March Projects.....

Having had a retreat this month got some of the bigger projects worked on ....

OPAM is hosted by Peg and Kris.....  this month I had 7 finished projects.....

(embroidered cushion, bag, raggy quilt, fabric card, wallhanging, scrap basket and cot quilt)

Finishing Stitches is hosted by Joy and includes UFO's that blocks have been made towards a finish

The main one I am doing is Dutch Treat which is all hand applique....

I got 10 blocks done this month for it....

Of the finished projects 4 of them were UFO's - I am always extra pleased when an old project is brought out the cupboard and finished....

Another of my monthly challenges is a Christmas Item each month hosted by Narelle....

The wallhanging fitted into this category

... and I completed 2 blocks towards a Christmas project....

I've made this banner before and loved it - this time it will be for a gift

So there we go..... last day of March..... It's my husband's birthday and my late nephew's too - as well as a couple of blog friends... thinking of you all...xx

We had a good 70+ mls of rain.  No cylcone where we were but the rain was in Debbie's tail.... luckily no flooding here but the worries aren't over for everyone else.... take care peoples.... xx

Righto, Gotto Go... haircut today ...... 

Small quilt....

This quilt is a finish for me....

A small cot size quilt... with a simple design that shows off those fun prints.  I just love the backing.  It's like two quilts in one...

I was so lucky to find a border fabric which just fitted into the happy feel of it.

A flange and binding in the blue.  As you can see I also quilting it in fun loose style which keeps is soft for a baby ...

Another stitchery is done towards my Christmas banner....

Righto, Gotto Go... its a wet day today with the tail of ex Tropical Cyclone Debbie reaching over...  the radio suggests staying indoors so I will do just that!!!

  Hope all our Northern buddies are handling their mess okay... only the next few days will we really know all the damage.... keep safe...xx

A new bag.....

Another project I worked on last week is this bag.....  I had done most of it but just needed to hand stitch the hole in the lining from pulling it through....

Again it was a UFO at the beginning of the year with the stitchery done and the fabrics all picked out and kitted up....

I found the linen at the same place as I got the lovely green linen for the bird cushion at The Quilters Angel ....  I think I need to stock up on those linens.. they are rather delicious!

The bag is a pattern from a little book by Natalie Bird ....

I finished snipping all the edges of my raggy quilt and it has two washes and dries....

I do love how the edges get all crinkly ....

This week I got a bit of hand stitching done....

Four more blocks for Dutch Treat..... I am over 80 of the 196 blocks now!!!  Still a long way to go!

... and my first block for Gardeners Journal is done.....

This weekend I am tracing more blocks.... for both of those quilts..... 

I do hope you all have a wonderful weekend......

A different Tuesday .....

My usual Tuesday girls sewing day has been suspended for a couple of weeks so I was thrilled when Brisbane Tuesday girls drove up the mountain and we had a coffee together...

Helen was collecting a quilt she had kindly let me play with.....

Here we are chatting about it.... such gorgeous colours and Helen's stitching is perfection....

... so kind ... Helen brought me up this pincushion... more of her gorgeous stitching and it's filled with walnut shells... lovely weight to sit by the sewing machine and not run away!  Thank you so much...xx

... we all needed some breakfast .... and here we are afterwards.... I pointed them in the direction of a quilt shop and off they went...

So lovely to see you Helen, Noreen and Teresa..... 

When I got home I finished up this project that I had worked on at our weekend retreat....

The embroidered top was done last year.... I just loved doing it

This lime green linen was just perfect for the backing (matching just a bit of that colour used in the front)

As it is an unusual shape I needed to make the inside cushion....

... and here is the new cushion

A lovely day out and a UFO finish......... yay...

Righto, Gotto Go......overcast damp day which is just lovely for sewing....

A productive weekend.....

A few times a year the Friday Night sewers have some time away at a nearby place.  I love going and sew sew sew all day long.....

I had some catch up sewing to do so I worked on my scrappy rainbow challenge little beach houses....

They look pretty cute and have joined the pile of purple and teal houses......

Some time ago I inherited a UFO from Kris ..... I had previously sewn all the blocks together in their layers.....

... and they have been sitting in my drawer waiting for attention....

This weekend I got them all sewn together....

A lovely warm raggy flannel quilt

I just have the clipping, then wash and dry, wash and dry to get the frayed edges and it will be ready for snuggling in winter here....  thank you Kris..... I didn't have one of these for myself - now I do!

I'm very glad to have these self springing clippers for this job, nevertheless I will be doing them a little bit at a time.... 

I'm still calling it a finish though????? is that cheating???

I did work on a couple of other projects.... but have a little bit more stitching to do on them till they are completely finished.... all in all a very productive weekend.... thanks to Marion at The Quilters Angel who hosts it.... and to all the others who go for providing the entertainment!

Righto, Gotto Go.... housework ignores the fact I have been busy sewing!!!

The colour Red.....

Red is our colour for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge....

This weekend I managed to make my fabric basket.....

and there's lots of scraps in there to make my little houses when I get a chance.....

... my bookshelf is beginning to fill up with the baskets.... I like....

I have been lucky this week...... this thread just had a tiny bit left when I was quilting ..... I had no more of this sparkley white so I was holding my breath... silly but I get a bit of a thrill when this happens!!! haha..

.. then my bobbin ran out just the right time..... I feel like I am living on the edge!!!!

haha.... don't you hate it when you sew a seam only to find the bobbin thread was finished????  I remember holding up a quilt to admire the borders I had sewn on and they fell to the floor!

This is what I was using the sparkley thread for... to make some water for this little card.... you can't see the delicate sparkle in the photo but it looks very nice...

Then I edged it with the satin stitch and that's where the bobbin lasted for me .... I just made it in time!

This card is going off to Wales.....

Righto, Gotto Go...... I'm ready for a coffee - then back to play/work .....

A busy week.....

Last weekend I went to a plant pounding morning at our local library.  Basically we experimented with different plants on paper (and in my case on fabric - of course!!!).  Choose a plant or leaf and place it on the fabric then place a piece of kitchen paper towel over the top and pound with a hammer so the juices come out and stain your fabric.  Some left great impressions and some not so good....  Remove the pounded plant and lay another down.  It's important not to try and do a whole lot at once so that you can layer the stains.....

The three on the right I actually folded the fabric in 3 and you can see there was easily enough plant dye to go through.... the lower one being a bit more faint (and I think nicer)

I have given them a good hot iron but I have no idea how waterresistant these dyes are, nor if the colours will stay a good colour ....

This week I took one of them and started stitching over it.....  I am making a fabric card and wanted to try different techniques for it.... quite arty farty of me isn't it????

I am busy quilting, and whilst I can't show off other peoples work I can show this back... There were some blocks needing custom quilting and then a lot of all over and this flower gives a lovely texture and isn't too tight....

This is one of my own... a small baby quilt.....

When I pin my quilts I like listening to a good story (it's quite a boring part of the quilting process but necessary for a good result)  I'm enjoying this Fiona McIntosh novel....

I did some fun double loops in the central part of the quilt....

... and some playful ribbon loops round the border....  I'll be binding it in the same blue as that peeper/flange .....

This is the first of a series of Christmas stitcheries that I am doing when I need some hand stitching requiring no hard choices of thread colour etc!!  The pattern is from SewHappyMe and this is the second time I have made it ....

Righto, Gotto Go, I have another quilt ready and pinned - time to play!!