2017 Wk 10 - mostly embroidery

Today I have finished embroidering 'Carla's' quilt label, and a customer's quilt label.

This means that I just have about 10 inches more sewing and then Carla's quilt can go in the post tomorrow, and so can Meg's label

I sent the original poncho to Jackie . . . seem here modelling it and looking far more glamorous, far slimmer and far more photogenic than me in my replacement red one

And I made a pencil case for oldest Great Niece (and didn't much like it so I made another one too) She is an awesome artist so I though a pencil case made of paper would be something that she could doodle on and decorate - every time I forget how horrible the paper is to work with!  Anyway she can have them both and do what she likes with them!  (We also gave her a large pack of pens and money towards a car / driving lessons / insurance)

2017 Wk 9 - Mostly Quilting

Friends of ours have had a fairly major life changing experience.  Nearly 17 years ago they had a son, called (names changed) Carl, but this New Year they wrote to friends and family to tell us that

"So, it turns out that nearly 17 years ago, when we announced the arrival of our son, Carl, that we were mistaken.  Instead we are proud to announce our transgender daughter Carla.

It would be very much appreciated if everyone would call her Carla, something we have been doing at home since the summer, and use female pronouns.

Her brother has been brilliant – he said the other day that 2016 has been a good year for our family and we are looking forward to 2017.  Carla plans to start driving mid-March, take her AS levels and visit universities.

We hope you will be as glad as we are that Carla has been able to express her true self and we look forward to seeing you soon."

I cant begin to understand what a difficult time they must have had leading up to this announcement, but I am really proud of the whole family.  Carla's birthday is very soon, so I messaged Mum to ask if it would be OK to make / send a gift, and if so what colours would be appropriate?  It tuns out her room is grey and orange.  I already had a quilt in mind.  The logo used by the LGBT communities is a rainbow, and rainbow is created by rain and sunshine - or tears and happiness?

This quilt, Rainy Day Rainbow, had been put on the 'time out' shelf as I wasn't happy that Orange was really represented, but if I was to make orange a feature - ie as binding, it could be a perfect quilt for Carla

Unusually for me this had been made as a patchwork top, so I spray based . . .  and quilted it!

Not quite matchstick quilting, but 85 quilting lines at about a minute each is plenty of quilting!

I don't have any orange (that'll be why there wasn't any orange in the top!) but I've ordered some spray time and will get it finished and posted as soon as the fabric arrived

As it was an otherwise quiet day at home I also knuckled down to making a dress,.  I had made 5 versions of this, all draft, to make sure the pattern really fits ME!

Number 5 came out ok but was made from curtains that are a bit too stiff.  (Pic for Janine who also recently made a dress from curtains, but hers is much better than mine!) Pls ignore the mess!

And finally I have a linen pocketed dress that I can wear!  (but with leggings so I can hide my knobbly knees!)  Not a bad way to spend 3 hours! (ignoring of course the proceeding 15 plus hours to get this far!)

2017 Wk 9 - Mostly Chertsey

I had a lovely Friday afternoon at Chertsey museum. The show and tell creations were amazing - especially Rhona's which combined spring blocks and kantha stitching!

The finished blocks are looking fab together!

Tone finished her kantha too

But Friday's topic was fabric flowers, and although they all started from the same sample, they have all taken the idea and made very individual flowers.  Click HERE for a PDF with the class' instruction sheet

As for me, I spent all Thursday at work with no computers - and we are virtually a paper free office, so there was *nothing* to do . . . Luckily I keep an emergency sewing kit in the car, so I sewed strips and rectangles together by hand to make this - I could have done with an ironing board too!

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2017 Wk 8 - Mostly buying fabric!

A customer contacted me: I'd done a label for a quilt for her first granddaughter, and now number 2 had arrived - could I do a second label?  Of course I could - why didn't we meet at Helen's?

So Helen lives kind of between us and has an Aladdin's Cave Log Cabin in the garden where she sells fabrics and holds patchwork workshops and classes.  It would be rude to just go and not buy anything - you understand don't you?

I have completed Meg's label and will be posting it tomorrow

Ir'll be fab with the quilt she made

But while I was t Helen's I did, of course spend not only my earnings from Meg but a little more besides!

I bought binding, binding and binding

And I asked, on the off chance, if she had any flowery, darkish flannel fabric for this project: https://www.daysforgirls.org/ that my church house group are going to do some making for

Yes - they are what you think they are!  The charity supplies washable sanitary pads for girls in areas where disposable ones are not available, and where inadequate protection means missing school.  So they provide pretty and practical alternatives (made to a tried and tested 'recipe')

Luckily she did, in the deep recesses of the house so I bought these as well:

2017 Wk 8 - Mostly buttons

On Thursday I taught a WI (Women's Institute) class at Chertsey Museum.  As a finish I can only show you my sample as the ladies have some more work to do on theirs

At the end of the session theirs looked like this:

A "J" and a tree: a heart and an abstract pattern

A butterfly and a flowers (stalks so far); and a roof of a house

And me?  I stitched some buttons too and finished my fleece poncho: and took a rubbish photo of it!

Back to work tomorrow!

2017 Wk 7 - mostly Crafty Church

We decided to offer a jewellery special Crafty Church on Saturday.  

Stephanie and Julie having a go at Infinity Button necklaces

 

I only got a blurred pic of their creations, but here are some from a previous session:

Janet had made a completed Crafty Church Crocheted Hug which has today been delivered - and I got an email from the lady who delivered it "I told her the blanket was from the church and was our way of wrapping her in love and prayers.  She was really greatly touched and overwhelmed. . . . I know when tears well up we have touched a heart. Crafty church is showing our caring hearts too.  "

And we have 16 squares towards our 3rd Crafty Church Hug!!!!

I got a chance to play and to spray baste a bonus quilt!  This used the excess from the Lotus Selvedge  quilt, and the two packs of charm squares from Amo: It really grew quickly!

Since then I have (shock horror) actually quilted it!

Free Motion Quilting at that!!!!

Not fab, but it's OK!!!

And I have another cunning plan!

Tara wore this fabulously simple poncho which she'd bought from a craft fair.  I borrowed it and got her to take a pic:

I also took a few how-it's-made and what-it-measures pics - and hopefully soon see you'll see a here-is-my-version pic too!

2017 Wk 7 - Mostly Selvedges

I have been collecting selvedge edges for a very long time (the first post about them was August 2011, and I already had a good collection.

I have been working on a kind of giant rectangular log cabin but whilst I had enough selvedges (thanks to all the kind donors, Plum especially) but I had run out of the 'lotus' fabric used with them.

I finally found the website, (not live but at least an email address) and then had to wait patiently for ages until it was back in stock . . .  but at last I have been able to finish the top for the Lotus Selvedge

Meanwhile the embroidery machine has been earning its keep stitching logos onto school uniform (43 so far this week) 

There is plenty more of the lotus fabric, and it looks perfect with these charm squares from Amo

I think I have a cunning plan

2017 Wk 6 - a super squishy

Amo recently posted about using dog fabrics to make quilts to raise money for a dog charity, and I sent her some pics to see if what I had was any good.

Before I had a chance to post the fabrics to her she sent me a box of fabrics in exchange. I have to say she has sent me about 10 times what I sent her, but she says it was very liberating to destash . . . Well I was delighted to facilitate - and I have spent much of today planning what to do with them!

Thank you Amo - I did finally get the dog fabric in the post today!

I managed a little bit of sewing during the week, while I was embroidering sweatshirts for the preschool the last few evenings - one more heart for my calendar quilt. This is June

To go with February, March, April and May

 

Not sure of colours for July or August though

 

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2017 Wk 5 - Jackie and Sewing

A day of frantic sewing!
We made fabric flowers

And a draw string bag

We took some time equestrian - And made some trays for husband's papers in the van

We made a sewing caddy with sections for threads and scissors and other useful stuff

We had a go at inventing zippy pouches with an internal zipped section

And we did some speed dating on my "boyfriend quilt" so it's now all arranged and pinned and ready to be stitched

Sadly the weekend has come to an end - Jackie is on a plane back to Ireland and we need to set another date to meet up

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