Easter, Birthday, Royal Wedding, May Day ... it's quite a busy time!

My boys were all home for Easter weekend which is a first since they were tiny as they are usually at their Dad's but this year it was my turn at last.  I was very excited about them all being home at the same time but as always the time whipped by too fast and went in a blur of cooking, washing up and comings and goings.

It was my birthday on Easter Monday too so I was spoilt with both chocolate and lovely gifts.  I find that the older I get the more embarrassed I am about being the centre of attention so the actual day was spent preparing for a meal with friends in the evening and a glass of champers in the sunshine in Anne's garden with Jan and my Mum.

I had some lovely, lovely gifts but the piece de resistance had to be the lovely bag my sister made for me...

blowsy and rosy on one side

cool and ethereal on the other 

and more bag love from the boys in the form of a CK satchel. 

 I'm spoilt for choice!

Jan bought me this lovely felted bowl from the lovely gallery on South Street that Anne posted about here

I have to thank HRH for the extra day off yesterday.  I think most people would agree that it was a perfect wedding and I felt a swell of British pride at the sheer majesty of it all and the understated elegance - what a gorgeous family the Middletons look.  Thanks to being glued to the telly my feet got a much needed home pedicure - don't know what the Queen would think if she knew I had my feet stuck in a bowl of water (rose scented, mind you) during the ceremony - best not tell her, methinks.  Then, still in my pjs I managed to finish the quilting on the eiderdown quilt I started an age ago.  I just tied each corner of the squares.

Now I just have to edge it all and then I can call it complete ... at last!

The wedding quilt is finished and ready for the big day next Friday, edged with Moda spotty fabric all the way round and backed with a king size sheet.   I ditch quilted round each square and then quilted inside the white squares  to add a little detail.  I wanted to keep it fairly simple as there was enough pattern going on I felt, even though it's just black and white

T for Troy, the groom and M for Marijke, the bride and two simple embroidered hearts around the centre square.

I've also used up a lot of my cotton yarn to make this cot blanket.  I scared the bejesus out of my eldest son by telling him it was for his first baby!  

It's just single trebles (US doubles) in lines and edged with two rounds of single crochet to finish it off.  I did enjoy putting the muted colours together.

The sun is shining, the washing is blowing on the line and the garden is beckoning me after a day spent inside in front of the telly yesterday.  

Wishing you all a happy and healthy weekend and more than a little drop of sunshine and mirth to boot.

Jules

x

It's been a while...

... since I blogged but I didn't really have much to say, couldn't do much and was in a bit of a post-op funk.  So, rather than droop about feeling sorry for myself I gave myself a little retreat and took stock.

While I've been gone Spring has sprung, the garden is burgeoning and I have been doing very little - comparatively speaking - as it's a tad difficult to garden with crappy knee knops and added to that I've been having physio for my tennis (er... stictcher's/traveller's) elbow and rotator cuff inflammation in my right shoulder.  I am falling to bits and feeling very frustrated that the experts keep telling me to rest and keep off the knitting, stitching, crochet, gardening ... basically all the things I love to do.

I had three weeks off work, kept my feet up and got ever so slightly addicted to Psychic Sally, DIY SOS and Extreme Makeover - also went through quite a lot of tissues!   Anyway, snivelling over, here are a couple of my current projects...

This one is a gift for my god-daughter who is getting married in .. two weeks ... yikes - better get on and get it quilted!

I've almost finished the quilting but can only do a bit at a time so it's proving very frustrating!

This one has been patched by hand from old shirts, dresses and fabric from my stash.  I had planned to put it on the single bed in my spare room but have decided to turn that room into my home office so I might have to hang it on the wall instead!

I've been following my favourite blogs and am in awe of how talented you all are.  

This past Saturday Anne, Mum and I hobbled off to the Homespun and Vintage fair which was a lovely way to fritter away a couple of hours and more than a couple of pounds!  

Wishing you all well for the forthcoming Easter weekend, may the sun shine on you but not melt your Easter eggs.

Jules

x