Thread catcher winner

My Hubby did me the honor to pick the name out of the draw, the lucky winner of the thread catcher was Justine. 

Blog birthday and give away.

My blog is 6 years old this week, I have decided to do a blog give away, if you would like to win a thread catcher please leave your name on here and I will do the draw next Tuesday.

Out again

Here we are again, hubby still cannot drive so I am sat in the car watching the above somewhere near selby. There are 27 people metal detecting all trying to find the treasure below!

Thread catchers

I was having a tidy up I came across scraps of fabric so I decided to do something with them, I saw these thread catchers a couple of years ago on a stitching weekend another lady had one, I had found them on the internet and had it saved so I decided to make one!

The first problem was finding paper big enough to draw my triangle as A4 paper not big enough then I remembered I had some pattern cutting paper,

Then I cut the fabric out with my rotary cutter,

I put stiff vilene on the back of one triangle, then stitched them together leaving a space to turn them.

The small one was my 1st attempt but it felt too small so I increased the size which is a lot better, they also fold flat so slip into your stitching on the go.

I got a bit carried away once I started, you can use buttons to hold the flaps down, they will make loverly stocking fillers, I gave 3 away straight away as I went with my mothering law to another ladies house to stitch and bitch!

You can find this patern at Tipnut it is free, the link is in my side bar.

I have also been to a concert this week went to see Kylie  at Sheffield arena, we where right at the back thank goodness for the big screens as she is tiny it was a raunchy show but enjoyed it.

Too far away to get any pictures but the lighting was fantastic.

New starts

Just finished this Angels by Country Cottage Needleworks this is part of monthly ornament auto ship,  this was stitched on lambswool linen which is quite stiff a very harsh on you theat mine frayed and broke a couple of times, short lengths only could be used, here is the next one ready to start this one is Dear Santa.

I have also started this Just Nan's Cardinal Tweet. This is stitched on an opalescent 32ct raw linen it is very small only about 2" by 2".

This is something I stitched a while ago but I have only just finished this is from Little House Needle Works ornament collection a few years ago.

Roman York class 4

Looking good feeling great was the title for this class we were going to look at the jewellery which I was interested in.

Personal adornments express identity by the following:- Gender, religion, social status free or slave,

social  class plebeians, eques or patricians and wealth.

Portable antiquities scheme show 240,000 items where found around York over 50% of the finds were worn on the body a lot of these found by metal detectorists.

Bracelets are made of copper alloys the designs started out very simple, twisted wire then casted.

They were able to mass produce bracelets by casting them.

Indicators of wealth depending on the metals useded to make jewellery such as iron, cooper, silver or gold.

Finger rings can be associated with status, Intaglios rings had a stone setting many showed figures on them quite often gods.

Stones were glued in with animal glues, they would degrade due to heat or cold, a lot found in sewers by the bath houses.

Brooches did change a lot some designs only lasted 30 yrs others lasted longer. Usually used in pairs to possibly attach a cloak.

A Dragoness broach inlaid with enamel.

Soldiers seems to wear broaches, from statues you can see them pined on their chests to signify rank.

Part of a jet bracelet.

Jet was very popular, pendants, bracelets, rings, hair pins and beads were made the Jet came from Whithby, the jewerlly has been found across the Roman Emipire.

The roman coins that depicted the Emporors wife's could be compared to today's celebrity magazines such as Hello, you could see the trends of hair styles over the centuries.

Elephant ivory made into rings beads, pendants

Earrings usually only single ones found.

Millefiori mount inlaid with  mosaic glass. When you look closely you can see all the tiny pieces of glass I do not know how they managed to cut the pieces so small.

Halloween Exchange

 I took part in a Halloween Exchange  on wisdomwithneedleandthread , my partner was Jo from Australia I sent her this it is a Lizzie Kate pattern.

Kimberly from the states sent me this I do not know who the designer is.

Metal detecting

Well I was up early today I promised to take Hubby metal detecting as he still cannot drive. We ended up in Fangfoss the other side of York, parked our car on the farm and waited for everyone to arrive.

I have brought the dogs with me so that we could go for a walk. At the moment I am watching them detecting.

12pm

Well I have spent the morning walking the dog's and reading I have even had my crochet out it has kept my knee's warm while I was doing it. 

It is now lunch time all the metal detectors are lined up!

There are about 22 cars here but more people than that.

Hubby has found a couple of buttons and a cap badge, some others have found a couple of roman coins and a spindle whorle.

Roman York class 3

This week was all about funeral rites and cemeteries in Roman York. 

When the Romans first came they where into cremation quite often the ashes where put in previously used pots  could be cookery pots with no inscription so unknown.  Then within a couple of centuries they started to bury people call inhumation this was due to the rise of Christianity. This is when we started to see more memorials which where painted so they stood out, the pain fragments can still be seen on them today.

Sarcophagus where seen in high status burials, the bodies were in a lead lined coffin placed into the stone sarcophagus covered in gypsum, which goes solid like plaster so it has over time preserved an impression of the body as the bones have gone because the gypsum is alkaline so the bones dissolve it has also kept impressions of the clothes

A lot of information has been found out from the bones, age, any injures, sex, social status from grave goods and any memorials, religious practices regarding buried rights and many other things not listed here.

At the end of class out came the artifacts he bought some bones but I didn't photograph them then came some grave goods.

Coffin hinge

Amber bead from necklace/bracelet

Pipe Clay Venus Central Gaul(France) good luck trinket

Green bottle original glass ? Egypt/Germany ? Perfume/oils

Crochet blanket

A few years ago I collected the art of crochet intending as you do to learn to crochet by making the blanket, I collected it for about a year, this was a weekly part works so I got a ball of wool each week, I know the basics about crochet as I am self taught I have used it as edging on knitting.

I decided to wash the bedding in my dog's beds, but then when I pulled it all out I decided I was not going to assult my washing machine with all the dog hairs I managed to fill two bin bags, so now they have nothing to curl up in, I am rooting in the wardrobes for old jumpers and I thought why not use up some of that wool, so I have started a blanket feeling quite pleased with myself but the action of crocheting is making my wrist ach a bit.