This is…

…probably the last post I will write on this blog. Technology progresses and it seems that fewer and fewer people are blogging these days. I could move over to another form of social media but by the time I’d have come to grips with whatever I chose, something else would have begun to be the norm and quite honestly, I can’t be bothered trying to keep up. I’ll leave that to a younger generation.

Thank you, all those folk who’ve dropped by to take a look over the years and to those who left encouraging comments. I’m still happily sewing!

I’ve cancelled my no-ads subscription so after 24 October 2019, there will be ads where there were none before. I detest ads in blogs but there’s no point in paying for something I no longer need.

“Never miss a good chance to shut up” is a line I came across recently so I’ll do that now.

a few words…

On a bag for those who don’t know what to use a bag for. A couple of flowers on the back for some frivolity. Calico for the outer and a remnant of blackout curtain fabric for the lining. This will go on sale at the Red Cross shop this week.

hoots man!

Having lots of fun with free-motion this week.

Raw edge applique on cotton.

Free-motion scarecrow coloured with Inktense blocks.

handy tote bags

I did two more applique pieces to complement the two pieces I showed in the previous post and then turned them into two tote bags. The little hen is supposed to be carrying a suitcase!

applique fun

I stitched these two free-motion appliques yesterday to be the front and back of one tote bag but I now think it would be better for each applique to be on a separate bag with a complementary image on the reverse side. Time to look through my scraps again.

Appliqued rooster approx 10″ x 10″ (25 x 25 cm)

Appliqued dog head approx 7″ x 7″ (18 x 18 cm)

free motion fun

I had lots of fabric scraps already fused to Bondaweb so I used some of them to make these fun houses then free motion stitched them to the background. When I began, I didn’t consider what I might do with them. Maybe a long pouch or a small wall hanging. Each ‘street’ is approx 8 x 5 inches (20 x 13 cm). They’re a bit very rough and ready but I like them.

dogs and birds

I’ve been in the mood to sew since last Friday so I cut out some little dogs and birds, added fusible batting to white fabric, and then appliqued the dogs and birds. My original intention was to make mug rugs but a couple of drawstring bags might be more saleable in the Red Cross shop. The bags are made from denim and each has a dog on one side and a bird on the other, colour co-ordinated purely by chance. Size is approx 7″ (18cm) square.

Tote bags

These were two tote bags I made last year for the Red Cross but they didn’t sell so we put them in a cupboard for a while and last month I added the floral applique. They sold within days of being on display!

Still here

Way back in January, I suddenly wasn’t sure if I wanted to carry on blogging so I gave myself a break. I was chatting about it with a friend this morning and as a result, have decided to come back to it. As in the past, most posts will be about my endeavours in embroidery and sewing, the latter being mainly things I’ve made from materials which have been upcycled or donated to my local British Red Cross clothing shop and then put out for sale. The occasional dog related post will be thrown in for good measure.

If you search on Facebook for @BRCCheltenham, you’ll find posts with images showing things the craft group has made. These posts are a fairly recent thing for the craft group so there isn’t too much there yet but do have a look and please share the page with your friends. It’s all in a good cause.

I’ll ease you in gently with just a couple of items today. The first one is big enough for small toys but would equally suit a household with a couple of hundred clothes pegs. Fully lined with appliqued hearts because I was fed up looking at just stripes.

Three decent sized lined pouches for those little things that you can never find at the bottom of your handbag like:- plasters; a tape measure; the kit with a screwdriver inside to tighten the screw that holds the leg of your specs securely; lip balm; that special offer voucher you forgot to use. You get the idea.

workbox #12 house front – not

I know it’s a make-believe embroidered house but I had to turn what I had planned to be the front of the house into the back of the house when it became obvious that I hadn’t left much space between the windows for a door plus surround that looked in proportion. Silly I know. Anyway, here’s what’s now the back of the house and the first gable end with additional leaves and stems on the “Boston Ivy”.