2025 February

 Oooops: this only just snuck in as a February post: in a few days it will be April!

The completed quilt for St Peter's hospital has been installed with the current museum exhibition

The lovely Stephanie led a class on teddy bears at the museum: this chap is about 4" tall when standing

I did Gingers for World Chips day

And some ready for Mothering Sunday

I did an astronomer for a Facebook post about several planets lining up

and I made half a dozen cheeky monkeys for a friend who is a stress councillor and works with children

But the best thing of all this month hasn't been started yet.

I have a lovely friend, Sharon, who makes the most amazing quilts, very different to my style.

A few months ago she sent our crafty group a message that she was going to start this applique quilt

https://www.sewhot.co.uk/product/mandalightful-quilt-pattern-only/

I love, love, LOVE it but there was no way I was going to cut out all those pieces - only a lunatic would do that

She turned up on my door with the instructions; the template enlarged to actual size; and Every ... Single ... Piece ... backed with bondaweb and laser cut, and bagged

I hope you understand that I was SPEECHLESS!  I have booked the village hall on Friday so Lisa and I can start playing using large tables

Love you Sharon!

2024 May

 Here comes the usual photo bomb of crafty things from my May:

Chertsey Fun With Fabric group brought show and tell in the shape of these cute rabbits we made in April with Stephanie's help

And for May's class we made pinch pouches for scissors or other treasures

  

I made my sample out of a patchwork orphan block and still have some left over so I used it on a pouch for Niki's Kindle which I was using for holidays

I did some embroidery for customers

and helped Lisa bind this awesome quilt.  She had a vision of adding orange, for a while it might have had orange sashing, but it changed to orange backing . . . 

. . . and a flange on the binding which was a first for me

Brian and I spent half of May in Texas at dad's.  Lisa took advantage of us being there and ordered fabric for us to bring back (this is just part of her haul)

I may have bought some too

I did some hand sewing while I was there, a brick I-Spy quilt

And this "Kawandi" style cowl for the winter, and as a class sample.   Kawandi is a combination of 'plonk applique' and kantha stitching

The edges can be turned under but I went with raw edge.  It's all tacked, I just need to start the final stitching

Lisa used up some of her left over orange fabric to trial a quilt-as-you-go mini quilt while she waited for me to bring back her purchases

And I picked up some wool for a few crochet projects

This started as a blanket but then I decided to see if I can make a cardigan.  I'm sure I don't need instructions????

Eileen also bought some wool and asked me to start her off, I may have got a bit carried away!

See you next month xx

2024 January

 Not much to show for the start of the year

I made two panels at a workshop some years ago but I don't have room to hang them and the girls' don't want them.  I am *trying* to declutter so they were going to go but then I needed a bag for crochet, so I joined them and voila! 

We have finally done some work on our village hall:

The stage hasn't been used for years (decades?) so became a dumping ground

so we removed the stage and put up curtains to turn it into storage

and the library units and the (nice) chairs have moved to behind the curtain

Leaving a huge hall for people to use

I'm really delighted with it!

I've been bulk making I-spy quilts for a few months - too boring to have included in many blog posts.  I finally added the binding so I had 8 ready, then checked my lust and found I needed 11😳.

These have been named and mostly distributed and I'm back making the last 3!

Then my body decided I needed a break from work and sewing, well at least my appendix did, it decided we weren't friends any more so I kind of lost a week or two!  All better now!

It was lovely to come home to mini daffs sprouting in the garden: I wasn't sure they were planted deep enough in these colourful pots but they obviously are

I have done some crochet - this is the wool Lisa got me for Christmas - the colours seem very Northern Lights: I love it!

Hope you are keeping well, and I can show a bit more crafting next month!

2023 November

 Hi all

I started November with some of Mum's crafty stuff.  She likes doing long stitch embroidery, using wool, but isn't that bothered about putting the finished pieces on the wall so I changed these into zippy pouches - they came out well!

Then I finally finished this quilt for a friend's S-i-L from her husband's shirts.

I didn't have quite enough of the binding fabric so I thought I'd add 45 degree sections from left over squares

It didn't occur to me until I'd finished that by adding 5 inches I also lost 5 inches so I gained nothing!  I added some more at 90 degrees and it was fine but what a waste of time!

We had started these at Richmond and Kew Quilters: the lovely Plum had made the tiny trees so we could decorate them

I went to Windsor Baptist church to do some weaving with a children's club they run - I took various types of looms 

and a regular volunteer there had made me some loom frames from picture frames and nails

I finished this one at home (tshirt yarn, next time I'm going to try recycled tshirts)

And luckily the quality inspector approved

Stitch, Crafty Church and Coffee Morning ladies made these trees for the Wraysbury Christmas Tree Festival

A friend invited me to a wreath making session - just bring your own circle!  Her parents also live in the village and have a permanent marquee which was used - she had collected loads of pine cones, holly, ivy and other winter greenery

and served mulled wine while we created!  I used the willow obelisk I made in the autumn 

Not much else for November: now I'm panicking about the Christmas making I'd like to do, and where the time is going: I'll be back the other side of the seasonal chaos and in the meantime wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas