Wonderwool Weekend in Wales Yippee!

What a lovely birthday weekend, DH agreed to go to Wonderwool Wales with me! We set off Friday night to Llandridnod Wells and found we had been upgraded to a suite from a double room – big comfy bed and our own little sitting area with couches, TV, DVD player and music centre!It was so relaxing after our drive – we had a jacuzzi bath as well – so we relaxed in comfort with a nice bottle of birthday wine while I planned how to enjoy the next two days!

Saturday we browsed round the book shops and the vintage shops in Hay on Wye. There was a lot of vintage lace and embroidered cloth in one place which wasn’t for me but would have been a fab find for someone! We also managed to find a coffee shop with home made cakes and another with home baked Cornish pasties! Oh I do know how to enjoy myself!!

Anyway, on Sunday after a very satisfying brekkie, we arrived at Wonderwool just after it opened. It was already bustling and there was some very unique and interesting clothing – and that was just the customers! Weird and wacky outfits- knitted, crocheted, felted, sewn or spun – it was either for sale or being worn by a customer or stallholder!

If you love wool you should really make time to visit one of these shows. There were lots of balls or hanks of ready to use wool and even more piles upon piles of wool tops for spinning. You could get plain (raw?) wool tops or some that was already dyed. Some of the colours were enchanting, I watched a demonstration of how to blend wool rovings into a swirly mix of purply pinky loveliness!

Up till now knitting and crochet have been my thing but what really inspired me today was the art of spinning with a wheel. I would very much have liked to have bought a wheel right there and then and sort out how to use it afterwards! However, I managed to be sensible and resist and instead listened to the advice of a lady in the Spinners and Weavers Guild who suggested learning how to use one first and trying some out before buying, then looking on eBay once I knew what type suited me.

She also told me some Guilds lend out Spinning Wheels to members for as little as £5 a month and that would be a great way to find out if Spinning is something I will continue to enjoy doing. My mission now is to suss out a spinning workshop or course which is within reasonable travelling distance of Wirral or somewhere with accommodation (little spinning holiday!!) If anyone else fancies learning and is near enough to split traveling costs I’d love to hear from you!

So what did I buy? Well a lambs wool cutoff to ease the dog’s arthritis by lining it’s (memory foam ) bed! It really is comfy and warm – I know cos I have my feet on it now while travelling home (I’m not driving obviously!)

A pack of dyed felt with some orange and turquoise pieces to make some additions to the sewing bag I started last week. The felt is on one of the lambs wool pieces.

Lovely felt!

Lovely felt!

These dyed silk hankies – not sure for what yet – I just love the colours.

Dyed silk

Dyed silk

Over now to Handmade Monday – see what you have all been up to!

Bags and Buttons!

Had a lovely time this week using up some of my stash with the jelly roll I bought recently!  I have booked myself onto a 4 week quilting course at Voirrey Embroidery and I am really looking forward to 3 hours sewing and learning on Thursday mornings!  I have to take basic sewing kit with me so it gave me the perfect excuse to make myself a new project bag.

teal and orange hippy fabric

Two jelly rolls sewn together

 

 

Here are the straps on the bag – I used a plain turquoise for one side and a hippy swirly orange for the other!

half made bag

Half finished bag with straps sewn on

 

 

 

 

Now I have to  put in the zip and then make a lining with pockets to sandwich in the wadding.

 

To finish with I am going to add some of these LOVELY buttons from Berrynicecushions on Folksy.  She has some wonderful buttons for sale, painted with floral patterns.  Click here if you want to see what else she has!

Turquoise floral buttons

Turquoise buttons for bag

buttons from CD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m off for my Sunday night fix now over at Handmade Monday to see what everyone else is up to!

 

More fabric buying..

Eek been buying fabric again !  I really should be using up my stash as soon the craft room won’t be usable but will just be a giant fabric store room!

I just couldn’t resist this jelly roll

fabric strips

lovely jelly roll!

and when I opened it – wow! all hippy tye dye and flowers and ‘peace’ printed!

hippy flowery fabric!

hippy flowery fabric!

So I really had to make something! First I was going to make a bag out of the strips but somewhwere along the way (you know how it is..) it turned into a cushion made out of other stash with some vibrant purple from the roll as the border!

Patchwork cushion!

Patchwork cushion!

Very pleased with myself  and I’m keeping this one for our house!

I still haven’t heard from the person who bought the Faery Garden even though I sent two messages so I don’t know if it arrived intact but am guessing it did or I probably would have!!

Over to Handmade Monday now for my Sunday evening treat – reading all the other crafters’ adventures!!

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