Almost finished the back of the current cardi. Colourway is browns, russet, mustard, red, orange, cream and acid green, with scraps of previous knits in blue, pink, different orange etc thrown in at random. All worked in a mindless intarsia of 10 st x 12 row blocks, 19 to the row, so, yes, quite baggy.
@la vie en rouge that pattern looks very elegant. I had wondered about it being described as "easy" but looked at a tutorial on princess seams and it made sense.
@Firenze your mixture of colours sounds like an amazing combination.
After going to 5 other needlework shops across the city I finally found the shade of white I need for the badger cross stitch I'm planning for a friend. It was in the shop closest to home but most difficult to access as only 6 buses go past every day, so it involved a long walk.
Apparently an expected delivery of craft supplies hasn't arrived in the country, so there are a few frustrated stitchers who can't find what they want. Maybe we should picket the importers.
How did your dormouse turn out @Sarasa? More importantly I think is did you enjoy making it?
I really enjoyed the workshop, and though my dormouse is a bit rough and ready I think it was OK for a first attempt. The person running the class took our pieces away to fire and paint for us, so I'll know in a couple of week what it really looks like.
Today I've been 'helping' my neighbour make a dress for me to wear at a Regency ball I'm attending next week. I didn't do much as she soon realised I'm no dressmaker. I'm feeling rather guilty as she's basically re-drawn the pattern to make it suit me better and given herself loads of work. Quite a few bottles of wine will be heading her way!
The jumpsuit is coming along nicely, but I have another more urgent project in the meantime. Captain Pyjamas does a theatre workshop on Wednesday afternoon and has told me a bit late in the day about the costume he needs for their upcoming play. It is a retelling of the story of the Frog Prince and Captain P is playing the eponymous hero. The teacher has told me not to buy anything but to put something together using what we already have. Fortunately I have a sewing machine and I'm not afraid to use it
I recently bought a pattern for making him new school overalls, and have adapted it to make a tunic, cutting up the remains of the same bedsheet that previously reincarnated as an apron. After thorough scouring my stash, I have come up with some dark red satin and various haberdashery to decorate it with. We have shiny paper to make a crown, and I also have dark green sweatshirt fabric which I might attempt to turn into flippers. Can you tell I love fancy dress?
I miss fancy dress with my kids. Youngest (who is pictured as 'Thing 1' somewhere on these walls, blue hair and everything) is apparently bringing her boy to meet us for an hour today, for the first time. Make the most of it LVER, it goes like 'pffft'!
White of course, and any other lighter colors. I am thinking a star, moon picture. I have also seen people make a bubble picture with white outline of bubbles, and color reflections inside of the bubbles. I am a craft type painter. If you scroll down this artist used back paper for some of his art. https://www.instagram.com/ceruleanstudioart/
@la vie en rouge I stand by my earlier comment, that looks great!
@Graven Image When I was younger and my vision was better, I worked some cross stitch on black aida cloth (an evenweave fabric designed so the holes are really clear). I was surprised at how much difference it made, the lightest colours almost glowed against the black background.
I have finished the jumpsuit. I wore it to church this morning (with a long string of pearls, Audrey Hepburn style ) and got a load of compliments on it. I'm so chuffed I think I might make another one in a different colour.
My dormouse came back from the firing and painting and it looked so much better. I've now signed up for a class to make a robin, it'll be useful as part of my Christmas decorations.
I've also finally finished a baby's jumper for a colleague who is expecting. I could see loads of mistakes in it but my husband thought it was cute and the recipient seemed to like it.
I've sent off for some gorgeous fabric to make new blinds for my bedroom windows - deep blue with a star field. I asked at Dunelms, and nobody knew how to take down an existing Roman blind to replace it with a new one without doing all the fittings as well (which are already there, of course), so I'm improvising!
It seems as if, once the Roman blinds are fitted, that's it, forever - does nobody wash curtains any more?
In embroidery news, Mrs Sioni has uncovered her record UFO (unfinished object) which she started 50+ years ago. Yes, she started young, but it’s still in the stash and not the shelf of shame.
(Some of my projects have been on the SofS for 30 years. I’m sure I’ll get a Round Tooit one day).
The cardigan mentioned upthread is now long finished. The current knit is a weskit using the Kaffe Fassett Persian poppy motif - creams, gold, yellow, acid green on a background of browns, russet and a bright blue.
I've also finished a tapestry (Mr Fassett again, an aubergine with foliage on a blue background) and embarked on another one, of a frog. Both will end up - eventually - as cushions in the dining room.
In embroidery news, Mrs Sioni has uncovered her record UFO (unfinished object) which she started 50+ years ago. Yes, she started young, but it’s still in the stash and not the shelf of shame.
(Some of my projects have been on the SofS for 30 years. I’m sure I’ll get a Round Tooit one day).
Funnily enough, soneone sent me one of those only a couple of weeks ago!
A black friend joked about where are all the black fairies, and all she sees are white ones. So I am making her a black Christmas fairy. I purchased a kit, which came with white material for the body. She is right. I am thinking I could use coffee or tea to dye the material. I have done that with cotton before, but this is some kind of shiny synthetic material. I am thinking if it may not take the color, I could buy some white cotton and remake the pattern, or maybe buy some brown material. The problem of course is that there are no longer any fabric stores in my area. I remember when there used to be two or three. Buying fabric on line is not the same.
Not sure this quite fits the thread but I have spent 3-4 days constructing a timber platform to raise Mrs Feet's desk chair* around 5 inches off the floor. I'm not a carpenter or joiner by any stretch of the imagination but I feel quite proud of my efforts. A cheap jig for keeping my circular saw parallel to the edge of what I'm cutting was particularly useful (I notoriously can't cut straight) though quite heavy to wield for repeated cuts. A bit of a learning curve as I've never built anything more complex than shelves before.
*some explanation is required: Mrs feet lives with a number of chronic conditions that cause considerable pain and fatigue, so to maximise her ability to be active her desk chair is a cloud chair (think a small mattress surrounded by memory foam to make a low armchair with footrest) and her desk is mounted on wheels allowing it to be pulled in and out. The chair's base is around 130 by 170cm.
Speaking of home made, Pop, my maternal Grandfather was a plumber. He worked in tin, and wasn't much good working with wood. When mum was a teenager and needed a bedside table he made it out of tin and painted it white. She still had it for many years in our family home.
I'm currently cross stitching a badger. A friend of mine regards badgers as his spirit animals (I blame Wind in the Willows ) so hopefully he will be getting it for Christmas.
The amount of rude words that accompanied my stitching doen't seem to worry Aroha, my cat who is snoring on another chair.
Speaking of home made, Pop, my maternal Grandfather was a plumber. He worked in tin, and wasn't much good working with wood. When mum was a teenager and needed a bedside table he made it out of tin and painted it white. She still had it for many years in our family home.
I'm currently cross stitching a badger. A friend of mine regards badgers as his spirit animals (I blame Wind in the Willows ) so hopefully he will be getting it for Christmas.
The amount of rude words that accompanied my stitching doen't seem to worry Aroha, my cat who is snoring on another chair.
A tin bedside table sounds great! Sheet metalwork is a whole thing of its own. I am not very good at it; there's an Iranian bloke on youtube who does videos of his traditional tinwork (it's 'tinplate' really, which is thin steel plated in tin to stop it rusting and make it easy (or, easier) to solder together).
He's really, really good. And only missing half a finger :-)
I think the cleverest bit is forming the channels to lock the two sides of the main joins in the cylindrical parts, which he does more-or-less freehand. And running part-formed pieces through his bending rolls, where somehow the forming he has already done doesn't end up squished in the rolls. I know it would if I did that!
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@Firenze your mixture of colours sounds like an amazing combination.
Apparently an expected delivery of craft supplies hasn't arrived in the country, so there are a few frustrated stitchers who can't find what they want. Maybe we should picket the importers.
I really enjoyed the workshop, and though my dormouse is a bit rough and ready I think it was OK for a first attempt. The person running the class took our pieces away to fire and paint for us, so I'll know in a couple of week what it really looks like.
Today I've been 'helping' my neighbour make a dress for me to wear at a Regency ball I'm attending next week. I didn't do much as she soon realised I'm no dressmaker. I'm feeling rather guilty as she's basically re-drawn the pattern to make it suit me better and given herself loads of work. Quite a few bottles of wine will be heading her way!
I recently bought a pattern for making him new school overalls, and have adapted it to make a tunic, cutting up the remains of the same bedsheet that previously reincarnated as an apron. After thorough scouring my stash, I have come up with some dark red satin and various haberdashery to decorate it with. We have shiny paper to make a crown, and I also have dark green sweatshirt fabric which I might attempt to turn into flippers. Can you tell I love fancy dress?
Ribbit
(I didn't bother making any bottoms because the Captain has a pair of black leggings that will do the job.)
@Graven Image When I was younger and my vision was better, I worked some cross stitch on black aida cloth (an evenweave fabric designed so the holes are really clear). I was surprised at how much difference it made, the lightest colours almost glowed against the black background.
I've also finally finished a baby's jumper for a colleague who is expecting. I could see loads of mistakes in it but my husband thought it was cute and the recipient seemed to like it.
It seems as if, once the Roman blinds are fitted, that's it, forever - does nobody wash curtains any more?
(Some of my projects have been on the SofS for 30 years. I’m sure I’ll get a Round Tooit one day).
I've also finished a tapestry (Mr Fassett again, an aubergine with foliage on a blue background) and embarked on another one, of a frog. Both will end up - eventually - as cushions in the dining room.
Funnily enough, soneone sent me one of those only a couple of weeks ago!
That was my next idea, if the brew does not take.
*some explanation is required: Mrs feet lives with a number of chronic conditions that cause considerable pain and fatigue, so to maximise her ability to be active her desk chair is a cloud chair (think a small mattress surrounded by memory foam to make a low armchair with footrest) and her desk is mounted on wheels allowing it to be pulled in and out. The chair's base is around 130 by 170cm.
I'm currently cross stitching a badger. A friend of mine regards badgers as his spirit animals (I blame Wind in the Willows ) so hopefully he will be getting it for Christmas.
The amount of rude words that accompanied my stitching doen't seem to worry Aroha, my cat who is snoring on another chair.
A tin bedside table sounds great! Sheet metalwork is a whole thing of its own. I am not very good at it; there's an Iranian bloke on youtube who does videos of his traditional tinwork (it's 'tinplate' really, which is thin steel plated in tin to stop it rusting and make it easy (or, easier) to solder together).
Here we go. He doesn't hang about!
He's really, really good. And only missing half a finger :-)
I think the cleverest bit is forming the channels to lock the two sides of the main joins in the cylindrical parts, which he does more-or-less freehand. And running part-formed pieces through his bending rolls, where somehow the forming he has already done doesn't end up squished in the rolls. I know it would if I did that!
This link should show some of my construction.
Hey, that's great. Indoor decking! :-)