2018 Wk 43 - alone in my sewing room

Jackie has gone home now, just emails and Whatsapps until next year.  I should be tidying up in here but I thought I'd do another post instead!

Today's makings  . . .

Two 'pink penguin' bags

A book bag for a neighbour

 A plan for our joint postage stamp / tiny blocks quilt

(this was a close runner up, but we probably don't have enough patterned squares for this)

And a rough plan for the solid postage stamps but they will have to wait their turn

I meant to show this - a first stitch out of the village church door - the painting won't be repeated (I need to find another method of showing the stone colours), and the design needs tweaking but I'm pleased with it for a first attempt

 

 And I said goodbye to Warm Diamonds as she sold, and has gone off to a new home!

2018 Wk 43 - more making

We spent the morning at Stitch today - 7 more kits completed - 7 your girls' lives changed

Then back for our own sewing (via a trip to Helen's to buy fabric!)

We made two project bags

and two teenie tiny thread catchers - inspired by one Barbara made for her mum

Just in case you didn't notice the size, here they are again - with a standard bobbin!!!!

2018 Wk 43 - Quilt show and making

Today we helped run the Bric-a-Brac stall and the R&K quilt show and then came home to sew sew and sew!

We made these Melinda handbags from sotakhandmade (just waiting for lobster clasps to attach the cross body straps)

and we experimented with some 1.5" squares we bought -  we are going to make make these together - Jackie in her sewing room across the Irish sea and me here

And we have worked out the placement of my not-La-Plassacaglia blocks!

More tomorrow xxx

2018 Wk 43 - in my happy place

Yay - Jackie is here for 4 days!!!!

Today we have been helping set up for the Richmond and Kew Quilt exhibition

Lots of fab quilts, crafted items to win or to buy, and a *huge* amount of bric-a-brac for sale with all the proceeds going to charity, all held in a beautiful old church.

2018 Wk 42 Leather and Poppies

Crafty Church ladies worked on poppies for the Horton lads who went to WW1, and the one lass that died locally in a ammunition factory explosion.  All the names have been written on these poppies, one for each, and pinned to these wooden crosses.  Carolyn is working on mounting all the information sheets she has put together, again one for each. 

And I have been patchworking leather!  A customer de-constructed the seat covers from a leather sofa and cut them to size to fit together.  He wants them as a backdrop for his pet photography business

He took photos of the 4 sections so I could plan the best route to joining them

and we started sewing them together with a zigzag stitch

and they are looking good - we are about 2.5 hours in and about 1/3 of the way through

 LOTS more of these left!

2018 Wk 41 Finishes

I have been frantically finishing the quilts on the rail of shame as they will be on show in two week's time at the Richmond and Kew quilters exhibition

Finished but need sleeves:

Also being finished is a quilt both Jackie and I have worked on - it's being finished in Ireland ready for the show . . .  My Small World.  I am SO looking forward to seeing it in real life!

I got this pack of lush fabrics from Lisa's Jim for my birthday - he's a good boy!!!

On Saturday I attended a wet felting class at Chertsey Museum - and made this poppy

And on Sunday my oldest friend (should I rephrase that?  The friend I have known for the longest time) came over with a suitcase of her late dad's shirts.  Linda and I have known each other since school age and I knew her mum and dad very well - a lovely couple.

Anyway, she and mum have cleared out dad's clothes: most have gone to a homeless shelter, some jumpers have gone to the grandchildren and the rest came to my house.  We turned a lovely jumper into a cushion

And are in the process of turning the first 1/4 of the shirts into a patchwork for mum (and will gradually work on the rest for Linda, her sister and her daughter)

It was an honour to be allowed to be involved and lovely to catch up with what the two families have been up to!

2018 Wk 41 Oh My Gosh!

Do you know my bloggy friend Renee / Wren?

She has been busy blogging about quilts she's been finishing off - she an absolute whiz at BOM quilts (do go and have a look)

She send me a package . . .  and they don't come much better than this!  I absolutely love this - and so does everyone who has seen it - Renee you have talent and kindness in huge quantities!

Thank you, thank you, thank you xxx

2018 Wk 40 - Chertsey and other stuff

Friday was weaving day at Chertsey - just some of the weaving equipment and results  . . .