17 hours and counting

So far, I've spent 17 hours stitching away, bent over a sewing machine, to make my fossil lace, and I'm still only half way there.  Why oh why do I start these things ... do you think I'll ever learn to do a quick and simple project for a change.  Mine always seem to involve hundreds of hours of creation.

Saturday afternoon was a dyeing day - trying to get the right colour fabric to match my machine lace.  I want to use this for the inside of the noodle box.  I also had to dye a piece of fabric purple for the outside of the box which will be covered with the machine lace.  The purple dye I bought was more a plum, so I added some blue and eventually got the colour I wanted but it was a bit splodgy.  I'm hoping I can hide it with the lace and stitching.

I did end up with some nice mottled and mixed coloured pieces, so I hope I can do something exciting with them at a later date.  The box is coming on slowly and starting to take shape.  I've got to rework the handle idea.  I woke up at 4am the other morning suddenly realising my handle design wasn't going to work .... why didn't my brain pick that up at the time of design instead of deciding to wait until 4am in the morning to tell me!?

After all this brain storming and stitching I needed to clear my head and stretch my legs, so I took wee Bons to Lakelands for a walk and found this lovely duck.  Usually they're the mallard types, brown and boring, but this one was lovely and was happy to pose for me.

When I turned around I found I had an audience.  What is it with these birds!!??  Last year I was terrorised for 4 months by a Heron, who took great pleasure hiding behind the trees near my pond, waiting until I got near before taking off into flight like a B52 bomber and scaring the life out of me, as well as stealing my gold fish.  I'm getting worried that one day soon my neighbours might find me running down the street, arms and legs flaying widlly screaming "the birds, the birds". 

They already think I'm whacky ... that'll just confirm it!!