Something new and different .....

I have long been a wearer of the good old apron..... no women's lib in the kitchen for me I'm afraid.... I don't like grease spots on my shirts when cooking..

.. but they still get there..

.. I drop food onto that lovely dome the boobs make  (even if I eat with an apron that top part folds open just enough for food to drop through)..

.. for me it's a good day if I haven't got food on my boobs..

(DO NOT INSERT PICTURE HERE)

..  I'm sure none of you have that problem but there it is ... I have aired my dirty washing on the www.......

Anyway... back to aprons...  my friend Loopy Jane is doing a tutorial to make an apron.... from a shirt.... of course you can buy a new shirt to chop up but I'm going for recycled....

(I was planning to use one from Hubz cupboard but I did raid that not so long ago for the shirt quilt challenge ... and he does make good beer so I better be good for a while

.. and I found this one for the princely sum of $5 at a local op shop....  it's a good size so will cover the boobs and the buttocks I think..

 (not that I drop food on my buttocks... that's a bit wild even for me!)

Loopy Jane is starting a new series of Create with Loopy classes and her first apron from a shirt make is free.... so bonus for me I will get a new unique apron for $5

HERE is the information - I don't have pockets on my shirt but I'm sure there I will be able to include some decoration ....

These are some that she has made... I love that the collar stays on and goes round the neck...

... will be a much better fit so food doesn't drop down to boobs!...

You just need to sign up to her newsletter HERE.... but be quick... closing after the weekend...  for Facebookers this is the LINK.....  Jane does a great variety of crafts... a lot are upcycling recycling - a great blog...

Jane never asked me to do a blog post... but she is a long standing bloggy friend who lives in the UK... hope to meet her one day...

Righto, Gotto Go.... need to go and soak shirts!!!

CCTY and PYT........

Bloggy friend Anthea hosts a couple of challenges and linky parties....

Firstly there is CTTY .... making up a Christmas gift (or more!) each month...

... and this is a little stitchery I was given pre printed which is now stitched up.  I have wrapped a hoop with red bias binding and lots of glue and tied a pretty ribbon to it....

 I think it's sweet....

This is going into the pressie box for Christmas time

I've shown these before but I'm adding them here as they are going into the pressie box too ....

The other linky is PYT... Piece Yourself Together.... not a self help programme (phew) but a show and tell for English Paper Piecing....

This fortnights effort is the centre hexie medalion for my sampler ....

 

it's not sewn on and I have got further with the satin stitching daisies since I took the picture..... 

Thanks Anthea..... Anybody can join in anytime... no pressure but a great way to keep us on track with our projects.... links to the relevant pages are with the names

Righto, Gotto Go... I'm off to see what others have made....

Lovely surprises....

I woke up one morning this week and had such a lovely surprise... I was a year younger than I thought I was.... so I get an extra trip around the sun ......

Yup... another year older .... not that I am keen on celebrating that fact but it is lovely to be made a bit of a fuss of?????

So many lovely messages, cards, phone calls, overseas skypes etc.... I was ultra spoilt with attention.... thanks to everyone.....xxxxxx

Even Mr Google noticed I was younger....

... and Mr Postie has been visiting.... 

Thought I would show you this card from Shez.... such a laugh... I had tears!!!

... and a lovely parcel of fabrics and patterns.... the Gail Pan one is a kit ....

... just lovely... thanks Shez...

Marina made me this wonderful scarf.... linen and her beautifully done hexies....

.... I thought it was a runner!!!!! so it is on my antique dresser being cared for by some of my lizards..... Marina said she didn't mind! Thanks Marina .... love it

Helen popped around with some of my favourite things..... thanks my friend

... so did Bev.... thanks ... so pretty

... and Christine invited me over and we had cake ... with lit candle.... thanks... such a fun time

... and my daughter bought me one of these lovely containers I have been lusting after.... she is going to help me fill it for Pims next month.... thanks lovey

It reminded me of a story... when I was little - about 2 - in those days when you could have kids in the country pubs.... my parents couldn't find me.... I was lying under the beer keg catching the drips..... So now I can really say my present problems are my parents fault?????

Righto, Gotto Go.... I'm off to see if I can make this new baby just drip gently for those times I need a little lie down... not too gently mind you!

FNSI .... and more.....

Friday morning saw me all packed up and ready to go off to retreat..... I recently joined a group at The Quilters Angel who meet fortnightly on a Friday night and they have regular retreats.  Kris was there too for a couple of days so we managed some chat time - just a little!

My first ever retreat (I came home at night so just needed the sewing stuff)

How wonderful it is to be away and have nothing else to worry about .... no fussing with those little jobs that make me procrastinate at home -  just sew sew sew and I got heaps done....

these are my scrappy square in a square supposed to have been scrappy star blocks.....

by the end of the first day I had these all sewn together ..... 8 x 9 12" blocks sewn together....

I LOOOOOOOVVVVVEEE it... and keep seeing new shapes ....

I wanted another row to fit my bed and I had pieces ready in the box so I added another row the next day....  so it's now a 108" square (2.7m square) and 2,349 pieces - the biggest quilt I have ever made....

It is quite heavy and I am going to have a challenge quilting it I think ....

Cyclone Marcia did not visit our way... we did have quite a nice rain fall from a previous weather system and on the evening drive I was spoilt with this lovely sunset complete with evening star and new moon....

the next day saw me making some nice little knick knack bags .... as you can see I used some pretty little lacy zips...... I think I'll be doing more of these for the giftie box.....

I didn't slack off in the evenings... and for FNSI... I finished off the letter M.....

(I have done A and B but now I felt like M.....) Michelle's bear alphabet designs

Thank you Wendy for having us..... see you again next month

... all in all a very happy weekend and I'm already looking forward to the next one in June....

Righto, Gotto Go.... I want to check that my resident gardener has been working and not just getting into the home brew!!

Blocks... sewn and stitched.....

These are my February blocks for Chookyblue's SAL this year.... (Nature's Journey by Anni Downs)

The blocks are fun to do... the borders are done in a blanket stitch and I have been doing the applique in needleturn.... which takes me quite a while...

The blocks have been trimmed to size now and are safely in their little plastic container waiting for the March ones............  I personally like having goals to meet and find this an excellent way to make a quilt...

Another alphabet bear (Michelle's design) is done.... I am going to do these differently now and work on all my bears.... then move to another part.... 

Pretty cute aren't they?

Sign ups for 

are open HERE ..... Wendy has a yummy recipe too...

I am lucky as I will be sewing with others on a retreat.... lots of stitching to be done

Righto, Gotto Go.... I'm on the machine today...

.. that's the sewing machine... not the treadmill.... (I broke that!)

I love weekends.....

Hello, hello...... I do love weekends.... they just always seem relaxed and fun ....

Ok.... so this week saw me tracing 26 little designs.... 

(these are from Michelles' bear alphabet series - they are very awfully sweet... Michelle has done a few in the series of alphabets.... you can see them HERE)

.. and cutting up 2 1/2" squares... and choosing threads.... and stitching ....

 these are going to be the centres of my snowballs in the sew-along hosted by Terry

More details about this Sew-Along can be found HERE.... just incase you are tempted!!!

I am going to do this variation... and rather than scraps I have used a coordinating set of fat 1/8ths that I had....

This week also I had a surprise thank you gift from Christine.... very unexpected and very sweet....

when I opened the parcel there was a wonderful scent of lavender... Christine makes lovely bags from her own lavender... I have split them up and put them in strategic places... like fabric drawers, and undies drawers, .... just lovely.  I am thrilled to have another of Marilyn's patterns... I made her sewing bag up last year and this is another useful and pretty compendium.... I love the pretty Mill Rose thread and cute craft keeper....

.... who is already bundled up in some variegated threadworx thread..... (I had a part skein left and need some 'favourite variegated thread' for "Let's Get Stitched" day in Brisbane next month.... I'm so excited to meet some lovely bloggers (including the designers and hosts) I have corresponded with for ages...

(it doesn't look very variegated.... it's very subtle but it is there!!)

Thanks Christine, for your lovely gift..... so thoughtful....  

Today The Quilters Angel hosted a Tilda Tea Party... I got overexcited to be in a room full of crafty people and beautiful things that I didn't take many pics... there was lots of yummy food (I have witnesses to this) and sooooooo much yummy fabrics and things to make (same witnesses)

Here is one of the tables set with things to make out of the Tilda fabrics.... that's Kris's bag there in the front 

... and here are some of the deliciously pretty fabrics .....

I was useless and totally overwhelmedith the bustle and fun and ended up only buying a couple of little things....

... at least the shop is nearby and I can go anytime I like......

Last night I finished the first alphabet stitchery... 

A is for Angel....

Righto, Gotto Go..... B is for b...    ????

B is also for beer and Hubz' latest brew needs taste testing (the things we do for love!!!)

February's Quilting Challenge.....

Typo's can make me laugh... my first heading was "February's Quitting Challenge".... no I am not going to quit my quilting practice!!!

I am doing the quilting challenges (when ever I can) with QuiltShopGal and her wonderful team of tutors..... February's tutor is Leah Day and you can read all about it HERE

The first option was the one I chose to do which was working Leah's double- stippling design (tutorial found HERE) also known as Leah's Railroad Track design to make a cushion.

Well... I like the idea of a railroad and I needed a 'little boy cushion' so I went with a train idea....

firstly I found a colouring book picture on the internet of a train and appliqued this on my grey blue small patterned background....

.. then I shaded areas of the train I wanted to outline and chose a grey Aurifil thread to do the raw edge applique and free motion quilting....

I like the subtle outlines on the applique which I went over a couple of times....

...toot... toot.. goes the train..... this one had a wild journey!!!

I rather like the look on the back too !!!!  train through the flowery field!!!

Now I have made up a simple cushion cover 18" x 18" ....

I used some jeans poppers to secure the back ....

I purchased Leah's From Daisy to Paisley a couple of years ago and go back to it often looking at ideas....it was lovely to do one of her quilting designs for this challenge... I really need to use it more!

This double stippling is a great filler and I will be using it often I think.... the extra stipple helps to fill in spaces and create interest...

Thanks to Darlene at QuiltShopGal... to Leah and to the sponsors for the inspiration to use my imagination and get some great quilting practice too....

These are not big challenges or overwhelming and if you are wanting to do a bit more of Free Motion Quilting it would be great to join in too...

Righto, Gotto Go... I have some sexy hexies wanting attention!!!