August 2025

 I finally seem to have a month where I can show some making

Jackie came over and we went to Festival of Quilts with Lisa and did some sewing

I finished a crocheted scarf for my mum

Lovely Janet at church made some baby sets for the under-construction baby

I did some hand quilting on the mandala quilt, but it looks as if you'll have to take my word for it!  It's been put away until the cooler weather though!

I went on a course doing foil embossing - great fun!

I did a couple of shifts at Windsor Baptist Church: we made Trolls and Rainbow Fish

I did a final few patches for Tara

I made these for the new baby: toys but also for photographs to identify their age in days, weeks, months or years.  There will be another cube with those 4 words on (eventually)

I mad a few Gingers for various international August "Days": Lizard Day

And Bow Day

Dog Lover Day

And Zoo Appreciation Day!

Last year I planted dozens of sunflower seeds, replanted the healthiest looking plants, nurtured them, prepared beds for them and planted them in the garden, watered them regularly . . . Apparently for the benefit of the slugs. The few that weren't decimated only grew to 6" and never flowered. This year I have one sunflower plant - it had seeded itself, has been ignored by me (and the slugs?), I never watered it . . . The blinking thing is happy, healthy and taller than me! 

We went to a family wedding and had a great time

(Niki is starting to look pregnant!)

I got ahead of myself with A September Ginger: Talk like a Pirate day on 19th September!

I have stitched an altar topper for the Lady Chapel at Church.  It needs to be ironed, assembled, quilted and bound, but at the end of July it was just fabric off the roll, so not too bad!

AND have completed an I-Spy quilt for a friends new granddaughter

And exciting news for our monthly Stitch and Crafty Church groups:  We don't pay rent for the hall so when another group wanted to pay rent to use the hall every Saturday and Sunday I couldn't object.  The rea hall was a school room (preschool) until last summer then was an unsuccessful boxing club but it finally empty and clean, so the sewing groups and the Repair Café are moving into the smaller hall.  We should be able to leave stuff out, and advertise the space for other craft groups as a studio space - how exciting!!!

And right at the end of the month I attended a Silversmith class with LaJade and made a solver pendant

2024 October

Hi

I rather feel that someone has stolen a couple of months - I don't believe it can actually be November already!  

Not much to show for the month of October, but here's a few pics:

Kawandi projects at Chertsey Museum

Finished papoose pouches

I bought the centre wool in Texas, but ran out before it reached a reasonable length.  I thought I found the same wool on ETSY but clearly not 😕.  I've fallen out of love with it but at least it's finsihed!

Another finished was two Grandmother's flower garden quilts for this lovely lady's new great grandchildren.  She started the quilts in the 1970s and gave me the flimsey about a year ago and I reduced it to 2 cot sized quilts and quilted and bound them and gave them back - she was delighted!

And I was delighted . . . I love this enamel jug but the ice would all fall out in the first pour.  My lovely repair cafe man, Peter 3D printed an ice stopper insert from squishy plastic so now the ice remains in the jug.  Roll on next summer

I held a class at Windsor Baptist church making willow weaving stars  - aimed at children the adults had great fun too!

I just wanted to share this Lego envy: Jackie's daughter S has sorted by colour and it's a dream to find the right pieces!

I asked my cousin in Norway if she would knit me a traditional cardigan, and oh boy has she delivered!  I love, love LOVE this, and even a hat from the left over wool!

Well that's it for October: although I've managed to scrabble together a month's furtle* it doesn't show much that I've made . . . hopefully I'll do better next time

("Furtle" is a word that means to rummage around or search through something, often in the hope of finding something overlooked.)

2024 September

 Hello again, I hope you are well

At Chertsey we made papoose pouches: I called them this as they made me think of a papoose for a Native American baby.  These are based on a design I saw on Facebook but it bugged me that it wasn't symmetrical so I redrafted it.  If you want the instruction PDF click here

My crochet project has been restarted a number of times, but I'm finally really pleased with the result, except I don't have enough wool!  Mr Amazon has been dispatched to get me some more, but for now I have to wait 

However the red to go with this bright rainbow yarn has arrived so I have started this.  However I doubt my ability to maintain the slight offsetedness each line so this needs to be frogged and restarted!

I haven't done much making myself, but friends and I made willow stars and lavender pouches

and generally had a great time on a girly weekend away (we worked out we've known each other for over 35 years!)

Back to the papoose pouches: I gave Plum the instructions on Monday and by Tuesday she's made this!

Hopefully more making next month!

2024 August

 Hello again from my corner of the blogiverse

The ladies at Chertsey museum took the idea of mini dwellings as pin cushions and really went for it - aren't these great!

This month we did some crayoned pictures: trace a picture, then crayon to your heart's content, on the back of the picture onto kitchen paper, until the kitchen paper doesn't show any colour, then stitch 

 

 

 

Jackie, Lisa and I went to Festival of quilts for the day: we saw Plums gorgeous Megan's forest mini quilt

And may have done some shopping!

We had a family day out to "scatter mum's ashes".  She had a lovely day!  For anyone who doesn't know, she wants her ashes scattered at sea when she goes, and we thought it would be a shame she wouldn't be there, so we have a picnic and a trial run!

Huge thanks to Rhona and Martin (and their boat) who made it a fabulous day

Blackberries from the village and apples from the garden

So I started this blanket is Texas.  I love the colours but I don't love the shape.  I was quite convinced I needed a chain between each shell, but apparently (and clearly) not.  I fell out of love with the shells too

So with Deb's help at coffee morning it all got frogged and I've started again

This time I managed a chainless foundation (yay, go me)

and I'm much happier with how it's going

I'm trying to get more into the habit or regular haircuts - so this

minus this

became this

I did a few patches for my friends at Windsor Baptist's church's community bakery

I cut a whole load of houses for a QYG village

and then we went on holiday: not too shabby eh?

We met up with family

 

saw beautiful scenery

and wildlife

and wool shops!

(six of these ladies in the public lounge were knitting!)

and we saw the northern lights!

and one off the bucket list: we travelled the Atlantic road

And finally an update: the quilt I made Niki and George for the wedding: totally appreciated by the youngest member of their family!!!!

(if you want more photos from our holiday there are here: https://hickleysonholiday.blogspot.com/2024/09/2024-hurtigruten-norway.html)