What I want to make in 2016

Last year I put this list together (from what I'd left undone in 2014!!) of things to make during the year.  As you can see from what I've crossed out, it wasn't that productive a year!

• Bedroom curtains - our room
• new cushion for Lloyd Loom chair
• bedroom curtains - sewing room
• finish snowdrop sampler
• something out of box of old cloths
• bedroom curtains - top bedroom?
• finish spring tapestry cushion
• new canvas for garden chairs & coordinating bench cushions
• use DH's old shirts to make tops?
• something out of striped Mulberry fabric
• Something out of Nain's pink/orange fabric (Amy Butler Lotus tunic?)
• Scandinavian garlands from Scandinavian Needlecraft by Clare Youngs as Christmas presents - use stuff stored in boxes/attic?
• key rings/fridge magnets - possibly from Made in France: Sweet Treats in Cross Stitch by Tinou Le Joly Senoville; garden secrets book at home; also see 'key to it all' post
• Presents/cards for birthdays
• Christmas tree skirts - as presents

But, looking on the bright side, I don't need to worry about curtains for the top bedroom as I brought a pair I made about 20 years ago from my flat (I was fed up with my tenants having my lovely curtains and the last one certainly didn't appreciate them). So, I have curtains made by my fair hand in all rooms but one of our house (and the curtains in that room have new linings made by me).

Another small plus is that now that the major projects (you guessed it, curtains) are done, I can hopefully concentrate on some smaller finishing touches, like the chair cushion and some tie-backs for the numerous infamous curtains.

I'm not going to promise to complete this list as a) I don't want to put pressure on myself, b) I know I won't manage it and c) I'll probably do other stuff that I haven't considered putting on this list.  I am hoping to concentrate on a few of them though:

• tie backs for 'final curtains'
• new cushion for Lloyd Loom chair
• finish snowdrop sampler
• finish spring tapestry cushion

and take it from there.  It is four years since I started blogging here and the last 18 months have been pretty poor to say the least, so hopefully this will be my blogging come-back year.

Completion weekend

Before you all panic, no, we haven't decided to move house or anything.  This is more exciting, by far (imho at least!) and certainly cheaper and less stressful!  I was determined last week to stick at it over the weekend and finish some long-overdue projects, if for no other reason than to have something to tell you all about!

So, Friday I added to my list of (finally) finished UFOs by sewing the binding to edge the Breton napkins I started last century.

Breton napkins to match DM's tablecloth - started c.1999, completed May 2013

I also finished a gift for MIL (a 'commission' from FIL) - a (very) small keyring of the Canterbury cross.

But the major achievement was to finish (and hang) the dining room curtains.  I didn't make quite as much progress on them on Friday as I'd hoped, but at least each layer was cut out and ready to put together.  Most of Saturday was spent doing that and getting the header buckram into place (with a few gardening sojourns when DH needed a second pair of hands), but was cut short when I ran out of said buckram (pants!).  Thankfully a quick trip to John Lewis curtain department was possible on Sunday after chapel and so, while DH demolished a shrub tree in the garden, I got on with pleating the curtains so we could hang them before the day was over.

It was much easier making these.  The main thing was that there wasn't quite (understatement of the millennium) as much bulk in them as there was in the living room curtains.  But obviously, I'd made one pair already, so I had a much better idea of what I was doing and what worked well etc from my previous experience.  Another 'improvement' I made with making these was to cut the interlining to the hanging length (plus top seam allowance) so that the final stretch of finishing the hems off should be slightly easier.  That is the plan at least.  I'm still waiting for the weight tape for both pairs, so I won't finish them completely until that arrives.  However, in the meantime I'm hoping the pleats will set reasonably with their ribbons holding them in place and shall look forward to drawing curtains in both rooms and sitting back to admire my hard work.

The world is your ... embroidery kit?!

Don't you just love holidays?  Travel is one of the many things DH and I have in common.  He's done a lot more of it than I have, but we both love it.  We've both lived abroad too and would love to give that another shot sometime before we're too old.

Over the years we've both collected lovely souvenirs from our travels and our home is decorated with many of them.  I must admit that DH has a very good principal when it comes to buying presents and souvenirs - get something that someone can use or need/want, rather than just buying for the sake of buying and the item collecting dust in a cupboard somewhere.

Since being together we've bought a beautiful rug (India), a St Bridget cross and butter dishes (Ireland), garden lantern (Wales) and a Benjamin Franklin quote print (Philadelphia). We also have Chinese script, south American textiles, African masks, Aboriginal artwork, Czech prints and a few Christmas tree and Easter decorations from our various solo trips.  We do tend to buy a tea towel or two while we're at it too and in our collection there are some from South Africa, Ireland, Belgium, Sweden, Brittany, the London 2012 Olympic Games and Australia.

I love to try to buy embroidery magazines while I'm abroad too, as they are often slightly different to what you'll find here.  But my ideal souvenir is to find an embroidery kit that shows something typical of the country I'm visiting.  It isn't always easy though, but I have managed to get a lovely May Pole from Bavaria, a banner of typical/well known Norwegian buildings, a Swedish Christmas banner, a map of Brittany and some Quimper faience pattern 'samplers' and I also have a provencal table cloth from a visit to my cousin when she lived in Toulon.

Bavarian may-pole - when I replace my camera I'll add a better photo!

Map of Brittany by Philomène

Greetings from Norway - typical buildings

Provencal table cloth and napkins

We were fortunate enough to be in New York for a week when the Icelandic volcano struck and caused havoc with international travel.  What hardship to 'have' to stay there for an extra week!  During the second week I discovered a lovely little embroidery shop around the corner from where we were staying and I went to see what I could find.  I discovered an embroidery 'designer' called Prairie Schooler which has a lot of folk-art style designs.  In the bargain bucket I found "A Prairie Year II" booklet - 12 designs, one for each month of the year - which I thought would be quite practical for a pretty, quick stitch as a card or small gift.

Before leaving NYC, I showed the booklet to our hostess and asked whether she'd like one of the designs and promised to send it to her once I'd finished (with the caveat that I'd no idea how quickly I would manage it!).

It is just as well really, as I saw her again a fornight ago - for the second time over here since our visit there in 2010 - and realised that I still hadn't finished her design.  Well, to be honest, I finished embroidering it ages ago, but haven't made it up into anything yet.  I'd also embroidered another two designs, one for Christmas (but that hasn't turned out as successfully as the other two as the background fabric is a bit pale) and one with a beehive design for another couple we know who keep bees.  I've filled them both with dried lavender so they not only look pretty, but they also smell heavenly. 

Prairie Schooler lavender bags

Yet another UFO to tick off my long list.  How do you think they turned out?

UFOs

Part of the reason for this blog was to get me back into regular crafting/embroidering.  And it has certainly helped with this.  I've also found that I think a lot more creatively/artistically since I started blogging and pinning.

Another 'side effect' of blogging has been the desire to complete my numerous UFOs or WIPs (the more I blog, the more I 'get' the lingo!).  Don't worry, I haven't suddenly changed the subject of my blogging to the extra-terrestrial.  Far from it! For the uninitiated amongst us I'm talking about UnFinished Objects or Works In Progress.

I was googling UFO to make sure I'd got the correct abbreviation for blogland and came across this blog, which made me feel so much better about some of my UFOs/WIPs (I really hope she manages to finish the quilt she started when she was expecting her daughter, 30 years ago!  But it gives me hope).  I also thought I'd follow the example and list my UFOs/WIPs so that we can all keep track of my progress!!  I just hope I don't regret this!

UFOs completed since starting Sew and Siw



Provencal napkins to match table cloth - started c.1998

Prairie Schooler 'cushions' - started c. autumn 2010

Breton napkins to match DM's tablecloth - started c.1999, completed May 2013

OK, I haven't exactly made great progress - but it's a start!  And I have started AND finished a few new projects in the meantime.
And this is what I've got left...

UFOs/WIPs

Spring flower tapestry cushion - started in 2008, although bought a couple of years earlier!

Table runner from East Friesland - started as an au-pair in 1991 

Granny's pair of tray cloths - goodness knows when Granny started it (and goodness knows when I'll finish them both!)

Setting the table

I've been perusing some other crafty people's blogs recently (I'm being presumptious now and assuming that I'm crafty too!), and one of them reminded me of some napkins that I've half hemmed, but never finished (what's new?!).
Here they are:

So, that lovely blog inspired me to finally get my act together and finish them all some off.
Et voila!

So thank you Domestic Novice and may you (and I?) continue to inspire fellow crafters everywhere!