A Very Busy Few Days

I am still very much here - I have just had a very busy few days recently.  On Saturday we had a small family BBQ to celebrate Kaleb's 9th birthday - although technically it wasn't until Tuesday this week.

My mother managed to come along and I love when she gets a chance to visit with her great-grandkids.  And my sister who happens to be 'great aunty Sherilee' made Kaleb a cake to help us celebrate.

Besides frosting she had decorated it with those yummy sherbert filled flying saucers which were a big hit.

The rest of the weekend was spent working on the allotment and catching up on a few things, then I had a couple days off work to get a few more things done here at home.  Workmen were here to take roof tiles off our house yesterday and since I was in baking mode the lucky workmen got treated to banana bran muffins with their tea - hot from the oven too!

I had a couple of banana's that needed using up and before I knew it I had made up 3 batches of these yummy muffins to stockpile in the freezer.  Don't they look pretty in this big glass domed dish? I love this dish.  I sometimes put it on another stand I have to raise it up and it really looks fab.

Then my sister Gillian stopped by unexpectedly to loan me several butterfly punches that I needed and she stopped for tea and a muffin too!  I think she was as surprised to find me at home as I was to see her stop by - she was expecting me to be at work and since I'd taken time off for the work to be done on the house I didn't think anyone knew I was home.

She had taken mother into town earlier that morning and bless them - they went halves on getting me a set of pastry forks in the sale at Palmers.  I had mum and the girls over for cakes, pastries, little sandwiches and tea last week and had happened to mention I had all manner of pretty china and cake stands but still didn't have any little forks so they'd picked me some up - how very sweet of them!   You can guarantee they'll be coming out next time LOL

And then today in-between the plumber coming and Sherilee stopping by I finally got around to making a fully lined fabric grocery bag (carrier bag) for a gift basket that we're putting together at work for someone.  It has the expanding sides and everything!

I even made it with a little pocket in front to fold and tuck it all into.  This first one was made using a pretty pillowcase would you believe?  I often keep my eyes out for things like this cos once it's unpicked and opened out it's surprising just how many things can be made from a single pillowcase!

Sadly I made a major error in cutting one out for me out of the most scrummy bright pink bold floral pillowcase by placing the wrong edge on the fold and then cutting it out.  I only realised my mistake when I came to start sewing it.  And I had a plain bright pink lining fabric (which I cut out right) that would've been stunning too.  Needless to say I was absolutely gutted!!!

See even I screw up big time every once in a while.  This project did have a few tricky elements to master and there isn't a raw edge in sight to prove it but I will make a couple of changes to the next one.  Speaking of which - I think I will go cut out a couple more and get them made up this afternoon so I can get the process fixed firmly in my head.  I have several polka dot fabrics - maybe I'll make myself one out of that?  Whatever I do I'd best get to it as I have a 'new home' card to make today for the basket as well.

Blessings

Suezie