100!

It is not every day one turns a hundred. However I have just returned from just such a celebration.

So, what does a 100 year old get for a present?
Well, all the usual options are there- flowers, plants,. sweets, biscuits, and so on. but she has a house full of stuff, eats far less than once she did, and, let's face it, the world and his wife will give flowers and sweets...
A little thought is needed.

so this is what has been achieved, for an Irish Aunt, who is a fit and healthy 100 years old!

Celtic lettering for the initials, to ensure it is very personal and then the Celtic style interweaving for a border, in colours I thought she liked. Do not look too hard, there are some errors there, but by the time I realised, I was not unpicking all the way back to that first corner!

a more subtle Celtic design on the reverse

 and the relevant dates on the reverse, too. They were hand chain stitched, and if you know hwo much I love hand sewing you will understand the dedication...

 Applique letters first, that light turquoise is a favourite colour..

and bias tape made from linen for the interweaving.

Happy birthday Haunt! Love you.

A Clipper of teacosies?

Do you know a name for a collection or group of tea cosies?
No, neither do I. So, now it shall be a 'clipper'.
Why? because I have been making them, of course!
First I was helping my youngest to make herself a teacosy. She made mine for me, a couple of Christmases ago, but never quite got around to her own version. So, I assisted slightly.
And then the request.
DD1 requested tea cosy, and oven glove. No way would I turn that down, so,

First, the oven gloves. She likes the occasional hedgehog, So, Occasional hedgehogs it had to be.
And she also likes tea- hence the need for cosy...



I did add a face to the hedgehog, but that came after.
 I might have been trying to finish it quickly, as I was heading over to her place.

Now, she has had a trying time lately, so various friends have really come through for her as needed. And thank yous were appropriate from me, as I am too far away to be of immediate help. So, tea cosies all round?





A cat theme for Jenny, who has two furry fiends in residence. Devils incarnate according to herself.

And when she saw this, she responded, one is Jinx and the other is Pixie!

Yes, I think she was slightly thrilled with the thank you gift!

And then friend Claire. I was told she is a marine biologist. So a watery beast felt suitable here.

And I am about to start on some more oven gloves to hand over in suitable directions... 

I think I have been busy...

Well, there has been a wedding, and a graduation... so yes, I have been away and been busy.

I made the wee bridesmaid's dress, but that was all

 Little P was dreessed in a fair imitation of the bride's dress, with the lace bodice- lace was a theme this year- and a full purple skirt.

She is just seven on the day of the wedding- so mega celebrations, for this lassie!

and a full and flouncy petticoat to hold the skirts out!

with roses on. Because which seven year old can resist a rose?


The day went off well, and I think all had a good time.

The end result?
Bride and groom duly tied that knot!


And since that, we have attended our younger daughter's graduation- Well done everyone!



So now, it is Christmas preparations- so more enforced silence, I suspect... Maybe an odd sneak peek?

such as this one



or perhaps this one?




















or, even, this one?


See you soon!

dressmaking..

Hurrah! There are two dresses done! ( I hope) Well, one of them I need to see on the lass before I can confidently say it is done, as I am not quite sure about the finished length.

I got out the rolledge foot on my machine, practiced a bit, made a mess the first time, tried again, and thought I had the hang of it, and went for it! When it is doing what it says on the tin, it works really well, but it does have a slight tendency to attempt to creep out of its nifty little rolling groove, so you do have to not stitch at 90 miles an hour, just go a wee bit steady, and keep checking the positioning. 

That light and translucent fabric deserved either a roll edge or a narrow edge on the overlocker, I discussed it with my daughter and we thought this would be the better finish on this one. 

The worry with hems like this is always the length. There is not much room to get it wrong. If you have chopped the fabric off, it is gone, you cannot put some back on...So, I shall see it on the lass one evening this week and hope!

So, the second dress! I checked length on my daughter before I started- she is very handy, and I felt better checking the paper pattern on her before cutting the skirt- there is not enough fabric to be making big mistakes here! And then I overlocked the pieces. It gives me confidence that they will not fray later. 

 I love when the overlocker ( serger for those of you who know it that way) runs itself to the point where it produces this effect with the offcuts!




I did the under layer on all sides, but the light outer layer I left the hem edge unfinished at this point.

 This is the skirt of the dress!
It does not look much like a dress like this!

 I love my blind hem foot, it just works!

and, yes, I did the same roll edge finish on the dress here. 

Just checking the length before the final hem is done! We wanted it to just skim the floor.

With some Irregular Choice shoes, which give her height! Again, before the final hem is done!

Anyway, it is done now, and I can relax, and let her enjoy it!

and I am linking this with le challenge- because this dress is a SINGLE colour!.... see if they accept that! well, it is all purple all through!

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?

Kitty kindle cover...

Our Fat Stash bee mamma for the month requested pussy cats...  and I had great fun with them... see cat blocks here...

And I found it inspirational!
I had promised my DD1 a kindle cover since..., well, ever since she got a kindle?

Finally I had the inspiration I needed to make it! The inner details I was quite happy with, and knew exactly what I was planning to do... but the pretty outer cover? Cats it is!


Ta-daaa!

I am really proud of that neat little closure. Very simple, but it seems to work!

I think these kitties will cheer my daughter every time she looks at it! That is not to suggest she won't use the commercial cover she already has, it does useful things like standing the kindle up at an angle so you can be hands free.. But I do hope this one will also be used. 

 There is a useful little spot at the bottom, which I hope will mean she can recharge it without taking the kindle out..  and I thought a flap might help keep the kindle secure in the pocket, less liable to slip out...

Can you tell, DD1 loves purple? I do too, of course, but , yes, she LOVES purple!

And, there is a little zippy pocket hiding under that strip on the left there, so she can store her cable when not needed. 

In all dimensions

 You may remember this block...

















and you may remember this one too..












well they joined with some friends, and all came together to make this quilt!

 Backed in a pretty fleece, and bound in shades of purple, and looking fresh and pretty thrown over the back of my sofa.. All the wrong colours for my living room, but who cares! I love it anyway!
I am really pleased with how it worked out in the end! and a big thank you to a rather good friend who helped poke me in the posterior to get it finished! Thank you!

Ended up 55" square, so just nicely works as a cover for a double bed, not draping down the sides, and would look great on a single bed, too.

That circle skirt...

I finally, after nearly a year, got around to making the skirt.

Not long then... and considering it only takes a couple of hours to make, I think that is disgraceful!

And while you are at it, kindly admire the freshly jetwashed flags! They had gone battleship grey, but are now, temporarily restored to their original colours! And, all the 'volunteer's in the form of snapdragons have been disposed.... Shame, I like a few volunteers.... but I suspect it looks better now, or at least tidier!

If anyone wants a tutorial written for a circular skirt, kindly comment to that effect, and I shall do one... If no-one wants it, I shall save the effort for another time!

  Somehow, circular skirts do hang nicely, and give great freedom of movement. I like them!

Revealing a few secrets...

I made some silly odds and ends recently, and as they have all now departed from my care, I feel able to share a little,

First, an explanation. This too will be a little obscure, but it is enough, I hope!

  I have had a wonderful weekend.

Slightly mad, but such fun!




































Everyone in England knows what a tea shop is...


but, somehow I do not think this is quite what we would expect...

The array of teas for sale, and not all fruit teas but honest to goodness black and green teas, defies my belief.

 And then there are all these cubbies, each with tea of one description or another...



















Tea on the shelf, has a little cup with the tea in, so you may smell and see what you are buying!

There are local blends as well, so you may buy the blend for where you stay..

oh, and all the odds and ends for enjoying your tea!

A far cry from an English Tea shop! What a joy!

 So, I visited a friend, and left behind some traces of my time..

 little gift for another member of her household,














And not forgetting another one...

So, they shall not forget my visit too soon....













but, then, I was laden down with gifts to come home- so, I suppose, it was a fair exchange...


I never saw a hedgehog cookie cutter before, either!








And I was given heaps of tea to bring back--- Thank you for my lovely time, and thank you for your very kind and thoughtful gifts! You know who you are!




And I hope you will visit me very soon!

Well the break is really over, no 1 son has already headed off back to his flat... and the slightly flat period following Christmas has begun.

so the makes for Christmas?


Ok, no, I did not make a teapot! But someone requested a small teapot. So, a small teapot needs a small teacosy, right?
So someone got this bright green teapot and a cosy to go over it.

But I have more than one person in the house with a love of tea...








So, son got this cosy...

to go with his green teapot

 and daughter no 1 got this teacosy, which goes with a pot she got a while ago,

and daughter no2 got this one, and a purple teapot, to go under it

 Both daughters put in requests for bags with zip tops, so one got this turquoise-y one with orange,

and the other this pretty linen one- of which, of course, I failed to take a finished photo... wouldn't you?

I think they were all happy with their makes!

now, how about a teacosy just for me? I shall think about that too!




So, next week we have a New Year celebration,

and then we put it all away until the next time...