BLOG 528

 

Blog 528

 In my final blog of the year, it has become a traditional that I ask myself the question ‘Where has the year gone?’ Of course I know the answer to this because it is the reason I commit to journaling my sewing endeavours throughout the year. So what follows is my visual feast for 2020. Enjoy!

Labels

 

More labels

 

Linus quilt 1

 

Linus quilt 2

Scrap quilt 1 (unquilted)

 

Scrap quilt 2 (unquilted)

 

Masks

 

Creating fabric (using small off-cuts and vanishing medium)

 

Felt houses (made into small wall strips and given as gifts for lockdown birthdays)

 

Painterly cat (for the front of a canvas bag)

 

Painterly bear (just playing with ideas)

 

Nasturtium cushion (painterly background and appliqued shapes)

 

Floral cushion (painterly background and sheers cut with a soldering iron)

 

Painterly vase with daffodils

 

Trio of flowers (Painterly background with appliqued flowers)

 

Contemporary sampler (felt back ground, polyester detail and painterly sheers)

 

Pansy patch (painterly background with appliqued flowers and thread detail)

 

Silk throw (a tonal wash made from a collection of silks)

 

Turning Turtle (Based on my doodles with mosaic type detail. Plastics have been used in various forms to surround the turtle)

 

Book cover (sewing machine stitches as detail)

 

Painterly background (in progress)

 

As 2021 is about to begin life can only get better can’t it? In Wales, we have been in strict lockdown for the week before Xmas and for the two weeks following. Thankfully we were allowed to mix with one other bubble on Xmas day so we made the most of it as you can imagine.  But in common with many people, and for the first time ever, we will be on our own for New Year’s Eve. My wish for you in 2021 is that you learn to find joy in the ordinary stuff of life and that you continue to appreciate the simple things that have provided comfort during the pandemic. Look after your health, find time to smile and take your 2021 journey one stitch at a time. X

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BLOG 527

 

Blog 527

 

An extra gift was needed at the eleventh hour and it needed to be made rapidly! It was for my hair dresser who I value highly. I am not a vain person, more of the practical variety, and anything for a quiet life suits me just fine! But I do appreciate the skills of someone who can tame my exceedingly fine hair. I always wear it short for the least effort and she always manages to sculpt it into some sort of style. I admire her skills and I wish there was a comb just like her fingers which just rake through my hair and make it look wonderful!! I usually make something for her each year because she is interested in crafts and this time I decided to make a cover for a notebook.

 

Notebook

 

I chose a fabric, cut it larger than I needed and then placed it onto a strip of wadding. I did some motorway driving on my sewing machine (flat out and foot down) to make undulating lines of stitch which reflected the colours in the fabric. I am sure it is good for my machine to make it sew like this and afterwards I will treat it to a good oiling!! When I won this machine in competition, I made a book of the stitches and this proved very useful for this exercise.

 

Fabric

 

Threads

 

Stitch

 

Book of stitches

 

Once I was happy with the stitched cover, I added a lining strip in two parts with RS together. This left me with somewhere to turn through which wouldn’t be visible. I trimmed the seam and cut across the corners before turning it through to the RS.

 

Lining strip 1

 

Lining strip 2

 

RS out

 

Decorated front

 

Once this was pressed and the flaps were sewn, it looked great! And at this stage I forgot to take a picture of it. I wrapped it up and gave it to the recipient so there was no ‘after’ picture so I set about making a second one for a birthday present and it is this you see as a completed item.

 

Another book cover

 

As this is my last blog before Xmas, all that remains is for me to wish you all a peaceful and healthy time. In Wales, we only have Christmas Day free from severe lockdown measures. But rather than dwelling on the negatives of this situation, I shall be positive and make the most of what I have and appreciate who I am with. The pressures are off and life is tolerably and enjoyably simple.

 

Patchwork tree

BLOG 526

 

Blog 526

 

This week I have been tidying up the house and my playroom in preparation for the start of a new year. It’s an annual process I go through at this time of the year, getting rid of the old and preparing for the new. The first things that I came across buried under the detritus of my sewing room were some labels that I had made a while ago but I hadn’t finished them off. So I got out my nest of ribbons and the hole-punch and I completed that task. Tick, job done! These labels show a variety of different techniques which I can refer to when necessary; it’s exactly why I make them.

 

Tangled ribbon

 

Labels 1 (DIY fabrics, Ribbon manipulation, Sewing on a plastic bag)

 

Labels 2 (Tessa’s quilt, DIY fabric, Needle weaving)

 

Labels 3 (Rubbing with Markel markers, Silk painting, Watercolour crayons with plastic)

 

Labels 4 (Gwyneth’s cross stitch, Stippling on plastic, Cutwork by machine)

 

Labels 5 (Sketching and line, Applique and stitch, Transfer and embellishment)

 

I also managed to trim and bind the silk throw that just needed stabilising with vertical and horizontal lines sewn ‘in the ditch’. Job done, tick! This has been sold now so it is certainly a boost to my creativity and it is gives me the impetus and the permission to carry on creating!

 

Another UFO that was hanging about waiting for completion was the water colour panel that I had created a few weeks ago. I put it onto wadding and backing and added free-motion stitch detail. I added a deep border to frame and contain the colours before adding extra imagery with sheer fabrics. It just needs to be completed as a cushion now and that is another job that can be ticked off. I’m feeling a bit smug! Here’s the sequence.     

Colourwash

 

Free motion detail

 

Borders

 

Sheer detail

  

Embellishment

 

Completed panel

 

BLOG 525

 

Blog 525

I had a walk with the grandchildren this week and it became an opportunity to hand over a fun project to them. A couple of years ago, my friend and I were each given an amaryllis bulb each by a mutual friend and we had such competitive fun with them as they grew; I thought the granddaughters could do a similar thing! These showy plants grow so quickly so they are just right for this sort of thing and, with phone cameras, it’s easy to take pictures and do the occasional post. They have seen some of the pictures from my collection so it will be great to see what they come up with. I am posting some historic pictures this week just for the sheer fun of it!  

 

Settling in

 

Let battle commence

 

Unfair tactics

Intra-stemous drip

 

Measuring in at

TLC

 

Support worker

 

Support staff

Taking the rays

 

Left bend oops

 

Medical assistance

 

Pumping iron

 

Slow coach

 

Season’s greetings

 

Fairy godmother

 

Pampering spa

 

Cinderyllis is going  to the ball

 

Uglyryllises

 

Splitting headache

 

The morning after

 

Cinderyllis has a baby

 

Scorn from the neighbours

 

 

and they lived happy ever after!

 

PS Chris M: can you email that address to me again. I don’t seem to have your details in my system and I inadvertently eliminated my entire inbox before taking action!!!