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

2019 Wk 42 - Happy Hexies

I last showed a random collection of little hexies in early September.  They looked lovely in a box, but I didn't have a plan for them.  Since then the number has just about doubled, and I have started sewing them together.

There is only a vague semblance of a plan but I hope it is visible?

If not maybe this mono photo shows it better?

A light central flower with a ring of dark and two rings of medium and light hexies, and then repeat dark, medium and light (twice)

I've also been embroidering the holiday patches for the last three European city trips I did with girlfriends.  I do a patch every year, but have clearly been tardy!

So here we have Bologne (2017),

Sunny Athens (2018) and

Sicily 2019

These are designed to go on drawstring backpacks - but I've managed to lose mine!  So I am in the process of re stitching the badges going back to 2004 for myself!!!

2019 Wk 41 - Working with Jackie

Working (ie sewing) with Jackie . . . and shopping with Jackie at the Alexandra Palace Knitting and Stitching show makes for a pretty fab weekend!

We made a couple of 'Fold Up Sewing Folio's from Aneela Hoey's Stitched Sewing Organisers book (we had to put an elastic strap on as we didn't have enough fabric for the fastening strap)

And these Stash and Go drawstring bags

(the mint zippie was a repair for oldest daughter)

The lovely Kathy sent us instructions on how to make her Japanese Eco market tote bag and we made these

These pouches came from this blog and although they took more than the promised ten minutes, they were really quick to make

These Handy Fold-up pouches also came from Aneela's book

and prompted this larger i-pad sized version

And finally we made Emmaline's retreat bag (just one got photographed!)

Not bag for really just a day and a half of sewing as we also spent a day at the Knitting and Stitching show!

I bought some great iron on plastic from Happy Fabric (this is my first test piece)

and some felted sheets to line some tube mittens

Some additional shades of pearle quilting threads, and some Advent calendar ribbons, together with some felt that is a bit more 'gingerbread man' coloured

And a skein of sari scraps with should allow me to make a scarf like this one

2019 Wk 40 - assorted stuff

It's been a busy and crafty week

I made luggage tags for a group of friends, with name and mobile phone number on them

I gave a talk at a local corporate office: I talked about Stitch and Days for Girls and then taught the team how to make basic tote bags - actually I taught the teams how to use a sewing machine too: some had never used one and others hadn't done so since leaving school

They did a great job

At Chertsey Museum we made t-shirt and velvet necklaces

 And admired the Show and Tell from last month's Dresden Plates

On Saturday the family treated me to a chocolate experience!  We all went to a lady who has a great workshop with liquid chocolates and all sorts of goodies to get creative with (and unlimited pecking whilst we worked!!!)

 And we all come home with a bag of hand made goodies!!!

 I did some more work on the paper foundation pieced spotty circles

And I worked with a friend at another church to talk about the concept of weaving prayers into everyday life.  We used a tall clothes rail and warped it

then wrote prayers on colourful paper and wove them - doesn't it look great!