Showing posts with label Jim. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jim. Show all posts

Sunday, 5 September 2021

2021 Week 35

 This has felt like a 'normal week - largely because Chertsey Museum was back for the first time in 18 months!!!  Woohoo!!!!

Limited numbers and only 2 to a table, but we were back . . .  and with three new ladies!


We were doing something based on what Jo Avery calls Modern Crewel (check out her book due out in November, no affiliation, just a big fan!).  I described it as colouring with thread!  My samples were the feather and this tote bag



A number of ladies started on the feathers (but I forgot to take photos!).  I also brought some funky fabric and some ladies did some colouring in modern crewel on this too.  There was a LOT of talking, so they've all gone home with their fabric, hoops and thread to bring something for show and tell next month!



I took myself out of my comfort zone and did some different colouring in - watercolours this time.  Inspired by 'the other Tara' I found Iris's box of watercolour pencils and painting this giraffe that she had helped me draw at Crafty Church in August

A friend's grand son starts 'big' school next week and she was feeling daunted by all the labels she's offered to sew on so I did them

He's a little dot but with a long name so I had to sew a lot of them on folded or he never would get his head through the neck hole!



I also made him a Ginger wearing the same school uniform!


A few posts ago (week 32) I showed you some fabric that the awesome Sharon got me in South Africa a few years ago.  The fabric is called Shwe shwe and it feel like a slightly waxed cotton.  I made myself a cross body bag (not actually finished yet - doh)

and with the strips I cut off to straighten the fabric, and a packet of sash rope (which did not work for the rope baskets but I've kept for the last half dozen years just in case!!!) I have made myself  matching necklace


There was also a  need for more Gingers!  I have been doing gingers based on my own take on Craftivism: they have been based on national days (blood donation, smear awareness, drowning prevention, chess, Samaritans etc): the latest ones have been for Teaching Assistant Day

And beach / world clean up day

And I'm all prepared for National Talk Like A Pirate Day!!!

And this chap is for a local pub

I have started sewing together some hexi flowers from a swap group ( flimsy pic to follow)


And Lisa's b/f Jim wanted cactuses (cacti?) for his birthday so I got him some seeds, a potted cactus, and (of course) a Ginger holding a cactus.
I didn't know he was going to repot the one I bought - I'd have bought one with fewer prickles if I'd known!  Here's the full WhatsApp post from Lisa


Wednesday, 2 December 2020

2020 week 48

 A quilt for a customer . . . 


A tip of a sewing room

A tomte, gonk, gnome, troll or Julenissen depending of which you prefer

Gingers for my daughters and Lisa's boyfriend.



"Lisa" is crocheting a block for this



Niki is cross stitching this:



And Jim is on his Nintendo Switch!

I was asked to make a few gingers for some ambulance drivers:



And some dressing up clothes for a few Elves on the shelf!!


I'll add the pics when mum posts them on Facebook!

I made a few ginger nativity sets

And then posted these on Facebook offering to take orders

It seemed like a good idea at the time!
Lets just say they are far more popular than I had anticipated!!!!

Monday, 15 October 2018

2018 Wk 41 Finishes

I have been frantically finishing the quilts on the rail of shame as they will be on show in two week's time at the Richmond and Kew quilters exhibition

Finished but need sleeves:



Also being finished is a quilt both Jackie and I have worked on - it's being finished in Ireland ready for the show . . .  My Small World.  I am SO looking forward to seeing it in real life!




I got this pack of lush fabrics from Lisa's Jim for my birthday - he's a good boy!!!

On Saturday I attended a wet felting class at Chertsey Museum - and made this poppy


And on Sunday my oldest friend (should I rephrase that?  The friend I have known for the longest time) came over with a suitcase of her late dad's shirts.  Linda and I have known each other since school age and I knew her mum and dad very well - a lovely couple.

Anyway, she and mum have cleared out dad's clothes: most have gone to a homeless shelter, some jumpers have gone to the grandchildren and the rest came to my house.  We turned a lovely jumper into a cushion

And are in the process of turning the first 1/4 of the shirts into a patchwork for mum (and will gradually work on the rest for Linda, her sister and her daughter)

It was an honour to be allowed to be involved and lovely to catch up with what the two families have been up to!


Monday, 28 May 2018

2018 Wk 20 A finish and a visit

I have finished a Chemo quilt that Niki requested for a colleague at work.  There is a LOT of white at the moment but she is taking it to work with a handful of fabric pens so that people can write in the white squares - I'll hopefully be able to post another pic when it's been  decorated!


We had our monthly (!!!) Days For Girls meeting this weekend.  We were aware that some ladies were being put off by the high quality expectations from the charity, so we added a new project - boomerang bags.  These can be made to roughly the suggested size, can be overlocked OR zigzagged, can be made of the donated fabrics we would otherwise have to reject as they aren't ok for D4G and are the simplest construction imaginable

We got one finished and several more are close to being finished.  We were going to give them away but decided we would sell them to people in the churches which would raise money for the D4G fabrics!


We also found we were spending loads for time each month sorting through and seeing what needs what doing next - so with the help of loads of zip lock bags we now have bags of items all at the same stage and we feel much more organised!

Mum and I went to see the poppies at last.  We missed them at the Tower on London, but two sections of the display are now doing a road trip and one is just a short drive from her at Fort NelsonRoyal Armouries Museum, near Portsmouth

They looked amazing!.


And Brian and I spend all of yesterday at the girls' house.  They had hired a sanding machine and wanted to do all the upstairs floors in the one weekend.  I wish I had filmed them using the machine.  It was an industrial one, and was stronger than them.  They switched it on at one end of the room, they then ran with it, trying to slow it down, and trying to turn it off in time that it would stop before it hit the opposite wall, then they would drag it back and repeat.  Dad showed them how to master the beast, and 12 hours (!) later the whole of upstairs has been sanded - despite all three bedrooms having the usual amount of furniture - much of the time was taken moving it from one room to another, do you remember these puzzles?


It was a bit like doing one of those, but worth it in the end.

Today they are varnishing - today I am staying at home!

Sunday, 11 February 2018

2018 wk 7 - more retreat making

I did have slightly longer than usual in Ireland than usual, but considering one of us was a bit under par  I am astonished by how much we made.  Much of it is on yesterday’s post, but here comes the rest . . .

I hand stitched three Farmer’s wife blocks (thanks Plum for the book, and Jim for the fabric!). A slightly unconventional fabric choice but I’m loving it!!!


We made these,


Which open out to these


(One is slightly narrower due to someone forgetting you can’t iron vinyl!)


We used some more cork to make these Pythagoras pouches


With an inside pocket


We made two girly baby changing wallets - exactly the same method as Plum’s notebook cover but big enough to pop a nappy in one side and pack of wipes in the other.  We added a hanging look and a closing loop in case they were useful


Our final project were these two pouches - a useful 9 x 9 inches with a 7” vinyl pocket front and back.  Jackie wanted hers with a boxed bottom and I didn’t so that’s why they look different heights.


Then I had to take the long lonely journey back to Dublin - just me and the hire car!  Why don’t hire cars have a place to put a mobile phone / sat nav?  Luckily I had a scrunchy with me so I bodged a phone holder.

Now I’m home - it’s all over for a couple of months!  Love you Jackie - thanks is for a great 4 days xxxx