Bluebird parking 2

Following on from the bad news in my last post, I've also been having trouble with Colin and Kate.  Kate is the new rabbit we adopted after we lost Ellis.  I can't get a photo of her as she hides in dark corners.  She's half-wild and is terrified of me.  They were living together for a few weeks when they started to fight.  Fur everywhere.  I've separated them and the plan was to bond them back together.  Poor Colin has been temporarily exiled to the old hutch:

(that's only part of the hutch and when Tiff and Harry lived in it, it had a run permanently attached.  Colin is only going to be in there for a week or so, so it's not so bad.  I would never lodge a rabbit in a hutch with a run for long periods)

We put them in the bath (small space, neutral territory) for a few hours to try to bond them.

After that, whilst giving Colin a quick health check before returning him to his hutch, I found strange patches on his back.  There are bold patches with what look like black scabs.  There are red raw spots around this and strange black tube with hair growing out of them sticking an inch or so out of his skin.  I have no idea if this is injuries from his tussle with Kate or something worse...  Colin is living apart and I'm keeping them separate until his vets appointment so I can find out what's going on.  Wish him luck.

On to the quilting.  I just went back to find the last post on this quilt and it was July of last year!  You can see it here.  I've since made some more of the medium star blocks.

I've arranged and rearranged them on the floor.

I've added solids to the mix to try to find an arrangement I like.  It became clear I needed more stars.

I tried out a few more layouts.

Not liking any of these much.

So I made the stars to help see how it would look.

So I cut out the pieces.

I chain pieced and I chain trimmed.

I chain pressed.

And I chain pieced some more.  I started with 9 stars, I finished with 7...

Because I am just such an idiot!!

See how much of an idiot I am??

These new small stars, the old stars and the solid fabrics came with me to the East Midlands Quilt Guild April meeting for some help from my quilt buddies.  I'm pretty much out of fabric, though I do have some FQs and a half metre piece - all grey prints though.  There was much disagreeing with my choice of yellow, much bossiness from certain (lovely) friends but I still haven't completely decided.  I sewed up the top left corner, but then I was stumped so packed it away.  Apparently I didn't bother taking a photo of that.  You'll have to wait for the next gripping installment in, oh, around 10 months time probably!

Enamellling

Today I have sad news.

My lovely little Tiff was diagnosed with cancer of the stomach.  It's very rare in rabbits so the vet was unable to give me a prognosis.  There is nothing they can do, she's 8 and surgery would likely kill her and probably wouldn't cure her anyway.  She's on pain meds and I'm watching her carefully for signs that she's suffering when I will have to say goodbye.

For the time being, she seems in good spirits and is still running around, cuddling with Harry, cuddling with me and scoffing her food like someone is going to take it away!

(she's only cowering in the corner as she thinks i'm going to take her out and give her her medicine!)

Today's post is about a workshop that me and lovely mum took back in February!  I'm really behind with my posts... for those that don't know, I don't get a chance to post during the week and what I'm showing you is very rarely what I've just that minute finished.  I have to do photography (if you could call it that!) and post writing at weekends, but I don't get a chance every weekend so I tend to write about 3 weeks' worth of posts in one go and schedule them.

This enamelling class was the day after a Bead Shop workshop where I'd started to feel ill.  By the Sunday, the day of the workshop, I felt pretty bad.  The following day we were supposed to go to the Stitches trade show and couldn't go as I'd come down with a chest infection.  Because of this, I don't think I was as creative as I would usually be and I've completely forgotten the name of the tutor!

The workshop was held where I have my weekly Silversmith class, in a building that belongs to one of the local collages and The Textile Workshop.  We were learning to torch fire enamels.

We started with some copper blanks to which we added glue (to hold it in place temporarily) and the enamel which is glass powder.  

They are then placed on a wire mesh rack and fired with a torch until the enamel melts.  Above you can see the fronts of my pieces.  The one on the left is actually the back as I preferred it to the front.  You have to enamel and fire the back first, then you do the front.  Whilst firing the front, the back changes as it's melting again and you can't be certain what will happen.  In the case of this white/pink one, I love what happened!  It was green on the front as you can see below.

The green one on the left chipped.  I quite like the backs of the other two as well!

I've included two photos of the drop pendents, one on a black background and one on white as I just couldn't get a decent photo.  They shine in the light as they're so glossy.  I love the dimpled effect from the one on the left.  For the life of me I can't remember what I did to it!  The one on the right is cloisonne.

I used thin silver wire to make the circles and then added the enamel.  I really love how this turned out.

Here are the backs.  I can see that the one on the left I did a gradiated effect, I think the one on the right was just blue.

When the tutor found out I was a silversmithing student, she let me loose on the tools.  I cut a disc, domed it and drilled a hole before adding a layer of white and then a layer of blue enamel.  Pretty.

Those of you with a good memory may remember we did enamelling before.  That was at the Manor House Hotel in Devon and, though similar, was kiln fired enamelling.  You can read about it here.

I enjoyed the workshop, I think if I'd been well, I would have loved it and come up with many more ideas.  Enamelling is something I'd like to do at home.  One day I'll have a set up with a kiln and a torch so I can dabble in both!

micro macrame bracelet

I still have some pieces of jewellery to show you but I haven't got round to writing posts, or, in some cases, even photographing them.  Photographing jewellery is a nightmare for me.  I usually use my little light box, but that was on the top floor and I was downstairs.  It was a sunnyish day so I thought I'd go outside.... just a shame my garden isn't picturesque.

I'll put it on the edge of the bunny run and take pictures there, that should work.

Oops, I got my garden trainers in the shot and they're FILTHY.  Let's try something a bit more artistic.

Hmmm, it's not really sitting right and if I show this picture everyone will know that my lone flowerbed only contains weeds.  Overgrown weeds.  And a patch of mud.  And straw and sawdust from the hutches.  And bunny poo.  Back to the run.

Oh no, now Harry's photobombed the shot!  As if anyone is going to look at my bracelet with Harry there.  He's so cute and sweet, I'll just spend a few minutes stroking him instead.  Right, Harry stroked.  Back to the photos.

Not only is there a bunny in this one, there's also my filthy trainers AND a torn up toilet roll tube (What would Sandra think?).  It's going to have to do.  I clearly can't take a better shot.

This micro macrame bracelet was made in a workshop at The Bead Shop Nottingham a little while ago.  It's made using C-lon cord in grey/silver, silver 8/0s and some faceted beads that might be 6mm.  Or might not.  I love this bracelet and wear it a lot.

Famous Colin

Colin is being featured today at Speedy the Cheeky Housebunny's blog, go and see him here!

fluffy bunnies

I have made nothing! Will some pictures of my uber-cute bunsters do?

"Quick, Ellis, this way, we'll get away from crazy mum with that camera"

"Oh no, there's a bag of sawdust in the way.  Now what?"

"Fine, I'll just lie down here.  I'm exhausted anyway, I got out of bed this morning and lay around outside.  So tiring."

"Come on Colin, stop lying around, let's dig a hole!  You know mum hates that"

"Colin!  Come and have a sniff at this.  It's a weed!"

"What?  What are you looking at?"

"Are you taking photos of me?  But I haven't done my hair..."

"Fine then, you take pictures, I'm off, come on Harry!"

"I can't Tiff, I've got to sniff this waterbutt.  I've only sniffed it a hundred times in the past, it might smell different now..."

No favoritism   Harry is impossible to take photos of as he just runs away.  Colin and Tiff are total camera hams.

Oh yee of little faith - and why you are probably right

I started the year by telling you about my resolution to get through all my WIPs and kits and planned projects.  You responded by telling me I'm crazy!  I'm not mad, I completely agree BUT I have started...

I started this bathroom curtain back in June!  I can't believe it was so long ago.  I've been working on it....  Despite having cut out enough squares for a King size quilt, it will only be 3 blocks x 3 blocks.

The giant granny is an even older WIP, having been started way back in July 2011!  Oh, you will be finished blanky.  I'm now on round 50 and I think I've got enough wool for another 10-15 rounds before the border, each round now takes about an hour!  I couldn't remember what hook I was using so started using a 4mm, I think it might have been a 3.5mm as the middle is definitely tighter than the edge.
 

I can't find my original post for the next item, but I had taken photos so I think I'd written a post.  I've finished off the pink flower to the left and done all the blue "bits" so far.  I have done more than this now as I took this photo a few days ago.  I did this stitching straight after Christmas but then put it aside as I wasn't sure what to do with the "under-bits" under the blue...  It's done and I'll show you an update soon.

Considering I had all week off last week you might think I'd have made more progress, but alas, this little girl got in the way.

Excuse the dark photo, it was taken in my hall which has no natural light.  And that's a piece of banana in case you're wondering.  On Thursday I noticed she wasn't eating, VERY unusual for this little greed-bag.  Off to the vets who said it was her teeth so back to the vets on Friday for an operation to file them down.  She's fine now but caused me some worry, along with some quality time keeping an eye on her.  We have to do that in the hall as she hates the floor in the living room, dining room and kitchen (laminate/lino) - she's no good at skating! 

I would like to tell you I've vacuumed the dirty brown carpet since taking this photo, but it wouldn't be true.  I haven't.

Glass Class update

Good morning.  I'm up bright and early this morning, not through choice, but because my stepdaughter requested that I pick her up so she could talk to me about boys!

I haven't shown you a glass update for a while, I missed a class through migraine, then I just got too busy, but all the glass fusing is done now so it seems a good time to show you.

I've shown you the rose before, but here's a little reminder in case you weren't paying attention!

Above is the stem, three leaves and the square.  I mentioned in my last glass post that the tutor had accidentally slumped my square, then I didn't explain what I meant, just assuming you all know what that means.  You can create glass bowls by placing your piece on top of a form which is shaped like a bowl.  As it gets hot in the kiln, the glass slumps down into the mould and takes on its shape.

I love the texture on the leaves.  For glass fusing you start with a base shape of clear glass.  You then add your coloured glass on top.  I left a gap round the edge as these pieces will be encased in the lead strips to form the window.  I also left a gap in the middle as I like the effect.  I hope you can make it out in the picture above.  Fused glass is very tactile, it's smooth and rounded at the edges.

You can see above where the pieces fit onto my pattern.  The stem is made up of three fused sections.  The top and bottom sections are similar to the leaves, the middle section is made up of small squares of glass.  My colours aren't great in the above photo, it all looks a bit dull and flat, but it's actually more vibrant than that.

Now the fusing is done, I've started the long task of cutting the stained glass for the background.  This won't be fused, but will be leaded to join the parts together.  We only have 1 class left before the end of term, then there's no more classes until September.  I've ordered a glass cutter and some pliers and I've picked out some pieces of glass so I can get the cutting done over the summer. 

I'm afraid you'll have a long wait until you see the next step which is the leading!

I'm going to spend a couple of hours catching up on my blogging, then I think I'll spend the rest of the day sewing.  I have a Zakka Style project to do and I agreed to be a pattern tester for a bloggy friend - it's due to be finished tomorrow but I'm really not sure if I'll get to it.

Hopefully bloggy service will now be resumed, but please feel free to link up your LANT projects in the meantime in case I run out of things to blog about!!
Oh, I saw that one of my projects had been pinned, it was my post about Ungar and the pinner had commented that my blog also has really cute pictures of real life bunnies.  I thought I'd better live up to that.

Here are Colin and Ellis, contemplating going upstairs, but not sure if they have the energy!

And here are Harry and Tiff, wondering why a massive bag of rabbit poo is sitting outside their hutch...

Don't forget to enter my Something Old, Something New competition.  The deadline is 31st July and there is a prize!

An obssessive week

The obsession started last Sunday night when I decided to try out a little gadget I'd bought and never used.  The obsession continued through the week until Friday night when I deemed the job done.

Nope, the obsession wasn't cutting bits of yarn.  Loom flowers.  Three sizes, lots of different colours.

So the question on everyone's lips - what am I going to do with them?  I have no idea.  I'll use some for packaging items sold from my Folksy shop, but considering I average around 5 sales per years, that's nearly 8 year's worth of packaging...

For the time being, I've put them in this jar.  Suggestions?  PLEASE??

I was lucky enough to recently win 2 giveaways.  One was from a magazine, no idea which one as my mum just enters all the competitions and then when she wins (which is often) she either keeps the prize or gives it to me.  I won this little hanging heart kit.

A much more exciting giveaway win was the fabric below, won from the lovely Rosa.  If you don't know Rosa, go and say hello, she's one talented lady.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with these fabrics, but it'll be something beautiful.  Thanks Rosa!

I spent today cleaning out Harry and Tiff's hutch, then blog reading as it rained for an hour, then cleaning out Colin and Ellis's hutch.  I snuck some pictures of the first two in the garden, I have no idea why they're looking at me with such suspicion!!

Right, I'm off now to do some sewing.  Next week's Zakka Style challenge was completed yesterday but I have a birthday gift to sew and whatever else might take my fancy.  I start a 10-week glass course on Wednesday evening, I can't wait so I'll be back at some point to show you what I made (if I manage to make anything!).