2021 Week 50

 Are you ready for Christmas???  I'm not - the sewing room is full of have finished projects and I dont even know who is coming over, or when!

People have been sending me pics of my tree decorations going on their trees - I love to see these!

 

Gingers have been taking part in next door's Elf on a shelf antics!

And I was asked to design and stitch a tangoing couple - I know the recipients as well as the giver - I hope they all like them!

I had a lovely play with Plum's small weaving look (here on Amazon, no affiliation) - thanks Plum: vintage (50 years or so old) knitted socks now mended again!

And a not too successful Ginger - he's wearing a waistcoat and a jacket with tails, but you really cant see any of the detail.  He's gone on the back burner while I think about him

Right - back to stitching out a set of three kings for the Vicar's Christmas pressie!!!!

2021 Week 49

Still playing catch up on blog posts 

I made a whole load of Countdown to Christmas Gingers for little people 

We had a bust Crafty Church at the end of November: back in the church as the hall had been hired.  The other village was about to host a Christmas Tree Festival and this pic shows people crocheting squares and others sewing them together

This is the finished blanket

And this is our competed 'tree'

And my Ginger Nativity tree

Lucy and I have agreed our blanket should be donated to the local Hospice.  They have a scheme called Blanket Therapy: People are offered the opportunity to be gifted a blanket when they arrive and it stays with them for their stay.  When they finally pass on the blanket is gifted to their family.  I think that's a lovely idea and hope our blanket can be a hug for someone who needs it!

I was taught how to start granny squares by a very patient Hayley - inconsistent size, but I'm slowly getting the hang of it!

I finished 60 Gingers for the local senior boys scvhiool

I am part of a monthly hexie swap: this were the incoming November hexie flowers

And I've prepped my outgoing December flowers.  They were supposed to be red and green  so the five that fit the spec and the oines taht have gone in the post and the white one is mine

The Chertsey Museum ladies' had great fun making Christmas Ginks / Julenissen - each one has it's own personality!

And I think I've finally finished my Christmas tree decoration julenissen, ready to go in the post to friends

2020 Week 52

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas - probably not what you are used to, but most of the year has been like that!

I had some lovely crafty gifts - thank you!  A map making DVD from Plum (watch this space), a needle keeper and a chocolate sewing machine (yum) from Avril.

I finished another julenissen for us:

and have completed this flimsy.  I'm a bit cross at the way I've arranged the colours, but it is what it is!!!

Looks good hung up with lights behind it - almost stained glass!!!

Very good friends moved out of the village just before Christmas so I made them a tree hanger of their old house - apparently I made her cry . . .  that's a good sign right????

  

I've made and posted the FB hexi swap flowers for December (poinsettias) (yes, I confess, I havent finished mine yet!

The vicar was delighted with his ginger nativity set and wore them for Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve - I mist try and make some of the rest of the cast for next year!

Another Elf sized "ginger" dressing up outfit was delivered 

And the spiral crochet has been finished (as I came to the end of the wool) and just needs a bit of blocking.  I might need to buy some more so can can start something else!!!!

I got some fabric packs for Christmas, and some  other crafty bits, but this is my absolute favourite . . . Lisa bought me a class to make these!  Once we are allowed to be in the same place at the same time we are going top have a go

Christmas was mostly virtual  . . . but good to see everyone 

My triangle EPP has been pieced.  Where the points meet is supposed to look like this 

But many junctions didn't get the memo!

I have a circular die for the sizzix, so I cut lots of circles from heat and bond and ironed them onto each junction to keep the points in the right place

Since them I have removed the paper backing from the circles and ironed the whole lot to a white fleece, and have quilted it in variegated thread - jut binding to do then another one done

And finally I've been embroidering in front of the TV.  I found this panel in a pile that needed putting away, it had been pieced but was just pattern / black / pattern / black.  I've had fun extending some of the patterns into the black and now will make it into either a zippy pouch or a basket

I do believe that for once I am going to start the new year with fewer UFOs that I started it with - yes there are still some, and yes I did get some fabric for Christmas that I may be about to cut into, but things have definitely been more chaotic in the sewing room in the past!

Keep well everyone, and keep safe xxx

2020 Wk 46 - What shall I show you today?

 Maybe you have forgotten that I sew Gingers?  Someone asked me the other day if I had counted them - maybe I should have done - but I'm not even due I'm prepared to count how many times I have ordered more 'ginger' felt as I'd run out!  So the latest have been some Yule Nissen (in Norwegian), aka Tomte (Swedish) and gnomes.  They are actually gingers under their boots and gloves and clothes and beards! 

I also stitched a ginger Nativity set.  This one isn't my design, I bought it from Memories in Thread.  I'm not convinced about some on the animals - the big sheet is HUGE and the camel looks lire like a lama, but the rest is quite cute.  Someone suggested stitching a stable (with some small buttons) and adding one character a day as an advent calendar - it might have to start in the middle of December rather than the first!!! (there is one more wise man who missed the photo shoot, and I guess a star, and the moon, and some more shepherds and farm animals could bulk it out - maybe a project for next year?)

My girls are (thankfully) too old for the Elf on the Shelf project but I have friends who prepare some brilliant escapades for their elves: I mentioned that M-I-T  has designed some costumes for elves and got talked into making this!!!!

Another friend sent me a link to a design like this on Pinterest.  It was fun to design and stitch but I'm not really sure what to do with it next . . .  so it's gone to her in the post  and can be here problem now!!

The triangle EPP quilt is growing: I'm not sure how big it will get: I'm sure it will tell me when it's big enough or I will tell it there are no more triangles!!!

But for now I still have plenty of tacked triangles and ready-to-be-tacked triangles to add

I haven't bought much fabric (felt doesn't count does it?)

But Jackie sent me a pic of this zippy pouch she's made, (and has promised to teach me when we can meet up) 

and about ten minutes later I saw this fabric for sale, so I kind of HAD to buy some as I think it will be perfect for the pouches!

Well I've actually had some orders for some Yule Nissen gingers so I'm going to go and do some "work"!  Have great weekend