"Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"...courtesy of 'the grinch'

it occurred to me this morning as i was doing my usual round of vacuuming used dog's hair and scrubbing dried toothpaste off the sinks that tomorrow will be the first day of december...and do you know dear readers it was like the 'grinch at christmas'. a small warm feeling started to appear inside of me and the spirit of christmas engulfed my 'bah humbugness'...for tomorrow the advent calendar begins and the excitement will start in our household...

and so to keep my little flame of 'christmas cheer' alive i went and scrabbled around under the table in my studio and located a book that i bought several weeks back...i was buying a knitting book as a gift for my friend Suzanne's birthday and stumbled upon this one, it is such a lovely book i just knew i needed it even though i hadn't a hope of knitting anything from it in time for this year...

i like the retro vintage feel to the lay out and the colors they use. i have flicked through a few pages and it has made the 'little glow' grow...

wonderful stockings...

all those knitted hats...

i would love a pair of knitted socks like these to wear with my flannel pj bottoms...

maybe if i set about them in January they will be ready for next christmas to warm my toes...

to add to these lovely festive pictures i will share my new plates ("not more plates, Tif, what is it with you and plates") i found these on the anthropologie sale table the day after thanksgiving, there was a huge pile and i was over come with excitement as they were marked 70% off...

"one, two, three, four" shuffle to counter "could you hold these for me please i am just getting more" shuffle back "five, six, seven aaaargh! this can not be" yes dear readers, the plates turned to royal blue in color...i could not have royal blue on my christmas table mixed in with red, any passing stranger invited in for 'christmas cheer' would immediately think they had time travelled and were in 1977 celebrating the Queen's jubilee (gosh i do so hope i have the right year, sorry ma'am)...and that would never do.

so there i was again left with a 'plate dilemma'... so i made the decision to buy six as it was nice and even and i knew i could buy them 'on line' later.

oh silly me, 'on line' they are still full price, every day i check and they are still full price...i refuse to purchase them full price at $12 when i paid $3.95 in the shop...

so there we are, i am feeling a lot more cheery and have plans to hang my door decoration tomorrow, yes sirree and quite recklessly unearth a few decorations gathering dust in the attic...

wishing you a lovely weekend and some holiday cheer where ever you are ~ Tif

sweet dreams...

the week has run away with me again, partly because of me and our #4 feeling under the weather, partly because the nights are drawing in so quickly and partly because of the count down to christmas is really upon us...i am trying to mentally get myself around christmas only being round the corner, usually i am much more prepared than i am this year. in our family we have christmas day then on the 26th Dec our #1 will turn 16 and on the 27th Dec our #3 will turn 12. every year i make sure i think ahead, so far this year i have managed a door hanging decoration which isn't going to get me very far...

i believe it is mainly to do with having the house on the market, i can't quite work out in my little brain how it is all going to play out...so instead of addressing a few things on my 'to do' list for christmas i holed myself up in my studio yesterday creating messes everywhere...today was my day for clean up but instead i went out thrifting, and of course a potential buyer came by because i had left my studio in a mess. i know if i had cleaned it up i would not have had a viewing, that is the way of selling your house i have decided...

anyhow, my thrifting did not result in anything spectacular...once again i was out looking for pillowcases, no luck there but i did score a lovely white cotton crocheted throw which i will show you once it has finished whirring around Mrs W. Machine...

so after yesterday's manic marathon sewing session i have produced a few custom tea towels and some pillowcases which will go into the shop tomorrow and they will be my last things i add before christmas. here's a few close up pics...

one

two

three

i plan a big tidy up tomorrow and then i will start next week with a fresh positive attitude towards christmas shopping and yes i will be shopping because the 'eco friendly dish cloths' bright idea has not turned out quite so bright. i have managed only two and do not see that number increasing any time soon...

she's promising to get all her 'bah humbug' spirit gone by monday ~ Tif

going nuts about the doilies...

i'm all of a dither this morning, i had planned a post and it does tie in rather nicely with the exciting news i have to tell (don't get your hopes up, it's nothing to do with Mossy Shed) but the problem is my typing skills are not up to scratch today, it's my 'shaking with excitement' hands...in fact i need a little of what Miss Ruby had yesterday to calm myself...

firstly though i have to tell you that when i wrote that bit yesterday about 'our #4 being at school'...let's just say it tempted fate, no sooner had i posted about 'Miss Ruby and her disgrace' then the phone rang and it was the health room at school...

"your son has a stomach ache"

"what kind?" asks i "is it the 'i am going to throw up any minute' kind or the ' i just want to come home and rest on the couch and watch spongebob squarepants' kind"...

"maybe you should speak to him yourself"...

anyway the upshot of it all, after not being in school for a full day in the past ten days (thanksgiving and teacher training days) our #4 is reclining on the couch in front of spongebob squarepants...he does have a temperature and is feeling pretty grotty so i am showing lots of 'tender loving care' whilst hoping around in my 'excitement'...

so enough of the chit chat...i had planned to show you a couple of finished items i had been working on today, both featuring doilies. then Jennifer left a comment to tell me i was featured on decor8blog, so i mosied over to take a look...i was bowled over...do you see 'little old me' amongst all those 'lovely' wares. clever creative people, just doing there thing with doilies! it suddenly dawned on me that i do seem to incorporate doilies in most of my work, i knew i liked them but now i think about it, they appear on my slips, my cushions, my bags and my tea towels...and now they are on my dressing table stool.

this tulip stool is very special to me, i remember as a kid sitting on this stool in my mum's bedroom every sunday evening with a hairdryer 'hat' over my hair (you young things out there will be clueless about this one) and waiting for the hot air inside of the hat (similar looking to a shower cap but inflated with air!) to dry my hair into a deranged 'cow licked' mess...when done my mother would attempt to 'fashion' it into something more acceptable to be seen at school for fear i would become the 'playground' victim...

so i have covered my 'tulip stool of memories' in a patchwork of odds and ends along with "a doily" (surprise, surprise). it was easy peasy and you could do the same to any stool, (if it isn't cushioned then add a few layers of batting or foam)...then get busy with some scraps, a doily (of course) and a staple gun (the fun bit)...i have big plans to paint my granny's dressing table and layer under the glass some vintage wallpaper but all in good time...

next up is the knitted cushion cover that i started way back when and then came to a complete stop. my friend Suzanne shamed me into picking it up and finishing it ("think of the cost of that yarn") and so i tried again with it but didn't get very far...so i cheated, i cast off, cut up a tea towel and machine sewed it on to the cast off edge...i then sewed on a couple of doilies (surprise, surprise) and then finished it up by sewing the seams on Miss Ethel...

as usual my 'tension' was completely out and so the cushion has grown from being 18 x18" to a 20 x 20" but all in all it worked out just fine...i have a reversible knitted cushion but have no clue where it will go as it is too big for a seat cushion...small technicality that i am quite sure i will over come at some point..

so this has turned out to be a huge big rambly post (more so than usual) but i just had to share my 'little bit of happiness' with you...

she's thanking you for listening (unless of course you fell asleep like this little one)~ Tif

and the winner is...

"take it away Miss Ruby"

"what's that Miss Ruby, you can't see the 'entries' properly...they are all blurry and keep moving around"

"i missed that, you'll have to speak up"

"you are feeling a little queasy and the room is spinning?"

"have you been DRINKING, Miss Ruby ?" (gasp, shock, horror)

"i see, yes, yes...it was quite a lot of responsibility for a wee bunny to take"

"oh Miss Ruby do not start to cry, i will do 'the drawing' for you as our #4 is at school, but let this be a lesson to you...drinking and 'prize giving' responsibilities do not mix"

"right here goes"

"and the winner is"...

HURRAH for 'barefoot no knickers' aka Debi...here is Debi's alter ego...

name is debi, 50, plump, pink hair, scruffy patchwork dresses, 2 cheeky little grandbrats, living barefoot on an english canal in my rosie and jim narrowboat, sewing all day and watching water rats swimming past tormenting our cats, masses of fabric and vintage trim all over the place, hanging my washing on the towpath bushes to dry in the breeze, goodlooking hubby, barefoot of course, with a bare chest and a 6 pack, (well more of a 4.5 these days) cooking wild mushrooms for my tea that he's just picked himself over the fields and humming along to the archers on the wireless..and guess what...its true !!..well.. will be by new year as we've just sold the house, yipeeee..jacked in our hated jobs more yipeees...and put down a deposit on our dream narrowboat !!! AT LAST...aint life grand when you're 50 years old and just starting over...hurrah for old age and an understanding old fella who shares my life dream (thanks Chris)...RESOLUTIONS; intend to start a blogg in the new year and post lovely photos of our new life for all you lovely people to share with us old wrinklies...and finish all my sewing projects lying around in messy heaps ofcourse... wish us luck x x x

can't wait to read 'barefoot no knickers' tales from the riverbanks...thanks to all who joined in, i know i am not alone in saying how fun it was to read everyones alter egos...

she's off to scub sinks and get Miss Ruby a cup of strong coffee ~ Tif

footnote: Debi, just send me your details in an email tif@dottieangel.com and i shall put the tea towel in the mail so it can spend a happy life with you and your narrowboat :)

distracted again...

ever since my christmas copy of Living Etc turned up in my mail box last week i have been a little distracted with thoughts of Mossy Shed and painting her...my favorite months for receiving Living Etc are December and May. May is always the White Issue and contains an amazing selection of beautiful homes all done out in various degrees of 'whiteness'...and of course the December issue has lovely christmasy things in it...

so my latest copy features a home full of wonderful vintage nicknack's all mixed up in a modern way...but it is their front door that i am 'eyeing' up and the lovely farrow & ball 'off black' siding.

amazingly on the same day as my mag turning up, so did a lovely parcel from Janet containing (you are never going to believe this one) a farrow & ball paint chart amongst other goodies....what are the chances of that, i am taking this as a good sign...

in the meantime

i am now keeping fingers and toes crossed even in my sleep that we sell our home soon...

opening up my little shop has done wonders for distracting me from the 'moving' or 'lack of' that we are doing at the moment. but in turn i have become some what of a hermit and do not leave my little studio unless i am required to eat, feed someone, vacuum, clean sinks, or watch re-runs of 'That 70's Show' late at night. even 'little house on the prairie' has been neglected...

this week Miss Ethel, along with a little help from the lovely Miss Margery and i, attempted cushion pad #2...much happier this time, although Miss Ethel did have a moment of madness when trying to sew a circle and so it has a slightly squiffy bit on one side...we have also together made a few cushions for the shop...i dabbled with lamps and also tried out a squirrel, whom i am rather fond of...

it really has been a treat to get to know all those alter egos out there...Miss Ruby is taking her responsibilities very seriously and says her little jam jar lid is not sufficient enough and i need to come up with something better...i didn't like to mention to her that i wasn't sure her skinny legs could take anything bigger...

keep looking for those 'thinking caps' especially here ~ Tif

'giving thanks' with a little 'give away'...

you are all too kind about my 'kitschy' lamp cushion...our #4 cannot for the life of him see it as a lamp, he said

"oooh, i see you have started making some monster cushions"

"no" says i "it is a lamp just like the tea towels"

"no, it's a monster with a square head, skinny neck and look he has one eye, two feet and a tail"

can't really argue with that...

so we have reached the week of thanksgiving and what better time for me to say a few long overdue "thank yous"...so here goes (you might need to make yourselves a little more comfy, this could take a while)

thank you for the 'smile' award from here,

for the 'nice manners' award from here (which is ironic as i have taken so long to say thank you),

plus all the lovely comments from you dear readers, that you send my way,

the parcels that turn up unexpectedly in the mail...

the support of my new ideas

and on going 'trials' of trying to move...

you are patient, forgiving and very kind.

when i decided to 'swim' a few weeks back, i did not let on that i am in fact a rubbishy kind of swimmer, the type that flays around the minute they realize they can't touch the 'bottom' and do some kind of strange combination of the 'breaststroke' and 'doggie paddle' all with head stuck right out of the water...so you have truly been my 'water wings' over the past weeks and i really must 'thank you' all...

and as a little reward for 'good behavior', i have a 'give away'...my birdie house tea towel is looking for a home. this little number was the first 'off the press' and if you fancy a chance of winning it then here's what you need to do...

1. locate your 'thinking cap' from somewhere in your home, if you have lost it, i would consider borrowing someone elses, just for a while...

2. make a cup of tea (or maybe something stronger to get the creative thought process warmed up)

3. now here's the deal...you need to think about 'who' your alter ego is...you all know mine by now, and i know Janet has one too...so i am quite sure you all have one hidden away.

4. leave your 'alter ego' in the comments, or email me and your name will be given to Ruby to take care of, who is very responsible...(Ruby comes from a lovely etsy seller called clang clang...she now owns a crocheted pinafore as she was complaining about feeling chilly in my echoey studio...)

5. Ruby with the help of our #4 will draw a name out of the bag on Monday 26th Nov, giving you lots of time with your 'thinking caps'...

so there it is...a little 'give away' to make up for my lack of "thanking you kindly" in the past few days, weeks and quite possibly, months...

she's looking forward to reading all the 'alter egos' out there ~ Tif

phew...

once again the weekend is nearly upon us, i would like a 'fuzzy naval' (my latest tipple) but it is only two in the afternoon...so i shall make do with another of my weaknesses

the last of the tea towels are listed in the shop...

cushions are in the pipe line...

a competition is planned for monday's post...

my sofa is the new owner of a kitschy lamp...

and all is well...
she's wishing you a lovely weekend ~ Tif

a bit of this and a bit of that...

i decided to do a bit of thrift shopping today...but sadly the pickings were slim, i think it is because i was sitting in a traffic jam and while i was waiting everyone else was in the thrift store buying all the good stuff...i did manage a few pillowcases and a bed sheet. i was hoping to find pairs of pillowcases as i have an idea hatching in my head, there were plenty of pairs to be had, but they were all rather dodgy looking...and the only ones that were any good were single. so i think i will just go ahead and pair what i have and make them match with colors and prints...does any of that actually make sense.

i did find some rather nice side plates, but as usual they never have the number required...i am all for mixing and matching plates but these ones happen to be in a set of five. that is not helpful at my table...i nearly just bought four of them because i can mix plates in even numbers, just not odd numbers (don't ask me why, it is a quirk in my brain that does not allow me to mix odd numbers of plates at the table...something to do with being an 'even' numbered family i think)...anyhow as the plates were only 49c (ooooh, i nearly put 'p'...spooky! it's like every now and then i sign my maiden name! how can that be after 17 years of wedded bliss, ummm) i decided to buy the five so i had the opportunity to have a 'casualty' and still have four left in the future. we do not in our house own a single set of plates or bowls without a chip or crack...even our glassware is looking a bit sad. but i think i like it that way, makes for an eclectic looking table...just as long as it is 'evens'..

i dabbled in some quilting again yesterday...i did this instead of watching 'little house on the prairie'. you know it's a real wake up call when you sit down to watch 'the prairie' and realize you have already seen the episode that is a repeat in the first place...that is someone up there telling you to get on with things and stop sitting around.

so i took the hint and decided to have a go at making a cushion for one of my studio stools. i am not overly joyed with the results, in fact i decided that it wasn't right with the cushion pad in it and so cut a few layers of old blanket up and stuffed it in the cushion cover, it has ended up more as a cushion 'pad' rather than cushion...i think the quilting made it too stiff and so it just didn't sit right...i then over stitched the edge which did nothing to help other than make the thing definitely too small for the cushion pad...

like most things i make, i always have to go away and come back and look at it later, i am sure we are all our own worst critic...when i took a look later it seemed ''not so bad" and after all i decided, my bottom will be covering it up most of the time! so not too worry...

she is off to dry up her thrift store plates with her tea towel ~ Tif

oh my, Miss Ethel, don't you look a treat...

well i have managed it, after a ridiculous amount of time (somewhere in the region of four months) i have opened the shop up again...do not get too excited if you were hoping to see slips, this is just not going to happen until Spring i am afraid (or if we give up trying to move). but i will have a few tea towels from time to time, along with cushions and pillowcases...

i had actually failed to realize just how far into November we have come and so it has been bought to my notice (by kids not leaving the house Monday morning) that for the next few weeks they are on 'half days' or 'no days' of school. so that mixed in with trying (so help me, i am trying with all my might) to sell the house, things are going to get pretty 'interesting' around here...

but let us not dwell on such things after all i have managed to list items on Etsy without a hiccup, which i am rather chuffed about...and another thing i am chuffed about is 'Miss Ethel' and her 'make over'...as my man said when he saw her "well, i guess she's staying and you are pretty confident that she isn't going to croak it anytime soon"...it would be true that i have tempted fate with her, but she seems such a steady little work horse that i am quite sure we have years ahead of us, sewing and laughing together without a single 'tension' moment between us...

my reasons for slapping a load of magazine tear outs on her white plastic cover are as follows...

1. the fabric one i made for Miss S. Machine did not fit Miss Ethel's more ample proportions, plus it was falling apart

2. when and if Miss Ethel resides at Mossy Shed, she will be living downstairs in the family room, which technically will not have family in, but all my lovely bits from my studio (when i notified my man of this, he wasn't quite so on board with the whole idea...just give it time) therefore she requires to look attractive at all times for 'visitors' calling in...

3. i am always tearing out pictures that i like, my studio closet doors used to be covered in them (sniff, pang of heart strings), but i have found in the past if you squirrel them away, you can never find them again...so better to surround yourself with them

this got me thinking (dangerous ground again). i am sure there is a market for sewing machine companies to make covers for machines with prints on...i know in the UK you can get appliances with lovely graphics over them...i am thinking designer guild, orla kiely, cath kidston...why hasn't this happened already. (maybe it has, i just haven't noticed)

so there it is, Miss Ethel is looking lovely sitting proud on my table...and yes Miss Margery (owner did give me permission) will be getting the same treatment once i have managed to unglue the lid of the glue bottle after my 'sloppy gluing' from the other day...

she's off to find a strong willing man ~ Tif

footnote: just because i manage to list on my shop without a hiccup, those pesky lines decide to appear again...and i thought they were behaving so well...just typical.

a bit of holiday cheer...

whilst i was out and about last week i couldn't help but notice that 'christmas' was in the shops...and so i thought i would share with you, dear readers, a couple of ideas for 'handmade' door decorations...i'm not so good at the 'glitter and tinsel' side of decorating and have found that i prefer the more scandinavian style of things when it comes to my home, plus i love to see 'handmade' decorations, which add a personal touch to whatever 'holiday' you celebrate...

both of these ideas are pretty simple and require a few items along with some yarn.

first up is 'the wreath'...i got this idea when out and about christmas shopping with my mum last year. one of the shops had as part of it's window display, balls of yarn to represent snowballs. "how clever" i said to myself and then on my return home the little cogs in my brain started to turn. i decided to opt for a silver/blue/cream theme as that is what my yarn stash had to offer. all you will require is some yarn in your color choice, a wire coat hanger and a pair of knitting needles. get to work making different sized balls of yarn (kids are very good at this bit) and just secure the yarn with a few stitches into the ball.

next, open up the wire hanger and make a rough circle shape. then start to thread the balls onto the wire...(not suitable for kids as it takes a bit of 'wellie' to get the wire through the balls, so hands could get hurt). once you have filled the circle, then close the hanger up, (you will probably need the help of some handy pliers) and fold the hanger top over to make a loop. cover wire loop with a bit of yarn, stick in your needles and hey presto, you have a 'crafty' yarn wreath that lasts through winter, especially if your colors aren't too christmasy.

okay next up, is my 'door hanger' that i have made for this year, i was inspired to make it when i found these lovely door bells in our local World Market...i then proceeded to take the same idea of 'balls of yarn' and mix it with scraps of lace, buttons, some 'die cut' felt snowflakes and a garland of felt hearts from Ikea that i cut up...

you are going to make strands of different lengths and layer them in front of the bells. it is simply a case of mixing and threading items on to yarn...i chose quite a traditional color this time, but i think it is possible to have a load of fun with this one...i'm thinking you could attach baubles, knitted mittens, little toys, popcorn, dried oranges, cookies...the list goes on, just use items from around the house and your sewing corner...

at the top, to disguise the knot of yarn, i just sewed a simple bit of old lace...you can see the bells hanging out just below and i can't wait nearer Christmas to hang it on the door, be it my one here or the one at Mossy Shed and hear the bells jingle when the door is opened...

hope my instructions are clear, i'm not sure the 'tutorial' bit is my forte,

the pictures are pretty clear so you can get the idea from them without all my 'waffling'...

the sun is shining today so she's off to get tea towel pictures done for tomorrow ~ Tif

the one without a title...(it's the potpourri going to my head)

the inspiration for the lamp appliques on my tea towels came to me last saturday night. i was waiting on the sofa at around 11:30 pm sending out a mental 'wish' that our #1 would hurry up and get home so i could go to bed...and while i was doing that i was 'multi tasking' my brain and thinking of ideas for tea towels. i knew when i had made my table cloth a few weeks back that tea towels would be something i would like to try. i am not so good at drying up with tea towels but i am good at hanging them on the rail of my cooker to add a bit of color to the kitchen...

so as i was gazing into space, it suddenly dawned on me, i was staring at the very object that would look just lovely on a tea towel...

now this lamp is one of my most favorite thrift store finds, it is also one of my most cheapest finds. it cost me $3...i love the color, that perfect shade of sludgy green, i love the flowers on the base and the shade didn't need to be changed out, what more could one ask for from a thrift store find...it was made in 1977 by someone who obviously liked to take pottery lessons and i think was actually quite good at it...

so there it was, the answer to my tea towel applique dilemena...retro/vintage lamps. the perfect excuse to go thrift shopping and to buy all those lamps one sees but can't justify buying because i already own a lot of thrift store lamps...

i have cranked out a few more tea towels on the old workhorse 'Miss Ethel' and plan to put them in the shop along with a few 'lamp' inspired cushions...this will hopefully happen mid week next week, except i am beginning to wonder if i have forgotten how to list on Etsy, so with that said i will probably start trying to list on Wednesday and chances are something may appear by Thursday!

one last thing that i thought of as i was working on number nine tea towel, just a small detail i told myself, i haven't actually test driven my tea towels, they have gone through Mrs W. Machine and Mr T, but i haven't actually used them to dry up yet. this doesn't surprise me one bit really, such a simple thought but so easily forgotten.

so tonight i will find my willing victim...i am thinking of saying to my man when he walks through the door "i need you now" which will get his attention and then throw him the tea towel and point to a large pile of wet dishes...

she is over come from the fumes of the potpourri bowl staged in her home ~ Tif

the one about Mossy Shed...

i have been to see the gray house today, or as our #2 fondly refers to it, 'the shed' (remember she is fourteen so therefore has been possessed)...it has been over three weeks since i have been there and it felt good to have a look around and confirm all my thoughts of "this could go there" and "wouldn't that be a great wall for vintage wallpaper".

this morning eating breakfast with our #3 and #4, we were discussing 'the shed' and the fact that it may look like it is a field of grass out the back but actually it is mainly moss. and so our #4 decided that we should name the house 'Mossy Shed'...and after he had decided that he also decided that we would paint a sign "just like mabear has on her house" (mabear is my mum, just in case you were wondering). so that is settled i feel, if and when we ever do get to live in the gray house it will be named Mossy Shed.

the thing i like about the neighborhood around Mossy Shed is the eclecticness (is there such a word) of the place...it is a whole mix of different houses and families, i really do think we will feel far more at home there than we do here. after all we will be allowed to keep chickens and have an airstream parked out front, and we all know where i am living now that is a big "NO NO"...

the first time we found Mossy Shed we toured the neighborhood to get a feel of the place and i knew we would feel right at home when our #4 exclaimed as he looked out the window "look, do you see that, well i have never seen anything like it in all my born days (i just love it when they come out with phases like that) it's a car completely covered in ivy" and then he turned to me and asked "do you think they will let me play in it if i live near by?"

so we must continue to keep our fingers and toes crossed that a buyer for our house will soon turn up on the doorstep and that at some point in the future i can make Mossy Shed our home...in the meantime i have plans to have the shop open again next week, just for a little while, as we sit and wait for 'our buyer'...

she's fallen in love with 'Miss Ethel' ~ Tif

todays list...

1. vacuum. check
2. clean toilets and sinks. check
3. disguise gray roots with an interesting parting. check
4. cut out paper patterns for tea towels. check
5. cut out linen for tea towels. check
6. stop pesky cat from destroying paper patterns. check
7. put 'Miss Ethel' to work. check
8. place 'healthy snack' near by in case of emergency. check
9. make 'fake washing line' for photo taking. check
10. feel good about getting some 'sewing' therapy in before kids get home. check

she nearly forgot...

11. put something in the crock pot for dinner. check ~ Tif

Tif and her new sewing friend...

i am not sure why i give names to machines in my house...not all of them but just some. you become attached to them and it makes it so much harder when something goes wrong and you have to ditch them. for example 'Mrs. W. Machine' (although rubbish at washing) feels like a friend. she sits right along side my tumble dryer, who has remained nameless until just now. how sad to think my washing machine has a name and yet my tumble dryer does not, so i have named him 'Mr T'...

and so yesterday i knew it was time to move on from 'Miss S. Machine' who is well and truly a gonna (residing in Machine Heaven as i type), hand back 'Miss Margery' to her rightful owner (before she croaks it and i get accused of the crime) and venture forth to find a replacement. i don't know why i chose this weekend to do it, when we had six soccer games to get to and three house viewings, but there we go...

i believe i have found myself a trusty little work horse (just look at the wording above printed on her box)...she is basic, sturdy (ie. doesn't move across the table as one is sewing, unlike 'Miss S. Machine') and i am told by the sales lady, will go on and on and on (we'll see about that one). so meet 'Miss Ethel'...we have been getting to know each other...(and you may have to sit down here), i have even been reading her manual (gasp)...it is all a bit foreign but so far i have managed to learn enough to sew a straight line that isn't all snarled up.

the sales lady assured me that 'Miss Ethel' is a 'no brainer' little trooper, somehow she comes with the ability to read your mind (don't ask me how, it is a mystery and i am willing to believe its true). she achieves all stitches effortlessly, no tension issues ever (unlike myself) and just sews like a dream...only time will tell.

so i am off to try out my 'tea towel' making with 'Miss Ethel', the tea towels are coming along nicely and i will have some real results to show you by the end of the week with a bit of luck...

she's off, as 'Miss Ethel' is calling ~ Tif