Gestation

First, may I apologise to anyone who has commented and got no response. Blogger, in their infinite wisdom, have stopped forwarding comments to my email, so I do not always register they are here! I should be able to catch them eventually, unless someone comments on a fairly old post- I do love to know you have been here, and enjoyed ( or hated, even- I do not always love what I have done) some of my projects..

Now to the point of the post!

Some things take their own time. I think the Brazilian Post office comes in to that category.

Last year we did a swap. It was a Winter/Christmas swap. I drew they loveliest of ladies for whom to make. Sil, who lives in Brazil. The last day for posting was on November, but I knew I had lots of making to get on with, so I got my parcel off early. So my package went in the post towards the start of November.

I had pretty sparkly frosty looking fabric to give the 'chill factor'. and with some blue and crisp white on white, I thought a little scene would appear- Birdies in the snow, a few left over leaves, and we are set.


A wee play with borders,  some careful mitring,  fairly simple quilting, and I had a result. 

sorry about the 'Freds' in the picture... 

I know Sil loves all things Christmas, so I popped in a home made ornament, for her, reckoning 6 weeks in the post? Max, she will have this for her tree... 

And I sat back to wait..... and wait.... and wait!

Eventually I contacted the swap mamas. What should I do? Should I start again, now months later, and send another one? Or should I leave her in the lurch- no swappy quilt on her doorstep? Either option feels unfair, but what could I do? Post office here cannot trace it past our borders, Brazilian post is notorious... 

Mamas said leave it. So, reluctantly I left it. 

Then, this week, a whole 9 months later, News!

The package has arrived! 

Sil's beaming face is all that I could have hoped for, she is such a joy to give to, as she shows all her delight in the offerings . 

So, that is now home, and I think, after 9 months we should call it a baby!

getting there... getting there.. whops! I blinked and missed it!

It has been a frantic month! sewing costumes and then getting present sewing done, all of a rush! Several gifts had to be changed, I just had no time to do what had been planned, but here are a few photos...
First, did your house receive a visitor?   Ours certainly did, 
and I think he stopped for a nap, perhaps we were the final stop, but he was just caught going back to take his weary reindeer home, after all their efforts...

So, what did we find ?  All sorts of goodies came our way,


Including this lovely Christmas tree skirt, made secretly by my younger daughter, Frantically secreted in the room with the sewing machine and working away to get it done without me seeing anything! and then, sneaky child ( yes, she is fully an adult really) comes down in the wee smalls to put it round the tree- when everyone has already put presents round the tree- so she has to move them all, put skirt into place and reposition all presents...

I shall do a quick round up of some of the makes I made, and then, later, a post of all the makes received as well...







There are the main ones, yes, it was a well cushioned Christmas this year, there were some I failed to get photos of, but I think you can see why I was so busy? Of all these only the top one on the left was made before December started! The rest has had to be made in a tearing hurry to get all done in reasonable time, with the last couple of bits having to be made once Christmas was over...

I hope you all had as good a Christmas as we did, with no floods or disasters, and look forward to a 'makey' 2016.

Bee-ing for August

This month's Fat Stash Brit Bee mama has asked for 'Birches'
She provided background fabric, and also some neutral scraps, to which we add, to make the block.

and she also said, we could add leaves or birds if we so desired... I guess I desired... I love those little additions.. 

The block will be squared up to 12.5", and although simple in concept, is surprisingly tricky to get the edges of the background lining up... My seam ripper did come out to play... And I experimented with some freestyle curves. 

About those freestyle curves... I signed up for another swap... It is the type of swap I never did before, where it is a disclosed swap. In this one, I have been assigned my partner, and she has been given me to make for. So, both of us know who we are dealing with, and have discussed likes and dislikes before we begin.. The theme of the swap is circles and curves... so I used this block to do some gentle 'organic' freestyle curves. 

My project, without giving away too much about it, shall involve some more of these curves, and all the practice is definitely helping, and will also involve some applique, I know what I am planning and shall be posting some sneaky peeks and hoping my partner does not hate it too much! But I have some other thoughts lurking so, if I get negative vibes, I shall start over!here is a first teaser...

There are some gentle curves to be seen there, I think... 

and then, just to make you jealous... this little sweetie has come in to my life this weekend...                                                                                                     Her name is 'shimmer' and she is the daintiest of clematis. I shall have to find a good spot for her in the garden.  

The trees...

I had an amazing long weekend in Bonn!
The timing for this was crucial, but I did not know this when I went. You see, I am very used to our British customs, and it was lovely to see something different in a different city.

Explain.

On May the first- may day morning, when the fair British maidens go out to wash their faces in the dew, to ensure a good complexion for the following year, young Bonn maidens are eagerly looking out of their doors and windows hoping to see a tree!  Not just any tree, but a birch tree, bedecked with ribbons, set up overnight by their boyfriend, or occasionally, trees by their would-be boyfriends!

So, on May the first, walking round Bonn, you see...

 I think this is a lovely custom, though I am sorry for the trees, which have been cut off and will wilt and die over the month, but the trees are very pretty.


As well as that I had an amazing time being taken great care of by my dear friend, and her daughter, and monopolising her sewing machine, so that she hardly got a look in, I got fed and entertained, and we had laughter and chatting and whatever... It was good!

Thank you for my long weekend! and for letting me see this lovely custom.

Interesting though- a similar tradition holds in parts or Ireland, but there the May bush is more a community thing, for the luck of the local area..

Christmas tree star!

 This block came together nicely, once I had decided what to do. I think the tree needs a star on top, but I am not quite sure what type of star on top is wanted! So, I think I shall let it's recipient decide!

And, with a bit of luck all these blocks can slide into an envelope and get themselves into the post this week!  Then Pico Sailors can decide just what she wants to do with them all!

And I can work out which urgent project gets attention next!

Foundation Paper pieces..

Did you ever draw your own Foundation Paper Pattern?
Well, I did, for a bee last month. And I was very happy with the result. But. Yes, Big BUT.. I used paper and pencil- you know, that old fashioned stuff. Which, with all its merits, you cannot happily print a half dozen off, all identical. Or, you can, using a photocopier..but not long distance, or immediately, and not when you already used it!

So, if someone asks you for the pattern, but you already sewed the thing and sent it off, you really do not have a copy to send...


Ok, so that is not an impossible ask, you can, after all, draw one out on a computer package... such as 'Paint'  and do it that way.

I am sure there is a better thing to try this on- it is just, I have 'Paint' on my computer, so it felt feasible to use it for the purpose.

Again, there is a but. When I did this with paper and pencil, I drew my finished square first, and then put in my tree and worked out what the sequence was from there. With 'Paint' I have no idea how big my starter square is. Yes, there is a rule you can put round it, but what do the measurements on the rule apply to? It surely is not inches.. and does not appear to be centimetres either..

So, you do the whole thing, and print it off and then measure it.

And then, because it has come out 2 1/2" rather than 3", you do it again. You do some pretty basic maths, and try once more. And it comes out 4 1/8 ".
There must be a way to do this, you think. So you take their scale measurements and try once more...

A bit nearer, at 3 1/8 "  and after messing about and printing off yet more versions, you find that applying a 'resize' factor only seems to apply to the image on the screen, and not at all to the printed version, you decide to settle for what you have!

So, I have emailed all three different size versions of it, to the requester, and shall hope she can make head or tail of them!

That little tree over there, on the right...



Anyone else want to have a go at one?

Now the clearing up...

I have had a computer failure over the past few weeks, and have lost quite a number of images, and lists, so If I owe you a little something, I may have lost it in the 'puter! Just shout to remind me please- It is not nagging, just a needful prod!

It has been the year of the bag. Anyone to whom a bag may be useful, has received a tote bag- Personally I entirely blame Hadley, Cindy and Susan. It is their fault, for without the Mouthy Stitches 2 swap, I would not have been hooked onto this.

Daughter number 1. Favourite animal? Hedgehog.
So a few pictures later, and I found something I thought I could make use of, and Mr Hodgieheg came into being. I must remember with applique, that it always comes out the other way round! I nearly had a disaster with that tree. In the end it seemed to work, though.

 And a further tree on the back, in variegated threads, and DD1 is pleased!

DD2 is a mad fan of VW campervans. Do not ask me why, though I have a bit of a soft spot for them when I see them out and about, myself, so I suppose I can sort of understand. Anyway, this is what came out of my sewing machine for her. Well worth it, for the look on her face when she opened it!

A simple back, as I felt anything more organic would grate with the campervan in its mechanical elegance- I am not sure that makes sense, but it is how I felt at the time. 

Now, my sister in law's bag you have already seen, but I had to do one for my mother. She is less whimsical than the others, and so something a little more abstract seemed more appropriate.

 

 side one,modelled by DD1, Thanks little one.












and, side two.

                                                                                                       and the usual pockets and details! Fabric chosen with swirls to echo the design on the one side.

Spring and summer coloured stars, for Diane

A colour palate was the clue for Mary

and again a set of colours was specified by Tinkingalong, based on her original.

So that was pre Christmas, and all finally finished in time for me to catch up with some Bee obligations.

These all are supposed to arrive two or three weeks apart, but Chaos theory rules and blocks are like buses- they catch up with one another!  So all these will go together to the next port of call- but I think she is ahead of herself, and will be sending them straight out again




































I do hope you all had as peaceful and joyful Christmas as we did, and are set for a happy and a healthy New Year.