BLOG 58

This week my mother has started complaining about the lady in the bed next to her, a sure sign that she is improving! In an oblique way, it’s good that she can be bothered to take notice of what is going on around her, even though it is less than complementary. She has started to do some simple exercises in physiotherapy and they are weaning her off her reliance on the oxygen. She is getting lots of visitors and this suits her fine!

I am still concentrating on clearing my backlog of unfinished projects, just those I want to finish, mind you. Some projects just needed a bit of sewing and others demanded more attention. I have reclaimed the fabric from projects I placed in the ‘sod it’ pile and I have had a good sort out and chuck out. It is very cathartic!

Things to do!

Pos/neg wall hangings

I sewed hanging sleeves on the back of these positive/negative wall strips. They are covered with voile, which means that you don’t have to do any zigzagging around the cut edges of the shapes. This is a quicker way to complete a pos/neg designs.

Jacobean cushions

These Jacobean cushions have now been re-backed and re-bound. They are hand appliquéd and hand quilted and represent my early work! They were used as class samples and they are now as fresh as the day I made them.

Log cabin bag

Detail

I have made new handles and sewn them onto a much loved log cabin bag. I love the shape of this extremely useful workbag. It is a variation on log cabin, where a square of black fabric, folded on the diagonal, is positioned on the corner of each completed sequence of ‘logs’. The diagonal of the folded square is on the bias and so it can be rolled back and caught down to produce an arc. Clever stuff!

My sister has recently completed a couple of tapestry cushions, started by our mother many years ago. She asked me to make them into cushions as a surprise gift to cheer her up while she is poorly. Cushions made; job done!

Mam’s round cushion

Mam’s square cushion

And finally, I have added a lining and made a piece of hand-embroidered felt into a case for my glasses. I bought the hand dyed felt squares at a show and have learned recently how to do more than just a stem stitch! This is a compact (and often slow) project that I can carry around in my handbag, for those occasions when I need a hand project or have to wait around for appointments. One is my present project in progress and the other is lined and completed, ready for use.

Glasses case

I hope you are impressed with my progress this week. I certainly am!