Details

I've had a busy weekend, but thought I would just post some details of some of my sewing. You may have seen some of these before.

Have a good week!

Look out for my November calendar post - coming soon.

Tuesday

Time for a new post - that perm is getting on my nerves every time I log on. (See previous post - or NOT) so time to share what I have been doing.
My Art Journal gets used for more than the monthly calendar. Sometimes I keep a record of what I have been doing or thinking about - here is an October page,,,

and sometimes I record something that has more significant meaning. This Sandy Denny song always strikes a deep chord especially at this time of the year. I'll try and put a link to the song at the end of the post.

I am also working on some new patchwork, but in a slightly different way. I have made covers for some little 4"x3" blank journals I got from Staples in what I will call 'distressed' patchwork. I enjoy doing these for a change. It would be nice to find a different insert, and if I can find the time I may have a go at making some books. I thought they might make suitable  'stocking fillers'. Your thoughts would be welcome. These need finishing and when I can take some better photographs they will be in my shop.

Front cover with wrap tie

I have added appliqué and embroidery to the front panel

.

Here is a pink version

Still needs finishing off

Hopefully you can hear Sandy Denny singing 'Who Knows Where the Time Goes' with Fairport Convention here:

OMG!!!

I am not going to say much but this photograph arrived this morning from our dear and long-standing friend Dave who has always loved photography and has taken some brilliant pictures. He is trawling through his archives and sent us this ...

The perm didn't last long - I soon had it all cut off,  and Mr T was always a bit of a poser. He is two years my junior and as you can see looks very boyish here, we can't have been married long . I have been grovelling around in the photo archives and have found one other picture of me with THAT perm dated Nov '79, and  also photos of me in summer 80 with short hair so we can date this to early 1980, I'm 30 and Mr T 28 - aaah - thought you would like a peek  

What's been going on...

My art and blogging seems to have taken on a different pace recently. I have established  a routine for myself that includes some aspect of art or craft most day. My camera is part of my life as is logging into my blog and now running my Etsy shop. I no longer feel the frenzy I had a year ago to try everything I could get my hands on. I miss that energy to a certain extent, but I feel as if I am on a plateau, consolidating  all the new skills I have experimented with. I have been busy doing this and that and haven't seem to have had the time to put a blog together - but today I have the time so here goes. (Two long phone calls later - see what I mean)

Last week I got an envelope stuffed with fabric scraps from Lesley at Printed Material. They burst rather magically out of the envelope so I filled this basket with them

After taming them with the scissors and hot iron

I ended up with a beautiful pile of Tana lawn scraps for my patchwork.

You may spot a couple of the pieces in my new creation - a spectacle case.

Which I have lined with yellow felt to cushion your specs.

Shortly to appear in my Etsy shop .

There are some more in the pipeline. What do you think?

I shall be posting this pair too soon.

Meanwhile I have been doing other things.

I am working on my Honesty seed-head book. There is still a lot to do.

...and I have been trying  some ideas for C******** stars.

When the sun came out this afternoon I thought I would take a quick walk round the lake at the park.

I grabbed my camera,  just in case there was an irresistible photo-opportunity. When I got there I thought I would snap as many different birds as I could - plus a squirrel. I made it half way round when I spotted the rather ominous black cloud that had been lurking on the horizon was now overhead and large , so I had to tuck the camera into my coat and rush back to the car park.

1. Pink Footed Goose (there only ever seems to be one), 2. Mallard duck, 3. Coot, 4. Grey squirrel, 5. Whooper swan (one of several), 6.The sun and rain from inside the car, 7. Feral pigeons

So my walk and photo session was cut rather short - I took a last photograph inside the car with the hail stones bouncing off the roof!

Writing this has taken all evening! At least the photographs up-loaded smoothly. Now I will take a time to catch up on everyone else's posts.

So far ...

Went to the hairdressers and went shopping. The beads I bought on e-bay arrived, 50 is so few!! 

 I'm so pleased I bought a hydrangea this year.

Met the Nutty Knitters.  Maxine a textile artist/designer, who I had met at Wrest Park craft fair e mailed me to join her and some friends for a fortnightly get-together. Said it didn't matter if I didn't knit! They are a group of ladies who are interested in all sorts of textile/arts and were very encouraging. Some were mambers of the Beds art group. Sat in Maxines lovely farmhouse kitchen and drank tea, ate home made cake and chilled out. I shall be going again

This should have been my image for Wednesday. But today I have been for a theraputic massage to try and iron out some of the knots in my shoulders. Computers and sewing machines don't help.

(Had a bit of fun in Photoshop Elements)

Woolly thinking

This article in The Guardian yesterday about 'graffiti knitters' got me doing a bit of a search when it included a picture of a crochet covered bus from Mexico -




and this morning I got an invite to join Nutty Knitters - knitting not necessary - for a lunch and opportunity to join a group to knit or sew together - going tomorrow, so looking forward to that.

ten ten ten

I was going to take some significant photographs today, but some how I haven't managed it. However we had a great lunch out with one of Mr T's old school friends and his wife.  Mr T has only met up with him a couple of times since 1974! So as you can guess there was a lot of catching up to do. I'm afraid I am not used to eating in the middle of the day and fell asleep in the armchair when we got home!
Yesterday another of Mr T's old school friends who we have reconnected with this year, brought his son over for lunch. John was a lovely lad  and soon made friends with Marvin who is a sucker for a brisk brush down with the deck scrubber.

Marv with his new friend - John

and oh yes, that is me and Mr T with John. Both of us looking a bit scruffy I hasten to add. Mr T has his gardening jacket on and I have a long overdue visit to the hairdresser tomorrow. But I thought I knew you all well enough now to see us in our everyday state!

And John took this one of his Dad and Mr T.

(  I was looking at the picture on my side bar and I had to smile. It suggests that my character from a Jane Austen novel would be Elinor Dashwood, I think is time to  face reality, I am more likely to be cast as Mrs Bennet!!)

o0O0o

Yesterday I put these book covers in my Etsy shop.

I'm not sure about that blue background, your opinion would be gratefully received.

The sky matched that blue today - hopefully the sun will be shining again tomorrow.

Wishing you a good week,

Jill

this week

The weather has been lovely the last couple of days and to show I have a life beyond sewing I thought I would draw a sellection of flora from  the garden. In fact I could have filled several pages as there is so much blooming at the moment including primulas and bergenia - are they late or early I wonder. I was going to post some photographs or my sewing, but now Blogger won't even load the  insert image window.  I am writing this on my lap-top where as the picture above was scanned into my PC a couple of hours ago. So I am not sure if it is the lap-top or Blogger playing up! Yes I am a two computer household - my laptop was a retirement present, and I must say that  I love sitting with it in the evening whilst Mr T watches something  on TV I'm not very interested in - most programmes can be taken in with only a brief amount of attention, I'm sure you'll agree. Although he does sometimes 'test' me to see if I paying attention (LOL).

I have switched to 'Internet Explorer' from Google 'Chrome'  and this seems  to have helped, a bit ironic as I think Google is connected to Blogger.

I've been using the ironing board as an extra work table which is great as I can adjust its height easily. I used the pliers for closing some 'keeper' rings for attaching some charms to the cords on the purse as I haven't and suitable coloured beads.

My button tins are getting a lot of use - here are another couple of purses. They haven't sold as well as the book covers but I really like making them - here are a couple of details.

I find I have favourite patches - stem stitch is my embroidery stitch of choice at the moment, plus French knots. I love the red candy stripes - here with added seed beads.

I love the colours in this one. My favourite machine stitch is the blanket stitch here done in a lovely varigated thread.

I have made a matching purse and book cover in red, black and white. Hopefully they will appear in my shop over the weekend along with some more book covers.  I must say I really enjoy putting the different fabrics together but making sure I photograph them effectively is a bit more of a chore.

Now I must try to catch up with everone else's post. Busy weekend ahead, so posting on the shop will be a priority, hope you have a great weekend - the weather forecast for the UK is pretty good. Hope you are ready for 10/10/10.

Jill



October begins

September completed

The month has been as busy as my pages suggest and is significant in that it has seen the launch of my

Etsy shop which turns me from being retired teacher/pensioner into self-employed crafting business woman (well sort of). My work room has become a bit of a production line lately with several sewing project at various stages, but and it is a big but ... my first love is dabbling so I must build time into my days for this. Of course I am prepared to put in the hours needed at the moment to get the shop up and going, but I hope I can get the balance right. It is very flattering when your work sells and I do like doing a bit of stitchin'

October begins...

I made these pages by first dyeing them with brusho powder watercolours. Rather than cut out the squares, this time I drew them and bleached out the colour. I then drew illustrations. You may notice that the 31st artfully falls from the row like an autumn leaf - or like an erratum slip (when you realise I missed out a  square). This page fulfilled an urge to doodle - now it is back to the sewing machine! I shall find time later to catch up everyone's calendar pages on the flickr site - there are many who have managed to keep going through the month  and well worth a look - it's downhill now to the end of 2010!!