2019 Wk 24 - D4G update and some new ideas

Niki set off on her safari adventure on Wednesday morning.  She's packed everything into these two backpacks and is clearly apprehensive about going and missing her mummy (not!)

She's sent a few pics - I think it's safe to say she's having a great time!

As well as the two backpacks she also took a suitcase filled with 48 Days For Girls kits - and these have been delivered top the lovely Pamela who has undertaken to get them to Connie at Kisumu

I have bought some more brushed cotton for more D4G kits - if you ever wanted to know what £180 worth of brushed cotton looks like here is your answer!

I don't know about your sitting room but we have two double sofas - he has one which he shares with the cat and the TV remote controls and I have one that I share with my hand sewing projects!  My project basket was a rubbishy woven one with the lining on the outside rather than the inside to stop it scratching the sofa.  

So I made myself a fabric caddy, with pockets that holds it all and is gentle on the sofa, and can be picked up and moved if I have to share my sofa with another person!

I have been thinking about being unemployed from next month (!) and maybe offering a sewing / making / mindfulness class.  Something that will teach people a new skill but just as importantly let them zone out of the daily stresses of life and concentrate on themselves.

I've been Pinning loads of ideas, and decided to try this one - handmade fabric beads.  I store my embroidery threads on clothes pins, so used one to wrap fabric (and wadding) around
 

and then started stitching.  The phone clearly doesn't like zooming in that much, but they were really good fun to make and only took about 20 minutes each - what do you think?  Would there be any interest?

And finally this week I was going to a meeting and needed pen and notebook.  I was tidying up some leather (Jackie arrives in less that a week so I need to have *some* work space to share with her) and made a quick pen holder before I put it away!

2018 Wk 15 - chocolate and creating

Do you know that feeling when you need a hug from your BFF but she’s too far away.  Well the best alternative is an unexpected squishy containing a paper hug AND a zippy pouch, AND fabric AND chocolate!  Love you Jackie xxx


In the afternoon I was teaching at a Chertsey Museum - a little out of my comfort zone!  Mixed media notebook decorating!  We used wooden and card shapes as well as fabric shapes, ribbons, buttons and lace.  They were all stuck down and then painted black with gesso.  Once that was dry it was over painted with a metallic paint (red, purple or turquoise) and finally some elements were highlighted using silver, pewter or gold wax.

Some stage photos: such a dramatic difference between stage 1 and stage 3
  
And some comparison photos showing how much difference the wax makes
 

And finally the other creations



A good day eh?

2017 Wk 37 Crafty Week

I was back at Chertsey Museum on Friday . . . but as a student rather than as a teacher. The lovely Claire was teaching a textured book cover - oh my gosh I loved this class!!

I was having far too much fun to take many stage pics but after sticking torn paper scraps and assorted sizzixed shapes onto a notebook we slathered black (or white) gesso and then some metallic paint on top of that. Once it was all dried we then used wax gilt to enhance ... well, whatever needed enhancing!

So I came home with this

And this

(Alice's looked like this before the metallic paint and wax)

So I confess I might have been http://www.thecraftbarn.co.uk/ to look at getting my own supplies!!!!!

Here are all the note books created:

What else do I have that I can show you? I only got one pic at Crafty Church today but my friend Jane joined us . . . and learnt how to crochet

She got it much quicker than I did, but being a couple of years ahead mine doesn't look too shabby:

I've made a bag for the Church Chalice out of some lush 4mm felt:

And I'm delighted to have got the maths right - and the bottom fitted perfectly!

I've started a gift for a friend

And finished three polo shirts for a customer

And made bunting for this Goddaughter who is on her way to university

I'm posting the A to her as a postcard! But planning she'll get the rest a few days later!

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2017 Wk 35 Bah Humbug

I can't believe it's September already! Is it just my age, or is time passing really quickly?
Anyways, I am STILL, boringly plodding through the Pumpkins embroidery - up to 120 items now but starting to see the end. Yesterday I was at Chertsey Museum with my lovely ladies - making humbug pouches. We actually had some finishes (and close-finishes) and ended up with a fab group of pouches
 

The big pouch is made from two squares and one zip from this tutorial.  The smaller ones are made from one rectangle and half a long zip, from this tutorial 

And we've started thinking about next year's crafts ... like this little draw string bag (which could be made smaller as Christmas decorations?)

Meanwhile, hot on the hooves of Lisa asking for a zippy pouch last weekend, Niki has asked for a new notebook for her new job starting on Monday- so of course I obliged!

She said she didn't need a pencil case as well, but I added one to the notebook cover just in case! A few minutes sewing to close the turning hole and she'll be ready for Monday!

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2017 Wk 22 - Mostly Chertsey

The lovely ladies at Chertsey Museum made tote bags today. Well they started them but there isn't really much to show other then their fabric choices, so first let's look at their show and tell:

Three finished felted pictures (two shown with their inspiration) and some finished flowers

And tote bags ready to finish ...

They recently asked about lace making so I thought I'd have a practice.
My attempt looked like this

Which was just a mess so I pulled the pins out in disgust . . . And it transformed itself into this

Which I LOVE! I couldn't salvage this one so I've started again! At the moment it looks like the previous pic - but fingers crossed it works ok!
I'm off for a girly weekend with friends, and wanted to make them something - I'd seen notebook covers which were a bit more than note book covers . . . so I copied the idea and made these

Note book covers with built in pencil cases!
Now I'm off to pack - have a good weekend x

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