September 2025

Hello again, thanks for visiting!  Let's see what happened in September

A very good friend of my mum's became a great granny, so an I-Spy quilt was, of course needed

The Chertsey ladies made what we are calling Iris bags: the handles were part of the huge haul I collected from Iris's craft house after she passed away some years ago and we had great fun using them and reminiscing about Iris

I made a ginger pirate for National Talk Like A Pirate day!

I took some hand sewing with me on holiday and had a lovely time EPPing in the sun, by the pool, cocktail in hand!

I didn't have quite enough fabric for any of the projects, but there are two baby balls (one for our munchkin, one for spare) and what is going to be a robin - you'll have to believe me!

Sadly my niece went back to Aus after 3 months in UK and Europe: she did fly out in the evening so we had a lovely final day together - what a treat: it was my birthday

My lovely friend Jane made me a chicken for my birthday

And the equally lovely Sharon sent me a most amazing stack of fabrics.  I'm planning what I could do with them but for now I'm having to keep them wrapped so I don't get drool on them!
 

We had a great Crafty Church session in our new Studio

And then the family had a terrarium making session which we all enjoyed 

And now it's October 😳 How did that happen?

2022 November

If I'm posting my November photos it means it must be December - panic!  I won't have enough time to do all thing things I want by Christmas!!!

Some of the Chertsey Ladies brought their felt dolls back to meet the group!  They are so cute!

For November we made slippers from fleece!

We cut a square 12.5" on all sides (we cut them at 45 degrees to the edge) for six 6-7 ish

We folded them in half diagonally, (with the most stretch going around the width of the our feet).We stitched from pointed end all along one side (this will be under the foot) and slightly rounded at the corner and keep going about 1/3 along the second side (this is the heel).  Turn inside out and the open point folds down like this

A friend and I made about 30 A5 pouches for the Richmond and Kew ladies for Christmas.  We used Plum's instructions and set up a production line!  Half a dozen reds for the outside and a variety of linings so hopefully each one differs to the others

I managed to finish this quilt for a friend's 60th.  I did have a few issues - running out of the brown was one, the bias edges on the end triangles all stretched giving a slightly wavy border, and the fleece crept a bit so I had to cut an unused bit off and add it to the gap, but it's super cosy and she says she loves it!

Another friend was visiting from overseas and gave permission to open Christmas gifts way too early!  I was seriously spoilt - thank you Sharon!!!

We had a good turn out for the Paula Doyle workshop and I now have a big stack of blocks to speed date into something beautiful

And then a good turn out at Crafty Church: Lovely to see all the crafty ladies in the hall!

Finally I have made a tote bag gift for a friend who is notorious for needing coffee every hour on the hour!  I don't think she visits the blog, but if so, Sharon look no further!!!!

(just filling in while I'm waiting for Sharon to leave)

I'll be back at the end of the month - if I don't manage to get in touch with you before then I hope you have a great Christmas.  

For a few of my friends it will be a bit of a strange Christmas as people they love wont be home with them: I'll be thinking of you, and if you need a sympathetic ear I'm only a phone call away xxx

 

2021 Week 38

This week showcases holidays and stuff - yes: for my family it was a real holiday: paperwork to the nth degree and Covid tests then a plane to Malta where they had a great time

I went to Swanage with girlfriends instead - we also had great weather and actually went swimming in the sea too, although I did think my heart stopped when I went under!

We stayed in a lovely airb'n'b with patchworks on the sofas in the bonus room - pretty darn prefect I reckon!!!

I completed my hexie flowers for the monthly swap (striped flowers for September)

And received these back (plus another one but it must have been camera shy!)

I thought I'd share my FAVOURITE type of phone - a munchkin sitting on a Benta patchwork!  Thank you Janine, she looks gorgeous!!!

This one hasn't gone to it's munchkin yet, but has been collected by his great aunt so is on it's way

I really am rubbish at taking photos but this gorgeous necklace arrived for my birthday.  It's fob watch repurposed into a sewing themed necklace

It arrived accompanied by these gorgeous goodies too

And possibly the best bit of all is that they all came in the arms of BBF Jackie who braved the red tape, the mask for hours, and the plane to visit

(and I can't even add a decent photo!)   We had an amazing weekend, so much sewing and chatting!!!  We made almost a dozen zippy pouches (semi circular and boxy) but I've just realised they've nearly all been gifted before being photographed!

2021 Week 32

Hello lovely people in Blogland!  I seem to have quite a few finishes and WIPs for you today (you might even thinkthe to-be-done pile has shrunk but you would be wrong!!)

I was persuaded to the a scorpion Ginger for a bug train in the village!!!

I finished a crewel type feather embroidery (the outline was deigned on the PC and Lizzie embroidered it for me, so I js coloured in the sections with thread!!!)

I have opted in on a hexie flower swap for have July flowers coming in

And August flowers going out (a lack of fabric meant I didn't make myself a green flower)

Friends and I have been playing with resin

These embroideries were gifted to my friend Dalwyn when he was first ordained.  He sadly passed away recently - his partner Pete sent me this lovely photo from Dalwyn's study

I've tried not to refer to COVID on the blog, but I saw this and loved it - Tara will you now finally comment on the blog?????

The very kind and generous Sharon managed to travel from Dubai to UK - and came bearing gifts!!!

These amazing fabrics are from South Africa - they need the *perfect* project so I'm pinning idea here https://www.pinterest.co.uk/slikstitches/shwe-shwe-inspiration/ - do let me know if you have any ideas, they are stiffer than patchwork fabric, almost waxed

She also brought other goodies ...

And she didn't even know that I had lusted after Tara D's light box - and now I have my own!!!!

I have been very spoiled!!!

This hexie quilt is growing - slightly unusual dimensions as it's a hug rather than a bed quilt

And I grabbed this pic from Instagram - one of the tissue pouches I made for a wedding

 Hope you have managed to craft too!

2021 Week 14

 Hello lovely people in blog land, how is your corner of the world?  Mine is doing OK!

Our savings are invested in premium bonds and husband loves to check each month to see what we've won - just look what we won on 1st April.  Convinced?  Sadly it was an April Fool's joke!

I made some Easter Gingers for my sitting room window, and dropped some more Easter Egg versions to my little Ginger Fan club members

Along with lovely Thank You cards and messages I got 2 photos  of Ginger Collections!  Don't they look great!

Our village We're all in this together" group celebrated it's first birthday, so needed a ginger

And oldest daughter celebrated her (ahem) 30th birthday - she got a crochet blocking square, crochet hooks and a storage case for her hooks

Youngest daughter was given some second hand netball bibs (could mum please fix the elastic straps!) so i also made her a bag to keep them in - I love the name of the team!!!

If you want a good book I thoroughly recommend this one.  The first 90% was great but I was getting anxious as to how she could possibly wrap it up before the end then Oh My Gosh!  I cant tell you in case you read it, but if you do please let me know, I'd love to be able to talk to someone about it!!!!

And "someone" sent me a card, a little pouch and some chocolate for Easter - thank you Jackie!  I cant begin to tell you how much better my life is for having you in it (and what utter cr@p it is that we cant meet up!)

I spent a morning with young D who has been learning machine embroidery for her skill section of the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme (Rest In Peace, sir, I hope you knew what an amazing legacy this scheme would be)

She designed this bunny

and we tried to stitch it out but my old portable machine clearly needs a service, 

so I stitched it out at home for her

I have a collection of much loved Chambery summer shirts - some are nearly worn out, and others have shrunk in the wardrobe (!)  One was neither - it's problem was that it was too short.  So I took a deep breath and cut up all the shrunk ones, and the bits of the others that had some life left, and lengthened the short one

There are raw seams top and bottom, but I'm rather chuffed with the method I used to join the strips as there are no vertical raw seams

There was some darker Chambery left when I'd finished and I had some yardage that was slightly too dark for the shirt too (left over from this previous adaptation:)

 

And there was a denim pinafore that I loved but was too short to wear with leggings and too long to wear with jeans - so flushed with success I'm lengthening the pinafore too!

And finally a finish (that's gone back on the to-do list!)

The binding fabric arrived, and the quilt was bound . . .

And then I realised one of the spirals was missing on the left hand side!  Luckily it's still do-able even after the binding has been added - phew!