End of September

As always September is a full month and it has gone so quickly.....

However..... I am thrilled to have finally finished the top to Civil War Bride!

It is about 70" square and of course still needs quilting and binding.....  I would like to hand quilt but am unsure whether it will ever get done if I do that!!  I need backing first before I have to decide!

I looked back at my blog and saw I had started it in January 2021.

My embroidery sampler has grown a bit this week and I have finished the first 'page'.  There are a few stitches I haven't done before as well as different uses - like the running stitch as a filler for the heart and those wheels needed a youtube viewing to learn.

Today is a quiet day at home and I want to play with the border for Gossip in the Garden....

That's it for this week.... I have a sewing retreat day on Saturday so I hope some progress will be made on my Avenue's quilt....

Have a lovely weekend...... xx

3rd week of September

Another week gone by.... The Quilters Angel (my favourite quilt fabric shop) had open doors this week and I went to play there a few days.....  it is fun seeing people pop in and ooh and aah over fabric, pat pretty things and go home with heavy pink bags!

I spent Monday at my sewing machine to catch up on a few monthly projects....

I got a Yellow house sewn...

a teal block (for QAYG)

... and it's yellow counterpart....

The Quilt Group I belong to had their annual Quilt Show which I visited on Thursday.... but didn't take pictures - my friend and I were chatting too much about the different quilts.  Some of them can be viewed on the clubs facebook page HERE if you are interested.....

My evenings have been spent doing some more needleturn....  this is the centre of the bottom panel for Civil War Bride.....

When my eyes are too tired I continue with some crochet blocks....

Today I spent the morning at Embroidery Guild and continued with my little sampler.... 

Going slow as I am trying hard to improve and today I learnt to start and finish without a knot (something I have never bothered with) - however, the back is not as good as the front!

... and I am sorting for a new sampler quilt! this time Sashiko style using this green linen and some DMC thread (I was given one of those huge 500m skeins)

At this stage I am just preparing the fabrics - it will be a lovely portable one to take to group..... but I'm not starting any handwork till Civil War Bride is finished....

A cooler day today and I will go and play in my sewing room for the rest of the afternoon.... I hope you have a lovely weekend.....

2nd week of September

Well, I didn't get round to taking even one picture at the Stitching weekend! I was busy having fun clearly.  

This week I have been getting on with some of my own sewing and crochet...  some more leaves have been added to Civil War Bride border and some stitches into a Sashiko panel....

These 6 framed hexagons are done.... I am now at a point where I need to make a decision before going any further..... I have done 6 each framed in 13 different colours.... they need centres and fillers and there are some more stitcheries to be framed so I will have to choose colours for all that....

Finally some of my own machine sewing - there are a number of 'monthly' projects I am behind on....

RSC yellow - these buttons got made.... I clearly use very little yellow - and need to make an effort to gather some yellow scraps in my future I think.... I do love a bit of yellow so I am surprised...

2 blocks (in 6 different colours) for K Drama BOM hosted by Meerkat Shweshwe  have been sewn....  I love that this is totally different to anything else I have done...

and I have managed 6 crochet KOGO blocks.....

I still have some of the 'monthlies' to do so will play around today ......

I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the week....

xx

 

First week of September

Definitely lovely Spring weather happening... and some random rain and storms around..... my garden is crying for a deep drink....

These are the latest self bound and framed hexagons I have done.....  I have almost got 6 of each colourway done... then I will need to make decisions about the centres (these are not sewn together)

The upper border of Civil War Bride is attached.....  

I was annoyed that the cutting size that was said in the pattern was incorrect, and even though I had extra fabric on (as I always do for borders to allow for a bit of shrink/stretch there still wasn't enough and I had to add on an inch or so on both ends.... that's why the vine looks a bit wobbly too - but I am not unpicking and I hope quilting will hide the extra silly seams on the end.....   The bottom border will have the same problem.

The bottom border has begun with twiggy sticks for birds to sit on....

I find by the end of an evening my eyes are too tired for tiny stitches so I have started crocheting squares for a registered charity that makes up blankets....  I will just keep going in 8 ply and then send off a bundle at a time.... these 5 are done....  They are a good craft for in the car .

That's about it for the week.... I am helping at a Stitching weekend for the next 3 days... always fun, busy and full of happy people ....

Righto, Gotto Go... a few domestic chores to be done - SIGH....

Have a lovely weekend....

FNWF

Work continues on the border for Civil War Bride .... these flowers and leaves seem to be taking ages... 

This is where I was Friday night.... then last evening (Saturday) I sewed the last few leaves, the butterflies middle and stitched legs, feelers and eyes..... so now it needs pressing and joining to the main piece... the vine then needs to be extended (you can see it all bunched up there) so that it looks like it is all one piece (you got that right????)

.... then the bottom border can begin!!

This last week we had the Embroidery Guild Exhibition (held every 2 years).  It is always an incredible show of talent and this year did not disappoint....  some really amazing pieces.   There is also a Sales Table of goodies members have made as well as Second Hand Rose which both do very well.

If you have Facebook I have a link to their page HERE .  I had  3 embroidery related quilts and my little Ukranian whitework bag in there.  I wasn't able to ask individuals if I could take pictures of their work to share on social media.

Saturday stitching was held at the hall so people could watch.... I took my Field Journal Hexagons and there seemed a fair bit of interest.  

Righto, Gotto Go, it's Fathers Day here today and local daughter is taking her father out to breakfast and since I live with her father I get a feed too!

Have a lovely rest of the weekend.....

End of August .....

this is the corner at our house....

we planted the tree you can see in the front corner and the wisteria behind it was our first planting....

this year (after 8 years) it is at it's finest we have seen it....

(brown grass = no rain)

smothered in glorious scented lilac....

.... and buzzing with lots of happy bees....

this week I finished off these two special quilts....

very open quilting

thick plush minky blanket on the back (no extra wadding)

two the same but different....

for two grandiegirls....

and made from their mum and dad's old shirts....

I found it impossible to get good quilting with the thick blanket, and the sides kept rolling, but they have worked out really soft and snuggly.... I'm still finding bits of fluff - it goes everywhere!!!! 

Some more Field Journal hexagons have been self bound....

... and I continue with the long top border of Civil War Bride..... slowly but surely....

Righto, time for coffee and off to help get the Embroidery Exhibition set up today....

Have a lovely weekend.....

Fourth week of August

The lovely Spring weather is upon us.... cool nights and glorious days (though some of them are a bit windy)

A little while ago I showed string QAYG blocks I was working on for the club's Community Quilts.... I delivered 30 completed blocks..... these now need to have the sashing to join.

And I went to the last Mystery Quilt sewing day and then came home and finished off the quilt top....

Of course this still needs to be quilted and bound.....  another top for Community Quilts....

Another set of Field Journal hexagons have been self bound....

and some other hexagons sewn together to form a panel... these are 1 1/4" and only 22 of them were needed...

plus a teeny weeny one made with 3/8" hexagons.... I even fussy cut!  Very cute but I don't want to do lots of them!

And a little stitchery ...... I like the look of the flower with the satin and back stitch and also the fill in back stitch leaves...

As I promised myself I have taken out the top border for Civil War Bride..... I haven't finished all the flowers yet.. (half way is up to those blue wannabe birds) then they have centres and there are lots of leaves to add... so it will take a while....

Righto, Gotto Go..... Thursday to enjoy....

Have a lovely rest of the week .... and weekend....