2021 Week 25

Magic, Munchkins and Gingers!

My old Boss has been training to be a Methodist minister and his ordination was held last weekend.  Stupid Covid prevented us attending in person but I was able to watch it live on YouTube

I wanted to send him a gift and at the same time my current boss / vicar had asked me to make a magic bag.  If you haven't seen one it might help to know it's a story telling bag

I started by cutting ten rectangles 9x10" (actually one green/outer needs to be 9x12")

I then added to the yellow rectangles - vicar boss got a party vibe design and newly ordained boss got a cup that runneth over, and I added  a small zipped pocket to one starry piece each

There are possibly a few million ways to sew these rectangles together, and only a few are directional, but I think I sewed and un-sewed every single combination, but I got there in the end!

(for reference: 

start with the stars, with pocket to the right, 

then add onto the right side: yellow (4th) (top to the left if applicable, the top continues to alternate),

then black (3rd) 

then blue (2nd) 

then green (1st) 

then reverse the order so green (wide piece), blue, black, yellow and stars

If you know Psalm 23 you can follow the story

So when all the shapes are stitched together, join the two green to each other to complete the loop. 

Arrange on the desk so it reads zipped star tipped anti clockwise, star, image topped anti clockwise, black and blue on the top, and (from l to r) yellow, black, blue, wide green, green on the back)

Phew.  The wide piece of green now gets folded and folded so it can be stitched down to hold ALL the sides together with no raw edges

Because I stitched it wrong soooo many times I would suggest pinning or tacking this together to check the story works but if it does you can tell the story of 

Being laid down in green pasture (then turn inside out)

Being lead to quiet waters (ditto)

Walk through the valley of death

Having a table prepared for me

And dwelling in the house of the Lord

And a zip pocket with gold lining incase it's needed!

I hope he likes it!!!!

I was sent a pic of a munchkin on a Patchwork I-spy quilt . . . my favourite kind of photo!

And this neighbour's munchkin looked so cool with his golf set I had to make a Ginger

I've been doing some "public announcement" ones too - for National Smear week 

National Chess week

And Water Safety month

And finally a few t-shirts for some friends who run a local mental health group

2021 Week 23

 My gosh it's nearly half way through the year!  How did that happen???

Not much creating this week, as often seems to be the case!

I did get a bumper load of hexies tacked

And the are gradually being added to this: In my mind the curve would continue off to the right, but I clearly didn't think that through property!  I probably should have turned it through 30 degrees then at least they would have been a chevron  to give some interest to the right side, but the stripe effect is starting to grow on me, and I'm pleased with the non symmetrical-ness of it and I'm certainly not taking it apart to restart, so it is what it is!!!!

In other news I took up one of two bridesmaid dresses for Niki - sooooo stressful, the worst sort of sewing!  Anyway this one is done and I've found someone else to do the second one as it would be ever harder to do

Brian decided that as I wasn't sewing and didn't have much work on I could help with the new porch step!!!  A lot of sand and cement was mixed, 

a lot of old bricked were used up as hardcore (thank goodness)

And we now have a proper step for the first time in 32 years!!!!

(Tiles to be added later)

I also had a play date with two mums and three munchkins: making resin stuff, it was a great afternoon!

And BFF Jackie had her birthday and has opened her pressie.  Its about 16 months since we've seen each other - bloody COVID!  This was the closest thing to a hug I could send her!  Love you Jackie xxx

2021 Week 22

As mentioned in my last post: a long time ago a lovely lady called Iris,  from the Chertsey Museum class, asked me to be executor of her craft room when she passed.  Sadly she passed early this year and I was called by her neighbour to come and help empty the room.  To be honest it was not so much a craft room as a craft 4 bedroomed house!  There was every craft imaginable in every room of the house! 

So not much making to report this week - mostly sorting the goodies from Iris's, and categorising them as to where they go next: To give you an idea, I filled my car three times and Emma from the museum filled hers once (she took a lot of beads in case they can be used on the replica costumes and most of the paper based craft stuff as her sister Claire teaches that kind of craft there) 

So far the list of crafts I now have kits and / or resources for (or have passed them on to someone else) are at least:

Macrame

Needle punch 

Glass painting 

clay

leatherwork

beads

wire craft

EPP, 

cricut, 

leather 

scrap booking 

sizzix 

card making 

weaving 

painting 

stamping 

embroidery 

rug making 

Viking knitting 

tie dying 

patchwork 

dress making 

jewellery making 

crochet 

French knitting

circle cutting

ordinary knitting

Please, much as I loved her, DONT be like Iris - some of the resources she has two or three unopened packets of, some where bought from Woolworths or even pre-decimalisation (50+ years ago).  So there are now bags and boxes of craft stuff all over the house as I sort out the final bags of stuff from hers and at least have all the associated stuff together.

What I have done in breaks is finish piecing this little EPP hexi rainbow trip around the world

Made this for my God Daughters who works for the ambulance service as a 999 ambulance handler and recently delivers her first baby by phone

And I'm rather chuffed with myself in that (with Lisa's help) I actually cast one for a crochet poncho

And I made this - in anticipation of the day, surely coming soon, that we can all hug!!!