Sewing Vacation

Yes, it's good news everyone, I have found a sewing holiday! I am so excited, and will share all the dates as soon as I know them. I popped over to Hertford for a few days to help Andrew settle in his first job, he is working in the Marriott Hotel and I am soooo proud of him, and while I was there between appointments with sleezy realtors and charming bank tellers I managed to spend some time in a sewing sanctuary. The Creative Sanctuary  I must admit to spending quite a bit of time there, (Andrew even joined me on a few occasions but I think that was to sample the delicious cakes)  I participated in a sewing class, met Erika Knight, the knitting designer and even tried out the crochet class. Lots to do and learn. The sewing teacher was a wonderfully patient lady who taught us how to make a skirt without a pattern, it was so incredibly easy and we all had such a great time, while we sewed we chatted and the owner of The Creative Sanctuary, Angela, told us that they are going to host a Staycation week, we all come and sew, knit, crochet all day every day for a week! As soon as she finalises the dates, I will pass them on to you all and we will see who can join us.

Angela enjoying the class

Jane helping out

The crochet teacher may even manage to do what many before her have failed to do: she may manage to teach me to crochet! We will see.

During the class Jane introduced us to Invisible zips. Wow! What a great way to put in a zip. I will need to buy a special foot but it will be worth it, it was so easy to sew in, the foot hooks itself into the zipper and it cannot go off track. Here is my skirt zipper that I put in. There are great instructions on YouTube and call Angela at Creative Sanctuary if you need to order the foot she will recommend the right one for your machine.

Invisible zip

My favourite purchase while I was away was some wonderful fabric that just screamed CHELSEA at me. My darling daughter is so eclectic and creative that its very hard to make her things but she loves polka dots and apple products so I think this fabric was perfect. I made her a little zipped up bag, hope she gets some use out of it.

Apples and Dots

Before my Travels I spent Saturday morning at Stoffmarkt Holland  buying fabrics for curtains, clothes and some smocking that I want to try. I remember smocking many years ago and want to get back into it, I really have no excuse though because all my nieces keep having boys and I really don't think they would appreciate smocked dresses! (Note to self...find something gorgeous to make for baby boys)

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I made the curtains and while I was at it I covered the dogs' bed so that it all goes together nicely. She seems to like the idea and spends even more of her day on it, that may have something to do with the horrid weather we are having though, Vizslas really don't like rain.

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I am still knitting up a storm and it looks like I will be for a while, I don't like knitting in hot weather but it doesn't look like we are in any danger of getting any. I have made some easy baby hats and now just need to find some babies that need hats, anyone know any? I also bought lots of knitting magazines in UK so I can raid them for ideas and patterns, there are a lot of great knitting magazines over here in German but I get frustrated when I can't follow the pattern. 

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Well, till next time.....keep your scissors and needles sharp, but not your tongue!

Knitting again.

Ella 

I did take on a big challenge last month, I had read somewhere, (Pinterest has a lot to answer for) that to boost your potential you should say "YES"more often. Well, that same day I made a pact with myself to say, "YES" for a week, a friend wanted to meet me and ask me something! She asked if I would make a First Holy Communion dress for her 8 year old niece! What could I do? Well, the first word out of my mouth was no, I really didn't feel my skills were up to it. then, of course, I realised that I had to say yes and just give it a go. I spent some time with the family, we picked out fabric, a pattern, ribbons, threads and off I went to try my best. It really was the scariest thing I have ever done in my sewing life, the responsibility of this little girl wearing it for such a special event, the cost of the fabric and not letting my friend down. Slowly but surely, the dress came together and here is a photo of Ella wearing it, she looked beautiful. I feel much more confident about taking on sewing tasks now, just take things step by step and never rush.

I must confess that since the weather has refused to warm up I have got all my knitting projects out again. I have ordered some wool from my favourite wool shop, www.readysteadyknit.com, I just email the pattern and ask for suggested wools, they suggest and order for me and am expecting it next week so meanwhile I took out some baby wool to try out some new patterns.

I have found a pattern that I do love the look of but I have been struggling with it. Its very easy and stunning to look at, here's the pattern.

Cast on 106 stitches work 2 rows in garter stitch

1st Row     K1, *K2tog, K4, m1, K1, m1, K4, K2tog tbs, rep from * to last st, K1.

2nd Row    Knit

continue in pattern.

Here's the finished effect. The bottom of the knitting turns itself into a pixie hat look.

I am making a baby hat with this but thought I might try a baby blanket too. 

I looked back through my blog and found the date I started my cable knit jumper, October 2012! It has taken me a while, mainly because I had to keep pulling bits out, I was determined to get it right. I do love the finished product and I'm glad I used the expensive wool, it feels so snuggly. I may even be tempted to knit another one.

Next blog, I will show you my goodies from the Stoffmarkt. If anyone has any smocking ideas let me have them, I feel a smocking craze coming on!

The Great British Sewing Bee.

I have just finished watching the Great British Sewing Bee and I think everyone should watch it, it was so uplifting, encouraging and entertaining. I really don't want to say anymore because it is an elimination series so the less I say the better chance you have of it all being a surprise. Anyway, it has spurred me on again. 

In my last blog I showed you all my unfinished project and asked for guesses as to what it was, well some of you picked up on the feathery theme, well done. Here is my chicken pillow, I think she looks like a very proud chicken with her beak up in the air. The method for making the feathers was easy enough but time consuming, basically it just involves fraying some thin strips of fabric and sewing them on, great effect.

Once again, another baby! Must be something you are all doing! I wanted to practice my quilting skills so I found a pattern for a great, wide diaper bag in my sewing shop and with the help of my new quilting foot I accomplished my task. I quilted both the inside and the outside so I got to practise a lot. Here is a photo of my quilting foot, you line the sewn line up with the foot arm and that helps you keep a straight and true line. Great gadget. I made a little bib to go with the bag. Off that goes to Switzerland.

Last blog I did tell you that I would update you on my sewing shop news. I have joined a sewing group here in Fischbach, Germany and have loved meeting all the sewing ladies, eating all their fresh, baked goods and slowly improving my German skills. We have just learned that the shop is moving to Kelkheim, a larger town, and one of the partners is retiring. Sad news. That same day, the baking lady remembered where her fresh baked lemon cake was: sitting on her counter at home. She called her hubby and he dropped it off on the way to his field on his tractor. The hubby stopped his tractor in the middle of the road, delivered the lemon cake, politely greeted everyone in the room, returned to his tractor, waved his thanks to the people behind and drove away. In that momentary quiet I heard one of the ladies say, "We won't be able to do that in Kelkheim."

Onwards and Upwards.

Remember me?

Back to my blog, at long last. I had stopped briefly, or so I thought, before Christmas so that I wouldn't blog about everyones Christmas presents and then I woke up one morning and it was March. where does the time go? I was very busy in the sewing room over Christmas and stuck to my guns about making all my gifts this year. My favourite had to be the little santa triangle men, I made so many of them that my sewing shop kept an updated tally every time I went in to buy more fabric. 

A few of my favourite things.

Family presents are always tough, do you buy the whole family a boring household gift or just give the parents a bottle of wine, then again you could just buy a trumpet for the 3 year old and bless the whole family with music. I decided to make Christmas stockings and personalise them with the names of family members and pets. I love the embroidery function on my Bernina artista, so easy, even an adult with few computer skills could use it.

Stockings, hung with care.

Lastly, for this "Welcome Back"blog, I will post a photo of my latest project and see if anyone can guess what I am making. I will save my knitting, sewing shop news and infinity scarf pattern for my next blog. Yes...you doubting Thomas crew, there will be a next blog!

Christmas is coming.....

I've realised how difficult it's going to be to blog as we enter the run up to Christmas, all my crafts are related to Christmas presents. Mmm, there is very little I can show everyone. I can admit to you all how addicted I have become to Pinterest, go have a look. I have seen so many great ideas on there for presents but then again I can't tell you about them either! I go straight to the DIY and Crafts Categories and spent ages just clicking away. Now I see how people become addicted to the internet, never understood before.

One thing I can show you all is this idea I had for a Christmas banner, I found some Christmas fabric with gorgeous stocking, cut out the stockings, sewed a backing on, embroidered names on with my sewing machine, sewed them all on a ribbon and Ta Da we have a family banner.

Found a great place for the Christmas banner.

One thing I can update you on is the knitting group, we have met a few times and thoroughly enjoyed it. The three beginners are doing very well, we have discovered there are many ways to accidentally add and take away stitches. One of the biggest issues has been splitting the stitch as you put the needle in and therefore making one stitch into two. One of our knitters has come back to knitting after 30+ years and she has discovered that its just like riding a bike, you never forget. I have nearly finished the brown sweater and I am very happy with the feel of it, fantastically soft wool.

I have every confidence that the person this is a gift for will never find the time to read this blog....so we are safe!

Lastly, the sewing room has had a Christmas update. I really am getting into these banners.

lets hope I have more to show you all soon.......

Knitting

Maybe it's the change of weather that has brought on all this knitting. I am happy to announce that we have started a knitting group here in Frankfurt through ToyTown and we had our first meeting last night. The turnout was good, we had 4 accomplished knitters knitting a variety of things including a very complex Fair Isle pattern dress, a pair of socks and a dishcloth, then we had 3 brand new knitters who went away with homework after a very successful start. They all managed to get the hang of Garter stitch and next week we will learn how to Pearl. It has to be mentioned that a couple of them accidentally learned how to Pearl last night, although they don't know how they did it!

Look at that concentration!

All smiles!

               

                

Last weeks mission was playing with all the ties that Richard kindly donated, what a great way to learn how to sew with silk without the expense. I recommend changing your sewing machine needle after every project because the sharper the needle the less likely to snag. I had an arty farty moment and made a picture for a frame, not my usual thing but it was worth a try. I have hung it upstairs so no one will see it anyway!

Arty Farty!

This will be a silk pillow when finished

Sent this off to Richard to remind him of the times he had to wear them.

.........and now the time has come to put away our Halloween things and get serious about the next big thing, CHRISTMAS is coming everyone. Start the panic now! I made a Japanese gift bag in Christmas fabric to replace my Halloween one in the Sewing/Guest room, these can be used as ice bags, pop a rice bag in and warm in the microwave and use as a heat pad, Potpourri holders....all manners of things. I think I will make more as the big day approaches

So, off you go and start a project, get creative, go visit a wool shop anything that gets your creative juices flowing! I am signing up for another swop, my Halloween one was so much fun. I received my package with lots of goodies in, that we ate on the way home from the `Post Office, and a gorgeous handmade bag that was perfect for my gym things.

Enjoy your week everyone and thanks for your opinions on the fabrics, all will be revealed at a later date.

Still knitting.....

Well, Andrew is back to college after a wonderfully busy week at home. it was super to have him home but I must confess to being so happy to be back in my sewing room. I am still frantically knitting away and now I have found a baby girl to knit for. It's so nice when people have babies on command for me! I am using the softest wool on the planet, it knits up so soft and snuggly that I think babies sleep better when snuggled in a blanket made from it. I have knit this same wool for over 20 years now, I was once asked to knit a mini version that a baby could carry around because they had grown so attached to their big one that it had to travel everywhere with them and that was often uncomfortable in the Florida heat. This pink blanket is for a baby girl, Tess, here in Germany so the heat will not be a problem. 

My easiest task this week was to make some doily jar lid covers for my brother's jam and chutney making day on his blog. All that's needed for these is a circle and a pair of pinking shears. I sent him some ribbon to wrap around and then as a treat I used my machine embroidery to embroider ...chutney... on a couple. 

Easy but stunning.

Next week's task is a different one! I am trying to reduce, reuse and recycle as much as I can, remember the quilt made from old shirts, so I was thrilled when a friend dropped an unusual gift in my lap! All he wants back is something to remind himself that he actually had to wear ties in the bad old days. If any of you wives, girlfriends, daughter or moms would like to get rid of some awful ties this would be a great opportunity, just say that Amanda needed it! So a big THANK YOU to Richard and watch this space!

Now, last but not least, I need opinions. Look at all the fabrics below and pick your favourite, just one quick look, one quick decision.....go with first choice. There are 10 swatches there, the bottom green one is number 1 and the top spotty one is number 10. Let me know your favourite by comment on the blog, email or Facebook.

till next time.........