2021 Week 38

This week showcases holidays and stuff - yes: for my family it was a real holiday: paperwork to the nth degree and Covid tests then a plane to Malta where they had a great time

I went to Swanage with girlfriends instead - we also had great weather and actually went swimming in the sea too, although I did think my heart stopped when I went under!

We stayed in a lovely airb'n'b with patchworks on the sofas in the bonus room - pretty darn prefect I reckon!!!

I completed my hexie flowers for the monthly swap (striped flowers for September)

And received these back (plus another one but it must have been camera shy!)

I thought I'd share my FAVOURITE type of phone - a munchkin sitting on a Benta patchwork!  Thank you Janine, she looks gorgeous!!!

This one hasn't gone to it's munchkin yet, but has been collected by his great aunt so is on it's way

I really am rubbish at taking photos but this gorgeous necklace arrived for my birthday.  It's fob watch repurposed into a sewing themed necklace

It arrived accompanied by these gorgeous goodies too

And possibly the best bit of all is that they all came in the arms of BBF Jackie who braved the red tape, the mask for hours, and the plane to visit

(and I can't even add a decent photo!)   We had an amazing weekend, so much sewing and chatting!!!  We made almost a dozen zippy pouches (semi circular and boxy) but I've just realised they've nearly all been gifted before being photographed!

2021 Week 23

 My gosh it's nearly half way through the year!  How did that happen???

Not much creating this week, as often seems to be the case!

I did get a bumper load of hexies tacked

And the are gradually being added to this: In my mind the curve would continue off to the right, but I clearly didn't think that through property!  I probably should have turned it through 30 degrees then at least they would have been a chevron  to give some interest to the right side, but the stripe effect is starting to grow on me, and I'm pleased with the non symmetrical-ness of it and I'm certainly not taking it apart to restart, so it is what it is!!!!

In other news I took up one of two bridesmaid dresses for Niki - sooooo stressful, the worst sort of sewing!  Anyway this one is done and I've found someone else to do the second one as it would be ever harder to do

Brian decided that as I wasn't sewing and didn't have much work on I could help with the new porch step!!!  A lot of sand and cement was mixed, 

a lot of old bricked were used up as hardcore (thank goodness)

And we now have a proper step for the first time in 32 years!!!!

(Tiles to be added later)

I also had a play date with two mums and three munchkins: making resin stuff, it was a great afternoon!

And BFF Jackie had her birthday and has opened her pressie.  Its about 16 months since we've seen each other - bloody COVID!  This was the closest thing to a hug I could send her!  Love you Jackie xxx

2021 Week 22

As mentioned in my last post: a long time ago a lovely lady called Iris,  from the Chertsey Museum class, asked me to be executor of her craft room when she passed.  Sadly she passed early this year and I was called by her neighbour to come and help empty the room.  To be honest it was not so much a craft room as a craft 4 bedroomed house!  There was every craft imaginable in every room of the house! 

So not much making to report this week - mostly sorting the goodies from Iris's, and categorising them as to where they go next: To give you an idea, I filled my car three times and Emma from the museum filled hers once (she took a lot of beads in case they can be used on the replica costumes and most of the paper based craft stuff as her sister Claire teaches that kind of craft there) 

So far the list of crafts I now have kits and / or resources for (or have passed them on to someone else) are at least:

Macrame

Needle punch 

Glass painting 

clay

leatherwork

beads

wire craft

EPP, 

cricut, 

leather 

scrap booking 

sizzix 

card making 

weaving 

painting 

stamping 

embroidery 

rug making 

Viking knitting 

tie dying 

patchwork 

dress making 

jewellery making 

crochet 

French knitting

circle cutting

ordinary knitting

Please, much as I loved her, DONT be like Iris - some of the resources she has two or three unopened packets of, some where bought from Woolworths or even pre-decimalisation (50+ years ago).  So there are now bags and boxes of craft stuff all over the house as I sort out the final bags of stuff from hers and at least have all the associated stuff together.

What I have done in breaks is finish piecing this little EPP hexi rainbow trip around the world

Made this for my God Daughters who works for the ambulance service as a 999 ambulance handler and recently delivers her first baby by phone

And I'm rather chuffed with myself in that (with Lisa's help) I actually cast one for a crochet poncho

And I made this - in anticipation of the day, surely coming soon, that we can all hug!!!

2021 Week 21

 I've seen pics of two gorgeous munchkins on their I-spy quilts this week - my favourite pics!  Thanks to the grandmas for sending them to me!

I started a mini EPP round the world rainbow  patchwork, inspired by Plum who has enough minis that she has created a gallery!!!  Do go an have a look: https://plumquilts.blogspot.com/2021/05/mini-gallery-opening-or-how-to-spend.html

I stitched a bridge and groom pair of Gingers for a couple getting married at church

And I went to help empty a lady's craft room - oh my gosh soooooo many planned projects - this is just (some of) the wool - she also stitched, did paper crafts, bead crafts, wire crafts and so many others - this has made me think about how much stuff I have and who will empty it out when I go (Plum and Jackie the girls say they are calling you and walking away LOL)

And this is some of the embroidery kits, other kits, sizzix dies, painting stuff and rubber stamps she had.  There are some needle punch tools priced 2 and 6!!!!! 

She had two or three identical (unopened) packs of some of the wire craft gadgets and tools

As a break from the sorting I did some sewing - I wanted a small handbag just to carry my phone so I made this

It was only when I went to use it that I realised the zip was inside out so it will be re-designed!

I've now had my second jab and the sun has been shining and is predicted to carry on for a few days yet  - got to count the positives!

2021 Week 18

 Some random crafting over the last three weeks:

I've worked on my painting by numbers Christmas present - I cant wait to be on a beach again!

I created this for Star Wars Day (although to be fair I'm not sure she used a lightsaber!)

I actually visited a shop last week - such a strange experience, I'd forgotton what it was like to shop by touching things rather than looking at screen images!

I fell in love with this selection at Hobbycraft

and I bypassed the usual "I shall stroke this while I decide what to do with it" stage and went straight to adding from stash . . . 

 cutting and tacking . . .

 and starting to sew!

The greeny turquoise (teal?) didn't make the cut.  I found enough is stash for the first green round and while I was looking I found a pack of Hobby craft grey which I rtaher liked with the turquoise, so I've cut them and started another flimsey!!!

I have also finished the crochet blanket: apart from a few joins where I'd balled the wool too short I didn't want to sew in any ends so I not only left them but added to them so every colour chnage has rustic (as in no particular length) tassles which I rather like.

What to crochet next???

A few Saturdays ago I had a whole day to myself - I was tidying up when I found a donated duvet cover that made it's way up here as I thought it would make a nice tunic.  I dug out the pattern that I have used many times and made this

 

Looking for the pattern I came across another version that had been cut but then abandoned so I finished that one too - good job they are quick to make!

I finished the Oliver safari bunting and his grandma has posted it off to Canada

2021 Week 1

 Hello, Happy New Year!

Days off work meant sewing - yippee!!!  The EPP triangles got quilted

And the bound

Some grey fabrics I got for Christmas were cut into 1.5" strips ready for a log cabin

I started an embroidery map of the village (just a few million more colonial stitches to go!!!)

A bit of progress on the cross stitch

 

And the beginnings of a new group of Gingers!  These are all doing much better on their New Year's resolution to exercise than I am!  (some of these are from MemoriesInThread.com and some are my costume / activity designs

 Keep safe xxx