You knew it wouldn't be long!

Sorry for dropping off the radar again, but ailments in the household reached a bit of a crisis point.  I, of course bravely fought off every bug that came my way, but the rest of the household did not fair so well and I found myself acting as nurse for, one person after another - 8 weeks in total!!
And as the weeks went by, various tasks dropped off the list of priority, until finally I arrived at my mums door with 2 children asking for a night's sleep!

Anyway, you know when I start posting about sewing machines it won't be long before there is a new workhorse in the stable and here it is.

Its a bit of a beast to look at (you can't see the table and the motor as I have hidden them behind the settee at the moment), but it is definitely beautiful when it runs.

OH asked a silly question about getting rid of one of the other machines, but I assured him it was important to keep things as spares!

You would be so proud of me!

Yesterday I went to view a new sewing machine.  (Well, second hand, but potentially new to me).  And guess what?  I didn't buy it!!

Yep, all on my own, I made a very grown up decision.  As smooth as it was, as sturdy as it was, it just wasn't the machine for me.

A year ago, it would have been perfect, it is better than any of the 4 I have here, but I fought back the demons in my head, turned and walked away.  Plus, it gives me the excuse to go and look at plenty more!

What a week!

At school they teach you that water and electricity don't mix.  Well what I have learnt is ice and OH don't mix!

To cut a long story short before the snow OH, cycled across  patch of black ice and fell off.

Despite no broken bones, no broken skin and no visible bruising, he damaged himself so spectacularly that it took him 5 days to put weight on his foot and is still using a crutch now, some three weeks later. 

Now all this could be classed as very bad luck, if it wasn't for the fact that it is the third time I have end up in A&E with him due to ice. (first there was the broken leg whilst sledging, then there was the ice skating incident and now this).  So should there be another snowfall in the next 30 years, you will spot our house as the one wrapped up in cotton wool.

In the mean time the children have brought a lurgy home from school and passed it around, so that everyone flaked out in bed, except me of course, who was obliged to peel grapes and mop brows throughout.  So I was delighted on Friday when everyone returned to their correct place of school and work and left me in my work room uninterrupted for a whole day.

Men can't wrap

I don't want to shatter any illusions you may hold, but men can't wrap.  I base this statement on a Christmas job, selling perfume in a department store.  Perfume comes in a rectangular box, but the panic that crossed the men's faces as they discovered we had no wrapping facility, proved it.

So for Valentine's Day I have produced a teeny, tiny gift bag, just big enough to hold a jewellery box.  Fastened with a bit of Velcro, they won't even drop the present on the way home!

County, country and culture

I supply a few goodies to a shop in Wiltshire. The Old Rectory Tea Rooms is in Castle Combe, and Castle Combe is full of views like this.

Anna, who runs the tea rooms asked if I would make a cat range for her shop, because cats are lucky in Japan, and the tea rooms receive a lot of Japanese visitors.

And it seemed to complete the Polly Polkadot 'range' very nicely!

Glasses cases and phone cases.

And Annabelle ... yes I moved county and country - I moved to England.

A dinky little gift bag

The new design

As you know, I have some serious catching up to do - both in reading your posts, and in letting you know about me.  I apologise if I have missed any births deaths and marriages (which is the only time I ever iron), but you have never been far from my thoughts.

One of my designs that has taken up my time, is a gift bag.  It started life as a child's bag, requested and designed for The Old Rectory Tearooms in Castle Combe (a more idyllic little village is not to be found!). Unfortunately Anna had a price bracket the bag needed to fall into and this affected the design.


However a conversation with Grug Studio, Dolgellau, led to the bag developing into a much more complete design, way back in September. Despite the higher price it has proved a very popular item in the run up to Christmas, when I believe it stepped from being a child's bag, to being a gift bag.