Informative, Interesting and Inspirational

Have you been following the Deciphering Your Quilt posts that Leanne (She can Quilt) and Jess (Elven Garden) have been posting?  

Jess and Leanne live in different hemispheres but have joined forces to teach us about making quilt blocks.  Both are excellent writers and know a lot about their subject - and their posts can be summed up in the three words in this post's title: Informative, Interesting and Inspirational.  If you aren't already following them I suggest you take a look!

So as part of this series Jess posted an example of a two block design: a zigzag quilt and I had a great idea!  

I took one rainbow coloured jelly roll, some pink and some blue Kona solids, and the knowledge that the twins that are due to nephew and his wife this summer will be one of each flavour. . . 

And started the sewing / pressing / cutting / arranging (and repeat) that is our hobby

Hope you had a lovely and sunny weekend

Crafty Church

Lovely to see so many regulars at Crafty Church yesterday: some of the show and tell or being created items include

 

And we welcomed Paula for the first time: she came to see what it was all about. I gave her some felting to do while she sat and chatted,

And by the end of the afternoon she had made these three flowers

 

and was planning how to make leaves, how to combine for brooches, and when she was going to the craft shop to buy her own felting equipment!!!

Another one to the dark* side! (*dark, medium and light values!)

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The Drunk Sewing Club

The Drunk Sewing Club - This is the title that was used to describe our occasional bring a bottle evening session at Chertsey Museum - I protest!!
Tonight we were making tote bags from pillow cases, some of the ladies wanted more precise instructions than I was giving, but the wine did help them losen up!!!!
So they had this as their sample

And a choice of pillow cases, and they got sewing

and managed seven very presentable finished, or almost finished, bags

And a few empty bottles!!!!

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Crafty Query (and a post for Plum)

A friend's mum was clearing some accumulated junk from Grandma's house, and a box of cotton reels came my way - lovely filled mini wooden reels - there are nearly 50 of them, unused, all vibrant gem colours:

And all, as far as I can tell, different colours: these blues, pinks, greens, reds and yellows all differ!!

I never say no to threads anyway, but I'd love to use these as they are, and make something beautiful with them - got any ideas?

* * * * *

Last Monday the Richmond & Key Quilters had a handbag collection exhibition - not *of* handbags, but a collection that fits *into* a handbag!

My lovely friend Plum was too drained to make it to the meeting, so I took dozens of photos for her.  We were asked to use photos for private use only, but I can tell you that they were incredible.

Plum - I've loaded them to my Private Use tab for you  :-)  Hope you are feeling better xx

Threaded Thread

Jackie made me this little thread case a while ago: it's great for having needle and thread in my bag

Recently I've been EPPing hexies and triangles, and I'm getting through the thread quite quickly, which meant lots of threading needles (pass the specs!)

And then I saw a great idea on Pinterest

It might not be clear from my dodgy photo, but I've got 8 needles threaded: as long as I take from the left, I'm sorted for loads more blocks! 

Sunny Sunday

A while ago we were given tickets to go up the Shard, to be followed by afternoon tea near London bridge, and we randomly picked yesterday to go - amazingly it was fab weather: blue skies and sunshine and warmth all day

First view of the Shard from the train (one of many photos, sorry!)

 

Getting closer

Gosh - its a long way up!

 

The view from floor 68, towards Greenwich (east)

 

Tower of London (north east)

 

 

Turning towards north west

 

Further west, St. Paul's cathedral

 

London Eye to the west

 

 

And it was too (!) sunny to get any photos of the south as the sun was so bright!

We also walked along the river to the design museum - we didn't have long so spent 40 minutes in the shop! That was amazing in itself, we'll have to go another time to see the exhibits!

Then back to the Hilton hotel at London bridge - Brian enjoying afternoon tea

 

we walked miles and miles: the day wasfar too nice to be stuck in the tube. My pedometer reckons just under 15000 steps - I think I'll feel that tomorrow!!

Almost an iconic silhouette - the bus was more luck than skill, but I'm very pleased with this

And what did I do on the train? Why, I tacked Hexies of course!!

 

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Days of Distractions

I don't feel I've done much sewing recently: it's report time at work so I've been doing overtime proof reading and preparing report covers, letters, stickers on envelopes (learning how to mail merge!)

We've had World Book Day (the penguin is me)

I've looked after baby Lucia, with the help of my own baby

I've cut tessellating blocks for Jackie

And today I've been shopping with my mummy and we meet Niki for lunch!

One day I'll get back to the sewing room!

How Great are You?

I'm fairly modest, I think: I'm reasonably good at my job, I'm a bit unconventional as a wife and mother, but I've never lost or poisoned a daughter or husband, so I'm not too bad (and they don't have another one to compare me with, so that's ok), I'm a bit of a naff friend, but if the chips are down I'll be there for you, but as an Aunt - I can tell you I'm great!

Or should that be "I'm a great aunt"? Yeah, probably!!!  

The oldest great niece turns 14 this week; she's into black, and dramatic make up, and skulls and tattoos, and loud music from bands I've never heard of, so buying pressies can be a challange!  I'm resorting to the standby of cash, but with a few homemade bits to unwrap , and hope these aren't too uncool

A bag 

Black skull lace over red, and it's reversible as that's the only way I know to make bags !

And some music themed earrings (she plays guitar and piano, mostly self taught!

Just thought I'd also post here a creation of hers - she drew this for her great Nan , isn't it fab!

Classic Camper

I've never owned a VW camper van but I've always had a soft spot for them.  We call them dakdaks in our family, I think it started from the noise they make, anyway, I digress.

I have dakdak pictures and money boxes and a few other bits and pieces.  Well I was shopping at spoonflower a few weeks ago (mum's postcard on a tea towel) when I saw a dakdak panel - to cut out and make one, complete with surfers and pockets for them.  I got very excited and had to buy one

(Or maybe 2 or 3, or 4, shhh, don't judge me)

So I cut and stitched and stuffed (and stuffed ) and stitched, and when I see my friend Lisa next week her little boy will get this as his (very) late Christmas pressie:

Isn't it cute - it would make a great pin cushion too!

Future Fun With Fabric #1 (Triangular Box)

Catching up: I've been planning future projects for the Chertsey Museum classes:

Triangular box from this lot

Print this template onto card (or onto paper and glue onto card), cut out all the pieces

Cut fabric about 1cm bigger than the card (I used one fabric for the 'inner' pieces, and another for the 'outer' pieces),  and cut wadding the same size as the card for the pieces that need it. 

Use masking tape or glue to tape fabric around the card (inc wadding where appropriate).

 (You could tack the fabric and card together as with EPP)

I took these pieces with me to Jackie's last weekend, and worked on them . . . 

Next:

Whip stitch the three inner rectangles (yellow in pic below) to create a triaglular pot, then join the base onto the pot (NB fabric *inside*on all 4 pieces).  

Repeat with the outer (pink below) rectangles and triangle, with fabric out.

I found I preferred the look of a whip stitch where the external part of the stitch is perpendicular to the join, and the internal part is diagonal 

Slide the inner pot into the outer pot.  Whip stitch the  top edges together around the top to keep them from moving

Whip stitch the inner lid triangle to the centre of the outer lid triangle.  Whip stitch (from the inside) one edge of the lid to one edge of the top of the pot

Take a deep breath, put away your whips, and admire your box from all angles 

Sunday Strings

I've shown some of the string blocks my allegedly "non sewing" friends are creating at our fortnightly House Group, well, in preparation for tonight's session I have assembled the blocks that have been finished so far:

Assembled, and quilted: