Friday 14th June

Well - how can it be Friday already.

Had a great day on Tuesday with a visit from Beverley who camped out in a corner of the studio to work on her rag rug while I worked on an order for a book bag and notebook.  Thought I'd try and get a little production line going for the notebooks so I didn't have to keep changing the foot on the machine.

While we were 'working' the post arrived and my lovely hubby brought it down to me - only because he was being nosy as there was a rather large parcel.  Didn't tell him what was in it.

Yippeee... it was my order from DayStyleDesigns in America.  I love to follow the machine quilting instruction from Leah Day on YouTube.  I have learned so much from watching her lessons and it has given me more ideas and confidence.  If you want to see her try out the following link to lesson number 1.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=quilt+along+%231&oq=quilt+along&gs_l=youtube.1.1.0l10.4445042.4447279.0.4449060.11.9.0.2.2.0.230.1004.4j4j1.9.0...0.0...1ac.1.11.youtube.fuRh9l1hPpU

She uses the same sewing machine as me for most of her lessons so I can't say "well she's got a much better machine than me".  Basically if she can achieve it, then with practice I should be able to too.  I have already seen an improvement.

She uses a tool called a Supreme Slider - a teflon sheet with a hole in it for the needle that goes over the feed dog and creates a flatter slidey surface for machine quilting.  By not dropping the feed dog the stitch tension for free motion quilting is much better and the finish on the back is better.

I tried to buy a Supreme Slider at Malvern and only found one stall selling it.  Cotton Patch had one for £67.95 and it wasn't even the big queen sized one.  On Leah's website she does an Ultimate Quilting Kit which has the Queen sized slider, a pair of Machingers Quilting Gloves and a pack of Genie Bobbin washers (teflon washers to go under the bobbin to make it turn more smoothly) all for $87.00 plus postage.  Which means that the lot including postage was under £55.00.  Bargain.

The sticky side of the slider basically STINKS.  But when adhered to the machine base/acrylic table the smell disappears.

Well - the work now glides without effort under the needle making the movement of the fabric for free machine quilting a dream.  Think I'm going to love it.  As it blocks the view of the bobbin it can be a bit of a surprise when it runs out but then the quilt itself will block it anyway so what the heck...lol

Got the bookbag finished while Bev was here and the fronts of four notebooks.  These were all finished off on Wednesday with just the buttons to stitch on which I did Thurday.

Thursday I drove over to Hobbycraft to get some more felt as the stuff I bought from the range was very thin and wasn't cut to size properly, it will be fine for the embellishments but not for the main body of the book.

When I got back I put the fabric away and while I was down there I had an idea for the cover of an A5 book.  At the moment the pieces of felt I have been buying are not big enough to cover a larger book so I though I'd try colour blocking it.  I am sooooo pleased with the result. 

 

I also made a ribbon page marker with a tab at the bottom and this is on an A5 book with  plain paper inside.

Red shoe with satin bow

Black silhoutte lady with hat

Black Cat

Upside down Batman book for Abi

 



 

Really pleased with these but think I need to be a bit more adventurous.  I might try an A6 colour block as it worked really well.

 

 

Will be working on a larger tote style bag as and when I get back down to the studio.

 

 

Took the three bags and books to Slimming World last night and got paid.... yeah.... so nice to see some money coming in instead of going out.  I have posted the new pics on the Facebook page with the prices and I've already had an enquiry as to the cost so need to get my finger out and try and do a little bit of marketing - get the word out and make sure my pricing covers my costs.

 

 

Daves got his interview today and we spent last night and this morning working on the presentation.  Hope it goes well - I could do with more money to spend on my hobbies - but I admit I am enjoying making and selling things - just need to hone my ideas.

 

All ideas greatfully accepted.

 



Too late in the evening

Shouldn't post this late at night and especially not after a glass of wine - or two.

Found a space to lay out the Millennium quilt so no more excuses - just need to make the backing and get enough wadding and I'd like to get this ready to quilt over the winter - yes the 2013/14 one.

The jumper I'm doing is not going too bad - think I've sussed out the pattern now and I'm over halfway up the back.  It looks small for the size it's supposed to be but I suppose blocking at the end will sort that out - the tension is OK.

Showed the girls at the shop how to make continuous bias binding this morning and it was like explaining how to walk on water.  They'd all tried with instructions and failed and it was like little lightbulbs going off.  Think I might still get the odd phone call though as they try and get stuck.

Bev is coming round to stitch in my studio tomorrow - not a lot of room in there as it's rather crowded but that could add to the fun of it.  Need to finish the second bag for Lisa and  the notebook for her daughter for Thursday so hopefully will get this done in time.

Sarah has done really well in her latest assessments at school and is very happy that I've let her drop Latin - even though there's only 5 weeks left in the term.  She's had enough and the teacher is driving her nuts.

So 1/2hr lay in tomorrow.

Mad clean up in the morning as I've been nesting on the sofa again and then sewing for hours and hours and hours...lol

Night night.

Another Update

Well..... good day today.  Went to Slimming World tonight with my friend who joined tonight and managed, even after all the rubbish I've consumed, to lose 1 lb.  Praise be.

Showed some of the ladies there the bags, books and tissue cases and sold a tissue case, and got orders for two bags and a notebook.  Looks like I will be sewing again tomorrow - good news.

After realising that Dave had the car with my sewing stuff in this morning I decided to print off the PDF file for a top that someone had posted onto Facebook, dig out some fabric from my stash and try making it.

This mean printing out the pattern (25 sheets of paper) and checking that the scale was accurate.  Then realising that it had printed double sided so I couldn't just match it up and stick it together.  Luckily I had so pattern paper so traced it through.  Well surprised that the pattern sizes meant I was cutting was a 16 and not the normal 18 or 20.

Very easy pattern, only two pieces and instead of facings the neck and armholes are finished off with bias.  So spent the afternoon making the top and wore it tonight.  It's really comfortable, and after lifting the shoulder seam by 1/2" and reducing the side seams at the top by 1/2" so the armholes didn't gape it fits really well, even the darts are in the right place.  Well impressed.  Will make again and try some variations.

 

 

Doesn't look that amazing but it feels really comfortable.  With white linen trousers I think it will be really smart.

Got a lady coming to see me tomorrow and she wants me to knit a jumper for her.  She has fallen in love with a pattern and some wool but thinks she'll take too long to knit it herself.  Just got to decide what to charge for it.

Then need to start on the orders for bags and book covers.  Life is picking up a pace a bit.  Still got to finish decorating the kitchen.  Glossing next and then the walls.

Dave has a telephone interview tomorrow so fingers crossed it goes well as this would give him a confidence burst.

When will I have time to do the housework.... oh well.... Crafting forever, housework whenever...lol.

June 2013

Sorry to all my readers (Bev) I have been very remiss in posting on here but so much has happened since Feb it has got quite daunting to try and catch up so here's a start.

The Elephant bag mentioned in the previous post finally got finished but only two weeks ago.  But it's done and I'll probably add a picture later in the post as this will probably take all day (on and off) to post.

Got to do the school run in a minute and then intend to go straight to the gym for an hour.  Yes I've finally pushed myself and got back to the gym and once I get there I enjoy it, it is just the thought of it that holds me back.  But I'm managing three times a week now.  After the gym I'm going straight up to B&Q to get some more paint (unless I wimp out and do the gloss first), to repaint the kitchen walls.  At a quick glance they're OK but any closer inspection shows that they desperately need repainting.  Dave has done the ceiling this week, as it needed several coats and I've been out quite a bit or hiding in my sewing room.

We had the lights changed a couple of months ago and where the old lights were taken down it left big  dirty marks on the ceiling - but they're all gone now.

Now Dave is not working at the moment I'm trying to come up with some ideas to make a little bit of money to help out.  Sarah's school is running a craft fayre at christmas at which I thought I'd have a stall, and that led me to think that maybe I should look into having stalls and selling some of my work.

I still have some cushions left and I can make more but they are quite labour intensive and I could also do with some lower priced items to to pull people into the stall.

I have made some little tissue cases with keyring holders which I hope to be able to sell for about £2.50 and in fact have been asked for one already.  I also made myself a little book bag to carry all my books to Slimming World and another of the ladies has asked for one, which I made yesterday and will take to her tonight.  I have sat and worked out the instructions for the bag as I made the first one by playing with some spare fabric and needed to work out what I'd done so I could reproduce it - made a second yesterday before writing out the instructions and I think I undid as much as I sewed - serves me right - but I got there in the end.

Well since the last paragraph I've done the school run and been to the gym for an hour and that's really what's life's like at the moment.

I made a lovely notebook cover for myself from a kit I bought at Malvern quilting show it's got an owl on it.  Got the idea to make some notebooks covers for the craft fayres.  Started with a cat one and then a xmas tree, after some input from the girls on Facebook I've made a couple with 50's style ladies on.  One of those has sold already and I'm posting it out today.  So excited - how sad is that, I've created my first invoice on Paypal and been paid for something I've made and someone else values enough to pay for.  How sad is that. 

Just need to get more creative and carry on with things.

So here come some pictures (sorry Bev you saw these yesterday at quilting).

The lady in the Blue dress is the one that's sold and will be posted when I get showered and sorted out.

There will be more designs but I think I'm going to need to keep a note of the different ones and name them so I can find them again.  In other words I need to get myself organised.

I've also spent a lot of time in my sewing room lately - painting some of the mismatched storage so they now all match and having a major clearout, getting rid of empty boxes and some of the craft stuff that I don't think I'm going to use, these will go up to school to the art department.

On another note:

Mike went to his first cub camp in ages and had a really good time, the weather was fab and he got to have a go at lots of activities, including abseiling, rock climbing, archery and swimming.

In April Sarah and I went to the opening of Guthrie and Ghani the sewing shop opened by Lauren from The Great British Sewing Bee.  While we were there we met a few of the contestants from the show and they were really friendly.

Sarah and Ann (Winner of the Great British Sewing Bee)

Sarah and Tilly - one of the contestants.

 

Sarah and Stuart

 

Sarah and Lauren the owner of Guthrie and Ghani

 

 

 

The shop is really pretty but it was absolutely heaving with people and took over an hour to get to the till. 

After the shop we met up with Michael and David and went into Canon Hill park for a drink while Mike played with a remote control car.

So that's a bit of a catch up.  I need to photograph the Elephant bag and the changes to the studio but need to get on with something now.  Think I need it to be a shower first...lol

9th February 2013

Sorry there's been such a long time between posts and this one will be a shortie.

Since I last posted things went a bit mad.  I did the christmas craft fair, it was only a little one but I sold over half the cushions I'd made.  The favourite ones (went first) were the red cusions with LOVE on them.  A little 2 year old boy fell in love with the penguin one and proudly cuddled it away from the stall courtesy of grandma.

It seemed that Grandmas liked to buy the cushions for their grandchildren.  One of the cushions went to a mum at school and apparently ever since her daughter had it for her birthday she's slept with it every night.  That't good to hear.

I haven't managed to get down to the studio since christmas and I'd started making a bag with applique elephants.  Even with the heater on it's been cold down there with all the snow but that should be fixed now as Dave has bought me a Calor Gas heater which should make the studio toasty.  Fingers crossed.  He's even said I can go and play for a bit tomorrow.  Think he wants some peace and quiet.  Don't blame him really.

Today was Sarah's party for her 14th birthday.  Five girls and Frankie and Benny's.  I left them to it and went over to Eat Central for Pizza, Salad and Garlic Bread.  Got back in time for singing Happy Birthday and sharing the birthday Cookie.  Pictures will follow but too tired now.

I've finally finished a jumper and a hat that I was knitting and I'm about to finish up a baby cardigan for the maternity hospital.

I've been thinking of lots of ideas of things I can make with a view to selling them at craft fairs and need to start getting some of them down on paper before I forget what they are.  There are a few cushions left and I will make some more but I must find out when they are one and prepare for them.

Will try and post more often and also to get some pictures on here.  Will let you know if the new heater is any good.

Sally

Friday 23rd November 2012

Back into the studio at last to finish making the cushion for the Christmas Fayre at the park on December 1st.

I've tried twice to get into the studio this week and on Tuesday I had to go an collect Sarah from school as she was sick and Thursday I had to collect her again and take her to A&E when she had an accident on the vaulting horse at school so again no sewing.

Finally managed to get into there today after dropping Mike off at school and began cutting up the back to the cushions and sewing.  Part way through I came up to the house and slipped over on the decking and everything that can hurt does.  Managed to get everything finished eventually.

Took the two butterfly cushion to school for Zoe to choose and she wanted the one with the white back so I'll put that away for her.

Teddies ready for the Sale table.

 Photos are a bit all over the place as they won't play ball.  I really need to learn to do this properly.

Photos wont turn around either so you'll just have to get a crick in the neck.  I've got about a dozen cushions finished now and if I get a chance I'll get some more done before the sale.  Hopefully now I'll manage to sell some of these.  I'll keep you posted.

November 17th 2012

Sorry for the long delay - lots going on.  Sarah has been poorly but she's now sorted (we think) so keep your fingers crossed.

I've been making patchwork cushion to sell at a Christmas Fayre and so I've been stitching lots and lots and haven't remembered to take my camera down to the Studio

I had two domain names bought for me for my birthday and I'm also trying to come up with some sort of a business plan using them to try and bring in some MONEY...

I recently did a commission for a Dragon in Red and White for a very brave lady who was dying and having terrible hallucinations.  After pulling out all the stops and getting it done really quickly I managed to finish it and it arrived on the day she died.  This has really hit me hard and I knew I wanted to record it on here and post pictures of the Dragon but haven't felt able to till now. 

She saw the Dragon (called The Protector) before she passed peacefully away and it has been buried with her so her is always protected from her demons.  Till makes me cry even just writing this.

Hope you like the pictures..

I'm so glad it made it to her in time and hope that it eased her passing having her protector with her.

Nuff said.


Sorry it's been so long.

Will take the camera and photograph some of the cushions will be available for sale at £15 each (including the pad)  Been to Ikea this morning to stock up on fleece for the backs of the cushions and the cushion pads.

Should be stitching now...

Bye