2022 April first half

I felt as if I had spent most of the last few weeks copying blog posts from the old blog onto this one, but as I look throuigh the photos on my phone I realsie there has been a fair amount of making too

I have ticked off some of tyhe projects in the Book of Days:

Labels for cloths store at church

Scissor labels for Kandy and her grand children

Gingers with Daisys for Mothering Sunday (do excuse the art work!)

Gingers with Ukrainian Sunflowers, and sunflowers

And red white and blue bunting for the Diamond Jubilee coming up in a few months

  

I then mutilated a quit!!!

I made this one quite a while ago, and I'd missed the faric in quite a few seams

  

As it's a size that isn't very useful, and there are lots in the same size (a single fleece blanket size)

At Richamond and Kew Quilters a month or so ago we looked at making jackets from a really simple pattern of rectangles.  It fitted by quilt perfectly - and became a no-waste pattern (coincidentally Plum and I have been looking at these) 

The construction is such that you dont have to inset the sleeves: you add the sleeves to the middle of the sides then sew two seams: from side/bottom of the jacket, up to the junction with the sleeve, then out to the sleeve cuff.

Luckily I was able to keep the quilt binding as the binding on the bottom of the jacket and as the cuffs of the sleeves.  AND I found the box of left over fabric so I can bind the centre front and the neck in the same fabric.  The photos are poor but I'll take better ones when it is ready to be shown off!

 

I made April's crocuses for the Facebook Hexie swap group I'm part of

And I finally got round to teaching screen printing at Chertsey Museum: it was put off from a few weeks previoulsy when I had COVID.  The ladies have printed onto tote bags (after lots of test prints on paper and waste fabric).  In a few weeks time we will embelish these

As I was buying some paint and some screens ready for the class I also ordered one I designed myself:

To design a pattern with a repeat you start off with a few parts of the design on a piece of paper the right size.  You then cut the paper into quarters and rearrange them so the newly cut pieces are the edges and the blank bits are in the centre - this enable you to add more designs

By leaving a small clear section around the pattern I can print it again and again so I get a repeating pattern.  This will now be sashiko stitched with red embroidery thread

Lisa specifically asked for a patchwork for her birthday: it needed to be bir enough to go over the top of the beds and to cover the sides!  Either for her and Jim to sleep under with blankets added for each of the according to preference, or to go on the spare bed to keep it free of cat hairs.  She chose these colours and was happy with the design.  It isn't actually finished but I wanted to be sure it was big enough before I added the binding.  I think the 225 squares represent 10 m of fabric!!!!  Anyway they like it and are delighted with the size - phew!!

A friend of Niki's asked if I could make a chemo quilt, so I did.  

There were some scraps of the fabric left over  so I added a matching tote bag

And finally a few more Gingers - This lovely couple from church gor married this week: I had made a gebneric bride abd groom but once they posted wedding photos on FB I realsied I could match their colours 

  

And these two from our church gor confirmed in February.  Due to work and other uissues they havent both been in chgurch since then so this weekend we were able to gift them a bible.  I made covers for them both, plus (of course) a ginger bookmark!

Elephant Fun

I was contacted recently by a Chertsey mum asking if I could help her daughter with her A'level (*) art work project (due in in six weeks). She wanted to do some screen printing - could I help?

(A'level = Advanced level, usually 4 subjects studied from age16-18, at college)

We finally got together today and had a lovely play!!!!

First M used the thermofax screens to get an idea of how to print (I think she got the hang of it, don't you)

Then we looked at stamping and blue glue batik (both can be done by M without any special equipment) before moving on to making our own screen prints. This part was new to me too, but what fun!

My first screen was this geometric design: I used the positives as well as the negatives

M meanwhile cut out an elephant shape, and again used both the cut out elephant and the paper with an elephant shaped hole

She printed several sheets using the same stencil

And then moved on to fabric

Thank you for a great afternoon, M, I had a fab time, and I wish you all the very best with your A'level. I hope you can send me some pics of your final project, and do let me know what your teacher says of your samples!!!

Posted with Blogsy

Perfect Printing

I had a lovely afternoon at Chertsey Museum - we had out all the Thermofax screens and experimented with printing - didn't they do well! (Thanks Julie for the loan of the extra screens and inks)

 

There wasn't much Show & Tell from last month, but Kaye has been trying to decipher this pin and thread cushion - I think she's getting close!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Other People's Crafts (and One of Mine and a Question)

I've been really impressed with what some of my friends have been creating!

The lovely Tara from Crafty Church made these free motion raw edge applique blocks at a course in Dorking, at Gillian Gladrags

Lots of the Crafty Church ladies had a go at screen printing last week

And Jackie is making this fab quilt:- I LOVE the way the colours pop against the grey, I think I need to find my grey fabric!

And as for me, I *really* hope I've got this quilt right - after Ely's error I'm starting to doubt myself! A friend a school has a new grandson - I wrote the name down and got her to check it, and I've kept the paper safe to check against!

Inspired by Helen's quilting of her Christmas Cherry (over at Archie the Wonder Dog) I decided to quilt this in a sort of orange segment design

Maybe easier to see on the back?

 I'm really pleased with it - thanks for the idea Helen x

And finally - I went to my drawer of rainbow charm squares as I fancied starting something new . . . and  I found this message that I left for myself a while ago.  I'm guessing it's cutting info for a quilt top - anyone got ANY idea what I'm supposed to do next?

More Making and a Muck Up

A few other bits from the weekend: we had a go at thermofax screen printing

And a go at cheat Batik (using blue Elmer's school glue and watered acrylic paints). This is the result after machine washing, the bolder colours are definitely better

After Jackie left I made Lisa a document pouch

Using some very precious New York fabric

And then I got a text from a friend. She had already asked me to make an I-Spy quilt for a new great nephew that was due, and he has now arrived and his name is Ely. I did check with her as the two boys I know with that name spell it Eli. No, definitely Ely.
I embroidered the name and machine stitched the binding to the front. I then spent a lovely hour in Lisa's room, sitting comfortably and cosily hand sewing the binding on while listening to an audio book . . .

(Panoramic photo of Lisa's cosy room)

Then I went to take a photo of the finished quilt

Grrrrrrrrrr.
Anyone know a baby called Eli who would like an I-Spy quilt?
I'm now making a quilt for Ely!!!! Luckily I had pre cut squares of all but two of the fabrics!

Posted with Blogsy