Blue-Work Tea Cosy

I was reading a new Quiltmania magazine which a friend kindly brought back for me from London, and found something which truly tickled my fancy: in French, the name for a 'tea-cosy' is 'cache-théieres', which translated means 'hide-tea-pot'!! Isn't that brill? I love translations which come out slightly off kilter...for instance, in Kiswahili, the phrase 'trying to get blood from a stone' translates along the lines of 'making the stone live'!
Anyhow, I've been working on making a birthday present for a friend and decided to try out one with blue-work panels which I've been working on in my head recently. (does blue-work have a hyphen, no hyphen, or all one word?)

These are the four panels, designed by moi-meme:

Here's the quilted cosy front, back and wadding (re-cycled fleece edging from a previous quilt):

...inside...



And the finished cosy:

Apart from the fleece making the cosy too stiff, I'm quite pleased with the way it turned out. Its actually blue fabric too, the unused belt off an old skirt- you'd be amazed how much fabric a belt yields when you unpick the seams!!

Picture this...

Here's the scenario:

You plug away at whatever it is you do in the day-time, then you come home and get on with the chores- laundry, cleaning, ironing, washing up, yadda yadda fill in the gaps for yourself...you prepare the dinner, serve it, tidy up, take whichever child to whichever activity it needs to attend, sit in the car for an hour or two reading and knitting, or dash to Tesco late opening for groceries, return home, give same child snack or hot chocolate depending on request, send it off to finish homework or watch TV quota, and at last you can relax!

You look at the clock, nearly 10 pm, hmmm, how to use the next hour before bed? You look at your sewing table...ok.... (read 'sewing chaos' for table), and then PING! lightbulb moment! you recall a pattern you are wanting to try out....
...and next thing you know its 3am, you are elbow deep in half made Log Cabin blocks, ankle deep in fabric scraps...its not even Friday, and a normal work day awaits in five hours....

Holy Jerusalem!

When will I learn NOT to begin new patchwork projects on week days after supper???

Recycled Placemat Tutorial

I said I'd show you how the mat was made (as opposed to how the West was Won?), here you are!



Materials:
old jeans,
old wool sweater washed on 'hot' to shrink,
part of old sheet,
and leftover patchwork strip.


The mat I made was about 10" x 14". First I cut about 11" off a leg of the jeans, trimmed off the bulky lower hem, and cut along each seam to remove. (trying to sew through these seams is likely to break the needle on your machine.)
Then I rejoined the pieces with a flat seam, and cut off about a 3" strip from one end.

This is where I inserted the strip of patchwork, just to jazz it up a bit...not too short...

and not too long!! Seam it together and iron flat, whichever way the fabric sits best.

Next, the shrunk and dilapidated sweater! Use your mat top to cut out a piece the right size- I used the back of the sweater, and remember to cut off any seams too.

Next, cut out backing from a piece of cotton, I used old sheeting. Layer them together, backing, wool, and place mat top, pinning or tacking flat together.

I machine quilted the layers fairly densely as I am anticipating much wear and tear on the mat, but choose as you like. The denim does take some sewing as its tough.

Next, I trimmed all four sides of the mat, ready to add the binding. If you want square corners, be my guest. I rounded them off to make it easier to sew on the binding.(because I'm lazy and couldn't be bothered with mitred corners?)

For the binding I cut a strip of cotton 1 1/2" wide. If you sew the binding on from the back, them when you fold it over you can machine stitch the front. I wouldn't normally do this, but the denim was too tough to hand stitch easily.

And hey presto! Bob's your Uncle!

One recycled mat, useful in all sorts of ways around the home!

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Apologies for the lateness of this post- mid-writing yesterday the most awful pain hit my head, after a weekend in bed with phantom ear-ache.

Doctor says no reason for pain, went to dentist...knew I'd regret that.

Butchery, to be finished in three weeks.

Jaw problems, to be seen to after that- knew I talked too much.

Today come out in ecczema and rash, body sympathising.

Yuck.

I'll be MIA for several days...I think....

Keep on sewin' sewin' sewin'

Yesterday I worked on a pinny for a little girl, to match the dress of the doll I made. Progress was good despite...
constantly tripping. Why does Ben-dog always leave his paws and tail lying around?

My Christmas Cactus is flowering! It is a much deeper crimson than in the photo but I think I need to take a photo in daylight. Last year it refused to do anything at all, so I'm very happy with it just now. The weather has turned quite cold so we've been keeping the fire 'in' day and night now. With the damper pushed in at night or when we are out of the house it just smoulders but it's lovely coming in to a warm living room and kitchen.

This morning I spent at school working on the Music. I had two 40min sessions with the older children, and Sos brought her flute in to work with us as well. A lot was achieved and we took a vote on how to present some of the songs ie. with/ without flute/ with flute playing descant/ with flute playing octave above voices/ ditch the flute/ add another class in for extra depth etc. I believe that if I give the children some choices they feel more involved and will work harder at giving a hearty presentation. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

Another thing I found interesting today was this: the main school piano can't be tuned to Concert Pitch, and so it is always a problem when the flute plays. It was ghastly out of tune today, possibly the weather, I don't know, so I explained to the children about Concert Pitch and the problem of tuning. They were FASCINATED! I was amazed! I tell you, the longer I work with children the less I understand how their minds work!

This afternoon I took Mom out to Drumcliffe to see a small Quilt Exhibition by Collette Sheerin in An Teach Ban Nua. A friend told me it was on as she knows I sew. Well there was no information about the lady or the quilts, some of which were for sale at upwards of €200 (cot-size and smaller). No photos were allowed as I wanted to take some to show you all. I'd have liked to know what she was aiming for as to me they looked pretty poorly made and I was awfully disappointed. Mom did a TYPICAL Mom thing and, as we were about to leave announced in her deaf-old-lady voice (which she is NOT) 'I think you are underpricing your work and my goodness but your quilts are much better made. I can see why they call it PATCH-work.'

OOPS!

P.S. You've just GOT to visit tomorrow because my sister says I may post some of her Trip Report from Antarctica. She had an ace time, returned to Ushuaia yesterday morning.

I sew all night, I sew all day...

All I've done today is sew patchwork! I decided to try a funky version of a Triple Irish Chain pattern.
This is the work in progress, I'll let you know how it progresses. Not sure whether it will work, but the jelly roll fabric is just gorgeous. If it doesn't work I'll rip it out and do a nine patch perhaps. Anyhow working with this fabric has been really up-lifting today!

The End of the World and a Daft Dog

Yesterday at lunch B remarked that she’d heard that Scientists had predicted the end of the world within the next few years and she hoped either it wasn’t true or that she wouldn’t be around for it.
H: Why?
B: All that chaos would be bad for my cholesterol.
H: (befuddled) Huh? D’you mean stress levels?
B: (pause, then doubtfully) Maybe…

Needless to say I laughed!

Ben-dog spent the afternoon leaping and pirouetting around the kitchen chasing flies, or maybe it was just one tricky fly. Finally he thought he had it cornered under the table with the microwave on, so he took a flying leap at it. His front paws skidded across the top of the kitchen compost bin and fell into the crate with cleaning stuff. Ben didn’t notice and took another snap at the fly thereby compounding the paw problem. Realised he was stuck and tried to lunge backwards, hit his head off the underneath of the table and brought down a rain of items off the top of the microwave on himself! He then had the nerve to turn round and gaze reproachfully at me as though the situation was MY fault!
Dilly calls the dogs ‘Thick Dog’ and ‘Stupid Brother’, justifiably! Back in their adolescent years she once threatened to can them and send them out to feed drought- stricken Africa, which we thought was rather sick. But since the girls grew up in Kenya and lived alongside people who were utterly dependant on the rains falling on time twice a year, she was, in her own deviant way, being quite practical…well, maybe? We adore them really, the dogs that is, not so sure about the girls….

The Hub has driven to Dublin today with the contents of Dilly’s flat which he retrieved less than a month ago! The lease was up on her flat so Dilly moved out, and since she didn’t have a job for the summer decided it was better to store her rubbish in the attic at home. Then when she and some friends were up doing the Shakespeare Festival (sleeping on floors) they were offered various part-time jobs in College and the Theatre, enough to justify taking on an apartment over the summer and for the next academic year. Hence the returning of ‘stuff’! With the drop in rent they’ve got a place within walking distance of College, paying the same as they were for much further out last year. So that’s good. Her Gran bought her a Bread-maker for her last birthday so I was just packing up flour and ingredients from the press. I wrapped the margarine in layers of newspaper so I hope it arrives intact to her fridge and not a dripping greasy puddle.
I started making all our bread about six years ago when I read an article in 'Prima' magazine concerning the amount of salt hidden in food, and bread in particular. Our growing girls were putting away large quantities of bought bread and I just couldn't ignore the possible damage to their health. Of course there's no comparison between bought and home-made bread, hot out of the oven all crumbly and butter melting and dripping down their chin? I was working full-time so I bought a Bread-maker and that, basically, was that! We're on our second Bread-maker as the first wore out beyond repair though the Hub kept it going beyond its normal life-span...handy marrying an engineer, I do recommend it!!!

Yesterday I got two squares made for the small quilt-wall-hanging I’m making. It is a Wedding present for a teacher at school so I am making twelve 6inch blocks. I’ve tried to choose blocks relevant to the couple- teacher and farmer. Yesterday I foundation-pieced a red tractor, and then paper pieced a ‘Bachelor’s Puzzle’ block! I also found a block entitled ‘Shortcut to School’ which I’m going to do next and of course a ‘Little Red Schoolhouse’. The first two turned out ok, without too much unpicking, or swearing…

Beginning!

Well I've grabbed the bull by the horns and have started a blog- I think it could be a swift, steep learning curve, but as long as I don't fly off into hyperspace I'll be OK. My children are the computer fundis (experts), but I like to pretend I am sort of competant.
With the lovely weather that's been in it this last fortnight the Hub condescended to attack part of the garden at the weekend so that I could plant out part of the plant nursery taking up the driveway...the part of the driveway closest to the front door where he would like to be able to park on wet days! He chopped and swore through weeds and long grass, then hacked everything out in chunks...including ALL the spring bulbs. Then he spent another few hours retrieving the bulbs from the compost bin. Great start! Or as the eldest daughter would text, 'Urr'.
I've been dress-making in the evenings over the last fortnight as the youngest daughter, B, was going on a week's School Trip and didn't have enough clothes to last a whole week. School uniform has many advantages, but it turns holidays into laundry nightmares. Two skirts she needed; I made one with blue patchwork in a band around the middle to eke out the fabric. The second skirt was made using two pairs of torn jeans, ripped apart and resewn in panels. Both turned out ok.
Now I have begun a green knitted dress for the eldest against winter smart-wear, its tough being a student and having to fund one's own wardrobe so I thought I'd help out. She chose the wool herself and its a lovely soft shade of green.