The heavenly host posse

Yesterday I shared that I had some Christmas sewing that I wanted to get done. I made a good start on the cushions but yesterday afternoon and all of today I focussed on the heavenly host decorations. 

i bought this kit when I visited the Stitch festival with my friend Michelle. We both bought a kit and we planned to get them made in time for Christmas last year. In fact we both partially made one of them but that was it. I decided I needed to get them all made so yesterday I cut out all the pieces I needed. The dolls are made from felt and can be made as hanging decorations for the Christmas tree or to stand on a table. I decided I'd use them on the tree. I made the body of the second doll yesterday and today I got the third doll made. The dolls were the easy part. The bits for the embroidery, knitting and sewing machine were small and I spent a lot of time losing bits even though I had them all laid out carefully in the box. Eventually I got all three of them finished and I'm quite pleased with them.  This first one was the easiest.

The second one hand her embroider. The instructions tell you to use a thin strip of cardboard to make an embroidery hoop. I simply couldn't get that to work at all, although I did try for ages.

The sewing machine took a while to make as it was very fiddly.

The three will be fun to add to the tree. They are a little messy as my arthritis in my hands is a little sore at present but I'm just happy to have them finished

This month I've been working on the Star Trek cross stitch. I haven't got as far as I would have liked but it has moved forward. August just seems to have been a vey busy month. This cross stitch is staying by my favourite spot in our living room so I can carry on working on it.

For some reason I had built up the idea in my head that this pattern is really difficult. I spent some time going through the pattern and it's not difficult so much as large.....and stitched on black aida. It also doesn't help that cross stitch isn't my favourite type of embroidery.

I'm back at work tomorrow. I had hoped to work at home on Wednesday since my overlocker is being delivered but I have meetings I need to go to. Roll on Friday, my sewing day, when I can play with my new toy.

This evening I really feel like finding a good film to watch and just chilling out.

Take care

Lyndsey

A repair, a purchase and sewing.

A couple of weeks my machine went off for a spa treatment. At the beginning of the year I had the machine service but I was still having problems particularly with the touch screen. Whilst at the festival of quilts I spoke to a Brother engineer and he gave me the name of a service engineer who he desribed as amazing. So I booked a date to drop the machine off . The shop was sold machines and thread and Brett was knowledgable and interesting to talk to. A few days later to tell me the problem was the touch screen and he gave me a quote for the part and the work. Earlier in the week he called to say the machine was ready and working very well and I arranged to pick it up yesterday. He talked through what he had done and told me about how neat and organised the electrics were behind the touch screen. It was great to have my machine back in full working order and today I will be doing some sewing.

Whilst at the machine shop I had asked Brett if he would demonstrate the Babylock Aspire overlocker to me. He went through it all and I had a play which was a lot of fun. I bought my current overlocker when my children were little and the youngest is now 35. The technology of the overlocker is very old and I wanted to update it. The Aspire is also a cover stitch machine which woud be very useful. Having played with it I decided one needed to come home with me, so I bought it. Unfortunately the machine couldn't come home with me as we had taken the little sports car to collect my sewing machine and that took up most of the boot space but the overlocker will be delivered on Wednesday. I can't wait to play with it.

Whilst my machine was away I used my old Elna. I bought this machine in 1989 and it is still working well. It's a useful machine as it's smaller and more portable. I set it up on the dining table, planning to do some more work on my blouse but also scrap management. Scrap management is a big issue as I don't have much storage room for scraps or for my fabric. Currently scraps are taking over space that should be for fabric waiting for the next project. I got some of my scraps out and generally created a bit of a mess.

I am reliably informed that making a mess is part of the creative process! I had lots of fun with the scraps and managed to create these scrappy blocks. I already have some scrappy blocks made up, waiting for more to be created and then used in a quilt.

The blocks are 8.5 inches square. Once I have enough scrappy blocks I'll probably use a solid sashing in between the blocks. At the moment I still need to make more blocks. I also have some string blocks that I've made and again I need to make more to be able to make a good size quilt. Scrap management is the plan for today.

I also want to get on with some secret sewing. I have some small printed blocks with cats on and I'm going to use them to make a cushion for my son. Our old cat Picasso or Casso was originaly our older daughter's cat but being a cat he decided that my son was the most important person in the house and spent a lot of time with him. The blocks look just like casso. I have several gifts I want to make for Christmas and this cushion is one of them. I love these cat blocks.

The other fabrics I have for the projects.

Fast forward. Rather than finishing this post I had to use my machine. The test run was fine and I'm so happy to have it back fully working. A little later I had two cushion fronts. These need to be backed with wadding and I can then do some quilting before I finish the cushion covers. I had enough cat blocks to make two cushion fronts. The finished cushion covers will take a 18 inch cushion pad..

I know it's a little early to be thinking of Christmas but there are several things Iwant to make. These little robins are cute and I think my grandsons would like them. I have the fabric but need to find some brown felt.

I also want to finish the remaining two angels from this kit. I made the blue angel last year and she got on with her knitting over the Christmas period. I started the other two but haven't finished them. I need to get them done so the three of them can enjoy Christmas together.

I'm interested to see if I can finish both of these angels before the end of August. I'd better make a start on them rigt away.

Take care

Lyndsey.

A fun catch up weekend with my brother.

This weekend John and I travelled out of London to visit my brother. He lives on a canal boat on a marina in Leicestershire. The journey there was good, with the traffic flowing reasonably well. The journey took about 3 hours and we didn't stop on the way. I'd booked my car in for a service and the team were really good and finished it early so we could miss the worst of the rush hour traffic. Whilst the car was serviced we met up with older daughter and family for a walk. As we walked to meet them I spotted this on the side of a building. 

We decided to walk along the river Thames. We passed the back of Yorke House. You can see from the photo how dry the grass is. In some areas the grass is completly gone.

I liked this sculpture of bull rushes. Our grandson was fascinated by them. 

As we walked past some houses he spotted this door knocker and thought it was great fun.

We also liked this flower but I'm not sure what it is. The petals were delicate but puffed out like a very full skirt.

The morning passed quickly. We were able to collect the car and were soon on our way heading north. The traffic was heavy in places but there were no holdups. We arrived at the marina at about 6. My brother suggested we go to the onsite bar and restaurant for a meal. The food was delicious and we had fun chatting. Back on my brother's boat we sat up late chatting. Fortunately there was no need to be up early on Saturday morning.

On saturday we visited a small town near by. My sister in law was excited to show me the shops as they were very good. She was right, the bookshop was especially good and we spent quite a long time hunting for interesting titles. A good number of books came home with us. In the evening none of us felt like cooking so we went out to eat. Back at the boat there was a lot more laughing, chatting and enjoying each other's company. 

On sunday morning we went on a walk. We found hops growing in the hedgrow.

The hawthorn was covered in berries.

The rose hips were very pretty.

There were a lot of birds on the water including mallards, coots, moorhens, canada geese, and swans. 

This is what I saw looking the other way.

A look along the river. It was a quiet day for boats.

There were a lot of elderberries.

It was a very relaxing weekend but we had to head home. We left early afternoon. The traffic was fairly quiet and we had a good journey back

Today I had booked an annual leave day and I decided I needed to get on with my red blouse. I needed to add the sleeve. The one went in very neaty but the second was not so well behaved. I am going to unpick and reset the sleeve. I'm off on Wednesday so I'm hoping to get this shirt finished then.

On Friday I'm picking up my quilting machine. It has a new screen and everything is now working. I've also booked a demonstration of the new Babylock Aspire.  My old overlocker isn't working well and it is very old so I think I will treat myself to a new one. 

Take care

Lyndsey

Slow stitching and basket making.

Today is the end of my rwo weeks annual leave and tomorrow I will be back in the office sorting out my emails and preparing for teaching later in the week. My holiday has been a lot of fun with trips into London to see the Frida Kahlo exhibition, the Summer Exhibition at the RSA and the Hepworth sculptures at the Courtauld Gallery. We also had afternoon tea at a London hotel and a delightful walk around St James Park and seeing the pelicans. We live in outer London so we are able to take the tube to go into the central area, so musch easier than driving. We took a drive out of London to go to Wakehurst Place and took a long walk around the grounds and enjoyed tea and cake in the cafe. Katy, Olly and the two grandsons visited a week ago and we had a fun day together. In between we have worked on the garden, done some craft projects, taken my main sewing machine for repair and I've done some dress making and slow stitching. In quiet moments I've managed to read 3 books. Not bad for a stay home holiday and it being the hottest two weeks of the year. Of course we also went on our annual trip to the Festival of Quilts at the NEC.

My Chookshed challenge for this month is my Star Trek cross stitch. At the beginning of the holiday it looked like this.

I have managed to add to the cross stitch over the two weeks.

I do find it hard working on a black background but I will just have to persevere in order to finish this piece. 

Over this week I have been working on a willow basket. I bought the kit earlier in the year, ready to make during my holiday. The kit came with a video tutorial, to walk you through all the stages. My kit made a small foraging basket and I will be using it in the garden. I finished it this afternoon. It isn't perfect by any means but I've had a lot of enjoyment making it. It has also given me achy wrists but it was worth it.

Due to the hot weather the willow was drying out as I was using. I'm pleased with the result for a first attempt. I will make another basket at some point in the future as I learnt so much from this project. 

I realised that I hadn't taken a photo of the completed frog quilt so when we went to feed my daughter's cats whilst the family were away we took a photo. It's not a great photo but it shows the whole quilt.

If anyone woud like the frog pattern I am willing to post it. Please let me know in the comments. The pattern is complete, instructions and all embroidery patterns.

I had intended to finish my red blouse this week but I ran out of time. I've just got the sleeves left to finish. Hopefully I'll have time next week. Next weekend John and I are going to visit my brother and if the weather is good Alex is planning a trip on the river. My brother lives on a canal boat in a marina and has done for quite a number of years but to date I haven't been out on the river on his boat. Fingers crossed for next weekend.

Take care

Lyndsey

A visit and starting my willow basket.

Yesterday, it was ridiculously hot for England. The temperature reached 38.1 Celsius. As a result everything I did was at a snail's pace. In the afternoon I just sat and read, and every so often I ran to the fridge for iced water. At some point the weather has to break and I am so looking forward to rain! I did manage to get the neck band sorted out for the red blouse I'm making but I didn't start on the sleeves. I was hoping to have finished this today but it will be done by the end of the weekend - hopefully.

This morning, John and I braved the underground again and went to the Courtaulds Gallery to see the Barbara Hepworth exhibition. Dame Jocelyn Barbara Hepworth (10 January 1903 – 20 May 1975) was an English sculptor.  Along with other artists she set up a colony of artists who lived in St Ives in Cornwall during the Second World War.  Her work fits under the Modernism title and she is mainly known for her sculpture. The Courtaulds Gallery is well laid out and is a beutiful space for viewing art.  The sculptures on display are her smaller works. I have only included 4 of the works on view but you can find more online.

This first one is titled Sea Form (Porthmear). It was created in 1958 and is Bronze. I love the colour of this piece.

This second one is Tides II made with Plane wood and paint. I really like the colour of the wood and the shape is fun.

The sculpture on the left is titled Single Form and was made in 1937 - 1938 and painted around 1963. It was plaster and paint. The motif is of an upright figure and was originally exhibited as a white sculpture in an exhibition held in Paris in 1939. It was eventuually returned to Hepworth in 1961and she had it cast in bronze and painted in mottled blue tones.

The piece on the right is titled Oval with Black and White, it was made in 1965 using Swedish marble and paint.

This last piece of Sculpure with colour was made in 1943 using wood, paint and string. This piece was saved from going into a private collection by major support from a range of organisations and individuals. It is on loan for this exhibition from Wakefield Permanent Art Collection (The Hepworth Wakefield.)

Having finished the exhibition we decided to go home as the day was getting very hot and I was not enjoying the heat. We walked back to the underground station via Embankment Gardens. I don't ever remember walking through these gardens before but I might have done. I've lived in London for 54 years so it's easy to lose track of where you've gone walking.  As we walked through the garden we came across two more of the Lion trail. I'd seen a third earlier but it was further down the road and I didn't have the energy to walk that far.

The petunias in the borders were beautiful.

There was a fountain with colourful impatients planted round it.

This statue was to commemorate Robert Raikes who is known as the pioneer and founder of the modern Sunday school movement. In 1780 in Gloucester he organised free weekly classes to teach poor working class children to read and learn the bible. This helped to reduce juvenile crime and provided the children with a basic education..

At the station we had to use the stairs to get down to the underground as the escalator was being held due to a medical emergency on a train. Once on the train the journey was quick and we were soon back home.

Today it is time to start my willow weaving. The kit comes with a video showing and telling you exactly what to do.  Yesterday I had to check that the willow had the right amount of bend and then I could drain the water. It needed to be left for a day and so today it is ready to start the weaving. The first stage was to pull six wands, 3 to make the basket rim and 3 to make the handle. There is a video shows you how to complete each stage. I collected up 6 wands and sat and made the two hoops. They have been drying in a very cool oven and are  now ready for the next steps. Here is the start of my first hoop. It looks wonky but it was a nice circle by the time I'd used the 3 wands.

In a short while I had created two hoops,one to be the rim and the other the handle. Well that bit was easy but now I needed to learn how to fasten the handle to the basket rim. This was more fiddly than I would have liked but at the same time it was fun to do. The join involves  weaving using the thinist rods in the batch. Having watched the video I found this fairly easy except an extra pair of hands would have been useful when I did the first side. The second side was much easier. I'm enjoying this trying something new!

Tomorrow I'll start inserting the ribs of the basket and I'm hoping I'll be able to finish it in a day. 

Today has been a fun day but I'm really tired. I'm finidng all the heat very difficult to deal with. When I had the chemotherapy back in 2017 it unfortunately damaged my body's ability to keep my temperature properly regulated. Sometimes I can cope with the heat but this morning I was having major problems. However we managed to visit the exhibition, travel on the tube and generally enjoy the day.

A long day but a fun day. I now need to sleep. 

Take care

Lyndsey

Summer exhibition a walk and tea.

Yesterday, John and I had a tiring but enjoyable day out in central London. We tend to only head into central london for exhibitions, the theatre, Christmas lights or some other important activity. Particularly at this time of year, London is crazy busy with lots of tourists from all over the world. When we do visit we sometimes play a game of how many different languages can we hear being spoken. Lots was the answer yeaterday! We had ventured out to visit the Summer exhibition at the Royal Academy of Art and to enjoy afternoon tea at a London hotel. The day was very hot and the A/C on the underground wasn't really coping but we managed the trip without overheating too much. We arrived slightly early for our timeslot which was good since security has been ramped up recently. As we entered the courtyard this sign was facing us. It was so bright and cheerful I have no idea how I stopped myself bursting into song.

The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, which is commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) is a London based organisation. Every year it holds its Summer Exhibition and we tend to visit every year. Anyone can submit a piece of artwork for display and the exhibition coordination and team will chose the works that will be exhibited.

I have found over the years that cats are very popular as a subject for art work. Most of the pictures in this corner were cat based. Since quilters are known for liking cats I thought we'd start with this theme.

This piece by Laura Ford is titled, Tailchaser 1 and he certainly was getting a lot of attention. Some people were a little shocked at the pose but this just reminded me of our old cat Casso. He would sit in this position to groom his front fur.

My other favourite cat exhibit was this one. Titled 'Thus Regard Palmerston' by Freufian Typo. Quite a few people thought it was a live cat just sat very still. It was made using mixed media. he had a very bossy stare.

There were three pictures by the same artist that I liked. Somewhere - William Morris and Co. arriving at Kelmscott. Engraving with hand colouring by Chris Orr RA.

Britannia and Company (Restaurant) Mumbai. Watercolour and mixed media . Chris Orr RA

Sur les Rooftops de Paris Avec You. Colour engraving with hand colouring. Chris Orr RA.

There were several textile exhibits. Fruits of my Labour, quilted cotton and recycled hollow fibre by Jess Littlewood. This piece was so well done that people thought it was a real cabbage!

Behold Humanity, a tapestry by Sir Grayson Perry RA

Field (Cantharellus Tubaeformis) by Andreas Ruethi. It is a carpet, hand-tufted, hand-spun wool.

This next piece won the Sunny Dupree Family Award for a Woman Artist. The Listening Thing, made of wood, glass eyes and oil paint by Annie Whiles.

I had to include this Little Owl, its so adorable. Painted in oil and acrylic on wood by Lesley O'Mara.

and finally the most expensive piece in the exhibition (that I could find) . Double Take , oil on shaped canvas by Allen Jones RA. The price tag in the guide is £165,600. Most of the art works on display are for sale and the red dot indicates it is sold. More red dots indicate that there have been a number of prints bought.

As we left the RSA we needed coffee to revitalise ourselves. We had planned some sight seeing for the afternoon before we enjoyed our afternoon tea. We headed towards Piccadilly circus and then on to the Mall and into St Jame's Park. It was nice to find some shade under the trees. The grass in the park was very dry but the flower beds were pretty.

The pelicans get feed at about 2:30 each afternoon and this guy was already waiting as we walked past.

Unfortunately I didn't have the right lens with me to get a picture of the rest of the pelicans on the rocks.

This is a bar headed goose.

We also can across this very elegant creature. The information about this is in the next photo.

We left the park and walked the short distance to the hotel arriving in perfect time . By the time we arrived I was very ready for afternoon tea. The waiter was very helpful and offered to take a photo for us.

Later we made our way home on the underground. The journey was very quick and I was very happy to be home. My feet were tired from the day but it had been a very good day out. 

My plan for today is to get as much sewing done as I can manage on my blouse. I'll let you know how I get on tomorrow.

Take care

Lyndsey