Sunday, 11 December 2016

BLOG 327


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!

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