For Belinda

I got the machine out and had a sewing session one rainy day this week. One long awaited project in the textiles trunk were t-shirt extensions. I had been thinking of doing this for a while, then back in December I saw this picture on Belindas blog, and it made it ok for me to do this crazy thing



http://belinda-whitworth.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/making-do-and-mending.html

So here, finally are two of mine.
I hadn't looked back at Belinda's picture since I saw it in December, and now I've put the two together they look spookily similar! I really hope we get to meet up one day. We should definitely wear our extended t shirts when we do!

Hmm, mine are a bit beige-y!

On the hand sewing fronts I made these on a different rainy afternoon (it has rained a lot recently, and it's not much fun gardening in the rain). I copied the design directly from an image I saw on someones blog, but I'm sorry I didn't note which one. If you recognise them I'm more than happy to credit you. I've only made these few for myself, and might give one or two away to friends. One is destined for the boat. I have plans for a pussy cat cushion to keep it company.

 And below is an on going project that uses up bits and pieces from other projects and worn out clothing. I don't have a final size vision yet, I'm just sewing 'flowers' and collecting white hexagons for the background at the moment.

Hot Tip

For those of you who keep saying you don't blog enough...announce that you aren't going to blog anymore, seems to produce the opposite effect for me!

I'm back! (so soon?!)

And here I am again, so soon? Partly prompted by Barry (thank you Barry, perhaps there are about 4 of you out there reading?), and partly by not feeling I HAVE to blog, which means I feel more like doing it, because I can be a contrary creature sometimes!
We went to visit our boat called Hope again to see how she's getting on having her bottom scraped. For those of you who may be sensitive to these things there will follow some images of our boats naked bottom, you have been warned!!
Here she is in the shed (and yes, they have to take the masts off to get them in the shed!) This is the front (sorry bow)

 These are some of the lumps out of the hull that had de-laminated and had to be cut out.

 ..and here is the hull, patched up (paler bits), and with numbers written all over it that indicate how damp it was as they dried it out. I love the rustic props that seem to be common to all boat yards.

 here's the nice man who's been overseeing the work, busy at work on the boat next to ours. He's well masked up. Fibreglass and the resin that goes with it is not nice stuff.

 Back out in the fresh air, is the amazing trailer that lifts boats in and out of the water

 ...the hole in the mud where Hope was sitting 6 months ago, and may be sitting again soon

 A picturesque boat with even more hole problems than ours

 ..I got all arty here...

 and finally a sweet little boat kind of 'resting' against the jetty while the tide is out.

In less than a month we shall be sailing her back from Chichester to Plymouth. I'm currently assuming it will be a hideous experience, and hoping that it won't, if that makes sense. It will be something to tell the grandchildren, well it would if I had any..



One year on... (nearly)

Looking through my 'archives' a month or so ago I noticed that my first post was on
Monday 25th of April, which is one week away, although my first proper post, with more that a brief hello, was on 3rd of May. Now, I know a lot of bloggers get all excited and do 'giveaways' and suchlike on their blogaversary, but I'm just thinking of calling it a day for now. The seasons have come round again, I'm back working in the same gardens (ok, so I've got two new ones, but most are the same), the  new allotment is coming on, the brassicas are coming up to flowering, I'm spinning a bit, sketching a bit, making a few books, chopping and stacking wood, making bread and morris dancing (amongst other things). Not much has changed, apart from giving up on the book selling thing, which has been such a huge relief.
It's been really good fun, sharing a bit of my life with, in theory, the whole world. It has improved my photo taking and some of my computer skills. What it hasn't done is produced something that I can pick up, curl up on the sofa in front of the fire, with Vince diddling away on the guitar, and browse through. And so, I want to turn this on-line diary, which very few people read anyway, into a real object. A book with writing and text about my life. I'm not exactly sure how it's going to manifest yet, but I'll work it out sometime. I'm not saying I'll never post here again, I just want to give myself permission to not feel guilty about letting it go for now.
One day we will sell our house, downsize, perhaps rent the house out and live on a boat for a while. Then I might take this up again as a good way of keeping friends and family up to date with where we are and what we are doing.


p.s. spell check didn't like 'bloggers' ha ha, that a bit ironical isn't it!, try loggers, floggers, blockers!