Finished at last

Well, the little rabbit has been mentioned once or twice, but now it is not only finished, but should arrive at it's new home shortly after raising a phantastic £30 for the RNLI in the October YDC (your donation counts) charity auctions on ebid. net. I think I have mentioned before that I like to do the cutting out bit for any sewing in bulk because it gets so messy. So when we moved a year ago (is it really that long?) I had several carrier bags with different projects ready to sew. The rabbit was one of them. The last mishap with this creature was that I lost  the front bodice piece for the nightgown. I always hoped I'd come across it eventually (and I might still do), but in the end I decided to cut a whole new nightdress and as the listing deadline for this YDC was fast approaching I spent a day doing little else apart from sewing. I am pleased with the result and hope the winner of the little grey rabbit will be too

YDC knitting project

well, I have been home for a couple of weeks now. The poor rabbit is still as unfinished as ever. BUT I have completed a piece of knitting that was auctioned off for charity a few months ago. The auction was for me to knit something the winner chose. Of course I had in mind something like a jumper - nice and easy to follow a pattern. Well, I was given a challenge: to knit a blanket. Size anything from a lap blanket upwards in autumn colours, but not really with pictures. A lap blanket it turned out to be. I had a stylised landscape in mind and even if I say so myself I think it has turned out well. Let's hope the winner thinks so too. I did have to leave it from time to time when the weather got too hot. It is not much fun knitting with sweaty hands.

Anyway, here is a picture of the finished item, so you can judge for yourself. And don't be shy in commenting: I can take it

teaching lace making

Well, I am currently on holiday and my sister has requested that I show here how to use some lace bobbins she was given. Here I have to say that 1st: I am a lousy teacher, and 2nd: I haven't touched my lacemaking stuff for ages. It didn't start very well, because I had forgotten how to start. We wound the bobbins (that was the easy bit) and then I had to think. In the end I tried a couple of ways and my sister grasped the basic technique very quickly. But looking at the work after a bit I could see that I had forgotten something. So everything was ripped apart and I slept on it. And just before dropping off, I remembered what I was doing wrong. (Does anyone else have such illuminating thoughts before going to sleep?) So I could show her the next day what we had been missing and things progressed nicely. I can now say that I am very pleased she has bought herself a beginners book, which will be of far greater benefit than my so called tuition.
Next week I am going home and I will do my best to complete the rabbit. I might try and offer it in the September YDC auctions. And of course there is my heirloom lace waiting to be completed. It's been waiting a few years....

Still no rabbit

I can't believe that I haven't been near the sewing machine, so the poor rabbit is still armless, unstuffed and undressed. Maybe this month will prove to be a more successful one in that area. The card making really is adictive and I keep going back to it. I decided to experiment with gold and silver card, using that cardstock as the base for the card, rather than just on a small area. Well, I will not rpeat it, although the end product looks ok after covering a large part of the shiny surface with paper etc. So that was a waste of the fairly expensive card.

Above are the results. The silver, black and white ones are actually quite striking, but it is really quite difficult to get the balance between shiny card and decoration right

Bits of card and what to do with it

Well, I had good intentions to get back to my sewing. alas the rabbit is still only half done. There is a German saying: Der Weg zur Hölle ist mit guten Vorsätzen gepflastert. (The path to hell is paved with good intensions) But I am digressing...
Having made all these lovely cards (you can see them all here ) I found that I had bits of card left, too good to just throw away. So what to do? I pondered and played a bit and then I realised they were just the right size for BOOKMARKS. So that is what I did the last few days. Today I laminated them and added a few to my charity auctions on ebid.net. The rest will make a nice present for when I sell a book. So problem solved.
Just must share this funny incident with the world. I decided to add a little glitter to one of the cards I finished today. I got the glitter pot out, put the glue on the appropriate areas and then dipped the card into the glitter. I shook of all the excess back into the pot and then I took a deep breath and blew to remove a few stray bits of glitter................totally forgetting that the lid was still off the glitter pot. My t-shirt still sparkles and I expect so does my hair.
Here is THE card and a bookmark ore two

Back to cards

I am beginning to get addicted to card making and at this rate I will either have to start writing to lots of people using snail mail or look at the possibility of selling them. I started again with the last of my mistakes (using wrong type of card) Well, I am quite pleased with the result and it is strong enough to stand up now

and here is the reverse strengthened by some printed card

I had so much fun that I didn't do much else apart from producing cards (too many to show them all here) but this is one I am particularly proud of. And it is earmarked for a very good friend of mine.

Just a couple more and then it's back to do some sewing - there is a half finished rabbit on my sewing table

Sewing - the sequel

Ok, the bags are done and are doing very well in the charity auctions. I then found some carrier bags that had cut out items in them, ready to sew. (I do cutting out en masse, as it is so messy) I started with a teddy bear, and to begin with the sewing machine behaved itself, but alas, it didn't last long. I got so frustrated again, that I followed the sensible advice from another ebid seller and dug out my old machine and used that instead. Oh how I wish I had done that earlier. It runs like a dream. When ted was finished, I made a cockerel - both are now listed in the YDC charity auctions on ebid.net. I am proud to present them both