A little birthday gift

Most members in our Caravan Club have handy little timber slat tables that fold up flat for easy storage. These little tables are just the right size to have beside our seats as we sit outside for morning tea (or lunch, or 4zees) enjoying the sunshine. Eileen was having a major birthday so I made her a little tablecloth to use on her caravan table. Used some special fabric that was printed with various English brand names. This was quite appropriate as both Eileen and her husband were born on Good Old Blighty.

However, on close inspection, the brand names were a letter or two incorrect, a way to get around copyright I expect . Such as Crys instead of Frys chocolate.

The birthday table cloth

I had two fabrics from this range and used a terracotta fabric for sashing and borders. Where was the label, Eileen wanted to know? Oops, better fix that up for her, I should know better than that, shouldn’t I?

Happy Birthday Eileen

I’m so excited!!

The apron I made for the great Christmas Apron Challenge has been featured on Karen’s Selvage Blog at www.selvageblog.blogspot.com. What an thrill this is!!

My Christmas Apron with selvages used on the bib

I shudder when I think of all those selvage strips that I used to cut off and throw away. Not any more – the Selvage Blog has so many ideas of what to do with them all. This is my first selvage project, but I certainly have plans for more.

My selvage collection

Cute little bags

I have made about eight of these cute little bags this year. Kept two for myself, a pink and a blue, and I use them for storing threads, needles, small scissors and the like, all the different things you need for stitching projects. The others, all made in this fabric featuring jars of buttons, I have sent away for overseas gifts during the year. The last little bag went as a birthday gift to my pen friend Carol in South Dakota, posted last week. The postie delivered the parcel on the correct day, how lucky was that! Now it has been received, I can finally show a picture of the cute little bag. I added different coloured buttons to the bags.

Christmas Bon Bons

The sewing machine has been humming as I’ve been hard at work trying to get all my stitching up to date in time for Christmas. At this time of the year, it’s rush, rush, rush with a million things to do. One of the easier projects I’ve done is make a few Christmas Bon Bons. Made from festive fabric with a nice toning or contrasting lining, I think they turned out out really well. The idea is to fill them with delicious wrapped chocolates or something similar. They would make cute little gifts to give away, or you could put one on each place setting on the Christmas Dinner table.

Christmas Bon Bons waiting to be filled with goodies

Jeans Bag? Yes, please!

Isn’t it great when one of the family want you to stitch them a gift! I had made a jeans bag some weeks ago for my eldest grand-daughter for her birthday and asked the younger one if she would perhaps like one for Christmas. “Yes please Nana, they’re cool. Could I have black jeans and red lining?”. No, she didn’t want any added embellishments, just a plain bag. So I went op-shopping looking for a pair of black jeans. The size didn’t matter. Plenty of blue demin jeans hanging up, then at last I found a nice black pair, and they had fancy details on the back pockets too. Just what I was looking for!

Black jeans bag with bright red lining

First thing was to give them a good hot wash and hang them out in the sun to dry. Then, chop the legs off and hem right across. Make a shoulder strap from one of the legs and stitch in place. Then make a lining, stitching that securely under the waistband. Last of all, cut down the triple seam on one of the legs, thread through waistband and knot ends. So easy, and best of all, I know Megan will love it. Perhaps I’ll put a little something extra in one of the pockets for her.

Back pocket detail

The original pattern was by Jan Knight and featured in Patchwork and Stitching Vol 4 No 2.

100 handmade Santa's

That’s what the small ad in the local newspaper said – a collection of 100 handmade Santa's on show at the home of local couple Moira and Allen. So I collected my friend Adele and we went for a drive to see all these Santa's on display. After all, Christmas is coming up fast so a “Santa fix” will get us in the Christmas spirit. Just inside the door was a large decorated Christmas Tree. A couple of youngsters were enthralled as they watched the train circle around and around the base. Allen was chief train driver and and he seemed to be having just as much fun as the children. Moira told us that she had made most of the faces for her creations, using tin foil and clay. Each figure was exquisitely dressed and we were invited to pick them up and check out their clothing. The display covered three rooms and we wandered slowly around admiring each and every Santa.

One of the many groupings

There was a delightful Nativity scene in the dining room, all dressed in hues of blue and purple. The three Kings were dressed luxuriously in shades of purple and gold. Mary and Joseph were more plainly dressed, and the shepherd was carrying a little black lamb. Moira told us that she had made the figure of baby Jesus herself from clay.

Nativity scene

There were other figures too. We noticed Charlie Chaplin, Merlin the Magician, Genghis Khan, an Inuit Eskimo and a setting of carol singers. Christmas wreaths and wall hangings adorned the walls and there were Christmas cushions and stocking scattered around. We loved the snow white Polar Claus, whose outfit was made from their daughter’s wedding dress. Polar Claus rides astride his own polar bear.

Polar Claus with his polar bear

There were Santa’s of every imaginable style, even a Surfboard Santa. All the items on display are lovingly made by hand and as a crafter myself, I can appreciate the time involved. Thank you Moira and Allen for so generously sharing the magic of Christmas.

Allen and Moira

The Christmas Apron Challenge

I had been sewing away diligently on my Christmas Apron challenge to get it completed in time for our November club night. Whew – did it with one week’s grace, that’s a relief. There is nothing worse than stitching right up to the moment you step out the door!! The challenge was to make a Christmas themed apron, of our own design. I am definitely a wearer of aprons – probably because I am a messy cook, so this challenge certainly took my fancy. So I went hunting for that commercial apron pattern that I knew I had from years gone by, (Butterick 4066). Remember those tissue paper patterns? And the trouble you have trying to fold them all up neatly afterwards and get all the bits back into the envelope? I decided to stitch the selvage from the Christmas fabric across the apron bib. The print was used for the straps, pockets and the apron hem, teamed with cream homespun. It didn’t turn out too bad, if I do say so myself.

My Christmas Apron featuring a selvedge bib

Last night my apron joined about 16 others hung up during my quilt club meeting. There were all sorts of variations on the theme, some had appliqué, some were embellished within an inch of their lives, and some just let the fabric speak for itself. There was a lovely Christmas Fairy flitting about the hall, and she stood still by the Christmas Tree just long enough for me to take her photo.

The Christmas Fairy

Voting time arrived and we oohad and aahed as we checked them all out and finally made our choice. Judging was by Viewers Choice, and I am happy to report that the apron I voted for was 1st equal. This was a fun competition and everyone enjoyed seeing the end results. Great work from all who took part.

First prize equal goes to Margaret and Anne