Wednesday 4 November 2015

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 335

Hello Deskers,

Missed the last couple of weeks - a rather traumatic root canal treatment over two weeks laid me low but, just like the bouncy clown my son had when he was a little, I'm bouncing back. And it's a whistle stop tour of my desks as they are this morning for Julia's WOYWW :)

The craft desk is covered in Christmas related stash today. I've been trying, not too successfully I have to add, catch up on making cards ... I'm so behind this year :( The basket is full of old packs of patterned paper - it's an attempt to use up what is already here rather than succumb to temptation and buy any of that gorgeous new stuff I keep seeing everywhere. The stamp sets are mostly freebie sets from magazines which I hope to make use of instead of just stashing them away as I usually do. Next to them is a pile of scrap card ready to made use of.
In the corner, on the sewing desk, is a table runner in the making. It's my first attempt at 'quilting-as-you-go' and it's not going as smoothly as I hoped. I had to take the stitch ripper to so many strips of fabric because the lining and the wadding were drifting ever further apart. I'm hoping by adjusting the pressure on the sewing machine foot and tacking the wadding to the lining, I may have cracked it - we'll see!

Talking of sewing, you may recall another project I was working on, a pram cover with a flock of birds appliqued over it. Here's the finished cover.
The top is made with a lovely white-on-white fabric that has a subtle all-over design of dragonflies on it. The birds, the inspiration for which came when I spotted a flock of starlings take of from a nearby tree, were cut from scraps of cotton and appliqued on to the cover using a zig-zag stitch.
I used fleece to line the cover.

Now I must go. I'm expecting a visit from two grandsons and our baby great-grandson any minute now, so I'll be back later to do a bit of blog-hopping.

Hope you are all having a wonderful day.

Happy WOYWW,

16 comments:

Annie said...

I dont know about being laid up. You've had a very productive time and what fab results too Elizabeth. I really hope your mouth is feeling much better now.
Have a great week.
Hugs,
Annie x # 24

CraftygasheadZo said...

What wonderful pictures, love those birds. I'm not doing the whole Christmas card thing this year except close family and friends. But like you I have bits and bobs left over or from magazines. Take care Zo xx 32

Stacy Sheldon said...

that blanket is so beautiful :) love that you are using up your stash on cards too! :) ~Stacy #46

Sofie V said...

I love the Christmas stash on your desk! Have fun making Christmas cards!

Greetings, Sofie #11
http://sofies-succulent-beads.blogspot.be/

Jill said...

You have a lot there to keep you busy. The bird quilt is very special indeed
Jill

Lisca said...

My box of Christmas stuff is still in a large box in the garage. I will have to get it out soon! I too have stamps from magazines, even from a few years back. Still perfectly usable. My relatives don't know what is in vogue in the craft world anyway. Any snow man or robin should be OK.
I love your birdie quilt/cover. How beautiful! Well done you.
I'm glad you are recovering from that dental treatment. That was not very pleasant.
Have a good week,
Lisca#25

Robyn Oliver said...

Busy, busy, busy lady Elizabeth...I'm seeing this quilting as you go and I think that will be my next quilting challenge...some nice Christmas fabrics..so runners are the go. The pram cover is beautiful love the bird flock. Have a super week Cheers RobynO#28

Shaz in Oz.CalligraphyCards said...

Hi Elizabeth. Thanks so very much for popping over and your lovely comments. Hard to believe that you started blogging so close to me!! And we're both still going, even more amazing!
Am down at drs in big smoke as write ths and just filling in time between appointments. Checkup and tests, nothing special. Wont get to craft shop, as take good part of day.

Love the quilt. .and I too have snippets overload and too feew Christmas cards made.
Hugs Shaz in Oz.xx

Helen said...

Don't know about quilting, but the birds are gorgeous! Glad you've recovered now. Helen 5

Hettie said...

Owch!!!! I dread the thought of dental work!!
Love that lap quilt. It is absolutely gorgeous.
Hugs
xx

Nikki said...

Good for you on using up what you already have its so tough not to buy all the new stash in the stores. I dread the dentist may you be feeling better soon hugs Nikki 10

Lunch Lady Jan said...

Ooh, root canal....shudders...am glad you're better now :-)
Do you know, I'm not convinced about quilt as you go either...it's ok for small projects like make up bags or cushion covers, but I didn't find it saved any time when I did this week's quilt. I really don't think I'll do it again. Much as I hate the quilting of patchwork stuff, it's best to do it all in one fell swoop at the end...for me anyway!
Hugs, LLJ 18 xxx

sandra de said...

lovely job on the quilt. Hope you are feeling better soon,.
sandra de @19

Twiglet said...

So glad you are bouncing back! That's a fab little birdie quilt - I fancy making some birdie collages for cards. x Jo

MagsB said...

I absolutely love the birds quilt, so pretty! And I really like your idea of using a basket to contain the papers you want to use up, I'll be pinching that idea once I've moved from the teeny tiny '3rd bedroom' to what was my daughter's room. At the moment half her books and half my craft stuff are in my craft hovel, and the rest in her old room. the result is, I genuinely don't know where most of my stuff is!!

But it'll be lovely when it's all done, and I hope your games room turned guest room is also lovely!!!

love Mags B x

Julia Dunnit said...

Oh Elizabeth, you have admirable patience....the runner would have got the better of me by now and gone into the pile of ARGH! Keep going, I know it will come good. The baby quilt is just gorgeous. I don't mean to enable or encourage you, but I find one or two new pieces toward my Christmas stash is all I need to get inspiration flowing....at least I'm pretty sure that it's the new stuff that eventuall drags an idea from me!!!