Belated Happy New Year.....I'm back!.....(sort of!)

Hasn't it been a while?

So sorry to have deserted you.

I will answer your messages and comments and also post the finished poncho as requested, thank you for your lovely comments and concern for my absence....heart-warming.

I've been unwell since early last year, but it finally caught up with me in September and I had to stop all but everyday activities, in fact, some everyday activities too!

I want to say it was nothing serious so as not to alarm you, but this would underestimate the severity and destruction of mental illness and play down it's ability to be life threatening. But for some reason, (and I generalise as I realise not everyone is the same) generally in society we do play down mental illness. I guess we can see a broken limb, but what we can't see we don't recognise and find it hard to know how to deal with mental health issues.

Having dealt with mental illness in members of my family, I never thought it would bite my backside!

Anyway, I'm not recovered by far, I have really bad days...and for no logical reason other than my head is working through some stuff.  But I feel OK enough today to stick my head above the parapet here and say......

Hellooooo!

In the New Year, I decided that I needed to be a priority and I needed to concentrate on helping myself so that I could be well enough to get back to being a Mum, wife, housewife, friend, business manager....the list goes on!  So I decided on New Year..... New Me.......I'm kicking my butt in 3 self-worlds....craft.....home ....and body!

For home, I'm following Flylady to streamline and clean a home that has been neglected for many months.  I'm doing OK, the loft has been cleared and cleaned....yes...I CLEANED my loft!!  Along with a bulging airing cupboard.

Little Lady has a pared down room, Teenage Daughter has done her own and redecorated!

I even managed to steam clean the velux window right up in the stairwell....it involved some dubious balancing and climbing on the bannister....but I did it!!  Haha! I'm now onto the middle level (3 bedrooms, a bathroom and the hallway) I am purging, selling, charitying and only storing real treasures in the new found space in the loft....happy days!

For body, I am aiming to exercise at last 4 times a week....it is said to help mental illness and I could do with a bit of shaping here and there!  I'm not beating myself up if I don't and I have no real plan I just ask myself everyday if I fancy doing something and I do if I want and don't if I don't!  It could be walking on the school run, vigorous housework or gardening, cycling or planking or pilates exercises from my Pinterest board of 'Healthy Hints for the Lazy and Uninspired!'

I've stopped ballet for now as I couldn't make the commitment and when I didn't turn up, I beat myself with a big stick (metaphorically!), so that's on the back burner and I shall reconsider that for September.  I do occasionally slip into my pointe shoes as they make me smile.....

Lastly craft.... my UFOs (UnFinished Objects) have got a bit out of hand, so I'm setting myself a UFO challenge..... to get at least one thing a month finished. I'll try and post those on a board in Pinterest, so if you want to join the challenge, leave me a comment and we'll do our best to link up on Pinterest and you can post your photos on the 2016 UFOs Challenge board, any shared inspiration has to be good eh?  And it doesn't matter what it is....gardening, DIY, craft, hobby, food....just something that's been nagging you and you have been inspired to complete!

Part of that is also not starting or buying anything new......well....that's fallen by the wayside a couple of times already!! Tee-hee!

I can't promise I shall regularly post here, but I shall do my very best to keep in touch.

Hope you might join me for at least one of the self-world challenges....no big sticks allowed!

I shall return ......when I have something to show you...even if it's a list of UFOs so you can all help motivate me! Haha!

Until the next time...
Lots of love
Nora
xxxx

Doh! Now I get it!!!

Yesterday I told you about my brain-warp misunderstanding of the instructions to make this blouse....

No matter how many times I looked at the sketches and read the instructions, nothing made sense!

What do you think?...... 

I sent a message to the wonderfully kind Jane of Handmade Jane (kind, patient soul!) who has made this blouse numerous times and went to work hopeful that she could help.

I returned from work to find a young lady in our house who is shortening my daughters prom dress.  We got chatting about my new journey into making clothes and I showed her my blouse at the 'needs the collar on it stage'....it was all pinned but I was unconvinced....and rightly so as she popped a pin out, popped the buttonhole facing the other way round and said 'there, that should do it'!!

So simple when you know how and understand pattern construction!

Moving from the right hand picture of 'a.' above to the left hand picture of 'b.', I had folded the facing to the untidy 'inside' of the blouse (away from me) rather than the tidy 'outside' of the blouse (towards me)...couldn't believe how such a simple mis-read of instructions could cause so many hours of painstakingly reading and re-reading the instructions...knowing something was wrong but not seeing the most simple of solutions!

I did faff a while longer to build up the confidence at then thought.....'ah!  Jane!!'.

I hopped on here and sure enough, kind and thoughtful Handmade Jane had directed me to this link on her blog.

What a cracking explanation with photos.....

It confirmed that what I had done so far was correct and that the correction by our guest was quite right (not that I doubted her one iota!)

I wanted to share this story for 2 reasons...

Isn't it amazing how 1) a chance encounter and a common interest  and ...

2) a begging comment on the blog of someone I've never met....

could not only solve my issue and give me confidence BUT more than that, give me a warm and fuzzy feeling about the kindness of strangers to want to share their knowledge to help me learn with no benefit for themselves except for.....a warm and fuzzy feeling!

Thank you to both ladies...I'm off to sew!

Hope to see you soon.

Love

Nora

xxxx

Is there a seamstress to help with pattern translation?!

I'm on a journey with my first ever blouse.

It's the gorgeous Simplicity 4238......

The choice was inspired by Handmade Jane who has made some beauties using this pattern.

I'm going for View 2 without the false pockets.

Anyways.....I'm getting there...BUT......

I have now got to this.....

...and I'm telling you...it may as well be written in Serbo-Croat for all I know!

If you can help me get my head around this Rubik's Cube of a blouse I'd be really grateful!

I'm not being thick (really!), I have just never put a collar on anything and I want to get it right so that I can do this again and not be put off.

Back soon with some easier makes!

Until then, have a great day!

Love

Nora

xxxx

If you're not a blogger.....

....but you like sewing, knitting, crochet, baking and a tad of madness...

you can catch up with me HERE.

It's my facebook page where I link all my posts from the blog, so if you are going a long way round to get here but are a Facebook-er...just like the page and the posts from here will pop up over there!

If you are a Blogger and have a Facebook page, please feel free to pop yourself on the comments so that all the lovely non-blogger peeps out there can find you!

Happy reading and blogging!

Love
Nora
xxxx

Santa Sack Swap 2014 - for my partner....

Here's the post, as promised, about what I sent to my swap partner over at The Fabric Laboratory.

I've never taken part in one of these before (poor Helen!), so wasn't sure what I was doing so I just kept reminding myself of the rules.

After only an email or 4 between us (as we both seem crazily busy) and after a slight delay (as we forgot to swap addresses so had no idea where we were sending our gifts!) Our parcels were posted and I waited with baited breath to see first if Helen's arrived and secondly...did she like her gifts!

As far as my gifts to her went, I had a few clues to work with.....

Helen is a Dr Who addict, she likes the colour orange, drinks coffee and eats chocolate for company whilst creating and has clear views (which I don't disagree with!) on what should be in a stocking which she blogs about here.

So I thought it would be fun to mix my craft and included crocheted, knitted and machine and hand stitched items, I set to work and came up with these......

Of course the stocking to pop it all in.......

Pattern from the Fabricworm, and one that I have used before with great success.

The fabric is from Panduro Hobby, there is a hint of blue in the not very Christmassy orange fabric and in the very Christmassy snowflake musical fabric, I hope I got away with that colour combo but I couldn't find any Christmas themed fabric that was predominantly orange.

Next up was a hand-stitched Christmas Pudding Tree Decoration, it is so simple to do and I may just have to post a tutorial on that one (although those of you with sewing experience can probably work it out).

Along the coffee theme, I made a Tardis Mug Rug and wrapped some packets of instant cappuccino in it.

I got the inspiration from a search on Pinterest and I shall post a tutorial on this one too as I couldn't find one and someone somewhere might like one! 

The reverse of it looked like this and the whole thing was basically a mini quilt with machine quilting and hand finished binding.

Next up a Zakka inspired Zipper Pouch.................

Keeping with the orange theme again, mostly handsewn but with a little Zakka embroidery wither side of the picture panel.  Hopefull a useful little puch for on-the-go projects.

Here's the lovely bright lining......

...and a 'pull' for the zip......

Here's a close up of the picture panel.....

Some special chocolates for a special lady...............

Some 'smellies', an organic bar of orange scented soap in a Spa Soap Coat...........

The coat is made from 2 colours of Rico Creative Cotton, I made it up as I went along, so another tutorial could be in order here!

I made a hole one side and a loop the other, the loop simply goes through the hole to keep the Soap from falling out of its Coat.

Finally, no self-respecting stocking would be complete without.......an orange in the toe...........

...this one had it's own orange cozy to keep it safe, it can be reused for other fruit to prevent it getting bashed and bruised in your lunch box (or handbag!) and being Rico Creative Cotton again, is fully washable should you get a juice spillage!

I made up this pattern as I went, but I seem to remember it was in a copy of Mollie Makes magazine (found a link) a couple of years ago, and, no doubt, you could get this on Pinterest or through one of the search engines.

So, there we have it!

I hope to follow up shortly with the tutorials, but there is so much going on here, lurgys galore and I have committed myself to the Make Me a Wardrobe 2015 Challenge over at My Make Do and Mend Year, click on it to follow a link to Jen and maybe you'll be inspired to sign up!

See you soon!

Love

Nora

xxxx

Santa Sack Swap 2014....my presents!

Wa-a-a-a-ay back here, I told you that I had entered the Santa Sack Swap and here I showed you the wrapped gifts for my partner at The Fabric Laboratory all ready to go.

Well, my box from her arrived and...ooooh!  the excitement!

We had to wait for our date to unwrap and to be honest I missed it as I was under the weather.  BUT....it just meant that I would enjoy the suspense and lovely gifts all the more when I did feel up to opening and photographing....can't let you guys miss out on this either!

So this is my box.....

...how exciting!

I'm going to start with the stocking......here we go!

First out it this gorgeous mini bunting, the tag says a 'tinsel substitute', I'm not into tinsel at all....but I'm very into this festive bunting!

Here it is on my tree..........

Next out was this colourful little number.............

Know what it is?  It is a they actually...look......

...lovely and colourful and cheerful, just how I like things AND with purple...just like my new coat!

Next was this..........

How I love little houses, I have a few on my Pinterest board.  As I am quite 'heavy' on my keyrings, I'm likely to use this as a bag charm instead, it'll help preserve it for longer!

Next up, a practical gift....coasters, festive ones at that!  Lovely........

...and don't you just love the tag too!

Smelly treats...............................

The liquorice heart smells gorgeous and I think will be heading to my car.  The candle will be saved until my major clean on 6th Jan (when the tree comes down) and will be burned as I relax in the evening in my nice clean lounge!

Next up some useful pins and a kit to use them on.

The kit is for a notebook cover (hence the notebook and variegated thread).  My swap partner made some at The Festival of Quilts in August 2014, take a look at it here.

No stocking would be complete without sweet treats and of course.......

...an orange in the toe of your stocking!

Talking of stocking, here it is.....

I just love those appliquéd baubles.

There were 2 other parcels in my box, the first said it was for me and Little Lady.

Look what I got..........

It looks a bit crumpled here as it was folded for it's journey, but I shall give it a press and (as it contains my 'summer' colours) this will be my Summer Bag 2015..perfect for a purse and a tiny tube of sun cream (ever hopeful!)

Little Lady got this Monster Bag...........

I can tell you Helen..it was love at first sight!  She spent hours making paper bugs for it to eat and it comes down in the morning and goes up to bed at night...a total hit!  Thank you from Little Lady xx

 Last but not least was a parcel wrapped in this fabulous paper.......

And inside was this.......

Isn't it gorgeous?  I have been looking, Pinterest-ing and planning on making one of these, Helen has beaten me to it and has chosen by beloved rainbow colours for buttons....DeLiCiOuS!!!

I couldn't leave out the 'cheeky' tag.....hilarious!

I feel fortunate to have been partnered up with such a thoughtful and talented partner.

Helen, I was overwhelmed by your kindness and generosity, your parcel brought me many smiles whilst opening and I am sure will continue to do so throughout this year and beyond.

From the bottom of my heart........

I'll be back soon with the contents of my parcel for Helen.

Until then, take care, 

Nora

xxxx

I've decided to join Santa Sack Swap 2014

Yes, I know it seems a bit early, but you have to sign up by 8th June!!!

If you'd like to join in click here for more details.

I wonder who I'll get?

I wonder what she'll like?

I'm getting excited already!

Watch this space!

See you soon,

Love,

Nora

xxxx

Christmas Countdown

Yes, I have added a countdown to my blog to shock myself into getting a wriggle on!!!

Can you believe we are now into the teens and counting!!!

I am doing quite well, but I need to make more cards and I have several pressies to finish start before they can be posted abroad!!!

Time is slipping away, hence I have been beavering and not blogging BUT....this means a have a photographic feast coming for you soon!

Until then, keep calm, craft on and don't get your tinsel in a tangle!

Love
Nora
xxxx

Do you like my new look?

For so long on my blog and on Pinterest I have been saying how much I love bright colours against white.....take a look at my quilt board!

So I decided that the blog was l-o-n-g overdue for a little face lift itself.

What do you think?

I like the lighter brighter feel, but I want to know if you find it easy to read and is it easier on the eye?

Honest feedback please as I want to get it right for you....I don't want to put you off visiting now, do I?

See you soon,

Nora
xxxx

Daffodil tips!

Yes, there they are.......

Just peeking through the soil.......

 

 

.....in the tub that Tiddly Toes and I planted up last year......

 

...isn't it exciting!

 

The first little nod to Spring!

 

Many thanks to Jille at Love to Craft who led me to be able to post this using the HTML and Compose buttons xxxx  (bit fiddly Jille but it works!)

 

I am now back in the Land of Blog!

 

Bringing some gifts soon!

 

Love

Nora

xxxx

Shhh! yes, it's MORE stash!

I couldn't help it!

Well, OK, maybe I could have said no!

Could you say no to gorgeous fabric or beautiful yarn or pretty paper..... or whatever is your addiction?

It does actually have a purpose (she says cheekily with her tongue in cheek)  it is for Tiddly Toes quilt.  The one about 'Melman' (that's giraffes to those of you who are not familiar with the Madagascar films!)

Not that I was going to start on it just yet, but then.....I couldn't....I didn't have the right mix of fabric!  (teehee!)

So without further ado, here are the additional stunning fabrics......

(misty photos still!)

 

I love the Minky...little lady chose the colour....it's from The Eternal Maker.  I've heard horror stories about working with this, so maybe not the wisest choice for a novice!  I'm looking out for a good tutorial or maybe some tips if you have any for working with this stuff!

 

I shall be posting up my (slow) progress as I journey through this quilt, so please feel free to comment as you like!  I'd appreciate all feedback...I think chatting about things helps the creative process.

 

...and here is what they are going with (told you about these back here....naughty aren't I?), well at least some of them coz I think I've decided to ditch (from the right) the first, second, fourth and seventh fabrics, three have a creamy coloured background and don't quite look right. 

 

Tiddly Toes loves rainbows and has asked for a rainbow somewhere on it.  By wonderful design fluke, her name has seven letters!  You can see where I'm heading with this can't you?

 

The main part of the quilt I should like to be a trellis design, with the trellis in white to balance the riot of colour.....found a fab one the other day....can I find it again! Grrrrr!

 

Never mind....just means a bit more searching until I come across it again!

 

In the meantime, I'm hoping that this post won't disappear, that I can find time this weekend to solve the uploading photos problem that Blogger seems to have at the moment, and return to share the Christmas makes I had been beavering away at in December (hence not alot of blogging!)

 

Until then, Happy Making,

Nora

xxxx

OK, I'm getting cross now!!

I managed to write a post and used photos that I had already uploaded....scheduled it for around 10ish Thursday evening....AND.....

it was deleted, lost....stolen!!  Who knows!!!  It has simply vanished (hey, maybe I'm a magician and didn't realise!!)

Blogger is seriously getting me down....need to find time this weekend to investigate further!

Thanks to everyone for solving suggestions!

I'll keep you posted on progress.

love
Nora
xxxx

Slight technical problem.......

do not retune your set!

For some bizarre reason (which this technophobe is unable to fathom) I can't insert photos into my posts!!!!

Any one else got this problem on Blogger?

If you have any idea how to solve this.....PLEASE HELP!!!!

I have some love-li-ness to share.

Hope it gets sorted and we can catch up with a chat soon!

Nora
xx