Thursday 18 April 2013

What a week!

 
But in a GOOD way!

It's been a pretty exciting week here in our household.

But first.....working back from today.... a cushion that has been in my mind for a while has taken shape over the last couple of days, and finished off this afternoon after a trip to the dentist to have impressions taken for trays for teeth whitening - what a messy process that was, pink sticky gunk everywhere - yuk!


 
So this is the harlequin cushion cover, machine pieced in natural osnaburg and white cotton. Am pleased with the overall look of it, albeit the machine piecing was not perfect - practice needed I think!

 
I lined the pieced back, and the back of the cushion is made from osnaburg.

I plan to make more of these. Lots more. And in different colourways.

Still on the sewing front, earlier this week I made a cover for a footstool - no pattern, just scissors and fabric and tape measure, and it didn't take long to make.

 
I used some Laura Ashley fabric I'd had in my stash a while, in cream and green.

This footstool started life with brown stained legs and a rather dreary shiny fabric top.
So I painted the legs off white, and made a new cover, and voila!

 
Oh, yes, back to this morning. I forgot I'd put in some photos of this "find" in a junk/antique shop this morning (photos all uploaded in order so I'm weaving the "story" around them!) after the trip to the dentist.

Praying that I wasn't still speckled in the yucky bright pink stuff they use to make the impressions, I bravely stopped off in one of my fav shops and found this lovely vintage linen curtain.

In pretty soft, muted colours, it's one of those old toile type fabrics with bucolic scenes that remind me of the fabrics you used to see a few decades ago in old country pubs that still served a ploughmans lunch as the only food option.

 
It's a gorgeous linen, not a hunting scene but country vignettes featuring shepherds and shepherdesses, and little lambies (lots of cute real ones in the fields at the moment!).

 

 
Will be making lots of vintage cushion covers from this...........watch this space!!


OK, now onto the important stuff.
Here's a few clues.........

 

 
vanilla cupcakes with vanilla icing and fresh raspberries.......

 

 
The reason?

Our daughter Bella celebrated her 18th Birthday at the weekend!!!!


 
I also made a Birthday Cake which I forgot to take photos of as guests started arriving whilst I was still  finishing it off.......so well organised I am - not!!!

The cake was a moist, chocolate moussey one made from dark chocolate, ground almonds and lots of eggs, simply decorated with fresh raspberries and strawberries, and 18 pink candles.

Here's the Birthday Girl - 18!!!!!
When did that happen......


 

 
I think one of her favourite presents was this album which I filled with photos of her growing up.......


And if that wasn't enough excitement, a few days before her 18th Birthday Bella passed her Driving Test!!!!!

YAYYYY!!!!! Well Done Bella!!!

So this past week has been a week to remember, a week of celebrations, happiness and excitement!

 
We've also seen the sun a few times this past week too - most importantly, on the day of Bella's Birthday, so we could have our family party outside in the garden.

 

And today, Bella bravely drove alone to school and back for the first time, through country lanes and town traffic. I'm not sure who was more nervous...........

So. A bit of a milestone week for her. One she won't forget.
Nor will her proud parents.

 

Thanks for all your wonderful comments on my last post, so very kind and encouraging.
Very much appreciated.

 
Wishing you all a sunny weekend!

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21 comments:

  1. So many gorgeous things! It's hard to know where to start. I love what you did with the footstool cover. Such skill. And your daughter is lovely! It looks like spring has come your way!

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  2. Hi Gill,

    Happy birthday to your beautiful daughter Bella! The cupcakes you made for her look delicious! You can take part in next years 'Great British sewing bee'. Your pillow cover & stool cover look beautiful!

    Happy evening & enjoy your garden!

    Madelief x

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  3. What a beautiful girl Bella is, so glad she had a lovely 18th birthday and well done on passing her driving test too!
    Well done to Mum too, gorgeous cushion and stool! :)
    V xxx

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  4. Well, that certainly was a busy week. Love that fabric you found, I am green with envy! Trying to match up corners whilst sewing is very difficult; I think you have made a brilliant job of your cushion. Belated birthday greetings to your daughter and congrats to her passing her driving test. Always useful when the children can be a taxi service for us when necessary!

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  5. Happy BirthdY to Bella and Well Done on passing her driving test. The world is now her oyster. I love your cushion. Charlie, our dachshund is a cushion fiend - he thinks that he's chasing badgers down a hole and throws them onto the floor until he's left with the one he liked and sleeps on it!
    June

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  6. Happy 18th birthday to beautiful Bella! And congratulations on passing her driving test! Your cushion and footstool look amazing, Gill....you are making very professional things. I liked seeing that fascinating curtain you found...loved your description of the kind of country pub it might once have hung in (I always liked looking at them then too!) Great to see the sun shining in your flowery garden...let's hope we have lots more this weekend :)
    Helen x

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  7. 18th! My, Mum! When did all these years go? You'll have to share with us one precious moment of those memories!
    I must try covering a chair or two...You make it looks so easy!
    All the best and thanks for sharing such a lovely week with us! (Mine was one of those you wish to forget asap...)

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  8. Happy belated birthday to your beautiful girl! This post is full of joy and hapinness ! Your sofa is great with those pillows!
    Everything is no nice here !
    Regards!

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  9. Happy belated birthday to Bella, and congratulations to her on passing her driving test, quite a week. Love the cushion, it look like Logan's quite partial to a cushion or two too.

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  10. Looks like you had one busy week. I love the chair and foot-stool and bravo on the pillow. You did a wonderful job at getting your points all lined up. I would hate to see my attempt at doing that.
    Love the pretty cup cakes, too.
    Tell your daughter, "Happy Birthday"
    Your blogging sister, Connie :)

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  11. You have had a busy week! Love all your makes. Happy birthday to your daughter.
    M x

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  12. A belated Happy Birthday to your Bella...such an exciting time! Love vanilla cupcakes.

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  13. A very important and busy time indeed!
    Many happy birthday wishes to Bella for her 18th and huge congrats on passing her test too.
    Such proud parent moments!
    Lisa x

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  14. happy birthday too bella what a lot of swewing work for the pillows the are very pretty love tha laura ashley fabrics the cup cakes are very pretty
    leon10

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  15. Love, love, love the harlequin pillow! Does the little fur ball come with it!

    Happy Birthday to Bella! It looks like you had a lovely celebration! It looks like you had a nice party and she got lots of lovely gifts!

    My driving advice for Bella, don't worry about the guy behind you, speed limits are just that limits, you can drive slower if you want to. No cell phones in operation while behind the wheel!!! I know, I sound like her Auntie!! LOL!!! Well, I guess I'm her American Auntie! xo

    Have a lovely week!

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  16. Beautiful! Happy birthday, Bella.

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  17. Wow you have had an amazing week hon! Firstly, happy birthday to Bella and huge congrats for getting your drivers licence.

    I adore your harlequin cushion and then when I scrolled through and saw that fabric I nearly fell off my chair. It's amazing!! I can't wait to see the creations you make with it. I live in hope of finding fabric like that at an op shop here but it never happens!!

    Have a fabulous week hon. It's the school holidays here so the house is super noisy. So I don't think I will be making very much in the next fortnight!!

    Leah
    xx

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  18. Gorgeous cushion! I love the simplicity of the two solids together. Great effect. Congratulations to your girl, too, and happy birthday, as well! :)

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  19. Great cushion - love it. Congrats to Bella - our baby boy was 18 in Jan. His 'party' was more of a lads' rave-up (do they still use that word?) here in my lovely house! It's great when they pass their tests, as it all costs a small fortune doesn't it! xCathy

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  20. Goodness, you've been busy! Love the footstool. Your daughter is gorgeous - well done to her on passing her test! x

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  21. Hell0 Gill. Bella looks to have had a lovely birthday...belated birthday wishes! The cakes looks divine! I love your footstool and the cushion is amazing, you are clever.
    Your garden is looking lovely too, but I don't like the sound of the teeth whitening mullarkey!
    Many thanks for your encouraging words,I will let you have photos soon! Lots of love, Linda xx

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Thanks for visiting and for taking the time to leave a comment - I love to read them!
Gill x