Anyone who knows me, knows I am not monogamous .... I multi task my hobbies. I wish I was an expert in one of them, if not all of them. I am more of a jack of all trades, master of none. One of my "trades" is scrapbooking. I have been going to a scrapbooking class for 17 years now, from the first week of inception. The tutor has decided "she has nothing left to give" and after 17 years of helping us with our cutting and sticking, she is calling it a day. Fair enough. I felt I wanted to make the friendship not just with Jacqui the tutor, but with all of the girls. So ... I started making one hour baskets as designed by Kelby Sews.
I have very little wadding, the last of it was used in the grace heart quilt, just a little offcut left. I did however have an unused white Ikea fleece. The first 4 baskets were easy.
The next 2 were a little bit more of a drag. By the time I finished basket number 7 I was really starting to flag. And do you know how hard it is to take photos of lots of baskets? A bundle of baskets? I really need to up my photography in the blog.
There was a mammoth sewing session all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning. The sort of sewing session where I say, call me when dinner is ready. I had a think and came up with a plan.
My friend L was conveniently on holiday. L and I are good friends, we met on the very first day. All my baskets would be special, but I particularly want the one for L to have no wobbly lines of sewing or patterns running off. I knew she would be happy to wait until her return and I get some more wadding. My plan is to make hers, and also mine, with Essex linen.
All was set, last Wednesday, I took the baskets to class and took the floor. Told them all we have been together through births, marriages and deaths. Secrets have been told, and kept. Nights out, afternoon teas and weekends away have all happened. I handed around my 10 baskets and everybody was delighted.
Cue later that evening in bed. I was telling my husband that one of the girls wasn't there, she had flu. So, says he, you have one basket left? No, said I. I gave them all out. Says he, but you must have one left if Karen went home before you arrived. No, said I. I gave them all out. Oooops the penny dropped. I got up checked, my list, checked it twice. Yes, I was one short. Easy peasy, I have this basket making down to a fine art.
Each basket takes 2 pieces of fabric 10.5" x 16.5" for the lining and the outside, 4 pieces of fabric altogether. By basket no 10 I was starting to make a dent in my fabric. A lot of my smaller bits were too small and I have yardage I wanted to keep. I did however have a piece of blue, black and gold swirly lines I really didn't like. I told myself, one man's poison is another man's meat, it would be fine. And so I knocked up another basket and used some Cotton and Steel aqua for the lining, leftover from the backing of a wedding quilt I made for one of my sons and his wife.
And you know what? All of a sudden the fabric came together. I loved the basket and really wanted t keep it. I had wanted to keep a few of the 10, not all, but some of them. This one I really wanted to keep. Next up the postman delivered my pre ordered copy of the new Hilary Mantel book, The Mirror and The Light, the last in her trilogy about Thomas Cromwell. It is a huge tome of a book,
and unbelievably the cover matches the new basket. Of course now, I had to keep this. It couldn't be the one that got away, that I would spend my life regretting.
I was meeting another couple of the girls the next morning and knew they could pass on the new, yet to be made basket to Karen. So, up at 7.30 am and at the sewing machine. This time I had to use some of my favourite fabrics. I hadn't time to piece smaller pieces, and the other baskets hadn't been pieced apart from maybe a border. I used this Free Spirit fabric in an aqua tone and lined it with some fabrics I won in Sandra's FreeFall quilt a long a couple of years ago. I have been keeping this fabric, but had already dipped into it for another lining. And you know what? I really liked this one too! Can't keep them all. That really would make me a sad bag (basket) lady! I knew when I looked at it, it was exactly right for my friend I was meeting later. Yes, she did a swap. Karen is now getting a lovely red polka dot one. I liked it too.
I am a little busy over the next week, but I plan to make the remaining 2 shortly. Yes of course, I need another one . I already have my lining made, it is a lilac/pink floral Japanese fabric. I had it earmarked for a Japanese rice bag but it is too light weight for that. Yes, I see Japanese rice bags in my future too. You can never have enough project bags, and heaven knows I have enough projects...
And don't worry about my having withdrawing symptoms. I told you upfront I wasn't monogamous. I joined a wine society the same week I joined the scrapbooking, both were on the same night. Eventually the wine society lost out. Sorry to my husband. The last few years I have been dipping in and out of a crochet group, Hookery. It is on that same Wednesday night so I went when scrapbooking was off. I am an imposter, I can't crochet but hopefully the Ladies won't mind too much. That's right. Girls in scrapbooking, Ladies in Hookery.
For now I'll finish off and contemplate what I am going to do next. I know, finish the quilting on my grace heart quilt, bind my Kaffe Fassett quilt, finish knitting my Floozy cardigan, finish 17 years of scrapbooking pages! The world is my project bag.
Keep safe and well, see you again.
Helen x
I have very little wadding, the last of it was used in the grace heart quilt, just a little offcut left. I did however have an unused white Ikea fleece. The first 4 baskets were easy.
The next 2 were a little bit more of a drag. By the time I finished basket number 7 I was really starting to flag. And do you know how hard it is to take photos of lots of baskets? A bundle of baskets? I really need to up my photography in the blog.
There was a mammoth sewing session all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning. The sort of sewing session where I say, call me when dinner is ready. I had a think and came up with a plan.
My friend L was conveniently on holiday. L and I are good friends, we met on the very first day. All my baskets would be special, but I particularly want the one for L to have no wobbly lines of sewing or patterns running off. I knew she would be happy to wait until her return and I get some more wadding. My plan is to make hers, and also mine, with Essex linen.
All was set, last Wednesday, I took the baskets to class and took the floor. Told them all we have been together through births, marriages and deaths. Secrets have been told, and kept. Nights out, afternoon teas and weekends away have all happened. I handed around my 10 baskets and everybody was delighted.
Cue later that evening in bed. I was telling my husband that one of the girls wasn't there, she had flu. So, says he, you have one basket left? No, said I. I gave them all out. Says he, but you must have one left if Karen went home before you arrived. No, said I. I gave them all out. Oooops the penny dropped. I got up checked, my list, checked it twice. Yes, I was one short. Easy peasy, I have this basket making down to a fine art.
Each basket takes 2 pieces of fabric 10.5" x 16.5" for the lining and the outside, 4 pieces of fabric altogether. By basket no 10 I was starting to make a dent in my fabric. A lot of my smaller bits were too small and I have yardage I wanted to keep. I did however have a piece of blue, black and gold swirly lines I really didn't like. I told myself, one man's poison is another man's meat, it would be fine. And so I knocked up another basket and used some Cotton and Steel aqua for the lining, leftover from the backing of a wedding quilt I made for one of my sons and his wife.
And you know what? All of a sudden the fabric came together. I loved the basket and really wanted t keep it. I had wanted to keep a few of the 10, not all, but some of them. This one I really wanted to keep. Next up the postman delivered my pre ordered copy of the new Hilary Mantel book, The Mirror and The Light, the last in her trilogy about Thomas Cromwell. It is a huge tome of a book,
and unbelievably the cover matches the new basket. Of course now, I had to keep this. It couldn't be the one that got away, that I would spend my life regretting.
I was meeting another couple of the girls the next morning and knew they could pass on the new, yet to be made basket to Karen. So, up at 7.30 am and at the sewing machine. This time I had to use some of my favourite fabrics. I hadn't time to piece smaller pieces, and the other baskets hadn't been pieced apart from maybe a border. I used this Free Spirit fabric in an aqua tone and lined it with some fabrics I won in Sandra's FreeFall quilt a long a couple of years ago. I have been keeping this fabric, but had already dipped into it for another lining. And you know what? I really liked this one too! Can't keep them all. That really would make me a sad bag (basket) lady! I knew when I looked at it, it was exactly right for my friend I was meeting later. Yes, she did a swap. Karen is now getting a lovely red polka dot one. I liked it too.
I am a little busy over the next week, but I plan to make the remaining 2 shortly. Yes of course, I need another one . I already have my lining made, it is a lilac/pink floral Japanese fabric. I had it earmarked for a Japanese rice bag but it is too light weight for that. Yes, I see Japanese rice bags in my future too. You can never have enough project bags, and heaven knows I have enough projects...
And don't worry about my having withdrawing symptoms. I told you upfront I wasn't monogamous. I joined a wine society the same week I joined the scrapbooking, both were on the same night. Eventually the wine society lost out. Sorry to my husband. The last few years I have been dipping in and out of a crochet group, Hookery. It is on that same Wednesday night so I went when scrapbooking was off. I am an imposter, I can't crochet but hopefully the Ladies won't mind too much. That's right. Girls in scrapbooking, Ladies in Hookery.
For now I'll finish off and contemplate what I am going to do next. I know, finish the quilting on my grace heart quilt, bind my Kaffe Fassett quilt, finish knitting my Floozy cardigan, finish 17 years of scrapbooking pages! The world is my project bag.
Keep safe and well, see you again.
Helen x
Silver linings to all these bags - lots more time on the horizon to tick all the lovely projects off! Good health be yours to get it all done x
ReplyDeleteI would have had a hard time giving my favourites away too!
ReplyDeleteSo many cute little baskets. They are difficult to photograph; it's difficult to get down on their level - haha! You've done a good job of it, though! I enjoy making little baskets!
ReplyDelete