Jennie's Threads

 Just a week after I posted my Fettle list and I've got a finish already! Monday was my birthday, and every year I take the day off to sew, sew and sew some more. And I like to have a finish on the day - either something I've been working on for a while, or something as a little birthday gift to myself. This year I managed both. First up, my present to myself! The Stash and Dash Pouch. This was a kit from Lovely Jubbly Fabrics that I bought last year - out of all the six kits I got (it was a subscription) this was the one I loved the most. It's made entirely from Tula Pink fabric, mostly Curiouser and Curiouser, and whilst this isn't my favourite range, these prints are just gorgeous! It's a By Annie pattern and they are really well written but tend to be a slightly different construction method to what I'm used to, so still a bit of a challenge! The interior is three mesh pockets and on the outside there is a vinyl slip pocket - I don't know what I'm go

 Do you remember the list? You know - The List! My List of all of my works in progress. I did a bit of a review recently, ticking off what I've finished, removing what I won't ever do and, of course, adding on a fair few new projects I've started since the last review. The total? 102 projects! Could 2023 be the year I actually finish more than I start? Unlikely! But let's start with the best intentions. Helen at Archie the Wonder Dog is running a bit of an informal finish along - Fettle Those Finishes ! Create a list at the start of the year, and laugh at your optimism at the end of the year - you know the form! Helen has also added the year she started her projects... I have not, though I will admit that the earliest project is at least from 2012! And so here is my list! I've tried to find photos of the projects, but some have progressed since the last photo I could find. Many haven't. 1. Norah Quilt - hand quilting has commenced but progressing slowly - I made

 Well hello! Happy New Year from the chilly North-East! It's been a while, hasn't it?! A good eighteen months in fact! And even before that I was a trifle absent! I've got a reasonable excuse... ish: I've been working on my Foundation Degree in Payroll Management - yep - I'm such a nerd, and I love payroll so much, that I've been doing it for fun after work! I submitted my final essay on Wednesday evening and so for 2023 I'm going to try and be back here more often - sharing what I'm working on and sharing finishes now that I have more time to sew again. I also thought it was time for a bit of change of view - so my blog looks a bit different today! It's not that I haven't been sewing, but it's mostly been hand sewing, and that doesn't grow very quickly, so it's harder to be here regularly. But when I logged back in today, I found some draft posts back from 2020 and early 2021 that I never published. So whilst I'll still be doing

 Several years ago, right at the start of my quilting adventure, I made my Mum and Dad a tablecloth. Their dining room is quite dark and the table cloth was yellows and creams and golds to brighten it up. A few years later, Mum picked out some fabrics she liked for a quilt. The problem was that there wasn't much contrast in the fabrics she picked and I never found just the right pattern, so the fabrics sat in my cupboard.  Last year, just as the world was shutting down, they had their living room and dining room redecorated. When it eventually got finished, it was clear that whilst the yellow tablecloth still looked good, their decoration has changed from a slight yellow to a slight greeny-blue. A new tablecloth was clearly required! And would you believe, the fabrics she picked out many years ago were perfect! Some hours wasted on Pinterest and I had a pattern picked out. Sadly the source of the pattern seemed to result in a dead end so I drafted it myself. I started cutting out o

Four years ago I made Santa Sacks for Mia and Jessica  (I can't believe it was that long ago!). I had planned to do stockings for them, but I couldn't find a pattern I liked that was big enough to take presents without having to be too careful to buy small ones, but not so big that it would cost a fortune to fill... my husband's family always had pillowcases rather than stockings growing up, so a drawstring bag seemed like a great compromise. When I made those original Santa Sacks, I only had Mia and Jess. We knew that we wanted to have a third child, but obviously we didn't know whether it would be a boy or a girl. So I made sure I had enough matching fabric in case we had another girl. Well, it's just as well we didn't cause I have no idea where that safe place is that I put that fabric! And it was just a bit too girly for Josh anyway.  Last Christmas I picked up some green snow-globe fabric. I ran out of time (and inclination) to make the Santa Sack last yea