'tis done......

At the beginning of the year this is how my Patchwork Village looked.... I had the stitcheries done and the fabric for the blocks chosen.......

It's taken me a while but not I can say my little patchwork village is built

This is a Rosalie Quinlan design

lovely pattern

I used a variegated thread for the quilting which you can see I made quite big designs in the large empty spaces drawn on using a template and frixion pen 
(personally I'm not really happy with that part but I am still a learner quilter so I have to accept what I can do)

orange peel loops on the triangles
just a small wavy line around the stitcheries
(those I like)

then some waves and feathers on the borders

(I do like feathers and I think they look okay)

Dawn and Wendy host Sew It's Finished and the quilt is now a finished UFO

and so is the May stitchery - a little pattern is sent to us each month we finish a UFO

Not much of June left now...... enjoy the weekend

Righto, Gotto Go... I need to practice the FMQ.....

Revisiting neglected projects ......

I love to have a 'leaders and enders' project on the side of my machine.... not only to start and finish when I have a 'main' project but also sometimes when I have a few minutes and want to sew but don't want to start something big ....  or those occasional (?????) times when I really just can't make a decision .....

I started a scrappy spider web quilt after being inspired by THIS ONE of Tarnyia's some time ago

(btw - if you don't know Tarnyia pop around and have a good read and get to know her... she is lovely and does such a lot of amazing quilts and she's great with her scraps too)

anyway... I was inspired and in January to be exact I started my own ..... HERE is the origins of these blocks.... using THIS tutorial

I had these ones trimmed and ready....

and a pile of unfinished blocks.....

.... well, then I got to playing with my selvages (as one does) and made up a bunch of squares.... that will one  day hatch into chooks using THIS TUTORIAL...... like this one ....

Look at my pile of 'eggs'.... that's a potential 8 chooks...

I need to go and dig out some felt to make beaks and combs and tails .....

Now I have finished off that pile to discover I have enough for 16 blocks but decide it's not going to be big enough for what I want (it's going to be a tablecloth) ....

so out come the pillowcases (I got a bunch of nearly new ones for next to nothing - lovely white cotton)

..... and out come the box of strips (luckily Hubz likes icecream because those 5 litre containers are very useful!!)

.... and I have yet again... another new 'leaders and enders' project....

That's what happens when you clean out a room to put a new table in!!!

Righto.... Gotto Go... fabric cutting and marking to do....

So what is your 'keep on the side' project? ......

Half way to Christmas.....

but first I want to tell you about a lovely, lovely site with the most awesome scarves...

http://www.mayakotan.com/

sell handwoven scarves and other goodies 

woven in Mexico and Guatemala in the most incredibly yummy colours

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they have a blog HERE

and if you are a facebooker (like me) you can like them HERE

(I love keeping up with what they are doing over in Mexico)

they are selling from the UK and work with a wonderful group of women weaving the fabric and making the items

 HERE is the link to the website 

This business ticks the boxes for me, 

great product

enhances the lives of women in underdeveloped countries

creating cooperative businesses

natural dyes

handmade woven

income generation at grassroots level

fair trade

my daughter in law is a workathome mum and is working with her brother and these magnificent women

so if you need some ideas for amazing Christmas gifts go have a look there

(pictures are from the Maya Kotan site)

because 

..... it is only 6 months to go till Christmas...... (thanks for the reminder Cathy)

This month's Christmas items are these gifts for some special little girls in my life....

These Colour and Carry pouches were made using a pattern by Joy from JoyPatch...... aren't they 'gawjus'?

I won the pattern in a give-away Joy had in May..... you can see hers HERE and you can also see Joy's new block keeper bags.... equally 'gawjus' HERE - the giveaways are over but Joy does have a page showing where you can buy her patterns....

I have put some Ausi Animal shapes in for colouring and jumbo crayons and washable markers

this picture shows the handle detail and cute little yo-yo's - one side with an initial and the other side a button

Thank you Joy... these were very different to what I usually try and do.... and I thoroughly enjoyed making them up .....

.... now to get some boy fabric .....

Thanks Narelle for hosting 1 Christmas item a month - there is lots of inspiration over there and you can join in anytime...

I did think these could be used with the older children too..... there is room in there for an ipad, a Nintendo and an iphone!!!!

Meanwhile I have other Christmas sewing I am doing in red and white....

 which is secret .... so you just get a peek.....

but these Christmas Santa Sack Swap goodies are ready to be sent to Cathy ....

there is a special blog for this swap and even if you are not doing the actual swap there is lots of ideas and links to tutorials to give you inspiration...

Pale Headed Rosella's came for a snack

they are very shy birds and have a lovely little peep song - not squawky like many of the pretty birds

and an unusual wavy flight pattern - up and down

Righto, Gotto Go.... cold and wet today - the sewing machine light is on....

A story, a stitchin finish and yummy snacks

One reader of my blog (who shall be called Milly*) gave me such a good laugh this week that I had to share it with you....

... it concerns my new blog header....

In the early morning (before the eyes were properly focussing it seems) Milly decided to do a bit of a blog read and opened up BubzRugz...

"Oooooh... Fiona and Hubz have a new spa and how much fun they are having cavorting around and splashing.... "

she then went and opened up curtains and washed her face and put on her glasses and realised her mistake

Imagine if Milly had seen this picture - pool party?


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In February Marina sent me a lovely little surprise so this month it was her turn


since she recently bought herself a mini quilt stand it was easy to decide what to make her

I have a pattern by Giggle Buttons from a magazine and got the idea of the wording from that and paper pieced the block

finished size is 12" square

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You know my lovely neighbour... the one who brings me pumpkins, and prayer rocks.... she has gone off for a holiday and I miss her so I thought I would make up one of her recipes...

It is a vegetarian one and full of flavour and texture
...  very yummy...

Nut Rice Patties

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 carrot, finely grated

1 onion, chopped finely

1 Tbsp tomato sauce

1/3 cup walnuts, chopped small

1 tsp dried mixed herbs (or your favourite herb)

1 tsp stock powder

1 tsp mild curry powder (optional)

2 Tbsp bread crumbs for binding

1 tsp olive oil

1. Place brown rice into a mixing bowl
2. Add all the rest - except the breadcrumbs - and mix well
3. Add bread crumbs to bind
4. Form into patties
5. Fry in a little olive oil until nicely brown on both sides

Serve warm with a gravy or tomato sauce (I love sweet chilli sauce with mine) and steamed or roasted vegetables or serve cold with salad.

These freeze well

Also nice in  bread roll with salad for a healthy packed lunch

Righto, Gotto Go.... blogs to read, things to stitch ........

*  not her real name (but you know who you are!!)

June blocks......

This month for the Stitch-A-Long the blocks are:-

the shoes

and the cat dog (I just lengthened the face a bit and bushed out the tail .....

I tried to take a picture of Tarka to show the comparison... she is dreadfully camera shy

the strips are all added and ready for the next sets of blocks.... only one more strip of pictures and strips ....

Righto, Gotto Go..... other blocks to work on

A New Craft .....

I do love my sewing

This week I felt like doing something new ....

I have been following Rhonda's blog Down To Earth for some time - she always has something sensible to say and has recently put out a book.... 

I went to her talk when she was in Toowoomba but silly me messed up the times and I couldn't stay long

..... and of course I forgot my camera ... 

.....and it was in general one of those days when I should have just stayed in bed ......

.... anyway.... amongst other things she makes her own soap .... 

and Bev made some HERE and recommended the recipe.  

I read up all of Rhonda's soap-making posts HERE, gathered the ingredients and fired to go.....

I didn't have a thermometer so my neighbour (the lovely friend up the road who brings me pumpkins) lent me this beauty..... 

I think I had just as much fun using a lovely old kitchen utensil

(luckily Rhonda's recipe is in both Celcius and Farhenheit)

I also wanted lavender and thought I would be smarty pants and put it on the base of my moulds....

I have this basket of dried lavender from out my garden.... every now and then I give it a couple of drops of extra oil.... handfulls of this get taken out .....

to stuff into lavender bags

(made from Cheryl's pattern in the Little Bit French series)

.... and pretty tea cups.....

I didn't take pictures as I was busy making sure I did it right.....

but here it is ... cooled and cut .... 

Verdict.... much easier than I thought to make it

I think it is a bit messy how I have done the lavender

.... rustic ....

I'll get back to you on it's effectiveness - I am leaving it to dry for 6 weeks - 

Do any of you make soap?  any tips?

Whilst the soap has been out basking in our winter sun Mr Postie came by with thes pretty fabrics from Sue ... thanks so much Sue... they will be great to use in my growing collection of Japanese blocks - look at those Geisha Girls.... I would be happy in gowns of silk ....

- look at those Geisha Girls.... I would be happy in gowns of silk ....

... making soap....

Righto, Gotto Go -  'normal' transmission to resume... after that burst of making something else energy ..... back to stitchin' ....