Books and Bunnies

Last Thursday I taught an adult education workshop in the evening.  I wasn't sure how many would come as it was enrolment on the night and the local authority hadn't advertised it much.

I put it on the Windsor Parents facebook page, and the Hive office (Military and Community information) put it on their facebook page . . .  and we had 11 ladies wanting to come!!!!!

They all worked hard

 and we had nine fab book covers finished by the end of the evening!

Well done ladies

And I've been making Easter Bunnies again!  This is another recommendation from the lovely Plum (the notebook are her instructions too).  The bunnies originated from Urban Threads - they are called Giving Bunnies, and you can read about they and the random acts of kindness they support here.

These are being made for the assorted great nephews and nieces as Easter pressies - the first batch are ready:

And I'd like to make some more to leave for children to find over Easter

A Few Finishes

Its been cold here for a while so I've spent more time than usual watching TV with a quilt on my lap - no, not slacking, but finishing the binding by hand.

That means I actually have a few finishes to show:

My Rainbow floating charms (or LJR7 ) quilt

And the first of three quilts from shirt fabric

 I've also finished another dozen named fleece jackets

 

And I've finally done the Magna Carta 1215 2015 embridery panel

In other news I've had three creative classes this week.  Hopefully you can see photos if you click on the SLIKstitches Facebook page, please let me know if the link doesn't work for you.

In short we have a nearly finished baby changing bag from Monday, a cushion made from our transfer paints fun in January, a proggy owl and some faux cathedral windows from Chertsey and a great two hour session with kids dipping in and out of all the craft resources boxes at church yesterday

Back to Broom Farm

It's been quite a while since I taught at Broom Farm - I've missed the girls, so it was great to start again with some workshops there last Monday.

We started with recycling jeans - we looked at loads of ideas of things they could make, and then all made a pot - some made slippers too!!!

Next session . . . Bunting!

Broom Farm sewing

Just two ladies at Broom Farm this week - Cara was spending time with husband before he gets shipped off to Afghanistan - we will be thinking of you Steven! Keep safe xxx

Bekka has been adding to her ticker tape quilt

And Lauren's Monster Quilt is coming along at a great pace

 Meanwhile I was working on the House Group String blocks

Posted with Blogsy

Finishing the Fun at Broom Farm

The local authority have changed the way they charge for adult education - as Broom Farm is an army base, the agreement was that the army wouldn't charge for the room, and the local authority wouldn't charge the army wives for the courses.  

The authority have now taken it into their heads that the army wives have to pay - not taking into account that they cant get jobs as they don't stay in one place long enough, that the army moves them around with no regard to where their natural support group (mum, sisters, aunts, long term friends) lives, or where their replacement support group is (other army wives, health visitors, children's centre staff, army welfare staff, adult education  teachers (!) and that their men are putting their lives on the line for our country

So some of my ladies didn't come back this term, as a lot of their men are being sent to Afghanistan.  Three did come back, although one knows her man leaves in two weeks, and the other two's men are expecting orders any day now which will see the whole family moving again.

So, as if the army isn't treating them badly enough, the authority has decided to cut the class!

So we have asked the welfare officer very nicely, and she has said we can still use the room, the girls will pay the weekly rate to me, and we'll carry on with these great projects. 

Lauren's Monster Quilt . . . 

Cara's working hard to finish a pillow for her husband to take to Afghanistan

And Bekka is making a ticker-tape quilt using lots of lovely fabrics

Borderline Bully

*I* don't think I'm a bully, but I have some friends that might not agree!  A group of us from a few churches meet a couple of evenings a month, and at the moment we are reading a book: which involves one person reading aloud, and the rest of us listening.  So I decided we should be multitasking!

I took along squares of paper, strips of assorted fabric, and strips of pistachio:

And introduced them to paper pieced string blocks - making them sew while they listened and chatted - we got 5 finished and another three started - I don't think they minded too much

 No bullying was needed at the new Broom Farm class, the girls were raring to go - or roaring to go?  Lauren has designed this quilt which is going to be awesome

Rebecca is making bunting for her sister in law's wedding

And Cara  is making a pillowcase for her husband - he is due to go to Afghanistan next month, and she is making it for him to take

Doing well ladies!

Random Lesson

One of my students was hand sewing, even though she has a sewing machine.  " I hate it" she told me - "the tension is rubbish, I wish I'd never bought it". I suggested she bring the machine in and I'd help her love it. (There speaks the voice of confidence!)

Well, in it came, and I went to show her how to thread it . . . and stopped!  You know the "back-on-itself" / tension bit in the bobbin compartment - well it wasn't there, nothing , just a smooth compartment

We agreed I would take it and let her know when I'd solved it.  Husband looked at it for me, and was equally stumped. No back-on-itself bit meant no tension, so the stitches were rubbish.

She hadn't brought the book of words, so we checked lots of chat rooms and forums and they were mostly very critical of the machine, especially the threading of it - so no help for us!  The manufacturers kindly emailed me an instruction book, and one tiny sentence stood out as strange - you should only use metal bobbins.  Strange because nearly all machines use plastic these days, and very strange given that the "goodie bag" she got with it had PLASTIC bobbins in!  

Anyway we decided to try a metal one just to eliminate that issue - and it worked! Astonishingly, the ring in the base of the bobbin compartment is magnetic, and that provides the bobbin tension.

From despairing with it, and agreeing with the critical reviews, I have now fallen in love with  the Beldray 12 stitch mini. A great starter/lesson machine, with choice of foot pedal or start/stop button, it's lightweight and comes with a carry bag - shame it comes with rubbish instructions and a confusing, misleading goodie bag  

(No affiliation :-)

Monday Madness part 1

Once upon a time it seems like a good idea to teach two adult education classes on the same day, a day I also happened to work at school.  It turned out wasn't a good idea! I love both classes, but it's exhausting!  Anyway today was the last triple day!

The Broom Farm girls were finishing projects, apart from L who has a shiny new sewing machine and wanted to learn how to drive it (and I never got a photo :-( gutted !  Although I did manage photos  of the yummy cupcakes she'd made, before they all went

C's finished bunting

T making binding for her quilt

D tacking binding on the cricket quilt 

And D who brought in a finished dress- on the cutest model!

I've really enjoyed this term

Fun at the Farm

The girls at Broom Farm are getting in the Christmas spirit:  

Will I get this finished for Christmas?  

Will Santa bring me a sewing machine for Christmas? 

Can we have Christmas cake next week?

(Probably, maybe, yes)

I did get some work out of them: (even if I still haven't been near a machine!)

A silk log cabin cushion, appliqué for bunting, a reversible summer dress (!) and a cricket quilt . . .

And a gorgeous dinosaur based on one from Pepper Pig (?)

As usual, more/individual photos and details on the other blog: www.FunWithFabricUK.blogspot.com

Now off to today's second class -  let's see how many angels we get done!

Monday Mayhem

I'm currently teaching two classes on a Monday, after having worked at school for 4 hours first , so it takes me a bit of time to get my head round what I'm teaching - luckily they get on with it!

At Broom Farm ... A quilt

A reversible dress

And a dinosaur

amongst other things!

And at the evening class I'm trying to teach basic dressmaking, how to read a pattern, and how to use a sewing machine, while trying to create 30 costumes for the school nativity play in a few weeks time!

All working hard . . .

And our first finish:

Hmmm, four more sewing hours before the performance,  we'll need to get a wiggle on!

Bits and Pieces

Last Monday the ladies at Broom Farm  were back after the half term break, eager to get on with their projects:  a vanishing 9 patch, a 3D flower cushion, bondawebbed letters for a Christmas stocking, and a silk log cabin pillow (more info on the Fun With Fabric blog)

I have been working on a secret project - hand stitching the binding, nearly finished now

And I have designed and stitched embroidery panels for Alicia's I-Spy brick quilt

These will go as borders above and below the bricks

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

Broom Farm

The ladies at the Broom Farm class have been busy today: blanket stitching

English Paper Piecing

Machine Appliqueing 

Learning how to use a sewing machine

and hand sewing


















Time for me to do some sewing?

No Sewing from me

No sewing from me, but just look what my Broom Farm ladies have been making