Second Week of December

In my world the best part of this time of year is the decorations that arrive at my house to hang on my tree (which is supposed to have been delivered by now!)

I got these two from Kathy and Nellie from Tuesday girls..... the star one is actually a brooch and the gum leaves on the other are made from leather strips.... both so clever....

Angels arrived from Susan and Maria..... you may notice the one is a button....  clever idea.  I'm considering a separate tree for angels next year.....

I was sorting some fabrics and found a bunch of lonely blocks - must have been in a scrap bag as these weren't made by me.  They were already in strips so I just sewed the 3 together and they will make a small table topper (I need to wash mine regularly as the cat thinks they are there for him)

Chantal was asking about the slanted cut on my pieces so this picture shows how they go together to make the sides straight (it also means that 6 pieces can be cut from a single width of fabric jelly roll strip)

Over 8,5 metres when they are all together.....

I cut mine into 5 same size strips - a bit of fiddling and cutting ends off to get the strips meeting as I wanted them...

and this morning I finished up adding the sashing and borders

I had made one previously - so now there are 2 - same jelly rolls and sashing for them both as you can see....

Clever idea - these will one day be sent off for donations probably...... they were made to use up a couple of jelly rolls I had got...

I have had 3 Christmas functions this last week and I am ready for Boxing Day....

At one it was a shared morning tea and I made up these mini plum puddings and white rocky road..... they went down well - one pudding left for me to bring home for Hubz....

This quilt was quilted..... I made it a few years ago.....

The centres were filled with big flowers and the borders and sashings done with swirls

The frames are loose peepers so it is a little dimensional....

Righto  so that's another ready to go out the door....

My daughters partner has a couple of delightful daughters - and a son but I have just appliqued names on towels for the girls... now to wrap and put them under the tree (when it finally gets here)

Righto Gotto Go... it is my baby girls 37th birthday and there is a BBQ happening... I am supplying the Birthday Cake...

I made a large basic white cake and piled it up with cream and fruit

Have a lovely week everyone....xx

Beginning of December

This week I finished a dress I started at my last garment making class..... It's a seersucker fabric and has ties which can go in the front or the back depending on the look (I quite like them in the front)

I wore it the other day and got some compliments but I also got "That's what I call a Tablecloth Dress"

I'm not sure what to make of that - is that fabric for a tablecloth (I was given it from a friend who had no use for it) or do I look like a table in it??????

Anyway it was comfortable and cool and I shall use this pattern again

Mr Postie dropped off the first card and decorations for this year

These beauties came from Marina - love them

There was a big tree in a box in the garage, my daughter came and picked it up (apparently we were just storing it) so now I have had to order one so for the moment the decorations are waiting patiently.

I started sewing the next braid quilt - the same as the last but in my (lack of) wisdom I cut two jelly rolls.  They are easy but I do find it rather tedious doing hundreds of the same thing.

In the evenings I have been working on this KOGO blanket.  I know they take blocks but get a lot of them and need to find people to make them up so I thought I would try and get blankets done...... they are closed for a while with Christmas so gives me time to make an adult one.... Next year I can probably get a child's one done each month.

 There was a request for blankets in the Torres Strait Islander colours - white red and blue

More sorting has been done, a few stitches of embroidery, plans made, fabrics and threads chosen ..... etc etc... and of course all those Christmas get togethers are happening .....

I hope all your plans are going well...... have a lovely weekend...

Righto, Gotto Go... continue on with that braid quilt....... (sigh)

End of November

More binding done this week....

I had a fat quarter pack of these Tilda fabrics which was enough to cut out 24 stars...... so two quilts were made...

The 3D Popstar Quilt is a free pattern at Fat Quarter Shop....

These are quilts I made and quilted some time ago.... used the ribbon meander and finally this week got the binding sewn down on them both.....

So that is 2 more quilts to go off and out of the unfinished pile!!!

Stitches have been stitched, crochet has been crocheted,  ...... and the week disappeared yet again......

Righto, Gotto Go ..... last weekend I started a new dress at my garment making day.... I hope to finish it this weekend...

Have a lovely weekend.... xx

Third Week of November

So we have passed the 6 weeks till Christmas date and I am still pretending it's not happening.... Grinch is out stalking!!! 😂😂😂

This week I have started making lists and going through projects - they are even more scary than the imminent arrival of Christmas!

But I did find this quilt that I finished off earlier this year and put it back in the cupboard - I don't think I put it on my blog - it certainly wasn't in any of my lists!!!

I did overall ribbon quilting - a favourite of mine for all over quilting ......

The backing was pieced with matching fabrics...

I used left over fabrics from a previous quilt and bought in the plain teal ....

Star Pop is a quilt pattern by Emily Dennis and Quilty Love.  I've use mine a few times.

So that's in a bag to go off next month...... there are others I found that just need the binding sewn down.... so I will be doing a lot of that!

I tried out my wrap around dress pattern...... a practice one using a doona cover, which matches my reuse ethos but I'm not sure I like the light top and large design bottom on me...  but it will be a useful round the house dress on warm days....

On Tuesday at Club I framed a bunch of hexagons.....

We had a couple of cooler evenings and wet days so I sat with a quilt on my lap and did this binding..... 

I am not a fan of EPP but am a fan of the EPP quilts so was determined to have at least one!

Took me ages .... I have quite a few of the pieces left over so I will do something more with them...

A close up of the quilting.... just in from all the ditches.....

Apparently the design name is Urban City.

Righto, Gotto Go.... I'll go and choose another binding to do...

Have a lovely weekend....

Third week of November ALREADY!

A hot humid week with some wonderful rain.  Storms and hail nearby but those miss us, sadly quite often the rain does too but our grass has greened up - always looks better with green grass.

I sewed up a Pinafore apron.  It's a panel by Robert Kaufman with printed shapes and instructions (additional instructions on line) 

Easy - made it up in a couple of hours...

This panel came from The Quilters Angel, there was also a cream background but since I am so messy in the kitchen I thought the grey was better.... 

I finally put the sashing and borders on this braid quilt.  I have started sewing braids for the other matching one.

Hand sewing this week was making up this little needlecase....

I used an alphabet stitchery from a pattern my Michelle purchased a few years ago.... it has been a useful one to have...

It has a pocket and small piece of felt.  I was annoyed that in spite of being very careful I still did not sew the patch in the middle!!!  It will stay like that though.

Righto, Gotto Go - I want to fix up a pattern to make a wrap around dress for myself... FNSI tonight hosted by Wendy

Have a lovely weekend.....xx

Second week of November

Hello..... suddenly all my comments are coming to me No Reply...... anybody have any idea how to fix this???

Apologies if I don't answer, sometimes I can't find your address - I had several come back to me as I must have used an old one or something....

We have had a hot week here .... with odd storms coming through but not yielding much rain, nor cooling down..... .

This week I finished off the linen shirt I started at my last sewing class...

I learnt how to do buttonholes - years ago we had to draw lines, measure, turn sew, turn , widen etc... now I just press a button and it's done! magic....

I gave our tutor a shirt I loved wearing but it was a tad too tight and she made up a pattern for me to us... This one fits well.

A new brewery/restaurant has opened nearby so we dropped in ..... 

on the walls were a bunch of the old hand mixers...

The building used to be full of German style clocks, it was a fabulous place to visit and they have kept the german clock theme...

... and there are cuckoo clocks for sale....

I made up another shirt from the pattern, it helps reinforce anything I learnt, this time in cotton floral.

Squares have been knitted and more scraps cut and tidied up .... 

Righto, Gotto Go... need to get my glad-rags on.....

Today our Quilt club is celebrating 40 years with a lunch..... should be a fun occasion....

Have a lovely weekend .....xx