a bit of feltmaking.......

A while ago my good friend and boss retired.  So we don't see each other much any more where we used to see each other every day.  It all seems a bit odd, really.    But one day a few weeks ago we met up and spent the afternoon making felt.  I made a bag shape, brought it home and forgot about it.  I remembered in time to rescue it before it got smelly (!) and finished it off.  But, because I'd been talking I hadn't taken into account the size of the resist and I had forgotten to make the handles before I began to felt.  So I had a rather too large bag.  After rinsing I turned the top down and this week I finally got some wool, rolled it and plaited it together.  It was a bit of a job to cut holes in the bag through both layers but I managed it with kitchen scissors (not particularly sharp but too lazy to climb up to the 2nd floor to get my sewing scissors).  Now I just need to make an insert with some pockets on each side and I will have a usable bag to replace the one I made over 2 years ago and which is now beginning to fall apart.  I took it in to the Breakaways who said it looked like Robin Hood, which was rather deflating.  Never mind........


Anyhow, Blogger has taken it into its head to put these pics in a different order so you will have to look at Robin Hood in reverse order...

The Robin Hood Knot

I enjoyed making the handle

one side of the bag

and the other, which isnt quite so green in reality

and the tops are the same colour...

Rolled, felted and plaited handle

Last week of October 2011

At our last meeting for October we were a little thin on the ground as it was half term and many were away or had the dreaded sniffles as a nice present from children.  Plenty to look at though!

Some people took turns at unpicking a quilt so a bit more has been done on that.  It was quite hard owing to expertise on the part of the quilter and some tiny stitches.

Linda's second space quilt.  A lot of thinking going on as to how best to quilt it.

Libby's oriental ladies.  Beautifully made as usual, with the addition of beads and buttons.

Lesley's Ted is being quilted....

The back is teddy fabric

Dawn's beach huts progressing well.  Here she is placing buttons and pinning fish.

Libby is showing Christine how to defluff her new machine

Dawn sewed her buttons and fish so this block is now finished.  She is looking very chuffed and has made a lovely block!  On to the next......

Breakaways pics for September and October

Sam's little boys made these - aren't they great?

This cheerful chap is Jane's

Wendy's  finished Linus quilt top.  Wendy is on the right and Sam on the left.  Now it just needs quilting...........

These 2 are Jane's

..and so is this one.  Thereby hangs a tale. I am showing it in all its finished glory.  Unfortunately it seems a faulty batch of wadding ruined the whole thing when it went into the cool wash and completely wrecked it.  We are in the process of unpicking to see if the top can be salvaged.  I will provide a picture eventually of the resulting mess and possibly of its next incarnation but at the moment its too depressing to think about - it was a very special gift......

These pics are of Kim's beautiful Roosting Robin.  She put so much into it and is a very innovative quilter, though she doesn't admit to it LOL.  It looks gorgeous.  I love this sort of quilt; everybody's is so different!

Fiona works for Hobbycraft and demos for them.  This little stocking and the crazy quilt block are what she has been up to recently.  The block has fabrics from her bellydancing costumes - a lady of many talents.

Wilma's Roosting Robin.  Quite out of her comfort zone and she has made a beautiful job of it.  we are very proud of the results!

Now there are a couple of pics where I cannot remember who made what and this is one of them.  I think it is Libby's quilt.  The colours are off as the walls are very pale green which seems to be enough to alter what the camera sees......

Jane's next block....

a couple more of her pictures...

Jane teaching some of us.....

I think this is Kim's

Linda made this

and got the pattern from this magazine.  sorry, I omitted to turn the picture round.

I think this one might be Pauline's

Lesley's Ted

Steph's - such a great sea! - Thanks, Dawn for reminding me whose it was.

Jane's latest picture

Jane's latest doll looking rather abandoned (and not in the left behind sense either)

Lesley's Ted again

and with his borders - hand dyes from the Dye Bag