Marmalade Time

About time I posted something – it’s 10 days or so since the last one – I’d like to say 10 productive days but I thought I hadn’t much to write about.   Now that I really come to think of it, I’ve done lots of little bits and pieces and it all adds up!

As it’s January, and the Seville oranges have just reached our shores, I’ve been making batches of marmalade.   There is absolutely no comparison between the taste of what you buy in the supermarket and a homemade marmalade.   Mine, without wishing to boast, is

delicious.   I’ve almost run out of jars now so I’ll have to slow down a bit.

In between batches I’ve been making Christmas cards!   I try to recycle as many cards as I can and, rather than having a mad panic in November, I try to get them all made and put away in the loft with all the Christmas decorations – last year it took till mid February but I finished this year’s yesterday and have just climbed the ladder and put them away.  Hooray!

Waistcoat nearing its final stages

Over the course of the last couple of weeks, Liz and I have made a felt waistcoat for her – I’m hoping she’ll let me take a photo of her wearing it for next time.   We made it in two parts – one piece for the back and one piece to cut out the two fronts.   I used an old paper pattern to adapt to make a ‘prototype’ from some old upholstery fabric and we cut it out from that!    I think we’re both quite pleased with it but it did shrink a bit more than we’d hoped in the final stages so, next time (if there is a next time), we’ll be a bit more generous – and we might felt it onto some fabric for extra strength – watch this space.

The woven scarf is now finished and will become a ‘shrug’ – a bit like the turquoise waistcoat I made a few months ago.    The embroidered strip picture is still not finished – I stitched it more densely than I’d originally planned and the one bit that needs further stitching is proving a bit difficult to put the final touches to.   

  Another project finished was the recycled jeans tote bag as in Ineke Beryln’s https://www.facebook.com/ineke.berlyn?fref=ts book the Patchwork Object – I think I misread the instructions somewhere along the line and it turned out to be a monster.    It was a beast to quilt, heavy and  unwieldy, and it is so huge that it will actually hold everything including the kitchen sink!     Having said that, it was the first time I’ve attended Friday Felters carrying only one bag!   

There is a different picture on each of the four sides

At the meeting of Friday Felters, this month, we had a workshop, run by Helen Melvin https://www.facebook.com/helen.melvin.31?fref=ts  who is a great teacher and good fun.   We made asymmetrical bags – very unusual and all so different.   She brought some kits for those who needed them, the colours of the wool, which she’d dyed using natural dyes, were wonderful.   Unfortunately,  I didn’t finish mine, but it is a work in progress.

On Saturday last, we went to Manchester to see our grandson play in a brass and percussion concert.   At one stage, there were five xylophonists playing together and he was one of them – amazing - there’s nothing like a group of young, enthusiastic, talented young people making music together!