Woolgatherers meeting and challenge #3

I'm a little late posting this.. been busy as ever!  Just over a week ago the Woolgatherers met, at Clares new home (thank you for hosting Clare :) ).  We had a lovely morning filled with the usual drooling over fibre.. eating cake.. drinking tea.. (and baby cuddling!)

Sue was unable to join us, and I know that she has felted some flowers for the challenge.. but for now here are the others :)

Challenge #3
' Flowers'

set by Brenda

On the spinning wheel is Clare's challenge piece; thinking laterally about the theme she brought nettle fibre & bamboo fibre to spin.
The beautiful pink flower is Brenda's beaded brooch.
I felted 2 seamless cushions.. which I'm planning to post about soon (guess what - I took process pics :)

Our 4th challenge theme is 'Holidays'.  We are set to meet next right in the middle of the holiday season - Fri 5th August .. anybody in the Birmingham, Worcester, Kidderminster area.. if you fancy coming along give me a shout, we would LOVE to meet you!

I made out like a bandit from the meeting.. Clare gave me a big green wool blanket to do 'as I please' with :)  Great news for me.. I'm planning to make a woolen coat for myself this winter - and I LIKE green.  Brenda has lent me a lovely (and what looks simple) pattern. 

Blanket behind.  I want to make the short green coat

Brenda has also, very kindly, given me a large microwave oven to do my dyeing in! How great is that?! Its living out in the garage too, so my family will be spared the smell in the house lol. 

Funnily enough they don't actually complain about the smell.. possibly because they know I can do MUCH worse things with a microwave :D - like the time I microwaved TRIPE  for Jesse (our oldest dog).  It wasn't long after we had her & she had been raised on tripe.. I had to ween her off it - the smell made me retch.. and this was the only time I gave her cooked tripe!  OMG worst smell I think I've ever come across.. The children were about 5 & 7.. they ran down the garden and wouldnt come back in for 2 hours!  Apart from the smell, it was pretty hilarious.  To add to the farce, our next door neighbour chose that day to lock himself out and ask to come through our house to climb the fence - I dread to think what he thought - it stunk to high heaven! 

And now the kids are just about ready to break up for the summer holidays!  I'm felting like a mad woman trying to get as much done as possible this week..  I have a few projects planned for the holidays.

I have been enjoying my new freemotion embroidery foot on the sewing machine :) and have got a thing or 2 to share with you over the next little while.

xx