Oh the shame of it!

OK, I always knew that I would find actually making time to make things difficult. I am a college lecturer, I have a large garden, chickens and a weight loss habit to be gained. But how long is it since I last posted? Unforgiveable!

I had a delivery, 3 of these beauties. Each cube is 35cm in all directions. They are in the shed at the moment, waiting to be built! I have done all I can to get myself organised but it became painfully obvious that I had to do more if I was ever going to have the space to actually use my sewing machine and make something. That something turned out to be storage and organisation. So in a way my making journey gets a re-start here.

I have cleaned and oiled my sewing machine. Sorted out all my tools, replaced rusty bits and the tape measure my haste cut in half. All I have left now is a bedroom that I can't get into properly as I have dug out everything I had tucked away under beds, in corners etc. Who knew doing something that is so much fun could cause such chaos?

Over the next couple of weeks I will continue to explore the darkest recesses of boxes, bags and hidden bits. Some of it has been hanging around since the late 80s. I may find it hard to find the time to make and post as the first few weeks of term are always hectic, but I will make a real effort to get things moving.

I have also started a de-stashing programme. My thoughts journal is bulging, I have matched some materials with projects already and am desperately trying to control the urge to leap into something and wreck the material or my machine. I am not setting any deadlines but I fully intend to use up some of the less interesting fabrics on practice pieces, making pattern pieces etc, and to get rid of a lot of it.

Don't tell him on lawnmower duty, but as you all know, the only reason to de-stash is to make room to re-stash [:)]

I WILL make it..... lots of 'its'!!

Freegle collection - photos later

Oh how I love freegle!

I put out a shout 2 weeks ago for bits and pieces of material and 'stuff' and got a single reply! Oh dear, I thought, how disappointing. Worse, I couldn't make the date I suggested to pick up the stuff offered and felt like a heel. Fortunately the nice lady emailed me back and offered to leave it out for me to pick up today.

Well.... I am gobsmacked - and you will be when I get it all sorted! Buttons, jewellery, curtains an old woolly kilt and an amazing coat from Afghanistan - very colourful and lined, even after 30 years of life in a bag, I think!

I'll be washing and thinking over the week. It is all lovely and clean but, like much of my own stash, has that stored smell (which is nice, like old books, but probably won't sell well) so photos and ideas for it all will be up soon.

But I have to say, Freegle helps you meet the most amazingly generous people (or not quite meet, if you see what I mean).

Hopefully I'll get more over summer - my ideas list has growed like Topsy!

Oh my how time flies

And I have done so little with it! Well, I have been beavering away in the day job, suffering from a horrendous sore throat and loss of voice (yet again). I shall be ready for my holidays! I may even get to the gym on a regular basis rather than the once a week I have been managing!

So I am having another go at procrastinating and putting off until next year what could be done today!

I have been doing a little bit of stuff (mainly gardening so not being put here, I have another blog for that!) and here it is:

I took this material and cut out the flowers for a later project.

Then I sat, snuffling, and grabbed glue, thread, buttons and some hair clips and made these.

 

I shall be sorting out all my stash now - it is escaping and I can't spot what I need. So I'll spend a weekend doing that - must get some shelving first thoug (see, I put anything off!).

I picked up some great material from a car boot, Laura Ashley bed set and curtain material for a fiver. Oh I have to do something great with that! 

Pictures of sorted stash will follow, when I have it all washed, ironed and sorted.

A promise

This week I will make on at least 3 days.

I will be out in the garden in the mornings, 6 - 7.30 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday (bit of kickboxing on the back to finish off) and gym on Tuesday and Thursday morning.

When I get back from work I will get crafty. Here's my first two days:

Monday: clean the sewing machine and move more stash to its new home. Then select a couple of makes and materials - possibly a needle book from nanaCompany I know they aren't difficult, I made a few as a kid. But I want to start doing something useful that would get me into using the machine a bit and maybe hand sewing again, these include both. I could even use the new machine foot and do some free motion embroidery! God knows I lose enough pins!

Tuesday: Select material and start first make - report back and don't forget the piccies!

Secret Easter Bunny swap

Well... I have had a couple of weeks.

I have lost internet for a week and been drive slightly batty by the presence of a square brown package sent to me by a Secret Easter Bunny from UKCraftsforum swap.

Now I can reveal what I got... and what I sent.

First what I received. A little bit of detective work tells me that Bodrighy made it, thanks Pete, they are lovely.

I know my chickens did not lay that yew egg. It's beautiful and I read the instructions carefully and have stroked and polished it, it works, I feel less stressed!

As for the mini vase (walnut) - it is lovely. I am going to make a little posy for it. I will make on later in the year form dried flowers I think. Meanwhile mini buttons might look OK.

As for what I made, well, what a trial! I had grandiose ideas and got the sewing machine all warmed up. But sadly nothing turned out as I wanted it. I now have some unfinished slightly clunky looking storage thingies sitting around... waiting.

So I sat down in something of a panic and thought... what on earth could I do? I twiddled and fussed and, to be honest, slightly panicked. Had I let myself get into a situation where I would have to let someone down? I hate that, really hate it!

I was sorting out my fabric stash into colourways and then moved onto the button tin when inspiration struck!

A little dab of glue and earrings arrived. A bit more and I had a brooch.

But it wasn't good enough. I needed more. I was twiddling and sorting and pondering when more buttons sort of fell into place. Some stringing elastic and all as done. I was a happy bunny!

But then doubt crept in. Was that really enough to send to a real, professional crafter? Noooooooooooooooo. Far too easy, small and insignificant. So I sat and continued to sort out the stashy overflow. 

Then I found something that made me think... plastic stuff, I think it is used for cross stitching. Why I have it I have no idea, I don't like doing cross stitch!! But it made me think..... what could I do with it?

 A happy thinking hour later I got to my bits box and contemplated the wire samples I got from Wires, could I string some buttons into a something? But a what? Ah ha! A pendant. Wire plus cross stich plastic stuff plus buttons and there you go! I was somewhat pleased with myself. Here is the collection complete, I hope my SEB receiver likes them!

 Oh, before I forget. Part of the SEB brief was to wrap the gift carefully or, if you can't, get someone to do it for you. Well I fall into the can't wrap to save my life category. So I had another problem. Then I remembered a giveway I had won. Kat from With U in Mind had sent the gift in two lovely little pockets, so I brazenly used one to package the buttony bits in. The colours were a perfect match, it felt like cheating, big time, but needs must and all!

Thank you Kat, I am very, very grateful, and not a little embarrassed!

I didn't stop there though. I had some green buttons I quite liked. But I couldn't find a lot of matching so I started again with some blue buttons. I have worn the set for about a week now and people comment on the pendant a lot, so I think I have found a 'thing' I could do more of.

All in all I really enjoyed the SEB swap. Thanks to Beads by Design for organising it. I loved the whole scary experience!

Blog Hopping

Well. I am just sat here blog hopping. I am making a secret thing for a swap and am wandering around looking for some inspiration for finishing details. It's fun, time wasting and just perfect for a miserable dark grey day!

Well, I got sidetracked as you do and found myself looking at other peoples favourite blogs. I hadn't realised there were so many card crafters out there! Being a fabric freak I did find some nice things and some great new blogs to follow:

Modest Maven has some lovely tutes, I've added her to my blog list cos I don't want to miss anything.






Ros is just amazing, I love the material. Sadly my mum doesn't have a garden - but I do!

Bugsandfishes is sharing things her customers have made and I have to admit that whilst some of it is too pretty for me I love the simplicity of a lot of it. She has a nice line in felty tutes too!

Obviously that reminded me of Annie and Lyn at rosiepink - it seems they are being too creative to be spring cleaning! Well, I am blog hopping to the same ends


That was also a natural hint to go and look at what Helen has been up to... though I suspect I will really regret this...... yes! I am so going to have to make some bags at half term!


I usually search for textiles at some point... and that is when I got lost and forgot to keep track of where I had been! So I am off out for a while. I need to buy some cleaning stuff - I WILL spring clean this week!

I can't do anything

I am so buried under marking coursework! I have so many things to do, like taking piccies of my lovely new jewellery Jules sent me. I will do it Jules, promise.

I have so many crafty ideas going through my head. I have an ideas journal but it isn't doing anything for me. I despair! Or I did until I found Mythillogical's blog, I will now simply back engineer whatever I make. Hopefully drawing and deconstructing stuff will help me get my mind's eye in!

But I think it will be April before I get to start anything again! Aaaaaaaaaaaargh. I almost wish I hadn't started this! I am so conflicted. Work : craft : work : craft  eeeeeeeeeeeeek!

Mind you, the evenings are getting longer.... mabe there is hope!