First ladybird of the year

I spotted my first ladybird... sadly, I also spotted my first lily beetle..

 lurking amongst the dried stems of the garden geranium,

and lots of little scraps of colour, too

 double primula,












and picotee primula,

 pretty purple crocus,














dainty little dutch iris,




and the first of my scillas is also out, with promises from friends to come, too..



















and also some very strange fungi,  these black hard looking blobby things on an old field maple stump.

Edited to add, I think this is called 'King Alfreds cakes', or , more prosaically, Cramp Balls!







so, yes a good bit of today was spent in the garden, digging over one of my weed beds.. and now I am thinking what to put in to replace all those weeds I removed...

Poppy Bag

It is finished, so it can now go to be raffled.. I am quite pleased with the result- not perfect, what ever is? But, a result!
 Kindly modeled by DD2,   first side,


































Second side,

and, of course, a zippy pocket. and a thingywhatsit to clip a keyring onto..

And we are done! Yeay!

Edited to add  And, as this was made to order- a poppy bag for a prize- I am linking up to le Challenge  for this month!

go see what the others are!

Now. Anyone very sharp eyed will see my usual guddle going on,  and kindly look the other way..but in amongst it is a magazine, and a pretty pink padded envelope.. 

You see, I am a winner! 

Lovely Amy had a giveaway, and as her prize sent out that magazine,  a whole bunch of pretty scrappy bits, a good couple of fat quarters worth, some chocolate, and a 'finger pincushion'. Complete with pretty pins!Want a look-see? 

Look at all she sent! Amn't I the lucky one?!


Thank you Amy!

Progressing

I have been asked to make a bag. This is to be a raffle prize as a fundraiser for commemoration for the start of the First World War. I am not sure about this whole commemoration thing, but as I believe the money will be put to good use in the community, I am going with it, and pleased to do so. The theme had to be poppies, so I have started by making three dimensional fabric origami poppies to apply to one side of the bag.

 So here is one side of the bag- I shall do a flatter second side, and then consider the insides..

 My kind next door neighbours fed the cat for the weekend, so I have made some cakes for them. There is a secret chocolate heart inside each of these... I think the children will enjoy these.

 And my daughter made some hedgehog biscuits with that lovely cutter I was given. I watched and encouraged and pretended to help! I did help with the eating!

And isn't the colour of this magnificent? A present from another friend! A second flower spike is also coming along.


Meantime, these crocus have appeared in the garden while I wasn't looking, and more mini daffs are out!

spring is coming... slowly!

Some early signs of spring..

 Winter flowering honeysuckle,

 Berberis,


















Rhubarb starting again!












And snowdrops are out!








And, yes, I have done a little sewing too!

The February hipbee block was chosen by Di, She chose a really pretty block, and sent us all we needed, including comprehensive instructions.

Now, I have to say the instructions were extremely good, and clear. I read them twice before I started in on her beautiful fabric. I am fairly careful cutting, as I also do dressmaking, and two right sleeves when you need one left and one right really does not work. You do have to check and cut correctly.

So, can you explain why I had a brainstorm, and sewed a section wrong. Four times over?  and did not realise until I had irrevocably chopped it, and was trying to make the piecing work?


Luckily I was able to get replacement fabric, and carefully unpick the triangles on the end, and resew correctly!

You see those two pieces on the left there? Top one is correct, lower one is the wrong way round!

Thank goodness it was sortable! no, I know that is not English, but it works for me!







so once I had my four pieces like this, we were sailing!

 and I was really chuffed with those centre points.... Let us draw a veil over the earlier disaster..







and the finished block, Ok, not perfect, but I think it will have to do!

Sunday.. oh Sunday

 I have FMQed! really, I have! not very well, but I have been going for it. All those squiggly lines up there, that is FMQ!

 And this lot, too

 And when you put them together? they actually look a little better than they did on their own. Thank goodness, I did not fancy having to undo all that lot.

 So, I am joining them in pairs for the minute, Just sewing the quilt top bit together, trimming the wadding, and then lapping the back, and folding in one edge neatly, and topstitching.

 So far, three pairs together this fashion, and another part way and the fifth pinned.

One pair left to quilt yet, and then, I probably need four more trippy blocks, as I think it will be better as a 4 x 4 than as a 3 x 4...

 Topstitched down that edge..

Quite neat, I think, and I can always add a little more quilting if I feel adventurous!

so here are the three pairs work in progress...

what do you think, then?