Life in a Laptop.

PANIC! PANIC!

DON'T PANIC! DON'T PANIC!

Start breathing again...in...out...in...out.

A nasty virus took hold in my luverly laptop, my Wonderful Man worked on it for about 3 hours. I paced the floor, back and forth, chewing fingernails and boiling water! Eventually wiping his brow he put it right and said, "That was a tough one."

He's a superdooper computer whizz.

MY HERO.

But just when we thought everything was running as normal...AAAARG!

All of my pictures and photos had vanished! My little 'My Pictures' folder was empty!

And I have to tell you, that 'My Pictures' folder is my life! It holds all that is 'virtually' dear to me.

It holds all photographic records of my work for about the last 7 years!

It holds my virtual inspirations scrapbook!

It holds images I just like that make me smile!

It holds my creative life!

But Wonderful Man is wonderful for many reasons.

And on this occasion it's because he retrieved my creative life,

and gently with caring tiptappety fingers made it all reappear in its little yellow folders.

He truly is a WONDERFUL MAN.

Alas wonderful does have it's limits sometimes and at the moment I have a very blank space where my 'favourites' lists should be.
And it was a VERY long list.
My list of favourites was soooo long that I had them organised into folders. There was one for property websites, one for shopping, one for textiles, one for fabric, and most important of all THREE for blogs!

Yes I have you or should I say HAD you all organised into UK blogs, World blogs, and my '20 minuters into a Daily sewing blogs.

So my dear friends I need to make a new favourites list. I need to find you all again. So please be patient with me if I don't visit for a while, I've lost your address.

Of course it would be most helpful if you left a little calling card when you drop by to aid me with filling my new favourites folders :)

The pictures are of my last felt piece. A commission for the lovely and very patient TillyRose. If you would like to see it in person you'll can visit Karen's new craft barn which will shortly be open for craft workshops and crafting goodies check out her blog for more information.

That's all for now folks!

Rest assured 'My Pictures' folder has now been backed up and copied!
and apparently is soon to be 'burned' to a CD!

And to my Wonderful Man...

Thank you darling X

Aaaah...Deep breath in...take in all that lovely fresh air...aaaah.

Hello, I'm stood in the middle of the most beautiful buttercup meadow.

I thought I'd better take a photo quick smart as it won't be long before the farmer comes along to cut the buttercups down, he'll need winter provisions for his animals.

Anyway lets go back to my house as I really am behind with my blog posts, I must have at least 4 or 5 projects that I want to show you. (not all today though, that really would be too much!)

Firstly a bit of colourful crochet.

Can you guess what it is yet? Scrummy isn't it?
I found a picture on the interweb-thingy and just had to have a go.

This is the blog I found the tea cosy on, it's quite simple. I had to do my own thing here and there as my teapot is a different shape, but I just made it up as I went along.
I enjoyed making this so much that when I noticed a friends 'naked' teapot on one of her blog posts I couldn't resist making another.

Next up, lavender hearts.

Twenty to be precise!

A very nice lady from our local posh hotel spotted one in the pretty shop whilst browsing for something else and asked if they could supply 20 to hang in the posh bedroom wardrobes. So with only two evenings to get them made I went into a frenzy of snipping and stitching shortly to be followed by a lavender induced headache. It's mighty powerful stuff in in large quantities over a prolonged time!

I have to tell you I had a bit of a panic when I realised that the fabric pen I use to draw the heart template wouldn't fade in time. There were huge purple heart outlines on every one of them. I had to bite the bullet and soak them all with water to get the ink out, leaving them all to air dry over night in the airing cupboard. This meant I had to fill, stitch up, trim and pack them up, all in an hour and a half early on the morning they were due to be delivered. It was a very close thing I can tell you!

But they did look lovely.

I know it would make me smile to open a wardrobe door and find a pretty, vintage, linen heart dangling inside.

Well thats two projects down, we still have a felt wall hanging to look at, new brooches, new greetings cards and some felted flowers to look at.

Oh! I nearly forgot, I've made some more bunnies too!

We're going to need a serious amount of tea and biscuits!

love Fi x

Napkin Greetings!

Once upon a time, many moons ago, a pretty lady, in a pretty shop, in a pretty village, bemoaned the fact that she couldn't source any really pretty greetings cards to sell in her pretty shop.

Aaaaaw.

But then the pretty lady had an idea and turned to her lovely friend who often visited the pretty shop and drank tea and chatted for far longer than she really should,

and said, "Oo...We could make some really, really, pretty greetings cards for my pretty shop couldn't we?". (Big flutter of eyelashes and sweet smile.)

It is at this point dear reader that I must explain that the word we when used in conjunction with fluttery eyelashes and sweet smile really means Fi.

So for future reference, We = Fi.

Got it? Good.

So after lots of sleeps and many moons had passed, the lovely Fi finally took up her pencil one evening and began to sketch. She sketched and sketched until her fingers were sore and her tiny brain hurt. By the time she fell into a deep slumber she had a little pile of sketchy ideas.
The very next day (or maybe a week or two later) after eating her porridge, Fi set to work with her snippety scissors and some odd vintage napkins. She snipped and she sewed looooong into the night.
The work was hard and Fi's tiny brain was tired but she persevered until....

Ta-daa!
She had a lovely pile of napkin corners all appliqued and embroidered, celebrating the things we all celebrate! I must tell you dear reader she was mighty pleased with her work.
But this was not enough!
NO!
All these gorgeous napkin corners had to be photographed, copied, printed, trimmed, glued and positioned. Card had to folded and labels had to made!
Once again Fi toiled hard into the night. She'd heard stories of old about little elves but alas they were only stories. Maybe her very own little people would like to help, but she knew deep down in her heart, it was a task only she could complete.

The next morning dawned (a little gloomy by the look of the photo) and BEHOLD! There on the table was a big pile of....very pretty ..... GREETINGS CARDS!
HOORAH!
A selection of 10 different designs.
Blank inside (just how Fi likes them.)

And all with a little label of love on the back.
aaaaaaahhh.

Soon after the little napkin corner cards were whisked away in a magic shopping bag to the pretty shop, where they were lovingly placed in the whirly-gig-thingy to wait patiently until they were chosen by lovely, lovely customers who, in turn, would fill them with 'lots of love' and send them to the four corners of the world to spread much happiness!
The pretty shop owner was also mighty pleased and gave the lovely Fi a cup of tea.
They sat together in the pretty shop sipping tea and gazing lovingly at the whirly-gig-thingy.


The pretty shop owner smiled and fluttered her eyelashes.

"I think we need to make some more of those!"

The End.

Pretty gypsy caravans have been travelling through our little valley all week.
They're on their way to the annual Appleby horse fair in Cumbria.


I do enjoy seeing them but they do slow the traffic up quite a bit as there are only 2 short stretches of road in the whole 17 miles beetween us and the next town, where it is possible to overtake safely. (It's a very bendy and winding road, bikers love it.) If we remember we try and use a back road to avoid them on our return journey.

And this is where we were returning from,

.

Pretty eh?

Aaaah thats better, no sneaky dog or wonderful man blocking my shot.

I had to snap this one.

NO PARKING ON THE GREEN!

Stitchy stuff next time, I promise.

love Fi x

A Bouquet of Crochet

Well maybe not a bouquet, more like a posy but sent to say thank you for all of your lovely, funny, helpful, glorious, boobage comments on my last post. What a wacky bunch you are, lol. I must admit for years I've thought about having a reduction but firstly, I'm a big cowardy-custard and secondly a firm believer in the 'If it aint broke, don't fix it.' brigade.

Be assured I visited all the helpful links and tips you gave me and although dressmaking is on a back burner at the moment, I will return to it scissors in one hand, pins in the other, frown on face and no doubt sticky-out-tongue... well...sticking out!

But first a little thank you project for you to have a go at.

Take some scrummy yarn, any odds and ends will do. I used some dk cotton.


Grab a hook and crochet up some simple flowers.
I started with one of those loops around my finger that you can pull and tighten up when you've finished. Then I simply crocheted 5 petals each made from 3ch, 1trb, 3ch, 1sl st all into the starting loop. Don't worry about any of this just do your own thing.


Snaffle up an old necklace and take a pair of scissors to it. (Little tip, don't cut the necklace without a basin underneath it first to catch those pesky, bouncy, little beads.)

Next raid the garden for suitable twiggy bits. This is far harder than it sound, you don't want anything too thick, brittle, nobbly, slimy, green etc. Elderberry bush worked quite well.

Mix all the above with some PVA glue and sticky fingers.

TA-DAA!

This idea was inspired by the two dull blue flowers with chunky white wooden beads at the bottom of this picture. Pretty... but room for improvement. I think mine are faaaaar prettier.

 hope you agree?

If you don't have an abundance of twiggy stuff in your garden, wooden barbecue skewers cut down work just as well, as you can see from the picture above.

Please pop back soon to share a cuppa and my latest exciting project.

All will be revealed.

Love Fi x

Dressmaking...The Final Frontier

I'm not quite sure where to start with this post so I'll just 'plunge' straight in.

I've got big boobs!

This is no boast my friends quite the opposite, without getting deeply embroiled in a moaning monologue, they make clothes shopping very depressing if not almost impossible.

I don't own any blouses or shirts, I have 2 dresses. The first was bought about 3 years ago for a wedding (floaty and far too dressy for everyday wear) and the second was bought in desperation from a charity shop last year whilst away on holiday when there was an unexpected heatwave and I'd only packed jeans and jumpers!(this one being rather Monroe-esque and far too clingy for my ample figure). My entire wardrobe seems to be made up of dark trousers and stretchy t shirts.

Now I'm really quite a girly girl and occasionally I'd like to dress as such, nothing fancy just a simple dress and pretty flipflops when its warm, you know the kind of thing.

As you may have noticed I'm quite handy with a sewing machine. I can stitch up a fabric cupcake or a pretty bunny rabbit without too many problems so I thought, why not have a go at making your own dress Fiona.

Excellent idea!

Now I have dabbled with dress making once or twice before. At the age of 12 I made a hidious brown polyester A line skirt at junior school. At about 16 I made a pair of floral baggy elasticated shorts and in my 20's I managed quite a nice v neck fitted dress, so I know my way around a pattern, notches, seam allowance, tailors tacks etc., shouldn't be too much of a problem...

With the help of my mum I carefully chose my pattern, multi sized, flattering crossover v neck, simple straps and back. I'd even thought about how to customise it myself to give extra bossom room. How difficult could it be?

THIS DIFFICULT!

Here are my THREE calico attempts at getting the bodice to fit! You can see the last one has notes written on it to help if I'm ever desperate enough to pick it up and have another try!

I altered the armholes, I added more fabric under the bust, I even made darts where there weren't any... all in vain. I tried it on, I pinned, I took it off, I snipped, I stitched, I tried it on, I pinned I took it off. On and on until I chucked it on the floor and pouted like a child.

Now I don't like to be beaten. I had set out to make a dress and a dress I was going to have. After a quick rummage in my fabric stash I pulled out a length of navy jersey type fabric that was about 14 years old. I remember buying it from a Laura Ashley remnants basket with the intention of making child #2 some leggings when she was a toddler (she's now 16 and wouldn't be seen dead in Laura Ashley). I grabbed a stretchy crossover top from my wardrobe and plonked it on the fabric and drew around it. Without any measuring or messing around I quickly cut it out and started stitching. What I haven't told you is that it was now 4pm and we were going out with friends for a meal a 7pm.

I snipped and stitched like a woman possessed, not bothering to measure, tack or mess around making sure my seam allowances and turnings were correct.

two and a half hours later...

TA-DAA!
Home made maxi dress with tie belt.

And yes I wore out to our dinner date even though I'd not had time to turn the hem up, (nobody noticed) and I felt wonderful in it. It's sooooo comfortable and girly, I can't wait to wear it again.

Don't laugh! I know it looks... well ... odd, but it was the only thing I could think to do, to make my lovely slender maniquin (Ethel Maud) more my shape. Necessity, the mother of invention and all that. This is attempt #3.

My own design again but with a stable fabric.(I told you I don't like to be beaten.)

It's NOT going well.

I'll keep you informed...

love Fi x

Edited to add...

For all of you girls out there with plenty of 'boobage' (I love that term Bibbitybob and if I could, I'd give you some) Bravissimo do a range of clothes for big boobed women called Pepperberry. A little out of my everyday price range but much better than the stuff they used to do.

A gift for Mum.

This is my latest offering on the applique art front.

Inspired by my Mum and Dads house and pretty garden.

I made a little watercolour sketch to help me pick out the important features.


Plants on the patio.

Wisteria over the window.

Leaded windows and a suggestion of brickwork.

Stepping stones in the lawn and shrubs around the pond.

Finished just in time for Mums birthday!

And luckily she loved it, she even shed a few tears.

love Fi x