BBC Good Food Show 2009

Whew!  I'm pooped!!  Had a good but tiring day today at the BBC Good Food Show 2009 but boy was it busy - crowds everywhere (we got there for when the show opened at 9 but come 11 am the hall was chocka with people - some areas of the hall were impossible to get down.  I've been to this show before and although I thoroughly enjoyed myself I did feel that this year paled in comparison - I know people use these shows to make their living but some of the exhibitors' prices for their products were ridiculously expensive and I did feel that this year seemed a little money grabbing.  All that aside, TV celebs were aplenty this year so here's a few photos of the day

Greg Wallace and John Torode at the Masterchef Invention Test Theatre

 

Mat Follas 2009 Masterchef winner

Amanda Lamb and Matt Tebbut from Market Kitchen

Amanda and Ching He Huang

 Amanda, Matt and Ching

 James Nathan 2008 Masterchef winner

 Martin Blunos

Paul Rankin signing autographs

Michael Caines

Gordon Ramsey

Another of Gordon!!

What I'm doing this week

Feeling tons better today and have put all that happened yesterday behind me.  Thank you so much to everyone who let me know that they would have done exactly the same as me - I was starting to doubt myself.  Also, thanks for everyone's recommendations for alternative US quilt shops to use - I shall have a lot of fun browsing through my little list of suggestions!!!  I did get a response from the offending company - they admit their email was a little harsh (you think?!!!) and apologised but sorry, too late, I won't be using them again.

I had this through the post today which really brightened my day......  lovely  Kaffe and Phillip Jacob fabrics that I got in the sale...£3.50 per half metre!!!  Yipeee!!!

Lots of lovely colour to play with!!!

I'm also happy about this....

 

I got most of this wool from a charity shop today - the basket I already had which once belonged to my grandma - I have no idea how old it is but I've had it for over 20 years myself!  This wool is destined to become hats and scarves for the kids I think.  At the mo, I'm knitting a lovely, fuzzy, woolly scarf for me..

And I just had to show you these... my daughter drew both of these so I've framed them and they'll be going up on bedroom doors at some point - aren't they lovely!

 

 

What have you been up to so far this week?

Am I wrong or what?!!...Ggggrrrrrr

Ooh I am soooo mad and just had to have a little vent on here.  I ordered some fabric from a quilt shop in the USA at the beginning of September and had still not received it come the end of October/beginning of November.  So I did what anyone else would do - I got in touch with them to inquire as to its' whereabouts as the tracking number they had given me provided no information to its whereabouts.  After a couple of emails back and forth (all pleasant) I still hadn't received the item and I had spent rather a lot of money for the item through Paypal I filed a claim for non-receipt.  Needless to say, everything got resolved and I received a refund from said quilt shop and thought nothing more of it until today when I opened my email inbox.....

I have received today an email from the quilt shop in question which is unbelievable in its rudeness.  The email basically implies that it is my fault I didn't receive the item because I live in the UK and that they are considering not accepting any orders from either UK customers or people that use Paypal!!!  Go figure that one out!!!  How on earth is it my fault?!!  I ask you!!!?  (This also from a shop that says it really matters to them as they are trying to grow their business - I don't think so with this behaviour!)  What would you do if you hadn't received something in the post - do nothing?!  The said quilt shop also implies as to my honesty about the whole non receipt - I regularly order fabric from both the UK and the USA and this is the only package I haven't received.  Ever.  I had placed orders at other fabric stores in the USA after I had placed this order and had received all of those no problem - they had all arrived by the following week.

I am absolutely gobsmacked by this company's behaviour - I won't name names on here but I certainly won't be recommending this company to anyone I know - or any of my customers for that matter. (But if you do want to know I will let you know personally as I really don't feel that these people deserve the custom - whether its a US or UK customer or anywhere else for that matter - I wouldn't normally do this sort of thing but their behaviour about it is so disgraceful they really don't deserve to get away with it). I don't feel that I have done anything wrong - I just did what anyone else would do upon non-receipt of an item.   Needless to say they have received an email from me..... 

However, I would like to say that all the other UK and US quilt shops I use are fantastically good and would in no way like to tar them with the same brush as they have all provided excellent delivery and customer service.

What do you think?  Am I in the wrong?  I don't think I am?..

Down on my knees

Ouch!!  Not satisfied with having a twinge in my back today I go hell for leather and decide to spend an hour or so down on my knees with this little lot....

Frog and truck are also assisting in helping me to decide the layout!!

 

... this little lot is one of two projects I'm working on at the mo but one I can't talk about as it's a Christmas present - the recipient of which reads this blog so lips are zipped and pics are banned - at least until it's been received!!!

This, however, represents this afternoon's cutting up a little bit of all the fabrics I really like but can't bring myself to cut up too much.  I already have one quilt for our bed (it was the first one I ever made)  which is a lovely pink and brown quilt (which I admit I made all wrong but I don't care as I still love it and I've learnt so much since that first quilt) but as much as I love it I want something bright and cheerful ready for Christmas - don't ask me why I just do!! So 144 8.5"squares later I got the above... it's so big I ran out of room on the living room floor and had to lay out squares under the coffee table which I'd already moved out of the way once!!  It's gonna be a HUGE QUILT!!!!

You know it's time to take a break and have a cuppa when....

......you sit there frantically pressing the foot pedal wondering why the hell your machine won't work (you've checked it's plugged in correctly and everything) then look under the table and realise that for the last few minutes you've been putting your foot on your almost two year old son's plastic telephone from his baby walker......

Busy, Busy, Busy

I've really found it hard to find the time to put something on the blog for a few days now - mainly because I just haven't had any time lol!!  We've had half term last week so we've all been busy keeping busy and unbored which can be tricky when you have a 9 year old and an almost 2 year old.  Also, halloween kept us entertained too with plenty of sweets and yummy hot dogs galore.  We watched Hocus Pocus which is a great halloween film and Bette Midler plays a great witch!  This weekend will see Bonfire Night and lots of fireworks and sparkler for us in the garden (with a small bonfire) of which my husband is very excited about as he gets to be chief fire lighter and firework letter offer!!!  I thought fireworks were for the kids!!? Hotdogs and burgers will be on the menu and I'm toying with the idea of making some soup but not sure what so any ideas/suggestions are more than welcome!

My shop has been busy too which is fantastic so I've also been busy sewing some new items to replace the ones that are selling.  I'm sewing up a few quilted diary covers complete with 2010 diaries included!!!  Here's a small sample of what they look like...

 

The covers are fully removable so you can reuse them over and over with a vintage button on the front and they will fit an A5 sized diary - perfect for those who are busy enough to need a diary (think I'll have to start using one myself!)

Fun with strip piecing

I've been having such a lot of fun with my next quilt - I've really enjoyed the process (albeit a new process) of strip piecing which I've never done before.  I decided to use greaseproof paper so that I could cut out the blocks to 12.5 inches (I wouldn't have gotten this size from copy paper but the greaseproof worked really, really well).  Strip piecing is just great - I always thought it looked complicated but it's really easy.  I'm definitely going to be doing this again!

So - this is what I started with....

Which soon became.....

Which resulted in......

I have 16 blocks so far and although it's pretty sizeable I think I may do at least another 8.  I don't think the photo really does the quilt justice as it really is so bright and cheerful.  That's what a dull grey day in the UK does for outside photos!!!