Beaded zipper pulls

Well, my sister-in-law and I have been busy making beaded zipper pulls. All the pouches that I have already made now have pulls and she has made some ready to apply to the pouches I have on order and those I'll make for my craft fair tables. I have had to order some black beads for the three black and white wristlets that someone has ordered. I must say, the pulls look very pretty and I'm so pleased to have learned a new skill!

Here are a couple of photographs to see what we've been up to:

Am I being silly, or what??

I received a phone call the other day asking me if I would like a table at another Craft Fair, this time on 17 November. I said YES! How will I ever get ready for two Craft Fairs?? Maybe less sight-seeing with my sister-in-law for one thing...

Watch this space!

I haven't done much sewing over the last 10 days or so because I've done some extra shifts, which means I've had to sleep a bit during the day and felt tired for the rest of the time! Now I have some major house cleaning to do in preparation for a visit from my sister-in-law from Johannesburg.

We will be meeting up at the wedding of my great niece, for whom I made the South African-themed bag and mug rugs. My husband will conduct the ceremony, wearing a beautiful stole hand-painted by my sister-in-law. She is an artist and craftswoman, who can basically turn her hand to anything creative. While she is staying with us I hope to learn how to make some small beaded zip pulls for my bags and I have commissioned her to give the Great Golfer some watercolour lessons. Every time we go to a certain large hobby and craft store he buys something to do with watercolour painting so I thought this would be an ideal opportunity for him to have a few beginner lessons, an investment in his retirement (whenever that might happen) and as an alternative to being on the golf course.

So - watch this space for our future new creative endeavours! Right now, the Great Golfer is like a bird with an injured wing: he had to have a nasty lump cut out of his right fore arm and has ten stitches in it under an impressive improvised tubular bandage cut from one of my knee high tights. He won't be able to use his driver and irons on the golf course but he assures me he can still practise his putting! Fortunately, the doctor said he can still wash dishes as long as he wears gloves. Phew!

Oh - last Monday I booked a table at a Craft Fair on 1 December at one of the local churches. No pressure then...

Latest makes

Here are my latest makes.This fabric is one of my absolute favourites! The name on the selvedge is Hill-Berg Fabric. The design makes me think of a summery garden. To give you an idea of the sizes of the bags, the large one has a 12 inch zip and the small one an 8 inch zip. They are for the daughter of a colleague. I hope she likes them! I quilted the smaller bag a bit but not the bigger one.