Thank you for all your batty stories - I didn't realise that they got indoors so often. When we lived in Indonesia, we sometimes payed tennis in the evening under floodlights. Every so often a bat would swoop at the tennis ball - I guess they thought it was a big yellow bug!
Now for the sewing update. The first job yesterday was straightforward - a cover for the bolster pillow at the flat. I used some batik fabric from my stash. The new sheets are a sort of burgundy colour, so the cover will go well
the next project was a little thread catcher bag. This will sit on the table next to my chair in the flat, and will act as a little bin for all the ends of embroidery threads from working on the stitcheries. Again, I used batiks from my stash, choosing two vaguely seasidey fabrics
I worked out the spacing for the four sides of the bag, and pinned two lengths of tape to the right side of one of the fabric
I put the other fabric on top, right side down, and stitched the two together
next I folded it in half and stitched the seam
I folded the lining over the outer fabric, then stitched across the bottom
the last job was to stitch across the corners ....
....... and trim the extra away
the little bag will hang from my seaside themed coaster that sits on my table, but for illustration purposes I have used a coaster from the studio
having made shoe bags for Alison's best shoes, I had thought some time ago that I would make something similar for Stuart for some of his collection of trainers. Having finally tracked down some fabric with sneakers on it, I ordered a metre ....... but when it arrived, not only was it heavy furnishing fabris, but also was very, very wide. I coudn't think what to do with it, so put it aside. When Stuart was here the other weekend, I asked him if there was something he wanted me to make for his "man cave" (aka the smallest bedroom) where he has his XBox, his dartboard, and other manly pursuits. He suggested a bean bag, so I bought a pattern for one
when I made a start yesterday, there was a slight problem - I didn't have quite enough fabric. Malcolm was summoned to redraft the pattern to fit, and the main part of the body was soon cut out and stitched together. This is it roughy stuffed with some cushions
that just left the base to make - could I do it using the scraps?
I laid half of them out and placed the pattern on top - yes it would work
I trimmed the edges and stitched five pieces together, then cut out the first half of the base
I did the same for the other piece, then stitched the body and base together. It was hard to take photos without any beans in it, so I pinned it on the design wall. The first photo shows the base, with the opening through which the beans will be added, and the second photo shows the main body
when Stuart and Alsion moved into their new house, I made this Roman blind for their kitchen. When they decorated the kitchen, the blind didn't quite match the colour scheme, so they asked if I would make a new one. They chose the lovely rich chenille fabric on the right. I will recycle the lining to make the new one - it will make it quick and easy to do as I will only have to cut the new fabric to size, then use the existing stitching lines as a guide
Malcolm is over in Berwick - I decided to stay at home to get my sewing done. I have just spoken to him on the phone and he said that a ship docked this morning and he has taken photos for tomorrow's post ....... he also said he got caught in a heavy rain shower when he was beachcombing!
ps - we had a wonderful dinner with our neighbours, and we may have had a glass or two of wine. We also had a very late night, so it will be early to bed tonight!