2022 Week 2

So we start a new year with a new blog post - and some actual finishes!!!!

None were quite as smooth as they should have been though!

The Janet Claire sludge fabrics got added to a fleece backing with a lot of flaffing and measuring: I like clams but I dont see loads of them in my future!

I decided to use the sewing machine to blanket stitch them down: sometimes she was very happy, 

Other times she was a right pain in the neck!

Anyway: quilt got joined and bound, and was delivered on Wednesday - juts two weeks late, and she's very happy with it!

Another finish has been posted to Norway for a cousin's newish grandson.  His name, Sverre, is an old Viking king's name.  His mum is cousin to Theia and Saga's mum, so although I made a different type of I-spy quilt I wrote his names in the same style

Annoyingly I managed to trap some loose fabric on the back when I embroidered one of the names, but I added a strip of the blue spraytime to the back to match the front and the binding and that hid the problem!!!

I stitched badges for the scouts and other uniform groups that delivered the village Christmas cards

And I got to the hairdressers for a trim and a bit of colour!!!!

With a bit of help from Lisa my stack of granny squares . . . 

Is starting to become a bloanket

I have completed the January Hexi flower swap hexies

And received all the December ones

Lisa's Jim got me a fabric pack for Christmas: mostly mustards and teal.  He is colour blind so I know he sometime struggles to choose colours but he said he bought these because they must go together as they came in a pack, and I overheard him say that he chose a pack he liked in case I made him something from it.  This is the problem with having daughters - it honestly never occurred to me that Jim might want something patchwork!!!!  Also he lives in a house with a number of quilts I have made for Lisa over the years and a fair number of blankets that she has crocheted, so I don't know that making him one would have occurred to me . . . well now it has!  He has the box room as his 'play room' where he plays computer games, and there is a small mustard sofa bed in it

This was the pack he got for me

I ordered a few more mustards and a replacement teal, cut them into 2.5" strips

And now I have a flimsy round-the-world in mustard and teal!

I need to find the right colour fleece for the backing but I rather like it - hope he does too!

2021 Week 42

We actually managed to get away for a family holiday!  6 of us went to Center Parcs.  We did loads of activities (tennis, badminton, squash, kayaking, walking, cycling) and a load of eating, but the only photo I have is 4 of us in the hot tub LOL

We then came home to a weekend of cuddles with the grandkitty - hello Penny!

With all the activities I didn't get much hand sewing or crocheting done but I did manage to tack and press a whole load of 8" clams.  I was at Knitting and Stitching show ten days or so ago and had some sludge green fabrics that I wanted to add to so they'd be usable.  A friend I was with said she really liked the fabrics so I not only found some dark blue to break up the sludge - but I've also found a home for the quilt when it's finished!

She also likes random, so I think I can manage that!

I've done 40 so far and my rough reckoning suggests I need another 54 then I can start the speed dating and the assembling - her birthday is end of December so I might have a chance!

And confession time - my haul from K&S show: I was fairly restrained and actually have plans for everything!

2019 Wk 35 - Dresden Plates and other stuff

In my last post I showed a "blades" Dresden plate made using this method

I thought I ought to be able to teach petal edges using the EPP method as well, (gathering the curved bit separately to tacking the fabric to the template) so I made this one

I had real problems finding on-line templates that actually fitted to make a circle, so many attempts later made my own templates.

Also this week I've made cushions for the lovely ladies at Windsor Baptist Church (I wasn't going to do hidden zips so I went colourful instead!)

And I had a stall at the Church fair - which was attended by a real unicorn!!!

I sold a few things at the fair but the bigger success was  the baby embroidery machine embroidering names on flannels.  I sold at least 4 to girls who are now at university (and one is a new mum) but still have the named flannels they bought from me a dozen years ago - and were delighted to get fresh versions (but still wanted to come and type in their own name and press the 'go' button!)

And I have been tacking hexies (just for a change)

and loving seeing them sorted in a Tupperware box

 And finally a friend, Hayley, and I have been silk screen printing.  A few disasters, but this cut from a Tescos brown paper bag worked really well.

We are meeting again next week to twist the stencil and turn the 4 leafed flower into an 8 leafed flower

Hello My Deer

A few months ago, a friend, Hayley, mentioned that she was booking herself onto a willow weaving course - weaving animals - I thought it sounded fun so asked if I could join her

[note to self, find out more before you sign up for stuff with Hayley in future]

We set off yesterday at 8am (!!!!) I brought a coffee with me but the travel mug leaked, so no coffee to wake me up.  By 10am we were at a little garden centre outside Tunbridge Wells - walking 1/4 mile or so down a hill to collect 3 metre hazel saplings which had already been cut down.  We then had to drag 4 each back up the hill. and shove the ends into the very soggy ground,  At least at this point we were rewarded with coffee!

Martin, the tutor then 'just' curved the tops of two of them and magically created the hind legs of a deer

 

More and more hazel branches were added, with willow and dogwood

Until (now photographed from the other side) Hazel was starting to look finished!

 

 There were four of us on the course, and each deer developed a definite personality.  Hazel was nosey, looking off to the right, while Sylvia's was checking for danger, looking over her right shoulder, and Alex's had heard something, and was looking off to the left.

Hayley's was looking more forward, ears back, listening for something

By the time we finished, and starting thinking about loading them into the car it was getting dark.  We hadn't really considered the problems of getting two 6 foot plus antlered deer into a family saloon car - we had to leave the legs sticking a bit out

Hayley - I wasn't expecting to go hill climbing, or to work outside all day, or to make a deer, or to make something even half as bit as this - but nor was I expecting to have such a great time - so yes I have forgiven you, thank you so much, and what can we do next???