Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

I am sat in my living room looking out at the snow through the branches of my Christmas tree, we have had about 5 " in just two hours.  Am thinking about whether I finish a cardigan I am making for a friend or if I should do some embroidery on another gift?  I want to do both!

Now, do you hide your half finished projects?  I have just looked in a cupboard and found a sweater for a little girl, half sewn up but I really don't remember knitting it... what am I like?

My Rag Wreath and how to make it

I am trying to be really good this year and make as many gifts as possible... so then I thought how can I save money on my wreath?  Well I have to confess each year I have picked up a couple of Christmas fat quarters in the local fabric shop and then I think, what am I actually going to make with this?  The obvious answer is a rag wreath.

• You will need a wreath shape, I chose a heart shaped wreath from Goods and Chattels, a lovely local shop -  http://www.goodsandchattels.co.uk/  and a selection of festive fabrics from your stash bag.
• Cut your fabrics into 12 - 14" strips between 1 - 2.5" wide, I used pinking shears which means that the fabric will not fray and gives the fabric an interesting finish.

• Take a strip and tie it to the wreath using a reef knot.

•  Build up your strips, tying them next to each other and using a selection of festive fabrics

• You will see from the back of the work that it quickly covers the wreath

• Keep working round until the whole wreath is finished.
• Run a ribbon through the wreath to hang it on your front door.

• Stand well back and accept the compliments.  The wreath took me approximately two hours from beginning to end and I have to admit to sneaking in a mince pie while I sorted out my fabric and outsinging Annie Lennox as I worked.

How exciting!

What an interesting week!  I posted up pics from the show last week on Facebook and have picked up a couple of commissions for booties.  Yesterday I popped on a picture of my cushions at rest before their next outing and hey presto!  More enquiries which I hope to make into orders.


And I have now started my job search in earnest and have my first interview next week.


Tomorrow, I will be taking more pics for ebay, etsy and folksy, let's hope that the light is good!

The show

Well, I woke up at 6.00am and was well and truly ready to go, even though I was awaiting a late delivery of cushions at 7.30am.. I was done with stuffing by 7.45 am.

The organisation was brilliant, I was not in the main hall but in an ante room which you had to  through in order to get there.  Real lucky stroke, I was given an extra table and here is how it looked.


Booties and bags flew off but cushions were disappointing ... :(  Maybe they will go better in t'internet, not worried about the quality but would have made it a 10/10 event if I had sold just one cushion.

Working hard

OK, I am now officially in panic mode.  It is just about a week before my first show and I don't think I will have enough stuff ready... Argh!


This was the situation at the end of last week but I have now sewn all of these up and I am now up to 35 pairs of booties and aiming for 40.

Bags are coming on a pace and I should have another another bunch completed over the weekend, taking me past the 20 mark.


I am also going to be making some felt bunting over the weekend for my stall, using light mauve as the background, with silver letters and gingham ribbon to hang them from... the pinking shears will be exhausted!


Have just ordered some more ticking to make a few more of these, although I have to say I have not completed three of the boats and will post the completed cushion shortly.

Redundancy

I have not posted for a little while, as two weeks ago my company received notice that our contract with the Government was to be terminated on 29 April 2011.


Initially this means that around 55 people will be out of a job in London to say nothing of the various production companies to who we give work dotted all round the country, when I started to think about the ripples that casting that particular stone will make I realised that it will affect over 300 people.  


We work really hard with a great product that really does make a difference to schools and I feel so proud of what we have achieved.  I hope that I will find another place to work with so many likeable and creative people, so in the immortal words of Ian Drury "What a waste Mr Gove, what a waste!"

My guilty secret...

is every so often to indulge in a spot of Hardanger aka drawn thread work.  I am afraid it started in the dim and distant past when one of the girls with whom I did my Needlecraft and Dress  O level (yes it really is that  long ago) made a table cloth and napkins in hardanger with contrasting blue and white threads as her orignal piece.  Boy did I covet her project on a Friday afternoon when we spent all afternoon sewing!  See what you started Gaye Casey - I blame it all on you.


Fast forward 30 years and I finally got to play, albeit on a smaller scale with cushions.  I just love the structure and the fear of failure when you cut the threads.  I think of hardanger as being like a Busby Berkley production, the stitches look like nothing on their own but put them together and they create a fabulous bigger picture.  So here are a few of my old cushions: