WE GOTTA GET RIGHT BACK TO WHERE WE STARTED FROM...
Hello, lovely WOYWWers, hope you're all well! Life just overtook me last week, hence the lack of a post. I won't even begin to list what my life involved but suffice to say, it included paint, music, a surprise visit from Australians and band recordings. You can't say that my life isn't varied!!
BUT...the biggest thing I did was get the JanCave back together, hooray!
I realise it doesn't look much different but when I tell you that rough walls have been plastered and navy and black paint has been covered up, then you can see that quite a lot has been done. Do you like my funky new curtains? They were cheap as chips from Dunelm and I love them. I took the opportunity of moving back in to sort out all my baskets of bits and pieces on the shelves, so they're all lovely and tidy (for the moment, lol!)
And my stash of fabric and yarn has been considerably slimmed down. My crafting of choice is still knitting at the moment - the pile of beanies is growing ever higher :-D
We haven't seen our Aussie friends for quite some time and it was brilliant to catch up - it's one of those friendships where the conversation just starts again. Erna is an amazing quilt maker and very knowledgeable about machines - we were having a discussion about suitable stitches for applique and before I could change thread, she asked if I clean my machine regularly. *embarrassed cough* Well that'll be a big fat NO then. She set to like a woman possessed, ferreting out a disgusting amount of fluff!
This in depth archaeological investigation involved paint brushes, tweezers and quite a lot of tools that came with the machine that I'd never used. I will from now on, honest!
And she used screwdrivers too - impressive stuff! Seriously, she is right, doing this more often will help extend the life of my Janome. I'm too embarrassed to show you the amount of stuff that was extracted though!
I took them to Llandeilo (and yes, we did visit the Ginhaus!) - this is the little street where a lot of lovely little shops and galleries (and Ginhaus) are located.
It's like Diagon Alley!
Do you remember the yarn shop I showed you last time? Well, the lovely owner Deb commented on how thrilled she was to get such wonderful remarks. We've struck up an email friendship and she was in the shop when I took Erna in. What with us hugging and the mad Australians enjoying themselves, there was a real party atmosphere in there. Stupidly, I didn't get a photo of us together but I did take these shots of the windows:
There are the fluffy Christmas trees/Cousin It as part of the display!
There are some very neat knitters and crocheters in this part of Wales!!
Hope you all have a wonderful week - I may try and make something with my Christmas fabric, if there's time :-D
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32 comments:
Your room looks very neat and tidy. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do to clean my machine, I’m just glad I can thread it without too much bother, maybe you could show us in another post when you have more time xx
great to see you back and yay for the Jancave being finished! I love the curtains. Helen #?
So great to see the Jan Cave inhabited. How lovely to be able to catch up with old friends like that and what a good friend to have who was willing to clean your machine. When I did a lot of machining I did clean mine (a bit) but probably not as well as I should have.
The wool shop windows look fabulous.
Toni xx
Oh I really have enjoyed my catch up at yours today my friend. Your sewing room looks so bright and cheery and I love your new curtains....can I come to play please? You really do fill your days don’t you? Life in Wales suits you.
Hugs,
Annie x
Jancave back in action bet it doesn't stay that tidy for long. I clean my machine but only when some built up fluff drops down into my sewing. Have a good week. Anickoana#10.
I learnt the machine cleaning lesson when making red moleskin cloaks for myself and my four bridesmaids. What a pickle!
The Jan Cave is looking so neat and tidy and I love the splash of colour those curtains give. Enjoy the rest of your (no doubt busy) week xx
Fiona #16
The Jan cave is looking good! I didn't miss you last week as I didn't manage many visits at all. Glad you had such fun with the Aussies. Sarah #9
Loving the bright and cheery space. Really love those curtains. Beautiful pattern. Thanks for all the fun photos It is amazing how much can accumulate in that little space. I'm more a mechanic than a computerized operator of these new machines. Enjoy this week #17
Aw awesome window display Lunch Lady, Jan, and glad that the Aussies paid a visit and serviced your machine while there! I have done that, ie cleaned fluff detritus from machine, but mostly take it to professionals locally to service it, but as they’ve now closed their business I may have resort to doing it myself again. The fellow was so good and so reasonable I didn’t bother.
Love your new curtains and space e well done you!
Thanks so much for your great desky share.
Happy WOYWW! Shaz in Oz.x #1
{Calligraphy Cards - Shaz in Oz}
Hi Jan, I love the curtains. So glad you are back in your Jan Cave. Bet it looks bigger with the white walls.
Glad you had a lovely time with your Australian friends. Does the shop have a website?
Happy WOYWW
Sue #15
I pay for my full services ( ooh errr) by mileage as I use my machines daily - if I did services annually they wouldn't perform so well, I clean them out EVERY time I use them and change needles for EVERY session ( 8 hours)...( expensive but sooo worth it)... shame on you LLJ!!!!! But I'm not sure it is generally known how important the maintenance is? Much love Donna 26
Hiya Jan, lovely post about your visitors. Great photo of the three of you. Love that window display- so Christmassy without being over the top.And those knitted/crochet animals- how super cute are they? Loving the Jan cave too, you've done great there. Love and huge hugs to you both, Shaz XxX
Oh also I'm learning La Marseillaise so please bring a suitable instrument when you visit next year...we can have drunken practices - it's all about blood and gore - so much more exciting than the UK national anthem!
Thanks for the visit earlier.
I hate show homes especially when they have show craft rooms!!! Get in there and have a good time!
I love the photo of your friends and you - looks a super place to visit.... and those windows! Wish I had somewhere that celebrated the season so wonderfully, really cheered me up looking at all those wonderful knitted folks!
Have a good week
Christine #19
Thanks for the visit earlier.
I hate show homes especially when they have show craft rooms!!! Get in there and have a good time!
I love the photo of your friends and you - looks a super place to visit.... and those windows! Wish I had somewhere that celebrated the season so wonderfully, really cheered me up looking at all those wonderful knitted folks!
Have a good week
Christine #19
Love your fresh new Jan Cave. I thought for sure you made those beautiful curtains! Love your photos of your shopping trip and the yarn shop window displays. Have a great week! Dorlene #28
Hi Jan, your friend should visit more often and clean out the bobbin casing. Funnily enough I was better at this when I had several machines to care for than I am with my own but then when you have loads of eager little people using them the last thing you needed was for one of the machines to stop working in the middle of a lesson. Have a very creative woyww, Angela x12x
Love your curtains and the new bright cave!
Hi Jan, I love the curtains they are so neat and vibrant :) ooh you are right about that street between the stores too, I love the curve to it and how festive the shop looks with the decorations out side the window. ~Stacy #29
I did miss you last week! Your Jan Cave looks fantastic with those new curtains - I'm a big Dunelm fan too, though there isn't one near us. Good that you had your machine MOT'd and I would have loved to see the stuff that came out of it. A bit like when you squeeze a pimple LOL - it's gross but you still want to see it! Love the window displays - totally fell in love with that little bear in the middle! Thanks so much for visiting! zsuzsa #24
Hi Jan. Love the curtains and the Jan cave. How lovely to get surprise visitors from Australia! The knitted family can move in with me, they are gorgeous. Have a lovely week, Heather #30
The Jan Cave looks great! So nice to have surprise visitors, and the window display is very cute! Have a great week.
-K #33
Your room is nicely bright and cheery with the curtains! How fun! And talk about cleaning the machine.. I have my mom's Husqvarna. It's been in its cabinet for years. I set it up a couple months ago but have yet to use it. Thank goodness the books were with it! Anyway, thanks for the visit and have a great week!
Carol N #25
Hi Jan, your room looks fabulous, though a tad too tidy for my liking. I'm sure that won't last forever. The curtains are brilliant - really bright and cheery. Naughty you for not cleaning your machine. I have to confess that the machine I had all time my children were growing up and beyond, some 30 years, was rarely cleaned and oiled and it never let me down. I do clean my new one much more often, I'm fact it's scheduled for a clean before the next sewing session - your lovely friend can do the job if she feels the need 😁 I love the wool shop winter scene - very cute. Have a great week. Hugs, Elizabeth x #32
Hi Jan :o) Your Jan Cave curtains look fabulous and OMG are you supposed to CLEAN sewing machines??? Aren't there special elves for that ?? :o) Annie C#23
Gotta love those curtains, well funky. And not cleaning your sewing machine - tut tut.. Love doing mine, the bobbin cradle popped out the other day so I just HAD to defluff whilst I was sorting that. Amazed at how they work too. Loving the snowscapes. (Wondering why Elizabeth is naughty???) Thanks for the visit BJ#4
Jan Cave looks fab, I'm so envious!!! How wonderful having your friends there, Such fun. I like the look of that Street, I feel that I need to visit :-) I have not joined in this week - too much going on - all quite good. Anne x
Oh Jan, I just love your cave. What a fab set of curtains, they look great against the white of the walls.
So glad you had time to visit the ginhouse again - I take it they serve gin tea there? Have been told to try strawberry and cracked black pepper so as I don't know where to go for one try it for me next time, please.
Lovely window display and you look so happy with your Ozzie friends - great photo, especially of you.
Hugs & Thanks for visiting me - Neet 8 xx
Jan, what a lovely post! It sounds like you thoroughly enjoyed your friends from Australia! What fun! Your room is very neat! Thank you for stopping by my space earlier!
Wow, you have been busy. I love the new curtains and that window display is fabulous x
The Jan Cave looks wonderful, and I LOVE the curtains! Fab!! I should look at my machine - I'm sure it's full of little dust bunnies and thingys! Glad you had a nice visit, it's great to see old friends! Thanks for your visit to mine - the Santa stamp does look like he's doing a little Russian dance! Lindart #27
How lovely of your friend to clean your machine... I'm embarresed to say that I don't clean it often (*cough* almost never....) too... I love how the Jan cave is 'growing' on you and I love the wool in your closet, the puple/coloured one is just gorgeous! Sorry I'm so late with paying your visit back, time seems to go faster and faster these days! Have a great weekend, hug from Holland. Marit #22
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