March furtle

 

Hullo!!! Blimey March 😳😳😳 when the heck did that happen 🤣🤣 so what's been happening? Lots it appears! So first up above is the latest progress on my Blossom Dear Jane quilt. I'm now 5 rows in, I don't normally do long term wips but this is a biggie so plugging away at it. I'm doing it at my fortnightly sewing group but that means only 4 blocks a month. I need to find a way to speed up a little more on this.

Quite a bit of progress on my fettling list. Above is a progress shot on the sea parrot designs birds quilt. Really quick and easy to put together a very satisfying make.

So these are two out of three initial blocks for the quilting life yearly bom. It's a great pattern but I'm wobbling about my fabric choices. Too late now I think they will be fine just heed faith in the process.

Why yes I do give a crap 🤣🤣🤣 this tickled me. We had an issue with our delivery of toilet paper (how do you "irrevocably damage" a box of 48 rolls of loo paper???) This came with the delivery note. It came the sake day that BJ gave his snivelling weaseling testimony to the standards committee...so I felt it appropriate to note that i do give a crap, quite a lot.... I'll not get too political but Jeez that testimony boiled my blood...

So! This happened and I couldn't be happier ☺️ I'm sewing  a lot more now. A lot of fpp as well and I'm worried about the effect it's having on my main machine. I looked out this wee beauty and spent a day getting her up and running again. I'm going to mainly use her for fpp to spread the load, love her.

This was the first I did in her, the two mai  blocks fir the quiet play bom under the sea. Ibgad a disaster with the background fabric I bought for it so needed an alternative. I'm using hungarian blues now.

Cute!!!!

There was some insta chat about pencil sharpners so I got out this one 😊 thought I would share here too 😆

Look what I got in a lovely giveaway from clothclaycreate on insta how cute is he!

Here are the finished sea parrot designs quilts. Love em.

Quick trip up to mams, packed a lot in, was exhausted!

Finishing off with my progress on the Riley Blake bom. I don't think I have enough contrast here which is an issue I have but hey it will still be pretty! See you in April!

Road trip

 One day I'll write up my pandemic diaries and they won't be a work of fiction like Matt blooming and don't get me started Hancock .... But this past six months has not just been about retirement but also coming out of shielding. It's not been easy and I don't know if I will ever feel totally comfortable being inside with other people. It's getting better but still .... I'm still being careful, masks still on in public transport.

Every thing I do now I ask myself is this something I am happy to risk catching Covid from? 

This meet up the answer was "hell yes 😊" in the picture above I'm with one of my oldest chums, known each other since we were 12.

We all connected again (contact was sporadic during pandemic) at a funeral recently.  We vowed to meet again in happier circumstances. This weekend we did 😊

For the record, amaretto sours are amazing!

That was all in Aberdeen I fitted in a visit to mams as well.

I stayed over in Aberdeen met up with chums on the Saturday morning then quick trip back home to go out in Edinburgh in the evening fir a chums birthday 🤣 you don't go anywhere fir 3 years then all hell breaks loose 🤣 but I've loved every minute.

Sea parrot designs, penguins and swallows

Ta dah!!! My lovely linus coordinator put out a call for some more Linus quilts. These were on my fettle list anyway so I got cracking. 

The birds and the penguin fabrics are from Sea Parrot designs a lovely lady who designs the birds herself. 

In the penguin quilt above I paired some lovely Sea themed fabrics with the penguins.  I adore these pengies as she calls them 😊

Backing is as ever an ikea duvet cover love this floral design. Very scandi folksy.

Look at that floofy pengie on the right. I would love a coat like that for next winter!

I think that pengie above was me when I was working 🤣 

The quilt below is a mixture of swallows and spring birds, how pretty! The fabric surrounding it was designed by Fiona as well so pretty and fresh.

You buy the birds on a roll, how cute!! Fiona asked me if she could use the pictures in her socials, of course she can!

Oban

 

Aww the Columba hotel Oban. So many happy memories. Me n the scoobs have been coming to Oban for almost all of our relationship. We first came up and stayed at the chalets near the Barn restaurant probably 18 years ago 😳 Bud would have been with us then. 

Scoobs has a deep love affair with the island of Kerrera which is a sort ferry ride from Oban. Bud loved going round the island but not terribly keen on the ferry!

We have stayed in quite a few places, bnb - Colmar, Kerryvore etc but we do love the Columba, not uber fancy but decent in the middle of town and 30 seconds from what used to be our favourite restaurant- Eeusk. 

This vist we think will be our last staying in Oban. Eeusk was a major disappointment this time it's been on the slide for a few years now sadly. I did give constructive private feedback I hope they listen.

But we deeply love Oban and will be back especially for the seafood shack when it opens for the season. 

A major plus was that we talked about and then booked our next holiday! Lismore island in October. 

So excited!

Scoobs bought me quilt earrings 😊😊😊💕💕💕💕

The pics below were taken at the building which used to be the Seafood temple a great quirky wee place we used to eat at. It now seems to be a design studio office. Great views. I think it was originally a public toilet!

Awww Oban we will be back, it has changed but that's the nature of things, instead of hanging on longing for things to be the way they were let's move on and find new things 💕

March seasons

 So we are now at March! Hello March! Could you beca little bit warmer???

So how's my tree doing?

Here it was in January

February 

March!!!!!! Wow what a difference! All the pictures are taken at 4.30 roughly on the 4th of the month. Gosh this has really picked up.my spirits and the clocks haven't even changed yet!

St Lolans church

 

Doune! Well Doune Castle.to be precise, scoobs needed to go to Doune torhe bike shop there I hitched along for the ride and a pootle.

Doune is very special to me, when scoobs and I met on our first date we discovered we both loved Monty Python, Doune Castle is of course famously where they filmed Monty Python and the holy grail.

It is doubly special because this is where we met chums during the pandemic this was 2020 I think and the first time we had seen them ot any chums since lockdown.

After a pootle round Doune we went to St Lolans graveyard on the way home.

Some beautiful and fascinating graves there's, blankets of snowdrops and just  beautiful day.