Thursday, September 15, 2016

Sewing.... sewing... quilting... gardening...

At the weekend I was lucky enough to win a lucky door number prize (there are always heaps and it's so fun).  This glasses case was made by Steph from The Quilters Angel under Me & Leigh Creations....  her work is just lovely and I have bought a few gifts from her over the years....


I have been lucky enough to be quite busy with quilting... it's other people's quilts so I'm not showing them off here...  I still do my own handwork at night  and here is another 4 of the Dutch Treat blocks.... as you can see they are all so different....



Dear Shez had a birthday this month and we always trade gifties at this time ....  I didn't realise until too late that it was an extra special birthday she was celebrating but I did put this bag together for her and fill it with a few goodies....  I think it's always nice to have a little pampering and Shez is doing a bit of travelling around so hopefully this will be of some use....


Sylvia's Bridal Sampler has been a bit neglected and I had been meaning to put some borders on the sides to square up the shape a bit...

 I cut up a whole bunch of 2 1/2" squares in coloured and background fabrics and sewed these together...


.  then just added these strips to the two sides....


... now I can truly say the top of this quilt is finished....


I got rather keen with organising the leftover fabric (I was sick and tired of them being all over the place as they have been for the last year) and cut up some 10" squares, 5" squares and 2.5" squares...  I wish I would do this more often instead of a pile of odd bits...


One of the best things in the first year of a new home is discovering what is in the garden...

We have a hedge of this port wine magnolia... the scent in the evening is like port wine jelly - almost too sweet to be there for too long.... It is just covered in blooms...


I have quite a few clivia, which we split and moved to fill up some gaps when we got here... it's lovely to see the two colours  - so bright and cheerful...


we were given a wisteria so it was our first planting and it has had it's first flowers this year.  I'm sure it will do lots of growing this year now it has settled....


I do love the bunches and they have a lovely delicate scent...


This is the one I had in my last house.... it was just amazing and what I am hoping the fence will look like in a few years....


Righto, Gotto Go... I want to prepare some more Dutch Treat blocks today...

I hope you have a lovely day doing something you love

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi my lovely friend ,congrats on your cute tilda win ,and thankyou so much for my gorgeous gifts as i just adore them,just what i needed some pampering.
Wow your quilt is just amazing Fiona ,all those tiny blocks,this will look so good on your bed,i love your dutch treat blocks as well.
Oh your garden is looking beautiful ,love magnolia's,hope you have a lovely day xx

Jennifer said...

What a nice win! Sylvia's Bridal Sampler looks great, it has been worth the journey. We have a port wine magnolia too, it's coming into bloom now......it smells heavenly.

kiwikid said...

Wonderful win for you! The magnolias look great as does the wisteria, we have a little one at our new house too! Your Sylvia's bridal sampler looks amazing...wow, wow, wow!!!! Must get back to mine some day!! You are very organised cutting up the left over fabric, but will be good for the future. :-) Your Dutch treat blocks look fantastic too, you are going really well with them.

Maria said...

You have been lucky to have a few nice wins recently. Good on you....
Your DT blocks are slowly growing and I like the border on Sylivas Bridal Sampler.
How good of you to cut up your scraps into useable squares....πŸ‘πŸΌπŸ‘πŸΌ
Lots of pretty blooms in your garden too.

Sheila said...

Lucky win and a lovely prize . Your Slyvias Bridal Sampler is gorgeous , perfect border for it too . Some nice discoveries in your garden 😊 hugs

Sue SA said...

Love your quilt, looks gorgeous. So envious that you have special yellow clivias, I only had orange, which are expensive enough to buy. But I dont have the shade in my new garden. We did have wisteria, but we pulled it down, well the wisteria pulled the structure it was on down because of its weight! A magnolia would be nice, thanks for the tip!

Chantal said...

Love the border treatment on Sylvia's Quilt. It is perfect with all the little pieces of the blocks. Great idea! I am very impressed with the Dutch Treat blocks. WOW!! The blocks on the right side have little pieces of the background in the middle of the blue fabric. How did you manage that? Is it pieced from underneath, as the solid fabric is? Or do you applique it from the top? I am just trying to understand how it is made, and not at all criticising here. I am curious by nature. Lovely plants you have. Mine are slowly fading as the temperature is getting ever closer to the one-digit number at night. ;^)

WoolenSails said...

Wonderful case, I do enjoy making those.
I love your quilt, beautiful design and fabrics.

Debbie

Susan said...

Lovely win - great border for Sylvia's Bridal Sampler...I am sure your garden is already lovely but the wisteria and a few years will add a lot I'm sure.

Karen S said...

You have a lot going on with all your stitching projects.
How lovely to see your Sampler quilt all together and looking gorgeous!
Love seeing your garden blooming.

Lin said...

Lots of nice things to look at. The borders on your quilt are great - simple but effective and I love the pictures from your garden. xx

Cheryl said...

Lovely post Fiona. Your quilt is just beautiful and love seeing what's blooming in your garden

Michelle Ridgway said...

Great win. Love Shezs pamper bag. Your sampler is a stunner! Lucky you with your Clivias. I am still waiting for my poor little yellow to flower. Your garden is a treat by the looks x

KaHolly said...

Such a delightful post today! That Shez is a lucky lady! She's having the birthday that never ends! XO

Pamela said...

You have so many beautiful things to show in this post! Your quilt top is absolutely gorgeous!

Anthea said...

So much to see in one post Fiona! Congrats on finishing the top of your Sylvia, it's amazing, can't wait to see how you quilt it. The Magnolia looks so beautiful, can just imagine the scent... watch out for that wisteria that it doesn't get out of control, they can do some terrible damage if left to overgrow. So much eye-candy in your post, thank you for sharing it all! x

Anthea said...

oh ps: good on you re the scraps, it's such a good idea... for all my disorganisation at times with my stuff, this is one thing I have done for years & it really helps, doing it every project, every time. You'll be able to dive into your lovely pieces and just sew, without having to find, press & cut first!

Summer said...

Your are so talented ♥

summerdaisycottage.blogspot.com

Elyte said...

A lovely finishing touch to Sylvia'a Bridal Sampler. It will be a special quilt (and quite heavy I suspect). A lovely gift for Shez. Enjoy seeing those Dutch Treat blocks growing in numbers.

Queen Of The Armchair aka Dzintra Stitcheries said...

What a lovely post Fiona! Great idea to cut those squares for the quilt which is looking so lovely! Mine is still sitting there!

Jindi's Cottage said...

Great border idea for your Sylvia's Sampler...the whole top looks fabulous...well done.

Chookyblue...... said...

lots happening at your place.........busy busy.....love wisteria but so allergic to it I could never have one in my garden........

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