2019 Wk 14 Chertsey Friday

For a change I wasn't teaching at Chertsey on Friday - I was one of the students instead!

Marion who does these lovely landscape weavingings lead the class instread

She warped the frames for us and we learned pigtail knots, ane which way to weave depending on right or left handedness and how to meet and greet one colour to another horizontally, and how to wrap a length of wool to make it easy to weave.  Thank you Marion!  We didn't get far on the day but I'm looking forward to seeing them next month for show and tell

 

 

 

 

And speaking of show and tell, here are some finished or nearly finished wall hangings from last month

 

After that, I went on to sleep out!!  Taking part in a fundraising event for Windsor Homeless Project

My bloggy friends have been really generous in sponsoring me - thank you all VERY VERY much xxxxx

Success and a Crafty Consequence

I'm delighted to report that the lighthouse embroidery went exactly as planned

It stitched well

Lined up perfectly with the horizon

And fits the top of the tower just so

Phew!

Yesterday I popped round to Lynn's with the bags for her sister Ann.

She had emailed me as to how much she owed me, but I took a deep breath and asked for a swap, or even a partial swap . . . Lynn works mostly with clay, and makes the most amazing things.  she had an Open Studio event a few years ago and I fell in love with (actually lusted after) a, um, *building* with a bright blue and a bright green glaze made from glass from a sherry bottle and a wine bottle!

She spent ages this afternoon telling me what she saw as faults in all sorts of creations (her 20+ inch lighthouses are fabulous) then offered me *the* building I remembered from two years ago

Plus a beautiful potted plant (just look at that one red and white flower!)

And tried to give me money as well!

I am so in love with this!!  Brian and Niki think it's wonderful too, and have decided it cant just go on the grass - it needs to be on the table where it can be seen.

Niki says "I'm not dissing your bags mum, but that really wasn't a fair swap, you'll have to make her loads more bags to make it a fair swap"  I think she's right!

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!)

2011 February

 Managed some sewing - yippee!

I knew that, as usual, I wouldn't get much sewing done on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday (dratted W.O.R.K!), and Thursday wasn't too exciting as I had a dozen fleeces to embroider for a local builder, but yesterday and today have been sewing days :-)

I won an Arnold's Attic Layer Cake (from Moda) in the Christmas Giveaway over on Stash Manicure, and finally (with help from Niki) decided to do a Vanishing Patch, but with 42 squares there wasn't quite enough to make five nine patches.  I had just bought some (reduced) Moda from Julia at CrossPatch, and she'd been really helpful, so I decided to put my trust in her and ask for a few fat quarters in a  fabric/range that coordinated with Arnold's Attic  She came back with Bistro (see to row, middle fabric) which I LOVE! and got 3 meters of it!

So . . . 45 10 inch squares stitched into five 9 patches.  (I carefully chose my favourite fabrics for the corners as they remain whole, and the smallest print for the centre as this will become the smallest section of fabric)

Then each 9 patch is cut into quarters (first in half then in half again)

Leaving me with 20 blocks like this.

I cant go any further yet because I don't have anywhere to lay them out and arrange them how I like them.  However in just under two weeks time I am going to mum's and she has floor space, and a good eye for colours, so we'll do it then, and I can pin them at mum's and bring them home to sew into a flimsy. (Thank you mummy!)

I feel all de-stressed now that I've got some sewing done!

Now I've got 30 t-shirts to embroider for a local transport company - boring, but will pay for the Bistro fabric I just bought, so I cant complain :-)

Productive weekend

After I mentioned that the Vanishing 9 Patch had to be put away for 2 weeks until I get to mum's, Teje was worried about me, would I be able to survive?  Amo also commented, 'accusing' me of having attacked the 9 patch fabrics - good call Amo!

Anyway, I've now gone on to distract myself from the 9 patches, by attacking another pile of fabric: these are some of the scrummy Aviary fabrics from Julia's shop that have been cut, stitched, cut, cut and ironed to make half square triangles.  They will become pinwheels, and I will show you how, but now I'm on my way out :-)

Hope your weekend went well

Pinwheels (with no triangles!)

These pinwheel blocks are made of triangles - I love pinwheels, but I have an aversion to sewing with triangles ... and this method doesn't use triangles at all!!!

Take two squares, the same size, and line them up right sides together.  Stitch along all 4 sides using 1/4 inch seam

 Cut in half, then in half again making 4 folded triangles

 open the triangles and press (seam to dark fabric, or seams open)

Stitch the squares together first in pairs, then each pair to the other pair.  (Ooops forgot photo of that finished pinwheel)

Having checked that the instructions work, pair up 64 pink and green squares, stitch together on all 4 sides

 cut into 64 triangles

Discover what the 45 degree marking on the ruler is for, and use it to cut each triangle in half again

 You now have 128 little triangles

Iron them all open (seam to darker fabric, or seam open)

Carefully align each pair of these (called half square triangles, or hst for short) and stitch to make a 2 hst unit. Press, then join each 2 hst unit to another one to make a pinwheel

Now you (I) have 31 of these ... and cant quite decide what to do next LOL

Conventionally, they would get put together, but they aren't very well defined  (click on any photo to make it bigger)

I could alternate them with uncut fabric -

BUT should I use the big roses fabric ...

or the paisley fabric ...

or the small roses fabric?

Or I have some small pink gingham, or small green gingham?

Or I could sash them?





I have emailed Julia to ask if she has any plain pink or green in the range as that may be better for either alternate blocks or sashing, but for now they can go into a plastic bag while I wait for inspiration.

Not very exciting

Not a very exciting weekend - I've embroidered a company logo onto 30 polo shirts, and Brian's put new floors and shelves in Lisa's room

I did however, clean out the fluff from inside the sewing machine (yuck!)

 Niki went to London and spent some time with Lisa... and brought back this awesome postcard for me.  Thank you Lisa, I LOVE it!!!

 

a bit more exciting

A while ago I made this, thinking maybe for the BQL skinny wall quilt swap.  I made this one because the first one was too small, and this one is actually no better (they are supposed to be about A3 size)

This evening I was 'helping' Brian finish Lisa's floor, and the landing floor (this means I was on call for hooving and an extra pair (LOL) of hands when needed) and I decided to have a go at another skinny hanging.  I haven't really enjoyed free motion quilting as I've had problems with tension, but I had a new foot that I hadn't tried and figured I'd give it a go, and I could always hide the back!

Well it went really well, so I kept going, and now I have this piece.  

It's pieced and quilted (all raw edge applique), and the back of the quilting is as neat as the front - yay, I love my new foot :-)  The scene is based on the one I did for my Aunt's 90th, but doesn't have the cottage and the boat house on it.  As this is meant to be night (I ran out of day-time-sky fabric LOL) I think the yellow cottage would look out of place, so for now it's just a moon lit beach.  If you click on the picture you can see it enlarged, and one more click will zoom in further.

Anyway, the point is that I have started this for the swap, and whilst I would be disappointed if neither of the other two were picked by anyone, I'd be gutted if this one wasn't, but that's because I love what this represents, and really why should anyone else be interested?

Ho hum.  I shall ponder this while I sleep!

SLIK Stitches goes freelance

Well I'm in shock - but delighted.

I have been booked to teach "Fun With Fabric" at Chertsey Museum for one Friday a month for 12 months ... and, what's more ... they are going to PAY ME!!!!!!

YIPPEE!

Sorry no photos, but you can picture me ... I am doing a happy dance, and now (deep breath), I need to go and lay down in a darkened room as I'm feeling a bit giddy and over excited!

What a week!

This has been a busy week, and an even busier weekend - but that was partly my fault for putting all the free-lance work and volunteering in the same weekend!

On Saturday I ran the Fun with Fabric course at Windsor Library, and got all the class started on a two colour rail fence block.  We looked at English paper piecing, and foundation piecing, and moved onto easier ideas, and I introduced them to rotary cutters and self healing boards!

They all chose two fabrics and cut some 2.5 inch strips and have gone home with a stack of strips and 'homework' to make 15 or so rail fence blocks.

Saturday afternoon was at Church - we had five of us there.  I got on with lining the old stoles, while Beryl, Debbie and June all tried to teach Lisa how to crochet!  Beryl also has started some rail fence blocks!

In the evening I did this sample for Chertsey Museum and for Windsor Fire Station craft centre.

I had great fun finding things I could weave, and I think the kids will too.

 I have also tried this idea of weaving using a paper plate.  I think it's too slow moving for kids to get much from, but Kate pointed out that this could be adapted to go with our Poppy theme for the new children's Centre

This brings me to Sunday - after church there was time for a quick lunch then I was helping Kate at the Natural History Museum ... in Eton!  Yes there is a little N H M outpost just 5 miles from here, and it's free!  Kate had run a treasure hunt for kids, but I had a great time too, and then I came home to work on an embroidery for her.

The new Broom farm Children's Centre has it's official opening next week.  Just two week's notice, and the manager is away for one of those weeks, so I'm helping get crafts and displays reading for the great and the good next week.  Kate has asked me to do an embroidered plaque, so that was this evening's task.

The craft has been planned and I'll take photos of that later when it exists, but the embroidery needs to be framed, so I needed to get a move on with that.  This photo is a shot of the computer screen, but you can see the logo and the colours. 

 And here are two parts of the embroidery.  I'll join them together and add some wadding, then Kate can take it to a framer, and hopefully it will be ready in time.  (The colours are more vivid than shown in the photo)