The Glastonbury Effect!

Well sorry I missed last week’s Handmade Monday but I was away with my DH having a much needed break!  We have been in the Forest of Dean for a couple of days and then spent 5 days in a cottage in Glastonbury!  Plenty of  scope for coffee and cake adventures!

I love Glastonbury and used to come here 3 or 4 times a year with friends, but because of health issues I haven’t been for 3 years now, which is why my lovely husband suggested it as a holiday for us!  Glastonbury always had a recharging/de-stressing effect on me when I came here touching me spiritually, deepening my sense of oneness with the earth and my ability to tune into the magical/otherworldly realms.  Since becoming ill and having to take pain meds  I have felt a loss of connection to my spiritual side and even an inability to enjoy meditation as I used to do, so I was very much looking forward to experiencing a rekindling of these lost attributes by being once again in Glastonbury.

We had a view of the Tor from our bedroom window!  Sadly I can’t walk up it any more but maybe one day I will manage it again.

Glastonbury Tor

Glastonbury Tor

Well I enjoyed my time away, I feel rested and more relaxed, but I didn’t experience the ‘Glastonbury Effect’ –  not any of the ‘connections’ I used to feel at the sacred sites such as the Goddess Temple and Chalice Well.  I drank the well water and walked through the healing pool, I enjoyed the sensation, but it seems that nothing can get through the blanking effect of taking heavy drugs long term,  no tingling excitement or special awakening occurred.  I did read some very interesting books though which the hosts left in the living room and from these I remembered some of what I used to do naturally.  So now I will be working on reawakening my chakras, trying to reconnect with my higher self and deepening my connection to natural world around me to see if I can regain some of my sense of goddess spirituality.

The cottage was wonderful though, comfy bed, interesting garden with a raised patio in the garden overlooking the Abbey grounds. We had some nice cider and wine sitting up there!  Not much intake for me though – another consequence from taking the drugs 🙁

I took my sewing bag with me, expecting to have plenty of time to do some knitting, crochet and  hand sewing to make things like the hexagon patterns for quilts, but didn’t actually do any!  Amazingly, it was too hot to sew or knit or crochet!!!  Everytime I sat down in the garden recliner or on the sofa to read or craft I fell asleep!      They had amazing garden rolling recliners which are the best thing I have found for back/neck support in a comfy reclining position.  They were so good  I ordered one online which my son picked up and had  waiting for me when we got back last night!!   The holiday ones, Tuscany Recliners, were from Greenfingers online store but they have sold out so I got a  Malibu rolling  recliner from Argos which is very similar.  If you have any back, neck, knee or hip problems and can’t get comfy outside I really recommend trying one of these! http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Search/searchTerms/ROLLING+RECLINER+.htm

Floral binding and Rainbow Wool!

Floral binding and Rainbow Wool!

 

I did also manage to feed my fabric addiction in a beautiful little craft shop in Lydney, and a wonderful emporium called Sew Vintage in Wells.  Here is the ready made quilt binding I bought and some lovely wool I just couldn’t resist.

So now I have even more of a stash and haven’t made any progress at all with making things!!  Oh well, par for the course for fabric fanatics!

 

 

Now I’m back home I have decided to make some summer resolutions!

  • make time for daily meditation and mindfulness
  • work on my craft projects whilst listening to some beautiful music
  • keep my craft room workspace tidy but have some pretty things in there to uplift my soul whilst working
  • keep up to date reading craft blogs and writing my own

That shouldn’t be difficult, should it?!!      Think I’ll start by popping over to read the other blogs at handmade harbour!!

Handmade Christmas at the 02 anyone?

This week I have had absolutely nothing that I had to do (apart from usual shopping cleaning etc) but no appointments or family to pick up/take out etc so I have pretty much been able to sew sew sew!  It has been really relaxing and enabled me to complete my quilt top ready to start the quilting and binding next week.

I didn’t think I’d be doing any hand sewing on a patchwork quilting course but we did, we learned applique as well, and I  found it very relaxing  sitting in the garden doing some hand sewing.  Here is the finished quilt top which now needs making into the quilt sandwich!

pink and purple fabrics made into a quilt.

My Wonder Block Quilt Top

I don’t know if any of you crafters who join in in Handmade Monday heard about the Folksy collaboration with the big Handmade Christmas Fair at the 02 in December??  Well I have taken a leap of faith and booked a market stall for the 3 day event!!  I am sharing the stall and the costs with my sister who is a photographer and so I am quite looking forward to it as a sister road trip as well as the selling side.  I am, however, a bit nervous of managing  a stall for 3 days on the run and also worrying if we will sell enough to make it worthwhile!   I will be selling quilts like the one above as well as my smaller items, the mobile ‘phone cases and Tablet cases and some of my jewellery.

There are concerts on at the 02 and the  fair organisers have agreed to arrange a ‘buy now – collect later’ point in the arena so that concert goers can buy things more easily.  60,000 people are expected to visit so it sounds good!

Anyway I’d be interested to know if anyone else has booked a spot and what you think are the chances of anyone buying something as big as a quilt?  Would more smaller items be better?   Please share your thoughts – any advice welcomed!!

 

 

Patchwork Quilting Course

So this was the second week at my patchwork quilting course and I thoroughly enjoyed it again.  This course has not been what I expected at all – so far we haven’t used a sewing machine at the course – only at home!  We have learnt to cut out and hand sew pieces of fabric which are sewn together to make up 12″ ‘blocks’.   Each block is made up differently using varying techniques.   Out of the 6 blocks needed, so far I have two blocks finished and two half finished.

One of the nice things about learning techniques by hand sewing is that it is very relaxing and quite therapeutic to have to sit and sew, away from normal life .   It’s also  easy to listen to the tutor whilst sewing by hand.   I now have several squares, hexagons, diamonds and hearts made up, some of which are to be used as applique on top of background fabric.  I have taken some pictures as I sewed at home for putting together a tutorial on some of the techniques I have learnt.  I will be uploading these in the next few weeks  but for now here is a peak at what I have been doing.

two hexagonal pieces of fabric, one is kight ourple the other is yellow with a purple butterfly

Starting to sew hexagons together

 

As the weather has been so warm and sunny I have been sitting in the shade at the bottom of the garden sewing up all my fabric pieces! – Bliss!  Here is the hexagon doily first row after the centre completed

6 pale purple hexagons of fabric sewn around a middle yellow one. The yellow one has a purple butterfly on it.

Hexagon Doily – one more round to sew yet!

We have ‘homework’ each week which has meant a lot of sewing.  Before the next lesson I have to buy some more fabric to use as the backing.  Oh the hardship! A trip to buy more fabric :).  But more about all that and the rest of the course in a future post, now I am off on my weekly trip round the crafty blogs over at Handmade Monday!

 

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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Sewing, sewing, sewing

 

It’s that time of year – the season of xmas craft fairs!  I’ve been trying to sew as much as I can before the arthritis stops me. I am having a stall at Hoylake on 1st December and although most of my stock was acquired more than 18 months ago I would like to take a few of the new ideas I have – the patchwork pieces.

Here are three pieces I made – a patchwork glasses case, a Kindle case and a mobile ‘phone case!