Skirts and applique

What a roller coaster of a day in my tiny sewing world!

Yes, I have a finish! The skirt is complete and I am happy enough with it to wear it, so that's something. 

My mum joined me in my cabin today and we have had a giggle, the ups and downs of me not really knowing how to sew a blind hem but having a go anyway and wrestling with excess fabrics, dropping pins and thread reels running out. There has been a number of "it's going in a bag in a minute" threats...there were certainly tension issue's and I am not just talking about my machine! Slowly folding the hem back having stitched it, to see if it was any good, was like peeling back a plaster! Maybe I need to get out more..

I confess, I have spent a large part of the afternoon in just my tights and boots while I stitch and try on the skirt! NOT something for those with a delicate constitution! We have laughed.

So here is a pic. Yes, its not a great illustration of my work but Charlie dog stole the limelight. Conclusions are: 

• I would make another one (but not just yet)
• work more on getting a better fit through the side seams,
• needle cord would make a great fabric choice
• I am not as slim as I thought I was
• It would appear that I have inadvertently chosen to dress in the same colour as my dog!

Mum, here she is, Sally. She has been making a set of funky little birds as a gift, she uses beads from old necklaces for the strings between the birds and threads with fishing line so they are good and strong. The bells on the end are fun and also make them hang well. She made me a set for my birthday and used some beads from a necklace my dad gave her years ago. As he died some years ago I think that's a nice sentiment.

She finished them today, aren't they great!

 

I also finished stitching this little wool applique. It's from a Maggie Bonanomi design. The wools are from Canada. I used bondaweb just on the outer edge of each piece to stabilize the edges and then just whip stitched them to the background. It was really nice stitching through wool, satisfyingly soft and quick. Next time though I will use pellon lightweight fusible as its a bit more robust. I really like these colours, I love primitive folk quilts and applique. Maggie Bonanomi's designs really strike a chord with me.

I have several of her books. I think I'll make a cushion from the panel as is suggested in the book, Buttonwood Farm. But no one had better dare sit on it! I guess this isn't finished until its made into something, so can't tick this one off just yet.

It's been a nice day. Autumn is coming, the geese are noisily arriving in great flocks and although it's not too chilly the sunlight has changed. Soon be time to bring in the timber and light the fire...