Frustrating Computer Issues

I can't believe the issues I'm having with posting blogs. It took me four attempts this morning (Sunday) to get our FNSI blog to post. Cornelia had already tried several times yesterday and it just wasn't a happening thing. I'm going to have to get the computer looked at I think as the internet kept shutting down in the middle of the blog and even though it automatically saved it in drafts it wouldn't let me edit the post so I had to type it all again. Never mind we got there in the end. I haven't even had a chance to look at the lovely work you all did on Friday night so I hope to have a browse this afternoon.
Corrina

FNSI Results

Last night's Friday Night Sew In was lots of fun! It started with the most frustrating game of monopoly - junior monopoly I might add (and quietly admit that the three players were 15 and 22 years old, and mummy:o)) I spent the whole game trying to lose becuase I was keen to sew. Mum and Taya had a great deal of fun laughing at my increasing frustration! My cousin started sewing first while I discussed the wedding guest list with mum, dad and my fiance (everyone says that the guest list is the most complicated part, so I'm very glad it seems to finally be sorted). Taya made a cute cushion for her mum! She is very clever, as mum and I need a pattern to make anything, However Taya gets annoyed with a pattern and just manages to make things off the top of her head!I finally put the borders on my "Angels Kisses" Block of the Month and I'm so happy with it!

I have been working on it for about 3 years now, so to start to see the end in sight is very exciting. I am now trying to decide how to quilt it. I can't do the fancy stuff and can't afford to pay anyone to do the fancy stuff so was thinking a combination of hand and machine in the ditch quilting. Thoughts?

I needed a bit of help from mum, as I was having issues with sewing the blue border on and keeping the small red border looking even. So mum's Friday night sew in was really just helping us two girls!
We bought the material for the bridesmaids dresses today and I love the colour! and mum and I have started making the invitations. So wedding plans are coming along nicely.
Cornelia

A quick update...

So you will get a proper post from Mum and I tomorrow, posting out Friday Night Sew in photos as we are participating tonight :)

I am up in Hamilton with Mum and my cousin is here also (the one who received the bag mum posted about below as a birthday present) so we will all be sewing together, which will be very very nice!!

Looking forward to posting tomorrow and having a blog browse at all the lovely things you have been making. If you arent yet linked up to the Friday Night Sew in and want to participate go to http://handmadebyheidi.blogspot.com/

Cornelia
PS. I just posted this and have edited to add this question. How do I change the date/time on blogger, it is American time (so its telling you I am posting this Thursday the 21st at night) and I want it at least closer to NZ time! (Im really posting this on Friday the 22nd here in NZ in the late afternoon!)??

A Finished Project and some encouragement...

I'm feeling very pleased with myself at the moment because I have finished the bag I was making for my niece for her 15th birthday. Here is a picture of the finished product. I'm so pleased with the final result and the best thing of all is that she loves it. I did find it a bit of a challenge and it felt like I was unpicking more than I was sewing, but I got there in the end. The funny thing is that when I was packing away the pattern pieces and instructions I happened to glance at the part of the instructions that I couldn't seem to grasp when all of a sudden it clicked! It made complete sense and I couldn't see why I didn't fathom it out in the first place - so typical of me. Never mind, I'll know for next time. Taya has already used it and what she said she loves most about it is that it is unique which is so true about making things. I feel so blessed to be given the gift of creativity and doing things with my hands. I was reading a little devotional the other day on creativity which I thought I would share with you:

'Creativity is a God-given ability to take something ordinary and make it into something special. It is an openness to doing old things in new ways and a willingness to adapt other people's good ideas to suit our personal needs. Creativity is an ability we all possess, although many of us keep it hidden in the deep corners of our lives. The creative spirit is part of our heritage as children of the One who created all things, and nurturing our creativity is part of our responsibility as stewards of God's good gifts'. I hope this is as much of an encouragement to you as it was to me. I especially liked the part about adapting other people's good ideas to suit our personal needs as I'm always starting off with a pattern and then changing it around so much that it doesn't look much like what I originally started with but the finished result is always just so 'me'.

Winter has kicked in at last and it is very cold and wet. It may be winter but my garden has come to life. It is a very good all-year-round garden with flowers popping up all year but I think it takes a bit of beating the camellia flowers. This one is my favourite. Isn't it stunning! It is so big and the amazing thing is that it will stay standing up in the vase all week. I've got another camellia that I pick but the flowers drop off after the first day in the vase and they are only teeny weeny flowers compared to this one. I've got it sitting on the table in front of our stereo at work and you can just see the pretty little primula flowers in the background. They also last all week in the vase.

With the cold weather I've decided that I need a scarf or two so I bought a couple of really neat patterns on Etsy. I bought some wool yesterday and as it is bucketing down with rain today it is the perfect day to be knitting. I think it will be pretty and it feels so soft and snuggly. The wool is called Moda Vera - Chantilly. It says it's 70% acrylic and 30% milk protein which sounded weird to me but my husband says that milk protein is called casein and it's used in all sorts of things. Maybe that's what makes it feel so soft. Here is what I've knitted so far...

I shall leave you now and continue with my knitting. I hope that you manage to find some time for creativity this weekend.

Corrina