84. oh, hello 2014. here so soon!? giveaway (NOW CLOSED)

overall, 2013 was really rather good :)

every time my glass got half empty, something would occur to fill it back up. and that “something” wasn’t always rainwater from the leaky downpipe or overflowing gutters.

usually it was a new project, a mountain of fabric, a sale, a comment, a message or email, some lovely feedback, (even surprise cards & gifts!) that all reminded me how fortunate i am to be doing what i do, and that without my awesome customers it wouldn’t be possible.

ok, well, no. i’d still be doing this without you :p
but all this stuff ^ would be hidden under the bed in the spare room and i’d just be some crazy lady who watches supernatural in her pyjamas all day whilst tinkering with a sewing machine.

so thankYOU for that moment – at Husband’s work do for eg – where people politely ask, “and what do you do, fiona?”  and i can hold my head up high and smile and say “embroidered zombies.”

one of my favourite projects at the end of the year, was this set of 3 embroidered sketchbooks, commissioned by kerry for her friends – they’re all frequent visitors on my facebook page so it involved lots of sneaky and managing to keep my big mouth SHUT.

to say thankyou for sticking with fiona t., for your support and for buying stuff, (also, like a little bribe to make you stay) here is a

***GIVEAWAY***
the prize is that i’ll make the winner something nice. whatever they want**
(**DISCLAIMER: to keep it within the realms of reasonable & possible, it will be something very much like that ^ )

to enter: what was your highlight of 2013?
mine was our family holiday with mostly-recovered anakin dog, and getting sunburnt (!) in the north sea (!!) in late september (!!!)

the winner will probably be chosen at random by anakin.
competition closes on saturday the 11th of january at 12 noon.
i’ll post the winners name here, and be in touch shortly afterwards so we can discuss your prize.

thanks again, and good luck!

***edit: CONGRATULATIONS KAREN ADAMSON, i’ll be in touch soon to discuss your reward :)

83. the one with the fire

in my absence since my last post(s), i’ve just been doing a lot of mind-blogging.
i want to write stuff – but i haven’t had time or i’ve been too tired ‘n headachey to sit here – so i “write” in my head while i’m doing busy work, and i frequently look at things and imagine that i’d take pictures (if i had my camera to hand) and write about that stuff too.

it’s been a busy few months. especially inside of my brain.

but now i’ve reached a point where i feel like i can’t start 2014 properly until i’ve tidied up from 2013. so here:

(***and so that i can elicit maximum sympathy, it’s important for you to remember that all of these things were going on at the same time)

1. i was determined to stop sewing-work on november 1st so i’d have plenty of leisurely time to complete all of the other things i had to do… but as soon as i’d packed my machines away, i had loads of new ideas.
and with so many other things to avoid…

… i kept working & didn’t hang up my sewing hands until december 18th.

2. one of my very BFFs was in the UK for a couple of months so we wanted to squeeze in as much time together as we could *tick*
tea, chat, reminisces, films, late nights, lolz, wine, pub meals, belper’s winter food fair, more pub… *tick tick tick*

3. i seem to have contracted (crazy/senile/deaf/needy)collie-induced insomnia <– i feel qualified to make that medical diagnosis having watched seasons 1 – 8 of House, MD in 6 short weeks.
after enduring months & months of 2-hour bursts of sleeps i’m awfully tired and not always in the sunniest of moods (haha).
we’re still best pals though – she’s absolutely my favourite person ever :)

4. diy stuff. the main event. the end-of-year thing i’d been avoiding most.

after looking at this dusty, rusty monstrosity for 5+ years we could finally afford to replace it.

i’ve been tripping over that stupid hearth & looking at its stupid, ugly (badly fitted) broken tiles EVERY DAY.
hoovering up falling soot & Bits from the badly fitted fitted flue EVERY WEEK.
wet dusting each dimpled surface and stupid claw foot (erm.. LESS OFTEN) to keep the dust allergy at bay.
scowling at the maroon lead-painted patchwork of… of…? i don’t even know what the fuck was going on at the back.
and spiders! so many spiders in all of the rough and the holes.

the whole fireular area has been offending my eyes daily for the last 5 years AND WE COULDNT EVEN USE THE FIRE.

smashing things up is always really good fun for the first 3 or 4 hours

but then there’s awkward bits and hurty wrists and hammer-smashed knuckles and terrified collie and so much dust and then clean up. and then more clean up. and then getting everything bagged up & outside. and practising pathetic-face so the man delivering the skip takes pity on you…

after the old fire was out,

we spent daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaays brick cleanering & scrubbering (the original brickwork was in a very bad state so it was very much an exercise in turd-polishin’).

and then more dust (old hearth 1 – sds drill 0)

and then more days cleaning & scrubbering and filling holes and repointing brickwork until we were ready for the professionals…

who were awesome; hard working and tidy, and good humoured about stepping in anakin’s little “gifts”

(if you look closely you can probably still see dog shit under his boots)

finally they were all done :)
and here she is, all $leek and gorg£ou$, ready for her maiden fire, ready for

5. christmas

shame about the rest of the room (work in progress)