Stitchers Dream Days Out....

We started in a very orderly pretty room....

Marion and Steph did such a lot of hard work to make it beautiful for us

Do please note the bows... Kris and I tried very hard to get them right!!

Some lovely projects for us to make... these are the samples...

A sewing cushion by Debbie... the flap lifts up and there is pockets and a place for needles....

Debbie also did this memory board with ribbons and lace and pretties on it...

Libby fixed up a journal in the print fabrics with a cute cameo bear to sew....

and a sweet little cushion using her amazing painting technique....

I did get some sewing done... this is  6 hours of work.... thats about one french knot every 15 minutes...

but I did attend Libby's painting class and have shaded out the body parts for my teddy....

there were so many wonderful friends there and I was a bad bad blogger and didn't take pictures..... I did manage a bit of photo bombing though and will collect pics as I find them around blogland!!!

Here is Lynda.....

and here is the Tuesday stitchers gang from Brisbane....

... and here is another group from Brisbane.....

I'm sure you can recognise them......

Meanwhile spring is happening in my garden.....  my most favourite of all is my wisteria

... the prunus has started flowering too.....

this weekend is the start of the Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers..... if any one is this way there will be a Creative Arts display at Highfields including lots of quilts and a variety of quality handmade items for sale, Toowoomba quilters have a quilt display and trading tables.  Another of my regular displays to visit is the teacups and teapots and I hope to get in a garden or two.  It's a very busy and fun time here

Righto, Gotto Go.... a gorgeous day to enjoy

September Charming Stars

Work has started on the Charming Stars Stitch Along hosted by Terry

In my view this is a 'Scrappy' style quilt... but definitely not a 'Scrap' quilt....

The free pattern is found HERE at the Moda Bake Shop site.. and thanks to Terry for the idea and encouragement - not too late to join if you want!

I am sewing a second line of stitching before cutting the star points on the edges and making up these HST squares.....  they will trim to 2" squares

The fabric is "Papillon" with an ivory Bella solid...

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Our dear bloggy friend Shez had a birthday this last week and I sent her a pretty shabby chick sewing bag (Anni Downs pattern)... inside I put a hand towel (Shez makes heaps of these to send to others but doesn't make them for herself!!! and a knitted dishcloth.... I think they are very luxurious!)

picture pinched from Shez's blog - I forgot to take one!

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I have one more square to crochet around for my fusion blanket ....

... then they all need to be joined together.... not sure about the size so I may be doing more!! 

... on the hand stitching front it has really been secret stuff... this is the theme....

... and I also need to make something from this.....

... but this weekend is my treat weekend... and I will be over here.... really looking forward to the Sunday as a number of bloggers and other friends will be there.....  a few 'naughty' tables methinks

Stitchers Dream Day Out

Spend a wonderful day (or two)
out with friends, old and new!

... SPECIAL GUESTS FOR 2014 ...

Libby Richardson (Art Smart Craft Cottage)Debbie Magee (Always Stitchin')

Righto, Gotto Go..... I know there is something I was supposed to do today - but I'm finding it hard to concentrate... just too excited!

FNWFaF.... Friday Night With Friends and Family.....

Thank you so much Cheryll for having us for FNWF

I achieved the numbers 5,6 and 7 on my stitchery

my daughter and young widget came for the night so I didn't do much stitching

Boys Story got it's first use.....

Isn't this just the reason we make quilts?

today we had a day out to watch him at the footy end of season carnival

here he is off on a run with the ball

a bit of a road trip so I got this wash cloth finished (I can knit in the car)

My daughter went home with this quilt under her arm.....

My Favourite Things made in a Stitch Along 

... such a pleasure that she fell in love with one of the quilts and wants it on her bed ....

(this is the back of the quilt)

As she left I said "Now, be nice to my quilt.....!" Hubz had such a laugh at me.... he says I think of the quilts I make as children!!! haha....

On Friday I stopped off at the roadside to take a picture of what I thought was a fun skyscape

A nearby plover started swearing at me and I noticed a couple of little chicks going into the grasss 

mum and dad plover got very aggresive.... this was an accidental picture as I raced back to the car being wildly swooped by the plovers....

they were on guard when I passed that way later in the afternoon on the way home... and they swore at me again but I didn't try and leave the car this time

Righto, Gotto Go... I'm off over HERE to see what others got up to .....

Gift Happy and Scrap Happy.....

 Tracey at Mistea Crafts is a wonderful knitter ... of socks ... and mitts .... and lots of other wonderful things ... as well as doing wonderful crochet.... sortof patchwork but with yarn! On top of that she can sew too!

I was so lucky to be the winner of a pair of "hand made by Tracey" mitts and they arrived this week...

 ..... aren't they just beautifully done... there is no seam in there for sewing up.... all done in one piece with the prettiest pattern .... and look at the pretty coaster that came with it.....

Well Spring arrived earlier this week then scurried away so it has been cold again the last few days so the mitts were put to use straight away..... and so was the coaster with a mug of coffee ....

I love that I can continue stitching and keep my hands warm... Thank you so much Tracey.... I love them...

I got another 16 scrappy blocks sewn .....

each block is made up of 29 pieces ....

so that means I sewed together 464 pieces....

Now I have 43 completed blocks...

which is 1247 pieces....

? impressed?

..... i am .....

I think I want 64 blocks altogether (undecided about finished size), which would be 1856 pieces .... I want a big scrappy quilt ....

There seems to be differences in the definition of scrappy... mine are any scrap, any colour and from my 'left overs' and pieces passed on to me - small pieces 

Other 'scrap quilts' I have seen appear to be bought lengths of fabric, or obviously fairly large coordinated pieces (fat quarter sizes) ....  but considered scrappy because of the style rather than the look....

How do you define scrappy?

A bit of fun ......

A friend of mine ran out of time to sew a quilt she had been planning (well she is renovating the house!) so I did it for her...

The quilt top was a length of fun fabric and I added the red borders....

... some large meandering to keep the quilt very soft and snuggly ... with a double wriggle around the edge...   

I love the binding chosen to finish it off....

She paid in gin, salmon (which is my most favourite meal) and chocolates .... gotta love the barter system!

The layer cake and plain fabric for the stars stitch along has been cut and the lines for the corners marked ready for sewing ....

... they have been put away for later in my latest favourite storage packaging... the cheap plastic stationery envelopes....

Righto, Gotto Go... fresh Tasmanian salmon to cook.....

.... and Spring to enjoy ....