Finished and future Projects, cakes and bees

Have FINALLY finished off the unfinished "projects" in my sewing room. Below are the cushions I made to cover the odd shaped foam I had put away. It isn't really the right shape for either chair, but doesn't look too bad. The material is scrap and the zips are from a bunch of four I bought in a charity shop for 40p the lot, alongside a few cones of thread ( more later) behind the chairs are two scatter cushions for the warm room I inhabit much of the time.

Below is a picture of  a couple of "gizmos" made by D yesterday.( I tend to have to wait for rain to get such jobs done) I needed something making that would enable me to use the aforementioned cones of thread on my beautiful treadle machine. He made this with a piece of pallet wood and a coat hanger and it works beautifully ! In front of the cone holder is another piece of pallet wood  with four pieces of dowling inset, to organise and keep my shuttles tidy. What would smallholders do without pallets (and baling twine) !

On my dressmakers dummy is a blouse I have made from a damaged silk blouse from the 50p rail at a charity shop. the contrasting patterned silk is from an old skirt. I made the pattern from a favourite tea shirt of mine that I managed to go over with the lawnmower ! ( The moral being.. look where you are mowing )                                                                                                      

 The last piece I have a (not very good) picture of is a wall hanging. Most of it is machined with just a few pieces done by hand. I have backed it with some sheeting, which I have turned over at the bottom so that a piece of wood can be inserted as a weight. When I showed it to my youngest yesterday she was able to identify each scrap of material and seemed surprised that I had held onto them for so long. Discussing where each piece came from reminded me of the happy hours I used to spend with my mother when working on peg rugs and listening to her stories of where each piece came from.

 I haven't photographed the trouser alterations and new zip insertions as that would be TOO boring.

So the good news is that all the odds and sods of sewing are now completed and I can attack my newly organised stash with a clear conscience    oooooooo... what to do !?  I am certainly going to start some quilting. I quite fancy doing a waistcoat and a set of cushions. I have also found a great pattern for a giraffe which I shall make for a young relative for a present. I reckon that is enough to be going on with.

On matters non-sewing, I cleared out my baking cupboard today and found all sorts of  scraps... dates, cherries, nuts, mincemeat, stem ginger etc so I have made a huge fruit cake.I also found a bag of muesli that I wasn't too keen on so have turned this into a flapjacky sort of thing. Oh yes! and I washed the cupboard out!

I have also made 5kg of sugar fondant for the bees. I have set this in 5 containers and as soon as possible I will place it in the hives in case they need it. ( fingers crossed that they are still sleeping and haven't died ) Granddaughter tells me that she was speaking to a bee keeper last week who has lost 18 hives and his friend even more. What a tragedy !

 It was D's birthday yesterday. The family came for tea and I "did an Indian". I made chicken (cockerel) korma, spicy lamb curry, red lentil Dhal, onion bhajis, yoghurt dip, onion,tomato, cucumber and mint and a large garlic foccacio-type bread.  For dessert we had a pavlova with candles on top. Most of the ingredients were home grown, so it wasn't a very expensive "Do"

 You have probably heard enough of my ramblings so I will close for now and hope everyone keeps safe despite some pretty adverse weather conditions.   Gill