Sewing blocks .......

One of my few (???) UFO's is this one....

Some years ago I bought a few shirts from the op shop and cut them up into rectangle blocks.....  and now added sashing to make them square......

.. made them into strips having laid them out going in different directions....

(sorry about the tarty pink toenails - I did them specially to go with my Ausi Day outfit ... I didn't crop the picture properly!!)

now the blocks are together and a border added.....  a new flimsy made....

 (each shirt yielded 12 rectangles - the black with white hibiscus was some matching metrage I found)

this is quite a nice easy and quick quilt to do
(quick if you don't mess around like I do... sew a bit, pop out to put the washing in, read some blogs, sew a bit, hang out the washing, take some pictures, sew a bit..... )

I have also started a new miniture quilting project using an old doily..... a bit of a long term project but the first step of around each edge is done ... and I couldn't resist a little feather circle!

... and because I have been good and worked on a UFO..... I thought I should trace out a new project....

Righto, Gotto Go... I'm in the mood for a cuppa tea

Bright.....

..... is this weeks word on Alsha's Space photo challenge....

I took this picture of the sun on one of those stinking hot days... the sky was so very blue and the sun so very bright.....

No... I didn't look at it.... I took several pictures pointing in the general direction and did a bit of cropping....  I love how the rays are seen... amazing camera catching the speed of light??

...  anyway.... you may have seen several pictures of this bright man chook ...... (ie cockerel)

..... is it a threat or a promise do you think? .....

I made it for my manchook..... he likes it.... actually that expression is a pretty good resemblance!

.... a little bit of bright fun.... the pattern was found in a torn out magazine and was actually for a painted board.... easy to adapt and scraps used ....

Righto, Gotto Go..... it's wonderful that we have a holiday here today since Australia Day fell on a Sunday.....  

FNWF..... and Christmas Items.... and Sew It's Finished

Yes... Christmas Items already.....

Narelle hosts "One Christmas Item A Month" and I am amazed but it is already the 25th ....

This month I finished off this lovely wallhanging designed by Michelle.....  all I needed to do was make the tags at the top and sew them on..... 

... my other Christmas item is also a UFO that needed finishing...

I rather like these fussy cut snowman mittens....

Because these were unfinished items from last year I can add them to "Sew It's Finished" ... a blog hosted by Wendy and Dawn to encourage us to finish off our UFO's....

Yesterday was FNSI (Friday Night Sew In) hosted by Wendy.....

I like these nights.... and I hope it isn't cheating but I make it an all day affair.....

In the morning I put together these blocks....... 

I

.. then I went for a play date with Kris..... she finished off these beautiful big quilt made from Paris Flea Market..... I just love it....

as you can see Kris has a home filled with lovely handmade items.... I just love to wander around and say hello to the bears and dolls and look at all the gorgeousness.... pretty teacups.... and depression glass....  Kris is lovely too and we chat away madly except for a few minutes silence when she serves up one of her wonderful creations for lunch....

In the afternoon I went for anothe play date... with grandieboy widget..... it was a lovely afternoon for sitting in the breeze on the veranda so I wanted to sew a bit....

 He decided to sew too... and so the dishcloth got sewn to the drawstring bag..... 

... when I got home I finished off the three inches of back stitch I had been trying to do all day!  Tennis and cricket were on TV so it took a long time to stitch a little bit!

This is another of Rosalie Quinlans blocks from Scandanavian Rose....

(oh my gosh.. whilst proof reading this post I see there is a bit I haven't sewn.... bother.. I only had one beer! ..... so it's not done yet! ... just pretend)

I also did a bit of needleturn on a secret thing....

Righto, Gotto Go.... beautiful rain.... just beautiful.... so nice to be wet.... and cool...

Secrets, Storms and ..... Sewing...

Making templates the old fashioned way....

... for secret stuff.....

I am still in quilting mood... so my manchook got some swirly winds around him....

... meanwhile we had our own swirly winds and menacing clouds (after a couple of horribly hot days again)

.. the radar was interesting... we live where that little purple dot is!

big chunks of ice falling from the sky..... we have a tin roof....

no major damage done... but it was noisy... and I don't like big loud noise....

... and half an hour later.. this beautiful pink haze over our land.....

... back to quilting....

this piece was gifted to me by a friend and I have added borders and now quilted it....

easier to see what I have done from the back...

the swirls are around the edge, orange peals for the vase and paisley for the flower arrangement

I don't suppose it is obvious I am having a lot of fun?????

Today I want to play with some blocks and sashing.....

Righto, Gotto Go.... my machine needs a clean and oil and tender loving attention after all that quilting....

Inspiration .......

This year I wanted to do a picture a day ... of something that gives me pleasure....

I am struggling to remember to do a picture each day... but I have a little side line blog HERE....  and once a week I am linking to Alsha's space to share a photo a week....

This week's word is "Inspiration" and this is my picture....

This last week I have spent a lot of time quilting ....

the blocks in the quilt are done differently... sort of 'sampler' style but I wanted the quilting also to be subtle and highlight the colours and design of the quilt....

 

This is the quilt I made in the Aiming for Accuracy Quiltalong   

... now for trimming and binding.....

... on the handsewing front .. this naughty, naughty face seems to have appeared....

Righto, Gotto Go.....