MIGHT BE .....

 SEWING!

Yep, another day of sewing those Braid Runners.

I can't imagine ever getting sick of making them.

Gosh I do hope they sell once I get them to market!   Imagine having 6 or more of them, and they don't sell!  That would suck.

But let's be positive eh?  They are just so gorgeous, I can't see them hanging around for long.

Every time I look at them, I can't believe I made them to be honest!  They are so stunning, and I really, really love them.

I wonder how many times I've said that???  😂😅😊

I'm really sorry the blog has gotten so boring... you can't be that interested in seeing runner after runner... but well... sucks to be you!

It's what I am doing right now, and you just have to bear with me.

The weather is atrocious, so no point going walking, though I could go to the mall I suppose. 

Maybe I'll do that this morning, before heading into the sewing room?

We... will... see.

It's FRIDAY! Yaaa, tomorrow we go to Auckland.

9.30 am:  nah, not going walking.  I'm not sleeping well and am waking up as if I've not even gone to bed!  Grrrr.

Patchy skies today, could rain, might not too.  But for sure, it's cold.

ABOVE:   I ALMOST saw a puddy cat  COLLAR BONE today!  I say almost, cos it was fleeting.

But one day before the end of this year, I am GUNNA see me collar bones again.  I am so motivated to be the best I can be by next summer.

Moving on... let's make another Braid Runner OK?

1.25 pm:  I've done a lot of the main work on the 4th Braid Runner, but am going to stop for a break.  My back is killing me, which only happens when I sew for days on end.

Luckily, tomorrow I will not even be home, so can actually take a long break.

Then on Sunday we have family visiting, so in effect, I will have two days 'off'.

I hope to finish this runner by end of day, then it can go in the 'market stash'.

ABOVE: And there ya have it, the last one for a couple of days at least.

That's 4 in 5 days?  Yep, just checked.  That's good going if ya ask me.

And yep, must be bloody boring!  No one has commented since lunch time.  Oh well.... I'm sure you had better things to do that tell me to hurry up and show my next runner, right?  Yeah.

Stew should be home from work shortly, then I am going to cook him some dinner before snuggling down for a quiet night in front of the telly... as per usual.

So, I will sign off for the day now.  

Catch ya tomorrow.

DROOL

 What makes you drool?

For me...

ABOVE: It's this!  Gorgeous fabrics.   I simply can't get enough of them.

The Ribbon Rose (Craft and Fabric shop) in Mt Wellington Auckland has moved to Penrose Auckland.  And I'm told it's now covering three stories!

OMG I have to go and check it out.  Like SOON.

I wonder if they have more fabrics???

Stew said we can go on Saturday.  I'm really looking forward to that.  *squeals*

ABOVE:  Today's job.  My third Braid Runner.  I made a start on it yesterday afternoon, so I should get it finished today.  Very little BLUE in this one!!!  

I hope it looks nice once it's finished.

Stew said last night's dinner was OK, but not amazing.  I felt the same when I had mine midday.  Just not super yummy.  It was Lamb Chops in Mint Sauce.  The chops were very average.

We've both been craving MEAT lately.  So tonight I'm going to give Stew a pork chop, with a baked potato and salad.  Here's hoping he enjoys it.

I will be having a ham salad wrap for my LINNER.

I've not had much ham of late.  I think I just had too much a while ago, having it every day.  Yeah, nah.

I am doing my upmost to have an excellent week diet wise.  I need to break the plateau I've been on for bloody weeks!

My biggest downfall is PORTION SIZES.  So, I'm going to be putting LESS on my wraps.  One slice of ham, a small spoonful of Basil Pesto, NO CHEESE, lots of salad.  

I am 100% sure my wraps were getting out of  hand!

Right, catch ya later.

MARLENE:  It's not that much further away from Sylvia Park than before, just in the other direction.

ABOVE:  12.15 pm and I've just finished the quilting of the runner.  Now I'm stopping to have some lunch, before coming back in here to put the binding on.

Then I can show you how it looks.

I am loving how each one looks different, depending on the colours you use.  

This one is pretty.

ABOVE:  My third Braid Runner.  It's time for a break I think.

Though I'll probably come back later and cut out another one!

So, I put the new runner on the kitchen bench so Stew can see it when he gets home.

And he duly arrives and sees it.

It's so lovely when he tells me how gorgeous it is, how the colours are perfect etc.

Made my day.   BTW, he loved the first two as well.

He walked down to the pub tonight, but needed a lift home as it's PISSING DOWN out there.  Freezing rain too.

It's been torrential on and off all day.

Just the norm around here eh?  Rain Rain and more Rain.   God I am so f'ing over it.

Just how much more rain can we get?????

So, now it's like quarter past 8 and all is quiet.  Just relaxing, watching the telly till bedtime.

Looking forward to going to bed.  I didn't sleep well last night AT ALL.  I think I finally got to sleep around 4 am.  No idea why I couldn't get to sleep.  Hoping tonight is better.

Catch ya tomorrow.

FROM...

ANOTHER ONE

 That Kaffe Fassett Runner I made yesterday is so gorgeous, I am going to make another on today.

Might end up with quite a few of them in fact.  I just love the pattern, and the variations you can get by using different fabrics.

As I said to Stew last night, I'd love to keep that first Kaffe Fassett one, but we just don't need yet another runner in the house.

I think I am going to have some fun making them using different fabrics.   It will be interesting to see how well they sell at markets... once markets pick up again after winter.

I have two flourescent tube lights in my sewing room.  One of them stopped working a few days ago, so today I'm heading down to Bunnings to get a new 'bulb' for it.

You don't realise how much you need the light, till ya don't have it going.  I took a standard lamp into the sewing room yesterday so I could see better.

Next I'm going to the supermarket for a few bits 'n' bobs.  Cleaners, wraps, fresh salad shit stuff.

Then I'll come home and sew.  I'm really excited about these 'Braid Runners'... yeah.  That's what the pattern is called.  Who knew?

Catch ya later.

11.55 am:

I just got home from my little shopping trip.

I found the new light bulb at Bunnings, easy peasy, and OMG it was so cheap compared to some of the others that looked exactly the same.  $5 as opposed to $40 - 50!

Then off to the supermarket, where I was gob smacked at the price of veges AGAIN.  Everything seems to have skyrocketed in price.  A simple lettuce $7.50.  Tomatoes were $17 a kilo.  They stayed in the shop at that price.  Just can't get my head around the prices.

Home, unpacked, then put a lamb chop, onion and potato in the oven for my 'Dunch'.  That's Dinner/Lunch combined.  I only recently heard that word being used and rather liked it.

Now I'm going to sort out the next Braid Runner's fabrics.

***  And that brings me to LYNDA'S comment.  Should I make mono-toned runners? ***

How about YOU tell me what you think about me making MONO-TONED Runners.

SHOULD I?

I know what I thought immediately upon reading that suggestion.  😊😉  What do you think I thought?

Wellllllll.... while a few of you are all for me making mono-toned runners... I'm like:

IT WOULD BE A COLD DAY IN HELL before I made anything that wasn't COLOURFUL!

My peeps would think I'd gone nuts.

So yeah NAH.  Not gunna happen.

I have plenty of fabrics to make slightly less COLOURFUL/PATTERNED Braid Runners.  But never dull and boring.  That Christmas one was almost dull and boring to me!

I've just spent some time re-writing the cutting out instructions for that pattern, in a way I understand.  As I've said before, I really struggle with patterns and how they are written, so I can understand them.

It took me ages to work this one out.

I have even taken photos of the cut out pieces, to better understand the instructions.

Does that make me a bit dim?  Dunno.  But whatever works for you eh?

6.43 pm:  I sewed a bit this afternoon, but did not finish the next runner, not by any means in fact.

I kept making silly mistakes, so decided to stop as obviously my mind was going to mush.

Stew arrived home and is enjoying his dinner.

He's got what I had for my LINNER... I really like that word too Julie H!

I think I will adopt it instead of Dunch.

So, it's another chilly winter evening here, it was going dark at 4.30 this afternoon.  Brrrrr, dismal.

For once in my life I am looking forward to summer.  I really hate being too hot, but shit it's cold.  

We will be doing our usual evening routine.  Snuggle up, keep warm and watch TV.

Stew needs to instal my new light bulb, but that's it.

Catch ya tomorrow.

 

FROM...

KAFFE FASSET RUNNER

 There is no way I'm staying in bed for long this morning.

My mission today is to make my first Kaffe Fassett Runner, using the pattern I did a dummy run with yesterday.

ABOVE:  These are today's fabrics.  So pretty.

Gosh I hope this runner turns out lovely.

And if I enjoy doing this pattern again today, I think I will be doing a few more with Christmas fabrics.

Who knows, I might even turn into a 'proper' quilter, doing 'normal' runners!

NAH... I love doing my Wonky Houses, Fish, Kiwiana Runners and so on.  But some 'normal' ones might slip in there now and then.

ABOVE:  My preparation from last night.  All cut out and labelled so I don't get muddled up.

Now... obviously, I won't be back on here until I've got some progress to show, or something happens worth yakking about.

Catch ya later.

11 am:   

OMG!  This Kaffe Fassett Runner is going to be STUNNING!!!!

I can't wait to show you.

I popped over to our new neighbour's home to introduce myself... being neighbourly ya know?

I knock on the door and this young girl (approx. 20 - 24) answered the door.

She was brushing her teeth!

Yep.  At the front door, toothbrush in her gob, toothpaste frothing from her lips.  And she answered the door.

I had to laugh.

I've done worse.

Anyway, she was the partner of one of the boys who lives there.  The Mum was out.

I hope when I met her she's not brushing her teeth!  As if.  Right?

Right, back to it...

ABOVE:  2.25 pm... and it's done.  And I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

And I will be making more of them.

The next one will have more pinks in it I think.

Brylee called in to pick up her mail, so we had a nice catch up.  She starts a new job next Monday.

Finally!  

Dislocating her shoulder again certainly put that back a bit.  But at the end of the day, she's finally got a PERMANENT, FULL TIME job.

We are so happy for her.

Stew and I just had dinner at our local Indian restaurant.  I had a platter of bits of meat and it was delicious.  Stew ate the bits I couldn't fit in.

He had Chicken Tikka Masala.

Home now and OMG it's cold!  Even our Marley is shivering. Poor girl.

At least I can put me heat pods on my lap and a blanket.  

And well... that's me day done.

OH!  I gained .700 grams at tonight's weigh in.  Not too bad, will do better next week.

FROM...

CHRISTMAS RUNNER

I did all my 'usual' Monday morning jobs yesterday, so they are all done. I can move on to something else instead.

First up, I am going to head down to the post office to post off a little parcel to the girls in Palmerston North.

Then when I get home I'm heading into the sewing room to make a start on a few Christmas Runners.

At some point I will be making a few more Reindeer Runners.  But not yet.  I have the pattern for that runner I showed you the other day...

ABOVE: It is gorgeous!  But I really struggle to follow patterns sometimes, so I'm going to have a go at it, using Christmas fabrics.  NOT Kaffe Fassett fabrics, like in the picture above.

If I bugger it up, I don't want to have wasted the expensive Kaffe Fassett fabrics, that's for sure.

So, hopefully I don't muck it up!  

11.30 am:  I've been to the post office, done a few little jobs around the house and am now in the sewing room.

ABOVE:  This is NERVE WRACKING!   This is why I don't usually do 'patterns' with set margins, matching shit up ... it does my head in.

I THINK I'm doing it right, but won't really know for a while yet.

Ikkkkk.

2.20 pm:  And I'm making good progress!  It's looking like I have done it right.  All I can say is thank goodness there were some photos with the pattern, otherwise I would never have got it right.

I'm already knackered, there's so much getting up and down to press seams as ya go.  

I hope everyone is having a busy, productive / or decadent, lazy day.  Either way... I've not heard from you!  😂😅😉

4 pm and it's done.   The colours I chose are not 'me'... but they will suit someone I'm sure.

I'm just thankful I got it done without too many headaches.   The binding is very narrow compared to what I usually do, so I found that damn hard.

ABOVE:  The next one I do will have wider bindings, that's the very outer edge of black for you non-quilters.  😊

And that's a wrap on sewing for today.  I am over it.  That was challenging to someone who finds following a pattern difficult.

I spent an hour or so in the sewing room this evening, getting fabrics cut out for tomorrow.

So... I am going to make a Kaffe Fassett Runner tomorrow.  I'm quite excited about it too.

Now... time to just chill out.

Catch ya tomorrow.

        FROM...

HAVING A LIE IN

 After our early start yesterday, I doubt Stew or I will be getting outta bed for a bit longer today.

And, sorry, but we have no plans for our day.

Stew just wants a super lazy day.

I do too really.

We don't have another market for a full month, and I'm just fine with that.

I have enough stock to carry us over the next few months, so anything I make in the sewing room now will be just because I want to.

Not to fill market stock gaps.

The very next fine day I will have to dry out the gazebo, all the sides and the big plastic ground sheet.  Such a pain in the butt.

We also have the 'Runner's And More' sign sopping wet, a table cloth and one coaster to get dry too.  Grrrrr.  

Luckily none of the runners etc got wet yesterday.

Right, that's it for now.  I'm going to lie here in bed and read the news, bla bla bla.

1.27 pm:  Oh shit!  Totally forgot to do an update earlier.

Not that our day has been riveting at all.

We got up and I got some washing on, watered the plants, then went to the supermarket with Stew.

We went to Pak N Save.

OMG.  Their meat department was revolting.  OLD mince, poor packaging, and the prices were no better than anywhere else.

Can you believe ordinary, crappy mince is about $20 a kilo now?  TWENTY BUCKS!  That's just crazy.

All the meat was expensive.   I'm so glad Stew and I don't eat much meat now at all.

So, after getting our weekend supplies, we came home and put it all away.

Then I made us a wrap each for lunch, using Pork and Apple Schnitzels.  So nice.  So filling.

That should do us for the day in fact.

Then I fell asleep for a moment in front of the telly!

But just woke up cos I need a piddle.

I will put the washing in the dryer while I'm up and  moving.

Then... dunno.  Might just chill out again.

Yeah, didn't chill for a while.  I sorted out all my runners.  Yesterday they just got piled in the bags willy nilly.  So they are all sorted again.

Then I put ties on the second runner bag, to help move it in and out of the car.

Then I took photos of all my Christmas Runners for a friend.  That was a good exercise, cos now I know exactly what I have in stock.

Tomorrow I am going to make a start on a couple of more 'traditional' Christmas Runners.  

I might as well, cos I have enough all the other sorts.

It's now 6.46 pm, it's cold, and I am snuggled up with me blankie on.  Feet up.  Watching the news on the telly.

That will be me for the rest of the night, so catch ya tomorrow.

FROM...

ONE AND ONLY MARKET OF JUNE

 I felt nervous overnight about today's market.

We  haven't done a market in a few weeks, therefore I was restless overnight.  Worrying about stuff I really shouldn't be worried about.

We have our set up down pat, so it should go like clockwork eh?

The biggest thing is going to be the weather, as per bloody usual.  Our forecast is for showers later on in the day, so I really hope that holds.

It's pitch black outside, so I can't even see what the day is like out there!

It is only 5 days until the shortest day of the year for New Zealand, so at our next market we will be heading back towards the longest day.  Today though, we have our torches to help us see what the hell we are doing during set up!

We are not expecting a frost this morning, thank goodness!  I am taking two blankets, all my winter warmers and layers of clothes!  So hopefully I don't end up utterly miserable and freezing.

Because we are leaving so early, we should avoid all the Fieldays traffic, which is excellent.

We  have never done a Tamahere Market that coincides with the Fieldays, so it will be interesting to see if we get more people coming to the market, who have been, or are going to Fieldays.

A huge amount of the Fieldays traffic has to literally pass our market, so fingers crossed we get plenty of visitors.

I am feeling very hopeful that this will be a good market.

Right, we better get a move on.  I need to put on me face, get my hot drink made, bla bla bla.

...8.16 am. All set up. Not raining!

ABOVE: Working in the dark. At least we have lamps now.

Its not bitterly cold today, but still cold enough that I'm thankful for me thermals. 

ABOVE: Stew got cold enough to buy a beanie for his head. 

Slow here right now.

11.30 am. And NO. 

THIS MARKET IS A BUST again. No 'extra' people here at all. 

And it's started to rain. 

Only consolation is that it's not freezing.  Just cold.

I'm gutted.

Its SO MUCH WORK coming to a market.

All the time and effort for nothing really. 

FUCK FUCKITY FUCK.  That pretty much covers it. 

2 pm.  Home.   I thought we had already had our 'worst market ever' ... but NO.

Today was.  We came home with virtually no money made at all.  Sold ONE runner.  That offset the cost of our stall fee.  

We are terribly disappointed.  

EDIT:  We were not the only stall holders who were upset how it went today... EVERYONE WAS.

Glad to be home and can just relax for the rest of the day.

Steve and Bex are coming for dinner.

I don't think they know this yet, but they are cooking!  lol

Sorry/not sorry.

10.15 pm:  Right, dinner went down really well.  Stew and I hadn't had a sausage in months!  Or wedges.  So nice for a change.

The Waikato team won their rugby game, so the guys were happy chaps.

Once they left, Stew and I just relaxed for a couple of hours.  It's now time to head off to bed, we are knackered.

FROM...

OVER THE SHOULDER BAG AND COIN PURSE

 Todays job is to make a shoulder bag and a coin purse for my girlfriends down in Palmerston North.

I should get them finished and posted off to them on Monday.

I also need to double check my 'float' for tomorrow's market.  I'm pretty sure I've dipped into it a couple of times since the last market!

ABOVE:  These are the fabrics I will be using today.

If I get a chance I will make a couple more coin purses for tomorrow as well.

I saw a gorgeous Table Runner on Facebook yesterday (Quilters group).  So I asked where could I get the Pattern?

And a friend of mine said she had made it, and could photocopy the pattern for me.  As that's a breach of copyright... she's GIVING me the pattern OK?  (Gosh you have to be so careful what you put on social media now days!)

ABOVE: This is the Runner.  It has been made using Kaffe Fassett fabrics... of which I have quite a few after my shopping trip yesterday! 😂😊

I will give it a go next week sometime.  I like that you can make it as short or as long as you want.

You never know who might want a more 'traditional' Runner  eh?

I might go for another walk today, depends what's on offer in Cambridge.

Just checked.  Only one walk on over there today, at 7 am.  Fook that.  Traffic will be diabolical cos of Fieldays again.  Yeah, NAH.

Might have to take one on me own here in Hamilton.

I heard from the Waipa District Council about the playground swing. They have referred my concerns to the appropriate 'Team' to be investigated.  I will email them in a month or two to find out what, if anything, has been done to make that swing safer.

And the saga of Tui Medical Centre continues.

I went in there with a very clear and concise list of all the medications I needed and take all the time.

They sent the 'script to The Chemist Warehouse.

I go to The Chemist Warehouse.

They hand me my medications.

HOLD ON.

One of the medications is missing, and there is one in there that I haven't taken in over 6 years!

WTF?

Off I trot to Tui Medical Centre to sort it out.

25 minutes later, the nurse tells me I will have to see the Dr, as the missing medication was not on their  'Long Term Medication' List for me.

Ummm, excuse me, I've been taking that particular medication for oh... 30+ years!

And the one that I no longer take was last prescribed over 6 years ago.  How can you say you only gave me my 'Long Term Medications', and give me something I'd not had in over 6 years, and miss the one I have been on for over 30 years?

That does not make sense at all.

So... now I have to wait two bloody weeks to see the doctor.  FFS.

I am proud to say I did not lose my shit at ANYONE.  I might take it up with my doctor when I see him though.  

In all, I have had a good morning so far.  I visited the supermarket for a few supplies for Saturday night.  Got family coming over to watch the rugby with Stew, and have dinner here.  Just keeping dinner simple as we will have been at Market all day.

I got me float sorted out as well, so have enough cash on hand now.

And now... I am going into the sewing room to do some work.

ABOVE:  It's 3.47 pm and I'm making good progress on the things I wanted to get done today.

I just have to knit the top bit for the FBG Bag and stitch it on, and I'm done.

Then I will get everything out and ready for packing into the car for tomorrow's market.

AMAZINGLY, it hasn't started raining.  YET.

I have this horrible feeling it's gunna wait until 6 am tomorrow, and start pissing down.  

Nothing we can do about the weather though, right?  It will be how it will be.

There were a few spits of rain as we were packing the car tonight.  I thought ... "Here we go".  But then we watched the weather forecast for tomorrow on the News, it looks like we might be lucky, and miss the rain!!!

OMG I hope so.  I just HATE wet market days.  They are miserable.

Stew is watching sport in the lounge, and I'm here in the family room knitting a bag top.  I'm feeling cold, so will heat up me hot pods, grab a blankie and get comfy.

Fucks sake!!!  Watching 7 Sharp, a news programme, and they are talking about POOS.  How you should position yourself for a 'successful poo', what ya poo should look like etc.  WTF?  Who wants all that 'information' thrown at you over dinner time?

I think they must be scraping the bottom of the barrel for content if they have to resort to that sort of SHIT.

And on that note, I'm off to get warmed up... and comfy for the evening.

Catch ya tomorrow.

FROM...