WOYWW 382

SO YOU HOLD ME CLOSE TO YOUR HEART
RED IN THE GREY...

You'd better sit down...I don't want you to have a shock.

There's been a whole heap of crafting going on this week - woohoo!!  It's the thought of trying to get some stuff done for a charity Christmas event that has spurred me into action. The poor old sewing machine doesn't know what's hit it!
The fabric from last week has been transformed into flags...this is the ONLY sort of ironing I enjoy :-D

I made four lots of these. I like the red and grey combo a lot - very Scandi!

Then I took the left over scraps and joined them in strips. then cut these into squares and joined them together in a mini patchwork, backed them with red felt and zigzag topstitched them to make some Christmas coasters...

All tied up with some festive ribbon from my stash.  And that's not all!

I'd seen some great ideas for felt ornaments on Pinterest and decided that I need to have a go - a bit of a challenge in fact. All the above came from the Range and was stupidly cheap. Look at that rainbowy gorgeousnessness *squee*

Now it's cooled down a bit, the conservatory is more pleasant to work in - great light for old eyes! I freehanded the pattern...

...and had a go at making this little bird, I need to add a ribbon hanger, stuff it and complete the stab stitching. I'm quite pleased with it!  I've been inspired by all the gorgeous embroidery that Sandy Leigh Johnson's been doing. There will hopefully be more on this theme to show you - I've got rather a lot of embroidery floss to use up!!!

Have a great week everyone xxx

WOYWW 381

STRAIGHTEN UP AND FLY RIGHT
STRAIGHTEN UP AND STAY RIGHT....

There's been many strange things on my workdesk recently, but this must be one of the weirdest.....
That's right, two heavy floor tiles that we found in the garage of our rental place.

Here you are - a bit of a hint!

I tried to fix my cutting mat, which was warped into a banana shape by the heat in the conservatory! I consulted the Interwebs on how to rectify the situation and so put a sopping wet towel over the mat, then steam ironed it for ten minutes until it was floppy and then put heavy weights on it overnight. It's not perfect but it's a lot better than it was and will do ok for my needs!

I was in a fabric shop and bought a few 25cms worth of cotton to make some Christmas bunting for a charity thing.

The conservatory has cooled down a lot now the temps have decreased so I spent a happy couple of hours cutting out flags while the rain poured down outside. I shall do a grey/red selection of the five in the front and a jolly snowman one with the green fabric. That should keep me quiet for a while!!

I've been busy playing with my band too (those lights from last week have already earned their keep!)  and was in Pewsey on Sunday eve for the close of carnival service. The river Avon had been taken over by these characters:
Someone had done a lot of hard work there!  Apparently it was a Pokestop too. For a small village they do really well in Carnival fortnight - it was good to be a part of it :-D

Have a great crafty week! xxxx

WOYWW 380

                                  SHINE A LIGHT ON EVERY CORNER OF THE WORLD...

Thanks for all the well wishes last week! We still feel as if we are in a permanent holiday home at the moment - having decided to unpack as little as possible, it is amazing how few items you actually need for daily living. Hmmmm, when we eventually buy a house, I think I'm going to have a major prune of our stuff. 

I played in a church service last week (this IS craft related, fear not!) and as usual was at the back in the dim light. Well, even with reading glasses. I couldn't see the tiny notes in the hymn book. Look.....
See how tiny they are compared to the other piece and the cream paper doesn't help either. A quick search of a well known interwebs site revealed the Mighty Bright Music stand light.

As demonstrated here on my stand - it looks like some mutant alien insect doesn't it??! If you're wondering what those small things that look like chess pieces are, they are very powerful little magnets that hold your music onto the stand - the merest breeze can whip your music away faster than you can say Accelerando. 

My music case has loads of stuff in, the stand, music folder, small towel (for catching drips!), bass stand, mouthpiece, valve oil, vaseline (for the slides). It weighs a blooming ton and that's before you consider the 2 stone weight of the instrument itself - anyhow I digress. I wanted a case to carry and protect the lights in (plus some spare batteries too) and so I made this:

Not the best bit of sewing I've ever done, but it was quick, easy and made from scraps, the little pocket on the front will hold three triple A batteries.  See, there was some crafting to show (eventually!!)

And they are in action at the outdoors church service I played in as part of the Pewsey Carnival fortnight:
This was before we started - they really helped when the sun set later. Yay - no more blind-as-a-bat peering at the music for me. Woohoo.

There you are, you got to the end, hopefully unscathed. I will try to show a bit more actual craft next week, but that may well be a rash promise :-D


WOYWW 379

I WANNA BRAND NEW HOUSE WITH AN OLD BROWN JUG...

Helloooooooo *waves madly*....I'm back. The magic of Interwebs means I can once more join in the weekly mayhem that is WOYWW!

It's been a frenetic fortnight but thanks to sterling efforts by family, friends and some very nice removal men, we are now ensconced in our temporary home. It's a comfy place, very close to Julia and we are extremely happy here - it's like being in a permanent holiday home. Most of our boxes remain unpacked and stored but I did keep some of my crafting kit out (otherwise I'd be showing a blank desk for the next six months and I think my numbers would tail off a bit....)

Anyway, the Jan Cave has relocated here:
I am going to have to move this stuff, it's way too hot in the conservatory - my cutting mat has warped in the heat.

I've made a start - this is the dining/craft room! It's a bit cooler here :-D

Some new stash bought with a birthday voucher - it's going to be another blanket as I'm quite enjoying the mindlessness of zipping along the rows.

And I've enjoyed using my gorgeous pencils too, they make shading so easy. Gordon has made me a playlist on the iPod and I was enjoying listening to it on random selection. Some real golden oldies appeared! I shall take my time with this colouring and really explore the tones...

If you are kind enough to comment, I may be late in replying as today is a busy one. But I will get back to you!!

Have a great crafty week - it's good to be back :-)
xxxxxxxx

WOYWW 769

 WE'LL MEET AGAIN.... I'm going to take a break from blogging for a while - please don't worry, all is ok! - think I just need a...