The crochet continues, we are now onto week 2, I was a bit late starting.
I am finding lots of odd balls of wool around the house now that I am looking for them.
A bit of Kogin. Because of 'habit' I always write an evaluation of each class I teach with the aim of improving it. I think I have another project here.
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!!!"
I'm very late with this as I have been 'asleep". I need to get a Vit B 12 injection, somehow I overlooked it and now I can't stay awake.
I have a deadline to get things finished for the stall for Cystic Fibrosis so have pulled out those half finished pot holders that I started some time ago. I am determined to get them finished this time.
I used 'Isalbrite' for insulation but this is like adding a layer of aluminium and make the piece very thick and the needle in the machine doesn't like it. But I will get there, eventually.
So some things are progressing.
The little pillows (pin cushions).
All ready in their baskets.
I still have another 4 dolls to finish but they are looking pretty good as well.
And those bags are progressing. I have finished the quilting and am now making the handles and inserting the linings.
I'm quite pleased with progress this week.
I am working on quilting pieces to make project baskets. There will be 5 baskets and each will feature a different quilting pattern.
These are really labour intensive and I started the process at my stitchie weekend up at Toowoomba. I thought that I would achieve a lot more on these than I have.
Unreal expectations!
Still working on the dolls. Have 12 sewn and stuffed and now need to add the faces and ears etc. These are great little stress busters as I can knit them without thinking and then think when I have to do the finishing.
I'm not sure how to knit these ears.
And the pin cushions continue.
Just the usual at the moment.
Pin cushions, I did stick to the original pattern and put my own designs away for another day. These need stuffing. I am considering using them as a "decor" item rather than as pin cushions. It all depends if I can find an interesting basket or bowl to display them in. I tea- dyed the fabric and used the off-cuts from my woollen skirt as my base materials. I found 1 lone piece of green woollen fabric in my felt stash which I used. The buttons are from a little bundle of antique buttons I bought in the USA. Just the place to use those.
And I am still knitting the "Izzi Dolls". I have a bundle now which need to be stuffed and features added.
There are so many variations on this basic pattern. How cute are these ones I found on Instagram.
The rest of the time is dealing with home schooling, and that takes some dealing with.
This week past was Ekka week (the Royal Agricultural Show) here in Brisbane. I have kept away because I didn't want to go into those crowds. There is still lots of Covid around and most of my family have been coming down with it. So, except for one trip to meet with my patchwork group, where we all wear masks and everyone does a RAT test before they go, my days are rather ordinary. Top of the list is home-schooling, which along with preparing meals, doing household tasks and walking the dog seem to fill most of my days. But, although I can't use my sewing machine I can knit, so, I have a little bundle of Issie Dolls to finish.
This isn't very challenging but it does keep the hands busy and the pain in my arms and legs isn't too good just at the moment, but this activity keeps the muscles working.
This little bundle are supposed to look like writting on a black board, (chalk board), they still have to be stuffed.
The next bundle use woollen fabric. I don't use woollen fabric but I did make a skirt this year and I have some pieces left over so they will all have to be made from that. I do have a small bundle of woollen felt in the stash as well that I can use for the applique but I think I will change these. Then again, I might make them as is. These ones have sparked some ideas to make some that reflect my environment.
I also have a destination for the pin cushions and the dolls. My friend Kay is having a stall to raise money for research into Cystic Fibrosis so all of these pieces can go to that.
The other thing I am thinking about is Xmas.
We are back in home schooling every day this week so it is mainly knitting that I can do as we do our lessons and trying to keep some order in my sewing room where my grand daughter sleeps. Now, there are two other spare bedrooms downstairs, but, she likes grandma's workroom so she can be close to us.
These little Issie dolls are great to keep the hands occupied but allows you to think of other things at the same time. Problem is I never seem to have the colour I want, even though I have 9 boxes of yarn!
I also have some ideas for the pincushions, I can work on these before and after school.
These are on black fabric that to the eye doesn't show all that lint that the camera sees!
But, there is no getting anywhere near the sewing machine.
Things are all over the place here. My daughter-in-law is very ill with Covid and we are trying to look after the girls without catching the virus ourselves. It is really tricky. All around us people are ill with the virus. A close neigbour has been taken to hospital and she has 6 week old twins who they would not take into the hospital. Her husband is trying to cope on his own. She is from Poland and has no family here, so all their neighbours are trying to help, with Max insisting that he can manage. My cousin, who also lives on the island had a bad fall. His son came to visit and brought Covid with him and now his wife has come down with it. Neighbours are helping out there as well. Thank goodness we live in such a supportive community. I walk early in the morning, so I can be alone on the beach, and am trying to stay away from everyone. I think I will travel on the barge rather than the ferry for the next little while if I have to go to the mainland.
So Pin Cushion No 2
I managed to find a heart shaped button for this one. I only had one.
Front
Back
Then I tested a doll pattern to use with my grand daughter Jasmine. It was not easy. It looks easy and the knitting is straight forward but the assembly is difficult. I'm not so sure this would be suitable for a child learning to knit. It might put them off knitting forever! I think I will get her to knit it and I will sew it together.
In contrast the Izzi doll was so much easier to knit and make-up.
They are about the same size but the Izzi doll is more attractive.
There are lots of variations on this pattern as well.
On the embroidery front it is unpicking and I have only managed 1 sample piece for the machine embroidery.
Big problem here. I went to lower the upper tension only to find that the machine does this automatically and there are no instructions in the operation manual as to how I can do this manually. It has taken me nearly a week to work out that there is a small icon on the display screen where I can change this. I am seriously thinking about reverting to my old machine on which I know how to change the tension.
I am still not feeling very well. Not sick enough to have to stay in bed but sick enough to be unable to concentrate properly. The most I can manage is my hexigons. Still, I am doing something.
I see that the papers are coming out of the quilt being made at "The last homely home."
And that site also has a tutorial on the basics for this Technique but she uses a machine to cut her papers.
What I really like is that I no longer have to measure and cut the hexigons. I used to get my husband to do this for me but now Sue Daley has them all prepared for me.
Oh, I forgot about that rotary cutting mat. I will have to dig it out again.
I am stitching the hexigons,
and the Goldwork sampler.
Thinking about the hexigons, again, I came upon this quote.
"Everything worth doing is tedious, demanding and sometimes dull. Then, before you quit remember this:
The test of a vocation is the love of the drudgery it involves. Sometimes it's "drudgery" is more restful than it's greatest achievements."
Logan Pearsall Smith.
I will think of that as I sew these hexigons. (I'm becoming very phillisophical in my old age.)