2018 Wk 15 - chocolate and creating

Do you know that feeling when you need a hug from your BFF but she’s too far away.  Well the best alternative is an unexpected squishy containing a paper hug AND a zippy pouch, AND fabric AND chocolate!  Love you Jackie xxx


In the afternoon I was teaching at a Chertsey Museum - a little out of my comfort zone!  Mixed media notebook decorating!  We used wooden and card shapes as well as fabric shapes, ribbons, buttons and lace.  They were all stuck down and then painted black with gesso.  Once that was dry it was over painted with a metallic paint (red, purple or turquoise) and finally some elements were highlighted using silver, pewter or gold wax.

Some stage photos: such a dramatic difference between stage 1 and stage 3
  
And some comparison photos showing how much difference the wax makes
 

And finally the other creations



A good day eh?

2018 wk 5 - class prep

I actually got to turn on my sewing machine today - woohoo!!  After I’d finished the meeting minutes and helped Lisa with her tax return I ignored the big boxes of uniforms to be embroidered and cut some fabric and sewed it back together!!!

Sooooo therapeutic!   I made a sample twisty thread catcher.  It’s not finished so I can show the ladies the various stages


I also did some painting!  I’m teaching a class later in the year where we’ll stick fabric and fabric related stuff onto card, paint the whole lot with black gesso (?) and then add a thin layer of bright colour (I’ve got purple, red and blue) then add a little bit of metallic wax (pewter, bronze and mother of pearl) to highlight the raised textures.

I expect it has a name in card making circles, but “painting” is all I can give you, apart from photos



Nice result but only just fabriccy (and the black gesso is like tar - sticks until you can eventually peel it off hands, jeans, cutting boards (!) etc) but the ladies want to try so we will

The one where I started a Birthday Bag

I think I posted a pic of some fabrics I got for my birthday - some fun rainbows in dots and solids and a pack in greys, teales and beige:

These fabrics called to be a bag for me - becuase I really need an new bag, and I have nothing else I should be sewing at the moment (as if)
So I made the outer with two zips on one side, plain yummy fabric on the other

And the inside has one zip pocket

and three slip pockets

I'm not sure about the remaining FQ for the strap, so the bag will have to wait for a while until I can get it finished but it is making me very happy just to look at it!
And I did get some things ticked off my to-do list - today nephew asked for his company logo to be embroidered . . . on a baby's vest!

And two ladies at church got confirmed last week so I made them both a cover for their bible - with our church on the front

The to-do list had got to 14 items, and I'm down to 6, so at least that's better than 50% done! The worry is how much will be added on before I get to take some off next weekend!

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Saturday Sort Out

Today I've completed a few things in the sewing room:

I have finished this quilt for a very good friend who is leaving school

It is hand quilted, and even labeled!!!

 

And pre-loved by a cat!

I made gifts for two staff leaving the other school I work at

 I cut all my new fabrics into 8" squares for I-Spy quilts

And trimmed the left overs into 4" x 8" for Brickwall I-Spy quilts, and pieces suitable for my I-Spy hexagon quilt AND the selvedge edge quilt that is under long term construction!

Phew!

And then I went to play at Crafty Church - those pics will follow another day!

Books and Bunnies

Last Thursday I taught an adult education workshop in the evening.  I wasn't sure how many would come as it was enrolment on the night and the local authority hadn't advertised it much.

I put it on the Windsor Parents facebook page, and the Hive office (Military and Community information) put it on their facebook page . . .  and we had 11 ladies wanting to come!!!!!

They all worked hard

 and we had nine fab book covers finished by the end of the evening!

Well done ladies

And I've been making Easter Bunnies again!  This is another recommendation from the lovely Plum (the notebook are her instructions too).  The bunnies originated from Urban Threads - they are called Giving Bunnies, and you can read about they and the random acts of kindness they support here.

These are being made for the assorted great nephews and nieces as Easter pressies - the first batch are ready:

And I'd like to make some more to leave for children to find over Easter

Binding, Book Covers and a Blanket

I've not done much sewing recently - I'm trying to lose weight and as an incentive agreed with Niki that I wouldn't cut into new fabric until I lost 4lbs!

The cars fabric had been cut years ago, so the rules allowed me to make them, and two have now been finished, just a bit to go on the third binding:

And I could make book covers from scraps, so they were allowed - and anyway are samples for a work shop, so were exempt from the rules

At tonight's weight in I've finally lost the last half of the 4lbs, so tomorrow I can start on a new project!!!!

Lisa however has finished a project - her friend Ryan is modelling her granny square blanket!

Well done Lisa! Xx