Today is the day!

We've returned from our holiday on Sunday and what a great time we had!
I still have to sort out all the pictures we took from my iPhone, my camera, the Mister's camera and his phone ... So more pictures later this week.

waiting for our dinner at River Cottage, Axminster

And this one is for him, because it's our 12th wedding anniversary!
(and my 50th birthday)

September = holiday

Now that everybody has returned from their holiday and school has nearly started again, we'll be going on holiday.
I hope to be refreshed because I feel totally deflated ...
Cleaning the house and clearing up anything lying around is the chore I will have to do now.



So here I go; wish me luck or even better: perseverance!

Hope to see you again somewhere in September: a totally refreshed Betty!

It was sooooo hot!

I'm still huffing and puffing not because I want to get rid of any animals in the neighborhood, but because it was so hot this weekend. Our thermometer said 37,1 C.

And I was trying to make a quick quilt for a birthdaygirl today!
The ventilator wasn't at full speed, otherwise my fabric would've been blown away.

So I'm happy today we're back to 'normal' temperatures!
No back to finishing the birthday present!!

The Beast is done!

Well finally!
After (at least) 2 weeks of battling with this quilt it is finished.
I'm happy with the result and what I've learned is that I will not use stretchy stuff as backing!

After unpicking stitches so many times because it was stretched too much on the back I am so happy this one is done!

Size: 60" x 60"
Made of fragments of men's shirts (blues), an old dress (red) and an old curtain (white), all cut in 1.5" strips.
Backing is a fleece blanket from IKEA.
Red border and binding is from IKEA too.

And this is what my machine looked like:

That's when cleaning is FUN!

I did not allow myself to start of continue anything else, for I was so afraid I would abandon this project. So no I CAN!

Have fun sewing and quilting or whatever you're going to do!

Fresh Sewing Day

Last month we went to sausage country Germany and enjoyed the countryside (1+2).
I made a baby and a toddler quilt. The baby quilt was made in the same way as Cluckclucksew describes in her tutorial, but my startingpoint was easier with lovely striped IKEA fabric (3-7).
And then, at last, we could enjoy the sunshine!
And our neighbour enjoyed fertilising his land ... (the wind was OK for us that day).
The hydrangea's are green here; by now they are as white as snow.

Linking up with LilysQuilts Fresh Sewing Day.

PS and I wrote and told you about my new iron ...

Battling & winning!

I was struggling to get this one quilted.
The top is made of sleeves of old shirts: I had 5 or 6 usable 1.5" strips from 1 sleeve. And some (red) strips came from a dress, all from the thrift shop. The white is from a curtain I wasn't ever going to hang up anywhere.
The back (read: problem!) is a fleece blanket from IKEA: nice and soft for a play blanket for a friend.
Here is my result after 4 times unpicking the stitches because the d*** thing kept making waves on the back. If I won't get anymore 'waves' I'll be glad.

The front is beginning to look nice (also).

You can see the circle I drew as a starting point for the initial idea of quilting the bugger, but that was impossible for me: turning the quilt without making waves at the back ...
I'm sure it'll be gone after I've washed it.
The only problem I've had, once I had the first few lines in (the quilt), was my thread.
I was waiting for a bobbin to be filled with thread, when my machine stopped. Look at this:

A knot in my Aurifil spool?

Yes, definitely! (and I didn't make it)

Well, it's all done by people and people make mistakes ...

OK All my guns reloaded: I have to get back to the battlefield now!

The Opening Ceremony

The Mister and I were glued to the telly during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
We were very impressed, we enjoyed it and we were in awe!
When I caught a glimpse of the last preparations and saw 'farmers' working in a "field",  I thought: this is going to be dumb: we'll have Morris dancers too?!
I'm so glad I was wrong!
The build up to the Industrial Revolution, the forging of the rings, the fire! 
The singing of hymn "Abide with me" brought me to tears: so beautiful, so full of restrain, not out loud. And the dancing during that song was impressive too.
The people that were chosen to carry the flag! All peace workers, you might say.
So it's all about the sports (& having fun), not the politics.
You know that, but now it was super obvious!
Mohammed Ali being there, touching the flag.

I won't relive the whole opening for you; perhaps you have a different view.
Just the relay of the torch: Steven Redgrave and others to the 7 upcoming talents.
And how they lit the Olympic Flame.

Picture posted with Elizabeth Harkin's permission.
More of her pictures here.