That was the week that wasn't.....

The lost week.  The lost week that has left me still feeling ropey (why ropey?  Where did that expression come from?  Anything to do with your insides still feeling twisted up like an overtwisted multi-strand mess?).  The lost week that saw me acting as a human sofa to both DDs at different times, and in between suffering the same horrid bug?  Ah well, Meg's Garden has got away once more, and small projects triumph again!  I'm getting ahead of myself with fabric postcards for a birthday swap that I'm in, and that has to be a good thing!

 And another big plus this week, at least one person voted for my entry in the ALQS5 that Kate North was running, meaning that I got to send my snowflake quiltlet off to Maya Jansen, and, in turn received a thrilling package through the post.  On opening I discovered this little quiltlet from Lenna - very watery and lovely (and the colours a little softer than this photo might suggest - I really should get my photo editing sorted out!).

Onwards and upwards, but as the coming week is half-term I don't see many sewing hours in it.  Perhaps some hand sewing and helping the DDs with their sewing machine projects......

Hope you all have a good week!

Shhhhhh........!

I'm planning to creep up on my Meg's Garden (flower tree) later and see if neglect has caused the bagginess to disappear so that I can quickly quilt it and get on with the binding and hanging it up......  if not, it's back to choosing a method of losing that bagginess and working on it a little more slowly!

In the meantime, I've finished a couple of sets of ATCs (Artist Trading Cards - a misnomer in my case, sadly - although I'm happy to trade cards I really am not artist) ready so that I don't get caught out by birthday swaps later in the year, decided on the craft activities for DD1's birthday party (yes, not until the end of March, but some of the discounts on Yellow Moon run out quite soon), and finished work on renovating a wall hanging for the school hall.

 
I've also finished work on another little 'fragments' piece.  This time it's Fragments V.  I  put it in a  8" x 6" frame and then played to see which mount might suit it. 

I thought that the cream mount was too bland, and didn't show the piece off, so daubed it with scrapbooking inks that echoed the variegated thread colours.  An improvement in getting the quilt to stand out, but a little too 'reception class' for the look that I wanted (something that is true most times when you add me to either inks or paints, sad to say).






Finally I cut a piece of paper by 'Twelve by 12' (examples of the lovely 'colour texture' pieces that I love are shown here) and I think that this is how it will stay.

I also surprised myself by having an opinion as to which way up the piece should go...... and this way to me is the right way up, although I'm not sure why.  Maybe the longer unwoven strips hanging off the bottom have something to do with it.

Sew much fun!

Lots of fun and small projects this week.

On Monday night we enjoyed 'girls night in' and I finally stopped fighting the urge to get some (more) of my friends playing with patchwork.  A surprise gift of some curtains from Tracy, a few minutes work with a rotary cutter and a sewing machine to produce simple nine patches, another few swipes of the blade to make fleece squares and a chunk of fusible onto some more of the red print, and we have 'kits' ready for them to make valentines cushions.

Obviously wine and nibbles are essentials for any evening craft get together.....and lots of tales and laughter too! 

One cushion not yet finished, one taken home for the envelope backing, and four finished and ready for the 14th.  It's good to have friends, and it's good to sew.

 I stayed with the red and white for a birthday card (requested colours) but as I haven't sent it yet I won't show it here.

I rather thought that I'd stay with the red and white for this months heart postcard swap too - but decided to use purple.  Fabric and sequins trapped under a non-woven topping, and a knitted 'ribbon' couched on top to make a set for posting later this month.

You can see the base fabric for the postcards behind this bracelet - the topping sewn onto the post cards knocks it all back a bit.

This bracelet is a belated Christmas present - I failed to order the right (child) sized bracelet to add the charms and beads to before Christmas, so it's only now that it's going to it's rightful owner. 

I'm pretty sure that it's time to reorganise and tidy my jewellery making bits and bobs, and perhaps even make space for them in a cupboard......nah, lets not get onto the whole 'I should tidy out my cupboards' conversation - after all, I've got sewing to do instead!