Did you miss me?

Here is the cathedral

Did you miss me? I've been away, a whole week, abroad and with sunshine - I am hoping that such happy memories will see me across our dreary summer.

So where have I been? Can you guess?

Here is the South side of the cathedral - little shops with rooms above.

You may have the country by now, but what about the city?

steps inside the municipal square - see all the bikes?

i

Its called the city of bicycles!

Totally off the beaten track, a real gem of a find by OH, a city in Italy, given over to bicycles. A city called Ferrara.  Full of beautiful architecture (but we forgot the camera - this is my mobile phone).

And the children loved it!

Back to normal for on Wednesday - see you soon.

WOYWW - Fabric, Phoenix and Friendship

It runs like a dream!

Well, look what's on my workbench today (well dining table actually).  Yes, Whats on your workbench Wednesday has come rushing round, just when I borrowed an overlocker.

I'll try and keep this brief:
Remember I burnt out baby blues foot pedal?
Well, when my heart beat had slowed (about 2 days later), I took the pedal to pieces and realised that although it was very simple inside I would never trust it again.  I couldn't decide what to do, so visited Helen Sutcliffe of Eleanor's Attic for advice.  (Just over 12 months ago, Helen was a one man band making bags for 6 shops, now she supplies around 100 shops and owns one herself!).

introducing ...Boring Brown.

I knew Helen had a replacement motor (and pedal) so borrowed it to see if it fitted, but I also borrowed a broken (but similar) Singer machine to cannibalise.

Well the motor didn't fit, but the Singer used the same motor.  I decided to cannibalise baby blue instead (shame, but much simplier process).
So out of the flames a new boring brown machine has risen.

Anyway, back to the overlocker. I decided I needed an overlocker and I have been trawling ebay for weeks now.  But I couldn't settle on my budget because, well, actually I have never used one before.

Eventually, yesterday morning I phoned Helen and asked if she had one I could borrow.  And so here it is.  But not only did she say I could borrow it (and no rush to return it), but she also told me of one for sale (from another friend).  So I now have a local overlocker waiting for me to go and try out.

oh and for the papercrafters: this is what an overlocker does.

WOYWW - distracted

Hello folks, there is far too much going on in my life at the moment, I really should have more sense than to join in with WOYWW (whats on your workbench Wednesday), this week, but I can't help myself. (Rhinoceros news is available to those that need it, here).

On my desk in the jiffy bag is the part for my vacuum cleaner - so maybe, just maybe I might have a working vacuum cleaner tonight (4 months of borrowing MIL is beginning to get annoying for both parties).

On the left is the pile of things, still waiting to be fixed.

The bowl of lost things is still there, it did have the ipod cable at the bottom, and I removed a few more things from it, but other things climbed in to fill it straight back up again.

On the right is a pile of coins, OH, empties his pockets onto the table each night, which irritates me, but at least he hasn't taken to piling his clothes there too. (It is part of the reason there must never be an empty space).

The book propped open is my notes on how to make the following, yes, despite the fact that I really shouldn't have spent the time on it, I just had to make up this purse that was rattling around in my head.
It was inspired by the quilting stall I found at Machynlleth market last week.
The bag needs a shorter handle on one side and a longer tag on the other, and goodness knows what was up with my top stitching today, but I think there is some mileage in the design.  I hope to add the daffodil, chicken and sailing boat instead of the coloured panel, so to add it to the Polly Polkadot range.

The Rhinoceros

Why is it my passing comments always take on a life of their own?

I thought you folks might like to see the rhinoceros that was mentioned in my WOYWW post this week.  Several of you thought I might have washed the rhinoceros (Rumpole), in my spare 4 minutes. 

Clearly some of you have never washed a rhinoceros.  My daughter spends between half and hour and an hour on such a task.

Those of you who have washed rhinoceroses before will know that they can be particularly dirty, so I was called upon to find the appropriate brush.

My daughter often washes large quadrupeds, so I keep a variety of brushes for the occasion ( last month it was a polar bear, previously a cow).  So I rummaged around in my cleaning cupboard, and selected a brush suitable brush for the job.

Don't panic, I really do have brushes dedicated for this task, this toothbrush did not go back OH shelf or any other revenge!

As some of you clearly have never cared for a rhinoceros I thought you might like to see Rumpole's bed.  Each night he returns to his egg from whence he was born.  I hope that will help some of you learn about the world I attempt to craft in!

WOYWW - Well 'tis the holidays

You didn't seriously expect me to keep it tidy did you?
Obviously I haven't been working on my desk this week.  Due to my sewing machine fire on Wednesday and I have been playing with children and doing a little bit of jewellery making on my lap!

OH has respected my desk reasonably well, but I can see my daughters dressing gown and t-shirt on the corner, and I am certain I wouldn't have put it there.  There is the self healing mat, out of place because I lent it to him and it looks like it has been returned. A sewing machine motor (in a box), some cheque books, some tracing paper as I have been sketching a few designs. Well, just about everything really!


But I know my chaos worries a lot of you, so I have a second photo, this took 4 minutes to arrange (including a short break to help my daughter clean a rhinoceros! ).

The pile is things I need to drop off - mother and toddler group cheque book, jewellery boxes and return a spare sewing machine motor and pedal.  Just on the edge of shot is the other pile,which is jobs I need to do: fix my earring display board, take up do the hem on my daughters school trousers. Oh and the homeless bowl is still there, and still full - I am hoping the ipod lead is at the bottom of it!

Tomorrow is my day at Grug Studio so I get a whole day child free so I shall be back in the mood for craft work by the time I come home.  It also means that I shall have time to blog hop (mind you in theory I should be rushed off my feet with customers), so I should have plenty of time to visit What's on your workbench Wednesday via Stamping ground.

Arrrgh - Now take note!

I write this as a lesson to you all!

Last night I finished sewing and began to clear away, and then I heard a noise, a buzzing .... I recognised it ... it was the sewing machine ... I flipped the switch but remembered instantly that on baby blue this just turned off the light, so the noise continued, and the needle began to move very, very slowly, gaining speed.  I dived to the plug and pulled it out and turned round to see smoke waffting out of the foot pedal.

Baby blue is in the bedroom, so thank heavens it happened when it did. (We do have a smoke detector in the room, but I think a fire would have been faster than the detector).  Also, we have just been away for the weekend, and I didn't switch it off at the wall, MIL sleeps beneath our room so again thank heavens it happened when it did.

At some point when I am feeling a little more rational, I shall inspect the pedal as to whether it can be replaced or whether baby blue has sewn its last thread. (I'll have you know I spent £10 doing up that machine)

WOYWW - All sorted

Well Wednesday has shot around this week.  I been away for a long weekend with the children to visit my mum and came back last night, to discover that it time for Whats on your workbench Wednesday all over again.

I didn't feel up to working last night, but I thought I should tidy my desk ready to start.  So here is the view from the glue side.

I still have a little bowl of homeless things in the middle there.

Shocked?

Shall I show the reason that I am finally able to be tidy?  Here is the second chest of drawers I have been waiting for.  The idea is to keep a drawer for each sewing pattern, so as I cut out pieces they can go straight in a drawer.  Each drawer is removeable, so when I am working I can have the relevant drawer by the side of me.

Today's task is to label the drawers

Here are a couple of other new additions.
Whilst at my mum's I ran into Laughing Yaffle.  We had a chat about free motion sewing and baby blue sewing machine and I mentioned that the needle didn't lift high on the machine. So she kindly lent me this embroidery ring to try out, and I can report that it is perfect for the task.

A much thinner emboridery ring.

And here is my another tidy purchase.  It is a hangy bag from sisters crafty creations.  I have bought it as a rubbish bin! Because space is limited around my desk, I keep moving my bin, so I thought this would be ideal.  It isn't for big rubbish, just the little trimmings that I make of sewing threads.

Sorry, but this photo doesn't give it credit.

 I have typed this with two noisy children beside me, this usually means there is lots of spelling mistakes and grammar errors.  They will not be moving far today - because they are watching the snow falling, here is hoping it clears up enough to get them outside.