Sewing a birthday presents....

It's my brother's birthday on the 7th April and every year I struggle with what to buy him.  I always say that he has more clothes than Marks and Spencers and because he has learning difficulties, he is unable to read or use a computer.  He loves the Carry On films but has all those, and a person can only have so many pairs of slippers, can't they!!!  So I generally send vouchers for the local theatre and he and my mum go and see a show as John particularly likes musicals.

However, this year I thought I'd do something completely different.  John has a nautical themed bedroom so I thought I'd make a small 'quilt' for him.  I had some ideas in my head and went to the local haberdashers to get some supplies. I bought some thick beige linen, some natural thick undyed cotton (I think there is a name for this but I can't think what it is) and some fabric for the back.  And I also bought something which I think is called 'batting' a sort of thick stuff for in between the two outside fabrics.

I bought a set of ten 'nautical' themed embroidery patterns on line, downloaded them and made a start.  I didn't use the suggested colours for each design as they were all a little bit dull, instead choosing various colours that I thought would work well.  

When I got to this point, I wasn't quite sure where I should go from here, having never made anything remotely like a quilt before!!!  And it took me ages to realise that I had to use a damp cloth to make the batting stuff 'fuse' to the fabric!!!!  I wondered what on earth was going wrong when I'd stood for more than half an hour ironing it only to find each time that it hadn't fused!

And then I just winged it.  I made all the embroidered 'motifs' into the same size and then I sewed them by hand onto the linen using running stitches.....now please don't laugh, my hand stitching is not very good but I thought the running stitches looked quite effective!!!  After that I started just sewing straight lines all over the place!  And then I attached everything together and this is the end result. 

If you click on the photos they will enlarge and you can see the details better.

This is the fabric I chose for the back, I thought, being of old maps, it suited the theme quite well.

I really really wanted to mitre the corners but I just couldn't do it so in the end I just made them overlap.  I sewed on this tiny metal 'made with love' tag on to one corner....

Hanging on the fence to dry after all the steam ironing!

The finished size is 112cm wide by 56cm deep.  And it's quite heavy.  I cannot imagine how someone could sew a full sized quilt on a home sewing machine, but know that lots of people do it and I really admire them!

I'm not sure I will do another too soon but might consider doing something for my mum for her 80th birthday later this year.  But this time I hope to start sooner and not try to make it all in 3 days. 

It's not perfect, but I'm very happy with how it came out and hope my brother will love it too!

Thanks for visiting.  I hope everyone has had a lovely Easter weekend and that the week ahead is great for each of you!

And so back to sunny Spain!

I'm home again now from my week long trip to the UK and have to say that on the one hand it feels like the week flew by, but then on the other, I feel like I've been gone from the 'blogging world' for ages and ages!

I had a lovely, lovely time in England, visiting with my mum and brother and then the three of us going down to the south coast of England to spend a few days with my son Brendan and his fiance Virginia, in Worthing, West Sussex.

The weather was mixed, I arrived in soft drizzling rain and left in a downpour but in between it wasn't bad at all!  In fact apart from the Monday when we visited Brighton, I was able to go without my coat during the day (as long as I had my thick cardigan!) but Monday wasn't so nice and I ended up buying myself a couple of woolly scarves which helped a lot!!

I enjoyed the Chat n Snap, so perfectly organised by Dee of Sasha Village,  thanks so much Dee for everything!  I have to say I did a whole lot more 'chatting' than 'snapping' up of bargains, or snapping photos, as I actually forgot to take my camera out of my bag.  In fact, my poor dolls, having got all ready for their visit to their Sasha/Gregor cousins, never left the table in front of me as I was so engrossed in my conversations with the lovely people I met last year, or have met since on the internet!!  However, I did manage to spend some money at the event and will show those off on another post as I've not got the right accessories here at the coast to take photos of them  now.

So I thought I'd share some random photos of the Sunday when we arrived in Worthing, Virginia was in London with a friend over from Spain, so they are only of my family,  but hope you'll enjoy them.  I will put dolly photos on another post, another day!

My brother John and my son Brendan on the beach...

My mum on the promenade in Worthing, it must be warm, she's undone her top button ;) 

 These very curious young seagulls were strutting their stuff on the pebbles!

There were a lot of people enjoying a stroll on the pier, including us of course!

Oh gosh!  Is that me in front of the camera for a change? 

Worthing beach from the pier...

Looking east towards Brighton....are those the White Cliffs of Dover in the distance?  

Brendan was thinking "Now why didn't I bring my fishing gear with me from Spain?" 

I'm told the domed building is the newly refurbished cinema complex.  I like how they've blended it in with the surrounding buildings.

Now one minute my mum's head was in the hole....and then it was gone!!!  I have no idea what happened! LOL

I don't know what this sport is called but there were several pairs of people doing it!  It was a bit like gondoliers without the gondola or the Venetian canals!!  But it certainly needed a flat sea like it was that day!

The seaweed covered uprights of the pier...

I guess some people have to be told!!  

Children seem to enjoy playing on the beach regardless of how cold the water is, don't they!

I had a lovely time in Worthing, I was so happy to see my 'boy' and to know that he and Virginia are happy and content there.  I don't like that they are far away from us but it's their lives and they must live them to the full!  But I do so miss them!!! 

Thank you for looking, I hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween and a good week ahead!

Teddy visits the Bioparc.....

On Monday I took Teddy to the Bioparc in Fuengirola.  I have blogged about the Bioparc previously, here when I took my blond Sasha for a visit to celebrate my birthday back in June 2013.  This time though it was my brother's birthday, yesterday (7th April)  he turned 50!  I can hardly believe that my 'little' brother, well my ONLY brother actually, has now reached 50!!!

So off we went to the Bioparc and I took Teddy along because he'd been such a good boy whilst my family have been visiting from the UK.  As is normal for me, many of my photos were rushed in case I was spotted 'playing' with a doll.....I look forward to the day when I have a grandchild who I can drag around with me, pretending the doll(s) belong to her/him!!!! ;)

Teddy wasn't overly impressed with his 'mode' of transport....he had to snuggle inside a large holdall wearing a thick bedsock on his head to protect his hair and face....but once he got out in the restaurant and sat with his 'nana' he was happier, especially when she gave him a drop of her hot chocolate!

My mum is a good sport, bless her, holding on to my dolls for me....but my son Brendan wasn't too keen to be seen with me holding a doll! 

Teddy wore his lovely new striped boat motif jumper knitted by the very talented Rosie Laird, shorts and socks quickly made by me, and nice navy blue sandals by Lisa Hartley...he looks incredibly smart, doesn't he? :) 

Teddy particularly liked looking down into the many water features of the parc, but I was always very wary of letting him do so....those fishes are pretty big and he'd make a nice snack for them I'm sure!

"Hold mine hand mamma, I wants to lean over to sees the birdies better!"

Teddy just loves to CLIMB!  My heart was in my mouth several times when I caught him climbing on the fencing......the hippopotamus looked very expectantly at the little striped morsel precariously perched above his enclosure!

Teddy loved the pinky coloured Flamingoes, wanting to take one home and keep it as a pet....he wasn't convinced when I told him that these pretty birds might prefer to give him a nasty peck on his little fingers or knock him flying with their large strong wings!

"But I wanna keep mine fingers mamma!" 

Teddy really enjoyed the fish.....maybe a small goldfish would make a nice pet for him?  

The Buddha didn't have much to say to Teddy .... but appeared to be listening intently to what Teddy had to say! ;)

A little rest....well it was a lot of walking for such a small little fellow!

I think he enjoyed himself, and he got back in the back and into his bedsock 'protector' without a word of protest...and slept all the way home!!!