2019 Wk 43 - with cake

Last week was Sharon's last session with the crafty church ladies: the lovely Tara made chocolate  cake, with buttons - is there anything more perfect???

We had 19 visitors (they must have heard about the cake!)  Crochet corner was busy, but three ladies came to learn how to use their sewing machines, there was patchworking, Christmas card stamping, lavender bags being stitched and a whole load of other things, plus of course the chatting the drinking, and did I mention cake????

Hayley and I finally managed to meet up and continue our silk screen printing (blogged about here) and finished the flowers

  -
rather chuffed with these - now we need to plan the next stage!

We also had a go at some fabric 'business cards' but these need work, so we added stamping as there was still paint left!!

My other crafting this week was to make a few of these for a guest at the Windsor Homeless Project who is deaf.  Could he please have a patch to sew onto his hat so people would know!

Yes of course!!!

In Norse mythology, Thor is the hammer-wielding god of thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, hallowing, fertility, the protection of mankind and of the fortress of Asgard. He is the son of Odin All-Father and he is physically the strongest of the Norse Gods.  In my house he has an additional responsibility - he is the guardian of the clean quilts!!!!

And finally not my crafting at all but the lovely Amo sent me this - perfect for under a coat as it starts to get cold!  Thank you lovely lady xxx

2017 Wk 14 - Mostly Chertsey (lino printing)

The Chertsey Project this month was lino printing.  A first for most  - but we managed some great results with only two plasters needed!!!

If you click on the pictures they will go to full size.

We had bunnies,with and without carrots

geometric shapes

and flowers and bees carved from the lino blocks

 And one girl used magic blocks instead of lino blocks.  We heated the blue foam on the iron plate (about 35 seconds) then pressed it onto knotted rope.  The details of the rope came out fab in the foam, but not when we added paint and pressed onto fabric.  By the end of the 90 minutes we have managed to progress to making a positive impression by using a second heated block pressed onto the original, and then painted the positive and used the negative to ensure the fabric was pushed against all the paint!  We were rather please with ourselves!

Fortnight round up

Life seems to have (again) got in the way of making and blogging, but her is a bit of a round up of the last couple of weeks . . .

We held a crafty church special and had a bunting production line - and made 35 yards/metres red white and blue bunting

That afternoon we had Kids Crafty Church - these two awesome girls learnt how to use a hand crank singer and made another 8 yards/metres of bunting

I made some more at home, and this is the finished 80 yards/metres around the village green for the queen's birthday

(Actually it's red white blue AND green - all the fabric was recycled from shirts, dresses and donated fabrics!)

I spent some money and have organised my threads

And I bodged some replacement candle holders for my garden candelabra

I've stitched, pressed and cut more blocks for my planned zig zag quilt

And practiced some screen printing for a class

Phew! Not too shabby as I'm working 40 hour weeks!!!!!

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Elephant Fun

I was contacted recently by a Chertsey mum asking if I could help her daughter with her A'level (*) art work project (due in in six weeks). She wanted to do some screen printing - could I help?

(A'level = Advanced level, usually 4 subjects studied from age16-18, at college)

We finally got together today and had a lovely play!!!!

First M used the thermofax screens to get an idea of how to print (I think she got the hang of it, don't you)

Then we looked at stamping and blue glue batik (both can be done by M without any special equipment) before moving on to making our own screen prints. This part was new to me too, but what fun!

My first screen was this geometric design: I used the positives as well as the negatives

M meanwhile cut out an elephant shape, and again used both the cut out elephant and the paper with an elephant shaped hole

She printed several sheets using the same stencil

And then moved on to fabric

Thank you for a great afternoon, M, I had a fab time, and I wish you all the very best with your A'level. I hope you can send me some pics of your final project, and do let me know what your teacher says of your samples!!!

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More Making and a Muck Up

A few other bits from the weekend: we had a go at thermofax screen printing

And a go at cheat Batik (using blue Elmer's school glue and watered acrylic paints). This is the result after machine washing, the bolder colours are definitely better

After Jackie left I made Lisa a document pouch

Using some very precious New York fabric

And then I got a text from a friend. She had already asked me to make an I-Spy quilt for a new great nephew that was due, and he has now arrived and his name is Ely. I did check with her as the two boys I know with that name spell it Eli. No, definitely Ely.
I embroidered the name and machine stitched the binding to the front. I then spent a lovely hour in Lisa's room, sitting comfortably and cosily hand sewing the binding on while listening to an audio book . . .

(Panoramic photo of Lisa's cosy room)

Then I went to take a photo of the finished quilt

Grrrrrrrrrr.
Anyone know a baby called Eli who would like an I-Spy quilt?
I'm now making a quilt for Ely!!!! Luckily I had pre cut squares of all but two of the fabrics!

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New York Geese!

A few months ago one of the ladies at Richmond and Kew quilters brought us a whole load of Thermofax screens and inks (see their web site here) and we had great fun printing

I have a few of these screens myself, and have had great fun with them. I got really excited when I read they make custom screens . . . What could I have custom made?

One of the ladies at Chertsey museum asked if they could do a circle of flying geese. I tend to think of circles of geese and New York beauty blocks as belonging together (but as the proud owner of this you can see why!)

Eventually the idea of the geese, the NYB and the thermofax screen all merged and I designed this.

(EDIT: my plan is to print the lines onto the fabric then foundation piece on using the lines. A bit like the "foundation by the yard" you can buy, but with a design *I* want! By having a screen the students (and I) can print themselves several sections and build up either a full circle for a mini quilt or a larger design, knowing each foundation will be the same size and shape)

But before I get it converted into a thermofax screen I ought to try making it. I'm not very good with EPP, but I do like foundation piecing; my plan is to print this into a fine cotton. For this trial I traced the details onto the cotton.

The New York Beauty block worked well

And the flying geese went well too

But have you seen the problem?

Sigh!

So I've remade the NYB, and although it's a bit messy, I think they are looking good together -

 

I think I'm ready to spend some money on a new screen!

 

 

 

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Quiet? Or Quite a Lot?

I haven't blogged for the last week or so as I didn't feel as if there was much to blog about, but that really isn't the case!

First let me introduce you to my new babies:

Possibly to be christened Lemon and Sorbet, these were an early birthday pressie from the family, aren't they gorgeous!

Next I can show you two exciting postal packages:  Not exciting on the outside . . .

But awesome on the inside

A free sample from Spoonflower (thank you Kathyfor giving me the head's up) and a fab goodie bag from Just Jude as I won a giveaway on her blog - I'm really looking forward to some therapy colouring with this fabric.

I have done some sewing too. Renee (Wren) gifted me some unwanted charm squares and they included some sock monkey fabric.  Inspired by Fiona's recent quilt I bordered the charms with two sides of 2" and two of 1.5" strips. There were 23 blocks which didn't quite make a top, so I also embroidered a sock monkey to fit a double block, so it will look something like this

Last Monday, at Richmond and Kew quilters, we played with some thermofax screens, and I came home with these blocks.

I wasn't sure what to do with them, so I have made up some zippy pouches.

One has gone to a friend, but the others will go back to R&K group to be sold or our craft stall at next month's exhibition.

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