Diamonds ......

I have seen many people remarking on the problems with comments being emailed.... I'm just adding my apologies for not sending replies to anyone.  I have commented on my individual page but many of us don't go back to the blogs - changed a setting and now my comments on comments have disappeared too!!! haha.... I shouldn't try and fix things on my own!

On Friday we had a scheduled power outage..... not that I really need an excuse but this is always a great time for me to get out my treadle machine and do some of my own sewing (usually I do work sewing during the day - except for ChooseDays!)

We treadled and hummed together .....

On Friday night at The Quilters Angel sewing we had some lovely treats... we always get delicious desserts but this time it was an assortment of lovely little treats....

Because some pressing needed to be done there was only so much I could do whilst the electricity was shut down so I continued on Saturday. 

The top is all together now.... I do love it.....  the edges will be trimmed straight post quilting....

The thread lasted me out well too!

I finished off my knitted wash cloth.  Jane from Loopy's Place put out a calender with a different craft each month.  I haven't kept up with them all but I do love handmade wash cloths and knitting (or crochet) is something I can do when sitting in the car

This top was made completely on the treadle machine..... finished size is 69" x 83"

Righto, Gotto Go - power is on - there is work to be done!

Bag Making....

Queensland is finally moving over to eliminating single use plastic bags at the shops in a month or two....

A friend had a whole lot of mesh fabric (from a business closure) and so I had a bag sewing day at the house.... Four of us made bags and bags of bags.....

These ones are for putting the potatoes and onions, apples etc.  Easy peasy to sew and then cut so it looks like a vest - and the handles can be knotted to hold them in....

I am also doing some with cords - they will make good shoe bags..... or grocery bags, or washing bags ..... 

There was plenty of mesh so I am also doing some large ones, for laundry when travelling, and also to hold quilts in.

I had some thicker cotton in bright colours so on Tuesday with the Chooseday girls I made up some tote bags....

I now have 6 good size totes for other groceries......

I think I'm ready for the plastic ban now.....

I started sewing the sides to my animal pictures for my safari photograph quilt...

ran out of the background fabric so I need to dig into my scraps (it's quilt backing so I must have some bits I cut off the sides)

Hand work has seen another 4 blocks of Dutch Treat made..... I still have over 30 to do and I have to say these ones are dragging on a bit.....

It could be because I want to sew angels.... hmmmm

Righto, Gotto Go....  powercut today so it will be treadlepower on this project.....

It's too big for my design board... so the spare room is no longer spare for the duration.....  

- better go and make that coffee before the electricity is shut down...... 

Have a lovely day/weekend.......

Chooseday.....

My ChooseDay girl friends are back in town.....  so we are back to our weekly sewing sessions..... yay

First up yesterday I worked on making my Dresden ring in pretty Tilda fabrics.... this will have the Flowerville circle - shown in this post -  in the middle that I finished embroidering last month.

The quilt has 9 blocks, all different houses.

I then started these fiddly diddly little foundation pieced blocks..... I had forgotten how long it takes me to do foundation piecing but I have made a good start on this scrappy style piece.

Over the weekend I prepared some more Angel Story blocks.  I find this part takes me ages.  I will need another weekend to do the rest....

We had a lovely little visitor over the weekend... a little echidna was spending the day hiding as he passed through.  I hope he found his way across the road and into the bush that night.

A fascinating little creature and quite my favourite Australian animal ....

Young Widget came to stay, and he loved the echidna too.  He will turn 10 later this month and stated that he loved the quilts I made him but he was getting a bit grown up now, could he look for another.  We went through some of my quilts and straight away he said this was his favourite....

So now it's gone to a new home.  I made this quilt from leftovers from a bigger quilt and used it to right a tutorial for quilt as you go years back....

It will be a great one for wrapping up in front of the TV this winter

I did sew three more rows of my diamonds quilt on my treadle machine....  I have not joined them to the bigger piece yet....  It's almost time to start squaring out to do the other side (which is the bottom in the picture)

A couple of evenings TV viewing saw another bunch of circles made.....  I have a nice little collection now but still want to do quite a lot more.... the blocks are 4 1/2" so I will need a few....

This young chap is tall and energetic ..... but he still gets tired and needs a lie down!

Righto, I want to prep up the circle and background fabric to applique my Flowerville block tonight....

Have a lovely rest of the 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.....

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.....

Hello.....

It's my eldest brothers birthday today.  He lives in Zimbabwe and took me and two teenage children to the airport when we moved to Australia in 2002 (Hubz had gone ahead).  I haven't seen him since........ social media does make it easier to keep in touch but there's nothing like a hug - and he does give wonderful hugs..... Happy Birthday favourite eldest brother...

I have done some more stitching on Gardeners Journal blocks...

The stitcheries are all completed now, trimmed and awaiting piecing..... no plans for that just yet though I have the fabrics...

This is the project I am doing on my treadle machine.....

I bought the kit a few years ago and its all colours and fabrics that I love....

The first part making the small diamonds is sewing strips and then cutting them at a 45 degrees angle

They are all cut now and pinned in pairs to make 4 piece diamonds... hoping to do some of that this weekend....

I've been quite busy with quilting jobs but I did do this little quilt for a gift....

It's a very sweet panel and just perfect for what I wanted.....

... fairly loose quilting - around the picture and then some bubble swirls and straight lines on the borders....  keeps it nice and soft for a new bub....

Righto, Gotto Go.... another quilt to be pinned, coffee to be drunk and perhaps I should get out of my pyjama's since I am popping in to the shops later..... 

Have a wonderful weekend.....xx