A new 'tougher' thread... and so it continues

stiltwalker

Well you've all convinced me and I've put pork shoulder on the shopping order for tomorrow to make pulled pork - I'm hoping it will make some lovely quick meals for the rest of the week as exam day is looming fast :eek::eek::eek: (Thursday) I keep revising but all it seems to do is make my head hurt - just hoping it comes out in the exam.

I am currently carrying round a natty little hobo style bag at the moment in a rather dramatic black and white fabric and I keep being complimented on it - which is rather a buzz as I made it myself from a free internet pattern and half a yard of patchwork fabric I had lying around the place. I have also bought some very elegant brown and beige striped fabric to make a bigger bag from for those day when I need to carry a few more things and I am planning on taking my old bag which has gone collapsy (Avon and came with a whole bunch of stuff in it for about £12!) and using the pieces to make a pattern. I'm also partway through making a lovely little tote bag in blue, yellow and white with blue and yellow flowers on at sewing club at the moment - it's taking a while as mostly I go to gossip and help out the less experienced members. I'm going through my bag phase at the moment! This time next year I'll have more bags than I know what to do with and will have moved on to something else for a while.

This is our sewing club pics including my bag.

Cheapskate

stiltwalker, you aren't that far from me, only just over the border! I've been to a couple of sewing classes with my SiL, and this week made a quilt, pillow and cushion, all reversible, for a dolls' cot/bed for DD's birthday present. Dead chuffed with myself! I know how to sew, but so out of practice, I need some pointers.

I have a Radley bag, too, bought just after DS (who's 5) was born. I'd spent years buying cheap bags that never lasted, so as my only post-baby treat I bought a new bag! In my defence, it was reduced by about 1/3, is a "safe" dark brown that won't date, and still looks new despite DD using it as a holdall for pretend food at the mo!

A xo

ivyleaf

Just de-lurking to wish stiltwalker and other examinees good luck - may you get only questions you know the answers to! My OU exam is tomorrow...English language, but it's linguistics rather than the English Language we learned at school :eek: My first exam in forty years, and I can't remember a thing....I've stopped trying to revise now or I'll end up gibbering in a corner. I considered adopting the Lotus Position and chanting "OM", but I'd never be able to get up again

(((HUGS))))) to everyone, you all deserve loads of 'em.

stiltwalker

Good luck for tomorrow ivyleaf - hope it all goes well.

Byatt

Good luck Ivyleaf, from someone who's been there, I am sure you will be fine and it will all fit into place when you see the questions. Just breathe and don't panic! Let us know how you get on. :T

Will be thinking of you too Stiltwalker.

lizzyb1812

Stiltwalker - love the bag, and the cushion with the sewing machine on it - is that applique? Would be a lovely present for my mum at Christmas as she is a keen sewer. I love seeing photos like these - they are full of wonderful ideas.

Elderflowers all over the place when I went out with pup earlier. There were a few small field mushrooms too but too small to make a decent bagful so left them - it's actually very early for them, must be the topsy turvy weather we've been having here. Did "forage" an abandoned tennis ball, much to pup's delight :rotfl:

All seems normal next door so am hoping it was just a drunken-row-after-clubbing thing and not to be repeated.

Made my first batch of decent soy yoghurt in my bargain Easiyo and with some tips from here - it's absolutely lovely with my homegrown stewed rhubarb - yummy breakfast tomorrow

ETA - good luck Ivyleaf - I was never taught English grammar so learning grammar when I took up foreign languages was a bit of a surprise - still better at Spanish grammar than English!

Byatt

Lizzy, that reminds me, my pooch "foraged" a tennis ball too, and carried it all the way home!

lizzyb1812

Byatt, I think half of the stuff in my dog's toybox is found stuff. Whenever we spot something it gets popped into a nappy sack, which I always have a supply of for poo-picking, taken home, washed and added to the box. He gets a treat and I spend nothing - result

fuddle

Good luck my fellow OUers, this time last year I was in your shoes. I was so nervous but once you're in here and open that paper it all comes back, the time flies and you keep your head down busily writing.

No exams for me this year but a day of doing an assignment hat has to be in on Tues.

Loving all us OSers daring to say we have a Radley bag. Very good bags, mine is safe too, black across the body.

I'm off to sleeps now but tomorrow I shall look at your link stiltwalker

stiltwalker

lizzyb - the lovely cushion is not mine but a lovely young lady doing textiles at college - as far as I remember it she appliqued on the basic shape and the rest is embellished with machine embroidery - she does some really good creative work and often brings bits for the younger kids to try out, a few weeks ago she brought them a little bit of dissolvable fabric to play with. The kids are mostly making pencil cases and bags at the moment and some of them are in the pictures.