Time Off

So I went away on holiday and lay on a sunlounger for ten days. Since I got back I have had 4 days at home to sort odd jobs out and chill out before going back to work. I can't say I have been doing a lot of craft orientated things. Real life gets in the way too much. But I did do a few things which I have been meaning to do for ages.

1. I made a spiral. I printed it out and pricked holes in it so I could push chalk through the holes and draw my lines on. It really is the easiest way to transfer a quilting pattern to a surface, but you have to draw the lines in immediately because it brushes off in no time! It's now in the hoop and waiting for some TV nights in. I reckon I might start a new series of 24 and quilt my way through it!



2. I bought some cork tiles from the local DIY shop so I could dampen my crochet squares and pull them into the right shape. I used a few different thicknesses of wool so they are all slightly different sizes. I used an old sprayer we use for watering our seeds. It really works which surprised me as I didn't think it would make much difference, but the corners don't curl up anymore and they are all the same size! See the before and after below.





I am starting to think I might make them into a blanket and not a cushion cover. That poor cushion is never going to get a cover at this rate.

At the Market

I went to Spital Fields market on Friday for a mooch around the vinyl records and I saw these two stalls. One selling wool, which I had not seen before and one selling great crochet dolls. I thought they were great but the crafter in me wished she also sold kit patterns. There's a whole flickr roup dedicated to crochet rabbits. I want to make one like this



I also went passed this cafe and thought the flowers were really cool so I thought I'd show you. I can find Spital fields a bit depressing sometimes as I feel that also they have made it all swish and fancy, it has happened at the expense of all the fashion stalls and amazing jewelery makers that used to be there. With chain stores everywhere these days, I just thought it was a shame to fill it with more chain stores when there used to be unique little junk shops and the like on the fringes, but you know, I have to get over it.

Saturday Crochet

My effort


Rachel's effort

A lovely Saturday spent doing some crochet. Both of us suspect that our crochet could in fact be horrid, but we have to persevere. The most awful thing about spending time making things is to have to stare at them forever after thinking they are ugly. But sometimes you just can't tell until you get to the end.


B was too busy being a ninja to notice.


I am very jealous of Rachel's Amy Butler floor cushions.

Quilting... finally

So here it is, all tacked together after months of just looking at it and sighing. Finally I taped it to the ground then left it there for a week before forcing myself to tack it together. I just find tacking SO boring.

Now I have yest another decision. How to quilt it. I can't remember what thickness of thread Maggie used on the original. All I remember is that it starts with a spiral and just works its way out in waves. I wish i'd looked closer at it last time!

My mum gave me some space dyed cotten abrode which is great as it's thicker than normal quilting thread which I like as it makes the stitching more visible, and she says that the change in colour will make it look richer. I just can't decide which colour to use or if I should use both!

Blasts from the Past

This quilt was the first proper quilt I ever made. I made two before this but the top was already premade and I just sandwiched it all together really ineptly. But I was 17 when I made those. This one I made when I was in my twenties for my best friend's baby. He's just turned 11, making it seem like such a long time a go! I love how soft it is now from years of use. You can see my first ever applique I did. It's not half bad even if I do say so myself. I was so chuffed with myself when I finally completed it.

UFO

Of couse what I really should be doing is tacking down this quilt which is now taking up all the floor space, but I hate tacking, oh how I hate it. The holidays are just never long enough!

This Bank Holiday

So really I should be finishing things off like this cushion. As you can see, I am so nearly there, but I ran out of purple wool as it was just a left over bit of yarn which I lost all the details for. I am going to be better about keeping samples of the wool I buy together with its label so I am not caught out like this again.

On a more positive note, I decided that I must rise to the challenge and add another colour combination so I did some experimenting and settled of yellow. I am quite pleased with the results. I seem to be very rainbow coloured of late.





Obviously though, as I am so near finishing, I have decided to start something new. I got a bit bored of the basic granny squares so I started a new, bigger, more complex square. Again, it's all technicolour!

Liberties Quilty Pleasures

Liberties have just opened their Quilty Pleasures mini exhibition on the third floor, where they've hung four quilts. It's not the same standard as your average patchwork show but they are nice to look at and the window display is lovely - a real lesson in how to making quilting trendy! Featuring bundles from Kim at Worn & Washed and Maggie at Sunflower Fabrics. But of course I did go and burn my lip on my tea in the tea room and now I have a huge blister on my lip.

John Lewis Birds

I saw these knitted birds in John Lewis. Aren't they great!

Country Living Spring Fair

I went to The Country Living Spring Fair with Rachel to help out on her stall. Sunflower fabrics and Beyond fabrics were there which was great. They had some lovely things there and a lot of things which all seemed to blur into one.

Wool

So I have been busy with my granny squares. I decided that I didn't like some of the colour combinations I had done with the very very bright pink, so I have been doing more of the purpley ones. This has set me back slightly but it's all good practice. I am started to get a little tired of the square though and am itching to start the next big crochet project. I think it's time to start planning for a more advanced square pattern and maybe something a little bigger than a cushion.





When Samara first taught me crochet in the pub I went out and bought this book. My dream being to make an Afgan for myself. I decided to that perhaps I might try the block on the cover now I feel confident enough so I went on a pilgrimage to Loop to get some wool for my project.



I got big wool rather than the thin wool they recommend partly because it was in the right colours and partly because I thought big might make it easier to see with at first and cover a greater area in the end. And to top it all off, I got a free bag, Can't be bad! Rainbow crochet here I come!

Quilt Haul

A little roundup of Chillford. I didn't really have anything specific to buy as I haven't really done much patchwork recently so I just got some small bits. I thought I might make some needle cases for Christmas presents with these. You can buy this material from Patchwork Corner



Other than that I bought some fat quarters just to add to the stash. More spots as usual, but this time I saw a lady with these in her hand and I thought they really went well together. I don't think I would have picked up the brown Lecien floral otherwise, but I think it goes well with the spots.



This is from the new Moda range: Rouenneries which I think is really lovely. I might just do something simple and small with these as they were quite expensive so I only got a few fat quarters.

Crochet Book

So I showed my granny squares to my mum who was rather underwhelmed by them. Turns out she can crochet but failed to mention it. She said she learnt it all from this book she gave me which she bought from the local wool shop in the 80s. I just love how retro it is. Check out that haircut!



It's a folder with cards for every stitch then project cards.



It even tells you how to make granny squares!

Hooks

So my hook collection is pretty poor. I feel it is high time to upgrade to a set of coloured ones like the green one I got from the course which I LOVE. I am going to buy a set from 'Purple Linda' just as soon as the fraud department at the bank sort out who spent £255.50 on nuts at 01.38 using my bank details! Until then I have no card, no bank account. Oh the frustration of not being able to expand my hook empire!



Of course when I do get them, I will have to make a pencil roll for them!

Granny Squares

So I went to the second crochet course run by Bee and Claire of 'Make Do Mend' and now I am an unstoppable granny square machine I tell you. I wish I could go somewhere lovely like the Tea Rooms every Thursday evening and just practice crochet. It's so nice to have tea and cake on tap in this lovely shop which quite frankly is always so full of people normally, I can never get in. They had a big basket of wool to select your choices from and I got a green hook which I am very enamored of.





It took us the whole session to makes these two squares but we really feel that we could do it on our own now.



Some people were storming ahead but it was great as they had quite a few patterns they gave you which varied in skill level.







I really feel that I am getting there with how to hold the yarn and get the tension right. The following day I had to get up at 4.45 and get a ridiculously early train to near Brighton. It was great as the time flew by and I didn't feel stupid when people watched what I was doing.



I think I am going to make the cushion I set out to make before I try any of the more advanced squares. Not long to go now!

Crochet course

Last Thursday I did a tea and cake crochet night with Makedoandmend which was great. Two hours of beginners crochet. Although I can crochet, I can really only do one stitch and go round and round and round. I just thought it would be a good way to learn the other basic stitches in a few hours and it was.

They had people there that had never knitted or crocheted in their lives which was fine as basically once they taught us all a stitch and started slowly making their way round to check everyone and help them, it gave me time to endlessly drill the actions into my head and really concentrate on holding the wool right. As with my knitting, I am beginning to really appreciate how learning good techniques early can go a long way when you advance but can't seem to speed up.

And let me just say that the ginger cake. Crikey, it was good. I am on a mission to make my own like that; almost black.

They gave us some lovely wool to choose from and I got a hook that I haven't already got so I was stoked. Next Thursday I have signed up for the granny square night which I am very excited about. I want to make this!


I am now going to go and organise my meagre collection of hooks and think about getting some more!