What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 641

 Hello Everyone,

Goodness, here I am actually in my craftroom for Julia's WOYWW and mid-project too. It's a miracle! 

But before I show my desk here's an update on Alan and how he's been doing since his fall last week. You might have heard that the ambulance service is under pressure here in the UK so it will be no surprise to hear that the paramedics didn't arrive until 9pm, full of apologies for the delay. They quickly examined Alan, dressed his wounds, and decided that there was nothing to be gained from taking him to A&E. (That, it turns out, was the right decision as there was a total of nine ambulances queuing up outside the A&E waiting to have their patients admitted.) Today, Alan is very much on the mend. He's been seen by the district nurse, had his dressings changed and she will be back to check on him regularly until the wounds have healed. I've left him making up a station for his model railway. It's his 83rd birthday tomorrow. 

And now the desk. No papercrafting but sewing going on this week. I've decided it's time for a change of cushion (pillow) covers now that it's feeling distinctly autumnal. I've had those tweed/wool scraps in my fabric stash for several years with no real idea of what I'd make with them ... maybe a bag or something similar. There's a very nice remnant of tweed, price £4.50, that will make a lovely border and backing for the cover. I should have it finished to show next week. 

The little box top left of the photo contains a wee sewing accoutrement I treated myself too. It's an origami triangle needle case made by Rachael of SewRayMe. Rachael's YouTube videos helped me through the dark days of Covid and it's aftermath when I didn't have the energy to do much of anything at all. And when she showed this little needlecase last week it intrigued me enough to want to add it to my sewing box. 

Here's what it looks like when opened out.

It's also the perfect size to pop into a handbag. Must find some pins and needles to put inside.

I also treated myself ... it's been that kind of week ... to this book.

Another from Debbie Shore - Sew Eco-Friendly. I'm thinking of Christmas ... that dreaded word already ... presents for the girls in the family, and what better than to make items that are not only pretty but useful and help the planet too. This book is full of lovely projects that are easy and quick to make from toweling and old t-shirts, not to mention some of the pretty fabric I've been hoarding forever.

And now it's the kitten bit.  I recently bought her a cat tree but as you can see she has grown and now has to curl herself into a ball to fit on the top platform. 

Not that she seems to mind. She sleeps there quite soundly for hours on end.

Which leads quite nicely to the funny for the week.

Yes, Silver never misses an opportunity to climb into a box. 

Before I go, an update on how young Alun is doing in the new job. It's early days but he seems to be enjoying the work, and getting to know his new workmates just fine. They sound like a good bunch that enjoy a bit of a joke and chat with him and he's coming home full of stories from the workplace. 

Have a good week everyone and stay safe. 

Bye for now,

Elizabeth

WOYWW 539

Hello Everyone,

It's the first What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday of October and I'm running late. Nothing unusual in that, of course, but I have been busy in the garden - yes, the sun is shining and it isn't so very cold. We've been tidying up ready for the gales that have been forecast. Which means there's nothing much on my workdesk today so here's a shot of what's on the sewing table instead.

I've been working on this unfinished cushion cover. Progress is slow but it will be done before December.

The quilting class at the community centre has started again. This term I'm making a table runner.  This is the first block - an eight-pointed star. The fabrics are printed with fruit and vegetables - very appropriate.

And now the book bit.

Jane Gilley's 'The Woman Who Kept Everything' tackles, through the story of 79-year-old Gloria, the very important issues of  hoarding, senile squalor syndrome, and the financial abuse of older adults. Whilst living among piles of magazines, cardboard boxes and the many knickknacks that she treasures, Gloria is unaware of just how desperate her living conditions appear to others.  This changes when a smell of burning suddenly forces her to leave, not only her home, but all her much loved possessions too. Her bully of a son. Cleg, dumps her in a home, clears her house and puts it up for sale - this without her knowledge or permission. On discovering this Gloria decides to pack a suitcase and go on various adventures in Skegness, London and Eastbourne. It's difficult to believe that a hoarder can change her ways so easily and quickly, but that aside I found it an enjoyable and uplifting story.

That's it from me today. Be sure to pop over to Julia's Stamping Ground to visit so many more desks today.

I hope you are having a wonderful WOYWW and wish you a great week ahead.

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - Week 439

November already. Where has the year, never mind the last two weeks, gone? It's been quite a while since I posted and I feel guilty. It's not as if I didn't have anything to report - it's been a busy old time - but there's been no crafting to show and an empty desk week after week can be pretty boring to look at. Anyway, I've found some time this evening to join in with Julia's What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday and reveal what's on mine today.

A patchwork block in progress. Hopefully it will be included in the quilt that we are making at the craft group I go to on Thursday afternoons. It will be our entry for a competition at the March Hobby Craft Exhibition at the SECC Glasgow.

And talking of the SECC here's a few photos taken when my daughter and I had a day out together at the October Hobby Craft Exhibition last Thursday.

Every year there's a winter tableau at the entrance to the show. This is the one for this year.

There was no large quilt exhibition to speak of this time - it's the Spring show that usually has one - but I did find these two hanging up at a stall.

There was a wonderful steampunk display. The tartan wedding dress and hat were simply stunning.

Sorry about the quality of the photo. I'm still learning how to use the camera on my new phone.

The Haywood Girls entertained us in the dining area with swing numbers from the 1940s. Lovely ladies they are too.

Of course, I couldn't go to a Hobby Craft show and not come home with a bit of a haul.

There was a lot of yarn stalls and I was tempted. Plenty there to keep me busy during the upcoming winter months.

I picked up this inexpensive bag of tweed scraps thinking I could, at last, maybe get around to trying some of the applique projects on a ebook/video 'Harris Tweed, Applique for Beginners' by Chris Hammacott, that's been on my shelf for a couple of years now.

Not so interesting perhaps but necessary, new bits and bobs - blades for the rotary cutter, Wonderweb for applique and magnetic fasteners for bag-making.

That's my winter taken care off.

I'll leave you with a couple of photos of our Molly. She's quite a handful, full of life, intelligent and needing to be endlessly entertained - one of the main reasons why I've not been able to write up posts for this blog recently.. At our age, the EM is almost 80 and I'll be 70 in a few weeks time, it's clear we're not as fit as you need to be to handle such a lively puppy. Anyway, here she is.

Here I am with her on a walk in Culzean Country Estate. As you can see she likes nothing better than to go rooting around in the undergrowth.

Take care everyone and have a very good week.

Gingham Card & Patchwork Block

Hello Everyone

It's been a wee while since my last post - I've been busy enjoying the last days of summer and a visit from my middle grandson ... the one that's a chef working away in Shetland - which meant that, unfortunately, I wasn't able to join in with yesterday's WOYWW.

However, I do have a couple of crafty makes to share today.

First up is this card.

It was made for the UKPC group challenge for August. The challenge BJ set us for this month was to use something gingham so I dug out an old paper pad and a some gingham ribbon as the basis for this card.

Supplies used:

• white square scalloped-edged card base - Make & Create from my local The Works shop
• a sheet of blue gingham patterned paper from the For Men pad (2010) from Wild Rose Studio, trimmed to fit the from of the base card leaving a small margin
• snippet of blue cardstock to make the base of the topper. 
• scallop edge square die from a set from The Works online store
• flower Stickeroo topper (Penny Black - sorry, no name) backed on to a snippet of white cardstock and trimmed to fit the inside of the scallop edge die-cut
• snippet of navy blue cardstock 
• butterfly die, also from The Works online store. The tiny hearts are the waste from the die cut
• navy blue ribbon to decorate.

Lots of snippets used here so I'm submitting this card to Pixie's Snippets Playground for this fortnight.

Also the current Butterfly Challenge where the challenge is for Y is for You Choose and/or Wedgewood Blue


And just because I've succeeded in making one here's my pinwheel block - the first I've ever made.

I think I mentioned in a previous post that the craft group I go to on Thursdays - Cake and Crafting with Shuttermonkey - has been challenged to make a quilt to be exhibited at a show, in the SECC Glasgow, in March next year. The colours we've chosen are black and white with a touch of red. I made this block with the help of a lady called Jean Truelove who demonstrated just how easy it is to make on this You Tube video.

That's it for me today. Apologies for being such an irregular blogger at the moment. I blame the summer - it's so distracting! Hopefully, as winter approaches I will find more time for the craft room and crafting. Today, however, I'm off out to the craft club to enjoy a bit of tea, cake, chat, oh, and crafting, with the ladies who craft.

You're comments are all welcome - I enjoy reading them immensely - and I will do my best to respond when I get back from the club.

I wish you all a lovely fun and crafty day.

WOYWW 427

Hello Deskers and All,

Joining in very late with What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday. Why so late? Well, I swapped my desk today.

To this! The weather has been so changeable for weeks now that we have to grab the sun when and where we can. So we took a picnic down to the beach and just relaxed.

We enjoyed watching a father and his two daughters flying this kite. Aren't the colours stunning?

Here's himself posing at the start/finish of The Lang Scots Mile. Not that he walked all that way today. With his knees! X-rays were taken on Monday and depending on the findings he may be in for a transplant so it could be a wee while before he's up to his walking tricks again.

Not a lot of crafty stuff to show for this week then but I did make another of the scrappy patchwork bags.

This one for my daughter Juli for her birthday last Thursday. It was filled it with lots of goodies.

And here's the birthday girl herself. Not the best of photos but the best I snapped on the day.

Thanks to those of you who left comments last week. If I didn't get back to you I can only apologise. Apologies too for not having anything more craft related to show you but times are difficult. Several family members are ill and needing a lot of support. This means I have very much less me time, even if I had the inclination, to spend crafting. And whilst I do my best even finding time to comment is proving to be equally difficult. Heavens, I'm even finding less and less time for blogging! It won't always be so, I'm sure, so please bear with me for now and hopefully things will improve soon.


In the meantime, I wish you all a very good week ahead.

WOYWW 421

Hi Everyone,

I'm back from my sojourn in the Highlands and I can report that it was fabulous. We even had a few wonderfully hot and sunny days. Sadly, the weather has been dismal since we returned on Sunday - could be that we've had our summer. Sigh. Enough. On to why I'm here, that'll be What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday over at Julia's, and why I'm so late, that'll be because I've been out most of the day at a patchwork/quilting class.

So not my usual desk today and please don't take a magnifying glass to those squares ... it will give the perfectionists among us a fit of the vapours. What you see are the side panels for a scrappy box bag. I'd love to show you the finished project but slow coach here didn't get it finished and, sadly, it's still a work in progress. Putting in the zip proved to be my Achilles Heel!!!

Here's a photo of some of the ladies beavering away.

We are in a former classroom in what is now Prestwick Community Centre but was at one time a Public School, built in 1882 to accommodate 350 pupils.

It's a lovely old building and it's also where the craft club I go to on Thursday afternoons is held.

I'll be back to share my make just as soon as it's done - hopefully, tomorrow.

In the meantime, I wish you all a very belated happy WOYWW and a great crafty week to come.

Work In Progress

Evening Everyone,

It's a quick post tonight.

I've just spent the last two days working on my patchworking homework in preparation for this morning's class. Tomorrow I'm meeting up with my daughter in Glasgow and we're off to the craft shows, there's three altogether - Hobbycrafts, Scottish Quilting and The Stitching & Sewing Show,  at the Exhibition Centre. All this gadding about is why I didn't join in with What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday this week - no time to snoop and leave comments.

Anyway, I thought I'd show you the work in progress instead.

Still two borders to add yet before the wadding and backing can be added to this topper. And I'm hoping to find just the right fabric for the backing at the sewing show tomorrow.

I have a list so all being well I'll be back to share my haul from the show on Saturday.

Take care everyone,

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - WOYWW Week 390

Hello Everyone,

Well, Blogger has decided to mess with my head again! More changes! I couldn't find a thing this morning. I can't see what was wrong with it as it was but I'm sure the powers that be in Blogger HQ know what they are doing!!!

Enough of that, on to what I'm here to share with Head Desker, Julia at the Stamping Ground, you and the world - what's on my desk today.

Yes, that is a dazzling ray of sunshine you can see lighting up my desk - after the recent below zero spell it's surprisingly warm and bright today - temperature 4°C - pleasantly balmy even. And, yes, it's a right old mess again. I seem to clear up one mess just to create another. Today it's because I'm piecing scraps of fabric together. The backing fabric I have for the quilt I'm making isn't quite wide enough so an insert made from scraps is the answer. And I need to finish it today because I'm off to class in the morning.

However, it's not all been sewing this week. I have managed to make a few Christmas cards - some of which can be seen in earlier posts but here's one that hasn't.

It's possible that you might recognise the topper - it featured in an earlier WOYWW post. That was at the beginning of the month. I left it lying on the corner of my desk waiting for the time and inspiration to do something with it. Finding the time is the real problem ... one I think we all share at this time of year ... it's all go, isn't it. In fact, I'm still reeling from a day of Christmas shopping on Monday, and my feet hurt!!!

Happy WOYWW and have a great week,

What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - WOYWW Week 389

Good Morning,

I'm here again for our weekly visit to the Stamping Ground, and to link up with our Head Desker, Julia to see what's on your desks today. Here's mine.The desk this week is a tip!

The photo was taken late Tuesday evening but, be assured, it's looking no better this morning ... no little cleaning fairy has been in and worked their magic overnight ... I wish! The mess and muddle is the result of having made a few, only a very few, cards and not clearing up as I go. There's a pile of cardstock to the right, the trimmer, a pack of dies, an embossing folder, a pack of die-cut words, ribbon, washi tape, baker's twine and so much more lurking beneath. The finished cards are in a pile top left - scroll down through earlier posts to see close-ups. Truth is, I've been too busy making other stuff.

For example, I've finished the hat I was working on last week and knitted another. Not in the picture is a fifth hat made from the leftovers.

And here's the patchwork quilt top I've been working on, in the class I go to fortnightly, finished and ready to be put together with the wadding and lining before quilting. Frankly, it's the quilting bit I'm most concerned about ... I've never tackled anything this big before. I can't even decide how I'm going to do the quilting - straight lines, diagonal, in-the-ditch ... so much choice and no idea!!!

Of course, there's a reason for all this frantic creativity. It's the pre-Christmas panic ... I'll be fine, eventually, once Christmas is over :)

Take care everyone and have a very happy WOYWW

Patchwork & Quilting - Blue Patch Quilter's Exhibition - the smaller projects

Back with the final set of photographs from the Blue Patch Quilter's Open Day Exhibition. This time just a few showing some of the smaller (and possibly more doable) patchwork projects that I couldn't help admiring.

The teeny weeny quilt on the washing line caught my eye on this fabulous bag.

I came away from the exhibition in awe of the work of the lovely ladies who made all the fabulous quilted project, large and small. Being able to see, and inspect, the work close up was inspiring and I came away with my head full of ideas for things I'd like to make in the future.

Hope you enjoyed seeing what the Blue Patch Quilters have been making. To see the exhibits in more detail do pop over to the Blue Patch Quilter blog where Sheila has provided a lovely slideshow to view and a whole lot more information about the exhibition. The funds raised go to a very worthy cause, Glasgow Children's Hospital, more commonly known as Yorkhill.

Patchwork & Quilting - Blue Patch Quilter's Exhibition - the smaller quilt

Back again with the second post about the quilts seen at the Blue Patch Quilter's Open Day Exhibition. This time it's the smaller quilted projects, many of which would make perfect wall hangings. Apologies in advance for the quality of a couple of the shots ... I blame it on the photographer :)

All superb little works of art.

Edit note: I read recently in a blog - sorry, I don't remember which one so I'm unable to provide a link - that some don't consider you a real quilter until you have made a large quilt. Well, I think these tiny quilts prove differently - only a real quilter could have made any one of them!

The third and last follows soon.