2018 Wk 26 - a bit of a catch up

 I've been having problems getting photos from my phone to the computer, so I haven't blogged for a few weeks, but today it worked - so here is a quick catch up

Niki's colleague's colleagues all attacked her chemo quilt with fabric pens- and my concern that it was too white has been blown away - doesn't it look great!

I went to Ireland for a few days this last week.  Officially it was to see Jackie, but (shhhhh) there was another person I was eager to meet - this little beauty, Leah, my honorary granddaughter!  We spent lots of time with her big brothers too - D in the pic and A who was at school - my gosh . . .  boys are exhausting!

We made a few bits for Leah (or possibly her mum!): this changing clutch

 and changing mat (it did get finished before being handed over)

And her I-spy quilt was finished and handed over too (pic to follow).  Jackie had been on a course and made this fab elephant pic for Leah's room

We made ourselves some great project trays too, by coincidence we had instructions for two: different sizes, different designers and different methods but very similar result.  They have Peltex 72F (I think) in them which makes them really firm, and the closure action from tray to storage is really satisfying

A friend decided to join in the Untangled Threads art installation to commemorate WW1 - I am totally in love with her heart - she needle felted these poppies in a field and it's beyond awesome!

And Jackie and I bought some pickling jars.  For pickling you ask?  No - of course not - for beautiful buttons!!!!

2018 Wk 21 A Triathlon Finish

Proud mum alert!

Niki completed a triathlon today!  She says she will NEVER do another one but here is the photographic evidence that she was there!

WELL DONE NIKI!  And raised nearly £400 for blood cancer research too!  (Her JustGiving page is here if you want to donate!)

Far less strenuous was Friday's Chertsey Museum class making a patchwork basket block from the Farmer's Wife book (thank you Plum) using the template method.

And looking really colourful:  Niki's colleagues have started to add graffiti to the Chemo Quilt

2018 Wk 20 A finish and a visit

I have finished a Chemo quilt that Niki requested for a colleague at work.  There is a LOT of white at the moment but she is taking it to work with a handful of fabric pens so that people can write in the white squares - I'll hopefully be able to post another pic when it's been  decorated!

We had our monthly (!!!) Days For Girls meeting this weekend.  We were aware that some ladies were being put off by the high quality expectations from the charity, so we added a new project - boomerang bags.  These can be made to roughly the suggested size, can be overlocked OR zigzagged, can be made of the donated fabrics we would otherwise have to reject as they aren't ok for D4G and are the simplest construction imaginable

We got one finished and several more are close to being finished.  We were going to give them away but decided we would sell them to people in the churches which would raise money for the D4G fabrics!

We also found we were spending loads for time each month sorting through and seeing what needs what doing next - so with the help of loads of zip lock bags we now have bags of items all at the same stage and we feel much more organised!

Mum and I went to see the poppies at last.  We missed them at the Tower on London, but two sections of the display are now doing a road trip and one is just a short drive from her at Fort Nelson, Royal Armouries Museum, near Portsmouth

They looked amazing!.

And Brian and I spend all of yesterday at the girls' house.  They had hired a sanding machine and wanted to do all the upstairs floors in the one weekend.  I wish I had filmed them using the machine.  It was an industrial one, and was stronger than them.  They switched it on at one end of the room, they then ran with it, trying to slow it down, and trying to turn it off in time that it would stop before it hit the opposite wall, then they would drag it back and repeat.  Dad showed them how to master the beast, and 12 hours (!) later the whole of upstairs has been sanded - despite all three bedrooms having the usual amount of furniture - much of the time was taken moving it from one room to another, do you remember these puzzles?

It was a bit like doing one of those, but worth it in the end.

Today they are varnishing - today I am staying at home!

2018 Wk 18 - Sewing with Jackie Part 1

A perfect weekend!

Jackie arrived, lots of sewing, Crafty Church, a bit of fabric and wool shopping and mostly decent weather!  What more could I ask for?

Zippy pouches from lined hessian (I'll be finding hessian dust for weeks but they didn't need any stabiliser!

Do your children every actually ask you to make something?  Usually I get "It's lovely mum, but I really don't NEED another quilt" but on this occasion it was "mum, can you and Jackie make a chemo quilt for Claire at work? Any colours, any design (more points there kiddo, well done!) but plenty of blank space so we can write messages for her", so this has been started

We made a box pouch with a vinyl pocket  - finished item will be in the next blog post, but the pain that was making the bias binding is evidenced here - never again!

Tara at Crafty Church brought in her WW1 Heart Pincushion kit.  Explained here, it takes the occupational therapy practiced by injured soldiers in WW1 and has turned it into a commemorative project for the 100th anniversary of the end of the war later this year, asking people to recreate these hearts for an Art installation.  For example:

Some of us will buy one the of the kits for the Untangles Threads project, but we also decided to make named hearts for the 7 soldiers from our village who served in WW1

Lesley brought in a picture of an Amsterdam street she has completed.  It has been framed and I really struggled to get a pic without reflection, but it's worth zooming in to have a closer look.  it is all made of fabric, stitched in place.  She made each house twice - so there is a mirror image house upside-down in the water!  Its absolutely stunning

The next post will follow when Google photos has caught up with the photos I've taken!

Thank you Jackie - I've had a wonderful weekend -I love you xx

That Was The Week That ...

That Was The Week That ...lots of pictures of babies on my patchworks appears in my email in box or on Facebook

That Was The Week That ...I found a new home for my Eli patchwork

 That Was The Week That ... I helped a little girl make this Crafty Pony

With feet and all

And her mum bought the 3.5 kg of stuffing the instructions suggested ... I don't think we'll get it all in there!

 That Was The Week That ... I made some zippy pouches as birthday / thank you pressies

That Was The Week That ...I made a taggie for a teacher at school who is about to go on maternity leave

That Was The Week That ... I  embroidered one of two boxes of school uniforms

And last but by no means least

That Was The Week That ... my BFF sent me these photos from the Breast Cancer Unit at the local hospital, and sadly will be spending far too much time there over the next four months and will be sick and tired of this.

 If you are a praying person please pray for her and her family and friends as they (we) go on this journey.  If you are not a praying person, please think positive thoughts and keep everything crossed that there is a good outcome

Diamonds Done

You may remember a little poppet at my school who has been battling cancer.  It's looking good for her, but they are looking at weekly chemo until Christmas!  Friends have set up a fund raising page (do message me if you want the link) and I wanted to help.

It's taken me a bit of time to finish, but with the help of a lovely lovely friend: Quilter in the Closet (aka Jen) I have now finished my contribution - and hopefully this will raise some money towards their hoped-for trip to Euro Disney

If you want raffle tickets feel free to message me

Random Ramble, and Fab Fabric

A brief update on some of the lovely people in my life

M has been operated on and it looks as if they got all the cancer. She still months of chemotherapy and possibly radiotherapy ahead of her, and only has one kidney, but the doctors expect full recovery. So pleased for her and her family

Aidan's quilt arrived, and he looks quite at home on it (edit - drat - I spelled his name wrong!)

Niki is on her way home 

And Lisa is home - and full of tales about her trip! She was so hyped up before she went, so I didn't mention the "F" word to her, but she knows her mummy! She only had a short time in Walmart, but achieved great results!

Thank you sweetie xxxx

Posted with Blogsy

Sunday Strings

I'm meeting the ladies from our House Group tonight so I thought I'd better attach the latest finished string blocks to the others, so they can see what they've achieved - they just need to finish the last five blocks and this one will be ready for binding. 

 

I wonder if they are up for doing another one?  I can probably find enough fabric!!!

I have also dug out another strings project: Last (hangs head in shame) April Jen sent me some strings that she had, telling me that "it would be a LONG while before I use them" 

Well I think 13 months may be an even longer time than Jen anticipated, but after making another six blocks in November,this pile has sat waiting for a purpose.

My lovely little Miss M at school is being attacked by chemo, and infections, and hair loss and all the general horribleness of being in hospital rather than at home, so lots of mum's friends are fund raising for M, Mum and little sister L to go to Euro Disney when she's feeling up to it.

Jen has daughters herself of the same sort of ages, and has recently posted about going to Disney with them (California rather than Paris!) so I am sure she will be happy for me to finish this quilt, and donate it from the two of us as a fund raising item: it's so bright and cheerful - I'm sure it will help raise money for their trip!

All 20 stitched in pairs today: maybe I'll get a bit done tomorrow.

And a bit off topic:  My lovely bestie Jackie is a GRANDMA!!!!!  The long awaited grandson finally arrived today - mother and baby fine; grandmother exhausted after the longest day of her life!  Love you Jackie!

And the latest photos from Lisa's road trip

(Bless, Geography wasn't her strong point!)