2023 August

 Well this is another month where I have been astonished by the number of photos I have to show you!

I have been painting flat wooden beads to match two colourful dresses

There was a great variety of show and tell at Chertsey as the ladies brought in projects they had finished

I finished two EPP (hexies and pentagons) balls

These are made in two halves: 10 hexies and 6 pentagons in each half, sewn together like this

I then experimented with other alternatives: One central hexi surrounded by pantagons (x2) makes a flattened ball

but a pentagon surrounded by pentagons (x2) makes a very satisfying little ball (I think these were 1/2 inch sides)

that with the help of a wooden base and a hot glue gun becomes a sweet little pin cushion

I managed to get to Jackie's for a few days.  We had a go at making pouches with an internal pocket, 

but I think I must have not been concentrating as I was handing her stuff to sew that had been assembled incorrectly so some handles were on the inside

We also mode some bags that would hold projects but I maganed to pin the zipwrong on one of them too😱

These two vinyl zippy pouches weren't too bad

I'm making a quilt for a friend from her B-i-L's shirts.  I don't have space to spread the blocks out at home so take advantage for the village hall. All laid out

and the rows all stitched.

My Tula Pink EPP just about fits on the sitting room floor, but not much longer!  I've got some purple to go in the triangles

And I have been working on a smaller EPP travel project.  I've been making the flowers on and off this year and have now decided it's going to be a flower garden (my first).  I found some 'grass' fabric and have started  preparing grass hexies to be added to the flowers

Once they all have the grass I can lay them out and speed date them

Still on the subject of Hexies - I received the August swap flowers, and got mine posted just before the end of the month

2022 August

Is it an age thing?  Every time I go to write a blog post I want to start with a reference to how quicklty that month went! 

Anyway here is August in Crafty photos!

Hexi flowers received from a Facebook swap

Oldest daughters other half's Birthday pressie (deliberatly not symetrical!)

A fun afternoon at Chertsey Museum mark making of fabric

and mark making on hands (oops, it was gone after two days!)

I borrowed a pattern for a wrap around craft apron.  I made the lined version but it was warmer that I needed so I had another go using half the fabric and a load of bias binding - it worked great!

Mum requested a small quilt for the top of her sewing table: 

The village library was officially opened with a visit from Peppa Pig - so I had to get a cuddle!

Lots of people attend the combine coffee morning and library

A quilt for a friend's 60th - and I gave her matching fabric pens so everyone could write on it

It will probably live at their new beach hut!

I even braved the sea for a swim!

Jackie came for a visit and we did some long overdue touristy things . . .  Windsor Castle was great - we visited the Moat Garden which in 35 years of living within 5 miles of I have never been to!

Loved it!!!

We did of course do some sewing too!

And we had a family dad for Jim's birthday: we hired a boat and had a day trip on the Thames

Miss you Jackie - when are you coming back???

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!