Not going to be defeated!!

 Earlier in the summer when I was blasting up and down seams to make scrubs for the NHS I fell out with my sewing machine. For months I have not been able to get a decent stitch going. It is barely 5 years old and very, very expensive and to repair the "looking at" fee was £100. But a couple of days ago I brought it to the kitchen table, got out the instructions and turned on some smoothing classical music and was determined to sort it out.

I won!!! After a couple of hours of re setting, changing needles, re winding bobbins it settled down to a decent stitch. I then tried out all of its embroidery special functions.

I have set myself a project to learn applique. Never really done much of this but I have the fabrics and thread and have worked through all the stitch menu settings now. Changing width and intensity, using special applique "blanket stitch" and ordinary but tight zig zag. My project is to put some flowers on a very boring beige door curtain that keeps out the draft from the front door.

The other day I posted about the daft adverts we see in the pandemic. I could not believe the next one that caught my attention. Ryan Air.  "Jab and Go". Get a covid jab and go on holiday!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jump in a crowded swimming pool!!!!!!!!!!! This was hours after the UK Government briefing when the chief scientist said we would still be doing lockdowns NEXT winter and all the other gloom and doom. I was incensed. I complained the the ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) and had an email today to say my complaint was added to thousands of others. 

To ward of lockdown inactivity my son in south London has adopted an old dog from Battersea Dogs Home. They wanted one for ages but were unsure if a puppy was their thing. Our grandson is a lively enough thing!!  The dog was abandoned outside the gates of the Dogs Home and it did have some health issues which have been cured now. Apparently it had been in BDH before. Poor thing has been unlucky. They have been told it may only have 2 years and not be that lively, but they are determined to give it a good, warm home and I am delighted they will get out walking more (even at a stately slow pace) as they have been working from home since March and miss their daily walks to catch trains into the city of London.

Face coverings/masks - best pattern?

 Which pattern are you making for your home made face coverings?

I did not like the folded as it did not look like a tight fit.  So started with the pattern on the Big Community Sew promoted by the lovely Patrick from the Great British Sewing Bee.

Designed for two layers and to be tied on round the head. My quickest make using left over Scrubs material was overlocked. Under constant revision as I wore them I tried elastic round ears and elastic round the back of head. But mostly I could not get the 3rd layer in to this pattern comfortably and that was at one stage recommended. Plus tying the long strings round the back of my head was too awkward. 

I have now found a pattern on the WI site. 

This is much more shaped for the nose and has a flat bit across the bridge. It also comes further round the face for a tighter fit. I am dipping into my Fat Quarter stash sent to me as an Xmas gift which I think one of my sons got it in Aldi at a very reasonable price.

Again some experimenting. I found a way to stitch in a third layer by cutting a spare copy of the pattern down a bit and then sewing an extra bit (for any spare material) into the lining before constructing. 

Its been extra hot this week and I found 3 layers just that bit too stuffy. Possibly I could go that far in the coming winter?

Then there was the fastenings. I have really, really small ears, longer lockdown hair and I wear specs. I just don't have room for the wider elastic I have at hand!! Trying out the round the back of the head loops more which means you can keep round your neck and pull up when needed. 

My next experiments will be:

• thinner elastic
• stretch material possibly taking the side pieces to form loops which I have seen on the natty face coverings on Grand Prix F1 drivers. Not seen a pattern for it yet.
• Third layer in some sort of interfacing.
• Find a neater way to make the ends flush with the elastic firmly attached. The short bit of overlook is OK to seal but not catch the elastic. Found I had to go back and stitch the elastic down with a straight stitch and it likes jump out of the way from the machine foot!

So what are other people making?  Any shared wisdom?

Still making simple little fabric bags to carry them round in. Leaving some in car and some in each shopping bag or rucksack (for when I cycle locally to the shops) so I will not be without!

Fabric Stash

Anyone who sews knows how easy it is to fall into the trap of gathering to your ample bos**om lovely fabrics for potential projects.

Yes, look away. Stand away from the fabrics!!

We did the Sewing show at NEC this weekend, and was drooling at the fabrics on offer which were amazing after our rather drab local town shop. I resisted the fabrics but did order an over locker machine. (Paid for by trading in some other "leisure" stuff on Gumtree over the last few months.)

While my husband drooled in the Photography show next door at the NEC I took the train into New Street and the Rag Market behind Birmingham's Bull Ring shopping centre.
The shop in the photo above is just over the road. Its not as cheap as the Rag Market stalls of fabric but it was £2/£3 a meter cheaper than the show prices generally!
Which one did I choose in there?

No, none of those. A metre of this at £4.99. Cushions to cheer the lounge are planned.  In fact saw some in the same pattern in a shop in the Bull Ring with yellow piping for £18 each!!

Then I went to the Rag market stalls with a big bag and £35.00 in cash. Things (especially jersey knits) start at 50p a metre, work up to a £1 a metre, top at £2 or £3 a meter for speciality thick linens etc.

Here is my dining room table.

This end is a thick canvas stripped pattern for tote bags £3 pm at 60" + wide, and two upholstery/curtain linens (£2 a metre).

Then some poly cottons for blouses and other projects - mostly a £1 a metre

Some cottons for cushion covers etc etc. Things got a bit brighter and bolder! £1 or £2 a metre.

Then jersey for T shirts and Pointe Roma for tops mostly 50p a metre.

I'll stop now before those interested in sewing are over come with jealousy.  The trip was well worth it, but I will not moan about the crazy cross country trip by Rail and the trains generally - I survived.

Next week my over locker arrives and my husband has insisted I make some pennies back selling stuff on my Folksy site!  Sewing season awaits me (revenge on my part as Grand Prix started this weekend and he will not be willing to leave the settee at weekends till its over).

Meanwhile I have located a Facebook group and a shop way, way out in the Fenlands who is stocking lovely fabric in her workshop. When I have worked out a route and have some cash I will be paying her a visit. Once a fabric addict, always a fabric addict!

Recycling Christmas jumpers

Adult son left a hideous extra large maroon Christmas jumper here 3 years ago.   The front is now  incorporated in my latest rag rug and the back and sleeves are now an elephant.

Used the inside of the jumper as it was more fluffy and cuddly. The feet and back of the ears are an old striped muslin from one of the baby grandchildren, the flowers are scraps of felt blanket stitched on with 2 strands of embroidery thread, and the tail is plaited bits of felt. The scarf was on old bit of double ply wool knitted in rows of 12 garter stitches.

Stuffed with a bit 1 inch thick foam to make it stiff and lots of an old pillow.

The pattern I have used before was off the internet and is quite easy to work out but next time I am going to make the front legs just a shade longer. (xoxograndma.blogspot for pattern).

Cost nothing and kept me occupied for quite a few evenings with the embroidery!

Hopefully one of the little ones will take it home later!

Sorted out the mat

The rag rug which went a bit off last week

has been sorted out and squared off.

It is suppose to be for under my sewing table but a present it is by the fire place to help ease the pressure on the knees when we crawl from the settee to go and  put more logs on the fire! We shuffle on our knees to avoid standing up, then bending over - also a bit stiff lately as we have been outside in the cold wind measuring right angles to get the supports in for a new shed.

Zentangle

Picked up this book at the library last week and now I am obsessed!

Did a few just trying it out and just copying things at first. I had to buy some micro pens in the end and that made all the difference in finished look.

Now I can see I need more input.   Checked out the "how to" on Tangle website.   You really have to concentrate and build up the patterns step by step and this site is completely free access to resources.  Adding colour is also exciting.

This is so relaxing in front of TV and log fire, especially  when the husband is watching motor sport or endless talent shows which I hate.  Tuesdays are my night for TV dominance. Great British Bake Off followed by Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year.  Last week was Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire so I did a Zentangle in celebration using the shapes of the Abbey ruins and the lovely grass meadows and trees shown!

This is quite a cheap activity.  Black micro pens cost £1 for 3, colour Gel pens 80p (The Works); sketch book pad or cards from my stash.  Or you can buy 75 special card tiles for £5 for small studies or good quality sketch books to use.   My son runs an Agile Stationary printing company and has stacks of off-cuts of good quality card so I will pick up some when next in London with them.

It is quoted as a "mindfullness" activity. But to me, it is formalizing all that doodling I used to do an agendas, minutes and information on statistics print outs I was handed at endless meetings.  Opps, should I admit that? after all  it was  public funded money and I covered many a paper!!

Pirates and mini jumpers

I've got a sore throat. No cold or flu. Just been playing pirates with my grandson.  All that "Arr"  "we be bad pirates stealing the treasure" growling while hiding glass bead treasure in pirate caves made from the firewood stack plays havoc with the vocal chords (and knees).

The grandson goes to a posh private pre-school in London and they have a parent and child project every month on objects that start with the phonic letter they are studying. My son and his wife have been very keen to be the best parents in the class and have made planets, towers, and all sorts.  Its J when they go back after the Easter holidays. What to do? Any suggestions Grandma?

We checked the dictionary for what started with J. I mentioned that I once organised a Xmas fund raiser for Save the Children in the office where I knitted mini Xmas jumpers in the form of brooches.  I volunteered to make one. But when I checked the web site the ideas had moved on to bunting of mini jumpers! https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mini-christmas-jumper-bunting

Bunting they cried - the teacher loves bunting! Somehow I ended up knitting 5 mini jumpers!!  Grandson choose the colours from some left over wools (avoiding any Xmas colours and we lost the snowflakes etc off the design) and he insisted on the order of hanging them and he did the decorating of  the recycled gift box for them to travel in.

Every time I sat down a voice cried "Knit, Grandma, Knit!"

There was a suggestion about including letters on the jumpers. My skills are not up to that!

Folksy seller

After a lot of urging from my children and their spouses I have decided to dip my toe into the e selling market with things I make at home often from bargain materials and up cycling things. GrandmaMakes is what I am calling myself.

I don't have much money to invest in this speculation and set myself a target of £100 income in a year. This will equal what my husband makes selling his tomatoes at the garden gate.  I have gone for Folksy as the e selling site for crafts and home-mades. I researched Amazon, ebay, Etsy and think this is the easiest - but if any of you bloggers have feedback let me know of your experiences please!

I have put 6 items I have made and it has cost less than £1 so far to list them.  Tote bags, bakers apron, children's sun hats and toddler's sun dresses are my main things so far.

It is a good job it is too cold to be doing much else because the photos and uploads are taking me ages to do. I hope I get faster as I could have made 3 more things in the time so far!

I hope its a success even in a small way, but just in case I shall say "Thank you" nicely to the nice Government department who increased my state pension today.

Quick project

Too cold for gardening, no DIY projects to start, no cooking plans so I went out to my hobby cabin to tidy and find something to do.  As I refolded my stash of fabric I found a carrier with material cut out for a tote bag from a piece of curtaining 3 houses back; I had put this by for some time.

I was just preparing the handles when I saw a scrap of fleece jacket material on the bench; leftover from the rag rug making. Thinking about how uncomfortable thin fabric handles can be I fiddled around until I had achieved a nice soft lining for them.  I added a smooth silky lining to the bag too from my stash of plain nylon/rayon fabrics someone had given me.

The really nice button I added to make a fastening was brought some years ago on Bristol street market and was economic support project.

At the time I was working on unemployment projects in a near by county and thought we should be doing something similar.

This is a pretty bag, I may use it to give a Christmas gift.

Rag rug

My rag rug is completed. Its a nice thick one.  8 feet by 2.5 feet.

What went into it?
3 zip up fleeces - grey, black, blue
2 pullover thin fleeces - maroon, navy
2 thin green wool jumpers
1 green long floaty cardigan
1 pink jersey material nightdress
1 pink wool scarf
1 pink jersey T shirt
1 multi floral jersey material blouse
1 brown short cardigan
1 husband's grey sweat shirt
1 red button up cardigan with a high neck

The fleece materials could be cut into 1" strips, the jersey more like 3" wide as it rolls into itself and the knitted wool about 1.5" to 2" depending on its thickness as it folds into half and plaits nicely.

I found the best combination for plaiting was 1 strand of fleece, 1 strand of woolly material, 1 strand of jersey.  This also allowed for more colour combinations.

Got some thin strips left but no more fleece. I am going to stop there as I wanted the thickness and stability of the fleece material. Stitched it up with very strong thread.

Christmas craft ideas

Have you seen this lovely blog from  Very Berry Handmade blog?  (on 22 November)


Really good instructions.

Norfolk Rocks

Have you heard about this latest craze? Is it happening in your county?  People are painting stones and leaving them in public places to be found and shared, and replaced by their own creations. We found one on a wall by the path to the castle in Castle Acre last week. They have their own Facebook page too. 

Our library was offering a half term workshop in painting!

Our two eldest granddaughters collected some stones from the drive. I varnished them to seal in the acrylic paint and this brightened the colours.

. 

Thank goodness for rag rugs

Last winter I spent time making a rag rug with cotton/polyester dresses, skirts, table cloths, old cushion covers, duvet covers, etc.  It is in the conservatory replacing an ordinary shop brought one my grandson had vomited on when he arrived for a visit at Xmas.

Luckily, most of this week's visit's vomit in the conservatory landed in the shoe tidy, missing my trainers, and only a bit on the rag rug. A quick sluice off and a quick wash at 30C in the machine and a hang on the line overnight in a Force 6 wind and the rug was back by lunch time!

That said, I will be glad when he grows out of this!

I have an idea for another rag mat. I have accumulated quite a lot of old fleece coats and tops which I am cutting into strips and joining into long lengths on the sewing machine.  These are very worn and thin, reinforcing the current eco concern that the fleece fibres are entering the world's water courses. (see  link to  Guardian article )
So I will not be washing the fleece mat; but how will I dispose of it if the fabric is so toxic?

Fish pattern

I really admired this rug in our holiday rent recently. A clever interlocking fish design.

I made a pattern using a piece of newspaper and have been working on it to get an accurate shape.

I am using some leftover curtaining fabric to mix and match like the original design.  Only - can you spot the error?

The thirds have to be even - if you want to do thirds in different designs and fit together!  I had to start again with the pattern.

The next trail pattern making was more successful.

I am thinking about how I can use this pattern for some future soft furnishing or quilting projects. I am going to look in the charity shops and bargain bins for some suitable materials.

Hobby or stick horses

I was taking out the broad beans last week and pulled out the three old wooden broom handles I had used as supports when I remembered a bit on the news the other day of people doing hobby horse show jumping. We don't like plastic toys but do like to have something to entertain the grandchildren over the summer holidays visits.

Quick look on Pin-interest for ideas and a pattern and out to the sewing cabin to raid the stash and bits of ribbons,felt and cord, etc.

Round the garden on the flat or over the jumps guys?

Sun Hats

A request from my grandson for a bigger sun hat sent me back to my sewing cabin to make a bigger hat for him.  Two sizes made just in case; using material from my stash and a free pattern from the internet.

This is a very simple bucket hat pattern and takes an hour or so to make and uses about half a metre of cotton fabric. If you have small children do try this one (its on Ollie/Oliver and Co, a blog, I think).   The pattern goes up to 9 year olds - I have expanded it by half an inch all the way round and made myself a sun hat too!  I used a more upholstery style fabric and did not line the crown or sides this time.

My last attempt at a sun hat for me was not a great success but this one seems a little better as it sits lower on my head.  I am not a hat person normally but we were out boating the other day on the River Ouse and I had to borrow my husband's spare one.  So hot and burning!

Junk art

Been experimenting with bits and pieces this week to try my hand at some new materials.

Some pebbles from the beach (collected with grand daughters) form the flower, leaves cut from old drinks cans, bits of string off from the "just in case" box, wood panel and additional square offcuts from husbands workshop floor. The nails were an idea we saw at a craft outlet recently - they are extracted from old pallets and we usually gather them up and put in metal bin at the recycling centre. But now we have seen old nails used as a foreground "foil" in craft pictures we may keep them! The panel and bits of wood at the bottom were plywood painted with ordinary emulsion which seems to cover quite well and is no bother to rinse the brushes.

My next project with the scraps of plywood is to make a "threading" game for the smaller grandchildren who may come here in the summer holiday. In the just in case box is a nice long strong shoelace (just the one - no idea why its not a pair). I will paint the caterpillar with acrylics and then varnish to seal the surface and avoid any splinters.

Its been 10C here all day, with a nasty cold wind, so hiding in my log cabin has been an enjoyable way to spend the day. I did do some spring cleaning first; so I don't feel too guilty.

Accordion book

I saw an idea on a craft site the other day to make a little book from a folded strip of paper. I thought I would adapt this to make a invitation to my grandson to come back for a summer visit.

I used two strips of wallpaper glued together and then folded. I put it under some books for a few days to give nice crisp format.

On the inside I used water colour paint to form a beach, sea and sky.  I blotted the light blue sky to form clouds. I found some tiny bits of bright fabric to make a bucket and a flag and a kite. My figures are just stick men doing the activities we can do together at the beach - dig, build, paddle, fly and run on the beach.  

I shall post it to him soon and hope his parents can bring him to Norfolk this summer to play!

Shabby chic

Our favourite garden centre (up near Spalding) has gone all shabby chic in its dinning areas. I saw an idea some weeks ago and have adapted it.
Take old, cheap frames, left over paint, old canvas bag, some shapes from an applique site on the web, and an old AA map book.

I did not set out to cut out the words but by accident the right words appeared in the first frame and I liked it. I did deliberately choose the maps for favourite past holidays.

Just right to cheer up the brick wall in our shabby (not very chic, yet) conservatory area!