100 square for visually impaired bairns + knitting

This is a variation on the velcro accepting fabric boards that I make, for our VI children to use in schools.
These on/off discs have large print and braille numbers on them and can be used to do ('sums' lol) maths calculations .
Obviously a child with no sight wouldn't know if they were holding the disc the right way up, to read the numbers in braille.
So I put a nick in the top of each disc and that way the child can orientate the disc and then read the braille successfully.
The board on the right can come off and be used horizontally.

I made this several years ago and it came in this week for a repair.
A couple of discs were missing and I took the opportunity to replace the printed and braille numbers too, so now its good as new again.

At home, I've made more sale-able bits, head huggers and fingerless gloves.

Cold weather here now, so guess gloves will be back in fashion lol

Viking Longboat tutorial - ish

I have to make a second Viking Topic Box, so got stuck in and thought I would post some pics as I go along
In fact I am making 2 more long boats ............ you may notice the 2 different shaped ones, so no, its not faulty editing , there are 2 different ones lol
Do ask, if anything doesn't read right and you intend to make one and need help.
The one I made before has stood up really well to classroom handling so am using the same technique again!
Okay you need a cardboard box.......and the hull is made from this - now you could use mount board I suppose and then you'd be able to draw the long ship shape properly....but I was using up a gash box so had to faff with these.

I've had to cut out additional sticky up, end bits you'll notice but as you'll see, they wont show when its done.

Here above, I've taped the additional side end on and that way both sides of the hull come together too, so the boat starts to take shape now.

Both ends taped together..............

Having taped each end, I glue some gash card in the bottom so it helps widen the central area, for when I lay the deck in place as in below pic.
I glue it in place and it doesn't much matter if it looks a mess at this stage lol
Pins can keep the deck in place and elastic bands too... and I have glued in strips of cardboard within the hull to give it some structure and help it maintain its shape and density. Does that make sense? lol

 

Now to taping the whole thing together!

I normally tape it them with masking tape liberally, but for this one used grey extra strong gaffa tape.

Next comes a gesso layer, below.... and the upright 'stick' behind it, is destined to be the mast. It's sat in a tub drying, having been daubed with wood effect paint.

and below you can see the hole where the mast can be pushed in.

I don't glue the mast in, so it can be removed for practical purposes.

Right this painted one below, which I was making at the same time, here has the undercoat for a wood grain effect, Dulux paint.

When this has dried, I will then paint the final wood effect layer on and will show you the next stages in another post.

Ebay quilts purchase

I know, your thinking, wow............Lyns made a  cracking quilt! 
And she hadn't let on that she was making one too,
...............well one like this anyway lol

Ermmmmm well with the onset of blummin chilly nights and having been browsing on Ebay...........I bought a 'vintage' one because.....
.......it occurred to me the other day, that I have been collecting cotton fabrics to make a couple of quilts for years and not got very far.

In fact my pivotal moment came when I realized much of the cottons I had bought, was bought when I worked in a smashing craft store......
which I left 11 years ago!!

So I think that gives you an idea how I can procrastinate...........abit lol

So I bid on a couple of quilts and won this supposedly vintage darlin' which has been machine stitched and hand quilted. No idea how old it is of course really but am not concerned because I like it and it has a lovely soft handle to it.

Anyway I was so thrilled that I won that quilt for £70 that I forgot about this one lol

which I also won for £43 lol I'd assumed I would lose one or the other, but didn't ~

They are both enormous covers and my bed is king size so you can see  how generously sized the top one is, it hangs down both sides of the bed, and this second one is bigger! 
This 2nd may become my shroud, hopefully for use much later on! 
This too is machine stitched but hand quilted and says its believed to be from the 1970s.
I wouldn't be surprised if I've been duped and they are not as 'vintage' as they might be ( 2 separate sellers ) but what the hell, I quite like them and they will get used anyway.
And since I've still not selected a pattern for my own quilt to be.... least I won't freeze before it's made!

Sonya Cowan - Icons - Wow!

It's the second weekend of the Open Studios and today I visited a talented lady living locally, Sonya Cowan.
Now her hubby IS a man of cloth, so no coincidence maybe that her icons, well yes, they are to die for!
The faces all beautifully crackle aged.
She has used recycled materials in them too so she won me hands down but they are beautifully stitched and so imaginatively created.
Lust away folks and keep an eye out for her work please..........there's one that wasn't priced that I think I'm going to have find the price of it tomorrow ..........

These above are a new graffiti style that Sonya has developed with strikingly decorated the frames too!

Clever use of the heat gun here on the right I think.

And now for some rock art!

What great fun!! 
And altered books?
What about these then!

YUMMY or what..........? lol

And not that it can top Sonyas work but have you seen this yarn, bought yesterday in The Range? It's super soft and splits down into 6 strands...........ideal for hand stitching! it has an interesting kind of twist to it as well.
I think Shelagh ( Folgate ) you may have sent me some of this a while ago in which case your welcome to some of these shades now lol

............... and you know when you've spent too much time on the lap top when black boy squeezes in to snuggle beside the pc lol

so.............farewell!

Autumnal Tree

                                                            spot the dragon! 

                                                            and the bitty bird lol

WIP and Bridlington Spa then and now

Took this photo, of a photo on the wall at the Spa Theatre. It must have been a really impressive place in its hey day, full of light and an important and popular venue.
Even before it's quite recent make over, it was always a well used and much loved part of Bridlington and its very much a part of the community, social and arts scene now.

I sneaked this next pic through a door of that same area and there were dancers being assessed on their performance by judges on the stage...........a little reminiscent of this very picture!

Similar yes but I cant help but think it was probably grander as it once was. 

 Another tree...........hadn't made any for a while and the urge came upon me.........but I used 2 different kind of novelty wools rather than voiles. 
I also made a  couple more head huggers with recycled wool from a charity shop.
Though why I felt compelled to buy the odd balls when I've so much already ............ I can only think it was the mix of colours I stumbled on, that inspired me to mix them altogether lol
The one on the left is twisted at the front, rather like head squares were when worn as turbans in the 40s.... 
and the other looks nothing like anything at all,  scrunched up like that...what was I thinking lol
It's actually a rib strips band with a big flower attached.

 I also had a fancy to crochet some chunky wool, some eyelash yarn and a double knit, all very much in the same pink thru to purple colour ways..........into simple chain lengths. ( size 10 hook )
Which when knotted together here and there, might make a passable scarf for a wild young thing.

But if not, they can be untied I suppose and individual lengths used to tie up misbehaving kids, errant boyfriends or for lassoing hobgoblins even...

They'd make reasonable belts to keep your jeans up or wrap round, head bands too I suppose...
A multi functional scarf.......who'd have thought it! lol
It would work fab as rug wouldn't it too, all stitched together, plait style in an oval................now there is a thought !

Of course, maybe every radiator should have its own scarf this season.......
I cant take credit for the scarf-ish idea, I'm sure I've seen one like it somewhere online - some when or other.
So if anyone knows that its a particular designers idea, by all means tell me and I can credit them with the original idea!
Oh and if you cant work out how to comment with this new fangled blog design............
Click on comment at the bottom of the post, then scroll down a wee bit and the comment box is hiding down there!
I learn summat new every day................... and that is todays gem!

More creative inspiration maybe ...

Hornsea has an interesting guest house Acorn Lodge ..

clam shell patchwork !

The cladding tile is I guess the acorn inspiration for the name! 

But if you embiggen the piccy - 

to use Mary Annes wonderful word 
(from maggiesmumblings.blogspot.com) - lol

what I really like, is the wonderful rope work around the window glass!

Impressive and around all windows!

There's some sycamore trees nearby whose bark is falling off and the trunk has this amazing sculptured look to it.

 These are fallen bits of bark, the bark side top left and then the undersides. 
I wonder if might be some kind of fungus growing beneath the bark and forcing it off?
It's odd and I've never seen it before, anyone else recognize it maybe?