Happy News and Sad News

Last week, Valentines Day to be exact and romantic, Anthony and Nicki got engaged. They plan to get married in 2015, they are both very happy and so are we. This is the icing on the cake for them they are enjoying being parents to Ellie, and are making a very good job of it; she is such a happy contented baby.

The sad news is that on Monday evening we had to have Sparky put to rest. It was such an awful decision to make but he had a flare up of the hepatitis that he went down with at Christmas but unfortunately this time he just couldn't recover. He is greatly missed. Steph is devasted, to try and cheer her up we took her to Easton Walled Gardens to see the snowdrops. They were beautiful in their hundreds.

 

Life has been very hectic the past few weeks and last weekend was no exception. Dawn, Neil and I took the shop to Cottenham  for Textiles In Focus. It was very busy and we had a great time, we caught up with lots of people and the exhibitions were inspiring. Tomorrow Neil and I are off to London for the launch of a new Patchwork and Quilting magazine. Hopefully next week I will have some time to do some sewing.

It's A Dogs Life

This is definitely what you call a dogs life and I want one! He got up, came downstairs, climbed onto his stuffed dog that someone (Neil) bought for him just before Xmas and he went to sleep again. He really is one spoilt rotten dog and you know who it is that spoils him don't you.


On Saturday we have got our first workshop of the new year, Gina will be teaching Bonded Books. Students will be able to practice their F M E as well as learn a new technique - a fun day.

The red book was made by Gina, the other one by me. These are lovely little books to make, they are great for keeping special memorabilia in.

Xmas Giveaway

OK, I give in and admit that Xmas is on its way. I did write three xmas cards this morning. Sunday evening Anthony and his girlfriend put the tree up. I think they did a great job it looks lovely.

The angel is as pretty as ever.

Monday morning we took Sparky back to the vets at Newmarket, he had to have some blood tests to check how he is getting on with the medication. Imagine the amusement when the vet picked him up to put him on the table and we spotted hanging from his neck a snowflake. It appears that when they decorated the tree they decorated the dog as well!

If you would like to win this little angel for your tree all you need to do is leave a comment before 9:00am Friday and I will put your name into a draw which will be drawn on Friday morning so that she can go in Fridays post.

Nearly Finished Table Mats

I have now made table mats 5 and 6. Now all I have to do is layer them up, quilt them and bind them. I am really pleased with these and I will do Square Dance again.

I took Sparky back to the vets yesterday for a check up. He has now got another tablet to add to his cocktail of drugs. It takes ages to get his food ready now. It used to be so quick just giving him dog food and biscuits. Now I have to warm up the chicken and rice, crush tablets, split capsules (and remember which ones I've done) and make chicken gravy. Thank god for gravy granules. Then I have to do it all again at tea time. The new tablet is for his thyroid. The vets still don't know if it's his thyroid causing a neurological problem or the other way round. So we have to try these tablets and see what happens. We have got to take him back to the Dick White Centre next week.

Who's Blackmailing Who

It's meant to be me blackmailing him but I think it may well be the other way round. The only way I could get him to take his medicine was to put it in chicken and rice, which I had to cook for him. As he was clearly feeling better I thought he could go back onto proper dog food. How wrong could I be! Yesterday morning I put his medicine in his dog food and with true Sparky attitude he didn't eat it. He didn't eat all day. So at 7:30 last night I cooked some more chicken and rice put it in his bowl with the medicine and he ate it!

When he had finished this is the look I got. What do you think he is trying to say?



This is as far as I have got with the wall hanging. I have decided to leave it alone for a while have a think and see what happens.



I have been working on this quilt for a few months now and it's very nearly finished. All I've got to do is two bindings. It's such a pretty quilt.

We had a delivery at the shop on Monday and inside one of the big boxes was some of these little boxes.

Inside the little box is 320 two and a half inch squares. They are so cute you can't help but pick them up and feel them, flick through them and stroke them. If you love fabric you will understand.

Anyway, feelings put to one side I set about using them.

I cut 38 one inch hexagons out of freezer paper.


Decided which squares I was going to use and that wasn't an easy decision.

Then I ironed the freezer paper hexagons onto my chosen squares ready for the next step.

Slow Work and A Welcome Home

The wall hanging has not progressed very far, certainly not as quick as I would have liked. I had no idea that using the embellisher could be soo tedious. But I'm going to stick with it and keep my fingers crossed that it does turn into a beautiful piece of fabric which I can then turn into a field full of poppies. You have to use your imagination.

Last night we fetched Sparky back from doggy hospital accompanied by this not so small bag! It's a nightmare trying to get all of these into him. One of the capsules he has to take three times a day.

We still don't know exactly what is wrong with him. He has had an MRI Scan a Spinal Tap more X Rays and lots of blood tests. One of the blood tests has shown that there is a problem with his Thyroid. He hasn't got any medication for that yet because the vet is waiting for the results of some of the tests. Some samples of blood and spinal fluid have been sent to a lab some where in Europe and may take another week before we get the results. So fingers crossed we will get him better soon.