WOYWW 805

 TURN THE BEAT AROUND...

Hello lovely Deskers, hope you've had a good week! It's been a full one here with lots going on.

I've been getting to know my new machine but haven't yet ventured to the Dark Side of the stitch selection...

There's a few to choose from! I'm already in love with three fairly basic features, the automatic needle threading, the auto thread cut and especially the pivot function. All huge savers in time and thread!

I do a lot of pivoting, lol! And this new function means when I stop, the needle remains down and the foot lifts ever so slightly, I turn the work and off we go - six former stages condensed into one. It's genius and time saving too.

So making this flags for the Christmas bunting was so much quicker...

Sets of flags and tape ready to go, I like being organised!

I've also been making more angels:

It's amazing how their personalities are all different - I'd keep my eye on the one top right, she looks a mischief maker *grin*

I decided to pack my old Janome sewing machine away in its case/box to keep the dust off (I don't have room to keep both out) and of course the box was tucked away right at the furthest point in the JanCave wardrobe....typical. So out everything came:

Ooops...you don't realise quite how much stuff you have until you see it like this! I took the opportunity to have a really good sort out, lots will be going to the charity shop and I reorganised everything...

That's better! I do love having a sort out, sad but true......

Hope you have a good week!

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WOYWW 804

 OOOOOOH, WHAT A WHOPPER.....!

Hi everyone, hope you've had a good week! Mine has been full of log shifting, shop volunteering and making Christmassy things for the upcoming fairs. Can't be bad eh?

My mate Kim came over to help make some angels - there might have been more talking than sewing...*cough*

The effect is rather pretty! 

It's like Christmas up in the JanCave too:

The stockings will have candy canes in and the snowmen are covers for Ferrero Rochers. 

The carrot noses are a bit squiffy but ah well, that's how they'll be, I'm not losing sleep over it!!

I was gifted some fabric by a friend and it was perfect for some gift bags:

I've got to thread ribbon through and then they're ready to go.

The Christmas runner I made for the tearooms is now in situ:

The gap was 53", the fabric was 52". meant to be!

But the biggest surprise of all is a very early Christmas present from G:

It's the Rolls Royce of machines, there's a lot of new things to learn but I'm looking forward to it, it's got automatic needle threading for one thing, wahoo. I shall do some simple stuff while I learn what all the buttons do, there are some really useful features. It's going to be a lot of fun! My dear old Janome is going to be a spare machine for when friends come round, I can't get rid of it, it's an old friend and has done hard work for me.

Watch this space!!
Have a good week and keep safe, well and happy xx

WOYWW 803

 

WHAT'S NEW PUSSYCAT?

Another week has whipped by! It seems no time at all that I was noseying around all your desks last week, I don't seem to have spent much time sitting twiddling my thumbs!

I was gifted some fabric from another RNLI volunteer:

There was enough to make little purses and quite a few glasses cases, so they'll be perfect for people who want to buy just one small item. I rather liked the MEOW liner to the cat outer!

It's definitely Christmassy in the JanCave! I was debating what to make out of which fabric...

I needed to make a card so out came the stash:

That funny green thing in the middle is a really cheapy bit of kit but it's really useful for cutting out circles! I make more of a mess with paper than I do with fabric, that's for sure....

RNLI friends are cracking on knitting covers for Ferrero Rocher chocs and Chocolate Oranges for the Boathouse event and I asked my mate Kim if she'd make mini stockings for the tree, we can put candy canes in or something.

For scale! 

She's done a cracking job! I know they'll sell like hot cakes. There's been a few things to organise for all the fairs I'm going to do so I thought I'd better up my profile a bit, lol!

I used one of G's photos, this should appear on the Dunelm FB page. I might put some contact details on another version and print off some cards, good grief, I sound almost professional *grin*

Hope you are all keeping well, have a marvellous week and hope your crafting goes smoothly xx

WOYWW 802

 TIME IS FLEETING, MADNESS TAKES CONTROL...

Please can someone slow down time a bit? It's mad the way days are whizzing past! I am trying to keep to a bit of a schedule regarding the order of what to make in accordance of what event is happening first but between you and me, that went out of the window at the very beginning *grin*

It's looking very Christmassy (sorry, I said the C word....) as I was sorting out kits from my stash to give to some RNLI friends who are knitting small items for our event in December. 

I also made a runner for a windowsill in the Harbour Lights Tearoom:

I cheated a bit with the printed patchwork fabric...

I've also been cutting out hearts from Christmas leftovers:

The three layer cake piles were an online bargain and are destined for a New Year baby quilt - it's always a risk getting these online but the choice is good, there's only a couple of duff ones.

I'm doing two stalls in Dunelm in Llanelli in November and needed some more professional pics of my stuff for the online ads - where's a professional when you need one?

He's a good lad, doing stunt high level pics as well!

A gorgeous little surprise turned up yesterday:

Cedric the Hare!! Isn't he fab? It was a lovely gift from Neet and Chas, I just love him and will put him in prime position in the JanCave. Thanks so much Neet, you're so kind thinking of me like that *hugs*  I've just noticed that one set of whiskers is crooked though - that's Cedric's not G's - so they'll need a straighten out! Though the curly side makes him look quite dashing! Again, Cedric's.... *grin*

Such a thoughtful little gift but it really made my day xx

Hope you all have a cracking (and hopefully slightly slower) week! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

WOYWW 801

 ALL KINDS OF EVERYTHING...

It's a shorter post this week you'll be relieved to know! Though it was lovely to hear everyone's memories last week that all those photos brought back xx

It's a mixed bag on show today - I've been making a few more things to take to the first Christmas Fair which is in deepest darkest rural Carmarthenshire, an area of farming and first language Welsh speakers.

I thought this daffodil fabric could maybe go well at the fair.

I did two sets each of the green and black linings, then wrapped up the sets in a nice ribbon.

I'm doing the same with this doggy fabric, for the same event.

Hopefully these will appeal and if there's any left over then they'll probably go down the Harbour Lights Tearoom, which is dog friendly and a captive audience, lol!

You may want to avert your eyes for this next pic......

The Christmas stash has resurfaced! I'm taking a table at the Christmas at the Boathouse event in December, held in the RNLI down at the harbour. I'm just having a quick look see to check how much of everything is available. I've delegated the knitting of the Ferrero Rocher choccy covers (Mini Santa and Elf Hats, Christmas trees and puds) to some willing volunteers from the fundraising team so those little pompoms in the bag will come in handy for that!

My evening crafting is the sewing up of squares to make a blanket that will be going out to Ukraine. A job I love sooooo much, as you all know... but it's for a good cause:

Only seven more rows to do....

Hope you have a wonderful week, may your crafting be snag free xxxxx

WOYWW - THE BIG 8.0.0.!!

 CONGRATULATIONS AND CELEBRATIONS!

    

*EDIT* I missed the suggestion of showing our first blog, sorry, you’ve got the following instead! Trust me to be awkward! 😂😂

Well, who'd have thunk it eh? An idea from our lovely Julia to see what other folks were doing every Wednesday and here it is, 800 episodes later. Surely a candidate for the longest running blog, crafty or not! There are many reasons for its success but surely the foundation stone of it all is friendship. Virtual friends became real ones and it's been wonderful (and occasionally very sad) to be part of your lives.

Sarah thought it would be nice to share memories for the 800th Bloggyversary so I've had a trawl through the archives and this is the journey through my eyes. Buckle up, it's a long one! You may need a large coffee, tea or gin to see you through.......

LLJ STATS:    671 posts -163 followers - 23,048 comments

I couldn't even begin to tell you how many things I've made but it's a lot and there's so much that I'd forgotten about too.

I officially joined the Deskers in July 2011, having resisted Julia's blandishments for a while! The one thing I'm proud of is persuading Julia to meet up with WOYWWers in real life, what could possibly go wrong, lol!

The first  crop was in October 2012:

When we discovered that meeting strangers off the Internet wasn't that scary! It was lovely to put faces to names and we had fun:

Helen still has the sign I believe, lol!

Other meet ups followed, another Crop happened in 2013 by popular demand.

Some faces who are still around and others who aren't - the flip side of the joy of having all these friends is the sadness when they pass away. We’ve had to say goodbye to Deskers, their partners and sadly a son.

That's how I remember Shaz Silverwolf - what a wonderful woman.

And Janet Fairythoughts was the first desker we ever met - we ambushed her in the haberdashery shop she worked in!

Of course, if it wasn't for this gal, we'd all never have met:

And I even offered bed and board to folks who'd travelled a fair old way:

Here's Sam (Hettie) with her beautiful lace - we met up only last week in Abergavenny for a coffee and catch up, she's not changed one bit!

Another year 2014 and another Crop, more people started attending from far and wide:

There's some familiar faces there! Mary Anne always stood at the back as she's so tall and Debbie Rock attended for the first time. Such a shy person, it was a big achievement for her to attend in person - another gal who passed away too soon.

Pear shaped Chris (her blog name!) Debbie and Helen.

A nice pic of Cindy in action!

Our Lisa-Jane (still as bonkers!) and Fiona, who is now deputy mayor of Gillingham, Dorset (I think.)

Enough said!!

Another year passes and Crop 2015 brought a few more folk along:

A slightly smaller gathering but just as loud!

Lovely to see Dolores (Cardarian).

This pic of Kyla makes me laugh!!

And Mary Anne was knitting mightily even then!

A great photo of some fab friends - Doug and Shaz Silverwolf and Morti and David Bromilow.

In 2016 Julia had her big op so I stepped in and ran WOYWW for a few months whilst she recovered. It was good fun and I enjoyed it very much. 

I also went up to Shrewsbury to meet with those naughty sisters Twiglet and Wipso aka Jo and Annie. We get on like a house on fire and I'm proud to be their Honorary Little Sister!

We've had some fun over the years and these gals have been so generous in sharing their expertise, fabrics, yarns, patterns and love xx

Crop 2016:

Margaret Glitter and Glue joined us for the first time.

And had a ball meeting everyone in person.

I know Christine (Bishopsmate) hasn't joined in for a while as her health isn't great but this is how I think of her, always smiling and of course the pink hair!

And here's a pic of when LynneCrafts came to stay in May 2017 - we've been friends since 1982 and Lynne has crafted all her life so I was very happy when she joined in WOYWW a couple of years ago:

The Crop was organised by Margaret that year and we all went up to Llandudno:

Where I met Neet for the first time and what a rock chick she was, it was fab to say Hi in person.

And the first time of meeting Sarah too who was accompanied by Eva.

I think this was Elizabeth's first Crop too.

It was lovely to meet Anne Copperbeech and Chris (Mrs D) as well. This next pic is one of my favourites - I'd love to know what they were gossiping about.

Another year moved on and the Crop moved to Shrewsbury, organised by Jo and Annie:

I love this pic, lol!

We saw some old faces:

Lolol!! And also some new folks, having 'known' Caro for years, it was wonderful to meet in person:

And Catriona, who posts her crafts on Facebook:

Another fab day that went past too quickly.

Lol, twits!  I couldn't have done all this without my wonderful Gordon, who is very good at taking pics for my blog, almost as good as me ;-D

I haven't shared much of my crafting even though that's the raison d'etre of WOYWW. What has become most important has been the many many wonderful people I've met, I'd never have crossed their paths otherwise and my life would have been poorer for it - may it continue for many more years under the guidance of Sarah. I love being part of the whole Desky Shenanigans from all over the Globe. 

Sending my love to all current deskers and remembering those wonderful people who brought joy into our lives before they were taken too soon.

I've tried to feature as many friends as possible but if I've missed anyone out then I sincerely apologise. Hope you've enjoyed sharing a few of my memories of a wonderful, mad, loving, joyous and craft-filled 15 years xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx