Stash In The Attic

Back to the Cheap Shop

So the only thing that got me through the last 11 days at work was the thought that TODAY I am going back to the cheap shop. Now I have been immersing myself in quilting books, podcasts, yummy fabrics etc I now have an idea of what I'm actually looking out for. I am hoping to pick up some fabric - of course - a smaller ruler and some bits and pieces. My hubby even wants me to make him a quilt so I will help him pick out some fabric for that. He has already picked a pattern which looks fairly easy to do. I have about 3 jelly roll quilts lined up first so by the time I get round to his I will hopefully be a bit more experienced. Of course we will also be going to the jam place for some lunch before coming back and playing with all my new stuff. Well I'd better go & get Martin up now as I think I'm about to burst. I promise to post some photos of all my goodies when I get home.

OOooh I'm addicted!

I am totally in LOVE with my new machine. It came with 50 massive spools of thread and a walking foot + a 1/4 inch foot AND an extension table. I have been playing with it, trying to work everything out - well, at least enough to straight stitch properly. I have practically done all of the ditches on my quilt now, so need a new project to start really. I have ordered some totally lush fabrics. Here is my Moda Patisserie Jelly roll I am hoping to make a larger quilt for our bedroom out of this one, I also had to order some Amy Butler Midwest Modern fabric. This is set 2 Candy. I just fell in love with the colours and patterns - they remind me of scrapbooking papers. I am working this weekend but hope that I get home at some point to just finish up on my machine quilting and then pick what to start next. I should really knit a few rounds on Martins sock and finish up my Easyknits shawl, but we'll see how we go. My secret swap pal (on the Ravelry UK swap) has been stalking my site - so hello if you're out there!!!!!!

Too much excitement.

Well I know i've been absent for some time - AGAIN - but hey ho. Life has kept me busy and blogging was way down the list in priorities. BUT after having the best weekend ever I had to share some stuff with you all. Back at Scrap Fever Sally agreed to teach me how to quilt. Bearing in mind I have never used a sewing machine except for paper and one fabric scrapbook page (where acuracy played no part) this was no small task. We'd arranged to meet up at my house this weekend. Debbie brought Sally over. We spent saturday morning at The Cheap Shop in Tiptree, picking our fabric, wadding & a few essential bits & bobs. Poor Martyn (debbies husband) got dragged there too. Then we went for the obligatory cream tea. We met Trudy and chatted about all sorts. Then back home to start work. Cutting the fabric was even tricky for me - being left handed and never having cut fabric with a rotary trimmer before. I got the hang of it eventually - Sally has the patience of a Saint. Then we had to start sewing. I have the worlds crappiest sewing machine (toyota Jeans) bought purely for sewing on paper. I find it very stiff and clunky to use. I tried out Sallys Bernina and it is like a dream to sew with. If I win the lottery I am going to run out and buy one for each room, until that point however I can't really afford even 1. Instead I have invested in the Janome Sewing Machine - MC4800QC It should be arriving tomorrow. I am so excited. Anyway, back to the quilt. I finally managed to sew the top all together, make the boarder and make the sandwich with the wadding before Sally & Debbie finally lost the will to live. They both helped me loads. Sally was a star - getting all my pieces lined up, teaching me how to pin stuff together. When I said I was a complete novice I wasn't kidding. Anyway I managed to produce this To say I am thrilled is a drastic understatement. I adore it - even with all the little mistakes I can see on it. I started quilting it on my toyota but have decided to hang on until my new Janome gets here before I do any more to it. I can't stop touching it and looking at it. I am very proud of myself, and extremely grateful to Sally for teaching me. Debbies quilt is a different pattern and material to mine but was looking stunning when she packed up on Sunday. She was very patient with me as poor Sally had to practically watch over my shoulder the whole time and me & Sally hogged the iron a bit, trying to get mine as complete as possible. I now know what to do until the binding so that will be my next lesson. Until then I may start another quilt. Sally gave me several pieces of fabric as a present including some Kaffe Fassett, who I recognise from knitting. I am very lucky to have such generous & lovely friends.

Finishing up

With the bank holidays I have managed to get some of my projects from scrap fever finished. The first one to be finished (but no photos in it yet) was Venessas class, My Thankful Heart. It was such a sweet minibook and used very little. It would be perfect to do as a gift album. I am planning on filling this book with photos of my scrapping friends. Next was 100 Eyelets or die trying, one of Donna's classes. In this class you used eyelets which I haven't used in YEARS!!!! I love this little book, and filled mine with wedding photos. That means I have 2 left to finish. I am hoping to get those done when I get up tomorrow. Maybe my big bite will have arrived by then,,,,,,I will have to put an eyelet in the middle of a page just for the hell of it to justify my purchase :) Till tomorrow....Bye!

Happy Easter!

I had such a wonderful surprise yesterday when I got a parcel in the post. I wasn't expecting anything as all my recent buys had already arrived. Of course Martin didn't believe me. I opened it up and it was a lovely pressie from Nat. Inside was a lovely easter card which you may have already seen on Nats blog - well I am now the proud owner. After she visited and saw I have a little display of all the cards she has sent me and some other hand made, special cards, she must have known it would be well-loved. Also I had a little best friends momiji doll. It was the cutest thing I had seen. I now have it up in my scraproom to cheer me up. Now I am looking forward to today so that I can watch Willy Wonka (the original of course) and eat my giant Easter Egg - a Cadbury crenme egg one. Is chocolate for breakfast a bad thing?????

A Good Friday

Work has finally finshed for Easter. We had an office meeting & then down to the pub for a quick drink on Thursday. Today has been very chilled. I have made a couple of easter cards (will photo tomorrow) and have had a scrummy fish & chip lunch. I have had a quick go on my Animal Crossing game - enough to water my turnip, catch a few fish and sell some fruit. I am now getting ready to settle down with some knitting while Martin watches TV. I am desperate to finish something so I can start on my new projects..... fingers need to move faster.....

Yummy new yarn!!

Well, as you already know I am a great fan of collecting Easyknits yarn. I know I have to actaully start knitting with it - hopefully once I complete 1 more unfinished thing I will start. The thing is it looks so lovely as it is, I don't want to knit anything with it and ruin it. When I saw the march colours, I fell in love with the New Earth Roving. Its pinks, greens browns and it just looked so beautiful. I HAD TO HAVE SOME - but I don't spin (yet). Jon from easyknits had been so friendly when I'd ordered stuff before so I contacted him & he agreed to spin it up for me!!!! He is a very nice bloke :) I just recieved it this week in the post and I have to share it with you. It's 100% Blue Faced Leicester which I haven't knit with before, It is totally soft & I can't wait to make something with it. I think I might have to try another shawl with a different lace pattern than the one I'm doing now. I can't wait to see what it looks like when I knit it up. Also my ATG gun arrived - too late for scrap fever but I wouldn't have used it anyway seeing as I did NOTHING outside of the class stuff. I had to have one after seeing Nats, don't invite her to your house or you will spend a LOT of money once she's gone. I will share on more thing with you today - These lovely magnets that I got from Donna Downey. They are so cute and colourful and inspire me to be a bit more arty. I have stuck them to my only uncovered lunch tin which holds odds & ends at the mo. She had some stuff for sale that she hadd brought with her from the US. I also bought a fabric book which she kindly signed for me, and also a fabric kit. I have primed my fabric with gesso so hopefully I can get messy on Friday. Thankfully Easter is here. 4 days off to play with my stuff - the Easter eggs arrived with my shopping this morning. The kids are coming to stay Saturday & sunday and then I think on Monday I will have a very restful day, making stuff. Then it's back to nights till the following monday. I love nights as I can get up, feeling well rested (hopefully) and do stuff before I have to leave for work. If I'm knackered at work, I don't have a choice about it - I have to work. But when I get home knackered, I can't motivate myself to come up here and do something. Anyway, that's all for now.

Scrap Fever 2009!!!!

Well - you'll all be pleased to hear that I made it there an back and had an amazing time. My abcess was just a swolledn gland (we think) and I am on antibiotics prescribed by the dentist. The swelling has gone down and the pain is barely noticable now. I managed to miss the carnage on the M25. Some of the people at SF sat in traffic for 3 hours trying to make it there. I arrived at about 3ish as planned. As soon as I got out of the car I met my new friend from the north, Irene. I saw her with her tote full of scrapping stuff so knew I must have arrived in the right place. I met Anne and Venessa in the lobby. It was so great to see Venessa after so long. I checked into my room - a posh one in the main house, and then got my scrapstuff into the crop room. As soon as the shop was open I was right in there and managed to spend far too much money on stuff I didn't know I needed until I sw it. After that and Nats visit I am on a spending ban for the forseeable future - once I have ordered my big bite, over the next few posts I will share some photos of new purchases, things I've made and other bits but for now here is a photo of me & Irene It was lovely to see everyone but I hardly took any photos (I was very busy scrapping - ok - talking!) but I did manage to get one of Debbie. I know lots of other photos were taken so as I get hold of them I will post here. I got my xmas presents from Anne but I think that deserves a seperate post so you may have to wait till wednesday for that.

Off to Scrap Fever

I haven't been to a scrapbooking weekend in yonks so I am TOTALLY looking forward to this one. Donna Downey is teaching which should be fab - I have attended classes run by Tim Holtz, Tracy White and other American teachers and I find it really interesting using the products they supply and seeing things from their viewpoint. I don't know why but I find it different from the british teachers I've had - maybe I'm just weird. Well, I have printed my photos for the classes, which must be a first. Normally I am totally unprepared but this time I have made the effort. Having this week off work has been a great help too. I have also picked some photos, patterned paper and Cardstock with sketches for other layouts too - although I think this may be a little ambitious, to think I will actaully SCRAP at a crop instead of socialising and catching up with all my friends. I can't wait to see Vanessa. It has been forever since I saw her last and so much has changed, so I'm sure we'll have a big hug and a very large catch up session. Well as usual my clothes are the last thing to be packed. I am just about to head off to bed for an early night with a scrapbook magazine for any last minute ideas. I'm setting off after lunch tomorrow so hope to arrive at the venue at around 2.30 -3pm all depending on M25 traffic!!!! Bluughhh. Hopefully I'll be back blogging on Sunday with loads of photos of my pals and things that I have made.......we'll see!!

I can't wait

For my new kntting chair to arrive. Me & Martin went to DFS a couple of weekends ago and ordered a couple of things. It was actaully Martins idea which will probably suprise you all!!! He ordered a sofa for his room and I ordered this baby for my attic. When I sat in it, I just knew it was the one. The cushions either side of you are perfect for resting your arms on when you're knitting - yes I did sit there pretending to knit to test it out. It feels Soooooo comfy and I can imagine me sitting in it for hours, knitting or looking at magazines. It reclines so negates the need for a footstool so in fact I saved money - although Martin wasn't totally convinced on that one. It is supposed to take 7- 8 weeks for delivery, and that was about 2 weeks ago - so I will keep you posted.