LOREDANA'S BLOG

Happy New Year 2021

2021-01-01T21:15:00.001+01:00

A new year has started. 2021. Yes we are all hoping that it will be a better one on us all. Who would have guessed what 2020 was going to be like!!! The Covid 19 problem lingers on and the arrival of the vaccine is a light at the end of the tunnel. I got some stuff finished last year. Patchwork, amigurumi, some sewing, some knitting...a new hobby plastic canvas.Those crafts kept me sane when life was bleak.

Christmas and New Year are over and I will soon put away the decorations for another Christmas. I always plan to sew and craft more. Life keeps getting in the way. But we have to be positive and so I will try to be. Here are some if the things i

finished.

COVID-19 year

2020-11-18T09:17:00.000+01:00

Hi All, like everywhere else around the world, malta has suffered because of covid. It was and still is a difficult time. Amazing how this virus has spread in just a few weeks all around the world. Everything has been different...the way we look at life, how we go out, what to do when we meet people. I must admit that i have not blogged for ages. However crafts have kept me sane during the past months. I have sewn, crocheted, knitted like crazy. Here are just a few of my patchwork projects.

quikt cover (update)

2020-01-24T22:52:00.001+01:00

Another 4 blocks made for my first quilt cover. They are all the same in this design. After attaching to the quilt a border is made then different blocks again.

i am back

2020-01-16T22:37:00.001+01:00

It has been so long since I wrote anything on my blog. I don"t know if I should continue or not. My last post was dated 31st January 2018! Where have those months gone???? I have been so busy with family matters and some health problems. I have started sewing again and making my own patterns. That gave me a lot of satisfaction and kept me sane. I have also started learning patchwork and like most of my other crafts, it is very addictive.

My first 2018 finish

2018-01-31T21:38:00.001+01:00

Here is a doll outfit I have finished. It is a quick and easy design...a Jacknitss Design by Jacqueline Gibb. The pattern is found on Ravelry.com. Pattern uses a small amount of knitting-in lace. Her patterns are very easy to follow. These Paola Reina dolls are about 14 inches tall.

Poncho ready

2018-01-18T08:07:00.001+01:00

The fringing on the doll poncho is ready. I followed a Jacknitss Design by Jacqueline Gibb. I tweaked the pattern a bit and included the pompoms. The dress beneath was worked some weeks ago. It was made in a DK wool...another Jacknitss design.

Fringing

2018-01-11T15:14:00.001+01:00

I will try to include some craft time every day whenever possible and today I am doing the fringing on the doll poncho for which I did the pompoms yesterday. I cut out a piece of cardboard more or less the size of the finished fringe and wrapped wool around it. Then I cut from one side. I then took three strands and with the help of a crochet hook, knotted them on the bottom edge of the poncho. When it is all done, they will all trimmed be trimmed to one length.

Happy New Year 2018

2018-01-10T12:45:00.001+01:00

And a New Year has begun. Let's hope it is a good one but I think we are all glad to be back to the old routine. Personally I hope that craft wise at least, I will be more productive.

What is it about pom poms that remind me of babies and cute and cuddly things? Perhaps it was the sets I had made for my babies when I was pregnant many years ago. Today i made a pair for the poncho of a doll's outfit. This inox pom pom maker has served me well for many years. I had tried other methods including cutting round doughnut shaped cardboard circles and then throwing them away but this inox set is the best.

A week before Christmas

2017-12-19T07:19:00.001+01:00

Christmas day is next week. Last August I had started a Christmas doily. It took longer than I expected but I worked on and off on it. It is fnally done without the embellishments. I decided not to crochet beads into it. To be honest I don't know whether to just leave it as it is. Anyhow this is the result up to now.

The end is near

2017-09-17T09:32:00.001+02:00

This was surely the biggest crochet project I have endeavoured so far. The beginning was exciting but I must say I got a bit bored with it in time. Anyhow, I have finally started the last row so it won't be long now.

August post

2017-08-15T15:01:00.001+02:00

Since my last May post, I have not done much crafting. I did miss them however. I saw several Facebook posts already about the arrival of Christmas all too soon. A pattern that I had been saving for many months recently came to hand and I decided to start doing it. I had this Anchor glitter thread that was just calling to be made into something and this is the result so far. I am using 3 mm crochet hook. I am uncertain though if just one ball of thread will be enough and that if not, it will stillbe available in the shops. Each 'christmas tree' is worked separately and only attached to the next one on certain rows.

The heatwaves that we have had one after the other have taken its toll on us. I hope there are no more this summer but just the usual hot days.

Second doily blocked

2017-05-06T19:57:00.001+02:00

This doily took longer to block because os the many points but it isa joy to look at. I found the children's playmat squares very good to use. One can join as many squares according to the size of of the project made. I did not iron it as i usually do but just stretched and pinned it. Then I used spray starch because I did not want it too stiff.

First doily finish

2017-04-09T22:00:00.001+02:00

This doily was supposed to be worked while I was in hospital but never got started because I was not in the mood or in too much pain. When I was home I started it but it got put away on and off for many weeks. I finished it some days ago and today I finally got it blocked and starched. I used spray starch because I don't like them too stiff. I got the idea of the child's foam mat from somewhere on the internet and it is a very good idea. Previously I used a blanket or an iron board...depending on the size of the finished doily. As one can see, I was under supervision by my beloved furry friend xxx

Christmas cactus

2017-01-22T19:10:00.001+01:00

I have had this type of plant with not much luck. About two years ago I tried my luck again and bought one from Lidl.I placed it in the bathroom window. I have to say that in the past months it was badly neglected. Suddenly I started seeing the small pink buds coming out and then the lovely fuchsia coloured blooms came out. A lovely surprise and a splash of colour in the room. Outside in the yard everything is looking gloomy in this dreary January we are having.
I looked up on wikipedia some more information about it.

http://www.wikihow.com/Care-for-a-Christmas-Cactus

Music dress

2017-01-12T19:36:00.001+01:00

Quite some months ago, probably not last year but the one before, i started making the musical dress. A pattern i found somewhere on the internet. Somehow it got put away until recently when i decided to finish it. I bought several music themed buttons and several types of black ribbon and rhinestones before i finally used the ones that i did. I am a bit uncertain about the final result.

Baby dress

2017-01-10T19:48:00.001+01:00

I have kept some of the nicest clothes that my daughter used to wear as a baby. However with the passing of time and shortage of storage space I got thinking. I started out by taking one of the dresses and converting it into a doll dress. The original skirt was gathered tightly to fit the doll and the bodice and sleeves were cut out from the remaining larger bodice.

Holidays are over

2017-01-05T22:46:00.001+01:00

Christmas has come and gone and so has new year's day. Slowly i am putting away the decorations. I still cannot do much because the stitches still hurt. This Christmas I had finished the 3 wise men for my fabric nativity set. I had not done it the previous Christmas. This year i forgot to post about it. Since the three kings were rich, i decorated them with rhinestones. The type that stick with heat.

A new beginning

2017-01-02T18:44:00.001+01:00

The second day of the year and yesterday i started a new project. A doily made from thread. I am still crocheting the rainbow coloured afghan from time to time but it is taking too long and i really want to get it over and done with. I had taken the thread to while away the time in hospital but just wasn't in the mood to start anything. I had printed out the pattern and everything so might as well do it now. I am using size 10 thread and 2mm.

New Year

2017-01-01T12:05:00.001+01:00

Happy New Year 2017. It did not end so well with a hospital stay but i look forward now to this New Year. I hope to finish some work in progress during the convalescing period and perhaps start some new ones. Make diet changes and losing weight.making new friends and keeping more in touch with the old ones.

Happy Christmas

2016-12-25T19:01:00.001+01:00

Christmas Day has arrived and I always start getting excited about it from November. I usually decorate early. This year it was a bit of an anti climax because of health problems. However I know that many people gather round tables and eat delicious food and enjoy each other's company on Christmas Day. So from the bottom of my heart I want to wish you a wonderful Christmas Day and hope that 2017 is a good year all round.

The creation of my pug

2016-11-04T22:38:00.001+01:00

I don't have a dog. Well we had one but it was not a pug but a different breed...we had a Pharoah's Hound and she died unfortunately. My son was close to bringing home a pug once but luckily he changed his mind. We had an old cat at the time and if the dog ran after her, it would have killed her. What I like about them? Perhaps their sad faces and their curly tail. They don't like to walk much. I came across a knitting pattern for a pug and I knew that I just had to knit it. Below you can see the knitted body of my pug 🐶Wikipedia says this about the pug breed..

.The Pug is a breed of dog with a wrinkly, short-muzzled face, and curled tail. The breed has a fine, glossy coat that comes in a variety of colours, most often fawn or black, and a compact square body with well-developed muscles. Wikipedia

Life span: 12 – 15 years

Temperament: Charming, Playful, Docile, Clever, Quiet, Stubborn, Attentive, Sociable

Some sewing time

2016-10-23T22:57:00.001+02:00

The weather has cooled down especially at night but hot temperatures are forecast for the first three days and then the temperature should drop around Thursday. Last winter we had little rainfall and I think this winter will be the same. It will see many fruit trees dying if it does not rain. Anyhow this week I started a dress for myself for when we do start wearing long sleeves again. It is far from ready as it is.Fabric shops have closed all over the island with only one remaining apart from a few bridal shops. People have stopped sewing because it us far easier to buy a ready made dress and wear it the same day but it lacks the satisfaction of making something yourself for your specific measurements.

Saturday's finish

2016-10-15T20:05:00.001+02:00

Halloween is just around the corner and today I finally finished the decorative wreath i had started. The pieces were finished some time ago but I needed a little time to myself to attach them in place. I am glad the huge spiders are not real because otherwise I would have thrown it out of the window. I hate creepy crawlies 😊

Two wips

2016-09-15T20:17:00.001+02:00

Currently i am trying to finish two works in progress that have been waiting for the last few touches. Hopefully i will soon post pictures of the finished items. Christmas is looming up too and i really want to do some more stuff for Christmas.

Slowly but surely

2016-09-04T10:57:00.001+02:00

In August I had posted about a work in progress which will result in a Halloween wreath. I made a long strip of crochet the length of the outside circumference of the wreath. If I had used the English treble instead of the dc, it would have been finished earlier. (American terms dc instead of sc) anyhow I then stitched it around the polystyrene wreath. I did not cast off just in case it was not long enough. When I stitched all round, I then cast off which was still easy to do with crochet. I then stitched the cast on and cast off rows together. Now comes the fun part of decorating it for Halloween. I already have spiders.