Secret Santa - It has arrived !!!

I am so excited! My secret santa has finally arrived!! In the end it was returned to sender (Greta, codename Gretters) twice, the mailman obviously did not like the parcel.... the second time with the loss of a FQ too as it was ripped....

Such bad luck! Which turned into my extremely good luck, as I think I am the last one to receive my secret santa but certainly not least!!

Greta was really upset to keep me waiting, which was worsened by my seeming impatience on the threads... Poor Greta... I was just having some fun guessing on the thread after Flossie got hers... I really, really did not blame my santa for the mail's problems!! Honest!!!

To make up for all the problems she put 'something extra' in the parcel (as she described it) and just LOOK at what I received ;

It starts with the original four FQ from Kaffe Fassets collection (it's well known I love Kaffe!) Greta originally published on the thread.. They are almost invisible in the photo as I had to pile on top to get it all in the photo!

Then a lovely arcadia charmpack ( I heart arcadia Greta, bulls eye!) and those absolutely ADORABLE dogs! here are six of them and I am planning to make a doggie quilt with the dogs in the center of squares and make some more myself. They are SO cute! They have some paper on the back and it says they are allready fused... Have to find out what that means... does that mean you peel the paper off and then can iron them on? Anyone?

To top that all another colourful FQ that looks like Kaffe (is it in the blue?) and 4 fantastic coordinating FQ's from Amy Butler's new LOVE range.

I must say I am speechless.... Thanks SO much Greta!!!

I think I can sum up this Secret Santa in that it probably has taken the longest time to arrive, also has travelled the furthest (over the ocean AND two round trips and a single...), was most moaned about in the threads (didn't mean to upset you gretters...it was just fun...) and most definitely the best parcel of the entire bunch!!

You really got all my tastes there... Kaffe, Amy, Arcadia and Dogs!!! You are very clever and very generous and I so enjoyed getting the parcel! It really cheered up my day now I am still home recovering and maybe that was the plan all along (unbeknown to us..)

Certainly worth waiting for! Lucky me!

Thanks Gretters, you are tops!

A Surprise from Jennifer Paganelli

A parcel came today in the post and what a surprise to find Jennifer Paganelli had sent me a lovely parcel of three coordinating fabrics! Jennifer had heard about my emergency operation and she thought I needed cheering up! You well succeeded Jennifer! So exciting to get the parcel and open it....

The fabrics are from her wonderful ranges she designs, go and look at the wonderful world she creates on her blog Sis Boom Day Dreams!

Thank you SO much Jennifer! They are lovely big pieces too and are going to look so beautiful in a quilt and as backing. The lovely big prints come into their own in wholecloth quilts as well as in pieced ones and, let's be honest are just a joy to look at.

I love following Jennifer's blog as she is such a generous vivacious sort of person, has lovely fabrics but not in the least as we share a love for dogs and her dog George, a labradoodle, is the most gorgeous dog ! (ranked immediately under Rafael of course as he is the totally best dog ever in the world! - not being biased or anything.......:-).

So thanks again Jennifer, it was a lovely surprise I had not expected!

Lovely mail and turning the corner...

Hi Peeps!

It's been a little while again since I've blogged and just giving you an update. I'm doing ok, the various infections are abating (I know nobody is waiting for the gruesome details, lol!!) and better a little every day.

Since yesterday I manage to stay awake all morning. Still need to sleep in the afternoon as tired out after being awake that long but an improvement over sleeping twice a day as well as all night! I also started to read books again yesterday. Which is a great improvement over being too weak and tired to read. So really happy about it all although I am starting to get impatient with the incredibly slow progress on all of this... My GP keeps saying I have to have patience... that it was a heavy operation and I cannot expect to much to soon...

I must say I am a little disappointed to not have a least an outline drawn for DQS8 but I am thinking about it so hoping that once I start drawing it will come together quickly.

I also was surprised by some lovely mail!!

Jo (Bearpaw) sent me a lovely get well soon card with a sweet heart made up of buttons. Thank you so much Jo! Then Mandy (Mandalin18) sent me a card all the way from Australia, with some beautifully crafted beadwork. It is beautiful Mandy as is the self made card. I really appreciate you thinking of me!

As a total surprise I was sent a calendar by Sherry of the Irish Quilting Magazine. I sent in a top for their Irish Flood Appeal a while back and hope the lovely ladies helping out in Ireland got all their blocks and tops worked into quilts and to the affected areas. I didn't expect to receive anything at all but I'm delighted with my calendar!! Thank you so much Sherry! It is not only a lovely calendar with room to write and a quilt every month beautifully photographed... It also has an inlay with all the patterns in it too! A fantastic present!

Still in bed.....but thinking about DQS8...

Hi everyone,

Would you believe it, a week since I came home and still in bed.... I was unlucky enough to get an infection in the incision so a trip to the emergency doctors at midnight and some more antibiotics later and I am still in bed!

I was extremely lucky though to have the advice of my good friend Leslie (who is a nurse) who issued advice from over the oceans at all hours and made a real difference. I don't know what I would have done without her (ended back up in the hospital most likely!) THANK YOU SO MUCH Leslie! you are a rock!

Lucky too that indeed it is getting better every day. I can now sit out in a chair for about an hour (after which I go back to bed and sleep two to three!). As it was a heavy operation and now with secondary infection, the doctor says to count on about 3 months recovery time and with the snails pace of improvement every day I can totally imagine that!!

BUT I am lucky it was caught in time, and I am on the mend and am thankful for that too. I have started to write a few people individually to thank them for comments, good wishes, cards and presents. I hope this week to start commenting again and surfing a bit and hopefully can start to think about DQS8....

I don't think the person who is making for me will have a problem. my tastes are far and wide! my favourite line at the moment is French General Rouenneries. but I also like romantic like the beach fabrics that were in a giveaway a few weeks back (on my blog). Then I love Kaffe Fassett and big bold prints and colourful quilts too. Meadowsweet (sandi henderson) nicey jane (heather bailey) and Timber (jessica levitt) are the next lines on my fabric buying list. Pattern wise I love art quilts but would be equally happy with a modern twist on an traditional block or anything else. Really I am SO easy!! So just go for it and do what YOU think is really nice and I am sure to love it. After all, sometimes it is really nice just receiving something that you would never have thought of making yourself and then growing to love it and adding a whole new dimension to your quilt making. So no worries, just GO for it, I am allready looking forward to getting it.

The person I am making for is more of a problem to me... She is not posting at all and very very quiet... I have been doing a search for her in blogland but cannot find much.... She has given me a little bit of an idea of colours she likes... so I have to just go for it and hope for the best... If you recognise yourself as not posting... please do!!! As my person was quite active before I am a little worried about her being so quiet.... I think I will write to my swap mama and ask for confirmation all is well. I am beginning to have some vague ideas but nothing concrete yet.

I will leave you all here for now and have a little snooze to recover from posting, lol!! Who would have thought I'd imitate being an old lady before my time, ha ha ha...

Looking forward to catching up... soooo much happening I have missed......

Home again!

thank you so much for all your lovely comments! It is great to feel so much love and support.

I am home and have solidly slept for about 48 hrs.... Today the first day I have been able to read some blogs again on the laptop in bed. Hopefully sitting out for a short while too.

Still quite weak and tired. The surgeon told me it was quite a heavy operation as the appendix was perforated but all ok in the end.

To my DQS8 partner; I was planning to write you a post with some examples of stuff I like, but I think I will not be that energetic for a week or so yet so just go right ahead and start! There is not much that I do not like and I am sure to love what you make so don't worry.

I am thankful for all your messages and it is a wonderful to know I am in your thoughts.

thank you !

Im afraid I have some bad news...

Hello various bloggers, this is Tim, one of marguerites sons.

I have some unfortunate news. Marguerite was admitted to hospital a few days ago. This was for an emergency operation for acute appendicitis. The operation went well, and she is now just recovering in hospital. hopefully she will be home soon.

There isn't much else to be said about this, however this would explain why no posts or replies for the last week or so!

Hopefully she can post by herself in the next few days.

She will be checking this when she gets home so lets leave some love <3

Progress....

I have sewn up the pieced triangles now and laid it out...

Just a few half ones to do on bottom and top to make it equal. I have moved the remaining greens to the side.

This is the point where I don't see it coming together... can you see this in a cottage on an armchair near the fire? (That was the description... Cozy Cottage Comforter...)....

Good job I could take some time over the hols to do this sewing... it would never have got together so speedily otherwise!!