Yarndale

My Mother and I went to Yarndale at Skipton today, this is Yarndales 2nd year which was bigger and better.

We arrived early so that we were able to park, then joined a rather large queue to get in. The first things we saw were some Alpacas.

We then started to make our way through the stands. I spoke to Lucy from Attic 24 who has a hand in organising Yarndale.

Lucy received all the mandela's for this display and last year she collected all the crochet triangles for the buntin.

This is some of the stash I just had to have.

I just love buttons the loose ones we picked up for 5p each what a bargin.

The wool came as a hank which my Mum held while I wound it into a ball.

Yes there was even a stand with quilting fabric it was Antics from Settle which is near Skipton.

We had a great day out looking forward to next year all ready.

Whatnot workshop

A great day was had by all, there were nine of us, this is what we where making this is Stuarts sample.

It folds up into a square, by the end of the workshop we had all mastered mitred corners on the binding, 

This is my fabric once cut out, this my first time using adhesive spay to cut out all the layers together,

Here are two of my components finished two more to finish hand stitching, we learn loads today off Stuart, made my first covered button, found out the notches on the quilting foot are a 1/4 inch so can assist with measuring while you stitch.

Enjoying the post

I have had two great packages in the post this week,

I have been collecting all Just Nan's mouse patterns and this is her latest with a Halloween theme, I also love Lizzie Kate this comes with the fabric to finish it.

I have an signed up for the auto of the Country Cottage  ornaments, so I get everything thread, fabric and buttons.

This is the fabric I will be using tomorrow at my workshop at the Viking Loom in York with Stuart Hillard, I can't wait off to pack my bag.

Around the World Blog Hop

I was invited by Georgia Girl Quilter Anna to join a Round the World Blog Hop this is a little similar to the Blog Party I participated in earlier in the year. Anna is a Quilter and embroiderer she has some beautiful photos on her blog of her work.

What am I working on at the moment?

I do a lot of exchanges on Hooked on Exchanging as I love to receive mystery packages in the post so I am unable to share that with you at the moment. I like a lot of people will have a lot of UFO's on the go but at the moment I am working on Cinnamon Hearts by Threadworks Primitives it stitched up very quickly I just need to finish it of.

I enjoy doing many crafts I dabble in all sorts, this week I have  workshop with Stuart Hillard of the British  TV Sewing Bee fame, I have done quite a few workshops with him over the last year this workshop is quilting orientated we are making something called a sewing whatnot  I have enjoyed picking new fabric to do this workshop of course I did not have the correct fabric in my stash.

I also do a lot of bead I am lucky that the beading group I go to are having Melanie Potter to come and teach us for two classes in early October so I have been gathering all my beads for this class, off  course I need to buy some more.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I do not think my work is any different from anyone else I love to follow a pattern I am not in to freestyle art, in my bead work I may dabble with the original pattern as I am not a lover of bracelets so I may adapt patterns and turn them into necklaces, 

The above bracelet was by Laura MaCabe who I did a workshop with, I had a  kit provided by her, which I managed to produce a bracelet and a necklace from but I adapted her original idea.

Below is many hours of work it can sometimes take me months to finish an article of jewellery.

Why do I create what I do?

I have always been creative as a child it was knitting cloths for my dolls till I progresses to cloths for myself and family, then when kitting when out of Vogue in the early 90's my focus turned to x-stitch, beading, tailoring and quilting and I bought my 1st sewing machine I now have the use of three!

My motivation in what I stitch/sew now is because most of what I create is for a gift or an exchange.  I usually only stitch gifts for relatives as a lot of work goes into them my Mother-in-law loves biscornu's  so I have stitched a few as presents.

With my exchanges I will read a persons blog and see what they like before deciding what to stitch they are usually some kind of ornament or small depending on the exchange criteria. 

I tend to only stitch a lot of small items for myself usually scissor keeps as I have a lot of scissors, don't we all.

Why do I write what I do?

I feel our blogs are just another creative outlet mine is not as good as some I read but I love to share with people what I create, it gives me a buzz when people leave comments, I always check out the total of page previews and the live traffic feed to see who has been visiting.

Now to pass the torch on

Please visit these lovely ladies who have accepted my invite to participate in the blog hop, they will post their blog hops on Monday 29th September but why not drop by now to see what they are up too.

Kim at Wisdom with needle and thread

Gaynor at Stitchers Anon

Thank-you for visiting.

Watch this space later today Around the World Blog Hop coming.

A trip out

In my days off we had a trip out to Skipton and visited Samual Taylor's at Embssay, I was looking for Halloween fabric but unfortunately they didn't have anything Halloween in, even in the paper craft section. We did manage a coffee in the cafe.

I did of course buy some more fabric for my stash. Then off course once I got home I realised I needed some felt for an exchange I am doing, oh well I will just have to go  craft shopping again this week!

Stitching done

I have managed to finish the stitching of Cinnamon Hearts by Threadworks Primitives.

I just need to make it up, the kit came with everything to finish it, I do not need to touch my stash.

September

This year is going so fast Christmas will be in the shops soon  if not already there. I have been busy over the last few weeks finished some canvas work by Sue Hawkins which I found in a magazine from 1998, I made it as a gift for my mother-in-law's birthday,

I need to think about what I am going to make as Christmas presents but no ideas as yet, while we where away at the coast I saw a lovely crafty shop from the bus it was called

there is a lot of hand made crafts for sale and loads of arts and craft stuff some quiet vintage in style, I found this lovely heart to hang things off, I have a passion for making ornaments be it Christmas or Halloween I have somewhere to hang them now.

I then realised I had a great kit I bought earlier in the year from the states that I can hang of the bottom keeping the heart theme up,

I have started to stitch this it is growing quite nicely.

Is summer over?

Away at the coast for the week and so far all it has done is rain and be windy, been here since Friday at the moment sat on the beach at fraisthorpe, Hubby metal detecting, dogs whimpering as they want to get out and go for a walk, me still eating lunch with a big black cloud over the car so I am wondering if the heavens are about to open.

Sunday I did a bead workshop at Robin Hood Bay considering we are all good beaders it took us all a while to get to grips with the pattern is called Bargello Necklace by Rebecca Peapples.

I have continued to work on it this week or it would end up in the UFO pile. In October we have Melanie Potter coming to teach for 2 days she is an American bead artist, she is coming over to teach at 4 bead groups. I now need to get my beads sorted and see what I need to buy.

As I finish writing this it is raining! 

HOE Biscornu arrived.

I received this beautiful Biscornu from Mylene in the post this week.

We are off to a wedding on Thursday the weather forecast is not very good, we are travelling down tomorrow, unfortunately there are a lot of roadworks on the M1. 

Visited the Festival of Quilts last Thursday at the NEC in Birmingham it was packed, have some lovely pictures of quilts, off course I bought some stash, I have a quilting workshop in September so bought the fabric required for this.

We have also been to Belguim on a Battle Field Tour my Hubby is into WW1. We stayed in Ypres this is our 4th Battle field tour. Pictures to follow.

The white cliffs of Dover from the ferry on the way back.