Monday, July 18, 2005

At last the rain!

Now why should I be pleased its raining when that's what it's done all year! Trouble with we Brits is we are never satisfied! But the garden was grateful. And it meant I could be inside in my workroom without any guilty asides that I ought to be outside making the most of the sun.

So what did I do in my workroom? Not a lot! I digitised a ribbon design and put it onto a T-shirt for my grand-daughter Fenella. The large version looks good but the scaled down version for the sleeve ends isn't quite so wonderful. But to do the sleeve ends I needed to use the free arm attachment and that only works with the small hoop and the small hoop needs small designs and so.............. Fenella won't care but her mother will no doubt make comments!

I have this urge to a) do some fusing and b) make some postcards. So I shall probably combine the two things and play tomorrow. I have to see my Mum but after that I'll have some time for me. I have some pelmet Vilene which will be ideal for the inside of the postcard. I have a whole roll of it and have been wondering what I'd use it for. Originally I bought it for Christmas decorations and hand made journals but a whole roll was a little too much. It is stiff without being rock hard and needles well.

In the meantime I must bring another UFO into the light of day. This is a piece of calico stamped with fabric stamps. It was intended for a wall hanging after being suitably machined over. I visualised weeds and sequins on the fish for scales for starters. I made the stamps because I'd found some lovely self stick rubber at our local Scrap Store and I cut this into shape and stuck it to wooden blocks. I still have them. Scrap Stores are marvellous things. They work on the principle that businesses will donate unwanted or damaged stuff and then schools, anyone in education, playgroups etc will pay a small fee and then can help themselves to as much stuff as they want. It is a great source for card, paper, containers, as well as unusual things such as casings for various electrical objects and this lovely rubber which is used as cushioning in said electrical objects. One time I was able to get a whole load of tea bag paper which is wonderful for dyeing, sewing over and using as stabiliser. It is no wonder that my workroom and the overflow room look like the lost property office at Charing Cross Station! I even picked up a few soles of shoes from a shoe factories cast offs because the patterns were wonderful and I could see them being useful as stamps. I have boxes of washers and tubes which I know sometime I will discover a desperate need for. And I can't get rid of anything just in case it will be useful in the future when its no more to be found! I've had that happen to me!

2 comments:

  1. Oh, that sounds too good-- I wish we had something similar to your Scrap Store in my neck of the world!-- Lori

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  2. I am glad there isn't a scrap store on the island as I have still to use the stuff from bristol scrap store that I 'daren't' throw or give away because if I do tomorrow I'll need it!!!!

    love the penguins above

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