Oh Blow!

I'd like to show you pictures of my costumes for Anything Goes, like I did last year for Me and My Girl but, although the show is in a few weeks, I don't know what I'm wearing yet.  I got a few items together when told what I needed, but apparently they weren't "sexy enough", whatever that means.  One dress that the Society lent me to try on was a bit too revealing and I had to decline the offer. After all, I didn't want to suffer a serious costume malfunction in the middle of Blow, Gabriel, Blow!!  Finally, I was told last week that they've hired all my costumes, so goodness knows what I'll end up with!!

 In the absence of show costumes I've got more crafting photos.  After booking tables at a couple of craft fairs I need to produce a bit more stock, so I got myself into gear and made a few zipped purses.You can just see, at the back, a glimpse of black, patterned fabric, which I intended to be another purse. Sadly, things went irretrievably wrong and it was not to be.

 I tried something different here.  The design is a combination of the purses above, the zip closure of the laptop bag (that I made before Christmas) and tote bag handles.  It also needed a little extra something, so I tried out my machine's blanket stitch to attach the 3 hearts.

 Hexie crocheting was my holiday project.  I managed about 6 when I was away and the rest since we got back.  The pile on the left has been blocked so looks a bit neater.  They're made from an un-run charity shop jumper but I don't know what I will make from them all yet.  Probably a baby blanket.  I'm nearly at the end of the yarn and it won't make anything much bigger than that.

The last time I used a paper dressmaking pattern was probably about 20 years ago, when I made a few things for my children.  Guided by the measurements on this pattern, I'm cutting it out as a size 18!!!  I think I'm erring on the side of caution but it should be possible to make it smaller if necessary.  It seems that dressmaking patterns are made in 'real' sizes. It's an old, second-hand pattern I've had for a while but can't remember where from.

Progress since last time:

4 Zipped Purses
Lots of crochet hexagons
Mini zipped heart bag
Top cut out and marked
Cut out lots more diamonds for tumbling blocks

Bye for now
Teresa x

Chalet Antics and Cheating!

Goodness me, I didn't realise it's been over a month since I last posted.  I intended popping in before we went away but time ran out.  I haven't any holiday snaps, without people in,  that are worth viewing so here are a few from before I went away. First though, a few comments on the holiday:

Clean beds
Good chalet staff (except for psycho host who broke his collarbone snowboarding and had to be replaced, and finally got sacked after getting drunk and going berserk, resulting in door entry code being changed to keep him out)
No hot water for 36 hrs
Good food (mostly - psycho host wasn't a very good baker)
Good skiing (apparently - I don't ski)
Good walking
Nice people sharing chalet (mother and daughter)
Coming back after a walk to find our chalet's French door wide open and no one inside, the day after having the door code changed due to psycho host's snowboard being stolen (or was it?).

Could have been worse - one of us could have come home with a broken leg and we're definitely going to dine out on this for quite a few years.

Now, back to reality, or so it seems.  OH loves apple pie but I don't make it very often because I don't like making pastry.  The only times we've had any recently is when my auntie makes it for us, from the apples we give her from our tree.  Due to a shortage of apples last autumn, apple pie was also in short supply and OH was beginning to suffer withdrawal symptoms.  What could I do but cheat?  Yes, I gave in and bought ready-made pastry.  And do you know what?  It was very good.  Easy to use, not too expensive and very tasty.

There was plenty in two blocks to make the apple pie, a spinach and mushroom quiche and a dozen jam tart cases.  It was pretty foolproof and I can see it making an appearance in my kitchen in the future. But perhaps I shouldn't leave it until the apple pie craving starts to re-surface.

Anyone who wondered about the tumbling block patchwork should be able to see from this photo why it's called that. The overall effect should be like cubes.  I tried to keep the darker fabric of each set of 3 to the right to continue the effect, but managed to sew one set on the wrong way around.

Just before I went away I revamped this bag that I had lying around.  I won it in a giveaway but didn't use it because it was like a back-pack and wasn't really practical.  I took off the straps, added the decorative ruffles and a matching lining, made the bottom corners 'square' then re-added the straps and fastening tab like a tote bag.

Progress since last time:

More tumbling blocks
Revamped bag
Prepared more un-run yarn 
Started crocheting hexagons from un-run jumper yarn (on holiday)

Bye for now
Teresa x