheered me up no end and hello to my new followers although some i can not visit so if you are reading this please leave me a message as i would love to visit your blog if you have one. Sorry i have not visited many of you lately but life is very busy at the moment with one thing or another Well i have decorated my spare room i wanted it to be all from the car boot charity shops or ebay or what i already had as i did not want to spend too much on it and its suprising what other people do not want ,one persons junk is another persons treasure so they say and it saves the landfill, so here's what it looked like before and i just remembered to take a picture before carrying on .I bought a cupboard from a Charity shop and painted it i think it looks so much better, and here is the little chest of drawers i showed you in my last post,i wanted little glass knobs on it but i did not want to spend any money so i glued on big glass beads instead and got the look i wanted,what do you think ?.The quilt on the bed was a CB find for £3.00 it is a king size handmade one but had a tear in it so i cut it down to fit a single bed and used the rest to transform my chair and recover a little box i already had also to recover this lamp a CB find for £1.00 and i also made a insert for this basket on the cupboard and also a cushion and a little heart for on the bed which came from ebay, there is a bit left over to use when i get inspired again. The lovely china mirror is from the CB cost £2.00 and also the what not shelves mounted on the wall £3.00 and finally a wooden plaque i made.The carpet is white and it was an off cut to keep the price down but it is very thick and soft.The room has a lovely calm and tranquil feel to it, it turned out better than i thought it would and every one has said how nice it is. Next is my bureau also from my previous post in my newly decorated hall and landing,this is not a colour i would normaly use but i thought be different for a chang and it is growing on me, the window is wearing a curtain cost £1.50 tied back with this lovely tie back cost 50p and this is my hall way it is only small Lastly on the DIY scene is my new rocking chair for my kitchen this was also from the car boot, cost £15.00 a bit more than i would usually pay but i had to have it, i don't think any one else would have wanted it anyway. It was a nightmare to recover but i am quite pleased with its transformation and it is very comfortable.Well now onto knitting,i have made the boys some hats for winter in a lovely warm aran i have made three so far one more to go and i made Maisy a cardigan for her second birthday back on September the 15Th also my birthday i am now making DD Lauren a hat and gloves ,i just one glove to go and i will show them to you. An up date on DH he has finished his chemo and the tumour has shrunk so much it does not show up on the scan and he is now about to start his second week of radiation treatment only five more weeks to go after this one he has treatment every day monday to friday and is coping remarklably well,so far he has been quite lucky as regards side affects hardly any i keep thinking the calm before the storm i hope it stays this way he has had a feeding tube fitted in his stomache in case he has trouble eating as the radiation kicks it can damage the throat he will probably never have to shave again and possibly have to have mouth sprays and drink lots of water for the rest of his life as it will damage his saliva glands but it will all be worth it in the end. So you see i have been keeping busy as its the only way i cope ,life is manic with hospital trips daily and people popping in and out and my IBS has played up something chronic but not surprising really with all that's been happening but its a small thing to deal with really, the house is nearly always a tip at the moment,i am not used to having Dave home all the time and i feel as if i am not in control any more.Finally if you have reached this far well done,a few light hearted pictures of the grand children Thomas in his hat doing what 6 and a half year olds do, acting the clown.The girls giggling in the guest bedroom with some dolls i used to collect and can you spot the real baby. Here's Lauren with baby Chloe having a cuddle. Maisy helping me make a trifle. Well thats it for now what a long post thank you for staying untill the end and visiting i realy look forward to your visits ,have a great week and keep safe big hugs Pat

Putting a smile on some ones face

2010-08-17T01:50:00.000-07:00

Thats what this swap is all about and since signing up for it both me and Kathy have had sadness in our lives and due to this we are a bit late swapping, so this swap has meant a lot to me and put a smile on my face is what the lovely Kathy did when she sent her swap to me, you can find her great blog here she is a very talented lady. Every thing was wrapped so sweetly. So much thought and work has gone into these wonderful gifts and card i love them all ,a lady bird pin cushion and the little mouse will sit beside my sewing machine and keep me company while i sew with the fabric and get creative with the bag of buttons and the lovely bumle bee ribbon and the lovely little bag will hold my crochet hooks, i will be sending Kathy her gifts soon but some one has deleted all of my e-mail and i have lost her address so Kathy if you read this please send me a E-MAIL with your address. A quick up date on DH he in having his second bout of chemo and doing well he bounced back after his first lot and is now eating normalyl and not chocking so we can only guess the tumour is shrinking and he will not need to have his voice box removed we hope to have the decision soon but he has to have a camera down to see if it has shrunk ,he comes home tomorrow . Life has been very busy of late lots of visitors and the phone does not stop ringing so not much crafting has been done but i have been to the car boot where my sister spotted this quaint little bureau for me i will show you a picture of it with its make over when it is in its new place on my landing also DH took me to a furniture warhouse last Thursday in Sheffield while on the way back from the hospital after having his bloods done,now the reason for this is my son Sam has moved into a house with four friends and this now leaves me with a spare room well a new sewing room sounds nice but after much thought i decided not too just incase he comes home as they sometimes do so it is going to be a new guest bedroom. well money being tight with DH not working its second hand furniture for the new room,i prefer that to new stuff as i like to give things a new lease of life,well any way there where no decent beds or wardrobes but i did spot this little set of drawers,i think they where out of an office they cost just £5.oo a bargain and just right for my knitting patterns so nothing for the new room yet but still looking.I will share some more photos of my DIY skills soon well thats my news for now in the mean time have a good week keep safe hugs Pat

Trying to be normal

2010-07-15T13:57:00.000-07:00

Hi dear friends thank you for all your kind comments they have really cheered me up no end ,i am so lucky to have such good friends. Dave has an appointment with the speech therapist tomorrow to learn some exercises before his chemo starts and he has to learn to swallow as the treatment gets underway. Well life goes on as they say so on that note i will continue to blog as normal and add bits about Dave as needs be so i hope my blog is not too depressing and you will still visit and may be leave a message as i do love to hear from you. Do you remember a while back i said i have had a new kitchen well i thought its about time i shared it with you as i have not done much crafting lately. I apologise for the poor quality of the photos but i am not very good with the camera.Where the first window on the left and the start of the cupboard with the glass doors there was a wall which we knocked down,behind it was a small utility room and we decided to do away with it and it has made the kitchen look so much bigger we only gained about two square meters.The larder unit and corner cupboard where cut in half so that we had more floor space and because i am quite short it means i can reach to the back shelves, a kitchen designed by me for me

This is my comode chair,every one laughs when i tell them what it is i brought it at a car boot sale for £5.00 years ago and DH filled it in and it is now where i keep my linens i really love this chair and the fact it is good for storage is fab the words on the cushion say home is where your story begins i took this saying off a tin.

There are still a few things that need tweaking like the tiles around the cooker need changing but i am not ready for any more mess just now.My cooker was cream which just does not go with red and white so out came the spray paint and voila a red cooker,believe me i had too think long and hard but i was quite pleased with the out come.

It did not stop there,i sprayed just about every thing, the trug the jug and the bucket along with other bits and bobs .

All my cookery books ,plus a few more since these pictures where taken well i hope you have enjoyed a tour of my new kitchen have a good weekend and lets hope for some more sunshine .

HUGS PAT.

A long road .

2010-07-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

Hello dear friend,s its been a while again since l posted but as you know DH was waiting for some results well we got those last Monday and it was not good news he has throat cancer, he starts his chemo next Friday he has to have three sessions but if it has not shrunk any by the second treatment then he will have to have his voice box removed so if you pray say a little one for us.DH will be in hospital for five days at a time in Sheffield so my sister will be staying with me and driving me around as l do not drive, treatment will last about six months because either way at the end he will be having radiation treatment to zap any thing left behind and then six months convalecence so twelve months in all so it is a mighty long road we have to travel and knowing l have friends like you along the way will make it a little easier so please pop by every now and again l might not blog much but l will keep up to date with your blogs and thank you Diane for your kind message to see how l am.Well l can not think of any thing else to say at the moment this has been a hard post to write so enjoy the rest of your week l hope the sun shines again soon god bless Pat.

PROM PICTURES

2010-06-25T05:39:00.000-07:00

As promised pictures of my daughters prom ,here she is in her purple dress she had a french plait from the right side of her head going round to the left and then curled, she looked very elegant and some pictures of her with friends and pictures of Lauren with her boyfiend.Idid not make her dress l wish l had it would of been so much cheaper but she wanted to be like her friends and try on many different styles,they had a wonderful time a nice meal disco and dancing but they came home an hour early because their feet hurt and they were tired l would of made till twelve LOL,l let them have a small glass of lambrini before they went an invited them back afterwards and they sat in the garden with a drink and chatted about their night ,l think you will agree it looked like they had a ball. These are laurens best friends. Well thats all for now dear friends have a great weekend and take time to enjoy yourselves hugs Pat

More crafting.

2010-06-22T12:09:00.000-07:00

Hi dear friends how wonderful is this weather l hope you are all making the most of it and not working too hard. Today we have had four giggly teenage girls round at my house having their nails done and a lady came to give them a spray tan it was funny watching them as they were quite nervous about the outcome although they were very brown most of the colour will wash of tommorow and they should have a nice golden glow, forgot to say why they are having it done its their prom night on Thursday and these are all the preparations for it, l will show you some pictures at a later date. Here is another outfit l made Maisy it is a lovely yellow seersucker with butterflies embroidered on it, its a little crumpled with the heat and sitting in her push chair so it is not a very good photo also some PJ,S l made Jessica ,l adore these l would like to make some more soon. Also here is the bag l made for the birthday party on Saturday it was my SIL fiftieth ,she was really pleased with it and so was l as l did not have a pattern it was off the top of my head. Well it looks like l have been very busy lately but do not forget l am catching up with six months of prodjects so not that busy after all.We are off to the hospital tomorrow for pre op and MRI so wish us luck and l hope to blog again the week end so have fun in the sun and do not forget the suncream hugs Pat

Friends

2010-06-18T11:12:00.000-07:00

Thank you thank you for all your kind words and thoughts, you are truly friends l can rely on,now words might come out a bit junmbled up as my thoughts and my head are all over the place so please excuse me while l try to be normal Dave had his bloods done today and a chest Xray he has his pre op on Wednesday morning and on the afternoon he has his MRI and they have given him a date for his surgery on the 29 of this month it is all moving very quickly which is good but also very scary.this is not a place l want to be l want to be a million miles away but l can not. Dave went in to work his morning to tell them and to pick up his tools as he is on a new job on Monday it is a new hospital at Nottingham well the head of the office phoned me to say they just heard where Dave is working it is a cancer unit,they gave him the choice and he said he will work there how ironic. We are off to a suprise birthday party in Birmingham the weekend as he wants life to go on as usual so that,s what we are doing that,s why l am blogging l did not think l would but your messages have gone to my heart and have given me strentgh thank you, so here,s yesterdays planned blog some cardigans l have knitted White one for new baby Chloe
Green and orange for Tabetha to go with the orange skirt
Torquise one for Jessica and some dresses l have made

These two pink ones for Jessica and baby Chloe

little blue one also for baby Chloe Jessica already has one in this fabric and Maisy is modeling an outfit l have smocked l also made her a hat and a bag to match jess also has this outfit l will share with you photos another day it is from designer smocking tots to teens and l follow this very talented lady on my side bar she is one of the designers and this is one his her design s, but l have found a few lovely ladies and silly me not sure which one ,well thats all for now l am shattered so all of you have a great weekend and l hope to be back next week hugs Pat the lovely lady designer is Dadelion avenue l have found you.

Not good news

2010-06-17T14:16:00.000-07:00

A post l never thought l would write but its here and l need to write it down,l have been to the hospital with my DH today he has been chocking on food so last friday he went to the doctors and he said Dh needed a hospital appointment well they phoned on Tuesday for him to go today and they put a camera down his throat and the doctor confimed there was a lump, at the end he asked if there where any questions and DH said is it cancer the doctor said he could not rule it out so tomorrow he has to have blood tests an xray and get an appointment for an MRI that is if they can not fit it in tomorrow and when these tests are done he will have to have a biopsy.A really tuff day and really hard telling our chilldren we have not told Sam we will wait untill he comes home from holiday. This is not the post l had planned for today it was about knitting and sewing but not now l do not know when l will blog again hopefully it will be with good news l might pop by now and again who knows but please keep Dave in your prayers please.

Hugs Pat

Fumes and smoke

2010-06-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

Well this is the scene from my front window tonight,a paint factory has gone up in smoke and there are flames shooting up in the air ,my daughters house backs on to a field and this is not very far from hers and she lives around the corner from me,she said every time there is an explosion the while house rocks and there are sirens going and a helicopter in the air and to make matters worse it is a very warm and balmy night.If the wind direction changes we can expect my daughter and hubby and children to spend the night because of the fumes.Well on to a lighter note my son went on holiday on Sunday to Ali Canti nothing strange about that l hear you say except he has only just turned 18 and is a very quite boy,he,s gone with 4 other friends and l miss him so much, Sams the one on the left sitting on the wall, prior to him going we had variouse chats and he is quite sensible so he should be okay we keep in contact through face book and he will be home early hours of Sunday morning so if you have teenagers you will know just how l feel ,even though 4 have gone before him it doesnt get any easier here are some pictures of them poseing before they left a great bunch of kids. Well that,s all for now hugs Pat

Keeping the momentum going.

2010-06-12T09:42:00.000-07:00

Well thought l would try and keep the momentum going and blog again, maybe it's the lovely weather we are having today. I thought l would show you where l sit and knit or sew or crochet in my garden when the weather is fine, and talking of crochet here is a blanket that l did for my daughter Laurens sixteenth birthday it just fills the top of our double bed it took quite a while to complete but and couldn't wait to finish it for her l just loved the colours and Lauren loves to wrap herself up in it l really enjoyed making this for her. Well back to the garden l needed a new cover for my gazebo but for love nor money l could not find one for mine so not to be defeated l brought some fabric which reminds me of neopolitan ice cream and beach huts don't you think so too, l used the old cover for a template and it was so easy l used my overlocker too make it stronger and l added some bunting to give it a summery look and it only took a few hours and l was so pleased with the result and because of the shape l had lots of pieces left over so l looked at my garden furniture and it was all miss matched so out came the paint and brush and l got to work and gave it a sort of new England look and then l made some cushions for it all the rocking chair and foot stool were surplus requirements in the house so they got a makeover too it gives them a use and l am really pleased with the outcome . Beau got in the picture too just look at his face he has been fighting with another cat, he wont stay in at night and this is the result . I have some new little visitors in my garden these lovely birds that DH brought me also this little bike is off my sister, l really am pleased with these.While l was taking the pictures my son and his little family came for a visit so here are some more baby pictures Jessica is not very well she has an infection in her mouth with all little blisters, even water seems to hurt her so she is not a happy bunny today. Well that's me for today l will show you my knitting and my new kitchen hopefully next time, hubby's off to the pub now to watch the England game l hope they do well and l am going to do some sewing so until next time enjoy this glorious weather and take care hugs Pat

Ebay win

2010-06-11T05:19:00.000-07:00

Hi just popped in to wish you all a good weekend and to let you know mother and baby are fine, not home yet but hoping they will be later. I told you quickly yesterday about my eBay win well here are some pictures ,would you like to see what is behind here? you would well this is my lovely sewing cabinet ,i got it for a song i was prepared to pay much more but i got it for £25.00 pounds what a bargain i was well chuffed i can tell you,bidding ended on the Sunday dinner time and my DH and son travelled down to Stratford upon Avon too collect it,good job it comes in two halves otherwise we would not have been able to get it home. It came from a very big posh house and the owners thought some dealer had won it and where very dissapointed but when dh got there and told them i wanted it for my sewing room they were very pleased they also told us it was made in Tibbet ,well i was going to paint it white but every one who has seen it said it would be a shame so that idea has gone on the back burner for now anyway they did not get home until 10.30 that night they were both very tired and i love them both very much for going to all this trouble for me a big thank you Dave and Dean from my heart. My cabinet has 16 drawers and 4 sliding glass doors,i have a drawer for ribbon one for trims 4 for patternsone for buttons oh and the list goes on but it has got me quite organised and i love it i can now see my material and what colours and what goes with what, i am trying realy hard not to buy any more fabric until i have used up most of this, i do have some more but its winter weight so i have put that away for nowbut that shouldn't be too hard with my ever expanding family.Well that's it for now i hope the sun shines this weekend and you all have a great time .

Hugs Pat

Thankyou

2010-06-10T12:56:00.000-07:00

Wow nothing for six months and now twice in one day, sharing my good news with my friends. Here are the pictures of Chloe Jane, been to see her tonight and she is so lovely and munchable i can,t wait for more cuddles with this little angel. W e are so blessed eight grandchildren and never a dull moment in our house. I have lots to share with you about the last six months, a new kitchen and a storage cabinette for my sewing stuff, a win on ebay i will take some photos soon and show you and try to do a catch up. I would like to say a big thankyou to all my freinds for enquireing about me and to say a big hello to new freiends and followers and for welcoming me back with your lovely comments i do not always find it easy to say what i am realy thinking and i wish i could write it all down a bit more easy, so from the bottom of my heart thankyou and i will come visit you soon take care Pat

2010-06-10T07:26:00.000-07:00

Hi all my lovely friends,so sorry for lack of posts but l had a health scare at Xmas and l was a little worried and blogging was not on my mind right then as l am sure you can all understand that feeling, anyway too cut a long story short after some tests and treatment it wasn't as scary as i first thought and by then time had past and you know that feeling when you don't return a phone call or letter the longer you leave it the worst it gets ,well that was how it was with me but i have been popping in and sharing your lives with you and you have all kept me very entertained and i have also shed a tear with some of you. Now its my turn to share something with you as i type this blog my eighth grandchild is being born, my daughter in law is seven centimeters dilated we hope for a safe delivery into this world, l am looking after Jessica while mom and dad are at the hospital and she is being very good.I will share some photos soon of the new baby and some of the things i have made while not blogging, just had news Chloe Jane born at 3.40 weighing in at seven pounds thirteen ounces mad rush now to do tea and go visit them as they are keeping them in untill tomorrow so by for now be back soon keep well Pat.

My wonderful swap presents

2009-12-14T08:30:00.000-08:00

Wow, these are my wonderful swap presents from Claire, she has put so much hard work into it, she has sent me so many presents. I had so much fun opening all the presents. She has sent me a lovely stocking to hang up, something i hadn't got. I love candles and smelly candles, and also chocolates, all three of which i got in the swap. You'd think Claire knows me well as i love to bake and i can't wait to use the lovely cookie cutters and these cute little bun cases. I have a wonderful bag that she sent me, it is beautiful, with the wonderful flowery material. I am overwhelmed by Claire's generosity.

Below are some pictures of what i sent to Claire;

Sorry, i haven't been blogging for quite some time but life has been rather hectic at the moment and i hope to resume shortly and get back into the swing of things, i will explain more in a future post.

Car booting and crafting

2009-09-25T07:37:00.000-07:00

Hope you have all had a good week ladies,l love the night,s drawing in and the weather becoming quite Autumnal l have been sitting in my concervatory most evenings doing my crochet with a blanket on my lap as it has been a bit nippy of a nightime. Just thought l would share a bit of sewing and car boot finds the bird were made out of the Sew Sunny homestyle book they are very easy to make. I bought this bird cage from the CB for £3.00 and l forgot to take the before pictures as l was so excited yes l know l am sad, l gave it a fresh coat of paint as it was a dirty blue and at some point it had had a live bird in it as was obviouse from the floor of the bird cage, also this very sweet little lamp which cost me 70p can you believe,it was quite dirty but l gave it a clean and washed the lamp shade and it now looks as good as new and they now both live on my kitchen windowsill.I would like some more of these little lamps as they are quite small only 13 inches high and l can think of loads of places to put them but l don't suppose l will find any more at that price. well thats all for now have a fabulouse weekend ladies hugs Pat

That time already

2009-09-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

Hi just a quickie l have joined Kims xmas swap at Heart in the country there is a link on my side bar take a look its a good one and my first. Update on Henrys training,it went quite well except all the other puppies where female and Henry rather disgraced himself a proper male l think next week some bromide in his water. Have a good evening hugs Pat

BIRTHDAYS

2009-09-23T06:53:00.000-07:00

Hello all hope you are all well,sorry to have been away so long but l have been busy with a birthday? mine well it was on the 15 September and we had a bar b Que on Saturday the 12 and the garden was all lit up l also made my self a cake and Dawn my DIL iced it for me as l was,nt allowed to, what l did'nt know was that Lauren had arranged a surprise visit from my brother and his wife and my 71 year old aunt and my cousin which was very special l had all my children and grandchildren and my sister all together it was very special and we had a lovely time.It was also Maisy's birthday on the 15 of September too she is now one year old l was there when she was born a very magical time being with my daughter on my birthday when she gave birth to her and it has been a special year for us both happy birthday Maisy. Henry is keeping me very busy he is very mischievous and on the go constantly, we start dog training tonight which l am looking forward to very much so we will not have much time for tea so , l have been baking today and made a quiche for tea and a fruit cake followed by some strawberries so if you feel like joining us just pull up a chair and enjoy, if Henry passes this training we can go on to bronze silver and gold the trainer asked us what kind of dog he is and when we said an Airedale terrier she said we will be lucky if we get to take him home as she adores this breed so if he embarrasses me may be l can leave him there LOL. I have been watching u tube videos and learnt how to make these lovely flowers they are very easy ,l can see myself making many more . Jessica has been dressing up for me so l thought l would share these photos with you, have a great evening hugs PAT

Good Friends & Crafting.

2009-08-28T00:41:00.000-07:00

Hi my dear friends l would like to say a big thank you for all your kind words they are very much appreciated, a lot has been happening since my last post first there was our holidays that now seem a distant memory we had a lovely time and would like to do it again we then had Tabbethas christening, we had a wonderful time she was a little star and so well behaved considering she is 2 1/2 she kept us amused with her little antics. This is her dress it had to have her name and the date on it

l forgot to take a picture of it before she wore it and l also made her cake ,l tried to do a tutorial on smocking but it didn't turn out too well but l will try, firstly l chose a pattern that l liked ,not easy really as l have so many smocking books the choice is very hard,this is the picture in the book my DD wanted it in pink ,it has a brought collar so l decided to omit the collar, to start smocking you take the material and roll it on a rod l use a bit of sellotape to hold it in place,
once it is rolled on l then place it through the machine and start to turn the handle

as you turn the handle it goes through the rollers and onto the needles and pleating begins

once you have got to the end you pull threads about 3 inches and cut the thread these are the needles in the machine

then l traced the pattern and cut it out

l then do my smocking stitches and block the fabric to match the smocking guide and pull out the threads that the machine put in,after that you mark the armholes and now the scary bit

you cut armhole and then secure by sewing around armhole

then attach piping after that sew on bodice top and finish as you would any other dress

I won a give away on a blog this wonderful little chicken she is so cute and sits on my table while i sew this was my first giveaway l have won and l was so pleased to receive this wonderful present thank you so much to Kim at Heart in the country so sorry it has taken so long to blog about it. I needed a new pin cushion and l saw this at a car boot for 50p and thought it could be quite useful as it is quite heavy and that is what l needed something that would stay stillnd not move as l pulled the pin,s out so l rubbed it down and painted it in my favourite colour l made a cushion and glued it in place added some Ric rac and a bee hive button and voila, l think its great as it,s quite big l can get an assortment of needles in and not get all knotted up as there is plenty of space for each type needle. I have started to make a few presents we have some birthdays coming up and also i thought i would make an early start on Xmas presents as it always has a habit of creeping up on me very quickly,what promoted me was last week me and my sister went to the quilt exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham and l bought this new book it has some wonderful things in and l would love to make them all? maybe one day l can,t show these yet as my DD does read my blog. I am also making Maisey this smocked dress for her birthday next month and hopefully a cardigan too go with it hope to show you when it is finished. Now l would like to introduce Jolliver Monkey Puzzle, Henry for short our new Airedale terrier puppy he is 3 months old We have had him for 12 day,s now and he is settling in very nicely , he and the cat get on quite nicely teasing each other ,there is only a few weeks in their ages and he is a little scamp he keeps me very busy and with all the running around after him when he gets himself into mischief l will soon be down to a size 10 LOL ( l wish ). And finally l have received this wonderful award from Tracy over at Tracy's crafty scraps thank you so much for thinking of me , you are a true friend .

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This award is bestowed on to blogs that are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. deliver this award to six bloggers who must choose six more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award. I will pass this award to some of my bloggy friends that I find exceedingly charming…

I'd like to award it to:
Kim at heart in the country
Isabella at Suzys vintage attic
Alex at pink paradise
Josie at Sykesilly site
Rosa at surfer Rosa
Julie at gingerbread

Sad heart

2009-08-07T13:51:00.000-07:00

It is with a very sad heart that l have to tell you that we had Digger put to sleep this morning, he was having difficulty breathing and was drinking a lot of water which my DIL said it meant his kidneys where failing and if we left him any longer then other organs would start to fail l have always said that l would not let him suffer so we took the final decission this morning and he went very peacfully with me holding him. I would like to say a big thank you for all your concern and kind messages regarding Digger it has meant a lot to me.When l feel ready l will show you some holiday pics , so untill then take care my dear freinds and have a good weekend big hugs Pat

My Dilemma

2009-07-12T08:43:00.000-07:00

Hi all my lovely lady blogger friends thank you for all your kind messages about Digger on my previous post which has now been deleted as it upset me too much every time l logged in,the vet phoned me up on Tuesday to tell me the results of the biopsy and she said it was not good news the cancer was of a very invasive nature and it would be wise to have him put to sleep sooner rather than later ,after much soul searching and crying l phoned a pet crematorium and arranged it for Friday as long as l could get an appointment at the vets so l got my son to phone the vets and discuss it and we where then told he has got 100 to 300 days depending on how well he is coping before doing anything further so with this happy reprieve we took him on Friday to have his stitches out and then they said to bring him back in a month to discuss further treatment and he doesn't need painkillers just yet well l don't know whether l am on my head or my feet l don't know what else to do or say it is such a dilemma we may have to change our vets so that is my update on Digger. Well trying change the the subject and to be on a happier note we went Scarborurgh again yesterday with two of my sons and their family,s we had a wonderful time the weather was great a bit blowy but the sun was warm these are some of photos of Jessica's birthday last week the weather was very hot we had a picnic on the beach we built sandcastles went on a pirate ship Jessica had a donkey ride then we had a fish and chip supper before going home ,a great day was had by all and some of yesterdays photos. I do not know who had the most fun the adults building sandcastles or grandad writing love messages in the sand. There was a horse and buggy and these lovely coloured beach huts.JOSHUA Two proud dads enjoying a moment with their little ones Two little ones playing . We are off on our holidays next week to Suffolk and boy l cant wait to have a break from the norm, so l have started to pack cleaned the inside of the car as it was in a bit of a state hubby doesn't do the inside very well and as l used to work valeting cars he knows l will do a better job than him? hmmm a method in his madness l hear you say oh yes quite right. I have not done much sewing this week but l will show you some car boot finds soon That's all for now as l wasn't going to blog because its not very good news but l thought the longer l leave it the harder it will be and l feel better now l have spoken about it sorry if its a bit mish mash but that's how l am feeling at the moment so on that note l hope every one has a wonderful week lots of hugs Pat

Normal service resumed

2009-06-10T08:52:00.000-07:00

Well how quick do those weeks go by? I had my sister up to stay for ten days and we did a bit of sewing but not much we just enjoyed the lovely sunny weather that we did have and did some chilling, i have been busy since though do you remember this well l did a little sewing and we had a bit of a photo shoot with Lauren modeling and it turned into this and Lauren was pleased with it so l got another pattern and this turned into this and this is the one she wants to wear when she goes to London. Well l was on a roll by this time and l have made her a skirt and a top too, although the skirt is awaiting a zip, it's been realy nice as it's been about six years since l have made her any thing except for fancy dress and a bridesmaid dress, mom making your clothes is so not HIP but thankfully she now wants me to make more and oh boy she keeps adding to the list. I have been to a couple of car boots lately and Lauren has been asking for a desk so she can do her studying. Well she has a lovely old fashioned style bedroom suite and l did not want anything too modern in there plus l did not want to spend a lot of money so l have been keeping an eye out and this is what l found, this is the before shot this is after

it should of been £25.00 but the nice kind man said l could have it for £15.00. Well what a bargain l nearly snatched his hand off, it needed some work doing to it so l rubbed it down and waxed and polished it and it has come up as good as new and my daughter well, she loves it and if it helps her study to become the lawyer she wants to be it was £15.00 pound well spent and hard work will be worth it. At the car boot l bought this lovely little ballerina, made in italy, and another trinket box both for 50p each, it always amazes me what other people don't want and are prepared to get rid of like two weeks ago on Sunday night, my son rang to say he was at a freinds house for a b b q and there was this table and chairs a bit close to the flames and my son said shall we move it and his friend said no its okay there nobody wants it so l am going to use it to put my car engines on and my son said l know someone who would like it so on recieving the call we went too look at it and this is what was waiting for me and i had a vision of how it could look,it had been out in the rain for some time and some of the wood had split but l fell in love with it the moment l saw it and it came home with me and again some hard work rubbing it down and painting and this is now my new table and chairs l think its very french country looking, l used fired earth egg shell paint in duck egg blue very fast drying and a great finnish and it did'nt stop there this little wot not cuboard or curioanother car boot find on Sunday got painted and my little tv table also got a coat of paint and beleive you me if hubby had not woke up when he did he might of got a coat of paint as well because l just love this make of paint so l did these as well there will not be any more hard work for my hands for a while as l have over done it a bit and they are quite achy now. Oh l have some good news to share a dear friend came to see me two weeks ago and after catching up on whats been happening in her life she asked me how l am doing and l sort of said oh l just sit here most days sewing and vegatating since i am not looking after my grandchildren after my son-in-law got made redundant and lo and behold she offered me a job, she is a manageress of a nursing home so when my police check comes through l will be giving the elderly patients their breakfasts clearing away and setting the table for the next meal then seeing what they want for the next day l will start at seven in the morning and be home for eleven with the rest of the day too myself, well thats whats been happening in my life for the past few weeks theres probably more, i will show you if l remember but l have been reading a few of your lovely blogs too, well l would like too wish you sunny days but here we are expecting a torrential down pour tonight so keep dry and keep safe lots of hugs Pat.

A bag flowers and more

2009-05-12T08:10:00.000-07:00

First things first l must say a big thank you to Alex at pink feather paradise and Suzy at Suzys vintage attic for they both gave me a lovely award ,it was very nice of them to think of me ,its the little things that mean the most thank you ladies

What a lovely sunny day it has been here, l hope you have had the same. I was tidying the garden and l thought l would take some pictures outside, the first one is of a bag l made over the weekend, its a pattern l got from the sewing show about two years ago, l had already cut it all out and you know what it's like ladies you put them away and forget about them, well l found it and decided to finish it, l think it has turned out quite nice l am going to make some more but with a few adjustments to it , l put a pocket on the inside but left on the name of the fabric i think it looks quite designerish. I got these two cherubs from a car boot for 50 pence each and when l got home l wasn't too sure if l liked them and hubby said why not put them in the garden,one of his better ideas. I have a few garden ornaments, my sheep an angel, two bird houses in amongst the flowers and three little gnomes and when Jessica comes round she goes and has a little chat with them all, it is so sweet to watch her. Some flower shots while they are at their best , and a few piccys of Beau for Julie at gingerbread as she asked to see some more and here he is in Jessica,s doll,pushchairs in dads slippers having a snuggle with Digger and finally these are the pictures of my PIF that i sent to the lovely Joanna at Tatty mums blog which can be found on the left hand column oh and can any one tell me where awards come from, can anybody just make one up because there are a couple l would like to do so if any one can help please leave me a message l would be very grateful.

I wish you sunny days and lots of hugs Pat.

Wow my PIF gift

2009-05-05T07:38:00.000-07:00

Wow look what the postlady brought this morning l was so excited it is my lovely PIF gift off Sharon at Clover cottage. It is a wonderful wall hanging l love the colours and it is all beautifuly embroidered with a sweet little house and trees and delicate little flowers and the words HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS it is so lovely and with it is a very nice quilt hanger with a heart and it came all the way from Australia and sharon gave it to me how lucky am i .With my gift Sharon sent me a lovely card with birds on and a lovely message, it is so nice to be on the recieving end for a change it seems i am always makeing for every one else in the family but now i have somthing made for just little old me made by some one else with me in mind ,l know just where l am going to hang it so l can see it when l sew so thank you Sharon for all your hard work and thought you put into my wall hanging l will treasure it forever.

Thankyou

2009-04-30T09:18:00.001-07:00

I hope you are all well and the weather is not making you too miserable, the heavens keep opening here and we are having quite a bit of rain it sounds torrential on the conservatory roof. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all you lovely ladies for your sweet comments over the past few months of my blogging, i mean to say it every time but i get so caught up that i for get so to all you ladies a big thank you for making me feel part of the blogging family community i have made many new friends and learnt a lot.. I thought i would show you the pattern and material my daughter Lauren has chosen for a dress , she is going to London in June with the school for her drama, they are going for two days and will be seeing Wicked and Hairspray, at the theatre and the dress code is smart, so this is what i will be making after i have finished my PIF,i dare say i will be making many more, i haven't made her anything for quite a few years but she has been reading some blogs too and is now very much into wanting to make her own clothes so i will be helping her to do a simple pattern soon. Well i have sewing to do and i will be watching Kirsty later by for now.

A busy few days and a new member of the family

2009-04-27T11:33:00.000-07:00

Hope you all had a nice weekend,I have had a busy few days my sister has been up visiting since Thursday which has been very nice.On Saturday we got our new Kitten Beau here he is on Laurens computer he,s a dinky little thing and is quite well behaved so far,i have missed having a cat about since we lost our last one two years ago and i have been seeing lots of cats on blogs and i realised how much i miss having a one about so i decided now is the time and Digger the dog and kitten are getting on fine,i was a bit worried about how he would react but he is fine and being very much the Daddy. Because my sister has been here and the kitten coming we have had lots of visitors so not a lot of my PIF being done but its nearing completion this week,i have had no more takers for PIF so i think it will probably stop here unless theres anyone out there who wants to join in ,even my friends over the sea i dont mind posting abroad. Sunday morning i was car booting as usual but there was not much about this week but i did get a lovely white wedgewood strawberry a vine jug for one pound and this nice plant pot for fifty pence .I took this photo at six tonight this is how the weather has been here today not very nice i was hoping to get in the garden today but it was not to be. Some one commented on the pink rocking horse in my last post it had been left out in the garden over the winter and then ended up in the back of the garage and i had some paint left over from painting my utility room so i decided to give a few things a makeover here are a couple i will show more at a later date This is the potting bench my hubby made me last year,i think it looks much better for a coat of paint and it is so pleasant to work in the greenhouse now.,well thats all for now have a great week best wishes Pat

Learning

2009-04-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

What a lovely day it has been today sun shining and birds singing,i decided to take pictures of my perfume bottles and trinket jars,i just love the way they catch the sun light, don't you ? So here goes .After doing this i tidied the house cut the back lawn and then my DIL and Jess popped in for a coffee which was realy nice and as we sat talking i was telling her about my camera and the borders you could put on but when ever i have done it it has not worked for me so she showed me how to do it,bless her she has such patience with me ,and voila i now have borders and i think i now have the know how of how to do my blog by myself ,with a big thankyou to Lauren for also being patient with me.I must seem thick to all you clever ladies out there but i am too old to have learnt it at school and being a SAHM i have not had to learn it in the work place so i am being taught by my children LOL.I thought i would add some pictures i took of Jess this afternoon as well. The lovely Joanne at tatty mum blog has joined my PIF ,i am so excited ,i can now start to make her something,so if any one else is interested its on the post below. So on that note i will wish you all a pleasant week best wishes Pat

Car booting

2009-04-19T08:05:00.000-07:00

Hi ladies i hope you have all had a nice weekend?We went to Birmingham on Saturday to pick up my youngest daughter Lauren as she has been staying with her older sister for a week,we met up at my sisters house and as i had finished Tabetha's quilt on Friday i took it with me to give to her,here are some pictures of her posing on it i also embroidered her name and the date. Today we went to my favourite car boot and boy was it busy,i brought lots of little treasures some i will show you now the others later on as i have plans for them.The first is a little green chair just right for my dolls then i found this tin,very nice also a straw hat for my dolls a little blue jug a small wooden rocking horse and a musical merry go round,also this basket which the seller assures me is from her cousins in New England i got it for £1.50 ,i just love collecting baskets among other things LOL. I found four lots of old sheet music three of them with great old pictures on them they where 20p each and then my favourite item was this enamel coffee pot it was brand new in the box along with chocolate wafers and marsh mallows well out of date 2006 they went straight in the bin and all for the price of £1.00 and this lace cloth well i thought i did really well wouldn't mind becoming a professional car booter, i don't think I'd make much money on it but I'd have fun trying .And as it was such a nice day me and Dave spent a few hours doing the front garden and then it was relax time. I am joining in play it forward with the lovely Sharon from Clover Cottage the idea is the first three people to leave a message get a homemade gift from me then they do the same for three other people so if you would like to take part please say so in your comment and i will need a contact address to send you your gift if you don't want to take part then please do still leave a message don't be put off by this as i love reading your messages.I am quite excited about this the gifts might be one of my aprons or a hare or one of my dolls or something equally nice it depends on the person and what i think they would like ,so if you fancy playing leave me a message saying wether or not you would like to join in,thankyou lovely ladies.
Have a great week best wishes Pat

What a lovely day we had

2009-04-14T02:14:00.000-07:00

Well we had such a busy day on Sunday. I got up very early and set the garden for our egg hunt, I made some bunting and an Easter egg hunt sign also a big Easter bunny. By 10:30 there where twenty of us, we ate sausage and bacon sandwiches followed by an Easter egg hunt for the children. I had painted them all a basket for them to collect their eggs, there where squeals of delight as they found their eggs, then there was some playing while the adults had a catch up as we are not all together very often. Later we had lunch and then the table was set with a lovely white damask table cloth and we had an afternoon tea of chocolate bunny biscuits , a Simnel cake and some fairy cakes that I had made on Saturday.Later on we had an egg and spoon race and pin the ears on the bunny the adults played this game and we had such a laugh it was great fun. We were so busy that we didn't have time for the children to wear their aprons that I had made ,and i had also made the girls a tutu each and had bought some bunny ears for them may be i can take photos at a later date ,well that was our Easter i hope you all had a lovely Easter too. Hugs and best wishes Pat. xx

And The Winners Are ?

2009-04-05T11:11:00.001-07:00

And the winners are:

Tam-Apple Creek Cottage
Apron 4-6

Sharon-Crafty Trundler
Apron 1-2+Hat

Debbie-Dreaming Of A Simple Life
Apron 2-3+Hat

Julia-Ginerbread
Cream Trim

C.C-Ribbons & Lace Cottage
Vintage Buttons

Congrats to those who won, i wish i had something for everybody but i'll be making more in the future. A big thank you to those who enetered and for all your lovely comments they were much appreciated and very sweet and i am very glad to call you my friends.

Best Wishes Pat xx

P.S I'll post these as soon as i can hopefully in time for easter.

A giveaway

2009-03-29T05:13:00.000-07:00

A GIVEAWAY!!!!
Hi lovely ladies, i am having a giveaway, i was making some aprons for the grandchildren and i had some material left over so i thought it would be nice to make some more and just simply give them away, the first one is a apron for a boy or a girl for gardening, painting or baking, it will probably fit 4 - 6 years, second giveaway is a little girls apron,which crosses over at the back and has little ladybird buttons at the front to do up, to fit 1 - 2 years, thirdly a little girls apron to fit 2.- 3 Now both of theses come with a bonus sunhat i say bonus because although they should fit, there is no guarantee most of you have children or grandchildren or nieces or nephews and i thought with it being it being Easter soon, something for the little ones would be nice, i also have to giveaway six vintage buttons with rather grand ladies on them there is also a whole unopened roll of cream trim, there is 20 metres of it if anybody would like to enter my giveaway all you have to is leave a message for which one you would like, it is open to anyone near or far blogger or none blogger and could you if you don't mind leave a note about the giveaway on your blog, to tell more people about it, this is purely optional, i will put the names in a basket and reveal the winners on Sunday the 5Th April. Right with that done we went to the car boot this morning and i bought this lovely little bench to display my rag dolls and inside there is a storage compartment i am so pleased i am going to do it up and i will show the results with my new doll sitting on it hopefully, i also got this darning mushroom, i will be covering it in material as i saw one done on another blog and it looked darling, i bought other bits and bobs but i wont bore you about them, my D.H has been a star all weekend taking over the household duties so that i do not strain my hands and i have been able to do a lot of sewing, here is a picture of my scissors, they are really good as you don't need to put much effort into cutting as they are spring loaded my daughter bought them for me from Dunelm they are about £15 they cut through quite a few layers so anybody with aching hands give them a try, they re easy to get used to and i wouldn't go back to the old method well i hear my sewing machine calling so have a good week ladies, best wishes pat x x

Late as usual.

2009-03-25T13:13:00.000-07:00

Belated mothers day greetings. I must be the last one on blogland to show my lovely cards and gifts, i had 3 plants, some lovely body butter, wrinkle cream, i don't know what they're trying to tell me? I had a lovely scarf off Jack, Tom & Maisy we also went out for Sunday lunch which was lovely, no cooking Yippee! We have booked our holiday in Suffolk and not abroad, to try and help our flagging economy it looks ver picturesque so if any one knows of some nice places to visit in that area it would be much apprecitated. With the nice weather last week was spent on the back garden doing lots of tidying up and planting seeds, i dug up some carrots and this is what i found some very strange shapes indeed, now i know if you put manure in the soil this is what happens but i have one plot where i put carrots with no manure so i don't have a clue why they are like this i will have to see what happens with the next crop. I have done some sewing i made this lovely rag doll with an embroidered dress she was really easy to do, l've also made some easter things which i will show you soon and i have nearly finished Tabetha's quilt, i have also been to a couple of car boots where i found a lovey babys crib, i love old cribs and if i had a bigger house i would buy more, somebodys already got their eye on it when it is finished, i also bought a new corner unit for the lounge and also this litlle pink horse for Jess it also plays music as she rides up and down on it and an excercise bike for me. Best Wishes Pat. x x

Happy Birthday Sweetheart.

2009-03-09T12:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my darling daughter turned 15, she is my youngest and i can't believe how quick time has gone by. She is very sweet and thoughtful, loves to bake cakes, loves her nieces and nephews 7 in all and they all adore her, she does very well at school and would like to be a lawyer. Lauren had a sleepover on Saturday night with 8 of her best friends, all lovely girls, i made her lots of cup cakes and we had family over on Sunday hence the late blog - the photo is of Lauren and my son Sam when they were brides maid and page boy when they were four & six, the dress and cardigan were made by me.Now an apology for not blogging for ages but i have been a bit down i have had some pain in my hands and joints for a while and the doctor ordered a blood test, with the result being osteo arthritis , which will not get better just manageable and the thought of not being able to do my craft was a bit bewildering but i now have tablets and have decided to carry on as long as i can, my hubby is being a star and helping out so that i don't strain my hands and can do my beloved sewing. I am going to the EC on Saturday with my sister and my eldest daughter for the Sewing for pleasure show, what a tonic i am really looking forward to it, hope to buy some nice things.

Well bye for now, have a great crafty week, best wishes Pat.

Valentine and cup cakes

2009-02-14T13:24:00.000-08:00

Well my op went okay i have a follow up appointment in six weeks but i can certainly hear better now,the Doctors and Nurses put me at my ease and were marvellous to me. I've not done much since Wednesday i have been a bit tired; not sleeping well prior to my op so i am catching up the sister at the hospital said i can not drive for forty eight hours because of the anesthetic and i thought great i couldn't drive before i came in today LOL. Today i made some Valentine cakes some for hubby and some for my son and daughter in law and some for my daughter and son in law and some for Sam and Lauren not forgetting my grandchildren they had some as well .Hubby took me to the garden center this afternoon and brought me a very sweet tea pot and two cups with cup cakes on them,TEA FOR TWO how nice to have with our Valentine cakes' tomorrow he is going back to get me the side plates well that's all for now have a lovely valentine weekend best wishes Pat

DIY weekend

2009-02-09T11:51:00.000-08:00

Before.

During.

After

Well the bathroom is done at long last, i have had the stuff since last October,now that's not like me i am usually raring to go as soon as i get back from the shops but for some reason i held back i didn't want the mess before Xmas so it has only just got done i didn't think it was destined to get done as hubby took down the bathroom cabinet a big hole appeared but thankfully my son is a dab hand at plastering and i had to wait a day for it to dry so that done i managed to Finnish it i am showing before and after as i cant quite make my mind up as to which one i prefer and i would like to hear your comments please ladies. Why is it you do one room and the whole house is a bomb site so lots of tidying up as i am having an operation on Wednesday,of all things i am having a gromit fitted and some exploring is being done its something little ones have done.I went quite deaf last year so this is the result,so if you drop by please speak up as i am a bit hard of hearing LOL . Well Tabetha turned two on Saturday, the time has flown by heres a picture of my little princess on her big day,thats all for now have a safe and cosy week PAT

Snow snow quilt quilt snow

2009-02-06T07:44:00.000-08:00

Hi just a quick up date of life here, well like every one else plenty of the white stuuff a few pictures of my back garden. I have been trying to do a quilt, while tidying up my material stash i found two bags of bits left over from doing Tabethas and Maisys bedrooms so i decided to make them both a quilt, i think its the cold weather its making me think of warm and cosy things and what better than a quilt i hope i get to finnish them soon as i have my bathroom to decorate hope to post pictures of my progress soon so have a nice weekend keep warm.

Best wishes Pat

Iced water.

Snow cat.

Nothing much happening here.

Little lamb lost in the snow.

Snowy cordeline.

Snow light here.
Another snow cat

Snow angel.
Tabethas quilt.

OOOOOOOhhhhhhh

2009-02-04T09:18:00.000-08:00

OOOOOhh I hope i dont upset any one but i have made a decision not to be tagged,swaps are okay giveaways are okay because the decision is yours to make even awards are okay its up to the individual if you want to accept i personly quite like passing on one award but dont like having to pass on to a certain amount to women i know you all deserve one but are they not more meaning full if you have done something to get one rather than just because some one has said pass it on to three or four people as i say i realy dont want to upset any one and i hope no one takes offence i love the freinds i have made and would hate to lose any well i have waffled on long enough
TTFN

Tagged

2009-02-03T13:52:00.000-08:00

Here is my 4th photo of my 4th folder of Jessica last summer.

And number 5 because i couldn't resist.

Nice day out.

2009-02-01T06:57:00.000-08:00

Hi all, what weather we've have all had snow, snow, snow and more to come, well this time Last week hubby had a few hours off so we wnet for a drive to Lady Bower dam at the peak district it was cold but sunny we walked for ages around the water and then we went for a lovely meal at a Country pub called strines inn. Outside they had peococks and hens, we had a great afternoon and would like to go again but will wait for spring dont fancy going in the white stuff. Doing granny squares at the moment i have to get rid of alot of wool i have too much and this is a quick way of using it up. Well i have been tagged by the lovely TheCraftyTrundler not to sure what it is all about perhaps someone could expain all the Do's and Dont's to me. I think i have too tag four more people, i know most of you have already have been so if you have already been tagged ignore this,

Surfa Rosa
Little Gem at Deravelled
Gingerbread
Kitschen Pink.

You can teach an old dog new tricks

2009-01-27T06:01:00.000-08:00

You can teach an old dog new tricks,the old dog being me,l have only been able to crochet granny squares since the year dot and have always wanted to do more so this weekend being inspired by all you talented ladies who seem to be able to do most things took the bull by the horns or maybe the crochet hook and pattern and decided l would tackle a hat and after a few try's this is what l ended up with,not bad for a first attempt. i am very pleased with the outcome its not perfect but I think l can only get better,l cant get any worse what do you think.Hers is a picture of Maisy modeling it very sweet.So having tackled that one l want to do more l think l have the crocheting bug,so l have ordered a set of bamboo hooks off eBay and l am considering buying a book? maybe.Below are some pictures of my granddaughters bedrooms l made the pictures are pre blog and only for my reference so excuse the poor quality,l wanted to share these with you and also my blog is my life diary. TTFN PAT

Tabetha bedroom.

Well laugh out loud!

2009-01-25T04:59:00.000-08:00

Well the cardigan is done i can now post it off. 1 picture of my doll i made last week she is meant to have wings but i did not like them so she will stay as she is, i made her on the spur of the moment so she does not quite match but as my first one i am quite pleasd with her. Well a funny story you know i'm new to computers and blogging well reading your blogs i kept seeing this LOL and i thought who is LOL she knows alot of people her name is everywhere, perhaps she's the founder of blogland HA HA then i saw it somehwhere else and i asked my fourteen year old daughter Lauren who is loz to her friends so you can see where im coming from, She went ohh mom it stands for Laugh Out Loud well we did LOL so now my sillyness is here for you all to see. Have a nice weekend.
P.s Make someone else laugh too this weekend.

A special Dress

2009-01-22T11:14:00.000-08:00

A special dress for a special little girl Tabbetha my granddaughter is 2 on the 7th Febuary and i have made her this hat & dress i think it has turned out well. I love the pleats and i have decided to cover the three little buttons in the pasley material, i nearly always do a hat with her outfits so now my name is Nanny hat. I have knitted her a chunky cardigan to go with it. I just have 1 sleeve to do and then i will take a picture of it. While i was making the dress it took me back, to when my daughter Louise was having her, i was at their house looking after Oliver who was tucked up in bed and i was down stairs dozing i had said to my son in law Michael to keep me informed expecting a phone call when she was born but instead he kept texting me messages and it went like this

Got the call to go down.
Waters bust Ok.
Drip in and going well.
Mum will take ollie to school.
Pushing now.
7 pounds 6oz

I have saved this in my mobile phone folder and when i told my daughter Louise she was amazed as she did not know he was doing this, the thought of one hand holding her and the other texting me lol, well thats the story of how my first granddaughter entered this world one beautiful little girl. Oh by the way girls, ive got a new laptop so i can blog about the house. Bye for now. X
i love how you get from this ...
to this!

2009-01-12T11:18:00.000-08:00

Well l was being a thrifty Mrs this afternoon by melting down all my scented candles as l hate throwing them away,l had some very thin taper candles and cut them down to use as the wicks l think they turned out very well l added some essential oils to refresh them and they smell wonderful, and the best bit is l get to reuse my lovely little pots some have lily of the valley flowers on them and one is a little garden pot with my name and its meaning ,my son and his partner bought me this one last year it was an hours work but very worthwhile . My husband rang me while l was doing my candles to tell me there were some more redundancies today 40 so far and by this time next week it will be more like 70 we do not know where we stand in all this but at the moment l do not see any sense in worrying ,what will .be will be. Over the weekend l finnished a little top for Joshua l will post it to him tommorow. l have taken a few pictures of some very sweet boxes l brought just after xmas l do not know yet what to put in them but l do not think they will be empty for long. Well will say by for now.

Looking forward to a better year.

2009-01-08T11:04:00.000-08:00

Sorry for not being around since xmas but my last guest left on Sunday that was my sister, it was her birthday on Saturday, she came to stay on New years day. Well i was hoping to writitng this in a good mood, but on Monday the inevitable happened my son and son-in-law where given redendency notice, my son has a little girl of 1 1/2 years and my son-in-law has 2 boys of 5 and 8 and little Maisy who is 5 months old, my daughter is now cutting her maternity leave short and going back to in the middle of February instead of the beginning of July, so that means i will resume looking after them 4 days a week so my crafting hours will be cut short to the weekend. Well enough said about that we had a lovely family christmas plenty to eat and drink and lots of laughter. My son and his wife and little Joshua came to stay with us xmas eve, we put some reindeer food on our doorstep for them to eat here is a photo of him doing this and then when we had left a mince pie for santa and a carrot for rudalph he went to bed with great ease. Here is a photo of my lovely daughter-in-law hayley on the right and on the left is my wonderful 14 year old daughter Lauren, they get on really well, well we all do. We had a great day and on boxing day morning they were ready to leave us at 6:30 Am, so that Hayley got to work on time as she is a community nurse and was at work that day, i do love her to bits, she regulary phones me up for a chat or advice which is very lovely to know she respects what i have to say.
Before bed we cut out some templates of footprints and sprinkled glitter over, it looked like santa had walked to Joshuas presents out of the fire place, his face on christmas morning was a picture.
My cousin and her husband come from France, my daughter Louise came up with her little family and brought my 70 year old aunt with them my other daughter and family came and my son dean came with his partner and little jessica a fun time was had by us all.

On new years eve we stayed in with a buffet and drinks and played on bowling on the Wii all those with children joined us and we saw the new year in watching local fireworks. Well with christmas over and the decorations down it was time to go shopping. At our local garden centre i found these lovely picture frames in their natural state just waiting for me to do something lovey to them what a bargin for £5.00 each. I will show you again when they have been hopefully transformed well i think that i have bored you enough and i will sign off hope its not too long before i blog again,
God bless,
Pat .

P.s i have been reading all your blogs over christmas, i can not resist seeing what you are up to.

Merry christmas to all.

2008-12-23T16:03:00.000-08:00

Hi all well back from New York its a case of been there done that got the t shirt. Had a wonderful time lot,s of Xmas shopping, pressies for all, some lovely decorations for my Xmas tree lovely ice skating boots lots of bling and a Maceys teddy in a shopping bag. I treated mysely to lots of lovely Clinique make up and face creams I had a great time but I am very glad to be home.

I have been busy getting ready for Xmas cleaning and putting the finishing touches to my Xmas cakes just plain and simple.My daughter took her two children to Warwick castle last week for the Xmas special and they both wore their new coats i made them and apparently they caused quite a stir i was very proud and so was she ,well i have lots of things to do as my cousin and her new husband are coming to visit us on boxing day from Toulouse in France so we have twelve people on Xmas day and twenty on boxing day so on that note i will wish you a merry Xmas to all and to all a good night.

Family life.

2008-12-04T08:02:00.000-08:00

Well the tree is up, the garland is on the mantle and the reindeer and the sleigh are on the roof, the brasses are all shining and we are all lit for Christmas. I still have packing and lots of sewing to do but the house looks so nice & cosy now all i want to do is sit by the fire and watch Christmas movies, but alas i know i can't.We had some disturbing news on Monday that the firm my husband, son & son-in-law work for have been given 30 days notice that there are to be redundancies on the 5Th January when they return to work. The future looks a bit bleak but we are determined not to let it put a damper on Christmas, its about what you have got, not what you haven't got and we have each other.Well on to a lighter note, my sewing ? At the moment i am making cone angels from the Sew Pretty Home style book one of my favorites, i will show you the completed ones when i am finished, just a sneak preview of them for now, it feels like my own little cottage industry here as i couldn't resist, just making more and more, a couple are for a friend she asked me to make her some, the rest will be presents, if i can bare to part with them. I thought i would introduce the youngest member of our family this is Maisy Grace the best present a daughter could give her mom she was born on my birthday and i was there to see her come into this world , we might not have much money but we are very rich in grand children seven in total.
I just wish I had a computer know how like the rest of you, at the moment i rely on the help of my lovely 14 year old daughter Lauren, i think she is quite the whizz on the computer, i know my way around eBay and web sites but this blogging and putting pictures on is a bit beyond me yet, but i am determined to learn about all be it slowly.

I have been reading lots of blogs and realise i have something in common with most of you. I do believe we are kindred spirits and so kindred spirits on that note good night and good bless.

Hare today gone tomorrow

2008-11-26T12:38:00.000-08:00

Hi all,not much to report today,the weather is quite mild,much prefer it colder like it should be for this time of year. I was tidying out a cupboard yesterday when i found my family of hares , I was in the process of making but they got put on the back burner for another day and i forgot about them until yesterday so i thought i would show them to you,they might get finished next year.

Here are some of my car boot finds, i love going to these on a Sunday morning,if by any chance i can not go i get withdrawal symptoms and think of all the bargains i have missed. I collect odd chairs and little chairs for my grandchildren. I have bought four so far but only one is finished and that one is in Tabethas bedroom, the other three are projects for the near future.
Well its getting late now so i will say goodnight, I am off to our village tomorrow night for the switching on of the Christmas lights.

The run up to christmas

2008-11-23T11:19:00.000-08:00

Hi what a lovely weekend i have had,yesterday my Noel letters arrived from Alison at vintage amethyst, they are very nice and i can not wait to start decorating the house next week,i know it,s early but on the 9 of December i am off to NEW YORK with my sister Sally for six days so it all has to be done before then, and there is a lot to be done. I Hope to show you my house all lit up for Xmas. Yesterday we went to a pantomime at my children's school it was put on by a local theatre group, the production was dick whittington ,it was very good,after that we came home for some homemade mince pies the first of the season then we took our granddaughter Jessica Louise to see father Christmas for the first time at our local garden center,she was very good and just sat there looking at him as if to say your a funny looking man.we had a great time the weather was very cold which really did make it feel like Xmas, Jessica was wearing her new coat i made for her. Today i have had a rest full day, did a bit of sewing finished another coat for the newest member of our family Maisy Grace she is ten weeks old will post photos of her shortly,had Sunday dinner and then watched Santa clause 3 the movie by a roaring fire.my idea of heaven. well that's all for now speak to you soon. Love pat.

Getting there.

2008-11-19T13:08:00.001-08:00

I have finally finished my granddaughter's winter coat. I've been working on it awhile, have a couple more to do, and a red one nearly done. There's some pictures of the wool material i have used. I buy this from a man in Goldthorpe, Rotherham, for a bargain price of £4.50 a metre. I'm also showing a picture of some beautiful lace, this is ear marked for a christening gown. I hope i can keep you interested, as i enjoy reading all the blogs and, boy there are some very talented women out there.
Love Pat x

Sewing & my family

2008-11-05T09:21:00.000-08:00

Hi, my name is Pat, i live in Yorkshire, i am 51 and married to Dave with six children and seven grandchildren. I love to sew, knit and bake for my family. I love all the blogs i have visited today and there are many talented Lady's on there. I thought i would like to share with you the things that i make. I am always sewing as i have four grandsons in a row and then last year we had three granddaughters so i am very busy making their winter wardrobes. I love to sew for my home and decorate it, i love all the things pretty and shabby chic, at the moment i am making my granddaughters winter coats, i will post a picture as soon as i am finished. Here is a picture of a cloak i made them for Halloween they went as little Red Hiding Hood.

Bye for now.