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 49

Still playing catch up on blog posts 

I made a whole load of Countdown to Christmas Gingers for little people 

We had a bust Crafty Church at the end of November: back in the church as the hall had been hired.  The other village was about to host a Christmas Tree Festival and this pic shows people crocheting squares and others sewing them together

This is the finished blanket

And this is our competed 'tree'

And my Ginger Nativity tree

Lucy and I have agreed our blanket should be donated to the local Hospice.  They have a scheme called Blanket Therapy: People are offered the opportunity to be gifted a blanket when they arrive and it stays with them for their stay.  When they finally pass on the blanket is gifted to their family.  I think that's a lovely idea and hope our blanket can be a hug for someone who needs it!

I was taught how to start granny squares by a very patient Hayley - inconsistent size, but I'm slowly getting the hang of it!

I finished 60 Gingers for the local senior boys scvhiool

I am part of a monthly hexie swap: this were the incoming November hexie flowers

And I've prepped my outgoing December flowers.  They were supposed to be red and green  so the five that fit the spec and the oines taht have gone in the post and the white one is mine

The Chertsey Museum ladies' had great fun making Christmas Ginks / Julenissen - each one has it's own personality!

And I think I've finally finished my Christmas tree decoration julenissen, ready to go in the post to friends

2021 Week 47

 Hmmm, no post for a month 😱

My excuse has been that I've been busy, busy and ill, ill, too ill to care about being busy and now busy again, with a hint of being ill!  At least I haven't had Covid - *just* a horrible cough and cold and then (without being guilty of TMI) a burning sensation that is being sorted by antibiotics!!!

So a review of the last month (broken down into two parts)

The Gingers have decided to start a countdown to Christmas!  I made a few of these to sell at a village Christmas Fayre, and a few others which will go to the half dozen or so lovely Ginger fans in the villages!  I'm just finishing them off so they can be delivered by Tuesday

A young friend in the village is an amazing cheerleader and trampolinist.  One of the groups she trains with have these sparkly backpacks with their names on in gold - she was gifted one but it had someone else's name on - so a gold patch was created and hand stitched onto the bag over the previous name

My girly trips (see under LSA labels) to Europe have all had a badge made for them.  It started with a backpack for the ones that went to Norway in 2007, with a norwegain flag on it, but they suggested that all the trips should have a design, so they got created and added to the bag.    Since then I have been making them as a patch - I've managed to lose my bag so have re-done them on a fleece shawl: it looks as if the other bags are getting rather full!!!

  

I have made and posted the November Hexie flowers for the FB swap

And taught a class on Sashiko embroidery.  I bought pre-printed panels but as we stitched in white it doesn't show very well 

A bit of grand-kitty spam, sorry, but aren't they cute!!!  Penny is sat in the pouch Jackie and I made Niki for her work stuff

And Thor is sat in a cat cave that (based on the receipt date) he and his sister have totally ignored for 367 days, but NOW its a cozy place to sleep!!!

At the start of the horrid cold I had a few days away with girls that I worked with about 30 years ago: so lovely to be together

And finally for this post - I had fun sorting out all the keys for the village hall - now I only need the few keys to get in and then can access all the other stuff from this key cabinet - I love that it's colour co-ordinated and all labeled - is it very sad that this makes me so happy???

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!