2020 Wk 46 - What shall I show you today?

 Maybe you have forgotten that I sew Gingers?  Someone asked me the other day if I had counted them - maybe I should have done - but I'm not even due I'm prepared to count how many times I have ordered more 'ginger' felt as I'd run out!  So the latest have been some Yule Nissen (in Norwegian), aka Tomte (Swedish) and gnomes.  They are actually gingers under their boots and gloves and clothes and beards! 

I also stitched a ginger Nativity set.  This one isn't my design, I bought it from Memories in Thread.  I'm not convinced about some on the animals - the big sheet is HUGE and the camel looks lire like a lama, but the rest is quite cute.  Someone suggested stitching a stable (with some small buttons) and adding one character a day as an advent calendar - it might have to start in the middle of December rather than the first!!! (there is one more wise man who missed the photo shoot, and I guess a star, and the moon, and some more shepherds and farm animals could bulk it out - maybe a project for next year?)

My girls are (thankfully) too old for the Elf on the Shelf project but I have friends who prepare some brilliant escapades for their elves: I mentioned that M-I-T  has designed some costumes for elves and got talked into making this!!!!

Another friend sent me a link to a design like this on Pinterest.  It was fun to design and stitch but I'm not really sure what to do with it next . . .  so it's gone to her in the post  and can be here problem now!!

The triangle EPP quilt is growing: I'm not sure how big it will get: I'm sure it will tell me when it's big enough or I will tell it there are no more triangles!!!

But for now I still have plenty of tacked triangles and ready-to-be-tacked triangles to add

I haven't bought much fabric (felt doesn't count does it?)

But Jackie sent me a pic of this zippy pouch she's made, (and has promised to teach me when we can meet up) 

and about ten minutes later I saw this fabric for sale, so I kind of HAD to buy some as I think it will be perfect for the pouches!

Well I've actually had some orders for some Yule Nissen gingers so I'm going to go and do some "work"!  Have great weekend

Week 42 - More Gingers and other stuff

The sweatshirts to be embroidered still haven't been delivered, the sew-it-together-then-cut-it-up-and-sew-it-again quilt (aka Square Dance) has been, you guessed, cut up and sewing back together (now waiting for wadding and 505 spray)

The gorgeous baby brights have been stitched together, also waiting for wadding and spray

My poor crochet circle was looking OKish but then I folded it in half and realised no amount of blocking could cure this

so it has been frogged again, and started again - this time actually following a pattern but still isn't flat - groan!  

I  am amassing the world's largest collection of circular and kind-of-circular crochet patterns on Pinterest but not being able to read a crochet pattern is a minor hindrance!  If anyone wants to step in with instructions (or to tell me I clearly don't have the skills so go back to a square) I'm very happy to listen!

One of my favourites in the two villages was delighted to be made Head Prefect at the village school, and her little sister came out of school with "look mummy I got a badge too" (so cute!) so I wanted to make them both a ginger (can you tell, Lizzie was getting bored!)  

Their best friend (another favourite) is mad about owls  so I made her one too

Then a bit of doubling up - these two window Gingers for Halloween and Remembrance Day are 8" tall rather than the usual 4

Still no sweatshirts!  I like to have something to do with Lizzie as at least it gives me a short break from the computer and a chance to stretch my legs going round the workbench to do the next stage

The amazing Sue who sells embroidery designs at Memories in Threads launched a new design - I resisted for a short while but knew I'd give in in the end.  These are not evidence from a CSI crime scene (thank you Tara for that image) but rather the beginning of my Yule Nisse!

This is the next stage - this looks like Harry Houdini getting into a box (admittedly he had his head with him!)

So finally my Yule Nisse (Norwegian name for the Swedish Tomte that is everywhere this year) is finished

I had a bit of beard left over so thought I'd play at making 2D versions - they still need some design tweaking but they knock up much quicker than their 3D cousin - oh dear, I need to buy some more beard fur!!!!

I hope life is being kind to you xxx

2020 Wk 9 - Hexie Hems and stuff

Hexie Hemming: I have two denim tunics that are very similar.  I shortened the sleeves on one and finished the edges with hexies (I blogged about them here).  I had plenty of chambray fabric left so I kept going with the tacking and whip stitches and finally added a slightly deeper border to the hem of the tunic

I'm rather pleased with it!!!

The hem measurements weren't  quite right to match the size of the hexies but this is the join at the back, and I can certainly live with that!!!

The lovely Stitch ladies met on Saturday - lots of sewing and organising (and maybe a fair bit of chatter too!)  You can read about our aims here

 
I'm doing a class for a local authority Well-being Week later in March, so I've been working on a sample - doing a bit of . . . hmmm . . .

Slow Stitching?

Mindful Making?

Calming Couching?

I suppose it doesn't mater what it's called - I just hope they enjoy decorating their bags!

I've rotary cut a whole load of pop concert t-shirts for a quilt I'm making for a customer

And I've used some more Happy Fabric to make another Christmassy t-shirt

2019 Wk 44 - what I've been doing (and should have been doing)

I'm teaching a class today at Chertsey Museum - and planned to teach a sewing caddy in a glass jar with a pincushion lid.  As I started to prep for the class I realised this would take no more that ten minutes so was NOT a good idea.  Instead I made this (just for fun, we wont be making these at the museum until December 2020!!!)

Then I had to get back on track: I have a couple of dozen polystyrene balls planned for the sewing caddies so I had to find something that I could do with them.  Thank you Pinterest: two ideas!

I treated myself to a new storage organising thingy so spent the best part of a day sorting lots of little bits and pieces into this - I think everything little is now easy to find except a box of bells that are still hiding somewhere

I did some machine embroidery for a customer

And I love it when I get pics of things I've made being used

And that pic wasn't the only one this week: I got this from the Windsor Homeless Project showing Chris with his hat

And this from Lily's granny - what a cutie!

The hexi rounds flimsy has grown, and hopefully the dark rings and the light rings are obvious.  I can go two more light and half a dark with prepared hexies, and then oh dear what a pity never mind I'll have to do some more!

I'm almost up to date on the temperature project

And I am up-to-date on the European-trips-with-friends patches.  Do I sew them onto a bag as originally planned or would a zippy or a scarf be better?