“Wise Old Owl” progress

On 1st January, keeping up the stitcher’s tradition of starting the New Year with a new project, I began “Wise Old Owl” by Raise the Roof.  After only a couple of stitching sessions, I promptly put it away . . . looking like this.

 

However, with April looming, I decided I needed to get back to work on some of my WIPs.  Don’t want too many things dragging on throughout the year, do I?  Especially since I have lots of plans for new projects in the coming months! 

So, out came the linen, chart and my hoop.  I don’t like using hoops and avoid wherever possible, but on linen I find it’s a must.

Anyway, after only a couple more sewing sessions I have definite progress

I’d say I’m about half-way there now.  This little chap will be perched on the top of my WIP pile.  In case you’re wondering, yes, he is still without eyes.  Three reasons for this: 1) I can’t decide whether to do eyes in black and white or whether to do something a little more zany.  2) I often like to leave some facial detail until the end, so that the design really comes to life once the expression is added.  3) it’s a lot quicker to stitch text and see progress, which in turn gives me the motivation I need

Easter exchange

I signed up for the Easter exchange on a French cross stitch forum . . . how could I not? when the idea was to send a handmade gift along with some chocolate!

I sent to Calinette . . .

I stitched a blackwork chick, and finished off thus . . .

as a fabric tray for chocolates ^^

I received from Fred . . .

It’s a vase – idea being, to keep a plastic mineral water bottle, cut off the top, slip it inside the pouch and I then have a vase . . . Fred even sent a packet of seeds so next Spring, I’ll be able to pick fresh flowers from the garden to display in my vase ^^

2005 retrospective

Readers seem to have enjoyed me delving into my photo archives in February, with a retrospective of 2004 . . . so for this month, I’m looking back at 2005.

I can’t remember exactly what was happening in family life in 2005 but I must have been quite busy with 3 growing teenagers because I seem to have accomplished less stitching.

The project that kept me busy for 5 months of that year was

The set of ten Rheinhardy animals.  Actually had my minute of fame with these too

Other stitching that year . . .

gifts for two newborns

a photo album for my sister-in-law’s 40th birthday

“The Wave” a Dimension’s kit for a friend’s daughter

some stitching on perforated paper, to decorate a couple of CD pouches.

And this design, stitched for my friend, Diana . . . adapted from a Janlynn kit where there were originally 3 ladies in the picture.  These two voluptuous ladies represent myself and Diana – me being the taller one, and Diana wearing the purple hat ^^

In hommage of Erma Bombeck

Age 3: She looks at herself and sees a Queen.
Age 8: She looks at herself and sees Cinderella.
Age 15: She looks at herself and sees an Ugly Sister (Mum I can’t go to school looking like this!) Age 20: She looks at herself and sees “too fat/too thin, too short/too tall, too straight/too curly”- but decides she’s going out anyway.
Age 30: She looks at herself and sees “too fat/too thin, too short/too tall, too straight/too curly” – but decides she doesn’t have time to fix it, so she’s going out anyway.
Age 40: She looks at herself and sees “clean” and goes out anyway.
Age 50: She looks at herself and sees “I am” and goes wherever she wants to go.
Age 60: She looks at herself and reminds herself of all the people who can’t even see themselves in the mirror anymore. Goes out and conquers the world.
Age 70: She looks at herself & sees wisdom, laughter and ability, goes out and enjoys life.
Age 80: Doesn’t bother to look.
Just puts on a purple hat and goes out to have fun with the world.

SAL update–“Kokeshi Friends” #7

A little Miss Purple has arrived on the left of my fabric, bringing the total of kokeshi dolls to

SEVEN ^^  Yep, seven little kokeshi dolls sitting in a row.

This lovely design by Joan Elliott is so cheerful to stitch. Lots of bright colours and it’s very rewarding to see the dolls as they line up.  Don’t forget to check out what my SAL partners have been up to.  We have been joined by a new member – Sue from the US. 

SAL participants are world-wide.  There’s Avis, Kate, Jule, Gun, Carole, Wendy, Jess, Cathy, Lucyann, and now Sue.

Next update on 10th April.

“the unlikely tunic”

Some ladies give their patchwork quilts names . . . I think I’m going to give my clothes-making efforts names . . . and today I come to tell you about “the unlikely tunic”.

It all started with me, going through a cardboard box of fabric I had inherited from MIL and coming across reams and reams of very patterned fabrics, all of them in various kinds of shimmery, slippery fabrics.  I’m no expert.  I know cotton, linen, velvet, denim and viscose, but that’s about it.  Anyway . . . I measured up the various treasures I had (some as much as 3.5m !!!) and did some draping of fabric over myself, to try and get an idea of what fabrics would look like as clothes.  Sort of like this – hmmmmm! 

Now, this piece is ever so pink (and red) as well as being grey and white . . . pink is not my colour but there was just something about this print that kept calling me.  The fabric is, I think, a silk cotton (if that exists?).  It didn’t mind a really hot iron, and has a very silky sheen to it as well as being very slippery.  I had about 1.50m so decided to just get on, cut, and make myself another tunic.

I’d already made this pattern (NewLook 6871)  3 times, using the model with contrasting yoke and band.  I decided to attempt a shorter version, because of the amount of fabric.  Ummed and ahhed about the floppy cap sleeves and did actually sew 2 sleeves (but that went awry so I binned them).

I therefore just stuck with what I knew how to do – ie, home-made binding at the armholes.  It was a challenge enough, just working with this very fine fabric but I muddled along.  And voilà.

It’s still very pink, which is an unlikely colour for me . . . but it’s going to be lovely and cool to wear this summer. I, and another person who shall remain anonymous, had my doubts about the large floral print (and the pink) but it worked out rather nicely in the end, hence . . “the unlikely tunic”.  

un-birthdays in March

Yesterday, Katy and husband came for lunch . . . the opportunity to natter non-stop, catch up on all the news AND to celebrate two un-birthdays!  What a coincidence!  Katy and I both celebrated our un-birthdays! 

Katy had made me a zipper pouch

with a skein of Secret de Capucine thread inside.

And I gave Katy one of my lavender bags and a coin purse.

Handmade gifts really are the best ^^

the “lean green runner bean”

My 14 year old niece, a budding musician, received an electronic piano for Christmas from her parents, and asked if Auntie Claire could make a patchwork keyboard cover.  Auntie Claire said she would give it a go . . . and asked “what colour would you like?”  The answer “Green”.

So, with that in mind, plus the dimensions of keyboard (14cm x 129cm) I put on my thinking cap.  “Green” covers such a vast range of shades, but I wanted to make something bright & fun, so I ordered in some of the “Dot Dot Dash” Moda range.  The hardest task was deciding on a pattern – something so long and thin needed quite small pieces, if I wanted to have a repeat effect . . . so I did a couple of sketches, a little bit of maths, and decided to do a braid, but in two segments, with a mirror effect in the centre.

The following will be obvious to experienced patchworkers, but I decided to take photos as I went, to show any newbies how easy this design was to achieve.

I wanted my bands to measure 1.5” when sewn, so I cut 2” white strips and sewed to my greens (green fabric was almost 10” deep)

and sliced that into 2” bands so that I had my strips ready for the front of the patchwork.

I could have cut at 45° to avoid wastage, but I prefered to cut at 90° and worry about squaring up my edges at the end.

It was then a question of sewing things together in the correct order, from right to left, and then repeating.  I started with a white 5” square on the far right for my centre.

I made my “runner” in two halves and then simply decided on a “cut” line across the 5” square on both sides, which I then sewed together to make my centre.  And added extra white triangles to each end to give myself more than the required width.

I then batted and backed before quilting

And then cut everything to size before adding white binding.

I kept the brighter, dot fabric for the back . . . but it’s the front I prefer.

And here it is . . .my “Lean Green Runner Bean” –  the perfect size.  The very bright greens and crisp white making a lovely modern contrast against the black of the electronic piano.

“Sagittarius” – Vervaco

A little happy dance, with “Sagittarius” – design by Vervaco. 

Eight down, four to go ^^

Claire’s first dress

Title says it all, even though it sounds rather like the title to a toddler’s book . . . you know “Claire’s first tooth” followed by “Claire’s first step”.  

I’ve been motivated to get sewing this year by my daughter, Lindashee.  She has decided that her free time is going to be spent in her little flat in England, making clothes. We did some on-line shopping together the other week (over skype) because Jaycotts were having a sale on patterns and I plopped the following into my cart.

Top three patterns destined for my daughter and lower three patterns for myself ^^  Mine are all in the EASY category and, you will notice, all have nice long versions (I won’t be making any of the shorter ones!).

Anyway, last week, I decided to begin with pattern 6889.

Not only is this an easy pattern, it also says on the instructions that it takes 2 hours sewing time.  Great!  I thought.  I can run this up in one afternoon!

I won’t tell you exactly how long it took me, because I gave up looking at the clock on around day 3  but who cares?  I have a dress!  I followed the pattern for the long brown version

but I decided against adding the loop thingies which bring the shoulders in on both sides.  I prefer to keep things simple, and flat, rather than adding the loops which give a scrunched up effect above the boobs.

It fits Doris nicely (my perky 90 year old dummy) . . . and it fits me rather nicely as well.

It’s your very basic “tent dress”.   No zips, no frills, just one that you slip on over your head.  Pattern called for binding to add around the neckline and armholes.  I didn’t have any shop-bought binding the right colour, so I made my own.

I’m glad I did.  It took extra time, but I think it gives the dress a better finish.

So, I’ve been having a happy dance, floating around in my new summer frock (indoors, I hasten to add because it’s freezing cold outside!).  I’m not really a dress person, but I think that’s because I don’t like anything fancy . . . this one is very basic, and I love the chocolate coloured fabric I bought, especially for it.  It’s only a cheap light-weight 100% cotton (which I did think to wash before cutting in case of shrinkage).   

Now that I’ve followed the pattern once, successfully, I might make myself another in the same style, but adding pockets next time.  The main difficulty I had was in deciding what size to make.  Pattern came with US, European and French sizes . . . so I stuck to the size I was most sure about (French) and I know for future sewing (with NewLook patterns, at least) that that is the perfect size for me.

the one that didn’t get made for Christmas

In December, I showed you this photo

of a patchwork I was making as a Christmas gift.  Sadly, after smashing my head, early December, I got behind schedule with sewing and had to put this to one side.  It didn’t matter that much since the person it was intended for didn’t know I was making a patchwork for her.  She received a hand-made purse and a cheque instead, and when you’re a teenager, money is always welcome ^^

Anyway, I decided to get back to work on my Bandana fabrics, going along with my initial idea of chevrons.  A lot trickier to make with QSTs than I had thought (yup Avis, I know you warned me, but did I listen? of course not). 

I didn’t take any photos of the catastrophe along the way. At one point, I felt like throwing my fabrics in the bin and admitting defeat but they were far too yummy for that, and I’m stubborn.  So I plodded on . . . making the best of a bad job . . . and in the end, it didn’t turn out as bad as I had expected!

It still isn’t finished, as you can see.  I’ve got to back, quilt and add my binding . . . but in the meantime, this colourful top will be folded and put away . . . and then finished off in time for Christmas 2016 ^^