New Beginnings.....

I wonder what the year has in store for us... I feel I need to be braced for it!

I have started a new project....

The Schoolgirl Sampler is a book by Kathleen Tracy (A Sentimental Quilter) and she is hosting a Sewalong on a F/B page.  I am sewing along with Sue (Kiwikid)  and a couple of other people and we are sharing our pictures and encouraging one another on Instagram.  

There are so many forums these days to join in with things and get encouragement....

I have large pieces of Tilda fabrics left from a couple of other quilts so I am going to use them in a scrappy style for mine... with a fair bit of white added too.  Aiming for 6 blocks a week... maybe more... maybe less...

I got my book as an e-book and printed it out as there were none in stock when I wanted to start.... (of course they came in stock the day after I got mine!!! haha)  Again, we are lucky to have options...

Naive Melody is the Modern Quilt Sewalong (via Instagram) hosted by Lucy Engels, the designer.

These are the last 20 blocks.... I have done the applique in needleturn and had a lot of fun with this one.... so enjoyed the large bold shapes.....

My quilting machine was cleaned and oiled, new needle etc and we had some play time together.....

The red and cream pineapple quilt was already pinned and I did a fairly close all over design with swirls and sort of flower shapes....

Its hard to show what was done.... I didn't want it to stand out but just give texture...so that worked but it doesn't help trying to show the quilting on it......

This Friday night was the first FNWF, hosted by Cheryll (Gone Stitching) where we get together cyberly once a month .......

... and I sewed the binding down in the afternoon .....

so now it is a finish for OPAM, hosted by Kris (Tag Along Teddies)

It is also a UFO finish - WOOFA is hosted by Cheryll.  This year we are including P for projects we have wanted to do... and I will slowly update my sidebar lists as I sort things.

This quilt measures 50" square and was made using my red and cream scraps (and some extra scraps from friend Maureen as I ran out for the last couple of blocks)

This year I am also joining Narelle in working on a Christmas Item each month.....  I have done this for a few years now with different success rates.....

I bought this kit some years ago and had started it... so it is both a UFO and a Christmas Item....

Blanket stitching around the applique.....

Hubz has still been on holidays this week so we have enjoyed chilling and getting a few things done at the house and garden..... we have had some lovely rain (I can still hear gentle showers on the roof as I type)  The last of the Christmas decorations have been packed away and some clearing and sorting done of stuff that gathers....  We went to see "The Dry" (it is years since we went off on a movie date) .... a movie set in Australia with Eric Bana.  I had not read the book so didn't know what to expect.... it was well done and a great story.....

Righto, Gotto Go..... another cup of tea and some fiddling in the sewing room...

Keep safe

A new flimsy.....

My red and cream scraps are all used up in this pineapple block quilt.....

I am really pleased with how it has worked out....

I did think consider borders but I will go with some red binding and leave it at that ....

I have done the next 10 blocks of Naive Melody quilt....  a SAL hosted by Lucy Engels on Instagram.

these blocks are surprisingly quick to do considering the needleturn applique... I think because they are fairly big shapes with gentle turns (the finished block is 6 1/2").  I am thoroughly enjoying it.

Embroidery in front of TV this week sees another banner block done....

 

There is one last block which is almost complete..... then I need to catch up on my Wish You Well BOM I have got behind on....

Righto, Gotto Go....  I am trying out a new free motion quilting pattern today....  an all over fun design on a kids quilt.....

I hope you have a lovely weekend ......

Home happenings.....

Spring is such a fun time of year... I am always so surprised at how quickly things blossom and grow....

Another Field Journal stitchery has been completed.... this blue colour is called Bird Bath and is a lovely variegation....

my still small Wisteria is full of flowers... it just hasn't grown much in the few years it has been there but this year the bunches of flowers are just gorgeous and the scent is strong in that area of the garden...

A friendly magpie came to the door the other day for a chortle..... he/she follows Hubz all around the garden while he is working, hoping for an easy feed when he turns the soil......

... and I got tempted into a new project this month....

It's a modern SAL I found on Instagram .....

I am doing needleturn, which is relatively easy on the big bold shapes and using a range of Australiana themed fabrics ....

very different for me and rather fun

I have been working consistently on getting the pineapple blocks done and here they all are ready to be sewn together....

I love it

Righto, Gotto Go..... woke up in the early hours so I think I'll amble along back to bed now .... have a lovely rest of the week.....

A quilt finish.....

I had a happy weekend quilting and sewing....

I did this all over wood grain type design on the Tim Holst Fat Quarter Quilt I made....  I love the texture and feel when it's all quilted....

It doesn't show too much on the front which I wanted as the fabrics don't need any more added to them....

... then a couple of evenings hand sewing down the binding and the quilt is done....

... sitting waiting patiently on the chair to be posted to it's new home....

(actually it looks quite good there .... maybe it should stay!!!)

then I added some pieces to my pineapple blocks.... I have another row of reds to do and then the corners and these will be done.....

A stitching day with friends this week got some hand embroidery done....

This one was almost done and just needed a few more french knots to finish it off.... 

... and this one was completed too...

I hope you are having a lovely week.... we have Stitchers Dream Day Out hosted by The Quilters Angel this weekend.  Luckily still able to go ahead and lots of Covid 19 plans put in place to have a lovely and safe event.... I'm so looking forward to it... 

Righto, Gotto Go.... job job to do... lucky I love quilting!!

Retreat sewing....

A lovely weekend was spent with the wonderful Sunday Stitchers from Brisbane...  I was very blessed to be able to go along and spend my weekend days with them....

Thanks Sunday Stitchers.....

The main thing I had wanted to get done was this Fat Quarter Quilt.

The pieces were all cut so it was a matter of choosing which fabric and doing lots of stitching

16 fat quarters and it makes 16 nice bold blocks... a lovely easy quilt for using fabulous fabrics you don't want cut into small pieces.

Tim Holst fabric pack and pattern from The Quilters Angel who have an online store

Thanks The Quilters Angel ....

Of course being away from home I had to make sure Hubz had something to do.... We have this large brick facing wall with no windows (it's behind my oven and fridge and pantry cupboard in the kitchen)

Hubz drilled in the concrete and attached a tight wire for me.... 

... so now I have a lovely place to hang my finished tops and quilts for photograph taking!  

Thanks Hubz.....

This morning I found some backing to use... and I had already bought some of the same fabrics to use for binding....

I want to get this one quilted soonish as it is a gift....

Then I got onto sewing up smaller pieces I had pre-cut...

... and made them into two sweet baby quilts

... and this morning I cut some strips and made up the binding so it is ready when I get to them....

Pre retreat we had been given instructions for cutting a couple of pieces of fabric and we were helped making up lovely little snap bags using cut up tape measure... some Hubby is now missing his tape out the workshop!!!

Thanks Alison and Maureen ...

... then I started on my next big scrappy project.... the red and cream pineapple blocks.

I got quite far but still have a few more rounds to do till they are big enough.

I am doing 25 x 10" blocks

The Sunday Stitchers had Show and Tell for the last UFO which was #5 and for me that was finishing a pair of socks

These socks were done but had been given away to my daughter... made from lovely  Bendigo wool

I have enjoyed making the socks, and I enjoy wearing mine so I will do more... one day.  I have always loved the idea of hand made socks and wanted to learn to make them.  Jane, my friend in UK

has video workshops and so I joined in a couple of years ago and that really helped my confidence.  Access to the video's is ongoing so if I forget what I learnt I can go back.... 

Thanks Jane....

The next UFO challenge is #10... which is my Mouse Quilt......  

Quite a lot of work needs to be done for this.... which includes finding where I put the instructions...

Stitcheries were done quite a long time ago and I am going to be using my Tilda left over from other projects pieces as it is not a big quilt/wallhanging....

Righto, Gotto Go.... after a relaxing weekend which finished with a shopping trip to a local quilt shop and some yummy lunch yesterday I have work to do....

Bits and bobs....

A fair amount of fiddling around has been happening...

I have finished the stitching on this piece for  Natalie Birds banner.... still have a few more to do

I thought I'd show some quilting I did for an all over request.  I noticed some butterflies in the fabric and so did a meander with butterflies.....

when it was all done I went back over the meander and through the middle of the butterfly to create a ribbon effect....

Looks so much nicer with the ribbon instead of one line.... this is how it looks from the back... gives a lovely texture but still light quilting ...

I am preparing for a retreat with the Sunday Stitchers... my lovely Tim Holt fabrics have been cut for the block shapes.... in the middle are some pretty fabrics I will sew together for a baby quilt and in the big box is my next red and cream pineapple quilt.... I cut up all that was in my scrap baskets for them and will see how far they go....

I then messed around trying to make a template I can use (instead of EPP) some little half dresdens....

The first one is far too big but it has the right amount of blades.... the second one is the right size but only 5 blades... but I feel I can manage that size so will stick with that.... they are for a later border on my Love quilt....

This week I want to start cutting pieces for this round.... elongated hexagons and squares.... they are small and fiddly but I've procrastinated long enough....

Righto, Gotto Go.... we had some lovely rain yesterday and when the fog lifts we will be out and about today.... but in the meantime I smell the fresh coffee and I need some ....

Have a lovely Sunday...