ScrapHappy September 2022

It was time to turn a pair of hand-me-down straight-legged jeans into flares, and get rid of the bulky pockets at the back which made it look like I was growing two carbuncles on my backside.

I started with this tutorial and changed bits of it as I went along.

The inserts were cut from an old pair of jeans that had seen better days in certain areas, and were obviously never going to get mended while in my possession.

I zigzagged the inside seams because that wasn’t in the tutorial, and I also topstitched after ironing flat. Then I added a few random stitches in perle embroidery cotton. Different on each side. Because why not? I suppose I should have machined-stitched the hem in a light colour to match the original hem, but I was getting close to the end of the project and needed to finish it before running out of steam.

The horrible back pockets got ripped off and replaced with new ones from a pile of denim samples someone once gave me. I’ve been hoarding those samples for far too long and it’s time to use them up. I see now that I didn’t align the pockets when sewing – but finished is finished and it’s good enough for me.

I enjoyed doing this when I finally got around to it, especially when it came to putting a big tick next to “flare jeans” on the to-do list.

It’s only Kate’s ScrapHappy initiative that inspires me to write a blog post these days; I’m hoping to get some more creative energy flowing again soon. In the meantime, here’s a list of crafty people who also participate in ScrapHappy once a month:

Kate, Gun, Eva, Sue,Lynda,
Birthe,Turid,Susan,Cathy,  Tracy,
Jill, Jan, Moira,Sandra, Chris, Alys,
Claire, Jean, Jon, Dawn, Jule, Gwen,
Sunny,Kjerstin, Sue L, Vera,
Nanette, Ann, Dawn 2, Carol,
Preeti, Debbierose, Nóilin and Viv

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and yet more changes #4

The second-last room that needs tackling is Bathroom #3. It has one of those awful jacuzzi-type baths and a few shelves, so those always got used just for storage. Not only did the spurty bits in the bath that are for “massage” never work anyway (previous owner had informed us of this), but no-one baths in the Western Cape any longer. Baths are for drought-free areas. I limit my shower time to 60 seconds these days, and even then I feel guilty about using the water.

I think I can safely say this will be a relatively straightforward job. It will be undertaken this morning, after I’ve nipped out for groceries and before I meet a friend for lunch to wish her a belated happy birthday. Have energy = get lots done! Long may it last!

Oh, also – in my recent unearthings, I found this:

…a cross-stitch kit that my ex-mother-in-law bought for me on a visit to Australia over twenty years ago. Looks like I even managed two-thirds of it. I think it’s rather pretty, and perhaps it won’t take long to complete. Famous last words….

Changing pace

Kate’s posts about cross-stitch have long tempted me to take up the last cross-stitch project I started and pick up where I left off. Of course, I had to find it first. And in the Bermuda Triangle that is my house, this was no easy task. But find it I did, eventually, and just in time to take on our train trip to Johannesburg last week. Two days en route, two days there, then two days en route home, viewing parts of this amazing country that we don’t often get to see, giraffes and buck and wildebeest, our berths made up for us with fresh cotton sheets and blankets, no televisions or radios, no domestic concerns – what utter bliss. I say “our” because I ventured forth not alone, but with Karen, my friend of over 42 years. She had been appointed Food and Bedwear Manager, and I’m happy to report that she took her responsibilities very seriously.

Twins

Matching pyjamas and silver slippers (although her feet were cold so she insisted on socks as well)! Ciabatta, crackers, butter, ham, English mustard, salami, gherkins, olives, crisps, nuts, Camembert, cheddar, blue and brie, and of course chocolate. Reading, embroidery, a coupe to ourselves, and the rhythm and pulse of a train – that is my definition of bliss.

Karen on top

Oh right, the cross-stitch…sorry, I got carried away. I started this about 11 years ago. Last week I was here:

and now I am here:

Not sure when I’ll have a chance to pick it up again in 2017, but at least it got dusted off :)

PS. The “best” part of the train journey? Being told, on booking, that as women older than 55, we were entitled to the Senior Citizens’ discount. This is not a category I had thought of myself as belonging to quite yet, but the shock wore off when they reduced the fare by 25%…

desperately seeking…followers

You know how I sometimes make really weird things, or attack a garment with random embellishments? Just because, you know, I can?

    

Well, all those one-of-a-kind bits of kookiness are now going to be featured on instagram under Nice_piece_of_work. There are currently two garnished jackets on show, but more oddities will follow soon. Prices are in South African Rand (ZAR). Postage costs will have to be discussed privately. I imagine the postage to anywhere outside of my part of the world at the tip of Africa will be prohibitive, so it may only be the South African hippies who I’ll ever hear from. Which is fine – I love you guys, all twelve of you.

PS. I only have 17 followers so far. I realise this is Not Exactly Big Time, so I’m not too proud to ask you to follow me… xxx

 

mini needlepoint gallery

Wow, I’ve never published a gallery before, that was quite cool! Reason I did, I got a phone call yesterday out of the blue from someone who used to give embroidery lessons in my old shop. She has a friend who wants to make a needlepoint cushion but only likes African designs and can’t find one anywhere. Since designing and painting canvases used to be my favourite thing to do, Jane thought of me. Her phone call led me to scuffle through the boxes of stuff in my garage, where I found three canvases that her pal might like. I’m not sure what I’d saved them for, perhaps I thought I might take needlepoint up again some day – but it’s been over 7 years and I haven’t felt the urge yet! I did so much in the past that I’m completely stitched out.

Anyhow, after finding the canvases, I embarked on a long walk down memory lane.  I dug out the finished cushions I’d made; they used to live on an old oak bench in the shop, all 24 or 25 of them, to inspire my customers. Here are some pictures, not great quality, but you get the idea.

So, what I’m now wondering is – are there still lots of people out there still needlepointing away (despite the high cost of the tapestry wool)? I had a look for handpainted canvases on Etsy, and there is very little available (that isn’t ribboned lavender posies and bluebells, at least) . Might it be time for me to look for my paints and brushes and stencils again…? Any comments from you crafty lot?

To be continued…