How Do You Eat an Elephant?

How do you eat an elephant? The answer is one mouthful at a time, and this has to be my mantra for the next week, month, or more.
I have returned from a wonderful holiday with my family in Cornwall. We had glorious weather and a great time.

We feasted on fresh locally caught fish at idyllic pubs. We sampled the local saffron bread. (I have acquired a recipe, and can't wait to try and re-create it) and relaxed on the wonderful beaches.
If you're wondering why we made a sand turtle, not a sandcastle, it's a Canadian thing apparently - it was a first for me, and just as much fun as a castle!

We were staying on the Lizard and the beaches and scenery were breathtaking. Top left is Lizard Point, the next two are Kynance Cove and the bottom right is Hendra beach. It never ceases to amaze me that if you are just prepared to walk a little way, you can virtually have a beach to yourselves. We swam and fished and generally relaxed, enjoying precious moments of family togetherness.

The villages were so pretty and I love the aqua, red and white splashes of colour in the harbours. And a boat as a flower tub?? I don't think it would have quite the same effect in the Midlands!

So now I'm back home, and my son and daughter-in-law have gone back to Canada. I have a love-hate relationship with airports. They're exciting, bubbly places if I'm there to meet them off an incoming flight, but places of tears and heartache if I'm saying goodbye, especially when I don't know when I'll see them again. But life has to go on, and at least in this day and age we have Skype  and FaceTime, so I should count my blessings.

Inevitably thoughts now turn to tasks that need to be done and works in progress that need to be progressed and that's where the elephant comes in:
I have soooooo many projects to finish, and even more in my head, jostling for first place on the starting line.
I have my Greenfields knitting projects to do....and I'm way behind with those. By my calculation we are 33 weeks into the year, so I should have 33 completed baby items.......I only have 29 and enthusiasm is waning.

Not the enthusiasm for the knitting, just for the yarn that I'm using. I'm left with drab or odd colours that don't make good baby clothes. The point of the exercise is to use up my stash, so I can't justify buying some really cheerful colours to add to it, well, not yet, anyway. I may have to if the finished items start to look really awful!
I have my Swoon quilt to complete - now I don't need any encouragement to work on this, just time.

I need to do a lot more work on my Farmer's Wife quilt. This is supposed to be a quiet moments project, not a "must get done" type, but it keeps getting pushed to the back of the pile.

I have the Rows Quilt Along from Bee in My Bonnet to finish that I started about this time last year, and haven't done any more to since. Ooops!!

I have at least 4 new knitting patterns at various stages of completion for the Etsy and Craftsy shops, and I need to get these done!! Some are so ridiculously close to being finished, I don't know why I haven't done them ages ago.

I have so many ideas for quilty things in my head that it's fit to burst, but I can't start them until I have completed a few of the WIPs, and finally (saving the best till last here) I have a ton of baby knitting, baby sewing and nursery sewing that I want to do because I recently heard that one of my nieces is expecting a baby in February!!! I shall be a great aunt! Yikes, that makes me feel so old!!! My niece is a great photographer too, so maybe, just maybe I shall have a new little model for some of my patterns as well.
I've told myself I can't start any happy, exciting, super special baby projects until some of the WIPs are completed, so in order to stop myself rushing frantically from one half finished project to another, picking them up, putting them down, and generally being in too much of a tizz to finish anything, I have to adopt the "one bite of the elephant at a time" policy and go steadily and methodically through the backlog,  and see if I can get caught up enough to unleash some of the new project ideas buzzing around in my head.
At least it means I don't have too much time to miss my family!
If you have any techniques to help get you through the unfinished projects in your life, please share them with me.

More Sewing For Me

It's not often that I sew for me, it's usually for family, friends or charity, but this is the second thing I've made in a week.
It was a last minute make, another top for my upcoming holiday. I started it at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon and had it finished by the time i went to bed!! I do love projects like that.
This is the Sorbetto top by Collette Patterns and it's a free download.
There are so many wonderful things about this pattern - apart from the fact that it's free!!
Firstly, it's very, very simple.
It uses very little fabric - I had an oddment that was perfect for this top.
It's quick to make.
It's a very flattering fit.
It is very easy to embellish with different trims, buttons, or a frill for instance, so you can use the same pattern time and time again and all your tops will look different.

There are no arm or neck facings, just a bias edging, so you can choose to make it match or contrast. I love my contrasting bias edging. I'm so glad I didn't have enough of the main fabric. I might have been tempted to use that. The fabric I used for the edging is an oddment of voile that I had. It's the perfect colour match, but I did wonder if it was going to be sturdy enough. I needn't have been concerned. It was a little tricky to put through the bias maker as it was so flimsy, but after that it worked wonderfully.

Have you ever used a bias maker before? I have to confess to having mine for about a year, and this was the first time I'd used it! It won't be the last, it was so easy to use. You just cut your bias strips, join them together, pass them through the wide end of the gadget and iron them as they come out the other end ready folded - so simple!!

I added three tiny square buttons to the pleated front to complete the look. By tiny, I mean really tiny! These are scrapbook embellishment buttons and less than 1 centimetre in size. 

I think this top might become one of my favourites. Let's hope there is enough summer weather still to come to be able to wear it.

sewing with Knits

 Finally, I have had a go at sewing with knits. I've been dressmaking as long as I can remember - dresses, skirts, shorts, even my own wedding dress!, but I've never sewn with knits before.
Sometime last year I bought the Craftsy class Sewing with Knits. 

I've watched it several times over, but never actually practised what I watched......until now. The trigger was a visit to Stratford upon Avon with a friend, where we came upon a lovely little sewing shop Sew Me Something. It's only tiny, and we didn't have long to browse, but  low down in a corner I spotted some organic cotton knit jersey. How wonderful! I bought 2 metres on the spot without any idea of what I was going to make with it, and made a good mental note of what colours they had for future reference.
So now it was time to put the class viewing into practise.
I didn't want to use my precious organic cotton for my first attempt so I found some knit jersey with the right amount of stretch in my local John Lewis.
It isn't cotton though, it's viscose, and I have to say I wouldn't buy viscose again. It was slippery to work with and I don't really like the feel of it against my skin.
I made the scoop neck T shirt, which is the second project in the class.
I had to buy a few new tools or notions that were recommended.
First, some ballpoint pins:

Regular pins would make holes in the knit fabric. These were easy to find.They stocked them in John Lewis and I also saw them in Sew Me Something in Stratford.

Also I needed some transparent elastic to reinforce the shoulder seams.

I managed to find this, but it was slightly wider than recommended. I shall continue to look for some that is a little narrower.

Finally, I needed a twin needle for sewing machine in order to get the nice double row of stretch stitching along the bottom and sleeve hems.

This I managed to find online from a Bernina sewing machine specialist.
I thoroughly enjoyed following the class.  Cutting out the fabric was probably the hardest part because it was so slippery. It took a long time to make sure the pattern pieces were exactly along the line of the wales in the fabric, but it was worth the effort.
I have an overlocker machine, so sewing the seams was easy. Yes, I have to confess, I've had it for several years, and only used it for neatening seams. (I'm sure I'm not alone in that!).
Sewing the neck band in place was not quite so easy. At the first attempt I decided it was a teeny bit too loose, so I shortened it and then it puckered very slightly, right at the front of the scoop.

It doesn't really show when I'm wearing it, but I've learned not to meddle too much next time!!

Having now made a basic T shirt, I feel confident enough to use my organic cotton and start adding my own design elements to future T shirt makes. I'm think cuffs and button tabs on the sleeves, raw edge rolled finishes on the neck band, pockets and cotton lace inserts.

It certainly isn't cheaper to make your own T, but it's a lot more fun!!

I totally recommend this class if you are considering branching out into sewing with knits. Meg McElwee is a lovely teacher. She fills you with confidence and inspires you to have a go. The detailed stages are easy to follow and I learned a lot about the different types of knit fabrics that are available.
I shall definitely be buying a lot more knit fabric (hopefully organic!) in the future.

Summer Days

Don't you just love long summer days? I know we all moaned about the cold winter, the late spring (did we actually get one?!) and the fact that we thought summer would never ever arrive, but now it's here I'm enjoying every single moment of it.

I have spent so much time outdoors and eaten such extravagant portions of home grown fruit over the last few weeks that my vitamin intake must surely be super high at the moment.

I love being in the garden, tending my little veggie plot (all organic of course!)

Harvesting the crops is a major daily job at the moment.

I have eaten a lot of freshly picked produce for the last few weeks and my neighbours and family are probably getting a little tired of being offered what I can't eat or freeze. First it was the raspberries, now it's the mange tout.

and next week I think it will be the redcurrants and the courgettes.

With the slowing of pace that hot sunny days bring, not a lot of sewing or knitting is getting done.

I'm looking after this little guy again for my son and his fiancee whilst they are away, too.

By the time we've been for our morning walk a long cool rest is needed (well actually it's only me that needs the rest. He's ready for more action!

But I am managing a little sewing, sitting under the patio umbrella. It's not what you would expect.....

I'm using felt, and wadding, and pelmet vilene and embroidery thread.....

Can you guess what it is ? I do hope so, because I haven't got time to start over!

It's pizza! Felt pizza! It's not finished yet, I'm going to add toppings of course - mushrooms, peppers, maybe even a few olives. Mmmmmn, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

And why am I making felt pizza?

My daughter-in-law gets to teach a new year group next term - kindergarten. That's reception to us Brits. Unlike in this country, schools in Toronto don't provide as much classroom equipment. The teachers have to get their own, and as she is changing year group she will need a lot of new stuff.

I have a loads of felt stashed away, so I'm putting it to good use. Felt pizzas will be a fun way to introduce simple fractions, and will double up as an imaginative play prop at the same time.

I bought the pattern on Etsy and hopefully when it's finished it might look something like this, minus the board, cutter and accoutrements.

Finished photos next week hopefully. Enjoy the sun whilst it lasts!

A Quilt Finish!

Yay! I have another quilt finish! This one grew from an idea I had whilst making this strip for the Strip Sewing Bee that I'm part of. 

The blocks were fun to make, but there was always the concern in the back of my mind that if I wasn't 100% accurate they wouldn't match up very easily. So I made the blocks using 2 charm packs from the same line, trimmed them and sashed them so that took all the worries about lack of accuracy away. 

I love the contrast of the grey sashing. I think it's Kona Mid Grey.

Crawling about on the floor, pin basting the sandwich was NOT fun in the 30 degrees heat we have at the moment. It became my own personal hot yoga studio!!

But sitting in the shade, hand sewing the back of the binding was sheer delight!

It will serve as a quilt in the guest bedroom until my Swoon is finished.

Quilt back is organic cotton by Nancy Mims from the Free to Grow line. It's no longer available unfortunately. I've had mine a good while and it was a great match for this quiilt.

The binding is also organic - just a solid aqua.

I've written up the pattern, and added it to my Craftsy store

Details: Used:  2 charm packs (Honey Honey by Moda), Kona snow for background and cornerstones,  

              Kona mid-grey for sashing.

              Quilted with straight line quilting 1/4" away from either side of the sashing

              and each diagonal seam line.

              Finished size: 57" x 66"

Swoon Block #1

You can't imagine how enjoyable making this block was. Prior to making this, I had been working on something with really small pieces and so to up the scale of things for this block was fun, relaxing and had me smiling from ear to ear!

This block is huge!! It's 24" square and there are only 9 of them in the entire quilt. I'm a ninth of the way there already!

This is my colour palette, two prints used in each block, so most prints will get used twice. I have high hopes for this quilt.

In addition to being fun to make, it also appeals to my frugal side. See my flying geese units all piled up here? (sorry, blue ones only - forgot to photograph the grey ones!)

As I made the geese I sewed a second seam line 1/2" from the diagonal geese construction seam line.....

 so that when I cut the fabric away through the centre of the two lines ............

it gave me a bonus half square triangle unit

And the really, really nice thing about these is that when trimmed they will measure 2 1/2" square, so they're a perfect addition to my bag of jelly roll oddments, and by the time I've made the other 8 Swoon blocks, this little pile

will almost make a baby quilt in itself!

Feeling Thankful

I feel very fortunate. The weather here has been glorious for the last few days, and I have been able to enjoy it, pretty much as I choose.
I've spent quality time with family and friends, and done some sewing.
I've been able to enjoy my garden to the full.....

and pick fresh, organic raspberries, strawberries, black currants and mange tout - one of my favourite delights of the summer!

And then on Saturday a Facebook post made me think "I am so fortunate!
The post was from LILY (Love in the Language of Yarn) asking for more knitted squares for blankets for refugee children.
This is what they said:

"The humanitarian crisis in Syria and neighbouring countries is at critical levels.1.6 million Syrians are now seeking shelter outside their homeland. Over half of them are children.

The number of registered refugees has increased 17-fold in the past year and the 2 millionth refugee is expected to flee this summer.

'LILY' with the help of our knitters and crocheters worldwide have so far provided warm, comforting, handmade blankets for 6,214 refugee children here in Turkey.

But the crisis is growing and we must reach more children. We urgently need your support to continue our vital work.

Our blankets are lovingly made by adults and children from all walks of life and many different countries around the wold. They provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to Syrian refugee children who have been made homeless by war and will send a message of concern and hope. Your participation is important in sending this message of hope, the thought that someone cares, that this beautiful, handmade blanket was created especially for them. It doesn't really matter what it looks like: even the most basic knitted blanket patterns will yield perfect results – a smile.

Please consider making a square or two, any spare wool you have can be knitted, crocheted or woven into eight inch squares and then we'll stitch them all together into a blanket. We get together every week to sew the squares together into blankets so that a child with nothing gets a warm and colourful, cover for their bed!"

Of course I had to knit some squares!! How could I not!

They didn't take long - I was able to sit and knit outside, enjoying the garden at the same time, so if you have a little spare time and would like to contribute some  8 "squares, I'm sure they would be appreciated.

The address to send them to is:  LILY c/o Dianne Jones

                                                Turkmen Mahlesi

                                                Unlu Sokak No 10  D4

                                                Kusadasi

                                                Aydin

                                                Turkey

And incase you're wondering, it cost me £3.50 to send these three squares to Turkey, which I will admit is quite a lot, but what price do you put on some warmth and comfort for a child who has had their world turned upside down? Maybe even more importantly, it's £3.50 to let them know that someone, somewhere, maybe in a far off land, cares about their plight and is willing o give time and effort to help them. You can't put a price on that!

The squares can be knit or crocheted however you prefer. You can of course just knit straight rows, but if you want to knit the diagonal square as I have done. It gives a nice finished edge to the square and the increasing and then decreasing makes it more interesting to knit

Cast on 2sts

Knit into the front and back of the first stitch, Knit 1    (3sts)

Next Row: Knit into the front and back of the first stitch, Knit 2    (4sts)

Next Row: Knit into the front and back of the first stitch, Knit to end    

  Repeat until the side edge measures 8"  (I was using double knit yarn and 3.75mm needles and for me       this was when I had 60 stitched on my needle)

Next Row: Knit

Next Row: Knit 2 together, knit to end

Repeat this row until you have just 2 sts left.

Next Row: Knit 2 together, cut yarn and sew in ends.

Remember, they accept knitted or crocheted squares, and you'll make someone's life a tiny bit happier :)