What I'm working on

I mentioned in my last post that we'd had a meet up of the EMMQG.  After the show-and-tell, talk from a lady from the Quilt Guild and lunch, we had time for a bit of sewing.  I'd taken along the hexie block from the Skill Builder BOM to do.  Sitting outside in the sunshine, having a good old natter, I got LOADS done.

Yep, 13 hexies basted.  I sew like the wind, me.  I'm also working on a dinky little cross stitch.  It was a cover gift with CrossStitcher and one evening, not feeling very well, I wanted something mindless to do, so out it came.

Stitching it again on another evening I starting thinking of challenging myself to stitch all the cover gift kits I have, it could be a new list... NO WENDY, do not go there!  Sorry to disappoint Fiona but I can't give myself any more challenges or lists, I already have this one and this one, not to mention this one!

Sewing-themed necklaces

Morning ladies.  I hope you all had a good weekend?  I had a lovely day on Saturday, we had a meet up of the EMMQG in a gorgeous little village in Derbyshire, home to Guild members Mandy and Lynne.  Despite being bullied by Ange most of the day, it was so nice to be with other sewingy-type ladies who all accept me into the Guild despite the fact that I'm almost a quilt-virgin.  I got to see some amazing quilts in person and eat some wonderful food.  And cake.  Chocolate cake.  The only downside of the day was the horrible migraine that came on as I was driving home.  I was in bed by 8pm on a Saturday night.

We have a little birthday-swap going and three ladies had had birthdays since I'd seen them, or had birthdays coming up, so a present was in order.  But what to give extremely-talented quiltresses who would surely laugh at my wonky sewing?  Handmade jewellery...

The cute little sewing-themed charms came from ebay and it took me ages to track down plenty of different ones!  I decided to make each necklace the same-but-different.  So we have a black version.

The round beads inside the silver donuts are glass millefiori, just beautiful.

Then we have a pink version.  Those almost-round beads are made of paper.  I didn't make them but making paper beads is on my list.  No surprise there then, there's not much that's not on my list.

I used purple crystals with this one.

And finally a yellow and green version.

This one also has glass millefiori beads and some lampwork ones on the sides.

A necklace as a gift requires a gift box. I am rubbish at buying things like that so I decided to make them, how hard could it be??  I should have realised at that point!  Some of the charms had come in a dinky little pizza box, so I opened it out to use as a template.

I used scrapbooking paper stuck to card for the first trial.  I thought the card would give it rigidity.  It didn't quite work.  I think the problem was that the template is made from thick card and my card wasn't as thick.  Version 2 was made from card alone, slightly thicker card.  It still wan't great.  It kind of worked, but I did have to tape it shut!

As this wasn't working, I decided to draft up a standard box with lid.  I made the base.  I made the lid a few millimetres smaller.

Except I didn't, the lid was the same size as the base!  I finally gave in and measured the base before making a lid and had a workable box.  Clearly I forgot to take a photo though!  Ladies, I do hope you forgive me crappy boxes!

Hardanger SAL #4

I'm still keeping up with Mabel Figworthy's Fancies Song of the Weather SAL, even if I'm miles behind with the Skill Builder BOM and I'm running out of May for May's block in the And Sew On BOM.

This is May.  I loved stitching this, there's something so soothing and relaxing about Kloster blocks and the cut work.  The needleweaving on the bars was the Uneven Weave, a new one for me but not hard.  The fan stitch (the dark blue in between the needlewoven bars) was also new for me and my first attempt wasn't tight enough, so out it came.

This was another octagon block, so I added the corner fans and klosters to make it square, as I did with February's block.

Here they all are together.  Just June to go and I'll be adding "sashing" between the blocks and turning it into a hanging.  I can't get any decent photos of this work at all, my camera sees white and turns it blue!

Related posts

January and February

March 

April

Wipocalypse May

 WIPocalypse check in was supposed to be the 24th May, but it's too soon, I think I'd rather have the check ins at the end of the month, so I'm moving it!

First up, a recap of what I achieved January - April:

1. The Mackintoshesque window
2. giant granny square blanket
10. Small vintage embroidery
11. Necklace kit from Spellbound
12. Necklace kit mum bought me
13. Tea wallets
15. Bathroom curtain
16. Picnic napkins
17. Wiggly bags 
24. punch needle
26. mosaic house number kit 
33. Silhouttes cross stitch
34. Scraperboard rabbit
37. Clay + Pebeo paint

42. Extruding clay

46. Friendly plastic

48. Lavender sachets from hankies
49. Lunch bag
53. Red scarf with beaded fringe
57. Mega chunky cowl
59. Decopatch
61. Crochet hat for me in Hug
62. UTEE
63. Hat for Samantha

So what have I finished this month?

My Wips
3. Cotton granny squares - originally intended to be a blanket, now a footstool cover

4. crochet rug

crafts I have kits for

erm... nope!

crafts /projects I have supplies for

erm... nope!

So that's a measly, pathetic 2 WIPs from a total of 44 (projects left) done -  5%. And 25 out of the total of 67 is 3%.  Overall I've done 25 from a total of 67 - 37%.   I have done really, really badly this month, but to be honest, it's only to be expected as I've had such a shitty month.

So which projects have I made progress on but not finished?

14. Alphabet chart

19. Sewing machine mat with thread catcher - not blogged yet

32. Lynette Anderson needle case

And don't forget, I did do some of the items from my extra list...

a6 - Hardanger SAL

a9 - Weekender bag

That still leaves me with rather a long list though:
My WIPs
5. crochet Yoda
6. crewel Jacobean pattern
7. Crewel fire guard
8. Beaded embroidery dress
9. Dancers cross stitch
18. Chair covers
20. Ungar #2
21. Fleece baby hat
22. Applique tea cups

crafts I have kits for
23. Enamelling
25. Lace making
27. Mosaic tray kit
28. Beaded santa ornament
29. Silk painting
30. Origami
31. Hessian reindeer
35. Latch hook kit
36. Beaded lillies

crafts /projectsI have supplies for
38. Cathedral Windows
39. Tatting Course
40. Beaded Boxes
41. Sharp crochet hook
43. Hammering wire
44. Bead loom
45. Lino cutting
47. French knitting
50. Mum's chair covers

51. Jacob's quilt

52. Beaded bird panel
54. Crochet cardi
55. Crochet bag
56. Wedding memories box
58. Crochet fat friends (the other 7)
60. Lucet
64. Embroidered tablecloth
65. Kitchen curtains
66. Bunny jewellery - charm and ceramic beads
67. Paper beads


29th December 2012 = 67 projects.
26th January 2013 = 6 completed. 6 projects total. 61 to go
26th February 2013 = 5 completed, 11 completed total, 56 to go
27th March 2013 = 5 completed, 16 completed total, 51 to go
25th April 2013 = 7 completed, 23 completed total, 44 to go
31st May 2013 = 2 completed, 25 completed total, 42 to go

And the projects added since Christmas?

a1 - Skill Builder sampler BOM
a2 - And Sew On... BOM
a3 - Daisy crewel alphabet sampler
a4 - Kumihimo braiding
a5 - Soft book animals
a6 - Hardanger SAL
a7 - CK Button kit (Christmas present from Mr CA)
a8 - fabric medium
a9 - Weekender bag

Next check in, end of June

Previous Wipocalypse posts:

April
March
February
January

chain maille

Another masterpiece of a title there.  I don't know if you remember I went to a class to learn to do chain maille recently?  We learnt the Byzantine weave and I made a silver bracelet.  I bought some more 1mm wire after the Josephine Knot class the other week and got to work.

I bought some copper wire and used my gizmo to make the coils before snipping them apart to make the jump rings.  SO much quicker than the jump ring maker we used in class.  I'd also bought some brass wire and started making jump rings with that first, but I didn't check I was using the right mandrel and they turned out too big.  I didn't have enough brass wire to start again, so I need to find a weave with 5.5mm ID jump rings!

I've been wearing the copper and silver bracelets together and I love them.  I'd have loved a brass one too!  I've ordered some wire from ebay, and I also bought a new book - Classic Chain Mail Jewelry.  Now I can't wait for my wire to turn up so I can tryout some new weaves!  

saggy and baggy and badly-lit

I'm not sure if the title of the post refers to me, or to today's offering.  A little of both perhaps...

Remember I showed you some granny squares last week? They were #3 on El Listo Gigantico, cotton granny squares, originally meant to be a blanket, then a footstool, but ended up a cushion.  A saggy and baggy cushion.

The original blankets was going to be made of these 3 colour grannies with all the outer rounds in black or white.  I didn't have enough black or white, so the 5 black ones I'd made were joined by lilac-outered squares (I'm doing well with made up words today)... 

(See, still baggy and saggy when propped against my sewing machine) 

And the white ones were joined by aubergine-coloured-outered squares.  I didn't make the word "aubergine" up, it's British English for "eggplant".  Wonder what it's called in Oz?

I stuffed one of my existing cushions in there, one with a blue cover that matches the curtains, and crocheted the gap up.  I added an outer granny border, held it up, discovered it was baggy, chucked it on the sofa and sat on it.  That'll teach you cushion, I'm going to sit on you.

Not tonight Josephine...

Not last weekend, but the weekend before, I went to a jewellery class.  I bet you can't guess where?  Yep, that's right the Bead Shop Nottingham.  Their classes are fab though, so you can't blame me.

It was another macrame class, this time learning the Josephine knot, which has several other names that I've forgotten! 

We used a lovely silky cord for this one.  I spent ages getting all my knots nice and straight and butting up together nicely.  Then I put it on and it stretched slightly and suddenly there were gaps between the knots!! 

I think if you want the knots to all butt up nicely, you have to do the knots really, really tightly to begin with.  Or glue them.

I really do like it though, even with the gaps.