2017 Wk 44 - Back in England

After my far too short break in Ireland I've reverted back to real life with work and work and food shopping and other boring stuff. But now it's the weekend and my minutes and agendas are all up to date so lets see what I haven't told you about!

I had a full class at Chertsey on Friday - making sewing wraps. The bigger pic here is one that a friend made for me several years ago from a Woman's Weekly pattern - the others are the beginnings of the ladies' versions - I'm looking forward to seeing them finished for show and tell next time

This month's star show and tell was A's poncho - I LOVE it!!!!

It's just two weeks now until Remembrance Sunday and I haven't get seen a poppy seller to get my poppy, but the lovely R gave me this crocheted one - I'll pop my money in the collection box at church tomorrow

In the excitement of going to Ireland I neglected to shows photos from a family class last Saturday - Making Monsters: The kids have such great imagination!

I got a lovely squishy during the week: The lovely Barbara who blogs at The Flashing Scissors posted some finger-less mittens that her mum and sister have knitted for a local charity shop. Being slightly digitally challenged (I have to count in base 8 rather than base 10) I can't wear gloves. Jackie (and previously my M-i-L) have kept me in knitted-for-me gloves and mittens but these were a bit different so I cheekily asked Barbara for a pair (and I have paid my money to charity!)

Thank you Barbara (and your mum!) They are great

As for me, my creative 'juices' have been designing and embroidering for customers!

Fun eh? But I have some holiday left to take for this year so I'm having a few Wednesday's off where hopefully I can just SEW!

We did pop out this morning to collect our pottery which we threw back in September - now painted (glazed?) and fired they are looking amazing!

I might be back on Wednesday!!!

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2017 Wk 43 - back in my happy place

Jackie and I haven't met up since June as nature and family life have conspired against us (I almost didn't make it here this weekend having missed my original flight!) but I'm finally here

In my happy place with my favourite person

(Oh gawd - how many chins do I have???)

Let's look at the happy place instead

 

Anyway, having *finally* got here we spent today mostly sewing of course!

Japanese knot bags

 

Magic pouches (thank you Sandra for encouraging me to persevere with these, it was easier this time!)

 

And a simple zippy pouch with a fun zip arrangement

 

We also made a quilt for a colleague for one of her boys

 

And she taught me how to do basket weave crochet (taught herself then taught me - yes the even shaped top one is hers!) Thanks Amo - you were right, I have got the hang of the stitch, even if my tension is far too tight

 

I handed over a few bits I had made / bought for her, and the gorgeous rope bowl from Kathy! There was also a goodie bag for me! Lovely goodies!

Thank you Jackie Xxx

 

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2017 Wk 42 - birthday bash

Very little making happened this weekend (although I have high hopes for next weekend) as on Friday the girls *finally* got their keys (so we all got cleaning- I think the kitchen has been done 4 times now!)

And then Saturday and Sunday were spent celebrating this amazing woman (my mother-in-law)'s 90th birthday!!!!!

(Do you like her sash??)

We didn't get a group picture - we should have done - but there were 17 of us: all her children and grandchildren (all with partners) and all four great grand children - and we had a really lovely time!

Even though it was her birthday I got two awesome gifts. One was my birthday pressie from one of the nephews and his wife - these gorgeous FQs

And the other (be still my beating heart) arrived by post - from Amo, in exchange for the doggy patches I made her a few weeks ago. So I made these

And in exchange I got an Amo original that far exceeds anything I was even hoping for!

Amo my friend you are a very talented lady!! As I look at this on the wall and these bowls in front on me . . .

. . . And think of other goodies I have received as swaps or gifts from Kathy, Amo, Plum, Avril and Jackie (to mention just a few) I am filled with pride that I have been "deemed worthy" of receiving these wonderful things - and thank you all for being part of my world, and allowing me to be part of yours!

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2017 Wk 41 - people are so kind

There was a lot of post when I got in tonight - some keys (too boring to photograph) and some craft items - felting foam and condensed paper balls which are pretty boring compared to the main event

You may remember I made a rope bowl at the Knitting and Stitching show. I was inspired by the amazing bowls made by the lovely Kathy who has been a bloggy friend for many years! Kathy recently posted a couple of pictures of bowls that were off to overseas destinations - including England. I know she sells in her ETSY shop so assumed she'd sold to a customer in the UK (but I confess a little bit of me hoped differently !)

Well the most amazing package from Kathy was waiting for me today! I was far too impatient to take a pic before I started ripping into it, but inside the envelope was this

 

Under the coffee (yum) was this... (double yum!)

 

And wrapped in pattern paper (such a clever idea) was this!!!!!

 

And it gets better, as lurking under that bowl was another one!

 

You can't see them as I can - but I can assure you they are beautifully made - it really is worth visiting the shop!

But best of all was the letter that came with it - it made me cry!!!!! Be warned, and reach for tissues before you read this

 

Kathy - thank you so much! I am going to Jackie's in about ten days and will take hers to her

 

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2017 Wk 41 twit twoo

I had hoped to spend the day either creating or at least fondling and stroking my new purchases, but it didn't work out like that - we have spent a lot of it working on the parish accounts - tedious work, and an afternoon I will never get back! Still, while supervising husband I managed to finish Mr Owl - isn't he cute

 

I probably ought to spend tomorrow tidying my sewing room - then I can concentrate on the fondling and stroking!

 

And finally - a bit of really good news - the girls have finally exchanged contracts - and next Friday this will be theirs (along, of course, with a life time of debt!)

 

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2017 Wk 41 Knitting and Stitching Show

I had a lovely day out today with my friend Jane. It was supposed to be Jackie but she had to cancel her trip over so Jane came to keep me company!
I *may* have done a little bit of shopping, and we did two classes. In one we were aiming for this gorgeous owl

Jane finished hers tonight, and he's looking fab

Mine isn't looking quite as detailed!

My shopping haul . . . Fabric, bonding powder, pants, safety pins and a bracelet

The pink bowl and the to-be-finished owl were made in classes, and the felt sheets and felted pebbles were simply because they were gorgeous and cheap!

I also bought some fun vinyl £1 notes! I think I feel some zippy pencil cases coming up. (The notes were <£1 each)

And it was great to see Fiona's 'book cover' on the wall

In other news . . . Plum's daughters' school is contributing to the 70273 project. You can read about the project here but in summary it is to remember physically and mentally disbanded people murdered by the Nazis. . This project aims to gather 70,273 blocks of fabric, marked with two redcrosses to commemorate the number of physically and mentally disabled men, women and children who were murdered between January 1940 and August 1941 in the Aktion T4 Programme - a largely unrecognised atrocitywhich only received a memorial to the victims in 2014.

The two red crosses represent the marks made by the assessing Doctors as to whether the person was deemed ‘unfit’ or an economic burden on Nazi society. It is such a simple symbol, and in this project, the simplicity with which someone could sign someone’s life away is turned into a symbol of love and strength. The white fabric represents the sheet of paper that their death sentence was signed on. Seeing the crosses stitched together sends a powerful message of tolerance, community and love. Its impact comes from the huge variety of these two red marks - each beautiful in their own perfectly imperfect way.

I have done some blocks for the girls to add to their contribution

Avril gave me a lovely birthday pressie - a really pretty note book and some lush buttons!

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2017 Wk 40 Bits and Pieces

A lovely afternoon at Chertsey Museum - making Autumn Wraps! We all started with an Ikea fleece blanket. We looked at two different design ideas

Ann made a poncho, the rest made a wrap

Take an Ikea fleece and fold in half lengthwise. Then fold in half width wise to mark the centre. Cut along the long fold from one end to the middle - about 1.5 inches from the fold, so you are cutting out a piece about 3" wide. Arrange so the solid section is at your back and the two thins section hang over each shoulder - you can throw one front jauntily over the other shoulder, and look as fab as the ladies!

Some then went on to decorate their wrap with embroidery, other salvaged the fleece scraps and made flowers

Next I went to Portsmouth to see mum. I gifted her the wrap I'd made - and that was very well received! Look at the fab view from her flat!

I just love when one of the girls comes home and asks "muuuummmmm..."! She was about to meet her boyfriend's baby nephew for the first time - and needed a quilt finished. Luckily it had been largely constructed but needed name embroidering and binding finishing

First problem was quickly solved

And then she got a quick lesson on sewing binding and off she went!

Me? I did some making too - some more of these porthole blocks. I'll take them to Richmond and Kew quilters tomorrow and see if I can work out the best arrangement - should all 4 patch blocks be made with with coloured portholes, or just some? Should the colours arranged randomly (randoku! Thanks Avril - it's a fab word) or in a pattern? Either way I'm loving the blocks

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