WOYWW 295

HOLLY THE HEDGEHOG SLEPT IN THE BACK SHED

THE BROOMS AND THE BRUSHES, THEY DIDN'T COMPLAIN,

WRAPPED IN A POUND NOTE, LIKE A PAPER OVERCOAT,

OUT OF THE WAY OF THE WIND AND THE RAIN.

(Ralph McTell)

There has been a great response to the fundraising items I showed last week, so I'm in the process of cutting out another vintage bag with another one to follow!

I ran out of the spotted fabric so am having to make do and mend!  The spotty is a linen finish and came from Fabricland in Salisbury - brilliant value at £3.99 a metre. I bought it last year though so it's probably all gone now. Wish I'd bought double......

I'm just lining up the completed zip section with the top of the lining. It always looks wrong at this point but you just have to trust yourself, lol!

This one is slightly shorter, height wise - it's going to be a knitting bag for my brother's partner, Ros. I'm making a bigger one for Annie C as we speak. And thank you to Anne for buying the original from last week. All profits are going to Crafty Gashead Zoe's fundraiser. 

The doggy bag (!!) is still free if anyone would like it :-)

I have been a good girl and busting my stash but my lovely hubby had given me a Christmas voucher for an online company, Fabric Rehab, and this is what I got with it. So, it's not like spending proper money, is it? You know what I mean!  All the fabric was from the sale section, so I really got my money's worth. The ricrac will come in handy for all sorts of projects......

All the Hooters I made went off to Zoe's this week. this was how I found them one morning (Rhys had been creative!)

I made one more, for a birthday prezzy but can't show you it for a while.  But I decided to have a change and make the other pattern I got......

Meet Herbie the Hedgehog! Isn't he sweet?  He needs a home too, so if you're interested, drop me an email (again, for Zoe)  I really enjoyed making him, the pattern runs up really easily and there were less bits to sew on than for the Hooters!  I think this gold colour tinsel yarn is really effective for his Hedgie Spikes :-)

And lastly, you know how it is. Something arrives out of the blue and just makes you happy...

A gorgeous little handmade notebook and a pretty, sparkly card from WOYWWer Lisa M (Lisa's Craft Garden). I love them, they just cheered me up on a down day. Thank you Lisa, it was a really lovely surprise!!

If only we could bottle the sharing and caring that runs through Julia's blog...we'd make a fortune!  Have a great week :-)

WOYWW 294

THEY'RE COMING TO TAKE ME AWAY, HA HA,

THEY'RE COMING TO TAKE ME AWAY, HO HO, HE HE, HA HA..........

Well, maybe not me but my menfolk.....you'll see why later!

The desk is back in full swing....

I wasn't fishing for compliments last week when I mentioned my inability to marry scraps of fabric together, honestly.  I can do it but the imprecise-osity irritates my inner OCD!!   

But, as someone said, the only way to improve is to practise, so here I am, attempting to further bust my stash with a vintage selection.

The soft tones work well together, I think and look, Janet Fairythoughts, I'm using those buttons you made me!  The script on them matches that on the fabric - me likee!!

And here's the finished tote bag together with the doggy one from last week!  I'm selling these to help our lovely WOYWWer Crafty Gashead Zo raise funds for her charity. She suffers from Hypermobility EDS/BJHMS and never complains, even though she is in pain. Her fundraising page is here if you are interested. The totes are slightly smaller than my usual size (44 cms wide, 30cms tall) so I'm asking £15 (plus P+P)  I asked Julia if I could do this and she was happy as it's for charity. Email me if you're interested...all proceeds will go to Zoe's fundraising.

And how do you like my lovely hooters?!

These are what all those owly constituent parts turned into! Aren't they fun?  I'm selling these for the charity too....Mummy Hooter (8") is £7 and Baby (6") is £5. You know you want a cheeky Hooter to be your crafting companion, lol!  Right, that's it, advertising stops now, Thank you for your patience :-)

I had a commission from a mate to make one as a prezzy...so off I toddled to get some more tinsel yarn and I made the bodies. Fine, all well and dandy. Then my menfolk decided that they could be multi tasked......

Honestly, it's like living in The Goon Show in our house sometimes....sigh.....   ;-) 

I think I need to run a caption competition here. My favourite one will win a sewn prize of some description (yet to be made!)     Have a great week!

WOYWW 293

I MAKE IT UP AS I GO,

I MAKE IT UP AS I GO.

DOES IT LOOK LIKE I'VE GOT EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL?

(Sam Tsui)

I've got a stash busting desk to share today!

I got these fabrics out a while back and they've been sitting on my desk for the past two weeks....my sewing machine had a layer of dust on it too (well, why should it be different from all the other furniture in my house?!)  But I kicked my butt into gear and got going....

I'm exploring the dark side of the stitch selection wheel  :-)  Just to add a little subtle detail....

But I've come to the conclusion that I'm rubbish at doing this - it bain't be nat'ral, I tell 'ee! Some folk (Twiglet, Wipso, Kyla) just have the knack of throwing odds and ends together and making something special. It just seems that I try too hard....it's the same with crocheting or knitting with tag ends of wool. I really do not find it satisfying - it's not that I plan my projects either....ideas usually hit me round the back of my head.  Inspiration/Mojo is an odd thing, isn't it? Thank goodness we're all different :-)

Take this, for example - a prezzy from a friend:

the prettiest little lavender bag...I know that I will never make anything like this. I have no patience, simple as that!!  The very thought of paper piecing makes my eye twitch ;-)

I have had more success with the crazy, sparkly, tinsel yarn this week...no beards were harmed in the making of the following:

Owl bodies, eyes, beak and claws...all ready to stuff n' sew. But would you believe that out of all the black buttons I possess, there are no pairs?  So I have to go and buy some...drat!  But OCD LLJ just couldn't put mismatched eyes on, it just wouldn't be right!  Does that mean I have to go to the wool shop? Awwww. what a shame......... ;-)

Have a great week everyone!

WOYWW 292

When I was one, I just begun,

The day I went to sea.

I jumped aboard a pirate ship

And the Captain said to me:

‘We’re going this way, that way,

Forwards backwards,

Over the deep blue sea.

A bottle of rum to fill my tum

And that’s the life for me’.

(The Music Bus)

Well, me hearties, 'tis mighty fine to see you....welcome aboard the good ship 'Sewing Shenanigans'... An old girl, a bit rough around the edges but still got some fighting spirit.......the ship's not bad either. Haa haaarrrrr ;-)

Sorry...normal (ha!) service will now resume. You'll understand the pirate stuff later on, lol!!

The desk....

...is covered with some Christmas presents and some fabric awaiting attention. The cat fabric was from Julia - it's so nice to have a stylish, not twee, cat print. I was just looking in my new bag book to see if I could find a pattern I liked. The map was a prezzy from my mate Sue...It's an OS Map with our home village right in the centre; there's a pic of me and Gordon on the front and the title is The Appleton's Amazing Ambles...one of my fav prezzies this year :-)

This is the downstairs desk in action - my bass has been cleaned out and polished and my old handbag is being recycled for D rings/straps etc. It has served me well that bag, I'm sad to see it go :-(

The other downstairs crafting will involve this little lot...I was in Salisbury and saw the patterns first (and made up samples too) of owls and hedgehogs knitted up in this King Cole Tinsel yarn. Isn't it fun?  I thought, ooh I can make a few of those for folk to sell for charity.  The yarn is weird to knit with but actually makes a soft velour-ish result. The only snag is the stitches are quite loose and I'd knitted a third of the body when I lifted the wrong needle out of the bag and me knitting slid orf!!  And I can't see the stitches to pick them up again....drat, curses and splice me mainbrace.

So, what do you do with a useless piece of knitting?  Become Blackbeard of course, lol!!!

I think there's a role for you in the next Pirates of the Caribbean film, Rhys, lol!!  It's amazing how much sniggering can be initiated by a black, sparkly piece of knitting :-)

While walking towards the yarn shop in Salisbury, I happened to look up and saw this.....

This handsome guy was sat quite nonchalantly, not trying to escape at all - he was people watching! Something would catch his attention and he would watch until it passed by. It was the funniest thing so I thought you would like to see him too :-)

Have a wonderful week xxxx

WOYWW 291

Happy New Year

Happy New Year

May we all have a vision now and then

Of a world where every neighbour is a friend.

(ABBA)

I couldn't have put it better myself! It's been a Festive season full of friendship from the dear gals on the blog, with many lovely cards and presents received...

Julia gave me two skeins of this gorgeous wool - it's so soft. I had to start knitting straight away, just couldn't wait!!  I'm making a sort of turtle neck cowl and will have enough left over for a beanie or a headband. The groovy crochet hook set was from my boys...they know me soooooooo well!

 

The beautiful heart was sent by Debbie Rock and the lovely tag by Sandy Leigh Johnson. Thanks girls! They've been adorning the wall by the piano!

Meet my gorgeous Niece-in-Law, Kimberlie!  She and my nephew Matt have been over from New York, celebrating Christmas with my brother who'd asked me to make a tote, make up bag and tissue holder for a prezzy.  I decided to make a covered book in matching fabric as our present to her.  Kim loved the fabric, so I'm happy too...it's always a bit nerve wracking when you don't really know someone's taste!  Hope the bag does you many year's service, Kim :-)

Wishing all my lovely blog readers joy, peace, health, happiness, crafting and lots of tittering throughout 2015!!  

Sending huge crafty hugs and big sloppy smackers xxxx

WOYWW 290

SO HERE IT IS, MERRY CHRISTMAS,

EVERYBODY'S HAVING FUN.

LOOK TO THE FUTURE NOW,

IT'S ONLY JUST BEGUN!

(The wonderful Slade!)

Amazingly, I do have something crafty to show you for this Christmas edition, but I can't do the great reveal....oooer Missus!

It's something last minute for our future DiL, who loves all things Goth/Steampunk/Cosplay!

This is a garter like strap for the outside.......

And the soft lined interior. Would you believe that the variegated fabric has been Aragorn's cloak, a forest elf's outfit and part of a Nac Mac Feegle's gear too (as part of World Book Day costumes for Owen and Rhys)....but this is its final use I think!!  Really hope she likes it :-)

Thank you to all who sent lovely cards from far and wide - it's been such a pleasure receiving them and is a reminder, if one was needed, of the love and generosity kindled by the weekly desk fest started by the wonderful Mrs Dunnit.  This door hanger arrived from Sandy Leigh Johnson today.....

Thanks, Sandy, it's just as lovely in reality as it was on your blog! It's hanging in pride of place :-)

What a year, full of desk detecting, fabric frolics and Cropping Capers.....let's hope it continues full blast in 2015. Meanwhile, this says it all really.....

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

WOYWW 289

OH, THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS FRIGHTFUL,

BUT THE FIRE IS SO DELIGHTFUL,

AND SINCE WE'VE NO PLACE TO GO,

LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW!

Well, there's been very little crafting going on Chez LLJ this week!  And what I have made, I can't show you :-)  But, for what it's worth, here's the desk.....

Taking a leaf out of Kyla's book, I'm going to patchwork up some fabric to use for a tote bag. There's not enough of each bit, so this seems the way to Bust my Stash.... That knitted bauble is a present from Denmark, from the lady I made a bag for!  I thought I recognised the pattern and construction - it's by two Norwegian blokes who featured on last week's Kirsty Allsop's Christmas crafts programme on TV - coincidence or what? There's also a crochet flower I brought up to find a button for.....

I can show you this though - a covered notebook for Rhys' tutor at his sixth form college, who has been very supportive of him.  I still have to have those stripes horizontal though, lol!

Even though I haven't got much of my stuff to show, I can share some other's work instead :-)

This gorgeous butterfly picture was made for me by Helen, a friend from the accordion orchestra I've been playing with recently. Isn't it fab? I love the colours and the music paper background!

And this fun Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle bauble was made by a friend of another mate, also called Helen, for her son!  Isn't it great? It made me smile!!

But the main reason for not having any time to craft is this........

As you can imagine, the brass band I play in has been very busy recently!  We're at Tesco in Marlborough here, helping to raise money for a local Community bus service.  This is about a third of the band and yes, we were cold!!  Simon, on the right, was playing his new P-Bone...a bright red trombone made of plastic...it weighs hardly anything. Very funky!!

And I made myself and my bass as festive as I could!  Fairy lights were twined around my music stand and the instrument and my bunny ears also flashed. Fetching, doncha think?? 

Just two school carol concerts to play piano for and four more band engagements, then I'm done. All good fun though....just as well I adore carols, isn't it?? Lol

Have a great Christmassy crafting week xx