Coming back

Such a long time! I'm learning to use my arm again, reaching higher almost every day and trying new ways to do simple things like taking a plate from the microwave over my shoulder level. This is my third week without the sling.

Right at the beginning of October we had the first snow, it only lasted for a day or two.

Last week we had the first "real snow" that required shoveling and the plough trucks were out, and there is still some snow left. Winter weather requires winter crafts, so I have started a pair of socks in blue. I can only knit a few rows before taking a break, so the socks may just be finished on time for Christmas. I use a solid greyish blue and a variegated yarn in alternating rows.

During my long break from blogging I have been reading your blogs on the iPad my son borrowed me so I didn't have to climb upstairs to see my e-mails. That little thing was quite nice and handy, but sometimes I could not even open the comments section, and often the writing of comments was just not working. This is just to let you know that I haven't forgotten you.

A month ago the Villa Cooper celebrated its 110th anniversary, and we found it a great opportunity to invite the representative of the New Children's Hospital 2017 fundraising committee for coffee and home made buns so we could officially donate the funds raised during our bird themed campaign. The sum by then was €1,600 and we keep raising funds for the worthy cause as long as there are products left with the special price tags.

Last weekend the traditional Christmas Shop was opened at Villa Cooper, and I hope to get you some lovely pictures from it, with more light than this anniversary picture.

"Designer" socks and various birds

You may remember the fundraising for the New Children's Hospital 2017 we have been having at the Villa Cooper? I'm very happy to tell you that my Happy Scrappy Spring quilt was finally sold!

 

 

 

I made this quilt designed by Kaaren of The Painted Quilt, and she kindly gave her permission to sell the quilt for the worthy cause. A member of our club was the buyer, and I can be sure the quilt has found a good home! The nice sum of € 350.00 was added to the fundraising account.

 

My original 25 birdy coasters have all been sold and I have had two custom orders since then. Making the last one of them, I decided to use up all the linen fabric I had left for the background so there will be a dozen or so new mug rugs for the hospital project still available. We decided to keep our project going as long as we have items left.

 

 

Speaking of custom orders, I knitted a pair of socks for Mr K. to keep his toes warm in the waders. Those shoes let the cold water through, and only the sock part of the waders keep his feet dry but not necessarily warm.

 

I have seen his technical socks designed for the left and right foot and using different materials, and took an idea from them:

 

 

I made a stretchy part on the sole after the heel to keep the sock from creeping towards the toes like my socks tend to do in my wellies. The top of the foot part is in rib stitch as well to make the socks fit like a glove. (That would be really stupid though, nobody has toes as long as fingers. This must be seen as a figure of speech.) The bottom of the heel is flat and smooth so nothing will put pressure on his baby soft skin.

 

Mr K. has added a polycarbonate roof to our terrace. The project is nearly finished, just missing the boards to cover the triangles at both ends.

 

I'm enjoying my favourite time of the year: sunny days with just room temperature or a little cooler, fresh little wind, the smell of apples, many flowers still in bloom, the swans teaching their young cygnets to take off and land (is it 'landing' in water too?), and the first cranes preparing their migration to the South. Yesterday I saw a flock of about 50 cranes getting arranged to their typical V formation. 

New Children's Hospital 2017 campaign at Villa Cooper

Look, we are in the local newspaper!

 

 

The first of May was the official beginning of our craft club's bird themed sales campaign to raise money for the New Children's Hospital 2017 project.

 

Here are the first products, and there will be more.

 

Felted owl brooches, decoupage eggs and my bird appliqué mug rugs.

 

Beautiful aquarelles of our winter birds.

 

Felted rooster potholders and owl softies.

 

Knitted hats, a tea cosy, a ceramic bird on the wall, little bag with bird fabric, and felted owls on the shelf. On the bottom shelf the eggs and brooches again, and on the left there are some pretty pillowcases with hand printed birds.

 

I hope the publicity we had in the newspaper will bring new buyers. Mother's Day is on the coming Sunday, and the school year ends at the end of May so little gifts are in great demand. And if the bird gifts are not quite what they are looking for, the house is full of our normal crafty things from rag rugs to linen table runners, from candles to wreaths, from hand knitted wool socks to beaded earrings and necklaces. And of course the big quilt with stitcheries and wool appliqué! That one is for the fundraising, and with the Easter chicks and eggs it goes well under the bird theme too.

Squares

This is the beginning of my Rona cardigan with the Rowan yarns I showed a while ago. I have been testing all colour combinations and the three different square patterns that make the biggest part of the cardigan.

 

 

These are all my favourite colours.

I still need to practice on this square to get it the same size as the others. I love the 3D flower!

This is a new project, to support the New Children's Hospital 2017 charity. Villa Cooper will have a closet full of bird theme items donated by the members of our club. The proceeds will go 100 % to the fundraising, just like the price of my Happy Scrappy Spring quilt.

 

I decided to make a low price product, a mug rug. Little birds appliquéd on linen with a heat and bond type material, and just machine stitched a couple of times around the edges with straight stitch.

 

I kept the shapes simple but noticed how easy it was to change the look by changing the wing angle

 

or playing a little with the legs to give a busy look.

 

Luckily I had an almost full reel of 20 mm bias binding to finish the edges. I made some careful measuring and sewed the bindings in loops before attaching to the square. Easy!

 

Look, there is a hint of green in the young birches!

 

Happy Scrappy Spring finished

Last Spring I started the Happy Scrappy Spring quilt Kaaren of The Painted Quilt designed and offered as a free BOM. Actually it was the whole Row of the Month, with pieced blocks and some stitcheries. I made the stitcheries in red, and used, as usual, mostly recycled fabrics for the blocks.

For the wool appliqué I had to buy some wonderful wool felt, and that kept me from finishing this quilt right the way.

I really enjoyed the new(ish) for me experience of wool appliqué. It feels great when you notice you can easily make it look good!

 

The third row was the most work, five stitcheries including this big one for the centre.

 

Spring is also Easter, so the quilt has lots of bunnies, eggs and egg baskets.

 

 

Wool felt appliqué flowers, carrots and birds.

 

 

The little bunny with a kite is one of my favourites.

So is this little chick in her wellies and umbrella. Notice the tiny Easter eggs on the left.

I left out a dozen or so leaping bunnies on the checkerboard rows between the stitched blocks. In February I finally sandwiched the quilt, in March I machine quilted it and just this last week hand sewed the binding and a hanging sleeve.

 

Here the finished quilt is hanging in Villa Cooper, waiting for buyers. With Kaaren's  kind consent, my Happy Scrappy Spring quilt will be (hopefully) sold to raise money for the New Children's Hospital 2017 project.

 

 

It says so on the label here too:

 

 

In the Summer the Villa Cooper people will have an exhibition with the theme "Birds", also for the New Children's Hospital 2017 project. Our members are invited to make their own projects under the theme, using their favourite technique, and to donate the products to be sold at Villa Cooper. 100 % of the money raised will go to the hospital project.