2nd Week of November

The last Ginger Jar was completed this week....  

and the blocks put together and borders added....

I am very happy with it.... I followed the colours set in the pattern so I knew what it would look like (free pattern on Tilda - there are lots there!)

I am going to use a never used cotton vintage sheet for the backing.... (just have to make sure I set it nice and straight!

I also finished doing my little Christmas stitcheries

 I cut them to size and then gave them a good swish and soak to remove the stick and stitch paper.  I had heard it can be a problem and I did need to rinse a few times to stop it feeling gluggy...

Some time ago the Embroidery Guild handed out little kits to make up so I did the little stitchery this week.... it will become a needlecase....

... and I started my Slow and Steady quilt (by Anni Downs) using a preprinted panel which was in the kit I purchased earlier this year....  

I am enjoying some gentle backstitch in the evenings at the moment....

Another orchid is flowering, this one is a first time flowering for us, it was a piece we got from someones garden a few years ago and the spikes have taken months to grow....

It is covered and there is another spike next to it which hasn't started yet.... each little flower is about an inch.... 

Good rain again this week, lovely.  We haven't had the damaging storms others have had.  I do feel for those who have lost power, lost their roof etc....

Righto, Gotto Go....  I was going to watch a grandson play cricket today but I expect it will be cancelled..... there is always something to do in my sewing room!

Have a lovely weekend....xx

The Start of November

I hope you have had a good week..... after plenty of lovely rain (even if some came indoors) its great to have our tanks full (we use that in the garden) and the grass is beautiful and thick and green.....

This week I completed another Christmas stitchery...... and well on the way with #3

I made myself another version of "Angel Dress" using some light cotton from Miss Rose Sister Violet.  It gives a lovely patchworky Tim Holst type of feel ....

Very comfortable and I will be giving it an outing tomorrow at a 'Stitching Soiree" hosted by The Quilters Angel.

Most of this block was completed so I managed to finish it off earlier in the week....

... and get this one finished... it is the jar of roses which is the centre panel....

I now have all my jars completed so hopefully on Sunday I will get them together and add the borders which are in the background fabric.....

Otherwise a week of mostly ordinary things, I did go to see Practical Magic 2 with Debs.  We watched the first one together a little while ago when she was very ill.  Glad to say she is much improved - and we both enjoyed the movie (and the choc top icecreams!)

Righto, Gotto Go.... I do love the later days but get caught our all the time at just what the time is and need to get something to eat tonight sorted.

Have a lovely weekend....xx

End of October

Today is my middle brothers 70th birthday.... (I have 3 brothers)... of course I made him a quilt......

These owls are made using the Quick Curve Rulers (large and small) using a pattern by Sew Kind of Wonderful called Mod Owls.

I used a range of Batik fabrics against a feathery background....

and a variety of custom quilting in the individual owls with a wiggly background....

I'm not a good labeller but of course special ones need it.....

This was finished a while ago as I had to post it off to New Zealand.... my sister in law stashed it in her sewing room (where he does not go) 

Happy 70th to him...xx

I have finished off a couple more Ginger Jars......  some tulips in a light jar

and  Beach Rose in a light jar....

I have not given up on my Hardanger but my magnifier light has been giving trouble (My live-in handyman fixed it for me yesterday) but I have completed this little Christmas stitchery,

I used the Stick and Stitch papers and you can see I haven't dissolved it off yet.  I'm working out a plan not to EPP this project together so I want to wait till they are all done.

It is an Anni Downs  project designed for the final Tilda club.

A single 4" sashiko block has been done.....

... and my Snowglobes Christmas quilt had the hand sewing done at Tuesday sewing with the girls....

I used a preprint panel by Ausi designer Natalie Bird and copied the idea of snowglobes from Marina....

A hanging sleeve has been included and I'm looking forward to having this one up on the wall this year....

Looks like a lot has been done this week, but much of it was started previously and just finishing off done....

I've got a bunch of plans for the weekend and next week, a new dress, some quilting (my sampler has only had a few rows done), hardanger, planning a new scrappy quilt, the last 2 Ginger Jar blocks .....and I expect something else will distract me!

Hope you have a lovely week......xx

4th week in October

As usual I have had a week with a number of different distractions in the sewing room!

A couple of sewing friends had birthdays so I made them each a project bag 

one in blue French General .....

and the other in red Australiana

... the backs are plain and there was vinyl on the front which I find so handy to see what is in there....

I hope they find them as useful as I do.....

A few more Sashiko blocks were done...... 

... and my knitted scarf is finished now..... I loved working with that Merino yarn.  I have a half done cardigan so I will go back to that now this one is completed....

I managed to go to the final garment making class of the year... I have only managed a couple this year so I'm glad I got to go...

I had done most of the cutting out and worked on this new dress style.  I finished it off at home the next day....

My favourite quilt shop The Quilters Angel is now doing a few of their own patterns and this is their "Angel Dress" .  I didn't find it difficult at all so will make another.  I also made the skirt less full and shorter sleeves - feeling more confident in making smaller alterations.

This Ginger Jar was stitched.....

Then I had a clean up of a box of vintage table cloths I have had for many years.... chop chop and now I have a lifetime supply of kitchen drying cloths!  I gave a bunch to local daughter.

It seems a wierd use of time but I find that vintage linen so lovely and absorbent and tough.... I also make my own washing up cloths from old towels (I have a lifetime supply of those too!!)... so much better than the commercial ones.

I'm not altogether sure what my thinking was in buying the vintage tablecloths in the first place!

This is the second Ginger Jar I got done this week.....

I am using Tilda's free pattern for this one

We finally got lovely rain..... well the first lot was very heavy and our gutters couldn't cope and water backed up into the veranda ceiling and down the window in my sewing room.  Not flooded but certainly good and wet carpeting.....  Nothing damaged except the old carpet which I'm not worried about at this stage but we are still drying out.  Since Wednesday afternoon we have had about 150mls and our tanks are full..... wonderful.

I hope you have a lovely weekend, ours is expected to be wet (no complaints)

Righto, Gotto Go.... sun is down and time to work on another Ginger Jar.......

3rd week of October .....

A bit of this and a bit of that this week......

There are now 3 ginger jars with their flowers......  I am finding sewing the jars a little bit of a challenge but going slow helps, and then of course I am loving the applique whilst watching listening to whatever is on the TV.

I managed another 3 Sashiko blocks.....

I am finding I am struggling to concentrate with my Hardanger at the moment so have put that down and taken some "surface embroidery" to take with me to Embroidery Guild .....

This is an Annie Downs project and will be a Christmas Table runner....  I photocopied the pattern onto Stick and Stitch ....  it will dissolve.

Progress on my knitting...... not much left in this ball of yarn then it's done.....

A sampler quilt from way back (2018) is on the frame, I am going block by block so it's going to take a while....

I did get a day out at the Brisbane Quilt and Craft Fair, a lovely time spent looking at such a wide range of quilts.  I just didn't do the photo's, for one thing my phone looses battery quickly, plus I just wanted to slowly stroll and look.  No shopping was done though I did have a browse around the traders - lots of lovely stuff.  Cake/cookie decorating was new and very popular.  (Tempting as they make it look so easy to make some gorgeous things)  And of course lovely to bump into a few people I know.

Dental visits, doctor visits.... blah blah blah..... so it goes........Promised rain which never comes

Righto, I have my final garment making class this year and must off to choose fabric and a pattern, pack the bag and have it ready for Monday....

Have a lovely weekend....xx

2nd week of October

Last week we went through to Brisbane to visit Debs in hospital (she is now back home - YAY) ... and we sneaked in a cuppa with Michelle to drop off some quilts I had quilted for the Sunday Stitchers.... long ago and they have been sitting in my cupboard forgotten till I did a tidy up!!!

My birthday was earlier in the year and Michelle had said she was waiting to see me as she didn't want to post my gift.... well this was our first physical get together of the year!!!

A fabulous Galah picture on some fenceposts which are just down from where I live... it's just perfect and I love these silly pretty birds....  they really do behave a bit silly but they are very pretty in their pink and grey

There was also a lovely little plate - we are both a bit sentimental so this was a lovely surprise....

This week I have been carrying on with quilting my snowglobes when I have had a chance....

I am custom quilting the blocks in the different colours.  I specially don't want the quilting to show up too much so the stitcheries/applique can be the highlight...... 

.... so a lot of changes of threads and stop and starts as well as moving the quilt back and forth ... but I'm happy with how it is coming together

The King Parrots have been regular visitors lately, it is dreadfully dry around here and I think they are struggling to find food in the wild....so they like getting a few sunflower seeds from us...

When they think we are not listening out for them Mr has been coming up and calling from the doorway!

I have done a few more Sashiko blocks..... this really is turning out to be a looooooong term project and I'm not even half way yet.....

Thoroughly enjoying my Tilda Ginger Jars applique ......

One done.... 8 more to go!

Righto, Gotto Go.... I can get a bit more done of that quilting before I need to think about something to eat tonight .....

Have a lovely week...... xx