2023 October

 So we now wave goodbye to October: I cant believe how quickly this year is going!

At the beginning of the month the Chertsey Museum group did some needle felting, but I only got a few photos

Jackie came over for a quick visit: we went to the Knitting & Stitching show, and managed to get a bit of sewing done: vinyl pouches,

and little zipped bags.

I got some puffin fabric at K&S S, and had a play with some self-cover buttons

Towards the end of the month Mum, Niki and I had 24 hours in Norway, sadly for my uncle's funeral.  It was a lovely service, and we re-connected with family we haven't seen for ages - we also saw snow!

I managed a few finishes sewing in front of the TV: this EPP hug finally got a binding

These tapestries (done by mum) got changed into zippy pouches

and this shirt quilt got finished and delivered to a customer

2022 July

Hello lovely people - here are some of the things I've been involved with this month.

My Chertsey Museum class made (or started to make) giant Dorset Buttons: I'm looking forward to see how these turn out

I saw a pinterest idea for "making" a jacket - I bought a huge hoodie on Vinted for £2:50 and cut the seams away, and now I'm adding denim scraps - photo to follow!

In the really hot weather I bought what I planned to be a cool tub - but husband had a Heath Robinson moment (or several of them) and added a solar mat and a pump to recycle the water and heat it

Not quite as cooling as I'd expected - but a great place to spend d a few hours on a hot evening!

I met up with some friends for secondary school (we left school 40 years ago this summer!)  So I made a Ginger wearing our school uniform to thank the organiser of the afternoon

and he's been joined by a Welsh lady as a request from a friend: she's a first draft so version2 should be better

I sent to the hair dressers - actually more accurately, she came to me - I went pink . . .

And I went short!

I spent evenings in the cooling garden cutting up a LOT of denim that I have collected /  been donated: I have some plans!!!

I stitch 6 Forget-me-not hexie flowers for the Facebook swap, and 

and have received most of the incoming flowers

Our Community Coffee Morning has finally been graced with the presence of a Library: venry exciting.  It's only open on a Monday morning . . .

But this is where I found my girls on Saturday morning during our Stitch session - in their happy library den!!!

I had a weekend with girlfriends in York, and had been directed to check out three fabric / button shops: just look at this one!!!  I *may* have spent some money (thanks Tara!!!)

The raspberries and red currents have finished in the garden, and we now have blackberries, so more crumble has been made and eaten!

I've been stitching together some of the denim scraps into blocks

and have been stitching these brown fabrics into a flimsy for mum

Much of the sewing has been ten minutes here, 15 minutes there and ideas are piling up much quicker than I can get things done so the sewing room is a dreadful tip at the moment - I will tidy up sometime in the next 18 days as Jackie will be arriving then and there just might be some sewing happening!!!

Keep cool and keep crafting!

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 3 - New York New York

I apologise for my earlier rant - blame lack of sleep - oh, and frustration and annoyance with Sizzix for the appalling design of their long pentagon!

I'm having a go with a stanley knife to see if I can 'correct' the pentagons without too much effort - be seriously, what were Sizzix thinking the die would be used for?

So I was short on sleep due to jet lag - having had a long weekend in New York!!!  I didn't take many pics as it was too cold to take my hand out of my pockets for long (Me on Brooklyn Bridge)

The girls walking ahead of me

I went with the daughters - we had a lovely time.  I did look for Patchwork shops - I thought there would be loads, but although there must have been 15+ fabric shops on 38th and 39th they were mostly fabric on rolls - synthetic fabrics, not our sort of fabric.  I found a shirt-making Aladdin's cave, but there was way too much choice and they were charging $30 a yard!!  The one patchwork shop I found was lovely but nothing that looked amazing and it was all $12.95 a yard which is practically the same as at home.

The best I can offer for crafty stuff was this fab statue

And this lovely man sitting on the subway station making crocheted hats!  Lisa bought the black & multi one in his left hand!

We went to the 9-11 museum.  I have mixed feelings about it.  Very moving and lots of information and well presented if you look at each section on it's own.

But it starts with an enormous space with a few big items, including this art installation.  We took this slow as we thought this was the general design of the museum.  As you can see, very few people

And there was information about all the people who died.  A good friend of mine lost a distant relative: I never met him, but it was nice (?) to have someone to focus on and we found his photo and the information the family had submitted, and where he had been remembered by other firefighters

 

 And there was a quilt to look at

So all calm, and peaceful and soothing in a way, and then we went through a revolving door to a special exhibition . . . where there people: crowds of people, films taking on the day being played, we heard noises recorded on the day, answerphone messages from loved ones who never made it home, we saw posters looking for those who were lost, papers found after the towers came down, clothing and shoes that were found in the clean up, parts of the building, of the plane, the background of the terrorists, stories of bravery . . . it was too much for me especially after the tranquility of the main rooms.

I really would have liked to have been given a route to take: that would take me to everything, and that would tell me I should allow half an hour for the huge room and maybe 2 hours for the special exhibition (and not bother with the Rebirth Film - far too arty and full of itself).

Anyway I went and I'm glad I did but I bought a couple of books so I can explore the bits I want in my own time.

A few more pics:

Our very opulent (and quirky) hotel

Lady Liberty from the Staten Island ferry (why is the ferry free????)

 A funky building that husband and I had watched a documentary on with a glass floored sticky out deck

And the city at sunset from the Empire State Building (why does it have 4 doors that you can't use but without signage to show where the right one is???)

Too many rants - maybe I'm still jet lagged!!!!