Bookmark Variations

I have come up with other ways I could do these bookmarks.

1. Instead of 'fussy cutting' the fabric for the hexigons I could embroider small motives on each one.
2. I could use circles instead of hexigons and fussy cut  fabric or embroider the circles.   Or maybe draw faces on the fabric?

Everything else would stay the same.

There are so many little patterns you could use.

Source: Pinterest

Or what about mandelas?  You could draw or stitch them.

Source: Etsy

So many ideas, so little time.

The book marks.

As I said before, these make nice gifts and should be quick and easy but...  Maybe it was more difficult because I didn't have a pattern and I was making it up as I went along? So, here they are.

 

Anyway , I have included a pattern,  Download Book mark Xmas 2022 if you are interested.

Some interesting pointers along the way were:

Keeping the hexis straight.  Those things move around!!! I folded a line down the middle but they just moved on their own.  Luckily I had cut my base fabric a bit bigger so I just cut the edges so the hexis were straight. I bought my 1/2" hexis pre-cut.

It is important to be consistent with the number of stitches you make along each side of the hexi, I settled on 4 as that looked the best.

Different Interfacings.

I tried 3 different weights.  The one I ended up with I don't even know the name of, it has been in the stash for years.  I think that if I had to buy one today it would be a light weight 'Parlam fusible wadding.'  (You don't want the bookmark to make a big wedge between the pages.)

The ribbon trim.  I'm going to have to start checking Op shops for ribbons, I had to buy this one as I had non in my stash.

The other thing I bought was a collection of 2nd hand books to put the bookmarks in before they go in the baskets.  There are lots of good cheap  2nd hand books around. 

Those bookmarks have got me thinking about other variations I could use in that design.

WIPW

I am slowly, (very slowly), getting those bookmarks made.  After years of always having ribbon on hand , (like 30 years), I have finally run out and will have to buy some more.

Bookmarks are supposed to be quick and easy.  Not these ones.  Why do I always make things difficult?

I still have a number of dolls on the go and am experimenting with the addition of ears,  (as in elves.)  I will keep working on this.

And I thought I might try a hobbit.  I bought some furry wool but it is not to good on 4 needles so I went back to 2 needles for the feet and then back to 4 when I got to the legs.  Oh that wool!!! It feels as if I am knitting furry caterpillars, that's what I keep seeing in my mind and I have the hair to go!

And I am STILL trying to sew those pot holders.

Not a lot of success this week.

(School returns next week so I must get this sewing room cleaned.)

Getting organised

As part of my 'self organisation' I need to have tidy, organised surroundings. 

First problem, my cleaner has gone on holidays and won't return for another 2 weeks.

Solution, start cleaning myself.  (Oh NO!!!)

So I am taking it one room at a time starting with my bedroom.  It takes me nearly a whole day to clean this because I have trouble moving.  I started at the ceiling and worked down.  I am non to stable on ladders but I got the curtains down, washed, dried and up again.  That was a major achievement.

Then when I remade the bed I realised that I need to make a new bed cover.  This one is still serviceable but I only give it a couple more years and it is big, King sized.  Another job to add to the list.

I then got out my 'Accident Quilt' to put on the bed.

Why do I call it the "accident quilt"?  Well it started life as the backing of another quilt but I unpicked that quilt and put a different backing on it.  As I didn't want to throw it away I quilted it and made it into a quilt top and now I find it is the right size for the king sized bed.  I had collected lots of Australiana fabric prints and had no idea what to do with them all so decided to use them as a backing for a quilt.  Bad idea, it made the quilt too heavy.

I can see that I will need to make the new bed spread in colours that will compliment this.  And blue just isn't the colour.  I had been using it for the paddlers who visited but Covid restrictions had stopped their visits and they haven't returned.  (I'm not sure if that is good or bad.)  Now to start on the sewing room.  Really, it might be easier to just clean the rest of the house and come back to this.

 

 

Some Direction

I think that I have  'lost direction' in my life.  I have always lead an incredibly busy life with 'family first' being the item I use to sift my activities.  But once again I find that I have not taken enough notice of my own needs.  I rushed to do things for my family and others and put off getting my own health needs seen to.  When I did get to the Doctor this time my blood pressure was up over 230/110, and that is stroke territory.   Granted this was partly caused by the fact that my own doctor had gone on holidays and I couldn't get on appointment anywhere else.  And yes, I did try 4 other doctors, but couldn't get an appointment for at least a week.  In the end I decided to move to a Doctor closer to home but there was still a 5 day wait for that appointment.  (Covid has changed all our lives in so many ways.)  All it required was an injection and now that I have stablised I think I need to do some stock taking.

When I was working full-time I organised my time far better.  I set myself goals for the things I wanted to do and achieve, both at work and in my personal live.  Maybe I should formalise this again because it used to work in the past?  It is funny, but when one 'retires' you think you have time for everything, but you don't.  I am still going to have the responsibility for home-schooling my grand daughter for next term so that will take a large part of my time and stitching is the way I stay sane.

I follow the blog of  Hannah Brencher and although I don't agree with all that she write I think that these 5 points, which I have re-worded to suit myself, are a good place to start my planning.

Eat foods that make you feel good.  Avoid overly processed foods.

Get out and move.

At all costs, remember you daily devotions.

Be surrounded.  Accept invitations.  Do the the things you don't feel like doing.

Take your medication and your vitamins.  Don't miss a day.

So, on my walk today there was this beautiful sunrise.

I have no trouble with the "keep moving" one and if I did Little Bear ,(my dog) ,would annoy me until I took him for a walk.

 

Knitting

After a month of searching for a pattern to knit a sweater for winter 2023 I have finally narrowed it down to two designs, both by Kate Davies.  I have a whole collection of her books but what I wanted wasn't in those.

I thought I had got "the one" but then she released another pattern that I like.  Now I have to decide which one I will knit.

I think that this is the No 1 contender.

But then she came up with this and I'm not sure.

I still have a month or so before I have to start but I think the first one would be less stressful as the pattern isn't so intense and I could put it down and still find my place.  But I do like that new pattern.

School Holidays

The island is full of holiday makers including my grand daughter Jasmine, who is staying with me for a couple of days.  She made pancakes for breakfast but hasn't learnt about cleaning up just yet.

She has finally got the hang of crochet and is busy making hats for her dolls one of which is my knitted izzie dolls.  She choose the colours of the wool and said "how long will it take?".

I sat up late and knitted it over night.

The look on her face made it well worth the effort.

I think I might try to knit elf ears on some dolls and I'm thinking hobbits as well. 

WIPW

All the coasters are complete for my baskets.  Two lots of insulation so the hot tea mug will not leave a heat mark.

Some more dolls for the stall, only half made. 

And some book-marks to go into the baskets.  These are 1/2" hexi's and I haven't worked out just how I will make the bookmarks yet.

My grand daughter Jasmine is coming today so I have pulled out my Kaffe Fassett fabric,

and I managed to buy some "Terial Magic" from Pepperment Stitches to make the cards.

I also managed to get an appointment with the dentist to fix the tooth I broke when I fell so I was able to make a visit to the shop.  As this is close to our town-house I think this will be my patchwork shop from now on.

I also have a whole lot of cooking to do.  My Patchwork group is having a "high tea" in remembrance of the Queen at our meeting tomorrow night.  My job is sponge cake with cream and strawberries and asparagus rolls.  I haven't cooked a sponge cake in years! 

"Stress!!!"

Prototype 1

I thought that I would put some things into those soft baskets I made and have started with a coaster.  I might have over designed it and I think I will make a few adjustments to the pattern.

I started with the left over fabric that I had made the bags from and used insilbrite as the padded layer between the fabrics.

I layered up my front, back and wadding, sewed around the shape I had selected and turned it through.  I used a 100 weight thread to sew the opening closed.  That part was straight forward.

 

Then I wanted a circle in the middle to make a kind of saucer for the mug.  To do this I made a couple of templates for the shapes.

One I made a bit bigger and after applying visofix to the back of the fabric, cut out the shape.  I used a wadding with an adhesive on one side which was slightly smaller in size. 

I then sewed a line of gathering stitches around my fabric and put the wadding inside this and pulled it up around the shape.

After finding the centre of the coaster,

I was able to press this in position, were it stuck because of the adhesive, and sew around the edge without it moving.

I was going to use some of the left over quilted fabric to make a mock tea bag but I think this would drive me crazy.

So It is just going to be used without that piece.

Now to make the real ones.

 

New Quilting Book

I put the link for this book into my bookmarks some time ago and forgot about it but I found it again and bought myself an Ebook copy.

Now I have lost the original link but it was an image of this quilt that got me interested.

I don't need any more quilts but I would like to explore something like this, hence the purchase of the book.  I have also signed up for the newsletters as there are some really interesting titles there.

She uses a lot of Kaffe Fassett fabrics, who's designs I love but the base cloth they are printed on leave a lot to be desired.  Still, it's all about colour so here goes.  I think that I will start with some of the cards.

THEN I READ that you need to have a group that should meet once a month.  Oh Dear!! But thinking about it I think I have some friends who could be part of this journey and you are only supposed to meet once a month.  That could be a Zoom Meeting!!  Now I just have to convince them that this would be a good idea and I need some lessons is setting up Zoom meetings.