May Bag and Bank Holiday

As the Bank Holiday has been a wet one, well Sunday and Monday mornings were, I decided it was a good time to make the May bag, part of the BQL Bag Challenge (see sidebar).

The design used bow tie blocks and the pic above shows the chained pieced blocks draped over my machine.
Then joined together ready for quilting
I decided to put a pocket in the lining, with what remained of the Japanese style fabric. This was yet to be ironed so it looks a little untidy here.
At last finished and photographed. The colours are autumnal but I know someone who might like these colours.

I am managing to use fabrics in my stash, but somehow I don't have any more room in the storage drawers no matter how much I use. How does that happen?

Getting better

That is me and my sewing machine. I've had that back for about a week now and it's good to have it back. And today I feel as though I am getting over this flu, which has been around for over 2 weeks. I returned to work last week but it was a struggle and even this week has been a bit difficult, but can now feel it is going and looking forward to a long weekend this weekend.

While I was sick I couldn't go the the local Quilter's Guild Area Day on the 10th May, so armed with a bag of scraps, needle, thread and other bits and bobs I made a crazy quilted scissor case for my large scissors using an 8" square of calico as a foundation for the scraps. Above is the front...
and this pic is the back. In the middle I've used a long strip of selvedge that had a variety of colour spots. As you can see I've used small rectangles of fabric rather than crazy shapes. Still can't quite get my head around sewing crazy shapes, it's just not my style.
I took part in an Embellisher Swap making a tag. Looking at tag art sites they look nothing like luggage labels, so this is mine using pieces of hand dyed scrim which I fashioned into circles before punching into a base of black felt. Also used some silk roving and dark pink organza ribbon. After adding beads and sequins, the punched hole was threaded with fancy yarns. This is going to Liz in Stockport. I'd like to make this design again later as a picture, I had fun making this and it didn't take long at all.

Now the machine is back and back at work. I bought a pack of charm squares by Moda from Villavin Crafts, when I stayed there back in February. They made 4 nine patch sqaures which I've cut in the middle to make 16 split 9 patch squares (which I didn't take a photo of). At present they're sewn into rows and will update later with the completed top.

This week without a sewing machine

This week should be cancelled, I decided. After the Bank Holiday on Monday (5th) I went back to work for one day, then I've been off sick since. I'm suffering a cold/flu virus so have done bits when I can and rested when I can. Today still finds me still very achy and tired so I think the weekend can be written off too.

When I've been able to do stuff this is what I've done, below. I've got a little pouch done for my i-pod Shuffle, which literally took minutes on the Embellisher felting some lovely silk waste onto purple felt. Added a covered button with a popper fastening underneath.Front

and back. See that I did a couple of circles from the back so the purple showed in the front.

Another "little" job that took all day off and on was sorting out my fancy threads onto card bobbins. Got most done, still a lot to do. To the right of the box is a little pile of thread snippets which will be cut smaller and used to embellish or sandwich with Bondaweb and fabric.

Another bit of sewing that I did was to make an A4 journal size quilt for Alzheimers fundraising in Salisbury. This used some of the fabric that I used transfer paints on. I used thread and fabric snippets (this was before I sorted the thread box), layer of Misty Fuse, and fused together. I then laid petal and leaf shapes with white tulle on top and fused together before hand stitching. I've got to put a hanging sleeve on the back of this, but I think it looks quite good.

My sewing machine is not back yet from the dealers, I hope it comes back soon.

Not much sewing done again..

..that is because my sewing machine has gone to hospital! I've had some problems which have got worse, the main one being that thread was being broken of while I was sewing, so must be catching inside the machine, but of course I can't get into the machine to find out the cause. Off it went to the machine dealers to sort out and give it a service too. Hope its not away for too long.

Meanwhile it's been May Bank Holiday weekend and nice to have a 3 day weekend (still isn't long enough, work beckons tomorrow. Spent some time on Saturday and today out in the garden.

Above is my camelia, called Baby Pearl, which is flowering at present. This was an anniversary present from my parents, when my husband and I celebrated our Pearl (30th) wedding anniversary last December.
This is the first bloom on my Arum Lily, which was only planted last year, please do excuse the weeds around it - I've yet to get to that corner!
This is an Erysimum, or perennial wallflower. I love wallflowers. This one is Patchwork something or other (I'll have to look that up) but I love the variety of colours from yellow to pink and mauve just on one plant! To the left of that is a hardy geranium which will soon be covered in white flowers.
Another plant thats going well is the Euphorbia, this one's called Fireglow, because of the bright orangey-red bracts. To the right of that are the bright leaves of my small magnolia which have just come out.

I hope that another plant that will come into action soon will be the Callistemon, bottle brush plant. I've got 2 of those a red one and a yellow one, they've got masses of buds on them so am hoping for masses of flower.