2020 Wk 11 - what I made and what I learned

Richmond and Kew quilters has a challenge that started a few months ago - we were given a random animal “pin” badge and were challenged to make an A3 quilt inspired by the pin.

I got a stag: a beautiful beast that we can sometimes see with a herd of deer in Windsor Great Park which is a few miles away.  The park isn’t very distinctive but it incorporates The Long Walk which is very distinctive.  I designed the castle for the embroidery machine to stitch (in two hoopings, that was fun to match up) then added the start of the Great Walk and the trees.  I did try machine stitching the trees but decided to hand stitch instead ...

And here is the ready-apart-from-binding result

My other sewing this week was close to (are you sitting down?) dressmaking.  I had a sweatshirt that was too short.  I bought some extra red fabric and replaced the lower 8 inches of grey with 14 inches or so of red.  I’m rather chuffed with the result

However it’s not perfect and I have learned quite a bit ...

I learned that rather than zigzagging the hem then stitching it down it would have been better to find a double needle and top stitch that way - it would have saved time and would have stopped the hem edge flipping out.

I learnt that it worked well to join the raw edges about 1/2” from the edge, zigzag the raw edges and then top stitch the seam alliance down

And I learnt that sweatshirt fabric has selvedge edges - doh! 🤦🏼‍♀️  I’ll do better next time!

2020 Wk 10 - Resin and crochet recycling

Last weekend the girls and I went to a class making resin jewellery.  We had to wait for the pendants to be delivered as they were still wet when we finished - these came through the letterbox yesterday - they don’t photograph too well but they are gorgeous!

I’ve done some more sample prep for the Well-being class in a few weeks: a version of sashiko

And a version of Kantha (well it will be when I’ve stitched it)

At Chertsey Museum today we were looking at ways to recycle old crochet!  I’d been given a bag load by a local waste recycling centre (they sort through some of the waste and put aside stuff that might be useful to someone, isn’t that great!) and more from a colleague at church: mostly done by her dad and grandmother!  I did check with her it was ok to cut them up and she was happy so this was today’s session!

Some brightly coloured stuff was added to black and to neutral with great effect

And the natural crochet looks great too

Some ladies brought their finished modern hexie projects too - don’t they look great!

2020 Wk 9 - Hexie Hems and stuff

Hexie Hemming: I have two denim tunics that are very similar.  I shortened the sleeves on one and finished the edges with hexies (I blogged about them here).  I had plenty of chambray fabric left so I kept going with the tacking and whip stitches and finally added a slightly deeper border to the hem of the tunic

I'm rather pleased with it!!!

The hem measurements weren't  quite right to match the size of the hexies but this is the join at the back, and I can certainly live with that!!!

The lovely Stitch ladies met on Saturday - lots of sewing and organising (and maybe a fair bit of chatter too!)  You can read about our aims here

 
I'm doing a class for a local authority Well-being Week later in March, so I've been working on a sample - doing a bit of . . . hmmm . . .

Slow Stitching?

Mindful Making?

Calming Couching?

I suppose it doesn't mater what it's called - I just hope they enjoy decorating their bags!

I've rotary cut a whole load of pop concert t-shirts for a quilt I'm making for a customer

And I've used some more Happy Fabric to make another Christmassy t-shirt

2020 Wk 9 Play date fun

The lovely Tara from Crafty Church came to play today.  She brought this panel she had made at a class where she learnt to draw and write with a sewing machine, and we turned it into a cushion

While Tara was sewing her projects I was cutting t-shirts to size for a T-shirt quilt for a customer.  I wanted (needed) a quilters square 15 inches square, but don’t have one and couldn't find one to buy - so I butted a 12.5” square to a 2.5” ruler and topped them off with an over lapping 4” ruler: worked a dream and no duct tape residue when I pulled it all off!

This cushion is going to be gifted with a pack of fabric pens so it can coloured in - put to add to the pizazz Tara wanted to add bright pom-poms. . . It was a fair amount of flaffing to get it right but doesn't it look great

Come on Tara - show us how chuffed you are!!!

2020 Wk 8 - customer, fabric and crochet

Crochet fun - the blanket I started at Jackie’s has grown - I'm on at least the 4th colour (the jury is undecided whether the first few rows are a different colour)

And Lisa’s first Persian tile has been done - isn’t this lush!

Mum has just got back from visiting my brother in Oz.  She picked up a jelly roll of Australian Fabrics . . . I need to clear the decks so I can get stitching!

I was asked to embroider a logo and company name onto some tabbards.  I don’t know what I was thinking when I quoted for one small logo for each one.  That covered the girl, but the writing was bigger, and more annoyingly on a wide pocket stitched down the middle.  I had to unpick the sewing, embroider, and then re-sew the pocket!  Dope!!!  Anyway it’s done , delivered and paid for now!

I went on line shopping for green (grass and trees) fabric for a project , somehow these other colours fell into the basket🤦🏼‍♀️

2020 Wk 7 - in Ireland with Dennis (and Jackie!)

Storm Dennis has hit Ireland and means it’s too blustery and too wet to venture outside - so sewing and crochet has mostly featured this the weekend!

So what have we made?

I was given a load of shirt fabric and brought over what seemed like far too much: we cut it into 4.5” x 8.5” bricks and stared sewing - each fabric is different so no auditioning.   It’s made about 1/4 of a king sized quilt so far, it’s lucky there is plenty more samples left at home so we can do some more next time we meet up

We made some cork baskets (some hand sewing needed)

We made a Pepper Pig quilt for little miss L - to be delivered tomorrow

We learnt that two FQ packs from Aldi cut into 8.5” squares just needs two extra blocks to made a flimsy that fits an Ikea fleece with *just* enough left over to make 2” binding and hardly any waste!

I’ve learnt a new crochet stitch and am making this blanket (waiting impatiently for the first colour change!)

Jackie’s Tunisian crochet

And my travel project has been more chambray hexies!

2020 Wk 6 - hexies and hexies

The lovely ladies at Chertsey Museum (all SIXTEEN of them!!!) were working on modern hexies today - no paper templates, we just started with circles and a bit of clever folding gave us these perfect hexies

 I’ve been in a chambray hexie state of mind - tacking and stitching these yummy fabrics together ...

To add new cuffs to a denim top

At Knitting and Stitching show last autumn I bought a few sheets of “Happy Fabric” - stuff that can be cut to shape and ironed on to fabric.  I didn’t really have a plan for it, and busy the time I did I realised I didn’t have the right colours!  What’s a girl to do?  Buy more of course!

I now have my Christmas 2020 t-shirt ready!

And finally a few photos showing the 21st century problems I had getting a photos of the new cuffs😂

2020 Wk 6 - Just checking in

I have received all the January hexies (no theme)  from from the UKQU Hexie Swap group

And have made the next groups of flowers for the February Mardi Gras theme

They all have a small silver mask embroidered in the centre hexi

I have embroidered this design twelve times for church

And this bag has been re purposed - I love the design and the fabrics, but the colours didn't go with any coat, jacket or cardigan that I own! 

A friend commented that she loved it -  "just my colours" - so that prompted me ... I used up the left over squares from the Janet Clare / BFL Quilt and made myself another one in exactly "my" colours

And I added a deep slip pockets for credit cards, keys or phone

And the crochet has grown: I'm finally on the second ball . . .  but it's misshapenness is becoming even more obvious!  I hope blocking can work miracles!!!