Lucky me!

I have had some unexpected gifts just at the end of the month here...








First, I went out with the Dance teacher, to see a show by a different dance school. And lovely Karen presented me with this beautiful print from the photoshoot day with two of the girls in those pretty tutus. What a lovely and thoughtful person Karen is! I adore this picture, and it now has a temporary home in my living room, but will probable end up in the sewing room. Yes, you can see some of the Alice costumes on the wall there too.




























 Then on Friday I was presented with these gorgeous flowers, and a thank you card from one of my clients!

I was just gobsmacked! They are really beautiful!

So, I am very lucky!





And spring is busy trying to spring in the garden too... today I found these little offerings...






































We are definitely getting there!

Today's offering is...

 This new T shirt.
The fabric was left over from that dress I made last spring. I did not have sufficient border to put the border all round the hem line, nor to use for the sleeves, so, it is just on the front. But then, it is effectively a completely free T shirt, isn't it?  So, who could possibly complain?


Oh but it gave me hassle!

It is a soft knit fabric. Knit fabrics need ballpoint needles, right??

But my ball point needle kept shredding the thread, and I would suddenly realise that I had only managed the first couple of inches of my seam, when I thought I had got to the other end and done my wee reverse...

So, in the end, I gave up and put in a sharp, and it worked perfectly.

 Then, I wanted to use a twin needle round the neck.

Good in theory, and again, recommended practice...

except when your machine decides, all by itself, and with no help of any kind from the operator... to only sew with the right hand twin needle, and to ignore completely the left hand needle!


I know- this never happens to you...

and then, it decides, all by its self, and with no help from anyone, perhaps it will use both needles again...  producing this result...

no, I know, it never happens to you..

I gave up with the twin needle for the hem, and just did a blind hem. I reckoned that would be ok, as it is a sort of stretchy stitch in it's own right... Isn't it?


And in the end,. I have a nice fitting, eminently wearable T shirt, from my leftovers. I call that a win, what do you think?

getting there

A little bit of this

became some of this... 

a week ago, I think.. 

and then some more sewing happened today

 a new kindle cover- but not for me...

a simplified version for someone... say no more until they get it!

and I have done some sewing for someone else, too... 

 sneaky peek one!























sneaky peek 2

They know all about it, but I do not wish to show the whole thing until they have had some fun with it!

Okay dear??

Ahead of myself.

February is just here, but my February bee blocks are done!

Our lovely bee mamma for February was up and at it and raring to go...so she sent out the fabric packs in the last week of January.

The brief, make 12.5" (unfinished) churn dash blocks, using her purple fabric for the actual churn dash bits, and use from stash to complete the blocks. Also do something a bit different with the blocks, something to make her smile... Anything goes, she said... well, if anything goes... I went!

 The first one came to me at work...You know I love making those pinwheel blocks, and I just thought, I could do a double pinwheel... couldn't I?   so I did! Very dramatic with the orange and green.

Then, I had thoughts, I had second thoughts, yes, and third thoughts... I was going to twine a vine around the elements of the churn dash... but when I actually came to make the block, something else entirely appeared! How does a block take on a life of it's own and do it's own thing, rather than what you plan? I do not know...





but it does! I looked at what else is going on in the group, and I had doubts... am I taking the 'anything goes' too literally? Well it is done now, and mamma for the month has seen them on Flickr- and she seems to like them! So they shall go in the post next week, but what do I do for the rest of the month?

 I shall have to dig out a UFO or something... You are sorry for me? really?