1202 June first half

 

Quiet Quilty Confession

I have just had my first quilt properly quilted (not my first quilt, but the first quilting if you needed that explaining)

I shall code the experience, just in case husband ever finds himself here, but I should first say I AM DELIGHTED - Thank you Steph, it's FAB!

A big stipple all over, with a few whirls added in

And the whole quilt

But I think this will be a one-off!  The cost of the wadding, backing fabric and thread was the cost of (say it very quietly) 28 fat quarters.

The cost of the quilting was (even quieter) 30 fat quarters

At least the binding was just the cost of 2 FQs . . . and how accurately did Helen calculate how much binding I needed!

 So now there are 4 quilts waiting for cooler days so I can hand sew the binding!

(* And I'd like to draw your attention to the irony that yesterday's embroidery earned me money equal to 61 FQs - and this cost me 60 FQs - actually not a bad exchange rate for services!!!!)

Buzz Buzz

I've joined a Bee! At the moment there are 11 of us around the world, and we will make a block each month for one member, with the blocks influenced by her (or him?) in regard to size and / or colour and / or block, but always with our own national twist. As Windsor castle is so near to me < 5 miles) and is very recognisable, I think I will creat a machine embroidery of its skyline, and incorporate that in each block.

Binding and Boats

(Last time I blogged about binding, when I used the word bondage in my post, I got more hits than ever before - what are people like?)

Anyway today, in the cold and the rain, and that amazing Diamond Jubilee pageant, I was curled up on my sofa, hand sewing binding

 

 onto not one . . .

 (love, love LOVE this newspaper print fabric, 

brought it back from Amsterdam years ago, 

and knew it was prefect for this binding)

not two . . .

 

but three quilts :-)

Number 4 didn't get started as the cat looked far too cosy!

Hope you had a good weekeknd

Holiday Happenings (part 1)

We've had the May half term break in England this week, which is all very bizarre as it was in June, not May, and we longer have three school terms (where this break would be half way through term 3, hence its name of half term holidays) but we now have 6 terms, so this is just a break between terms 5 and 6 - go figure, answers on a postcard please!

Anyway, whatever we call it, and whenever it is, I have managed some sewing, in amongst everything else I've tried to squeeze in!

This I spy quilt has been made for baby Amelie, and I'm trying to get her name embroidered before I go and see Grandma this afternoon

These two 'Endless Ribbon' quilts have been finished for the Siblings Together Charity, and need a final 'haircut' before being sent off

This has been finished for Laura's 18th . . .

and I actually remembered to add a label too

Apart from that I have taught the final Windsor A to Z class (these are the blocks that have either been finished, or were snapped under construction)

Had a lovely (albeit wet) day with Lisa in London (!)

and I have thoroughly enjoyed all the pomp and ceremony that celebrated the Diamond Jubilee.

To follow: a felting day with Jacqui and Sarah, a kid's activity afternoon at Chertsey Museum, creating junk weaving wall art, Crafty Church afternoon, socialising with two groups of friends, and a day with mum . . . followed by going back to work for a rest!!!

Holiday Happenings (part 2)

I spent a lovely day with Jacqui and Sarah yesterday - with Jacqui teaching us the art of wet felting

We started with strands of wood laid in one direction

Then added strands at 90 degrees,

Then a third layer at 90 degrees to that.  Then it got pummelled back and forth with water and a bit of soap, using bubble wrap and a rolling pin - then plunged into boiling and freezing water, until I ended up with these two

And this candle / sausage item, which, when dry and sliced, will hopefully result in felted buttons like the ones below that I bought last September

Lovely day Jacqui, thank you :-)

Sunday School Special

Today's Sunday School . . . I started just with little miss R, a real poppet, and a smart cookie, aged "three and one third", then we were joined by R, A (brothers, aged 8 and 3) and F, another boy aged 8. We sat on our mezzanine floor above the main aisle

"I haven't planned anything in particular, so lets do some colouring. What's that, F? You've found some stickers? Ok, lets do a poster and we can all decided if each sticker belongs on the poster - a heart? yes little miss R, because God loves us. Flowers ?yes, R, because God made them. The world? That's good, F, yes God did create it. A rubber duck? Well A . . ,oh too late, you've stuck it now ! well yes, God did tell people how to make them.

Oh, A, do you have to go to the toilet now? And you as well, R? Well can you take your brother? No F, you wait please. Ok F they are back, you can go, oh, A, you didn't wash your hands? F will take you. What's that noise? Oh, A has pulled the emergency cord instead of the light cord, no I don't know how to switch the alarm off.

[By now, everyone in the service is looking in the direction of the toilet, the vicar is making his way through the congregation to sort the alarm, and F has got bored waiting so has pulled down his trousers and his pants and is starting to pee]

Ok, excitement over, let's go back up, try and talk with an inside voice, please A, not your outside voice, the grownups are trying to listen to the prayers.

Let's take our poster down stairs and we can tell the grownups why we chose each sticker.

[So the vicar does the notices and then observes that he knows Sunday school have been busy, would they like to share?].

"We have done a poster choosing stickers that are about God and Jesus and the church. Little miss R, can you start and tell everyone about one of the stickers you chose? The heart, that's a good one, now in a big voice, why did you choose a heart sticker?

[Little miss R in a big voice]
Because God made stickers

Holiday Happenings (part 3)

 On Friday I taught Junk Weaving Wall Art at Chrtsey Holiday Activities to a dozen kids, and several mums!!!

We started with a show box lid (thanks mummy) and cut notches and wrapped string, then delved into a pile of junk, and got weaving.  Better instructions are on the Fun With Fabric blog, but here is one of the busier ones

And here is a mosaic of all of them

And some mums having a great time - just before I took this there were 4 of them weaving the junk treasures that their kids had found!!!!

As a group project we also wove some t-shirts: referred to as The Windmill, this will become a floor mat for the museum: I showed the first two kids how to do it, they taught the next few, and so on, until everyone had had a go!