Clear plastic

Things have been a bit hectic around here for the past 2-3 weeks. Just before that my sewing machine went to Drummonds of Edinburgh to have its first service ( David the shop owner informed me my machine is 10 years old ) As I was busy ma Walby (hubbie) took the machine through and look at what he got me .....a Plexiglass Sewtable. Today is its first outing and it's brilliant.

I never thought I would see the day when a big piece of plastic would give such satisfaction.

Oh and for the record thank you thank you thank you Walby

Off to cut up material and sew it back together again

Mary Jane Gilchrist

As I held her hand my beloved wee grannie passed peacefully from this world on Wednesday.

She was 99yrs young the photo above was taken about 4 years ago.

Born in 1911 the youngest of four children, her mother left her father and the children when my grannie was just 6 weeks old she met her mother only once when she was about 20yrs old. After her mother left she was brought up in various foster homes until she was around 14yrs old when after another failed fostering (she was not a typical child of that time and was seen and heard quite alot) her spinster aunt took her from Liverpool back home with her to Stonehaven and the stable loving relationship that had been missing in her life was established.

She became engaged to a sea captain and one summer came to Alloa to visit friends of the family she was sitting in the bandstand at the local park when my grandad came and asked if she minded if he sat down she said ok and she was smitten when the visit was finished she didn't return to Stonehaven but moved in with my grandad a huge scandle in those days and she didn't marry my grandad until she was 5 months pregnant with my mum and after much pleading from my grandad. They had another 2 children and a loving successful marriage until my grandads death in 1982.

I would like to thank her for

Ringlets in my hair, sticky out party dresses, long flanelette nighties, piggie hot water bottles,treadle sewing machine, teaching me how to knit, cocoa, toast made at the open fire, Hopes the Bakers fruit birthday cakes, my love of Lily of the Valley, Honeysuckle, Cats & Hats.

For her unfailing love kindness and friendship I thank her from the bottom of my heart she was my rock and I will love and miss her always

Strong stuff

My most precious wee grannie isn't too well at the moment. The staff at the nursing home where she lives called me on Wednesday to say she was very poorly and that they were very concerned about her. She had stopped eating and was not taking any fluids at that time. I have spent the majority of my time since then at her bedside. I am not sure if today was a turning point or not but she managed to sit in a chair and sip half a cup of tea. At 99yrs young she still has a will of iron and is made of strong stuff. I am delighted I hope she will stick around for a bit longer as I love her dearly.

Twitching to sew

The Moda Spring Fever charm packs arrived last week and I love them. I plan to make Aimee a lap quilt. She came for tea on Saturday and spent an enjoyable hour or so helping grannie decide where the pieces should be positioned. We then got a piece of white cotton and did it all over again.

'The finished positions'
Bit big for a lap quilt me thinks


Did have plans to start it this week but forgot my sewing machine was leaving today on a servicing visit to Edinburgh and I don't pick it up until Saturday. I now need to find something to fill the hours with............
Browsing the quilting sites on internet sounds good to me
Step away from the credit card........

Kitted Out

I was given a patchwork kit last year as a gift and have finally got around to opening it I had a great time last night chopping and putting it altogether again (hubbie doesn't understand why you would spend so much time cutting up material only to sew it back together again). Anyway this is the top all ready to be basted.

I would love to get it prepared for quilting tonight but we are just about to head out to friends for a bit of supper and a wee drink. Mind you it does leave me something to look forward to at the weekend

P.S

Green is my fav colour the pressie giver knows me quite well me finks

99 and counting

My beloved wee grannie arrived in this world 99 years ago today. She is living in a local nursing home being cared for by a devoted staff who I cannot thank enough for the care and compassion they show my gran even when she is having an 'off' day. She has very limited sight and suffers from dementia and doesn't really know who I am. To her I am 'the the lovely girl with the nice smile'. The nursing home is split into 4 units and some of the residents from the other units came through and we had music, cake and tea which was lovely. I spent a nice afternoon with the woman who throughout my life has been unfailing in her love for me

The following are what I thank my grannie for

Flannel nighties, piggie hot bottles, toast by the open fire, cocoa, rags in my hair to make ringlets, red recordplayer and dancing round the livingroom, sparkly party shoes and sticky out dresses with lots of petticoats, treadle sewing machine and my love of cats

But most of all her love

Love my Grannie

Santa Claus is coming to.............Dobbies

Took Aimee and Murray to see Santa at the local Dobbies yesterday we arrived at 12.30pm only to be told there were no tickets to see him until 3pm. How to explain to a 5yr old that Santa has no space to see her......... her eyes filled up with tears and we tried to explain that Santa may be somewhere else waiting to see her but she was not up for that at all. This was where she saw Santa last year and where she should see Santa this year I never knew that you would be able to spend 2 and a half hours in a garden centre ........ Anyway our grandson thought the whole thing was a bit boring and slept through the meeting with the great man.

An awakened boy with his pressie

Santa digging deep


Having a chat


One happy girl

Oh Christmas Tree

I love Christmas

Two trees in our house this year plus a real one at the front door. I usually have clear lights on my trees. This year Aimee came with us to get the one for the front door she was helping put the lights on when she spied an old set of coloured fairy lights (think they are about 10 years old) she was so excited with all the different colours. So on they went and I have to say I love them my friend thinks it is because it reminds me of the trees when I was young (everyone had coloured lights and baubles) so there will now be coloured lights on my outside tree for many a year

This the tree in the living room (sorry not a very clear picture)

Christmas Tree number 2 in the hall think it looks cute

Sheepishly forward

Aimee took part in her first Primary School show one performance this morning and one this evening. Grandad and I went to the morning performance with mummy and daddy going at night. I did manage to hold it together with no tears. Aimee is a shy reserved wee girl who took everything that her teacher said on board. 'Boys & girls face forward do not look behind you and sit nice and still' she spent both performances facing forward and so still at times you would think she was a statue bless her. Mind you the fact she didn't do a runner when faced with a hall of parents is a miracle. I personally would like to say thank you to her teacher Miss Doig who has worked tirelessly to encourage and reassure Aimee both academically and emotionally in her first year at school WELL DONE

When Santa got stuck up the chimney

I have a small collection of 'Santas' that was started off many years ago when Colin brought me one back from Denmark also the one in the middle of the top shelf is from my most precious friend Maggie ( ouch as hard as I try she will always be Margaret to me ) The tree on the middle shelf is a cookie cutter from Holland how sad am I loving the fact I can display them all on my favourite kitchen shelf