2021 Week 35

 This has felt like a 'normal week - largely because Chertsey Museum was back for the first time in 18 months!!!  Woohoo!!!!

Limited numbers and only 2 to a table, but we were back . . .  and with three new ladies!

We were doing something based on what Jo Avery calls Modern Crewel (check out her book due out in November, no affiliation, just a big fan!).  I described it as colouring with thread!  My samples were the feather and this tote bag

A number of ladies started on the feathers (but I forgot to take photos!).  I also brought some funky fabric and some ladies did some colouring in modern crewel on this too.  There was a LOT of talking, so they've all gone home with their fabric, hoops and thread to bring something for show and tell next month!

I took myself out of my comfort zone and did some different colouring in - watercolours this time.  Inspired by 'the other Tara' I found Iris's box of watercolour pencils and painting this giraffe that she had helped me draw at Crafty Church in August

A friend's grand son starts 'big' school next week and she was feeling daunted by all the labels she's offered to sew on so I did them

He's a little dot but with a long name so I had to sew a lot of them on folded or he never would get his head through the neck hole!

I also made him a Ginger wearing the same school uniform!

A few posts ago (week 32) I showed you some fabric that the awesome Sharon got me in South Africa a few years ago.  The fabric is called Shwe shwe and it feel like a slightly waxed cotton.  I made myself a cross body bag (not actually finished yet - doh)

and with the strips I cut off to straighten the fabric, and a packet of sash rope (which did not work for the rope baskets but I've kept for the last half dozen years just in case!!!) I have made myself  matching necklace

There was also a  need for more Gingers!  I have been doing gingers based on my own take on Craftivism: they have been based on national days (blood donation, smear awareness, drowning prevention, chess, Samaritans etc): the latest ones have been for Teaching Assistant Day

And beach / world clean up day

And I'm all prepared for National Talk Like A Pirate Day!!!

And this chap is for a local pub

I have started sewing together some hexi flowers from a swap group ( flimsy pic to follow)

And Lisa's b/f Jim wanted cactuses (cacti?) for his birthday so I got him some seeds, a potted cactus, and (of course) a Ginger holding a cactus.

I didn't know he was going to repot the one I bought - I'd have bought one with fewer prickles if I'd known!  Here's the full WhatsApp post from Lisa

2021 Week 3

 I hope you aren't fed up with Gingers!!!!

Some more for the village incentive to Keep 20121 Moving

 

(including a new version of mum and baby ...without the mankini look!!!)

 

 

I got a lovely thank you card from Kathy's grandson - and a pic on him on his quilt

This Ginger is ready for when the activity campaign in finished so they come out of the window

And I'm ready for Valentine's Day too

There is a village group that set up a few years ago mostly to promote good Mental Health and to help people who were suffering - they have become busier during the last 10 months or so!  They asked for nomination for "unsung heroes" and the distributed these - what a lovely idea, and I'm go glad the Gingers were nominated!

Two I Spy quilts now finished for customers: just need to add a name on the top version: baby arrived yesterday so I can get that finished and delivered next week

And finally my current Slow Stitch project.  There are some elements I want to re do, and there are a few more hundred colonial knots and another lake (filled gravel pit) to add to the map but I'm enjoying the journey (excuse the pun)

I think the stitched version needs to be twisted clockwise slightly but it's not far off!

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

2020 Wk 44 - Gingers and Stuff!

I've been experimenting with some new Christmassy Gingers (one is an adaptation of Sue's (Memories in Thread) but the other two are my ideas

And I've made (and lost, but luckily husband then found) a set of Gingers for a friend for her colleagues

I meant to show this lovely Birthday card - I love the eclectic stitching!

A few easy jobs for Lizzie - Sky was given a jacket but it had the previous owner's name on it, so a quick patch was made and stitched on, and can be replaced when it gets handed down to the next one.

And Breeze's baby quilt never had her name added to it so I sort that out too.  I don't often get to see my quilts after they have been gifted and used almost every night since - I worry that they might not stand up to daily use, but Breeze is now 5 and the quilt is still standing up well to all the use and washing!!!

Not so good after washing was one of my much loved sewing themed t-shirts "Weekend forecast is sewing with a chance of wine").  I guess the sewing machine was hungry!

I added a piece of fabric behind, and a bit of random quilting to hold it all together - that'll give it a bit more life!

And Lisa is near the end of her crochet - isn't it awesome!!!!

2020 Wk 12 - I'm not going to mention it

The elephant in the room is being ignored!!!!

I've been doing a lot of admin but I've also snuck in some sewing and I'm hoping one will reduce and one will increase.

Mum and I attended a Linus Quilt sewing event at Chertsey Museum last weekend.  We dropped off some donated fabric, I did some sewing and mum did some ironing: we left them with this flimsey

At home I've been looking at this mess . . . and giving up: I don't know where to start tidying it up - there is 3/4 of a jelly roll race buried under there somewhere which could do with finishing . . . another day!

I have been doing some hand sewing though.  This got put away in January looking like this

but I've now started from the other end, so it has progressed to this

Keep safe everyone