Where am I going?

On Sunday I decided that it was high time I made an effort to get on and do stuff! So Monday dawned and lo it rained all day! It was dark and miserable and I found myself thinking that staying in and reading a book was not that bad. So I did!

Then on Tuesday I visited the Bankfield museum in Halifax to see Jeanette Appleton's Sew Sow exhibition. The pieces are made from needlefelt made on the machine at Huddersfield University and then embellished with bits and pieces and stitching. Some were very large, some very small, but all had an impact. Visit her website for details www.jeanetteappleton.com. There is also a very interesting video in which she describes the processes she used for making the pieces and demonstrates them. So with embellishment all the rage, I came home with good intentions to set up my machine and get started creating a masterpiece, but decided to finish off my sister's little bag first.

This is my problem. I am interested in so many things and keen to practice all sorts of different techniques that I never finish anything! No longer though! My key tasks for the next few weeks are to get all the half completed stuff finished before I start anything new and to get more exercise!

So with that in mind, I put my wheel in the car and went off to Armley Mills Museum for a spinining day with the Spinners of Aire. This group has existed for a long time but I have never managed to go along until now. I'm so glad I did. There were some old friends there, but also people I had not met before. The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I also got a lot of silk spun and it has encouraged me to do more at home.

So today's jobs are a bit of housework, a bit of TLC for the DH who has gone to the dentist, a bit of sewing, visit the grandchild and more spinning while we catch up on the African football! Think that I am getting the hang of this retirement lark at last!

A voyage of discovery

More and more time spent lately on the Bernina sewing out embroidery designs. Yesterday was my free tuition day with Sheila at MKC Ltd who sold me the machine. A lot to cram in to a day, but very enjoyable and no broken needles! I had been a bit worried about the fact that this machine "does it all for you", but actually, there is enormous scope to develop your own artistic style. I have to say that simply sewing commercially prepared embroidery designs can be a bit boring, but, I hope to be able to design my own, and there is a lot to learn. Understanding how the designs are contstructed will take some time, but it will be great to be able to digitise my own and create some truly original pieces.

So for now, I am content to practice and learn so that when I am ready to move on, I will be able to do so. Next job is to sew out all the decorative stitches on the machine to make a record of what they acutally look like. This will make it easier to combine them and make the results look as professional as possible.

The new camera is proving to be easy to use as a point and shoot. Will I ever bother to find out how to use the manual settings? Difficult to say, but I think I will use the macro setting as this will take really close up photos and will be very useful for design ideas. I have passed the Olympus onto the DH who is reading the 140 page manual from cover to cover before he starts! Oh to be so disciplined! This is one of my latest showing two of my favourite people!

The weather is still wet and dismal, but we have just booked our Easter holiday cottage, so that has cheered us up a bit. It's Porthleven again. I know it's a bit sad to keep going back to the same place, but we are drawn to it. Could it be the pasty shop!

But for now it's back to the Bernina which needs a drop of oil to keep it sweet! Then I am going to put my new skills to the test and manipulate one of the designs to decorate a little bag to send to my DS with the latest photos!

I could get used to this retirement lark, but I keep thinking that someone from work is going to ring me to say, "where are you?" It will gradually sink in!

Time marches on

Oh dear! The days are passing and I am busy, but fast losing track of the days of the week and the date! It was only when I went to get my bus pass yesterday that I realised the date was the 9th of January! My dear sister's birthday! Shock horror, I had forgotten to post her card!


So I posted it and phoned to apologise. She was quite amused and was surprised that I was surprised it had happened! Note to self, cross off the days on the calendar and write everything down!!!


Then a visit to the DG and DGG in the afternoon. The latter covered in paint (washable Crayola paint sticks, marvellous!) and running around semi naked to ease the potty training! She has started pre school and is loving it. Her conversationional ability is expanding all the time, but still quaint. I keep forgetting to take my camera, so we are getting a bit behind with the photos. My new camera should be arriving later today or tomorrow, so there is likely to be a photofest this weekend!


Then there is the car! Sir has decided on the model, but we are finding it difficult to find one we can afford. Still it keeps him busy!


What joy! My camera has arrived a day early. It is very smart, but looks very complicated. You can just point and shoot, so I did and this is what I got!



More work on the Bernina. I have now successfully completed a T shirt with embroiderd motif for the DGG, a flower design on some Organza and am about to try my first motif on fleece. One thing has become apparent, and that is that the stabilisers you can buy don't always behave as described or how you want them to. My fusible wet and gone, didn't fuse and hasn't gone!

Motif now completed and looks good. The lettering has been swallowed up a bit by the fleece, but all in all I am pleased. Photo to come when completed, camera willing.

Someone coming to view the house this evening, so it's hoovering time!

Out with the old and in with the new!

So that was 2007! All in all a good year for me with the joy of retiring from work at the end! A super holiday in Cornwall over Christmas, marred only by the car breaking down on the way home so we arrived hours late in an RAC recovery truck, but no harm done.

Our holiday was spent partly in a cottage and partly with family. We had a cousins get together in the pub, had several very cold and/or muddy cliff walks, saw a wonderful sunset at Cape Cornwall on the 21st and strolled on various beaches. We saw seals, gannets, lots of waders and one fitness fanatic swimming! His dog had more sense and stayed on the beach!

So now my real work begins. I am beginning to get to grips with the new Bernina, but it is going to be a long process. I have still not decided whether to sign up for the spinning ceritifcate of achievement, and the silk remains where it was before the holiday.

But for now it's lunchtime and the afternoon trip to Tesco beckons!