Yarndale Whoop! Whoop!

We began our journey 'up north' on Friday afternoon, and, considering it was Friday, the journey wasn't too bad.  Had a lovely evening with the 'B' family and an early night ready for our big day at Yarndale on Saturday.  Our first task on getting to the Auction Mart was to meet up with Mr. B as he and Mr. D had a date with the golf course.  This plan turned out to be a bit more difficult than first imagined, but after a few laughs and chasing across the car park shouting at parking marshals to'stop that car' we all finally got together and the two men left. Our day was just beginning,  S and I found  our friend L sitting at her lesson,

All hooking away nicely

She did look like she was paying attention and concentrating so we left her to finish and did a bit of a 'recci' of  the aisle's of yarn.  After going to a few quilt shows with fabric everywhere it is such a change to see wonderful hanks of yarn, so many different types and the colour's are just eye popping.

I also tried to take a couple of photos of the Mandala's and may have got (lucky) a shot of some of the ones that our crochet group sent. There were so many, and the camera does not do them justice.

These were pinned all across the Auction Mart Sheds

Think some of these are from our little group

 You may recognise the next photos from here......Yes we went to Attic 24's corner and

Summer wreath

 This was in the entrance hall, ....

There were more bikes around the town

I may have shown you this last year, I just love it.

Double bed size

It is just oh so neat! Can you see the variegated thread?

We all wandered shopped, wandered and shopped again until we were "yarned" out.  As L hadn't been to this part of the world before, S took us into Skipton to show us the sights.......not really.....but she did take us to the studio where Lucy from Attic 24 hangs out with the talented and very friendly Tracy. 

Tracy shares the studio with Lucy and had decided to have an open weekend, so there were lots of ladies (sometimes in single file) wandering around.  Tracy is such a talented lady, making friendly mice, rabbits, and sometimes the odd fox, you should visit her facebook page. 

I  wanted them all

 Downstairs from the studio is 'Coopers' the coffee shop, but that was packed and no room to sit, so Tracy invited us to sit in Lucy's corner and have our tea there ( oh my goodness!- I know some folks will be very jealous of that!) so we took a few snaps just to show off.

I had bought a few projects at the show, but first I have to make a couple of hats for the 'littlies' living in South Africa, so after getting a few tips from the ladies at yarndale I managed to finish one hat, but now need to add the detail. Then I can start playing with my new yarns.  I will show you more of the hat as it develops

base done, now to turn it into a bear!!!!

My "buys" from the show....Watch this space to see what comes next....

On Sunday S and I had a trip to some big stores a few towns away,  but Monday when everyone had left for school or work Mr. D and I went into Skipton to wander along the canal.  When we started it looked like a typical autumn day,.....

First thing...bit misty

but by the time we were ready to turn around the sun had burnt the mist away and it was absolutely gorgeous.

 We had some lunch in town then returned to sit in the garden lapping up what might be the last of the warm sunshine of this year.  What a great weekend it's been!! 

Tah Dah!!!! Well almost...

There are a few 'Tah Dah's!!'.  Firstly our door has finally been fixed, so now we can look into the garden and actually see the flowers and birds again rather than the itsy bitsy glass crystals that made up the exploded door.  Mind you when the sun shone on that shattered glass in the door it did look beautiful.

I also went to Jan Shepherds workshop and have now added one border to my quilt.  I am now not sure where I should go with the quilt.  I know it needs to be a bit bigger, but I am not sure how I want the next borders to look. If I was being really good, I think I should do some hand quilting, but we don't want to do that do we???????  So I am just in the planning stage....Yep! planning how to get those magical fairies in to do the work.  I suppose I can't get a full 'Tah Dah' for just adding the one border, but.........

Socks are finished and I love them.

I just love that 'Fair Isle' look

The only other thing I have been working on is a bit of smocking.  I am making a gift for a friend, and it will be what I would call an 'Armchair Châtelaine'.  I have started by working a double honeycomb stitch across the fabric.  Honeycomb stitch in smocking will give a lot more stretch to the fabric, and will be much more of an open pattern which is just what I need as I am going to embroider over the stitching.   I thought I would show you a few of the steps, but you might get this over the next week or so.

 This first photo shows my beginnings, but let me tell you I usually finish each row before starting the next, and I have no idea why I stitched like this....

Not sure if you can see but this stitch does travel over two rows --hence Double Honeycomb

Next step is blocking the piece.  Once blocked properly your smocking should keep its shape.

Pinned and steamed to block

I now needed to cut the smocking into two pieces to make pockets in my Châtelaine.  I have stitched two rows of machine stitching down the centre, and chopped it in two...

Now I am ready to embroider.

More next time.....

I am off to Yarndale at the weekend YEAH!!!!  My daughter lives a few miles north of Skipton, so I get two treats...Yarndale and a weekend with S and her family DOUBLE YEAH!!!!!

Crash, Bang ....

On Saturday we were sat eating breakfast when the peace was shattered along with the glass in our back door.  I have never heard an explosion, but the sound that glass breaking is what I imagine it would sound like.  We have no idea what made the glass shatter and as its the inside pane we can't blame the lawn strimmer or any other outside influences.

The glass looks like raindrops

You might be able to see that the break started in the second pane down from the top

After we had contacted the glazier and he reassured us that we were in no danger and  the house was safe we got on our bikes.......  Rutland water was our chosen ride this week.  

Lovely views

Places to rest

The loan cyclist 

Such a nice quiet ride

Monday I had the day at Higham piecemakers and made a few more of these cute thread catchers

Open ...

Shut!!

and I am back to knitting socks.  This is the fifth pair that I have made, and its so exciting seeing how this yarn makes its own patterns.  This pair look as if I have been very clever and knitted a 'Fair Isle ' pattern.  

I just love them 

We have had a couple of warm sunny days which is a bonus at this time of year.....hope the weather has been kind to you. x x

Doing, undoing, and doing again.....

Do you remember that I asked to make a quilt for my friend?  It was something I had not attempted before, and it gave me a chance to practice on my new machine.  The last time I showed you it was at this stage....

Its all in the planning.....

just look at it now...

Mapping out on the lounge floor

added the borders

The washing line comes in handy

and finally quilted.  I have to tell you this is my second attempt at quilting this.  I am not sure what went wrong, but I wasn't happy and after a nights sleep I decided to unpick.  I was a little worried that the stitches might mark the fabric, so I unpicked just a little to see how it looked and to my joy no needle holes could be seen.  YEAH!!!!!   

Thanks for the opportunity to make this quilt 

Note:  How do you unpick your machine stitching?  I use my quick unpick to break the thread on  every fifth or sixth bobbin stitch, then turn my work over and pull the top thread which should just unravel.  You are left with some small bits of thread coming through and all you have to do is brush them off your quilt.  A good tool for this job is a 'seam fix' seam ripper, and I have on good authority that Poppy Patch have them on order and expect them back in stock shortly......one of my best buys.

The sewing mat for my machine is now completed and the pockets are full of those precious bits that I never put away 'properly', but always know which pocket to find them in.

Smart!!

 

I have also been playing with my machine, and spent many happy hours making samples of the stitches.  I did this with my old machine and find it a much better way of actually seeing the embroidery stitches.  I even worked on a label for the quilt which meant I had to use the machines memory Phew!!! Quite a challenge. 

Just a few of the 270 stitches 

I haven't done any more with my 'quilt as you go' quilt, but I have some ideas for the borders, and I am not sure I can wait until next Saturday when I should meet up with Jan for some instructions......  I will keep you posted....

Happy sewing  x x

After Months......

I have decided to take the plunge and make up some of my small embroidery's that a few of us have been making at Higham Piecemakers.  I could say I am 'testing' how to 'make them', but to be honest I needed something, and it crossed my mind to use my embroideries.

Cathedral Windows here we come.  I have also used the fabric that came as an 'extra' from my last swap.....great isn't it!

Think this is what to do

Now to cut the embroidery and add them to the Cathedral windows

Mmmmm think I have enough

Have to admit that I didn't realise just how many embroidery's I would need, and I forgot that they should all be 'on point'.  Oh well, some flowers grow lopsided don't they?

Getting there

Can you guess yet what this is going to turn into?????  This is the front...

See the little baby Cathedrals......needed those extras

This is the back......didn't have enough embroidery for this.

I like this just as it is

Voilà!  done and dusted

Smart don't you think!

 I now need to make a mat for the machine.....note to self ....add to list of 'to do's'

I got the idea of putting embroidery into the windows from mybearpaw - isn't hers stunning?  I have to say mine has lots of mistakes, and the 'art' of getting the windows right is accurate cutting, sewing and getting those pesky corners matching.

To my friends that joined me in this project I hope you don't mind toooooo much that I have completed my first Cathedral Window item ------ but, I have learnt a lot that I can pass on to you .

Couple of things 'ticked' off the list

I have been trying to use my new machine, and one of the things I wanted to do was to add some of the blocks that I have been 'quilting as you go' to the whole cloth that I quilted years ago.  I planned where I wanted the blocks and added the sashing.

This is the layout I chose

As the blocks are quite 'busy' I have mainly quilted 'in the ditch' so nothing special there, but I knew what I wanted to do in the sashings and my new machine had just the stitch I needed.  Unfortunately I didn't get a close up, but it is 'what I would call' a serpent stitch, and it does the trick of anchoring the thin strip of batting in the 1" sashing.  I think I am now planning on a plain cream boarder, then perhaps use the scraps of the brighter fabrics to finish it off.  I have to wait until the 20 September for the next class and for Jan to show me how she would add a wider border.......

Not such a good photo, but you get the idea

I went to a 'sit and sew' at my local quilt shop last Thursday, and I really couldn't get to grips with things.  I started a bag with the fabric my friend Dee gave me.  I have made the bag before, but I just wanted to alter the size of the pockets, but I really didn't get very far with it.  We had a long weekend and the weather wasn't great, so I sat and finished the bag and its now ready for my next sewing day.

Front sides and bottom of the bag ready for the other half

That's it done and dusted

I have also been working on that baby quilt,  and thoroughly enjoying it, but it has come to a bit of a halt as I have run out of thread.  Still its something I can show you next time.

In with the new.....farewell to the old

Oh goodness where have the days and weeks gone.  I did think I would have a lot to show you but.... there have been a few changes in my sewing room.  I have said a sad farewell to my beautiful Bernina sewing machine.

Still looks a smart machine doesn't it?

I bought the machine in Durban, South Africa, a number of years ago, and it has served me well but there is always the fear that if something goes wrong with it spare parts may become scarce so I have taken the plunge and bought a new Janome.

Need a new sewing mat now.

Its a pretty swish machine, so I will have to play and get to know all it can do for me.  My friend has been give a new pattern for a baby quilt (sold here) with very little time to make it, so I have offered to make it (using my new machine!).  There was a method in my madness, I get to practice on my machine.

cute pattern

I have never made one of these quilts before, and what a surprise it was to find it took days to trace all the bits to be appliquéd, but once traced it only left me the job of cutting it all out.....Phew! another day spent on the floor cutting and placing..

Just the beginning

 I am sure some of you clever folk know a quick way to do this, but I have spent the day on the floor with a pair of scissors, and spent happy hours (and hours) cutting out those tiny pieces and placing them on the correct pattern piece.  Think I am about ready to start sewing and giving my machine a bit of a work out...Yeah!!!

Some of the scraps.... don't think I will keep them 

Hope I have something to show you in the not to distant future.

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend.