The colour Red.....

Red is our colour for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge....

This weekend I managed to make my fabric basket.....

and there's lots of scraps in there to make my little houses when I get a chance.....

... my bookshelf is beginning to fill up with the baskets.... I like....

I have been lucky this week...... this thread just had a tiny bit left when I was quilting ..... I had no more of this sparkley white so I was holding my breath... silly but I get a bit of a thrill when this happens!!! haha..

.. then my bobbin ran out just the right time..... I feel like I am living on the edge!!!!

haha.... don't you hate it when you sew a seam only to find the bobbin thread was finished????  I remember holding up a quilt to admire the borders I had sewn on and they fell to the floor!

This is what I was using the sparkley thread for... to make some water for this little card.... you can't see the delicate sparkle in the photo but it looks very nice...

Then I edged it with the satin stitch and that's where the bobbin lasted for me .... I just made it in time!

This card is going off to Wales.....

Righto, Gotto Go...... I'm ready for a coffee - then back to play/work .....

A busy week.....

Last weekend I went to a plant pounding morning at our local library.  Basically we experimented with different plants on paper (and in my case on fabric - of course!!!).  Choose a plant or leaf and place it on the fabric then place a piece of kitchen paper towel over the top and pound with a hammer so the juices come out and stain your fabric.  Some left great impressions and some not so good....  Remove the pounded plant and lay another down.  It's important not to try and do a whole lot at once so that you can layer the stains.....

The three on the right I actually folded the fabric in 3 and you can see there was easily enough plant dye to go through.... the lower one being a bit more faint (and I think nicer)

I have given them a good hot iron but I have no idea how waterresistant these dyes are, nor if the colours will stay a good colour ....

This week I took one of them and started stitching over it.....  I am making a fabric card and wanted to try different techniques for it.... quite arty farty of me isn't it????

I am busy quilting, and whilst I can't show off other peoples work I can show this back... There were some blocks needing custom quilting and then a lot of all over and this flower gives a lovely texture and isn't too tight....

This is one of my own... a small baby quilt.....

When I pin my quilts I like listening to a good story (it's quite a boring part of the quilting process but necessary for a good result)  I'm enjoying this Fiona McIntosh novel....

I did some fun double loops in the central part of the quilt....

... and some playful ribbon loops round the border....  I'll be binding it in the same blue as that peeper/flange .....

This is the first of a series of Christmas stitcheries that I am doing when I need some hand stitching requiring no hard choices of thread colour etc!!  The pattern is from SewHappyMe and this is the second time I have made it ....

Righto, Gotto Go, I have another quilt ready and pinned - time to play!!

This and That.......

I've been doing a bit of this, and a bit of that lately.....

A couple more blocks towards my Dutch Treat quilt....

... this one is called Funny Face..... ???????

I finished my Christmas wall hanger .... 

... and did some small quilting .......

.... and some plant pounding....

a library activity - it was a bit noisy!!!

... our little dog just loves in when Widget comes for a sleep over....  look at her in doggy bliss!

Righto, Gotto Go.... there are more bits of this and bits of that to get done......

A Splendid TaDa.........

This last week my machine sewing has concentrated on the sashing and corner stones for my Splendid Sampler....

Finally on Sunday I got all the sashing together.... very pink!!!

I added a 3" border which has more blue and a bit of pink - not easy to see here 

the colours also don't show just how pink it is.... much softer in the pictures...

It's quite a big quilt 84" square......

I love pictures with the sunlight filtering through pieced blocks....

The Splendid Sampler was generously hosted by Jane Davidson and Pat Sloan with input from 80 designers to provide 2 free blocks a week over the last year.  A book is now available for pre-order.

So fun sewing cyberly with people all over the world... and I was lucky enough to sew physically once a week with Lyn and Christine as we all made the quilt blocks together.

As it happens I did a few of the bonus blocks... and I have quite a bit of leftover fabrics - I think another pieced backing may be called for????

In the meantime this kit which I have had for many years has been pulled out.... Gardeners Journal

As much as I am loving doing my Dutch Treat blocks I like a break to do my favourite backstitch stitcheries.....

Righto, Gotto Go.... scraps to cut into blocks!!! hmmmmmm the madness resumes

Gifts....

A gift found it's way into my fruit bowl a week or so ago ....

My new tape measure...... with its very own cover in minute hexagons....

Thank you Christine - it's just amazing - I can't even imagine how one sews pieces that small!

  

I popped into my favourite Quilt Shop The Quilters Angel as they had a sale on..... and there was cupcakes!!!  Thank you.... nothing like a sweet start to a day.....

.... and some fabric to come home with me..... I already had the layer cake at the bottom of the pile (somehow it jumped into my bag when I was there last Friday!!!) but wanted something for sashing to go with it..... and I needed something to act as borders for my splendid sampler so thats the blue floral.... and then I needed something for some Christmas stitching so that's the bare trees and blue sparkley fabrics......  ALL ESSENTIALS!!! haha

A lovely parcel from Shez - such a pretty table runner and quilted by herself too - she is working on her FMQ and I am flattered to have one of her pieces in my house... there are two Christmas patterns with it so I will be kept busy....

Not only have I been eating cupcakes but also sewing them... sorry this picture is sideways.  I love seeing the detail that Toni puts in her quilts like these lines for the cupcake paper - it makes such a difference but I would never think of it....

(new pattern is out - check out Toni's blog)

This new houseplant from my daughter has the most enormous strong leaves. They are much bigger than my hands.  It is one of the figs and I love it.... thanks Debs....

Righto, Gotto Go......   so much to do.....

February Challenge projects

I am going to try and do a monthly round up of my sewing finishes each month..... most of it you will have seen already so sorry to bore you with it again!!

My main plan is to move the UFO's - sometimes they will link with other challenges so that's a bonus!!

Finishing Stitches hosted by Joy

These are all UFO's from some time back,  A Christmas table runner, my boro coasters and a quilted table topper

There is a second part to Finishing Stitches and that is doing some blocks towards UFO's...

The main ones I am working on is Splendid Sampler and I finished the last 4 blocks of that this month...

This is all the blocks together - they just need to be sashed together (work has started on that!  Yay)

On the hand work side I am sewing Dutch Treat and in February I got these 10 blocks done towards it....

OPAM hosted by Peg and Kris 

Of course these include the above projects but I also had some new ones.... my scrappy teal basket, and a weeny little coin purse....

Within these projects is the table runner for 1 Christmas Item a month (hosted by Narelle) and my scrap basket for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (hosted by ScrapHappy)...

I really do appreciate those of you who make the effort to host these different and motivational activities.... None of them are competitive or races, but a great way of keeping track of what you are making - which is just the way I like it.
BIG HUGZ to you all