week 52: i am not a neutral

i am seriously in love with colour. am planning a lovely new bookshelf, full of colourful bits and bobs. am sure the husband will be horrified, but after being in an inspiring fashion designers home this past weekend, an eclectic mix of "stuff" I simply know it will make me more happy to live surrounded by colour and things i love, then to be in a minimalistic environment. the compromise is that i will confine my "stuff" to a bookshelf downstairs. wait till you see what i have planned.....

SO, in celebration of my colourful self, look what journey i am embarking on with the guidance of a clever friend, who is a hand quilter delux, and hand embroiderer and hand anythinger...

this is applique, with lots of hand embroidery, it is distinctive and so bright, bold and colourful i fell instantly in love.

i am going to go on a course, but couldn't wait so have been learning the hardway, alone, but loving it. its like picking up a good book which you just cannot put down.

watch this space...will post him again when i am finished.my work desk looks like a bomb has hit it...colourful thread, ric racs, cords pins, and bias all over, then i had to make a spring hat for the little man, so add glue, card, sellotape and glitter to the fray....yes, tidy up time.

till week 53 xoxoxoxoox

week 51

ahhh, nearly done with my challenge...and feeling more than a little sad about that.

week 51 saw us going to lots of parties, and my little man helped me make a present. he drew his friend on a piece of paper here:

and then we ironed it onto a t shirt and stitched it here:

 

he made the gift tag here

and voila, a lovely gift personalised by him.

 

i also tried some needle turn applique, you can tell here but this is in miniature, the giraffe is only about 8cm tall!

 

 

so thats that then for week 51 as the weather turns warmer and we get ready for spring!

week 50 and man down with a bug

this was a dreadful week....trying to work, cope with kids, and wanting to just sleep sleep sleep...
so this week was a write off but i do have something to post...my cathedral block. i made it a couple weeks ago but forgot to post it!

the beauty of this block is that its quilted as you go and makes a nice summer weight quilt with no batting needed. was so much fun i am teaching it in a class.

if anyone can tell me how to post a link to a word doc, i can load the instructions.

this is what the back looks like...

so thats it for week 50.

week 49

first, i must confess, nothing actually "new" nor not tried before this week.

BUT, and its a big but, for those of you who know me well....I have had a bumper long weekend of finishing. Yes, i said the swear word, "finishing".

Thursday, I was at a lose end, nana took the kids for the afternoon, and the house fell silent. husband was busy modelling (the tank version, not tanktop version) and i couldn't get a grip on starting something "new".

I looked around my art space.

quilts piled up. unfinished objects. lots of them. so i began. to Finish.

1. stitched on binding for the first proper quilt i ever made (8 years ago) see what i mean about being bad at Finishing?

2. stitched on binding of second quilt i ever made (also 8 years ago)

3. finished stitching and quilting my friends baby quilt - my something new here could be the hand quilting, which i have only ever done on wall hangings before, and not on quilt quilts.

4. finished stitching, bordering, and started quilting my houses quilt ( started in Stellenbosch over a  year ago)

5. nearly finished knitting my left hand wrist warmer that I started in week 48

6. added to my rapidly growing pile of hexagons

7. stitched a second row of my secret applique project - all will be revealed



SO. A round of applause. For starting to Finish.

house quilt bordered and pinned...

Hexagon pile grows....

i am feeling very satisfied, and strangely enough inspired again! inspired to start something NEW. all this finishing, it is rewarding and the prize is i don't need to feel guilty starting afresh. do i?!

Week 48

I have a jumpy eye. i am told it is stress related. best i start crafting MORE! told hubbie that I am not allowed to stress, but only to craft. he didn't believe me. i tried.

this is my project for week 48 - something new to me..cables...am very scared, but my knit club say its easy so am giving it a whirl. will let you know how i get on!

  

i also worked on a baby quilt this weekend. but am afraid i cannot show it here until september when it goes to the expectant mama. last time i posted a pressie on here, she saw it...see i have to kill two birds with one stone: bird one = challeng, bird two = gifts for friends!

you will have to take my word for it, made a new block, and worked on some old....lots of colour, lots of fun. i have a brand new book which am savouring, will share it with you next time. right now, its way past kids bedtime, and they are still watchign olympics...so best i go tuck them under their quilts xxx

ps. look at my loot from i heart market - for lovers of fine crafts and supporters of really clever people, its a must visit spot. first saturday of every month at moses mahbida stadium

 

Week 47 - 30 july

i treated myself to some delicious sock yarn...four balls was an extravagance but i told myself i deserved it. the plan: to make a blanket. it wasn't a very well thought out plan, in fact i have a teeny tiny feeling, if i am truthful to myself, i simply NEEDED that yarn and so hastily made a "plan" of what i needed it for.

charmed with the result of two squares I was not...but at least i tried two new crochet blocks...

the "plan" is out the window, and my yarn will probably end up in a shawl/cowl/snood like article. watch this space.
ps. 7 weeks of challenge left. but after week 46 of no show of anything new, lets add another week to the 54, making it 55....anyone out there feel i am clinging to this challenge? seriously, its the best thing i have ever done for myself. you shoudl try it. let me know how you get on. imagine if we all did this, how inspiring that would be!

Week 46 - 23rd July

this has been a busy past 6 weeks of work...so not much new on the challenge myself front, although i did continue with my hexies and with my knitted log cabin blocks....look how my piles have grown...

afraid at the moment work takes the front seat and my crafts have sadly slipped to the back, but craft on i do, although only on the weekends at the moment....

week 45 - 16 july

we had a fantastic birthday weekend camping on the beach. i tried something new - a lace sacrf and oh my word, people say never say never. But seriously. Never again! unpicked 9 times, this is a do-not-interrupt scarf...sorry if i am repeating myself but haven't blogged for a month, with no internet access on my "blog machine".

here is the scarf nearly finished...spot the mistake!

find the mistake? no? well thats good then, all is well. if you did find it, tough luck, i have been told real knitters unpick, but i believe only masochists unpick more than 9 times!

well at the saeside i crocheted...a lot..in my defence it was ugly weather, cold and windy...and then i yarn bombed the surroundings...this blanket is inspired by the sea, surf, sand and fauna.

 

so that was week 45!