Still plodding

Annoyingly the next customer has chosen the same dark red  from fruit of the loom, but these are sweatshirts rather than poloshirts, and a much quicker-to-stitch logo

So while babysitting the machine during this lot I managed to get the Christmassy fabric stitched into nine patches, then cut into quarters

And all trimmed to size

And even completed the sweatshirts

Next I need to see what's in these two bags - they seem quite light so maybe not too  much work, and hopefully these will be their usual navy not *more* dark red!

Still the list is getting shorter

Plodding on

I have finished the embroidery for the museum, and while I was babysitting the machine (great phrase Katy) I started a new project (yes there may be a *few* UFOs but I got the urge, I'm sure you understand!)

I started with these Christmassy fabrics

 Cut into 6 inch strips

Stitched together into rows of three (width of fabric)

cross cut into 6 inch sections

And by then I had finished the first lot of polo shirts

Just these to go

Late Night Sewing

I had two fun evening sewing sessions last week: my friend Linda came round and we spent an evening putting the world to rights, and cutting into this pile of pashminas
 

and this pile of woven (some slightly scratch) scarves

and a short time later had this collection of mostly infinity scarves

 

 Not on any list, but some Christmas presents sorted all the same (is it OK to add to a to-do list and then straight away cross off as completed?)

I've now found a whole load more scarves - when are you coming back Linda?

The second evening was at Chertsey Museum: Chertsey Chicks!  Using the lovely Plum's 'recipe' again the ladies made chicks and a strawberry (there is always one who cant do as she's told!)

Pretty cute aren't they

Gone Fishin'

No, I haven't really gone fishin' - yuck! But there is a boy who was almost part of our family for quite a long time (the only boy I childminded from a baby - the only boy whose nappy I have changed) who is a very keen fisherman.  He turns 13 later on this week, and this is his birthday pressie:

Hope he likes it.

I've also started on customer embroidery orders: One finished for Chertsey Museum, seven more to go - at half an hour each!!!

I prefer to stay nearby while the machine is working, but at 29 minutes each, it can be quite boring, so I am working on a secret project.  Doesn't the back look lovely - it's the first time I've hand quilted a quilt. 

It is hand pieced too, but the binding will be stitched by machine to the front, and by hand to the back

Weekend Roundup

I went to see mum yesterday: she lives just over an hour from me, just outside Port Solent which is a marina outside Portsmouth.  The marina has plenty of bars, cafes and restaurants, and has just opened a crafty shopping area too, so we had to go and visit.

No fabric shops, but a lady selling card making supplies managed to take some money off me

There was also a lady selling, and making, glass beads suitable for Troll, Pandora etc bracelets.  I have bought the girls one each for Christmas, but what was really great was being able to watch their beads being made: white with three red hearts

And red with three white hearts

Today I was expecting to teach Sunday School, but no kids turned up at church, so I had a lovely morning listening to the service from the mezzanine floor, checking all the felt tips work,

And tidying the Sunday School corner

Liberty Love

A while ago Jackie gave me a pack of liberty fabrics, and I started to make a bag with them, and then put it aside for a while, well today I got so fed up with my every-day bag that I finished off the liberty bag, and I love it

Big enough to take all my cr@p

with a double pocket on the outside (fairly well camouflaged)

Can you see them now?

And although I doubt if I will reverse it, it is lined with this lovely My Folklore fabric that I adore

And has several internal pockets  as shown by these sheets of paper tucked into them.

Not so obvious, there is also a dog clip on a bit of ribbon stitched into the top seam - I don't feel the need to have a zip on my bags, but I do like to have my purse deep down and clipped to the bag


I received a fab package a few days ago from the lovely Fiona at Celtic Thistle.  She hosted the Holiday Memories mini quilt festival, and although I wasn't one of the winners (gosh they were amazing) I was lucky enough to be sent a pack of Aurifil threads in lovely summery sorbet colours, thank you Fiona

Monday Makes

I was concentrating on showing you what a great weekend I had had, and forgot to include an update from the Monday Class.

Full pictures are available here but I just wanted to show you the little tree C has made to go onto an advent calendar.  She cut *tiny* triangles and stitched them all (by hand) onto a foundation piece, and made this fab little tree

If you are interested, I have also added a new page showing all the newspaper reports about the projects I have been involved with

Wonderful Weekend (part 3)

Sunday saw a change from the fabric related fun of the previous few days

In fact on Sunday Jackie and I, together with Brian and Lisa, spent the day under a garage roof with a man called Duncan and a pear-eating dog called Gerald!

 (Gerald first :-)

Do you know what Lisa is doing?

Or what Jackie is doing?

If you haven't guessed, this should be a bit more helpful (Lisa's first project):

Yes we spent the day with a stained glass craftsman

After we'd made our first pieces (coasters?) we had a scrummy lunch of homemade tomato or squash soup, followed by apple crumble, the we started on a second piece - with curves, gulp!

Jackie's

Brian's

Jackie's again

 And here are all our creations together

A lovely day :-)

Wonderful Weekend (part 2)

On Saturday Jackie and I managed to visit 2 fabric shops!  The first one was a bit of a gamble - in a village called Cowley there used to be an underground fabric shop (in a basement unit in an industrial estate): a real cave of dressmaking and upholstery fabrics with some other random items thrown in.  I had been told that it had moved to a ground floor unit, so I thought I was worth a try.

The new shop is real Aladdin's Cave - the same strange mix but with patchwork and bag fabrics, including vinyl, added.  Upstairs there are two classroom (one with a gazebo set up in one half with jaunty gingham curtains!) and classes held quite regularly.

We (obviously) had to support the shop in its move: Jackie bought the makings of a Christmas garland, and I'm going to make a Christmas quilt from these lovely fabrics (sorry Hadley, normally I'm with you on brown, but this one really appealed to me)

 

We also popped into my friend Helen's log cabin / workshop / fabric shop and Jackie bought the makings of this Christmassy wall hanging

Later we looked at this EPP project that Jackie is working on (I L.O.V.E. the fabric choices) and arranged all the hexies, squares and triangles into this arrangement

And there may have been some chatting and some *more* baking (buttermilk scones if you want to know, and yes, they were yummy)

Wonderful Weekend (part 1)

Jackie arrived safely on Thursday night.  I had to abandon her on Friday morning to go to work (while she baked break and cake - can you imagine?  I do love that girl) but by lunchtime the the weekend could begin!

She brought me lovely pressies (although she shouldn't!)

We started with a class at Chertsey Museum, where the ladies made button pictures in embroidery hoops:

Then spent the evening chatting and planning projects

Bliss