Going back to basics

 I haven't felt like blogging much lately.

 

I have wanted to withdraw for a bit.

 

There have even been times when I haven't wanted to sew!!!!

 

So, I thought I would think about why I started my blog.

 

The reasons are here.  It was to keep a record of things I made, sewed, baked, grew etc.  It was about recycling, up-cycling and creating things out of not a lot!

 

So, I thought I would show you this months creations that reflect that.

 

 

We picked, washed, stewed and turned our blackcurrants into a delicious crumble all in 45 minutes.

 

I had great fun making these crazy bloomers from a pattern Moira sent me.  They look huge, they are huge, they took most of a cot duvet cover to make them!!!  But they have been fab as pyjama's during this boiling hot weather.

 

Another 5 year old girl's birthday party this morning, so Chloe had a cushion.  I had a helper making this with me, who wanted to choose the fabrics, so although it would not have been my choice to put these fabrics together, perhaps they are right for a 5 year old?

The back

Then of course there have been end of term teacher's gifts.  So three of these are for the foundation teachers, and the fourth is for my trainee who leaves in September..... I will miss her, she has been an asset, and has actually taken work off me!

Finally, the children have started to discover my fabric stash and make things out of it when my back is turned.  Hard to see in this photo but Hope has made a collage of a garden with the flowers Jackie gave me.

x

So what's been going on around here?

Mainly birthday present sewing.......

 

 A notebook cover for Carole at work, who loves lists (like me!)

And I fell in love with Moira's rose in bloom cushion that she got in a swap, so was keen to have a go myself.  I was slightly disappointed with this, because, although I loved making it, it just doesn't look like a rose to me.....  not sure whether it was my colour choices, or the shapes or what.  Anyway, it nearly hit the bin and wasn't given, but in the end I did give it to Sue, my manager and friend of many years, so I really do hope she likes it.

The back........

Then there was an apron for Tracy.....  thanks Moira for the loan of your pattern. (I will return it when I see you).  It's difficult to see the pattern of the fabric, but it's small star fish, and as Tracy lives by the sea this seemed appropriate.

Big bow (that was bow not bum!)

And it's fully reversible, with orange circles on the other side (good for days when it's tomato sauce for tea!!!)

I am hoping to help Tracy make one of these herself to enter in her local horticultural show when we have our week together in August.

Another birthday hat, for Ollie who is three. Modelled by Eden..... (some days I could almost eat her up she is soooooo cute at the moment - please could she stay like this forever, and not grow into a grumpy five year old?)

After all the present making I actually got an evening to crack on with my weekender bag....  my first attempt at cording, not too bad.  Made a hundred times easier by the fact that my 'stitching it together' mates pointed out that I do in fact own a zipper foot for my machine (all these years I've had one sitting in a drawer and didn't know).  I also made an internal zippy pocket in the outside pocket (if that makes sense)

It's definitely a slow work in progress.

I could have done with it finished this weekend, as (shock horror) I am actually going somewhere for the weekend!  Well to drop my kids off at Mum and Dad's so I can nip to Wembley Stadium to see The Killers, The Gaslight Anthem and James tomorrow night.

Wooo hoooo the excitement is mounting

BRING IT ON

xx

Getting ahead with the Bee blocks

It's been all about the bee blocks so far this month.....

I like to do them straight away, so I can feel happy doing other sewing the rest of the month without feeling the guilt of having 'commitments' to left sew.  But this month I am more organised than most (no idea why).

So here they are:-

First is this drunken log cabin for Lynz miss June for the hipbees.  I really loved making this one.

Granny square for Heather in the stash bee.  Hadn't done anything like this before, so we keen to have a go..........

And two blocks for Bee Blessed. Nice and quick and easy, and very effective blocks, this will be a lovely quilt.

Then I whipped up a zippy pouch for Danny and her TRAC charity

And popped one of Jude's daughters cute little cup cakes on the zip (helped to hide the terrible zip ends)

In other news.............  It's our town fair tomorrow.  This is THE local event, everyone will be there, and I am helping to organise the Great Bingham Bake off.  So I am up to my eyes in different coloured icing sugar, cup cakes, voting slips and more cakes!

Look at the concentration...... 

These are the children's entries for the decorate a cup cake competition.

Have a lovely weekend whatever you get up to

x

A day late for Fresh Sewing day

Sorry to be a day late.....

Here's what I have been doing in May.

This month I have been making children's hats for birthday presents....

I made a journal cover and pouch for another friend's birthday, bunting for a four year old's bedroom, and my stash bee blocks.

But my big finish was my Pippi Quilt.

I gave it to Hope for her 5th birthday, and can happily say that she loves it.

Presents

There is not much spare sewing time at the moment..... so any sewing I can squeeze in seems to be presents and bee blocks at the moment.

 

I have discovered a fab pattern for a bucket hat - which I am now intending to make for several boys who have birthdays coming up.

 

This was my practice, and it's far from perfect, but overall I was pleased with the result.  As it's not good enough to give away the girls will have to share it!

 

 

As today is Hope's birthday she has had the Pippi quilt as her gift..... that and a trampoline which is currently half assembled in the garden!

 



 

I am secretly thrilled to bits as I've just put her to bed and she asked (no prompting) to have her new quilt to snuggle under.

 

A very good friend of mine has her birthday in June, so I have got organised and made her a notebook cover from Judith's brilliant pattern, and a zippy pouch.  She drives a lime green beetle so this fabric is just right for her.

 



 

There are more birthdays coming arrrgggh ....... please can I have some spare time to do my QAYG panels for the weekender bag before the 1st June.

Party day

Today was Hope's 5th birthday party

 

 

 

 We had a Hello Kitty Party in the garden.

 

I was too busy to take many photos (and the ones I did take have lots of other people's children on - so won't put here, just in case)!!  But there was pass the parcel in the tent.  There was the chocolate game in the tent.

 

The girls decorated their own paper party bags - which were then filled with lots of Hello Kitty goodies.

 

 

Including little truffles we made the day before

 

There were gingerbread people

 



 

 And of course a cake................

 

Here's the birthday girl

 

 

It was a lovely afternoon

 

x

April's fresh sewing day

Well I really thought I had hardly sewed a thing this month - especially with the Easter holidays and being away for one week of them.  But my sewing round up for the month is actually quite a bit.  So apologies now, this blog post is long, because there are lots of pictures......

 

 

First up are this month's bee blocks.... four for Bee Blessed.

 

 

Two for the stash bee - these trees were great fun to make.

 

This cute block for the hip bees......

 



 

I completed my first quilt..... which I blogged in more detail about here

 

 

Then there was the excitement of the apron swap.... here's mine for my partner

 

It's reversible....

 

 

There was the wonderful day with the East Midlands Modern Quilting Guild, and the start of a weekender bag..... the panels so far.

 

 

Another birthday cushion...... the front

 

and the back!

 

I pieced together all my Stash bee Pippi blocks

 

 

was just about to start layering with the wadding etc and this happened.....

 

I sliced the tip off my finger with my rotary cutter!  I was lucky, it could have been a lot worse.  However it gave me quite a shock, and hurt like mad, and ever since I have been sporting this huge bandage to stop bumping it.  So this has halted sewing for the remainder of the month!