2020 Wk 40 - One thing at a time???

 I really should work on one thing at a time . . .  but that's no challenge!!!

I've got a delivery of 80 sweatshirts due next week to embroider for my friend's pre-school so anything 'fun' that needs embroidering needs to be done now . . .

The Halloween quilt has been finished and delivered to a very happy aunty

There was febric left over, so now I've got a few Happy Halloween banners / flags on the go: so far I've forgotten to trim the ginger off the bottom half of one before adding the lettering, forgotten to change to orange thread for the pumpkin, put the black and the orange felt in the wrong place so there are missing bits, and run out of glow in the dark thread (the one I bought last week!) - that's going well LOL

Because they aren't stressful enough I'm also making a baby quilt from a hoard of fab brights (which only had 40 in the back not the 42 promised so I've added from stash)

And I ordered some Alison Glass sun prints fabric and spent ages auditioning them before I stitched them all together . . . wrong!  I have unpicked and re-sewn the dodgy blocks 

And I am now cutting them up to make a square dance / Lil twister quilt (like these) but forgot that I should add the border first (doh!) so am trying to that at the same time AND cope with questionable spatial awareness!

(just whisper it, but so far so good!)

Anyway, on the positive front, this insipid Trip Around the World (honest) is finished and in the Linus Quilt pile

The EPP triangles flimsy is growing

Lisa and Jim finally moved into their house (this was the stuff we couldn't find room for elsewhere!  I think this will be my favourite room when it's all cleared)

The Plus Quilt is also finished.  As it's hand pieced it's probably a bit fragile for a Linus Quilt, so it's waiting for a good home

I finally finished some little bowls that Jackie and I started years ago - they were possibly meant to have zipped tops but finished was better than perfect so no zip

And finally I've changed my Google profile picture . . . this sticker came with a McDonald's Happy Meal, and the whole family said it looks like me!!!!

Griping about Google & some Crafty Stuff

A few years ago I changed my blog address from Slikstitches.blogspot.com to Slikstitches.com.  I did it on a whim, and if I could turn back time I would not have done it!

At first my blog vanished for a while, then last year I had problems paying my renewal fee ( I blogged about it here).  I eventually discovered I had to log into wallet.google, and update my credit card information, so when I got this year's renewal email I checked on the above post and checked my credit card details and sat back smugly,

BUT - this time that wasn't the right place to update the card info - it seems they sometime look somewhere else!  It's taken me a month, but I've finally sussed it - I have to log on here using an email address I never use - I don't even know how I can use it! (B@SS.COM), using a password that I haven't used for years (SSG) and change a different saved credit card option. [Billings/Domain Registration / Access Billing Ac]

So now I have it saved here ready for getting hopelessly lost next year!

But because no blog post in compete without a photo or two . . .

Jackie's My Small World is looking awesome

I embroidered a blanket for my Great Aunt, and mum has delivered it

Lesley at Crafty Church embroidered this for her sister

And my God Daughter created and machine stitched this for a friend

Oh, and Lisa received her Christmas Quilt

That'll be FOUR layers now on her bed - a bit like the princess and the pea!

Departure into Dressmaking

I am most very definitely NOT a dressmaker - leaving aside that fact that my mum IS a dressmaker and any attempts in the past have been swiftly sorted by mum, I have issues with following instructions!

If you've read many posts on this blog you will know that I prefer to look at a finished item and have a go at making it myself rather than read instructions. (A quick look at the SLIK and Quick tab on this blog show 30 odd items, of which at least 3/4 are where I've "re-invested the wheel" rather than follow instructions!)

But, I've been seeing lots of basic tunics on Pinterest, and as well as Nessa who sews a lot, Janine has recently made a tunic, and I finally decided to take the plunge and take a departure into dressmaking.

I remembered Clothkits from childhood, and had heard they were trading again, so asked Mr Google, and found their website.  What I *remembered* were dresses etc printed onto fabric, like this:

What looks like fuzzy lines are the cutting lines for different sizes. 

So that's what I expected when I ordered this

What I got was *real dressmaking* stuff!  fabric, paper pattern, thread and oh good grief, a ZIP!  All included so I had no excuse not to start!

I didn't want to use the lovely linen on my first attempt as I'm not a standard size, so I used some donated fabric and gave it a go (do excuse Niki's bedroom as my backdrop, she has the only even half length mirror in the house)

I need to talk to mum about a few alterations, but I'm rather chuffed that (a) I followed all the instructions - they were really well written, and (b) noticed that the zip was optional (phew) and (c) there was no un-sewing necessary and (d) the pockets and top stitching went fine

Get me - I might be a dressmaker's daughter, but I think I just did some dressmaking!

The List and the Lighthouse (Long!)

Yesterday's 'off list' making was almost certainly avoidance tactics - avoiding the Lighthouse Quilt.

The Lighthouse Quilt is specifically requested by my father.  Not just "A" lighthouse quilt, but a quilt depicting the Cape Flattery lighthouse in Washington please thank you very much.

I blogged about starting the quilt, and some photos of the lighthouse here. I made some units for the house and the tower and about 4 months ago it looked like this

It then got put away, but as I've a week off school I knew I should really clear the work table and do something with it.

I didn't like that one building was at an angle, and I didn't like the darkness of the windows and doors, the tower's light section was completely wrong and obviously some sort of land was needed!

I asked Mr Google for some help and found a whole new way of procrastinating!  I found better photos of the lighthouse and the island, Tatoosh:

http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/htmls/line3406.htm

http://www.panoramio.com/photo/31321617

And a lot of interesting articles about the Washingtom State History page about the island,  the Wiki page for the lighthouse, and article from Lighthouse Friends dot com, and some articles by Heather Bowers whose great grandfather was the lighthouse keeper there for 32 years.  The Lighthouse is no longer manned, and is being returned to the Makah tribe.  The island is virtually untouched by development, and is of interest to the archeological researchers at the Makah Cultural and Research Center, as well as to a variety of universities and environmental research groups. (Links more for my futue reference to save finding them all again)

I also found a few very helpful photos:

http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bowers/light/cflight.htm

 

 

http://www.thelighthousepeople.com/washington/cape_flattery.html

 From www.USCG.MIL website

These helped me get a better idea of the layout of the building, and I could see obvious mistakes in the initial layout.

I changed the building so we were looking straight on, I redid the windows and doors: (I know the previous versions were more like the original, but I preferred this lighter look.)  I have removed the tower's light section and will embroider that direct onto the fabric later, and I auditioned green grass and sea grass fabrics.  I also changed the light tower so it came out of the roof,

 

I then looked  more closely at the pictures and realised I didn't have to choose between the two grasses - I could use both

The next job will be to start preparing the applique pieces.  With serendipitous good timing, Katy posted some applique suggestions this morning, and I happen to have some fusible interfacing, and am now stitching each building part to the interfacing.

(But I've just realised the main building part still needs two windows, so I shall do them first!)

2014 May (second half)

 

Bloggers Quilt Festival Part #1

I can lose hours and hours visiting Amy's online Bloggers Quilt Festival each year: she does an amazing job organising it all, and I always find new bloggers to follow, and to inspire me.

I'm entering this in the hand quilted section:

It's a brick layout iSpy quilt that has been hand pieced and hand quilted and even hand finished - not my usual style at all! 

It started when I needed some hand sewing to take on holiday, and it finished when I was invited to a virtual baby shower for the lovely Sarah who blogs here, so this is now Molly's iSpy quilt.

EDIT: And here is Molly ON her quilt - isn't she a sweetie!

I hope you enjoy seeing it - I certainly enjoyed making it!!!  Do visit Amy's blog and see all the other entries!

Bloggers Quilt Festival Post Part 2

I can lose hours and hours visiting Amy's online Bloggers Quilt Festival each year, she does an amazing job organising it all, and I always find new bloggers to follow, and to inspire me

Here is my entry to the scrappy section

These string blocks had been building up over many years with no particular purpose other than to reduce the bulk in the scraps drawer.  At Christmas I received a message from a childhood friend that she was dying of cancer; although I had already arranged to be visiting family in May, nearby her home, and therefore seeing her too, she wasn't sure she would still be alive.  

The feeling helplessness is beyond description:  I just wanted to be able to hug her, but even that wasn't possible due to distance.  So these blocks were joined (inspired by Nicky's fractured quilt) and bound and posted as substitute for a real hug

(I notice the photo was taken before I finished it - it did get finished and posted immediately! Hence no final photo)

Olaug received the quilt, and loved it.  She sadly died last month, so it's her mum I will visit next week, not her :-(

Rest in Peace Olaug xxxx

Griping about Google

Some years ago I decide I would like my blog name to be SLIKstitches.com rather than SLIKstitches.blogspot.com: a small change, but the idea made me happy, and for £10 a year I figured it was a good plan.

Groan.

The switchover was a problem, and for a few weeks I thought I had lost my blog, but eventually I found an on-line geek who could understand the problem, and give me a solution - yippee.

The next few years I spent days before the anniversary trying to update the payment details; so last year I wrote notes on how to find the info. 

So a few days ago my email arrives

And I wonder whether last years' notes will help at all

 Ah, probably not

So I follow the link

Hummm,

I don't have so how am I supposed to click it?

A bit of Googling and it turns out that I need wallet.google.com. 

So, for *this* year I am sorted - and next year I'll check this post and see how much they have changed again!

Back to Blogging

I haven't been blogging for a while, or sewing, or reading anyone else's blogs - partly due to having visitors and being out and about with them as well as spending time at work, and sleeping occasionally!

Nearly a week ago I taught the Chertsey museum ladies how to make tissue pouches, and other variations on the theme.  We started with Show and Tell - they brought in the finished bags they made from their crazy patch blocks

Then they got started on the tissue pouches, and the wine coaster variations. 

(Our visitors were on their way from USA to Norway - I had to empty sewing stuff from my car to make room for their luggage - it didn't take long for a cat to make themselves at home on the cutting mat bag! )

Big is Best

I've made a few bags (reversible tote bags) recently that have finished smaller than I wanted - you would think I would learn but it has taken me a while but I think I've cracked it!

I made a biiiig bag for Jackie's daughter and decided that was the size I wanted too, so I made one side then left it until I'd got some fabric for the other side.

Well Lisa came home with these fabrics for me (amongst others!)

So once I'd got this lot out of my sewing room

I started to finish the bag.  Do you remember I put pockets into a bought tunic a few weeks ago?  The method had stayed in my mind as a possibility for bag pockets.  Not in the side, but in the top of the bag.

This picture shows what I tried to do.  So the method had sort of stayed with me, but if you've ever put in seam pockets you'll see what I didn't see at this stage - my pockets are going to have flowers on the outside - the hidden side!

Never mind

 

I have an enormous (22 x 21 x 5) tote bag that I love, it is fun hessian (burlap / jute) on the outside, and big flowers with deep patch pockets on the inside

 

. . . And has two seam pockets: one between each ends of each handles, and I'm ready to take pretty much anything anywhere!

Pinterest Proof

I love Pinterest, and have loads of crafty pins: often though I pin whilst thinking "humm, really?"

I tried the sharpie pens on a mug - NOT dishwasher proof, I even bought fancier sharpie pens, still not dishwasher proof.

So when I pinned the silk screen instructions I wasn't convinced. But a friend send a Red Cross package of unwanted fabric stuff (thanks Lise) and it included some fabric that looked suitable, and I had mod podge on my desk, and could reach an embroidery hoop so I figured I'd give it a go.

Prepare to be astonished! (not at my screen making skills though!).

I so didn't expect it to work, so there are no clean pictures of the screen, but here is an after picture (washed but still a bit stained)

And here is the result!!!!

And together

Crafty Church Catch Up

Back in February one the regulars at Crafty Church (hello Janet!) showed us this completed quilt

Since then she's been working on other projects including a hexi quilt, but this month she brought along another quilt: the same design as the flowery one above, but SO different

Isn't it great!  She also made three matching cushion covers

And Lynn has been working on a Hungry Caterpillar cushion: last month we basted it before she had to rush off, and she's been hand quilting ever since, and on Saturday we finished it

Beautiful Baby and Bodger Brian

I didn't get any sewing done yesterday as we were celebration this beautiful baby

turning into this amazing 20 year old

Happy Birthday Niki, love you

BODGER BRIAN:
Husband is an odd job man - it's what he does to keep the wolf from the door: he fits kitchens and bathrooms, fixes computers, mends things, moves radiators or light switches . . .  you get the picture.  The down side is that my house doesn't get much attention, but the upside is that if he gets it into his head to solve a problem he doesn't stop until it is solved!

I have quite a lot of sewing stuff that lives in my car: easy to unload when I have a class . I have bought some stackable Euro crates, and a dolly with wheels to take then from car to class.

I generally do this by fixing the stuff with bungee cords and holding the top and using that as a handle.  The downside is that I stack more stuff than I *need* to get it tall enough that I can push it like that.

Husband's choice of reading matter is usually ScrewFix, Maplins and RS Components catalogues, and he commented that here was a Euro dolly for sale in RS Components, with a handle.  Well the price was nearly double the cost of the dolly alone, and I couldn't buy just a handle, so I figured that was the end of that - until an hour later he called me down to show me his latest bodge:

 

He taken tent poles from a long defunked tent (of course he didn't throw the poles away with the cover - they might be useful one day); bent them at 90^o about 2" from the ends, and heated the bend so it's permanent, and they now wedge into the holes at the ends of the dolly, so I have removable handles!

Bless his cotton socks!

Bodger Benta

 In my last post I accused husband of being a bodger: Google defines a bodger as

But I prefer Urban Dictionary's definition:

My bodge doesn't involve hardware stores or junkyards, but is an unorthodox solution to a problem

Back in April I posted that I had nearly finished this tessellated quilt : 

And I really thought I had, but when I finished the binding and was checking for loose threads I found a seam that had totally missed.  Now I *could* have undone the hand sewing of the binding, undone the machine sewing of the binding, undone the border, fixed the problem and redone all the above.

But in the words (I think) of a TV comedian " we don't want to do that".  Using the embroidery machine for quilting Cut Sew Quilt seemed to work really well, so I decided to see if I could do something similar.

This was the test stitch

And this was the repair stitch

Not bad at all.  If you look for the problem it is still clearly there, but there is no danger of the seam unravelling further

You cant see it clearly, but I've done 14 of these spirals all round the outside - I rather like them!

Super Squishy

There are some bloggers that for some reason seem to be on my Facebook feed rather than my Bloglovin feed, and Kate is one of them (I've now got her on Bloglovin too!).

A while ago Kate posted on FB that she had some wool left over from assorted projects, was there anyone who wanted it.  Before I even saw the post, Amo had tagged me - was this something the kids at Crafty Church could use?

It certainly is, so I messaged Kate and she very kindly posted the wool to me - an enormous envelope arrived, with LOADS of wool!

Thank you Kate - I plan to make corn dollies with it - the kids will love it

Real Wrestling

Many years ago the Giant Lone Start quilt was all the rage in blogland.  I started one, and then ran out of fabric, then ran out of fleece for the backing, then kind of lost interest, but it has now sat in a box, maturing, for long enough that I'm in love with it again

Mind you, trying to quit it could be a severe test of our relationship - there is an awful lot of it, hence the wrestling!!

I nearly went with Hadley's 3 / 6 quilting - and it wasn't long before I wished I had, but I wasn't going to unsew anything, so I carried on with double echo quilting.  I did each of the diagonals, and the vertical and the horizontal

And as if that wasn't barmy enough, I've gone on to repeat the double echo: so far I've done outside the star, and next I will do inside, and then I think she'll be done!
 

Perfect Packing Priorities

I haven't actually been here for the last few posts - I haven't even had much Internet access so I'm sorry if you have commented and I haven't replied: I will get caught up eventually.

I've been at my cousin's cottage in Norway, if you've hung out here for while you've probably seen several posts of photos of the cottage and the island and the beach - we try and go at least every few years and its beautiful!

Anyway this time I thought I'd show you my packing priorities:

Hand sewing kit

Hand quilting kit

Tara's quilts (here and here) to be finished and delivered to her grandmother for onward delivery

 Given that we don't have hold luggage ... not much room for clothes!