FNSI and this weeks Design Wall

Thanks to Wendy from SugarLane Designs for having us over for FNSI ... it's always lovely sewing with everyone.  I had real time sewing with friends too .. there was about 15 of us and it got pretty noisy!! haha

I was sewing violets on this little teapot.....

... and again on Saturday night so this is finished now..... 

All four teapots are done for the corners for my table topper and this brings me to this weeks Design Board hosted by Cath at Bits 'n Bobs ..

First up is planning for the teapots and teacups...

I want them to go around the edge with the green fabric as sashing and border and then a patchwork from a Butterscoth and Roses charm pack that I have.  I think all the colours go nicely together and I want the stitcheries to be the noticeable thing in the quilt.

What I need to do is fiddle around with sizes of sashings and what to cut the blocks too... not my strong point at all!

I also have a bundle of pretty romantic fabrics awaiting .. they are included on the Design Board as I still want to add a few more darker colours but will need to go shopping for that (do I hear an "Aaaaaah ... poor Fiona having to go shopping for fabric!")

This is going to be for "The Splendid Sampler"  hosted by Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson.  Not that I really need another sampler but I couldn't resist.  Stitchers from all over the world have joined up and I love community sewing groups ... these fabrics I had in the cupboard luckily awaiting for the perfect project and now I've found it!

I have finished last weeks quilt and have worked out the design for this weeks....  these are other peoples quilts so I'm not able to show the finished quilt and this doesn't really show what it will look like!  I do tell people my quilting is better than my drawing!!! haha

Do you remember my tuffet?    Well my DIL paid  me such a compliment by asking me to do her one in similar fabrics.... so these are on my design wall and I will be sewing them together on Thursday,  I am not making the tuffet up as she is doing an upholstery course and can do that herself.....

My box for 6" Sampler blocks was overflowing last week ...... and a friend found another box just the right size but with no lid... so the base of my last box is going to be the lid of this new box.... 

The reason it is on my Design Board is because I want to make the lid a bit prettier....

.. and of course life would not be good for me without a bit of handstitching... so this is happening.... which may or may not be a secret surprise!

My lovely second pile of 9 patches is on the Design Board too as I want to get a start on cutting some sashing for the blocks... I am using light neutral pieces ...

... that's a fair amount to get done .... especially as I am decorating my sewing room at long last with a selection of mini quilts sent to me over the years....

Hubz is off work today ... so I needed to find him jobs to do that suit me... or he gets into his own stuff!!! 

Righto, Gotto Go.. he's up from his snooze and needs supervising - and much excitement it is raining... I hope we get heaps

A UFO finish..... woohooo

I love to go through my UFO's at the beginning of each year and I always have a strong urge to work on them.

Sew It's Finished is a blog cared for by Wendy and Dawn and it's for encouraging us to work on our projects and try and get one finished each month.  I joined in a couple of years ago with great success  (even though I ended up starting just as many so at the end of the year I still had just as many UFO's - just different ones!)

I'm going through my boxes and things, taking pictures and setting up a page to list them... this is what motivates me as I like ticking off things and out of sight is out of mind in my case so if I can see them I remember....

So here is my list page  and I haven't bothered to count them.... there are also a bunch of stitcheries that are sewn and not made up... I will go through them in time so I can remember what I sewed!

I am delighted that I have just finished one of them!!! and its the HUGEST one too

I have been diligently hand stitching the binding down in the evenings this week... all  432" or 10.8metres!

It covers our Queen Size bed very well....

the top is made completely from scraps 

I struggled to find a backing I liked so I bought a doona cover from Ikea ($20 special)  and cut it and joined again to make it the right size.... I love the backing too so it makes a great alternative if I want a change! 

I showed the quilting I did for the blocks HERE.... it took a while!!

this quilt was made in stages over the last few years.... I'm thrilled with having a good size quilt for my bed - though at the moment it is too hot for it so it will just be a day time cover.

Righto, Gotto Go... there's more UFO's lurking.....

Monday .....

I love my morning cup of coffee ..... I generally only have one a day so it needs to be a good one in a pretty cup!!

In an attempt to be more regular about blog posts and also to plan my short term sewing projects I'm joining up with Cath at Bits 'n Bobs for Design Board Monday

As per usual I have several projects on my 'design wall' (Hubz calls Design house for some odd reason!)

This is a quilting design I am doing for a suduko quilt... so each block is going to be different but all the same colours will have the same quilting design ... then I'll add joined ribbon for the sashing and wiggly lines in the borders

 I've started tracing the tea cup teddies from Michelle's latest pattern.. these will fit in so well with my teacups and teapots that I am presently working on

Today I prepared 4 blocks for the sampler quilt which we will work on tomorrow

... my storage box for the blocks is overflowing....

.. the other one on the go is the binding for this huge big scrappy quilt.... I only do it if it's a bit cooler in the evening ... I'm over half way...

.. the stitching next to my chair is the third of my four teapots...

I did finish the second one over the weekend.....

So that's what's on my Design House Board this week... what about you?

Cath's link up is HERE if you feel like joining in too...

This Friday is FNSI with Wendy... sign ups are HERE 

I'll be doing some handstitching at The Quilters Angel group with Kris and others....

Righto, Gotto Go..... sewing to do.....

The Nine Patch .....

The Nine Patch quilt has been quilted now...

I have done each patch the same ... in the dark squares there are curved orange peel which make a whirlygig type shape that I like....

... and in the light shapes which is hard to see there is a ribbon type shape....

... and I have done this joined ribbon look in the sashing... theres a lot of sashing!!! hmmmm

I love the look and feel of a quilted quilt.....

... the binding is acutally on now... I found a piece that has lots of colours in it to go with the quilt...

I've got 2 quilts waiting for me to sew down the binding...  it's just going to have to get a bit cooler for me to do that!

I still had some patches left and Susan has kindly sent me some she had spare after making her quilt.... so I should get another nice size quilt with these.... one day!!!

Thanks so much Susan - it's going to be great having the extra's to play with

I am still working with reproduction fabrics with the sampler quilt and this week we got two blocks done

Dog Tooth Violet - 

Cross and Crown - 

Only got 2 blocks done this week as I had to leave early to do a bit of shopping...

No more moaning about being housebound!! - except I just want to leave it nice and safe inside the garage!! haha

Righto, Gotto Go....  maybe a road trip?

My little red project....

I think I was a bit mean challenging a guess for the little red, green and black project.... not much of a clue...

Anyway... I did foundation piecing with it... and some fiddling...

I've struggled to find some light summer slippers to wear around the house  - now I have some quilted ones!!! 

(and I shaved my legs for this picture too!!! wasn't that good of me?)

If I was clever at changing things I could make them a better fit for my long skinny feet but they work and that's the main thing....

My teapot now has a handle also ... thanks to a bit of sitting yesterday afternoon!

A little wander in the garden and this sweet frangipani has a few flowers.... 

.. and we finished off the warm day with a drinkie and BBQ...

(I've not thought of having 'buttery' wine.... but that's how its described!!!)

I'm no expert but the wine tasted fine and I couldn't notice any butter

Righto, Gotto Go.... I try and do some housekeeping on Mondays (sorry to swear the H word in public)

Have a lovely day/week....xx

FNWF

Our first FNWF of the year... thanks Dory for having us over!

I have revived a UFO from 2013 ..... I did a lovely set of teacup stitcheries but wanted to add some teapots before I put it all together....

It was also the first of our fortnightly sewing with the girls at The Quilters Angel so I went along and worked on the roses teapot..... just the handle to go now...

I must try and pop over HERE and see what everyone else got up to....  everyone is welcome.... see you next time??

There was a nice surprise dropped off by Mr Postie this week from Susan - two design boards (different sizes)

they are made with quilt wadding and binding around the edge and fabric sticks beautifully on them....

... and they fit perfectly inside my new sewing folder I got from Lyn at Christmas which I am using for my Sampler Blocks at the moment....

Thanks Susan, they are just perfect and such a lovely surprise!!

I have started trying to go through UFO's to list what there is.... thus the revisiting of the teacups/pots above....  Wendy and Dawn are getting Sew It's Finished up and running again this year and so I hope this will keep me motivated to finish some of them....  

... wanna come join us and work on those projects hanging around????? ....

I'm also joining up with Narelle's 'One Christmas Item a Month' ....

 I'll be working on a big project so want to get a block done each month at least ... I have the fabric

Righto, Gotto Go... did you notice these fabrics on the board above?  I'm playing with them today and I'm determined they are not going to be a UFO.....

there will be a prize if you can guess what I'm making?

Oh and by the way.... my car is considered a right off!

It doesn't look so bad but the wheel is squashed in and between the panel beating and the wheel shaft it is cheaper to right it off!!!

... so we spent yesterday hunting and test driving..... I fancy this one.... but Hubz is not so keen...

Have a Happy Day whatever you are doing....xx