Done and part done

Spring flowers from my garden.

This morning I went to Fabric-A-Brac for the first time.   Anticipating a massive selection of fabrics to tempt me beyond endurance I gaily sallied forth, found a car park way up the top of a steep hill and eagerly bounded down.   My what a crowd!   Round and round and round I went looking at the selection of goods available.   Wallet had obviously listened well to my stern instructions and didn't even open her mouth!   So I climbed back up the steep hill, empty handed but happy to have been a part of this and who knows maybe my raffle ticket will come out tops and I will win the hand quilted bed cover??

Today we have half a happy dance;-) The Fabric Bomb bag is completed.  This is what I received and how I used (or not used them)

2 one yard pieces of Japanese Yukata fabric - the inside and outside of the bag
2 cotton fat quarters -  the kimono and part of the obi
1 small piece Japanese silk -  part of the obi
1 vintage whitework handkerchief -  the white neck of the lady
1 packet John James Twin point needles - uh uh
Petite Frosty Rays -  all of these threads were braided together for the obidome
DMC Perle cotton #3 colour 798
DMC Perle cotton #5 colour 334
Needle Necessities Spring II colour 358
Quilters Yardage Card -  uh uh 
2 Star Buttons -  the hair decoration
One yard of lace trim - uh uh
3 pieces ribbon -  the sky stripes
Mill Hill Beads colour 62034 -  the sky stripes
Embroiderers Guild of America Charm -  I'm keeping this for myself!!

Please excuse the dark photograph,  it's the best I can do this time of night.   I added the handles from stash.   What do you think?   I have done a happy dance.

Another Christmas ornament is finished and tonight I hope to construct this into a flat padded ornament tonight.   I was impressed that my LNS had the necessary small gold star.   I like this cute ornament..
And now I must go and undo the mistakes in the HD3QBEM's knitting.   She has some necessary mending out for me to do too.   Oops -  another busy night!

Knitting needles and sewing needles

Last week I made a determined effort to finish my knitted socks.   Having now dug a deep hole in my left forefinger, I can confirm that these fair hands have completed a pair of identical socks.   There was some worry at the commencement of sock two as to whether these would be identical or fraternal twins - but all is well.

And the turned heels are not bad for a first effort either.

So I cross another item off the list, put the double pointed knitting needles away safely and proceed with..... Sewing hexagons.   Now I am digging a hole in my right hand middle finger!

I completed the machine sewing on the Fabric Bomb bag and have only the pesky hand sewing to do.
While my sewing machine was out I did a couple of mending jobs and exerted considerable self restraint in not starting one of my planned  dressmaking projects.   There are still several weeks to summer so dressmaking is not high on the list of priorities.

Over the weekend I purchased the hardware for The Mermaids Chest and also a couple of small silver fish to hang inside it.   But I have promised myself a holiday from The Chest for a week and so found some fine linen in my stash to make another Christmas ornament.   If my mathematics is correct this one will fit inside a Tim Holtz pocket watch and find a place on my own tree.   Fingers crossed that calculations are correct.
I think this linen is fine enough to try out a biscornu from Yvette Stanton's Sardinian Knotted Embroidery book.
These plans should see this week filled and then it will be back to building chests for mermaids.  With all the materials to hand there is no real excuse for not completing this by the end of the month.  Watch this space.

The Fabric Bomb has morphed!

You might remember that Pamela's husband drew my name for the fabric bomb and she kindly sent me a package of several Japanese fabrics.   I scratched my head and sprouted a few more grey hairs before settling on....

Many years ago when living in Japan I used to make little kimono ladies out of Japanese paper.  So why not a slightly bigger kimono lady out of Japanese fabric?   I ironed interfacing onto the kimono fabric and proceeded to fold and press.   The obi isn't authentic but is made from two more of the fabrics Pamela sent. The obi cord is made of the threads and the hair decoration is the ribbon and button.  
I plan on making this up into a tote bag to hang from wooden handles I bought while in Japan 10 years ago.   But there is more work yet to get this lady fastened to the bag fabric.
She reminds me of summer nights at festivals in Japan - hence I used the yellow ribbon as a reminder to me of the strings of lights over the food stalls at those festivals.
I am not an aficionado of applique or quilting but she's looking good and I have been taken out of my comfort zone a little.   Thanks Pamela.

A Fabric Bomb!

Have you heard of Fabric Bombs?  I hadn't and then I was the lucky recipient of a Fabric Bomb from Pamela.   Do go and visit her blog and see her lovely variety of work.   You can read more about the beginnings of these fabric bombs here.   

Yesterday I collected my bomb from the Post Office and here is the grand unveiling (in photos). 

Thank you so much Pamela.   I love blue and am sure that even such an uncreative person as 'moi' can make something beautiful with these ingredients!   Crazy patchwork?   Trapunto?  Fabric weaving?   Applique?   Who knows I may yet try a completely new technique.
My bomb contained
2 one yard pieces of Japanese Yukata fabric
2 cotton fat quarters
1 small piece Japanese silk
1 vintage whitework handkerchief
1 packet John James Twin point needles
Petite Frosty Rays
Quilters Yardage Card
2 Star Buttons
DMC Perle cotton #3 colour 798
DMC Perle cotton #5 colour 334
Needle Necessities Spring II colour 358
One yard of lace trim
3 pieces ribbon
Mill Hill Beads colour 62034
Embroiderers Guild of America Charm
I don't know what I will make yet but I do know that I have a pair of wooden bag handles and that I need a new tote bag for work and that mathematically,  handles + fabrics + time = new bag.   All I need to provide is the time and a couple of days annual leave in front of the sewing machine should complete this equation.  
Now, I’m offering a bomb to someone else. I will ship internationally.  In order to enter, leave a comment below and be willing to offer a fabric bomb of your own. I will choose a winner in two weeks time on 3 August.   If you want to play along, here's what you do - please leave a comment on this post 

1.    The fabric bomber should try to be as creative in their selection of materials, buttons, beads, threads and whatnot, as the recipient will be in their use of them.

2.    The fabric bomb must fit into an A5 envelope, to keep postage costs to a minimum, and to make life easy for the postman.

3.    The recipient can make whatever they like with their fabric bomb–patchwork, toys, bags, collages, doodles, fabric books–anything goes. However, in the spirit of fabric bombing, the packet of scraps should be used creatively, preferably to try out something new, or something you wouldn't usually turn your hand to.

4.    You can add other fabrics to your make, but please don't just incorporate the fabric bomb into an existing make.

5.    You don't have to use every item in the fabric bomb in your make–but it would be great if you could!

6.    It isn't just about getting: once you've received your fabric bomb, please make a bomb of your own to send to someone else. Perhaps photograph the fabric bomb you've received, or the item you make with it. 

7.    Once you've done that, grab the fabric bomb button, post about your make, and prepare a fabric bomb (it must be a surprise, so don't reveal what's inside it) to send to one of your readers, so starting the process all over again.

Today I have come into the 21st Century and my new SmartPhone is all connected.  The very nice young man at the Vodafone shop happily set it all up and told me it was like teaching his mother!   Strangely enough that felt like a compliment as I'm sure his mother would be very proud of having such a well mannered son.
Now I am off to cook -  Lamb Shanks in Maple Syrup and Orange Juice, Pork Fillet and Mushrooms in Balsamic Sauce, Chicken Drumsticks in Sticky Plum Sauce  and that should be enough to keep the HD3QBEM sound in body and soul for the week.   I have Wednesday off work to take her to the ophthalmologist and we are both anticipating a "I am sorry for the further degrading of your vision but there is nothing I can do to help" report from the lovely doctor.   So long as the verdict is only that and nothing more sinister we will be able to manage.   
Have a good week.