...and breathe, it's Sunday

This week has been very busy with work, trying to catch up with the ironing, trying to continue the decluttering, remembering to exercise and to spend a little time with my family. Work went into overdrive since the government announced that from the 9th December all teaching was to be online so that students could get home for Christmas and not put their families at risk. It sounds easy to do but I needed to rejig the timetable as I had some sessions that involved role play. It just doesn't work as well online. As a result very little sewing got done this week but I did
manage some.

Having finished the Austen Family Album blocks I had to order some fabric for the sashing and borders which hasn't yet arrived. I needed to fill the void by picking up another ongoing project.  Back in December 2016 I printed off the pattern for the Bear's Paw QAL. In early 2017 I'd made a few bear paw blocks and had pieces cut for some more and at that point I put it away. By this time I was having chemotherapy and my brain could not deal with putting the blocks together. When I opened the project bag I found several half sewn pieces and had to unpick all of them as they had been stitched together incorrectly. I sorted it all and set about making up blocks with the cut pieces. As I worked I found a lot of the pieces had been very inaccurately cut. I carried on with them as they are part of the quilts story and by the end of the morning I had made 10 blocks. I will be able to dot these blocks around the quilt so they won't be so noticeable. 

Wherever I moved to take the photo Picasso followed and made sure his tail was part of the picture. As soon as I pointed the camera at him he made himself small and wouldn't let me take a photo of him. Cats! they really do like to rule the house.

Having made the blocks I headed to the kitchen. Today is 'Stir up Sunday' traditionally the day you make your Christmas pudding. I was told recently that it is a name used in the Anglican church and it get its name from the collect for the day. I didn't know this so had to ask Mr Google who with the help of Wikipedia  told me the collect begins with the words "Stir up, we beseech thee O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people" Any way I made my pudding today and everyone took turns to stir (clockwise only) and made a wish. Why stir clockwise? I've been given several reasons with one being its the way the sun goes through the day and another saying it's the way the 3 wise men travelled to see the baby in Bethlehem. I just tell people to stir clockwise or otherwise the wish won't work

I covered it in greaseproof paper and once fully cooled added a layer of foil. It will be cooked again on Christmas day. Christmas pudding, plum pudding and figgy pudding are all used to describe a pudding made with lots of dried fruit. In the days before Christmas I'll make some brandy butter to go with it and on the day we will light the pudding. Well light the heated brandy that we pour over it. It does look pretty and always reminds me of my Dad.

This week I made Luna rabbits second ear and head. This has now been attached to her body. I still have to do her eyes and nose.

Tonight I'll continue work on her arms. I've already started one and should finish it this evening. Hopefully by Tuesday Luna rabbit will be fully made.

I've done an over sew stitch to put her together but I wish I'd done a button hole stitch as I find it easier to keep neat and even sized.

Earlier in the week I started connecting the crocheted granny squares together. I using a double crochet stitch for this. This is a project I'm making to use up scraps of yarn. It also gives my eyes a rest from close work on embroidery, especially after a day on the computer.

I've now completed 3 of the four cornerstones on the millennium sampler. This project is edging nearer the finish line. Once I've finish Luna Lapin I'll spend my stitching time working on the sampler this week.

I'm linking this post with Kathy from Katy's Quilts for her Slow Sunday Stitching Usually on a Monday morning I sit and read some of the posts with my morning tea before getting down to some work. 

I'm hoping this week will be quieter and I can get some more sewing done. I have a couple of things I need to finish as they are Christmas presents. I have 4 more weeks of work before my 2 week Christmas break. We are supposed to be away for my birthday the second weekend in December but I don't know if that will happen. I've got my fingers crossed. We are now at LD 2.18. It's supposed to end on the 2nd December but we'll have to wait and see what happens next.

Take care

Lyndsey