Today I have been adding to ...

I'm still making the most of the last few work-free days!! We've been watching the Harry Potter movies on the TV for the last week or so, and I've been hand sewing, so my hexi rainbow now looks like this

 

And I've added all my stash of selvedge edges to each other and to the denim quilt: it's now getting big enough to be finished soon, but I'm not sure what to do next!

 

I've also finished (and filled) version 2 of the Block Bag

 

The sewing room looks as if a bomb exploded in there, but I'm sweeping it all to the side to give myself a bit of sewing space: tidying can wait until there isn't enough time to sew

I know some of the world is already in next year: we are going to friends soon to celebrate. I wish you all all the very best for 2017! A friend at church sent me this and I think it's worth sharing (thank you Nomi)

Boarding on Flight 2017 has been announced......Hope you have checked in only the best souvenirs from 2016 in your luggage....The BAD and SAD moments, if still in your possession, must be thrown away in the garbage bins before departure.......The flight will be 12 months long. So, loosen your seat belts, jingle and mingle.

The stop-overs will be :

✳Health,

✳Love,

✳Joy,

✳Harmony,

✳Well-being

✳Peace.

Refueling will be at

👍Giving

👍Sharing

👍Caring.

The following menu is offered and will be served during the flight.......

✅ Cocktail of Friendship,

✅ Supreme of Health,

✅ Grating of Prosperity,

✅ Bowl of Excellent News

✅ Salad of Success,

✅ Cake of Happiness,

All accompanied by bursts of laughter...

But remember, you will enjoy these meals and the journey better if you talk, share, smile and laugh together. Sitting silent will make the flight seem longer.

Wishing you and your family 👪 an enjoyable trip on board flight 2017..... May you and your family be blessed with an awesome year ahead

Happy new year to all

 

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At last a sewing day!

A happy day today: I finished sewing triangles onto grey squares, and speed dated the blocks.

 

I also got them clipped in place, so I can start sewing the strips together.

AND I started on my plain and spotty rainbow fabrics - the ones I got from the girls' boyfriends for my birthday.

However, I think I need more blocks ... so I shall just *have* to go shopping for more fabric: I hope HobbyCraft still have it in stock

 

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Pinterest Problem

I wanted to try the Pinterest inspired melted crayons onto a framed canvas art!

Well to be honest, I wanted to try it years ago, so the crayons have been glued and waiting for at least two years. I don't own a hairdryer or paint stripper and kept forgetting to ask the family if I could borrow one. Today they took matters into their own hands and put the prepared canvas into the oven.

Fortunately- the canvas turned out fab!

Unfortunately the crayons also melted onto the oven floor and sides!

Fortunately the baking tray caught most of it

Unfortunately I'm going to need to get someone in to clean the rest!
Sigh!

Fortunately tomorrow should be more successful - I'm sewing! One stack of blocks to finish and speed date, one UFO to move along, and one quilt that exists in my head but needs cutting and stitching



(Edit: I glued the crayons onto a canvas - the Pinterest ones are usually shown with a hot air blower of some type to melt the crayons, but the oven worked really well (apart from the dribbles). We had the oven on very low (I've got gas: we had it on S which is below gas mark 1) and watched through the window, stopping when we liked what we had. The wax stopped melting almost as soon as we turned the heat off or took the canvas out. We had to help one green bit - it had run into the blue and didn't want to run straight down- a toothpick helped to pull a bit of green down and guide the next dribble! If you look on Pinterest there are lots of variations - some have a piece of plastic or resist over part of the pic so it keeps an area clear. )

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Hope you had a good one!

I am having a fab Christmas! Just about to start day 3, but thought I'd share a quick pic of all the crafty goodies I got over the last few days

Four (!) bundles of fabric, buttons, threads (thank you Avril) and wonder clips, a useful dish (thank you Plum, sorry, the chocs didn't want to be photographed, you can guess where they hid), a heat resistant mug rug (thank you Jackie) and a pyrography set. I'm a very happy bunny!!!

Hope you are well and happy, and that yours was great too xxx

 

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Christmas Crafts

It's been a choice of crafting or blogging- and the crafting has won! Picture heavy round up follows:
A zippy pencil case for the daughter of a work colleague (in progress so you can see both sides, then finished)

And Zippy pouches for the receptionists in my serviced office
The Crafty Church Community Crochet project (#1) was finished and delivered - to a very delighted Mrs C
And sticking with the crochet theme . . . Lisas's blanket has been progressing and is looking amazing

Thank you to all friends who visit here - real and virtual - I love each and every one of you - and wish you all the very best for the season and for the new year

**Merry Christmas**

And All the best for

2017

xxxxxxxxxxx

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Bread basket

I've had a lovely few evenings working with my transatlantic washing line! I'm really pleased with the shape of this one

 

 
There was some rope left, and I made another disc, and then finished off with fabric wrapping which I hadn't tried - and also added two "handles"

So now I have a lid: I think it will work well for warm bread rolls?  Although I am temped to undo the last few rounds and turn then through 90 degrees so It's a fitted lid

Or a mat!

Happy me!!!!!

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A Squishy and a Belly Laugh

I have a virtual friend that has been mentioned several times on this blog: Kathy. She blogs at Running with Rocket and she sells at Running with Handmade. She has been my main inspiration for these spiral cotton baskets and bowls. Do click on her ETSY shop and have a look - they are fabulous!

She works for the post office in America and sends great care packages - being very mindful to take full advantage of the permitted weight paid for.

A few weeks go I got an email to say a package was on its way from her, and I could track it - it was great fun: the whole family tuned in to daily updates as to where the package was! (why it needed to sit at Heathrow, just five miles away, for nearly a week is anybody's guess!)


In the past she has added hand made envelopes to use the weight allowance, while this year I got an envelope without a card as the card would have tipped the package into the next postage cost!

So the package arrived and I opened it with great excitement - the family looked confused, but I nearly wet myself laughing - Kathy I love you! After all the problems sewing with the wrong sort of cotton rope I was delighted to receive . . . .

By the time I had time to go to my sewing room it was too late to start on a bowl, so I made a little pouch for Lisa - isn't it lovely when your children *ask* for something? All her loyalty type cards were taking up too much space in her purse, could I . . .

Yep, I can!

Today I shall mostly be planning my rope bowl!!!!!!

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Rope Rounds

Armed with a newly serviced sewing machine and some soft rope (none of that sash cording I used before that broke my needles) I had a go at making some cotton rope baskets.

The red is a bit bland on the outside (but pretty on the inside), but I reckon the green is fab from both sides. It's a belated birthday pressie for a friend with a green themed kitchen. I varied the step (?) of the zigzag stitches to vary the density of the colour.

 

 

Lovely to be back creating!

 

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Bonus Bliss

What Bliss ... my sewing machine came home . . . and the rest of the family didn't!!!!

Well they did eventually, but they all went Christmas shopping straight after work so I had a couple of hours to myself!

I'm not showing you what I made though - Christmas is toooo close!

Retreat Roundup

I can't believe I've only been back home for 24 hours - the weekend seems to have been ages ago!
We managed some more making- and a few gifts were exchanged. By virtue of working full time and also not having a sewing machine at the moment, mine were mostly bought - but my "retreat goodie bag" was awesome!!

Do look at that hexie needle case - and the other side is blue in the centre, yellow outside!

We got the embroidery machine running and made these for the boys for Christmas. We ran out of time so Jackie has to finish them off!

Hand sewing over a cuppa created these

And a lovely lady from my church knitted a panda for A - It went fine very well!!!!! Thank you aunty Janet!

*** STOP PRESS ***
Jackie has just sent pics of the finished sacks!

Looking good!

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One to one sewing retreat

So at home there seems to be no time to see, and anyway my machine is still out with the engineer, so I had a great solution this weekend - I attended a very very exclusive 1-2-1 sewing retreat - at Jackie's !!!!

Only a 48 hour trip this time so we've had to cram lots of sewing in!

 

Some nesting boxy pouches from Sara's website

 

A lovely Christmas tree decoration

And a load more warm diamond blocks have been stitched

 

And we still have another day!

 

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