WOYWW - Sterling Stuff

Pliers, wires, and automobiles (well almost)

' morning WOYWW-ers.  I don't know about you, but someone is definitely taking hours out of the day.  I've been on holiday, come back, been to my mums come back and I am still struggling to find time to fit Wednesdays in.

Today I am working on the dining table (because the workbench is covered in 'stuff').  I have had a number of enquiries about my wirework jewellery requesting sterling silver.  I have resisted so far, simply because of the value of stock I would need to hold.  However I have decided the time has come....

So this week I have been making my designs in sterling silver, and costing them up.

snapshot

Here is a snapshot of a few things I have converted so far: the necklace is a variation of a Linda Jones design, the treble clef and locket are my own design pendants that go onto chains.

And somehow before next week I have an ATC to make - an ATC that woke me up on holiday with its design!

(This is a post for Whats on your workbench Wednesday, an opportunity to show just how messy a situation you can work in)

WOYWW - Well 'tis the holidays

You didn't seriously expect me to keep it tidy did you?
Obviously I haven't been working on my desk this week.  Due to my sewing machine fire on Wednesday and I have been playing with children and doing a little bit of jewellery making on my lap!

OH has respected my desk reasonably well, but I can see my daughters dressing gown and t-shirt on the corner, and I am certain I wouldn't have put it there.  There is the self healing mat, out of place because I lent it to him and it looks like it has been returned. A sewing machine motor (in a box), some cheque books, some tracing paper as I have been sketching a few designs. Well, just about everything really!


But I know my chaos worries a lot of you, so I have a second photo, this took 4 minutes to arrange (including a short break to help my daughter clean a rhinoceros! ).

The pile is things I need to drop off - mother and toddler group cheque book, jewellery boxes and return a spare sewing machine motor and pedal.  Just on the edge of shot is the other pile,which is jobs I need to do: fix my earring display board, take up do the hem on my daughters school trousers. Oh and the homeless bowl is still there, and still full - I am hoping the ipod lead is at the bottom of it!

Tomorrow is my day at Grug Studio so I get a whole day child free so I shall be back in the mood for craft work by the time I come home.  It also means that I shall have time to blog hop (mind you in theory I should be rushed off my feet with customers), so I should have plenty of time to visit What's on your workbench Wednesday via Stamping ground.

WOYWW - All sorted

Well Wednesday has shot around this week.  I been away for a long weekend with the children to visit my mum and came back last night, to discover that it time for Whats on your workbench Wednesday all over again.

I didn't feel up to working last night, but I thought I should tidy my desk ready to start.  So here is the view from the glue side.

I still have a little bowl of homeless things in the middle there.

Shocked?

Shall I show the reason that I am finally able to be tidy?  Here is the second chest of drawers I have been waiting for.  The idea is to keep a drawer for each sewing pattern, so as I cut out pieces they can go straight in a drawer.  Each drawer is removeable, so when I am working I can have the relevant drawer by the side of me.

Today's task is to label the drawers

Here are a couple of other new additions.
Whilst at my mum's I ran into Laughing Yaffle.  We had a chat about free motion sewing and baby blue sewing machine and I mentioned that the needle didn't lift high on the machine. So she kindly lent me this embroidery ring to try out, and I can report that it is perfect for the task.

A much thinner emboridery ring.

And here is my another tidy purchase.  It is a hangy bag from sisters crafty creations.  I have bought it as a rubbish bin! Because space is limited around my desk, I keep moving my bin, so I thought this would be ideal.  It isn't for big rubbish, just the little trimmings that I make of sewing threads.

Sorry, but this photo doesn't give it credit.

 I have typed this with two noisy children beside me, this usually means there is lots of spelling mistakes and grammar errors.  They will not be moving far today - because they are watching the snow falling, here is hoping it clears up enough to get them outside.

WOYWW - Getting better

Good morning Whats on your workbench Wednesday.  Following last weeks chaos I felt I had no choice but to come up with a new system.  It is unfortunately still work in progress because one chest of drawers has yet to arrive and rather a lot of things are still waiting to be sorted through.

I decided the first thing to do was rearrange the bedroom.  This meant moving 3 chest of drawers, one bookcase and one double bed and of course 3 sewing machines and their table.

When I finished, I looked at OH and said 'isn't it exactly the same, but the other way round?' and the response was 'whatever keeps you happy'.

I ordered two chests of drawers (and parted with real money - quite unheard of for me). But you can't spot them because of the chaos, and because one set is still in a warehouse in Swindon. (The big arrow points to the corner of one drawer, just visible!!).

Anyway the outcome is looking very promising.  I have one side of the table for free motion embroidery, one side for glue, one side for straight sewing and one side completely burried under things still to be sorted.

Today I have to make 9 doorstops for Grug Studio, Dolgellau, so my blog hopping will be dotted throughout the week again.

WOYWW - the end is nigh

Good morning WOYWW-ers (what's on your work bench Wednesday-ers), this is the sight that greeted me this morning. Not great.

I didn't bother putting the ironing board away at 10.00 last night, because I knew that once I had despatched the children this morning I would be straight back to sewing (papercrafters: sewing involves ironing)  (If you look in the background you can see I was very good and hung up the iron).

The book on the chair is pressing a daffodil greeting card.  I was one card short to despatch to Aberystwyth for Funki Blue, so their parcel can go today.

But why on the chair? Well today I will let you look over the back of the sewing machines. (Cue psycho music)

 

  Actually, you lose the sense of depth from this angle, so you will never know whether the sewing machine is taller or the pile of stuff behind!

My daffodil greeting cards were part of Fairetail, Machynlleth, window's display for St David's Day, and yesterday my doorstops and books made it into Grug Studio, Dolgellau's window display.  I only dropped off my samples to Grug Studio in the morning, so this week I have to make like mad to replenish my stock.

So why is the end nigh? Well, I have always promised myself that when my business turns a reliable profit regularly, I'll treat myself to a decent storage system, but I think I have to take my current order rate as a sign that the business is going to become reliable.  Because I can't continue in this chaos.

WOYWW - Baby blue in action

As normal my desk is covered with all the thoughts inside my head.

I checked the title of WOYWW and it definately says 'Whats on your workbench Wednesday', so this week I shall stick to showing you just my workbench.  And as normal my desk is covered with all the thoughts inside my head, while the bed (behind me), is covered with all the fabric required to transform those thoughts into items.

But I am delighted to announce that the Baby Blue Singer Sewing Machine is back in action.  I received the machine through the Freecycle system, but it needed a little tlc.

I adjusted the belt to its max position the other week, but I guessed it still wasn't tight enough (I had never looked at sewing machine belt before)  Anyway, the machine beat me to it, and began slipping before I had got around to ordering a new one.

There is a great, sewing machine parts site, it changes its name depending on what sewing machine brand you are looking for, so for the life of me I can't remember the name, but anyway, the belt arrived by return of post, I fitted it and Baby Blue is back in action.

This allows me to leave Baby Blue set up for free motion embroidery, and my Pfaff set up for normal sewing.  (Please don't let me bore you with the different settings required).

This idea is great, apart from one small problem, don't tell Baby Blue but - I just haven't bonded with it yet!  It works, it does the job fine, but it just isn't the same as my Pfaff.

Anyway, this is what the new combo, produced today.  A glasses case and a business card case, (in truth that is my ironing board, not my workbench, but you can't really expect me to move all that stuff).

Sometime soon, I might finally get around to photographing the glasses cases well enough to list them.

Woyww - An apology!

To make up for last week's refusal to apologise over sewing machines, I shall start this week with an apology about word verification.

I am sorry, but I didn't know that my word verification was turned on, I only discovered it when Annie left a note.  Hopefully I have now turned it off.  So spread the word - are you certain your word verification is turned off? help your friends by letting them know if what their's is doing and then let them choose!

Back to the slightly less important issue of my desk on display for all to see because of Whats on your workbench Wednesday.  And for the first week ever, I have tidied before your arrival.  But then I stopped.  I didn't want you to have nothing to look at.

On my desk is some squares of felt, some squares of fluff (aka as fleece), a set of pliers, some flex frames and for some reason a universal remote control still in its packaging.

You probably know why all of this is, as no doubts my cries of pain, anguish and general frustration could be heard from where ever you are sitting.

On Wednesday afternoon the fluff finally arrived, I planned to make some glasses cases with it.  I quickly made a mock up.  It didn't look great but it was good enough to photo for my St David's Day giveaway.  I noted a few changes.  Then headed off for my St David's Day market.

Since returning from the market I have been fighting to make 7 (yes that is all), just 7 little pouches.  To be fair, my problem was trying to make 7 different designs at the same time, but as each glasses case requires 3 different sewing feet (don't ask) I thought I do them as a batch.

You can't see the blood sweat and tears on them can you?

flack

flick

I worked the applique in fleece rather than cotton, as I feel it will stand the wear and tear better.  I wanted to continue the theme of the range, so used a contrasting colours for the rim and lining.  I made phone cases as well as glasses cases.  And general drove myself insane to produce this small batch of flick flack glasses cases and phone covers.  I shall think long and hard before commiting myself to make any more!

WOYWW - ruffled feathers

2 machines, neither in action.

Well I did appear to ruffle a few feathers last week at Whats on your workbench Wednesday, so maybe I ought to apologise this week?

NO, no apology, just a bit of education instead.

Last week I made a passing comment about my 3 sewing machines, and all you paper crafters started having palpitations. 

Only the other week Hettiecraftcz justified two glue guns because one was on special offer.

And papers, the things I could tell you lot about your scrappy piles when seen from a distance!

Pot calling the kettle black I say.

Pop back a posting and you can hear about how my baby blue Singer has risen from the grave.  Following that posting, Twiglet of Sisters Crafty Creations, sent me a darning plate from her old Singer (a machine now long since departed from this fabric ladened world).  On removing the sewing plate from mine, I discovered a section that yet to be de-fuzzed.

And if you recall from last week, my vaccum cleaners has broken down, so that is the stage the machine is at, waiting to be de-fuzzed.

The desk itself has several part finished items, some doorstops / bookends waiting to be filled, some waiting to be made, a stack of books waiting for me to attach the covers, (which are in one of the boxes under the desk).  All of which need to be finished for Dolgellau Thursday Market.

And finally, tomorrow (Thursday), there will be a small giveaway on this blog in recognition of all the generosity out there in the blogging world.

WOYWW - Far too much

Look at the state of that!

I don't know about you, but taking part on What's on your workbench Wednesday gives me a great opportunity to realise what shouldn't be on my workbench.  Why can I only spot things in the photo?  I hadn't realised it was this full, even though last night I worked on the ironing board!

I am currently covering a batch of books, the drying ones are in the foreground. Mid-way back is a batch mid-way through the process, and the background is a batch of completed doorstops.

However the rest of the table is chaos and debris, including my daughters blanket for her 0-6 month car seat.  As my daughter is now 5 years old, I have absolutely no idea why it has suddenly appeared at the back of my table.  I shall have to check last weeks posting to see if it was there then.

So I thought I'd give you an after photo.  After the kettle had boiled.

Whilst the kettle did its job, I tidied up.

Now in truth, I still can't use that side of the table as on the floor are two sewing machines, one hard sewing machine cover and two vacuum cleaners.  But I promise that once I have posted this, I shall work on moving them.

WOYWW - Feathered friends.

My desk

Hello folks, and welcome to another What's on your workbench Wednesday.  Now the one thing you can be sure about is when you reach my blog, there are no staged photos.  Nope, my photos always tell it how it is - messy.

Now compared to many weeks, this weeks workbench is tidy.  But I can assure you it isn't necessary to have around 50% of that stuff on the desk.

So what is going on?  Why has a flock of chickens appeared?  Well Funki Blue in Aberystwyth are stocking my cards, but they asked for more.  Not more cards, nope, more things, a 'complete range'.  Well what an opportunity!

I've begun with the simple stuff, so on my desk there is a flock of one abandoned chicken card, (used for measuring), one doorstop, one notebook, one trinket box.  I am waiting to hear if any of these are worth persuing, before doing anymore, in the meantime I shall be starting on a few more ideas bouncing around in my empty little head.

Pop over to Julia's and see if I am the tidiest pupil this week (don't worry I haven't got my hopes up).

WOYWW - I've moved house

the 'new' workbench

OK, so I exaggerate, but yes fellow WOYWWers (What's on your workbench Wednesday) I report to you this week from a new location.  I really can't work in the studio at the moment (due to the cold) and tired of putting the machine away each evening, I asked OH if I could put a table in the bedroom.

I haven't quite sorted things out yet, but I'm still really pleased with it, as I can pop in for half an hour and get stuck straight in.

I didn't find an extension lead, so the sewing machine ended up on the short side of the table.  Actually this is a good thing as it leaves the rest of the table for picking through the fabric.

the fabric being hugged by the hoover arm

Yesterday I had the car, so I whipped down to Machynlleth to Wheeler's Fabrics again.  I picked up some more background fabric and had a little look around for beach hut fabric.  Which means this week I shall have a bit of fun checking out what will be suitable.

Now hop off and see what everyone else is upto over at Julia's

WOYWW - good news I hope!

Yep I'm still working out of a cardboard box in the house

Hello, and sorry for missing Handmade Monday again, but at least I've made it to the computer in time for What's on your workbench Wednesday (WOYWW) hosted by Julia over at stamping ground.

THE cardboard box.

Well this week I bring good news.  I decided that to tout for a little trade for my cards, and I have had success.  I have invited to put my cards into a couple of shops.  (This is 100% success rate - a first for me).

So as so many of you recommended them I have placed my order with craft creations and begun a production line.

chickens queuing up for cards

sailboats awaiting a berth

OH even offered to cut out the bits of fabric, this made me laugh, as I'm not making that many.  I think in truth it harked back to his teenage years, when his older brother Russell Willis, produced a little ceramic owl, that suddenly the whole world wanted to own. OH and his brothers, found themselves dragged into the older brother's production line as they desperately tried to keep up with orders. ( I have just been and checked and Russells work for big mass produced runs are for sale on ebay, but not his little handmade owls).

So with my production run in mind, I probably won't be calling by until the weekend, but I'll do my best as my sewing eyes fail quite early in the evening!

WOYWW - the amazon effect

The wash basket has been replaced by a cardboard box!

Well today is Wedneday so 'whats on my workbench Wednesday'? I'm not really sure where my workbench is any more.  I have so many ideas rushing around in my head that every bit of craft equipment has migrated into the house.  (The 'summer' workbench, down in the studio is lovely and tidy).  This cardboard box is just part of the 'pile' that now lives in the bedroom.

The postman is no doubt objecting to this sudden diversity of interests too.  We live up a long, steep, rough driveway, and everyday a new parcel arrives to satisfy the ideas that are rushing around inside.

Do you remember back to the olden days of Kays catalogue? (My mum didn't buy from Kays, she bought from something else, but for the life of me I can't remember the name).  Anyway you would choose the item, send off your form and then wait, and wait, and wait.  The standard phrase was ' please allow 28 days for delivery'.

Then along came the internet, and finally Amazon and Screwfix, and now we expect things the next day. 

But a few weeks ago I wanted something and I trawled the internet and I could only find one company that sold precisely what I wanted.  When I placed my order it did say 7-10 days, but really, I mean that was just a catch-all, surely?

Nope, it has taken 2 weeks for me to receive 20 sample cards to put my embroidery into.  So here, finally, are a few raw edge applique cards.  But if anyone knows a source of tri fold aperature cards at a reasonable price please let me know!

WOYWW - weather warning

 Today is Wednesday, also know as 'what is on your workbench Wednesday', so time for me to confess all.

Clearly I am thick skinned, or may be just a little slow.  It has taken me until January to realise that my enthusiam for crafting has been affected by the weather.  Since the temperature dropped and the clocks went back (so basically the arrival of Autumn and Winter), my production rate has slowed to near zero.

However during the problems of the sewing machine crisis, I moved the machine from the studio, indoors.  And suddenly I am producing something every day.  So here is my new workbench.

Everything gets stuffed into the basket quickly, if I hear a child approaching!

So with this in mind I am trying to calculate the cost of moving house to gain an extra bedroom, which I can then convert into a workroom.  Even in my little fanasy land I can't figure out a way of justifying the cost, but it doesn't stop me trying.


Here are a couple of the little pictures I have produced whilst warming my toes by the wood burner.

sorry about the shadows

sorry about the shadows

However this morning (in my child-free time), I shall be moving to the kitchen.  I have to produce a quiche for a craft co-operative meeting I am attending tonight.  The group shop opened in November and we are going along to here how Christmas sales went, so fingers crossed they have sold enough to cover the cost of my quiche.

WOYWW - The Domestic Goddess

Now called the domestic goddess

Well what is on my workbench this Wednesday? (WOYWW), the Domestic Goddess of course (as it has now been named).  If you haven't called by this week, and need to know the full story of how I gained a 50 year old brand new machine then take a look at Monday's post.

It is fair to say after my initial disappointment and should I add horror at being given a handturn sewing machine, I find myself eating humble pie.  The old lady has taught me alot already this week.

By slowing me down, the domestic sewing has helped me remember the basics of machine work.

• How essential rountine maintenance is (the machine arrived siezed, but oiling soon sorted out the problems).
• How fundamental it is to hold the 2 threads when starting
• You can only guide the fabric with one hand, so that hand has to be perfect.
• Your left and right hand really can move in different directions!
• And of course how fun a hand machine is for the children (yes I too remember queuing up to wind a friend's machine).

child labour

The fanastic bit of news, is that by putting a request on freecycle for a new pedal for my Pfaff machine, lots of people suggested sources and one of them has paid off!  Yep the Pfaff machine which on Sunday was condemned by the machine repair man, is now back working.  But the trouble is I just don't know if I can put the Domestic Goddess back in her box.

Call over to Stamping ground and see how everyone else is beginning their new year of WOYWW

WOYWW - Everything again

It is all there!

What a mess again!

Well, truth is that I have been working up at the house rather than the studio at the bottom of the garden, so this is everything 'dumped' back on the workbench.  You see the house has the mod-cons of a wood burning stove, the studio by contrast has a noisy electric blow heater.

As you can see from all the pliers I have returned to the wirework jewellery.  I managed to fill my bracelet bar, by Friday morning.

But on the way I got a little distracted.  I started out making a bracelet but I had enough beads to just keep on going....

So a wirework bead necklace it is then!

Now those of you in the know, I have revealed all this because today is Wednesday.  For those of you not in the know, today is What's on your workbench Wednesday (WOYWW) over at stamping ground.  Pop over and take a look.

And finally, I know it is a long shot, but does anyone want to rent a house in Llanbrynmair? Or alternatively do 52 of you fancy a weeks holiday in Llanbrynmair?!!  Ah well, it was worth trying.

WOYWW - 101 Dalmation Jasper Beads

This is a tidy desk - for me at least

Well there it is in all its glory, my lovely, tidy desk.  The weekly cycle of my desk can, I'm sure be guessed. Tidy, messier, messy, chaos, blitz and begin again. And just at the moment, the tidy stage appears to be falling on a Wednesday!

I shouldn't really be working on these jasper beads, but once I spotted them in my bead drawer they just kept shouting at me.

The trouble is, now that I have finished that bracelet, I need to make a few new designs to fill my bracelet bar, else it won't get an outing to any craft fairs, so I've put them in my gift shop just in case.

So there we have it, another week of Whats on your workbench Wednesday (WOYWW) and another week of me trying to stay in control of my life and my workbench!  Pop over to Julia's and see who else is under a mountain of beads and wire, or paper piles and stamps.

N.B. I wrote the post then realised they weren't dalmation jasper beads, but I can't for the life of me remember what they are, so the title can stay!!

WOYWW - Tasting Day

It is getting worse!

Today is what's on your workbench Wednesday, and believe it or not, there is a workbench under there somewhere!

I removed my Polly Polkadot jewellery and bags from the RSPB craft fair on Monday, and I appear to have just dumped it in my corner.  Actually I'll have you know I have tidied it into that arrangement, I just don't know what to do with it next!

I really do need to make a decision about my storage problems, because I have a pair of curtains just out of sight that need hemming.

In my life away from this workbench I have been baking, (please read Mondays post if you need to be filled in, or have forgotten already), and today was tasting day.

I did consider photographing todays newspaper alongside, in case you don't trust me - but I don't buy newspapers!

So at 7.03 this evening I cut into the Tomato and Raisin Loaf...
First let me rename it: Tomato and Raisin Cake.
I think if you didn't know the name, you would say something like 'a pleasant, moist, light fruit cake' (I just double checked with OH, and he says 'more like a pleasant moist not too sweet tea loaf')

But I can't get over the issue that it has got Tomatos in it, surely that makes it savoury?

I think I felt the same when I first tried carrot cake, and courgette cake so maybe I just have to think about it for a few days.

I was wondering whether I should bake another, slice it up, seal it in poly bags and post it out to you all, that way it could mature in the post, and then you could tell me what you think. Any takers?!!

WOYWW - It WAS tidy, it really WAS

What's on your workbench Wednesday?

I tidied up, put all the fabric into piles (classified as: bag sized, small bag sized, handle sized and scraps (you never know when you will need those scraps)).
Cleared the desk with the exception of the sewing machine, and then... I let my children in the room.

They wanted to play buttons.  In my daughters case this is threading buttons onto a necklace, in my sons case this is driving a bus along an obstacle course of buttons ( I didn't stereotype my children, they have managed it all by themselves!).

Now to achieve these games you need the button board - a green board that has been dumped on my side of the room, with a small rim all the way around that stops buttons from escaping.
Unfortunately this was underneath all my fabric, so off it all came, and the best place to put it was back on my desk.
Would you believe I even did some sewing on it last night - yep even in that state!

I'm off to desk hop with WOYWW , but I've been relegated to the old computer, and I don't think blogger is letting me comment from this one, but we will see...

WOYWW - Keeping it simple

Last week at Whats on your workbench Wednesday hosted by stamping ground, Julia reminded us all to keep it brief.  So with this in mind here goes:

The clock has its own time zone, it was in fact around 9 pm, see the darkness at the window?

Sewing machine still taking centre stage, as I try to jusify all that outlay on fabric that has been going on for the last few months.

Right back in May I bought this fabric for myself, and I had plenty of suggestions from my blogging friends as to what I should make.  However I passed it over to Polly Polkadot instead and made the predicatable shopper bag.  But most definately with an elves and shoemaker attitude...when I sell one, I can buy  a few more pieces of fabric!