Well what an unusual Christmas Day for us. Only 5 of us here. I got up early, put the turkey in the oven and went back to bed for a bit. I don't think I've ever done that before! The lads stayed in bed until it was present time and then disappeared shortly after, to re-emerge at lunch time. By request I added pigs in blankets and small sausages, cauliflower cheese to the meal. Far too much turkey; it will go into the freezer or perhaps I will turn it into a curry. The evening was spent collecting DS4 from his g/f's grandparents house and off we went to visit DS1 and his gorgeous but very tired, partner, who had had visitors all day and then had to put up with us. We didn't stay too long, though.
So, having visited my father a couple of days ago with GG and DS6, at the care home he is staying in for respite, we spent Boxing Day driving a circuitous route to avoid Hindhead and congested M25 to visit MIL in S London, whose birthday is Boxing Day and she is now 93. Various other members of the family arrived and it was nice to catch up with new little ones and also all the gossip. We managed to squeeze into one car. Tomorrow another visit to my father and hopefully Monday will be quiet - GG and his mum and dad are due back from Devon that day and we have the pleasure of his company for the rest of the working week. And that reminds me, I had better go round and feed the cat......
And to make this somewhat fabric related, because I have not been near a sewing machine, I received a voucher for Fabric Land from DS2 and his partner and some sample packs of wool and a book on spinning from my lovely friend, Bren. My Christmas present is a spinning wheel - a Babe (plastic, small and very light!) - which I bought from someone on Ravelry - https://www.ravelry.com/ introduced by Angie, who is currently hanging onto the wheel for collection hopefully this coming week. Angie runs this place http://www.vintagecraftstuff.co.uk/ and also write this blog periodically - http://recycledlifestyle.wordpress.com/ Dh is off work and will be looking after the GG so I can get a lesson in spinning that is more sober than the last one I recived at Glaramara on a feltmaking course a few years ago!
Saturday, 26 December 2009
Felted flower
This is about the only not-out-of-focus picture I have. We have been making these flowers. Janine brought one to show us which her cousin had made in Germany. Bren figured out how to do it and made some lovely roses for her friend Joan. They are quite interesting to make but my stems are too variable.
Purse closed
It could go lower, I suppose. Well, we'll see what Janine wants to do with it, if she has kept it. She's in East Germany at the moment, with her family. Maybe if she brings it back I can take a picture of it with the eye done...
A monster purse
This technique is fuelled by something I have seen on the web and Bren taught me how to make little sockets using a pebble. The top bit wasn't going anywhere so I snipped it a bit and then felted a bit more and it made these curled in spiky bits which was a vast improvement. The original looked like a fish and then a mermaid's tail and has improved since then. I hadn't figured out a closure, nor had I decided quite how far down I wanted the top to come but Christmas was coming so I needlefelted the eye and wrapped it up for Janine
Bren's spirals. Started off looking like a runner bean and when cut all these lovely spirals appeared
Bren's spirals. Started off looking like a runner bean and when cut all these lovely spirals appeared, originally uploaded by cazh.
Self explanatory, really. to make a necklace, or other jewellery or perhaps buttons for purses etc
Janine's new phone bag
A not very good picture. Janine had a new phone and made herself a little pouch for it
Sunday, 20 December 2009
Batala Portsmouth
Oh, and one last thing before I go off to bed. I play a small part in a reasonably local samba-reggae band. I wrote a small piece for the local paper who weren't interested as it was a busk. Here it is. Perhaps someone might read this and realise who they were watching!
Chilly late night shoppers enjoyed a rare treat last Thursday evening in Commercial Road, Portsmouth. The insistent sounds and pulsating rhythym of Brazilian samba-reggae attracted shoppers who came to see what was going on and stayed to watch, leaving with a smile on their faces and feet tapping.
An absolutely stonking set played by Portsmouth's Batala Samba group whose colours (scarlet, black and white) fitted the season nicely, but whose music is definitely redolent of warmer climes, the band played a
variety of songs, led by Musical Director James Frimpong, and included fantastic lifting by lead Fundo 1 player Darren Imison, along with a terrific front line of dobra players.
Batala Portsmouth rehearse at the Charter Academy, Portsmouth, and can be reached via this link http://www.batalaportsmouth.com/
Chilly late night shoppers enjoyed a rare treat last Thursday evening in Commercial Road, Portsmouth. The insistent sounds and pulsating rhythym of Brazilian samba-reggae attracted shoppers who came to see what was going on and stayed to watch, leaving with a smile on their faces and feet tapping.
An absolutely stonking set played by Portsmouth's Batala Samba group whose colours (scarlet, black and white) fitted the season nicely, but whose music is definitely redolent of warmer climes, the band played a
variety of songs, led by Musical Director James Frimpong, and included fantastic lifting by lead Fundo 1 player Darren Imison, along with a terrific front line of dobra players.
Batala Portsmouth rehearse at the Charter Academy, Portsmouth, and can be reached via this link http://www.batalaportsmouth.com/
Pauline's almost completed baby quilt
Pauline has had a plethora of babies to make quilts for over the past few months. This is the latest pink one. Isn't it lovely?
Lesley and her quilt
Lesley and her quilt which I will get a better pic of when she comes back from NZ, originally uploaded by cazh.
which I will get a better pic of when she comes back from NZ. Same as Libby's but different coloured stars.
They both have extra wadding behind the stars to make them puff up a bit and they are smashing
better with red.....
These are Chris's triangles for her 1000 Pyramids. I don't know why we didn't turn them round the other way, but we didn't. Her colours are more structured than Norma's but equally mouth-watering.
My quilt top
This is the Taupe Flower Garden, otherwise the same as Chris's. It has now got all the borders on but I am considering making it larger.
Both of us got really fed up with these quilts, the colours were very depressing. Such a surprise when it all went together and turned out so much better than we had thought they would.
Chris's Flower Garden top
The pattern came from Antique Angel and is called Antique Flower Garden.
Chris's work is exquisite. She has a lot more patience than I do.
We were in a rather small room that week, as you can see
Jane's new quilt picture - yummmm
Jane is a successful textile artist and these are for sale though my pics are not the most flattering, I am sure. We are lucky to have her in our group, and get previews as well LOL If you might be interested in buying one, email me and I'll pass your email on to her.
Pauline has been really busy lately.
This is one of 8 placemats she has been making as well as a baby quilt, pic to come, and a sampler quilt. This looks much nicer in reality than my not very good picture. Sorry, Pauline.
Kim's Black Red Delicious
Red Delicious is a pattern by Esther Aliu. It was free and several of us have it, but so far only one of us has worked on it, let alone finished it, and that is Kim. The pattern is now up for sale on Esther's site and when I find out how to do links I will have to come back and link it. In the meantime, please drool over this gorgeous piece...
Norma's Triangles
Norma and Chris are making 1000 Pyramids quilts. They haven't finished yet, but these (in random order) are the ones Norma has done so far. Spectacular, don't you think? We all enjoyed trying to find the duplicated ones, not that there were many, and I think we all want to do one now.....
Linda's Dresden Plates
Linda is new to us and to quilting - not for long. She had a lesson from Jane on how to make Dresden Plates and took off. She brought along quite a few to show us. Aren't they great?
Libby's quilt
OK, time for some Breakaway stuff. This is Libby's quilt, made by Libby for her nephew who is an opera singer. Libby pieced it, Jane quilted it. It is scrumptious.
Bren's fingerless gloves
Bren has made several pairs. We have been experimenting with thicknesses etc. These are not as bright as in the picture but when scrunched up they look as though they have been ruched. Beading adds to the allure....
Janine's fingerless gloves
We have been making fingerless gloves on Mondays, among other things. This is the gorgeous Janine from E Germany who, along with her other half has chosen to make her home in our local seaside city. She likes green and orange!
Bren's liquorice allsorts necklace - needlefelt
On Mondays I make felt. This is my esteemed and very lovely colleague, Bren, who makes gorgeous cobweb felt scarves and equally scrumptious needlefelt sweeties, among other things....
Emilys quilt
My colleague had a little girl last year. I eventually made her a quilt in the requested colours. The other pic is lighter but the colours are wrong so you are stuck with this one!
Baby quilt
In catching up mode, posting whatever I can post while I have time........
This is GG's baby quilt. I originally had the bright idea of using an embroidery stitch along the seams. The sample worked fine but in practice nothing worked well. The stitching either bunched up or spread out; I ran out of blue thread, switched to another and ran out of that. I blame the fleece backing (no wadding), rather than operator error, oh no! Though the biggest error was thinking it would all work perfectly and continuing even when it was patently obvious it wasn't going to happen. I ended up cutting the seams on either side of the embroidery, sewing the top back tgether, replacing the fleece with another and it really doesn't look too bad considering the disaster it was. And a pre-school got the fleecy bits that didn't work.
The best bit is that GG sleeps under it when he is at home- that pleases me the most :)
Advent Calendar
A bit late, and finished a bit late but what's a few chocolate coins between friends. It looks far better hanging on their wall than lying on a rug littered with toys and I believe the coins have had to be replaced already.
This was a panel bought from Kiscos, backed with fabric from Fabric Land. I was moderately pleased with it LOL
Busy weekend...
Saturday took 2 sewing machines to a repairman in Fareham.
One is a Singer Featherweight my friend Angie gave me, virtually unused. Not The Singer Featherweight, a plastic one, in case anyone is having heart failure, though I would like a proper Featherweight LOL. Anyhow, he says it is a brute to work on and if he can't fix it quickly it will not be worth the bother. From the financial point of view it makes perfect sense but I hope he can as it is a light little machine and handy for carting about - it just will only sew on one side and I would rather it still had the zig zag capability, not to mention sewing in the middle. Amazing how much difference those little increments to the left or right make.
The other is a Bernina Record, obtained by the same Angie (do you see a pattern here LOL she leads me into temptation, that one.....) and the cams don't engage so hopefully he will be able to sort that out as he says it is a common fault on these ancient machines. Ds5 picked it up to move it and almost dropped it; the great weight being totally unexpected LOL. Good thing it didn't land on his foot and that he didn't actually quite let go........
So whilst in Fareham we attempted to do a bit of Christmas shopping and came home with a garage to stay at our house. Wonder who for, us or GG?
The gorgeous grandson came to stay. Grandad babysat him the night before as designated sitter let ds2 down so last night he came to stay with us. So that is 2 Xmas company do's over with and Sir has now gone home. Good lad, only woke us up once and as he is 14 mths he is very funny when awake. Keeps us amused anyway. Good thing I had bought a shedload of plastic baubles for the rather large christmas tree, as GG decided to get them all out and try bouncing them. Being plastic, they did . They also rolled under the furniture so not too many have reached the tree yet.
Today apart from the food shopping, GG and his dad, I took ds3 and ds6 to visit their grandad who is in a home in a little village in Wiltshire for a few weeks. GrandadB is not particularly impressed, but it's early days and he looks a lot more relaxed than he has been of late. Hopefully we will be able to drive up there during the week, taking GG with us, as we have the pleasure of GG's company during the day all week until he swans off to deepest Devon with his parents to see other nannies and grandads over Christmas, in my car probably...and that reminds me, better see about insurance as I will be driving a little red box around while they are away.
I wonder if I can put a pic of GG and his great granddad in here.....
One is a Singer Featherweight my friend Angie gave me, virtually unused. Not The Singer Featherweight, a plastic one, in case anyone is having heart failure, though I would like a proper Featherweight LOL. Anyhow, he says it is a brute to work on and if he can't fix it quickly it will not be worth the bother. From the financial point of view it makes perfect sense but I hope he can as it is a light little machine and handy for carting about - it just will only sew on one side and I would rather it still had the zig zag capability, not to mention sewing in the middle. Amazing how much difference those little increments to the left or right make.
The other is a Bernina Record, obtained by the same Angie (do you see a pattern here LOL she leads me into temptation, that one.....) and the cams don't engage so hopefully he will be able to sort that out as he says it is a common fault on these ancient machines. Ds5 picked it up to move it and almost dropped it; the great weight being totally unexpected LOL. Good thing it didn't land on his foot and that he didn't actually quite let go........
So whilst in Fareham we attempted to do a bit of Christmas shopping and came home with a garage to stay at our house. Wonder who for, us or GG?
The gorgeous grandson came to stay. Grandad babysat him the night before as designated sitter let ds2 down so last night he came to stay with us. So that is 2 Xmas company do's over with and Sir has now gone home. Good lad, only woke us up once and as he is 14 mths he is very funny when awake. Keeps us amused anyway. Good thing I had bought a shedload of plastic baubles for the rather large christmas tree, as GG decided to get them all out and try bouncing them. Being plastic, they did . They also rolled under the furniture so not too many have reached the tree yet.
Today apart from the food shopping, GG and his dad, I took ds3 and ds6 to visit their grandad who is in a home in a little village in Wiltshire for a few weeks. GrandadB is not particularly impressed, but it's early days and he looks a lot more relaxed than he has been of late. Hopefully we will be able to drive up there during the week, taking GG with us, as we have the pleasure of GG's company during the day all week until he swans off to deepest Devon with his parents to see other nannies and grandads over Christmas, in my car probably...and that reminds me, better see about insurance as I will be driving a little red box around while they are away.
I wonder if I can put a pic of GG and his great granddad in here.....
This was from the weekend before but never mind
Saturday, 19 December 2009
Hello
First post and all that.......
Well, hopefully I will be able to keep this up! I am known as Carrie in some places and belong to a quilting group in Hampshire, UK, which is known as The Breakaway Quilters, for fairly obvious reasons. This blog will be about me, mine and my various interests, of which the Breakaways and quilting form a very important part.
The name of the blog does sound rather like a bad '60's surfing band - maybe I'll change it later; we'll see...
If anyone does read this; welcome!
Well, hopefully I will be able to keep this up! I am known as Carrie in some places and belong to a quilting group in Hampshire, UK, which is known as The Breakaway Quilters, for fairly obvious reasons. This blog will be about me, mine and my various interests, of which the Breakaways and quilting form a very important part.
The name of the blog does sound rather like a bad '60's surfing band - maybe I'll change it later; we'll see...
If anyone does read this; welcome!
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