Cushions

I rather like making cushion covers. Here are two I have done recently.

The purple one is for Helen. The patchwork block was a reject from my quillow. And I know the purple in the borders doesn't 'go', but I wanted to get it finished without buying more fabric!

And the Mario is for my friend Paul. He's awesome.

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Images of Japan - Block 3

This month I receive the final pack in the Images of Japan quilt series. And so far, I have managed to actually get round to making three of the 11 blocks! Here's the latest ...

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Super Mario Bros patchwork block

I finally got round to finishing off my Mario patchwork block.It was a very labour intensive process - cutting dozens of 1.5 inch blocks, ironing them to the interfacing, sewing all the grid lines - but well worth it.

I'm calling this technique "pixel patchwork" and I think the finished look is just brilliant.

This will now be made into a cushion cover for my best friend Paul, hopefully in time for Christmas!

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Crafting with the Embroiderers' Guild

At our final Embroiderers' Guild meeting of the year we enjoyed a whole day of crafting.

In the morning Hilary showed us how to make felted bowls. Using merino wool tops and olive oil soap, along with some very hi-tech equipment including bubble wrap, a towel and a sandwich bag, we carefully crafted our vessels by layering the fibres then rubbing them all together. We could have gone on for hours! I made an extra one at home and decorated them with buttons and beads.

And in the afternoon Judith got us making some felt decorations. You can probably guess my favourite colours given that I did both projects in them! Very predictable!

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Making bath bombs

My friends Sarah and Lynne run a fab monthly craft group in Bramley and every now and then I manage to attend to have a natter and do some sewing. But last week they did something a bit different and organised a hands-on session at Lush in Leeds.

We got to make a bath bomb by mixing up the magic powder and squashing it into a mould. Although my first attempt wasn't quite up to standard (I didn't pack it well enough so it was a bit crumbly) it still made for a very relaxing bath after my 10k race!

This is my second attempt, which came out much better.

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Bad blogger

Yikes, nearly two months since my last post! I'm so ashamed, and the worst of it is I'm not even sure where all that time has gone. There has been a lot of WI business to keep me busy, not to mention a few days out for filming, the Knitting and Stitching Show and lots of spare time spent running. But still, how is it December already?!

Time for a quick picture then. This is my purple and pink quillow on display at the Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate! The West Yorkshire Federation of Women's Institutes has a stand and we showcase the entries from the craft competition as well as items made by Members at craft workshops.

I helped out for one morning and it was great fun. Then I spent the afternoon shopping!

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