2021 Week 25

Magic, Munchkins and Gingers!

My old Boss has been training to be a Methodist minister and his ordination was held last weekend.  Stupid Covid prevented us attending in person but I was able to watch it live on YouTube

I wanted to send him a gift and at the same time my current boss / vicar had asked me to make a magic bag.  If you haven't seen one it might help to know it's a story telling bag

I started by cutting ten rectangles 9x10" (actually one green/outer needs to be 9x12")

I then added to the yellow rectangles - vicar boss got a party vibe design and newly ordained boss got a cup that runneth over, and I added  a small zipped pocket to one starry piece each

There are possibly a few million ways to sew these rectangles together, and only a few are directional, but I think I sewed and un-sewed every single combination, but I got there in the end!

(for reference: 

start with the stars, with pocket to the right, 

then add onto the right side: yellow (4th) (top to the left if applicable, the top continues to alternate),

then black (3rd) 

then blue (2nd) 

then green (1st) 

then reverse the order so green (wide piece), blue, black, yellow and stars

If you know Psalm 23 you can follow the story

So when all the shapes are stitched together, join the two green to each other to complete the loop. 

Arrange on the desk so it reads zipped star tipped anti clockwise, star, image topped anti clockwise, black and blue on the top, and (from l to r) yellow, black, blue, wide green, green on the back)

Phew.  The wide piece of green now gets folded and folded so it can be stitched down to hold ALL the sides together with no raw edges

Because I stitched it wrong soooo many times I would suggest pinning or tacking this together to check the story works but if it does you can tell the story of 

Being laid down in green pasture (then turn inside out)

Being lead to quiet waters (ditto)

Walk through the valley of death

Having a table prepared for me

And dwelling in the house of the Lord

And a zip pocket with gold lining incase it's needed!

I hope he likes it!!!!

I was sent a pic of a munchkin on a Patchwork I-spy quilt . . . my favourite kind of photo!

And this neighbour's munchkin looked so cool with his golf set I had to make a Ginger

I've been doing some "public announcement" ones too - for National Smear week 

National Chess week

And Water Safety month

And finally a few t-shirts for some friends who run a local mental health group

2021 Week 23

 My gosh it's nearly half way through the year!  How did that happen???

Not much creating this week, as often seems to be the case!

I did get a bumper load of hexies tacked

And the are gradually being added to this: In my mind the curve would continue off to the right, but I clearly didn't think that through property!  I probably should have turned it through 30 degrees then at least they would have been a chevron  to give some interest to the right side, but the stripe effect is starting to grow on me, and I'm pleased with the non symmetrical-ness of it and I'm certainly not taking it apart to restart, so it is what it is!!!!

In other news I took up one of two bridesmaid dresses for Niki - sooooo stressful, the worst sort of sewing!  Anyway this one is done and I've found someone else to do the second one as it would be ever harder to do

Brian decided that as I wasn't sewing and didn't have much work on I could help with the new porch step!!!  A lot of sand and cement was mixed, 

a lot of old bricked were used up as hardcore (thank goodness)

And we now have a proper step for the first time in 32 years!!!!

(Tiles to be added later)

I also had a play date with two mums and three munchkins: making resin stuff, it was a great afternoon!

And BFF Jackie had her birthday and has opened her pressie.  Its about 16 months since we've seen each other - bloody COVID!  This was the closest thing to a hug I could send her!  Love you Jackie xxx

2021 Week 22

As mentioned in my last post: a long time ago a lovely lady called Iris,  from the Chertsey Museum class, asked me to be executor of her craft room when she passed.  Sadly she passed early this year and I was called by her neighbour to come and help empty the room.  To be honest it was not so much a craft room as a craft 4 bedroomed house!  There was every craft imaginable in every room of the house! 

So not much making to report this week - mostly sorting the goodies from Iris's, and categorising them as to where they go next: To give you an idea, I filled my car three times and Emma from the museum filled hers once (she took a lot of beads in case they can be used on the replica costumes and most of the paper based craft stuff as her sister Claire teaches that kind of craft there) 

So far the list of crafts I now have kits and / or resources for (or have passed them on to someone else) are at least:

Macrame

Needle punch 

Glass painting 

clay

leatherwork

beads

wire craft

EPP, 

cricut, 

leather 

scrap booking 

sizzix 

card making 

weaving 

painting 

stamping 

embroidery 

rug making 

Viking knitting 

tie dying 

patchwork 

dress making 

jewellery making 

crochet 

French knitting

circle cutting

ordinary knitting

Please, much as I loved her, DONT be like Iris - some of the resources she has two or three unopened packets of, some where bought from Woolworths or even pre-decimalisation (50+ years ago).  So there are now bags and boxes of craft stuff all over the house as I sort out the final bags of stuff from hers and at least have all the associated stuff together.

What I have done in breaks is finish piecing this little EPP hexi rainbow trip around the world

Made this for my God Daughters who works for the ambulance service as a 999 ambulance handler and recently delivers her first baby by phone

And I'm rather chuffed with myself in that (with Lisa's help) I actually cast one for a crochet poncho

And I made this - in anticipation of the day, surely coming soon, that we can all hug!!!

2021 Week 21

 I've seen pics of two gorgeous munchkins on their I-spy quilts this week - my favourite pics!  Thanks to the grandmas for sending them to me!

I started a mini EPP round the world rainbow  patchwork, inspired by Plum who has enough minis that she has created a gallery!!!  Do go an have a look: https://plumquilts.blogspot.com/2021/05/mini-gallery-opening-or-how-to-spend.html

I stitched a bridge and groom pair of Gingers for a couple getting married at church

And I went to help empty a lady's craft room - oh my gosh soooooo many planned projects - this is just (some of) the wool - she also stitched, did paper crafts, bead crafts, wire crafts and so many others - this has made me think about how much stuff I have and who will empty it out when I go (Plum and Jackie the girls say they are calling you and walking away LOL)

And this is some of the embroidery kits, other kits, sizzix dies, painting stuff and rubber stamps she had.  There are some needle punch tools priced 2 and 6!!!!! 

She had two or three identical (unopened) packs of some of the wire craft gadgets and tools

As a break from the sorting I did some sewing - I wanted a small handbag just to carry my phone so I made this

It was only when I went to use it that I realised the zip was inside out so it will be re-designed!

I've now had my second jab and the sun has been shining and is predicted to carry on for a few days yet  - got to count the positives!

2021 Week 20

 Not much happening in the sewing room in the last few weeks:  having got through the Parish Council trial that is the Internal Audit (carried out by an external auditor - go figure) I am no preparing for the External Audit which is a whole load more red tape.  I think I may be close to being abou to get the Councilors to sign it off so I'm having a quick break!

I have been hand sewing in front of the TV in the evenings: I really need to consider the lighting levels when I take photos, but a rainbow flimsy is starting to take shape

And this box of gorgeousness is waiting to be added

Lisa has completed her 100 crochet blocks for a blanket.  She has been (quite logically) keeping them in piles based on the outer border but now she's finished we needed to number them all - an i-pad and two mobile phones with the descriptions of each square and it's number, a chart naming all the different (not very different in many cases) colours, loads of easy clips and scraps of paper and we finally got them all identified!

Niki wants it a bit bigger (to cover feet and shoulders) - we had a go at arranging the blocks into an 8x12 arrangement but got hopelessly confused so she's going to stick with this suggested plan (see below) but she's adding a border of grey to each block, then will add grey top and bottom plus some piano key type borders.  I think it will be gorgeous!!!!! 

2021 Week 18

 Some random crafting over the last three weeks:

I've worked on my painting by numbers Christmas present - I cant wait to be on a beach again!

I created this for Star Wars Day (although to be fair I'm not sure she used a lightsaber!)

I actually visited a shop last week - such a strange experience, I'd forgotton what it was like to shop by touching things rather than looking at screen images!

I fell in love with this selection at Hobbycraft

and I bypassed the usual "I shall stroke this while I decide what to do with it" stage and went straight to adding from stash . . . 

 cutting and tacking . . .

 and starting to sew!

The greeny turquoise (teal?) didn't make the cut.  I found enough is stash for the first green round and while I was looking I found a pack of Hobby craft grey which I rtaher liked with the turquoise, so I've cut them and started another flimsey!!!

I have also finished the crochet blanket: apart from a few joins where I'd balled the wool too short I didn't want to sew in any ends so I not only left them but added to them so every colour chnage has rustic (as in no particular length) tassles which I rather like.

What to crochet next???

A few Saturdays ago I had a whole day to myself - I was tidying up when I found a donated duvet cover that made it's way up here as I thought it would make a nice tunic.  I dug out the pattern that I have used many times and made this

 

Looking for the pattern I came across another version that had been cut but then abandoned so I finished that one too - good job they are quick to make!

I finished the Oliver safari bunting and his grandma has posted it off to Canada