Thought I'd just remind folk that we will be meeting to sew and socialise (or socialise and sew whatever suits you) this Saturday!
As the weather heats up, the air con looks more and more attractive and certainly makes doing handicrafts of any kind much more comfortable.
It'll be our last get together for the fast retreating 2015!
Hope you can make it and show us what you are making! Or, you can just come and talk about what you're making too!
Looking forward to a very social sew!
Wednesday, 18 November 2015
Wednesday, 4 November 2015
So much sewing and socialising!
Saturday dawned damp and a bit on the dreary side: ideal backdrop for a very social sewing Saturday!
Two of our SSSers have returned from gallivanting on various continents in the Northern Hemisphere: much fodder for socialising and sharing! Stories of the lifestyle and crafts of the Amish of Pennsylvania were enthusiastically received. Who would have thought that so much was still achieved by hand-stitching and how a sewing machine could make such a dramatic change to this lifestyle?
Meanwhile the sewing and creating continued.......
Our puller-outerer extraordinaire decided to productively make knots this time and started her next knitting project - a prosthesis for the Knitted Knockers Australia project which several of us have been involved with over this winter. Despite much socialising she only had to pull back a couple of times and made much progress with this project.
Another of our regulars worked on preparing a sewing project for its next stage of production. Someone is going to have a delightful summery skirt added to their wardrobe. A simple style using very elegant fabric certainly has the makings of a winning combination. Once the next stage of the project was completed it was onto crocheting a soft fluffy white rug. A project like this is very soothing as it is not usually a short term project but rather one that can be picked up and worked on whenever there is a spare moment: an opportunity to meditate or chat.
With yet another Christmas on the horizon, another of our SSSers was looking at her fabric stash with the notion of sewing Christmas presents. A previous project had been sewing teapot cosies, so this inventive sewer decided to downsize this project and create egg cosies. She worked on a production line process, cutting out all the outers, inners and lining and then once there was a bundle of these, she started sewing them together in a very efficient fashion. In no time it seemed she had a queue of egg cosies lined up ready to march off to some lucky person's Christmas tree!
One of our globe-trotters unearthed her trusty sewing machine and after much wary inspection of the accompanying manual and machine, decided to seek assistance with using it. Another of our experienced SSSers was able to assist with the threading and eventually they were able to sew a lovely tensioned seam. Then the pieces for the winter skirt (well we have been gallivanting for some time haven't we?) were closely inspected. The skirt requires lining and it looked a bit too complicated for a Saturday, so that project was packed up for another day. Then it was on to some therapeutic mending so that means there'll be another summery dress available as the temperature rises.
Meanwhile our resident cross-stitcher sewed on. The cross-stitch project is coming along very nicely and soon it'll be time to start the single thread backstitch outlining.
Next month we'll be meeting a week earlier on the 21 November and hopefully our resident expert in all things textile will be back in Mackay and able to come along and offer her assistance and expertise.
Can't wait to see what folk are working on next!
Two of our SSSers have returned from gallivanting on various continents in the Northern Hemisphere: much fodder for socialising and sharing! Stories of the lifestyle and crafts of the Amish of Pennsylvania were enthusiastically received. Who would have thought that so much was still achieved by hand-stitching and how a sewing machine could make such a dramatic change to this lifestyle?
Meanwhile the sewing and creating continued.......
Our puller-outerer extraordinaire decided to productively make knots this time and started her next knitting project - a prosthesis for the Knitted Knockers Australia project which several of us have been involved with over this winter. Despite much socialising she only had to pull back a couple of times and made much progress with this project.
Another of our regulars worked on preparing a sewing project for its next stage of production. Someone is going to have a delightful summery skirt added to their wardrobe. A simple style using very elegant fabric certainly has the makings of a winning combination. Once the next stage of the project was completed it was onto crocheting a soft fluffy white rug. A project like this is very soothing as it is not usually a short term project but rather one that can be picked up and worked on whenever there is a spare moment: an opportunity to meditate or chat.
With yet another Christmas on the horizon, another of our SSSers was looking at her fabric stash with the notion of sewing Christmas presents. A previous project had been sewing teapot cosies, so this inventive sewer decided to downsize this project and create egg cosies. She worked on a production line process, cutting out all the outers, inners and lining and then once there was a bundle of these, she started sewing them together in a very efficient fashion. In no time it seemed she had a queue of egg cosies lined up ready to march off to some lucky person's Christmas tree!
One of our globe-trotters unearthed her trusty sewing machine and after much wary inspection of the accompanying manual and machine, decided to seek assistance with using it. Another of our experienced SSSers was able to assist with the threading and eventually they were able to sew a lovely tensioned seam. Then the pieces for the winter skirt (well we have been gallivanting for some time haven't we?) were closely inspected. The skirt requires lining and it looked a bit too complicated for a Saturday, so that project was packed up for another day. Then it was on to some therapeutic mending so that means there'll be another summery dress available as the temperature rises.
Meanwhile our resident cross-stitcher sewed on. The cross-stitch project is coming along very nicely and soon it'll be time to start the single thread backstitch outlining.
Next month we'll be meeting a week earlier on the 21 November and hopefully our resident expert in all things textile will be back in Mackay and able to come along and offer her assistance and expertise.
Can't wait to see what folk are working on next!
Monday, 26 October 2015
Here's something to inspire you!
Our illustrious expert in all things textile has been busy while house sitting and farm sitting this year. I thought I'd show some of the projects which have kept her occupied while away from home.
Here is a cot quilt.
Here is a cot quilt.
Of course one must have a matching pillow.
Then there are the presents for the 'rellies':
his ......
and hers....... Aren't the colours just fabulous?
Then one has to do something for that spare bed at home..... an eyecatching design which has been really enhanced by the colour choice.
Then there's the project which is still looking for a home.....
Well how about that little lot for a bit of inspiration? Every project so different and so brilliant in their own way!
It'll be great to have our illustrious expert back at SSS before the end of the year! I wonder how many more projects we'll have to add this magnificent gallery!
Thank you so much for sharing your achievements with us - truly inspiring!!
Looking forward to seeing everyone brimming with ideas on Saturday!
See you then!
Spooky socialising and sewing this Saturday!
It's Halloween this Saturday which means it must be the last Saturday of the month which means it's Social Sewing Saturday!
Looking forward to seeing what you are working on at the moment or what you are thinking of working on soon! Need some inspiration? The library has plenty of craft and sewing magazines to get the creative juices flowing!
Just bring along everything you need to progress your project and look forward to several hours of cool, un-interrupted time to sew to your heart's content!
See you at the Community Meeting Room at the Gordon White Library at 1.00 pm on Saturday 31 October!
Looking forward to seeing what you are working on at the moment or what you are thinking of working on soon! Need some inspiration? The library has plenty of craft and sewing magazines to get the creative juices flowing!
Just bring along everything you need to progress your project and look forward to several hours of cool, un-interrupted time to sew to your heart's content!
See you at the Community Meeting Room at the Gordon White Library at 1.00 pm on Saturday 31 October!
Monday, 28 September 2015
School holidays slow SSS down
With so many of our SSSers enjoying holidays we were a small but quite productive group last Saturday.
Our most productive SSSer as usual set up her sewing machine and overlocker with minimal fuss and after some careful cutting out, she was off and sewing. In next to no time a pair of purple dance pants for her daughter were complete and it was on to the next project, sheer (or should this be shear?) poetry in motion.
Creativity must run in the family as her next project was to bring to fruition a dress design which her daughter had sketched out complete with colour and pattern scheme. Originally the plan had been to use knit fabrics but unfortunately the colours and precise patterns were not available in this fabric so there was a little adjustment required to enable its construction in non-stretch fabric. A paper pattern was adjusted and the top of the creation popped into existence. Then there was the issue of the best way to face the neck. After a full group discussion, a plan of attack was decided upon and the project continued to progress. We're looking forward to seeing this designer original when it is complete. Hopefully the young designer (and the construction engineer) are happy with the result of their collaborative effort!
One of our regular SSSers is a trainee patchworker and she bought along her first completed project; a wonderful table runner which is a potpourri of blues with a couple of brownish tones thrown in for balance and interest. When she showed us photos of its place in her home it fitted just perfectly on the warm toned wooden table which highlighted the splashes of brown in the sea of blue which enhanced the blue tone of her walls. She had used the stitch in the ditch method of quilting and the number of points in the pattern were certainly headache inducing!
Spurred on by her success with the runner she is now embarking on THE quilt which will be a medley of blues and lavenders. She had sewn a couple of tiny pieces together but understandably was having difficulty envisaging how this would develop into the quilt of her imagination. With cutting board in place and cutting wheel in hand, she embarked on the mammoth task of cutting the multitude of strips that would one day be a beautiful quilt. After much careful cutting, her back started to complain so she was on the lookout for another project which did not require standing and bending over the table.
Fortunately another SSSer had a project which she had prepared earlier and unfortunately required disassembling on a grand scale. Being a strong believer in the therapeutic qualities of unpicking, our patchworker generously offered to begin this huge un-project! A great opportunity to sit and socialise. It was amazing how quickly the binding left the quilt. Eventually the project will have a much better outcome due to this generous un-picking! The SSSer is certainly very appreciative of our patchworker's de-constructing skills. We look forward to the day when this project is re-constructed in a more traditional and effective manner.
Another of our SSSers is persisting with her cross-stitch project. While it is a portable project it is difficult to stitch and count while joining in the social aspects of SSS. Hopefully the counting was accurate and there'll be no pulling-out required post-SSS.
Looking forward to seeing how these projects have progressed and what other projects have popped up to contemplate at our next SSS on Saturday 31 October at 1.00pm at the Community Meeting Room at the Gordon White Library.
Happy stitching.......
Our most productive SSSer as usual set up her sewing machine and overlocker with minimal fuss and after some careful cutting out, she was off and sewing. In next to no time a pair of purple dance pants for her daughter were complete and it was on to the next project, sheer (or should this be shear?) poetry in motion.
Creativity must run in the family as her next project was to bring to fruition a dress design which her daughter had sketched out complete with colour and pattern scheme. Originally the plan had been to use knit fabrics but unfortunately the colours and precise patterns were not available in this fabric so there was a little adjustment required to enable its construction in non-stretch fabric. A paper pattern was adjusted and the top of the creation popped into existence. Then there was the issue of the best way to face the neck. After a full group discussion, a plan of attack was decided upon and the project continued to progress. We're looking forward to seeing this designer original when it is complete. Hopefully the young designer (and the construction engineer) are happy with the result of their collaborative effort!
One of our regular SSSers is a trainee patchworker and she bought along her first completed project; a wonderful table runner which is a potpourri of blues with a couple of brownish tones thrown in for balance and interest. When she showed us photos of its place in her home it fitted just perfectly on the warm toned wooden table which highlighted the splashes of brown in the sea of blue which enhanced the blue tone of her walls. She had used the stitch in the ditch method of quilting and the number of points in the pattern were certainly headache inducing!
Spurred on by her success with the runner she is now embarking on THE quilt which will be a medley of blues and lavenders. She had sewn a couple of tiny pieces together but understandably was having difficulty envisaging how this would develop into the quilt of her imagination. With cutting board in place and cutting wheel in hand, she embarked on the mammoth task of cutting the multitude of strips that would one day be a beautiful quilt. After much careful cutting, her back started to complain so she was on the lookout for another project which did not require standing and bending over the table.
Fortunately another SSSer had a project which she had prepared earlier and unfortunately required disassembling on a grand scale. Being a strong believer in the therapeutic qualities of unpicking, our patchworker generously offered to begin this huge un-project! A great opportunity to sit and socialise. It was amazing how quickly the binding left the quilt. Eventually the project will have a much better outcome due to this generous un-picking! The SSSer is certainly very appreciative of our patchworker's de-constructing skills. We look forward to the day when this project is re-constructed in a more traditional and effective manner.
Another of our SSSers is persisting with her cross-stitch project. While it is a portable project it is difficult to stitch and count while joining in the social aspects of SSS. Hopefully the counting was accurate and there'll be no pulling-out required post-SSS.
Looking forward to seeing how these projects have progressed and what other projects have popped up to contemplate at our next SSS on Saturday 31 October at 1.00pm at the Community Meeting Room at the Gordon White Library.
Happy stitching.......
Wednesday, 23 September 2015
Time to catch up on many things crafty!
It's the last Saturday of the month which means it's time to bring out those projects and get working on them!
See you there at 1.00pm at the Community Meeting Room at Gordon White Library this Saturday!
See you there at 1.00pm at the Community Meeting Room at Gordon White Library this Saturday!
Tuesday, 1 September 2015
Another SSS done and dusted!
We had four very enthusiastic participants this Saturday.
Our supermum was creating yet another costume for those lucky girls of hers. This time metres of various blue floaty fabrics and lace were being converted into a beautiful party frock which strongly suggested a Frozen theme. Another of her princesses was going to be the proud possessor of a royal gown. This super sewer always makes great use of her SSS and the dress was well under construction by the time pack-up time came at 4.00 pm. We look forward to seeing photos of the final result.
One of our regulars is turning her crafty hand to patchwork and, after creating a table runner in a variety of bluish shades, has quilted the project by stitching-in-the ditch thus emphasising the shape of each individual piece of fabric. After the stitching is done, all of the ends need to be neatly tied off which is certainly a therapeutic activity and this certainly kept her busy at SSS. This project now needs to be trimmed and then the binding sewn on. We look forward to viewing the final product. This SSS regular also brought along several more KKAs which she has knitted, sewn and stuffed in her 'spare time'.
Crocheting is the current passion for another of our SSSers. She divided her time on Saturday between adding length to a rug in two shades of green which is a present for a lucky family member and crocheting these delightful delicate flowers in every shade of purple, lavender and lilac imaginable. This bouquet of flowers will soon be added to a cushion cover as a cascade of purple flowers tumbling down as decoration.It sounds a fabulous idea and it's another project we're looking forward to seeing when completed.
Another of our regulars is working on the KKA project. Knitting up the Knitted Knocker is fine but she's not so keen on sewing them up, so she brought along a knitting needle with four Knitted Knockers suspended from it and found that sewing and stuffing them is really quite satisfying and not really that onerous at all. They just look so good when complete. Altogether that is another eight from SSS ready for delivery. However, as there are more KKAs in progress on the needles already, we might wait until they are complete before our next delivery.
Taking into account all the projects that are approaching completion we should have a very interesting 'show and tell' next SSS.
Keep those projects progressing and we'll meet on the last Saturday in September, the 26th at 1.00pm in the Community Meeting Room at Gordon White Library.
Our supermum was creating yet another costume for those lucky girls of hers. This time metres of various blue floaty fabrics and lace were being converted into a beautiful party frock which strongly suggested a Frozen theme. Another of her princesses was going to be the proud possessor of a royal gown. This super sewer always makes great use of her SSS and the dress was well under construction by the time pack-up time came at 4.00 pm. We look forward to seeing photos of the final result.
One of our regulars is turning her crafty hand to patchwork and, after creating a table runner in a variety of bluish shades, has quilted the project by stitching-in-the ditch thus emphasising the shape of each individual piece of fabric. After the stitching is done, all of the ends need to be neatly tied off which is certainly a therapeutic activity and this certainly kept her busy at SSS. This project now needs to be trimmed and then the binding sewn on. We look forward to viewing the final product. This SSS regular also brought along several more KKAs which she has knitted, sewn and stuffed in her 'spare time'.
Crocheting is the current passion for another of our SSSers. She divided her time on Saturday between adding length to a rug in two shades of green which is a present for a lucky family member and crocheting these delightful delicate flowers in every shade of purple, lavender and lilac imaginable. This bouquet of flowers will soon be added to a cushion cover as a cascade of purple flowers tumbling down as decoration.It sounds a fabulous idea and it's another project we're looking forward to seeing when completed.
Another of our regulars is working on the KKA project. Knitting up the Knitted Knocker is fine but she's not so keen on sewing them up, so she brought along a knitting needle with four Knitted Knockers suspended from it and found that sewing and stuffing them is really quite satisfying and not really that onerous at all. They just look so good when complete. Altogether that is another eight from SSS ready for delivery. However, as there are more KKAs in progress on the needles already, we might wait until they are complete before our next delivery.
Taking into account all the projects that are approaching completion we should have a very interesting 'show and tell' next SSS.
Keep those projects progressing and we'll meet on the last Saturday in September, the 26th at 1.00pm in the Community Meeting Room at Gordon White Library.
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