Third Week of December

Hubz and I had a trip to Brisbane, our closest  Capital city.

Long walks around Southbank.... this is one of the newer footbridges (we were standing on the one that opened the day before)

Passed through the Botanical Park - very very very long queue mostly teenage girls waiting to go into some concert - gosh they had a long wait so I hope it was a lot of fun!  I think we walked over 20 minutes and the line still wasn't moving and was still being added to....

Passed our Parliament building.... we often see picture of protests etc happening outside on the news...

I tried to run off with this tall man but he just wanted to gaze at the sky!

 

An on/off day at the cricket.... India vs Australia at the Gabba .....

I was prepared for the rain showers stopping play (started a cardigan) ....

A lovely couple of nights and tasty meals

On the way back we took a detour and while Hubz went to look at golf stuff I got time with bestie buddy Michelle..... of course we found a Christmas scene for photo evidence

Before we went I did quilt up my little scrappy buttons...... loose waves

It's a lap quilt size and I think it's rather fun..... I still have the binding to do

Decorations arrived in the mail, sulphur crested cockatoo from Karen and a packet of seeds from Susan

and from Jeanette....

Thank you so much dear friends

The tree finally arrived so it has been decorated....

Just covered in hand made ornaments (except a couple that I'm sentimental about)

A friend arrived with these cute beanies....

 

.... with treats in them .....

Wendy hosted FNSI this week and I did a bit of prep work.  Can you see those thin lines - I am marking up a piece of 16 count Aida for a blackwork project next year - its a free SAL and I am sewing along with a couple of others in our Embroidery group....

Stitching with friends I did a few more framed hexagons....

... and of course a few more rows of the crochet blanket have been done.

We are celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve here.  My daughters partner has 3 children and they don't have Christmas stockings.... so that is what I will be doing today!

Righto, Gotto Go and search for some Christmas fabric.....

Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas time.  For me it is not my favourite time of the year but I do like home baked ham!  xxxx

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....