A&C Weekly Challenge 2008

[Whizzz]

New Year & a New thread - post what you hope to start/finish this week!

I have bought lots of fabby gemstones & I want to try & make some different types of jewellery, different ways of stringing etc.

DH also bought me some rainbow fluorite & I want to make myself a necklace & bracelet, although am still pondering what style I fancy!

(& my bog is sadly neglected, I must try harder!)

LK - I'm not even talking to you any more, you and your posh neighbours throwing out decent ebayable clobber!!!
JG - done deal. I'll expect her sometime next week

gm- making pancakes this morning .. thats about all the crafting that will get done today

i like thrifting too.. but one of the best things is estate sales, and proper yard sales in the US. quite freaked DH out the first time he went to an estate sale with me and my parents, something to do with wandering around the house of the recently deceased, buying things.

Estate sales sound great! And actually a good idea too, my nan has just gone into a home and her house is full to the brim of stuff we need to get rid of so it's ready to put the house up for sale.
No crafting for me all weekend I hate it when I can't do anything, it makes me all itchy and jittery!

Message withdrawn

Thank you for the responses everyone- I did even contemplate making up small cards and sticking a peel-off onto them and selling in a bargain bucket,,,because that was what was selling on the other stalls....but that is not what my cards are about.

I am still rather unsettled to be honest. I suppose I have lost direction now. I have just found the pink cotton I was looking for and tonight I will curl up on the setee and knit a piglet!! What I will actually do with it when it's finished is another matter...perhaps use it to throw darts at in an attmept to vent my crafty frustration!!!

about the fair dingle but if its a new one it needs to get established.
At least people know your there now.

JG

Meri, do you have to use acrylic paints for canvas or can use other paint? I have a canvas that I'd like dd to paint.

LK, wow on the charity shop run. We have loads of charity shops on our high street and they're all pretty good. I have a fabulous art deco wooden mantle clock from Oxfam that cost a tenner. It chimes beautifully and came with lovely ornamental keys.

I didnt manage to get the sewing machine out yesterday but have this morning and as predicted, I have sworn alot.
For some reason it does about 10 stitiches anf then gets stuck and when I pull the fabric away the thread from the needle has all gathered underneath the fabric
I cant figure the bloomin thing out but my mums coming tomorrow so shes going to try and fix it

nbg- i use acrylics, but have been known to use matt wall paint at times... you could prob use poster paint too.. spray it with a sealant and anything will be ok.

off to make raspberry short cake

Oh right, I might let her have a go this week then.
Thanks

Dingle, that is a shame about your stall.

I am shocked that the peel off cards were selling though, because at fairs Ive been to (not selling) its mostly peel offs and decoupage on sale, and nothing seems to move.

Your stuff has that really trendy, off the wall look that I dont seem to achieve. Maybe the people round your way just dont have any taste?

nbg - sounds like you've got your tension wrong, and that's why it's puckering (but I am quite crap with the machine so you'll need DIZZY or LUCYKATE to help out - hopefully shouting them will get their attention!)

oooh right, tension yes, i vaugely remember hearing that word before.

LUCYKATE, DIZZY!!!
HELP ME BEFORE I GO BALD

I'm going to end up with blisters all over my hands at this rate

lol

Well I made this bracelet yesterday. I'm quite pleased with it BUT I stabbed myself so many times with BOTH ends of the needle, that when I tried to do some more today my fingers still hurt ! Ouch!

Oooh thats lovely whizzz.
It must have taken you ages.

Talking about thrifting, I bought the most gorgeous Vintage Irish Linen Retro tablecloth last week. Here it is, it's really, really pretty.

It cost me pennies but it's gorgeous and in great condition still.

I love a good rummage don't you ?

it's difficult to say why its puckering nbg without seeing the machine, but to troubleshoot may help. i would make sure the bobbin spool is wound evenly, if not, discard and try a fresh one, change the needle for a new, sharp one, its amazing how quickly a needle can go blunt, give the workings a hoover to get any dust out, and yes, gm's right, re-set the tension bit on the front of the machine, my machine tends to work best on 3, which is quite loose, also, my foot has 3 settings for the pressure which you change depending on what type of fabric you're using, check if yours has this too (mine, there's a lever inside where the bulb).

get some waste fabric and give the machine a good test drive, start off with the tension set to 0, then change to 1, then 2 and so on, if you keep doing straight stitch over and over, you should be able to see at what stage it all gets puckered and work out the optimum tension setting for it, also re-thread everything just to make sure it is threaded right

hth, let me know how you get one

This happened with my machine last year and no matter what setting I set the tension to, the stitch was rubbish.

I got so frustrated I took it to my little sewing machine shop man who gave it a good going over. He told me to make sure that the thread was taught when you thread it.
It's been fine ever since - touch wood.

Thats great. I'll have another go later when the kids are in bed.
Thank you

Tilly, its really pretty.
It would make a nice doorstop.

TB - love that tablecloth!
Whizzz - that bracelet looks so complicated. I thought of you and Meri the other day when I was looking on a blog, there was the most amazing crocheted jewellery. I'll see if I can link to it in a bit.

Nbg - my tension is set at 3 too.

tilly - that table-cloths pretty - could you just extend the edges with a co-ordinating fabric to make it big enough?

nbg - bloody sewing machines!!! i'd second lucykate, reset tension and do lots of practice runs - have fun! now don't wake the kids up swearing!!

this is the crocheted jewellery place. I'm not a beady/jewellery making type but it just struck me as really clever, and totally unusual. I've never seen it before anyway! I really love the little bird's nest.

GM - That's a bit like chainmail ? Looks a little too intricate for me, I'd never manage that as my eyesite is rubbish !

Whizz - you must have very tiny delicate fingers to do that. Very dainty and pretty.

Maximummummy - That's a good idea! And I won't allow ANY children to sit at the table, can't afford to get grubby fingers on it.
It'll be the floor for them then ...

well you could make them a large floor table-cloth!!! i have a lovely one printed all over with strawberries in that kinda plasti-coated cloth for mass indoor picnics!!!

TB - yes, that's what I thought. But is chainmail like tiny rings? Where are the chainmail experts? I know I couldn't do anything like it either - I have rubbish eyes too!!!
MM - my friend has one like that as her normal tablecloth, I presume her DH is a messy eater

sssslluuuuuuuuurrrrppp