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!

2020 Wk 17 - This Virtual world

"Kay" and I wanted to make a lemon drizzle cake - my friend Carol sent me her m-i-l's recipe, but I had to have a virtual lesson -

We go there in the end

but she had to cover some fairly basic instructions!!!  Like lemon rind?  Is that the same as zest?  Can I use this?

(the answer is no, better to use one of these

Is this enough? (the answer is yes)

Does it matter that the tin looks too big? (the answer is no)

Anyway, we got there in the end and it's delicious!

I attended a virtual 5th birthday party (lovely to see the bunting behind the birthday family (top right))

And Jackie and I did some more shared work on this lovely quilt - adding flying geese and then  border to finish the design - LOVE this!!!

 And a finish!!!!

This has been ongoing for quite a while (looks like the flowers started September 2014), and the finishing was a real pain, but it's done! Hand sewn, hand quilted and hand finished

2020 Wk 17 - a bit tidier and a bit of sewing

Thank you so much to the lovely friends who gave great suggestions for how to cheer myself up.  I have tidied a bit (not enough that I can bear to show you, but enough that I can see the work bench!)

The birthday bunting has been done (Breeze is the birthday girl, and I made a banner for her sister Sky too)  "Birthday" has it's back to us, but it is there!!

I stitched an air ambulance Doctor for my key workers window hanging

And a teacher

And designed and stitched a "frazzled mum" at the request of Breeze and Sky's mum - the best I could do with the 'feral children' request!!!

 They'll be added one-at-a-time to these

The (experimental) dress got finished.  It was donated fabric so nothing precious, although it would have been better used for scrubs - it just looks like a sack of potatoes.  But it was an experiment: I've worn it for a day and now I will chop the bottom off and turn it into a tunic

We've been out in the garden looking for Elon Musk's satellites - calling to neighbours over the fences every time we saw one.  Any excuse to lay on a sunbed in the dark with a glass of wine and a quilt!

I have joined a whole load of short sections of selvedges to make a long length (about 4m)

They be added to this when I have a bit more space cleared, and then it might be done.  I may have reached my limit on selvedges!!!!

And Jackie and I have been speed dating these blocks through WhatApp.  At least if we have to cope with not visiting each other we CAN talk and video phone and send daft messages back and forth (and baby pics come this way too - thank you Jackie!!)

2019 Wk 47 - where did the time go?

I rather feel this post is just going to be a list - but lots of pretty pics anyway!

I made green felt storage containers for another Chalice set at church.  I prefer the colour of the red but I think the design of the green is better

We had a fabulous Remembrance Day parade and service ten days or so ago - huge turnout and not only no rain, but incredibly blue skies

Lisa I attended a course where at one stage we had to "make" something to reflect what we had learned - our eyes lit up as we were allowed to rummage through bags of stickers and pipe cleaners etc.  I used needle and thread (of course I have a sewing kit in my handbag. doesn't everyone???) so the stickers dangled - we had great fun!

Another Pudsey hexie flower arrived

 And I joined a whole load of 1.5" squares into a long strip.  Jackie and I have a few million of these squares, but my seam allowance isn't accurate enough to make 3.5" squares (3x3) so our first plan has been abandoned.  I think something like this will work, and my dodgy seam allowance should be hidden!!!

I've also given up on a blanket crochet I started ages ago. I cant find any progress photos but it was far too wide and would never be finished with the two balls of wool I bought, so I frogged it all and Lisa started me off with a straight forward granny square

We had Crafty Church last week.  I got a bit on pinning done, not much more, but there was lots going on!

Carole visited us for the first time and taught several girls how to make decorations form corn stalks

Ulrike showed us how to make this star while others got on with patchwork or quilting

Others were making Suffolk puffs (with lavender inside), and Stitched Christmas cards

While others were knitting or crocheting or sewing buttons onto a tree for our Crafty Church entry into the next village's Christmas Tree Festival

Phew!  So that's where the time went!

2018 Wk 46 - work and family

We made these cute birds at Richmond and Kew on Monday: whilst hearing about the results from the Quilt Exhibition.  We took over £6000 - and 1/4 of that was from the bric-a-brak (aka crap) stall - that's all going to charity: isn't that an amazing total.  Just over 600 people came through the doors so they spent and average of £10 each!

I have been working on customer embroideries - tese pathes are for scarves for the football club

and there were zippies and hoodies for them too plus polo shirts and big patches for table cloths for the museum

The village turnout for the 100 Years Remembrance of WW1 was great, and our girls helped 91 year old nanny lay her cross.

I made  a sewing machine needle organiser and some scissor tags for a secret santa gift at Richmond and Kew Quilters

 And Mr Postie delivered a lovely squishie of zips from Zipit at Etsy.

Plum gave me a whole load more 1.5" squares for mine and Jackie's mini quilt

I met Pudsey Bear at work

Oh, and I got a new car!!!!! (she's gorgeous!!!)

 Hope you had a good week