BLOG 327
Something messy is afoot! Just one look at the
creative clutter in the loft room will confirm that I am obviously on a mission
and need to get a wriggle on! No heed is given to tidiness and order because all
I want to do is sew and get things finished. This is what it is like for me during
the run-up to Christmas and it always makes me ask myself why I just don’t go
out and buy everything. It would make life a lot easier! But, the fact of the
matter is, I really enjoy giving a little bit of my creative self to others on these
special occasions. I have always done it and, as you can’t buy what I make in
the shops, that makes these gifts truely unique! QED
Creative clutter
Foundation piecing
I hadn’t done any foundation piecing for a long
time so I was pleased to have been using the technique last week to construct
the boat wall hanging. That sorted out one neighbour! So, fired up with the
precision and effectiveness of that hanging, I decided to do one for another
neighbour who lives in a cottage in the woods. Here are some of her completed
blocks which I have placed on potential sashing fabrics to audition them.
Fabric 1
Fabric 2
I preferred the darker fabric on the left and so I
used this to join the 4” squares together. The fabric on the right was used for
backing.
Completed hanging
A third and final neighbour will get a special cushion
this year. Sometimes you see a fabric and you know it is just right! These
particular neighbours buy and train sheep dog pups and sell them on as working
dogs. What about this for an appropriate fabric? I made the cushion centre by printing
off an image from ‘Footrot Flats’, my all-time favourite comic strip. It just
requires a zipped back and a cushion pad and that’s another one ticked off!
Appropriate fabric
Cushion
I exchange hand-made cards with some friends and
this year I have made a fabric wreath inspired by an image I found on the internet.
My wreath was made from six 2” squares which were cut with pinking shears. Each
was then roughly folded into 4 to give an uneven edge and then it was well
pressed. A dab of glue in the centre helped to hold it in place. I stuck these
onto a circular cardboard background first to form the wreath before sticking
it onto the actual card. The centre of the wreath is a pinked circle cut from card
which is the same as the background. A bow and some sequins completed the
effect.
Hand-made card
I never really forgave my daughters for leaving
primary school! They did me out of the nativity play which always started the
Christmas festivities for me. So you can imagine my delight now that I can legitimately
attend those plays which involve my granddaughters. The first traditional play was
last week and quite charming as usual. We laughed when one little angel lifted
her long gown to show everyone her underwear and we howled when two of the cutest
possible sheep started to brawl across the stage. But the star of the show was
the one little boy who yelled every song at the top of his voice, and sometimes
he almost hit the right note! Aw Bless!
