2019 Wk 48 - Drat and fiddlesticks

Fact 1: I had thousands of photos of my phone - some were family photos, some were blog photos and some were ones that had come in through WhatsApp etc and stayed.  And my phone was using battery at an alarming rate

Fact 2: I used to have to save my phone photos to my PC to be able to add them to my blog, but some time ago (my guess is September 2016*) a new option appeared so I could add photos from my phone which saved a lot of time.

Fact 3: Someone suggested that I delete some of my photos from my phone to see if that helped with the battery usage.

Have you guessed what happened?

Fact 4: I saved the family photos from the phone to the network, but I deleted the others that I'd used on the blog starting at about 2013, up to about April 2018: I planned to carry on later.

And the reason I can quote the dates?  Almost every photo on the blog between September 2016 and April 2018 has been replaced by this

I have done the hair pulling and the screaming at the computer and the crying - and finally the thinking ... Google give me 60 days to change my mind about deleting photos - phew!  So I think I have reinstated most of them!

I have managed a bit of sewing too!

This planning

and this cutting

and this making-binding-by-bodging happened (sorry about the striped ironing board cover, makes it difficult to see what I'm doing but the binding is purple and then red)

and making this

And this

And then doing this ...

More to follow when it's been pressed under a weight to get the vinyl creases out!

I've started working on this with the Kaffe Fassett 3" squares I got from Jackie - I'm really loving the fabric!  : It's planned and ready to stitch

And I've done the prep for the next Chertsey Museum class - we are doing scrappy pennies

These were fun to do.  They all started the same but I did different embroideries

And finally I've received another Pudsey themed hexie flower from the Facebook swap group I've joined.  Roll on next month

2018 Wk 20 - What happened to the blog?

Sandra recently messaged me to tell me "Your blog seems glitchy - or is it my computer".  She went to to explain " I've noticed some weird glitchy things involving your blog.  Your posts list in my blog reader, but when I click on them, it just opens another copy of the blog reader page.  That's been happening for a while, and I assumed it was a bug with the blog reader.  However, when I actually GO to your blog, to the homepage, your first/latest post isn't clickable - it's viewable at the top of the page, but it isn't clickable so I can't go to the first post.  Also, if I click on Comments to post a comment, it goes nowhere.  If I scroll down the page though, and go to a different, older post - I can get the post page up and I can comment."

I have no idea what the problem is, but if I create a blog post on the iPad and then try and edit on the PC I get this message

Eh?

Anyway, apologies if it misbehaves, and if you have ANY idea how to correct it please let me know!

I am creating this post on the PC so it might behave better!

Terrific Traffic

I was loading up my Blogger page to create a post when I noticed a spike in my views

I then noticed a new 'traffic source' of www.freequiltpatterns, so I investigated.

I know some people have had problems with their blog posts being re posted as someone else's work, but surely that couldn't account for extra visits to *my* blog.  But if you go to the Free Quilt Patterns website and scroll down a bit you see this

And the links all link back to my blog - imagine me doing a happy dance! I am, as the kids say, "well chuffed"!

Griping about Google & some Crafty Stuff

A few years ago I changed my blog address from Slikstitches.blogspot.com to Slikstitches.com.  I did it on a whim, and if I could turn back time I would not have done it!

At first my blog vanished for a while, then last year I had problems paying my renewal fee ( I blogged about it here).  I eventually discovered I had to log into wallet.google, and update my credit card information, so when I got this year's renewal email I checked on the above post and checked my credit card details and sat back smugly,

BUT - this time that wasn't the right place to update the card info - it seems they sometime look somewhere else!  It's taken me a month, but I've finally sussed it - I have to log on here using an email address I never use - I don't even know how I can use it! (B@SS.COM), using a password that I haven't used for years (SSG) and change a different saved credit card option. [Billings/Domain Registration / Access Billing Ac]

So now I have it saved here ready for getting hopelessly lost next year!

But because no blog post in compete without a photo or two . . .

Jackie's My Small World is looking awesome

I embroidered a blanket for my Great Aunt, and mum has delivered it

Lesley at Crafty Church embroidered this for her sister

And my God Daughter created and machine stitched this for a friend

Oh, and Lisa received her Christmas Quilt

That'll be FOUR layers now on her bed - a bit like the princess and the pea!

2014 May (second half)

 

Bloggers Quilt Festival Part #1

I can lose hours and hours visiting Amy's online Bloggers Quilt Festival each year: she does an amazing job organising it all, and I always find new bloggers to follow, and to inspire me.

I'm entering this in the hand quilted section:

It's a brick layout iSpy quilt that has been hand pieced and hand quilted and even hand finished - not my usual style at all! 

It started when I needed some hand sewing to take on holiday, and it finished when I was invited to a virtual baby shower for the lovely Sarah who blogs here, so this is now Molly's iSpy quilt.

EDIT: And here is Molly ON her quilt - isn't she a sweetie!

I hope you enjoy seeing it - I certainly enjoyed making it!!!  Do visit Amy's blog and see all the other entries!

Bloggers Quilt Festival Post Part 2

I can lose hours and hours visiting Amy's online Bloggers Quilt Festival each year, she does an amazing job organising it all, and I always find new bloggers to follow, and to inspire me

Here is my entry to the scrappy section

These string blocks had been building up over many years with no particular purpose other than to reduce the bulk in the scraps drawer.  At Christmas I received a message from a childhood friend that she was dying of cancer; although I had already arranged to be visiting family in May, nearby her home, and therefore seeing her too, she wasn't sure she would still be alive.  

The feeling helplessness is beyond description:  I just wanted to be able to hug her, but even that wasn't possible due to distance.  So these blocks were joined (inspired by Nicky's fractured quilt) and bound and posted as substitute for a real hug

(I notice the photo was taken before I finished it - it did get finished and posted immediately! Hence no final photo)

Olaug received the quilt, and loved it.  She sadly died last month, so it's her mum I will visit next week, not her :-(

Rest in Peace Olaug xxxx

Griping about Google

Some years ago I decide I would like my blog name to be SLIKstitches.com rather than SLIKstitches.blogspot.com: a small change, but the idea made me happy, and for £10 a year I figured it was a good plan.

Groan.

The switchover was a problem, and for a few weeks I thought I had lost my blog, but eventually I found an on-line geek who could understand the problem, and give me a solution - yippee.

The next few years I spent days before the anniversary trying to update the payment details; so last year I wrote notes on how to find the info. 

So a few days ago my email arrives

And I wonder whether last years' notes will help at all

 Ah, probably not

So I follow the link

Hummm,

I don't have so how am I supposed to click it?

A bit of Googling and it turns out that I need wallet.google.com. 

So, for *this* year I am sorted - and next year I'll check this post and see how much they have changed again!

Back to Blogging

I haven't been blogging for a while, or sewing, or reading anyone else's blogs - partly due to having visitors and being out and about with them as well as spending time at work, and sleeping occasionally!

Nearly a week ago I taught the Chertsey museum ladies how to make tissue pouches, and other variations on the theme.  We started with Show and Tell - they brought in the finished bags they made from their crazy patch blocks

Then they got started on the tissue pouches, and the wine coaster variations. 

(Our visitors were on their way from USA to Norway - I had to empty sewing stuff from my car to make room for their luggage - it didn't take long for a cat to make themselves at home on the cutting mat bag! )

Big is Best

I've made a few bags (reversible tote bags) recently that have finished smaller than I wanted - you would think I would learn but it has taken me a while but I think I've cracked it!

I made a biiiig bag for Jackie's daughter and decided that was the size I wanted too, so I made one side then left it until I'd got some fabric for the other side.

Well Lisa came home with these fabrics for me (amongst others!)

So once I'd got this lot out of my sewing room

I started to finish the bag.  Do you remember I put pockets into a bought tunic a few weeks ago?  The method had stayed in my mind as a possibility for bag pockets.  Not in the side, but in the top of the bag.

This picture shows what I tried to do.  So the method had sort of stayed with me, but if you've ever put in seam pockets you'll see what I didn't see at this stage - my pockets are going to have flowers on the outside - the hidden side!

Never mind

 

I have an enormous (22 x 21 x 5) tote bag that I love, it is fun hessian (burlap / jute) on the outside, and big flowers with deep patch pockets on the inside

 

. . . And has two seam pockets: one between each ends of each handles, and I'm ready to take pretty much anything anywhere!

Pinterest Proof

I love Pinterest, and have loads of crafty pins: often though I pin whilst thinking "humm, really?"

I tried the sharpie pens on a mug - NOT dishwasher proof, I even bought fancier sharpie pens, still not dishwasher proof.

So when I pinned the silk screen instructions I wasn't convinced. But a friend send a Red Cross package of unwanted fabric stuff (thanks Lise) and it included some fabric that looked suitable, and I had mod podge on my desk, and could reach an embroidery hoop so I figured I'd give it a go.

Prepare to be astonished! (not at my screen making skills though!).

I so didn't expect it to work, so there are no clean pictures of the screen, but here is an after picture (washed but still a bit stained)

And here is the result!!!!

And together

Crafty Church Catch Up

Back in February one the regulars at Crafty Church (hello Janet!) showed us this completed quilt

Since then she's been working on other projects including a hexi quilt, but this month she brought along another quilt: the same design as the flowery one above, but SO different

Isn't it great!  She also made three matching cushion covers

And Lynn has been working on a Hungry Caterpillar cushion: last month we basted it before she had to rush off, and she's been hand quilting ever since, and on Saturday we finished it

Beautiful Baby and Bodger Brian

I didn't get any sewing done yesterday as we were celebration this beautiful baby

turning into this amazing 20 year old

Happy Birthday Niki, love you

BODGER BRIAN:
Husband is an odd job man - it's what he does to keep the wolf from the door: he fits kitchens and bathrooms, fixes computers, mends things, moves radiators or light switches . . .  you get the picture.  The down side is that my house doesn't get much attention, but the upside is that if he gets it into his head to solve a problem he doesn't stop until it is solved!

I have quite a lot of sewing stuff that lives in my car: easy to unload when I have a class . I have bought some stackable Euro crates, and a dolly with wheels to take then from car to class.

I generally do this by fixing the stuff with bungee cords and holding the top and using that as a handle.  The downside is that I stack more stuff than I *need* to get it tall enough that I can push it like that.

Husband's choice of reading matter is usually ScrewFix, Maplins and RS Components catalogues, and he commented that here was a Euro dolly for sale in RS Components, with a handle.  Well the price was nearly double the cost of the dolly alone, and I couldn't buy just a handle, so I figured that was the end of that - until an hour later he called me down to show me his latest bodge:

 

He taken tent poles from a long defunked tent (of course he didn't throw the poles away with the cover - they might be useful one day); bent them at 90^o about 2" from the ends, and heated the bend so it's permanent, and they now wedge into the holes at the ends of the dolly, so I have removable handles!

Bless his cotton socks!

Bodger Benta

 In my last post I accused husband of being a bodger: Google defines a bodger as

But I prefer Urban Dictionary's definition:

My bodge doesn't involve hardware stores or junkyards, but is an unorthodox solution to a problem

Back in April I posted that I had nearly finished this tessellated quilt : 

And I really thought I had, but when I finished the binding and was checking for loose threads I found a seam that had totally missed.  Now I *could* have undone the hand sewing of the binding, undone the machine sewing of the binding, undone the border, fixed the problem and redone all the above.

But in the words (I think) of a TV comedian " we don't want to do that".  Using the embroidery machine for quilting Cut Sew Quilt seemed to work really well, so I decided to see if I could do something similar.

This was the test stitch

And this was the repair stitch

Not bad at all.  If you look for the problem it is still clearly there, but there is no danger of the seam unravelling further

You cant see it clearly, but I've done 14 of these spirals all round the outside - I rather like them!

Super Squishy

There are some bloggers that for some reason seem to be on my Facebook feed rather than my Bloglovin feed, and Kate is one of them (I've now got her on Bloglovin too!).

A while ago Kate posted on FB that she had some wool left over from assorted projects, was there anyone who wanted it.  Before I even saw the post, Amo had tagged me - was this something the kids at Crafty Church could use?

It certainly is, so I messaged Kate and she very kindly posted the wool to me - an enormous envelope arrived, with LOADS of wool!

Thank you Kate - I plan to make corn dollies with it - the kids will love it

Real Wrestling

Many years ago the Giant Lone Start quilt was all the rage in blogland.  I started one, and then ran out of fabric, then ran out of fleece for the backing, then kind of lost interest, but it has now sat in a box, maturing, for long enough that I'm in love with it again

Mind you, trying to quit it could be a severe test of our relationship - there is an awful lot of it, hence the wrestling!!

I nearly went with Hadley's 3 / 6 quilting - and it wasn't long before I wished I had, but I wasn't going to unsew anything, so I carried on with double echo quilting.  I did each of the diagonals, and the vertical and the horizontal

And as if that wasn't barmy enough, I've gone on to repeat the double echo: so far I've done outside the star, and next I will do inside, and then I think she'll be done!
 

Perfect Packing Priorities

I haven't actually been here for the last few posts - I haven't even had much Internet access so I'm sorry if you have commented and I haven't replied: I will get caught up eventually.

I've been at my cousin's cottage in Norway, if you've hung out here for while you've probably seen several posts of photos of the cottage and the island and the beach - we try and go at least every few years and its beautiful!

Anyway this time I thought I'd show you my packing priorities:

Hand sewing kit

Hand quilting kit

Tara's quilts (here and here) to be finished and delivered to her grandmother for onward delivery

 Given that we don't have hold luggage ... not much room for clothes!