Month end......

Again a busy month..... but I still cannot manage a day without some sort of sewing.... it is my therapy.....

For OPAM (hosted by Peg and Kris - thank you very much) I finished a number of projects ...

This needlecase is a UFO which I had sitting around for a few years... I had done the stitchery and got no further....

Inside is a little bag, pockets and a mini heart pincushion.....

This is a design by Bronwyn Hayes and was done for a Stitchers Dream Day Out at The Quilters Angel originally....

I made up this bag with a couple of friends one day this month.  The bird fabric was given to me by Michelle and I do love this saddle bag pattern ....

Another of my UFO's was a bunch of birds and hearts - they are double sided and from a panel of pictures.  I sewed around them and filled them with lavender to hang in wardrobes and some to sit in drawers.....

Finishing Stitches (hosted by Joy - thank you very much) encourages finishing UFO's - so the needlecase and lavender bags are in that group..... but also working on blocks in order to finish projects....

I worked on these blocks for Gardeners Journal this month.  Michelle and I both decided to work on this quilt this year.....  The stitcheries had been done and the fabrics all cut so it was placement and piecing time....

Weeding the garden and the vegetable patch....

 \... the orchard....

tea time, the bird feeder and a pretty bed of flowers....

... as a result the top has been made......  It is still a UFO but a good deal further along than I was at the beginning of the year....  This is a pattern by Annie Downs....

Another long term project is my Dutch Treat quilt....... and happily I got 11 blocks done this month...

I do find I am well motivated by keeping lists and then working from them... so thank you Kris, Peg and Joy for hosting these fun activities that help keep me motivated....

Righto, Gotto Go... I need to look at what else is on the 'To Do' list ...... 

I hope you have an excellent week.

Last weekend.....

A few more rows on my diamonds quilt.  I have to say I am having difficulty setting the colours as they are sewing diagonally.  So there will be a few times when similar fabrics and colours meet - so be it....

I am now starting down the other side as you can see.  The 3 rows across the top go on both sides and will be trimmed straight at the end...  This is about half way now....

I have a lovely big design wall - but it's not going to be big enough.

Hubz and I took a drive last weekend to a small town with a lake.  It was a lovely walk and we had widget and we skipped stones etc - I forgot to take pictures.

We went inside to look at the main centre there... and would you know it the local quilting group had a small exhibition on!!!

This is a whole group of 'sinchies' Six inch mini's....... they were so effective in their colours and different techniques....

I loved this one though the picture doesn't show off the true colours... it was very clever and beautifully made....

another wall of mini's... these ones were about 10" square I think....

Most of the pieces were 'art' pieces and I enjoyed seeing the different ideas....  

I do like seeing the sort of things other people make - the imagination and skill around is wonderful.....

Meanwhile I have for more blocks made for my Dutch Treat Quilt.....

I'm down to 30something left to make now - still amazed I have stuck to it....

Righto, Gotto Go.....  coffee is calling.....

My Sewing Space.....

There was quite a few comments about my mini's on my wall last time - I only showed a small part of it though, so I thought I would show how I am set up...

As you can see I use a Sweet Sixteen - and I have a lovely long table to hold the quilt while I am working on it..... therefore there is a nice long wall too and that holds a number of special mini quilts...

Over the years I have been in swaps and also received lovely gifts,  

Not all of them are here, I also have a small stand and I like to rotate the quilts there

Next to the table I have a set of drawers, those hold a number of different projects - that I am supposed to be working on...

I like listening to audio books, when I'm quilting I need the wireless headphones that are hanging on the drawers...

I also have my little shelves with pincushions in the room.... and some very mini pieces of art

Near the window I have frames some mini wholecloth pieces...

It's hard to see them through the glass .....

Little pieces I played with... one day I would like to do more....

.. .but they do take a long time....

This corner is where I keep my glass board to write the jobs I have....  you can see the list is pretty long - time to do a tidy up there.....

I keep a number of quilting books for idea nearby

My view out the window is pleasant... it does face a road so I can see when customers come which is useful, and there is a gorgeous big tree 

So I am very lucky.  The room is officially the 'second lounge' in the house.  It is right near the front door which is perfect for people dropping off or picking up quilts.  There is great light, and plenty of space.   A huge table in the centre for pinning quilts, and of course just the right height for cutting and planning.

On another wall I have boards covered with wadding for my design wall.  There are 4 boards and I can remove them separately if I want to.... I never do!

Here is my latest quilt waiting for attention.....

So that's one of my happy places - my sewing room - which also happens to be my work room/office.

Righto, I'm off to play in it......

All sorts.....

I added a new mini to my wall this week - Marina sent me the lovely gathering of Suffolk puffs earlier this year and I found a hanger for them and put them up this week .... It looks perfect amongst treasures of mine in my quilting room...

(thanks Marina, not sure this was your original intention but it's just perfect there)

At the weekend a Blue Tongue Skink visited us - well we found him hiding next to the DVD player (I have to admit I got a big fright when he first stuck his head out and hissed at us) 

With a bit of persuasion with boards and brooms we got him back outside.....  this one was quite good and fat and about 40cm (15") long and rather handsome....

Much happier now he is back in the bush I'm sure....

For my machine sewing this week, my lovely treadle machine is out ..... 

... we are working on my diamonds quilt - a bit each day to make some progress.....I had made up the small diamond blocks a while ago and then done lots of big diamond cutting 

I had a request for some maple leaves on a quilt ...... I use Hubz old work shirts for practice pieces.... I actually find bigger shapes more difficult but I think these are recognisable....

This sewing is normally my Friday night with the girls sewing but I did a few extra evenings with it and got the first stitchery block done....

There is still dresden plates to make for it .... 

Flowerville by Rosalie Decker

... and I finally stuffed a bunch of birds and hearts with lavender....

They are now hanging or sitting in strategic places around my home... I still have some more I will do sometime ....  The pictures were printed on fabric and I just cut around them... prints on both sides and rather sweet....

Righto, Gotto Go...... have a great rest of the week.....

Middle of the month.....

Time is spinning out crazily...... mid April already.  

This week I got the last two blocks for Gardeners Journal together....

Here are some garden tools

and here the friends are off to a garden show

I experimented a little with the tea - you can see on the scrap where I stained half of the piece... just tones it down  

Please meet Tilly the Tea Lady - this is the next set of blocks I am working on for Angel Story

(well one of the next set of blocks!)

Friday night with the girls was cancelled this week so finding a bit of extra 'machine' time I put the GJ blocks together and added the borders... and stained the blues....

Ta-da.... Gardeners Journal top is completed 

I do love it.... I love stitcheries and piecing 

So now it is joining the quilting queue..... 

This picture shows the difference between the blues before and after staining

perhaps a tad more muted than I had meant it to be - but I prefer it to the brightness

Righto, Gotto Go....  I'm going to do something very practical and make a bunch of towelling cloths.  A bit boring but in my opinion they work well and are tough.

Have a lovely weekend ...xx