May oh my

My oh my I can't believe just how fast this year is going.  I think it's due to the fact that I'm now working full time  (well almost - I do 4 and a half days a week) and the weekends just aren't long enough to do all the household chores, crafting, decorating, gardening etc.  I feel as if I'm constantly chasing my tail.  That said, I do have a wonderfully supportive husband that's happy to do grocery shopping, cooking and gardening so I really shouldn't complain. It's just that I sometimes wish I had a little more time for my crafting.

I found this, long forgotten, paper chain pack and decided to use the pretty paper to do some decoupage.  I'm going to cover a tissue box holder.

I made a start (still not finished) decoupaging an old lamp with tissue paper.  Not very artistic but it may revamp the lamp and help it live a little longer!

and while I had my sewing machine out I made lots of cushions for MissG's bedroom.

The rest of my free time this month has been taken up with my new friend Thelma - I think it's about time that I introduced her to you.  I think she deserves a post of her own!

to-do list

In view of our plan to move further oop north, I thought I should make a to-do list of all the jobs we need to tackle around the house before we put it on the market.  The list is quite long -  I'm not looking forward to doing the jobs but I am looking forward to ticking things off!

I also made a couple  of Christmas lists - one with ideas for presents and one with names for Christmas cards.

so sew

Yes, I managed to get into my craft room to get some sewing done.  Not as much as I'd have liked though because I was having real problems with my machine tension and the thread kept bunching up and  making a mess on the underside.  After three or four attempts to rectify the tension problem and lots of unpicking I gave up - aghh how frustrating.

Tonight while sitting in front of the TV with my iPad perched on my knees I watched a couple of YouTube videos on 'machine tension problems' and was able to go back in and fix it - just like that!  How we managed without 'google' I just don't know. 

So... I will be back sewing soon.  I have a couple of Christmas presents cut out and ready to sew and plan to have them finished by the end of the week.

something new

OOOOoooo isn't it a wonderful feeling when you try something new and you find that you love doing it! *Ahem*

Today I went to a 'freestyle machine embroidery' workshop and had a brilliant time. There was a group of about ten of us there armed with our sewing machines, fabrics, threads and embroidery hoops.

Although I love all sorts of crafts and I am the owner of a sewing machine I have only really used my machine for making cushion covers, curtains and the odd costume when the children were in school plays - my daughter played Angel Gabriel when she was about 8 (oh, how proud was I!).

Anyway, I'm trying to let you know just how basic my machine-sewing skills are, as is my dear old sewing machine. It is quite an old model and quite basic compared to the new ones available today. Saying that, have you ever sat down and just tried all the stitches available on your machine? I usually just run up a few seems in straight stitch and neaten off using zig-zag but the tutor encouraged us to try as many stitches as possible and I was surprised at just how many different stitches my 'old dear' had.

By the afternoon we had all gained control of our machine so we progressed to freestyle! Ooo this is where it got exciting. Our tutor demonstrated her drawing skills using the sewing machine to draw a very detailed fish, with scales, bubbles etc. She was able to draw using the machine as well as some of us could draw with pen and paper. She had some samples of her work to show us and her figurative drawings were like pen and ink illustrations - I was very impressed and inspired. Thank you Katie.

The afternoon flew by and I really wasn't ready to pack up and leave at the end of the day. My dear old machine will not be banished to her hiding place under the desk. She will be on the dining room table for the next few weeks, at least.