Mid-June

Another week gone by quickly.....  I'm struggling with the cold this year and it hasn't even been that freezing!

Footy season (Rugby League) season is upon us and I have sat frozen at the sidelines watching Widget.  I do enjoy it and now have no worry about how it looks with multiple layers and a quilt on my lap... 

Sick daughter is cautiously on the recovery road and we had a drive out to a bakery this last weekend which included a bit of walking (which she paid for the next day)  It is surprising how such little exercise can be so exhausting.  English daughter is still here till tomorrow evening and it has been lovely to have an extra driver to help with appointments etc. as well as the company.

I sneaked in some easy seams and this quilt top is finished ....... I have other batiks and the left overs from 2 quilts and now practice with the curved ruler and will start an owl quilt.

This quilt is 102" x 80" (too big for my wall)

Some embroidery has been stitched in the evenings...... 

,,,,, which I am thoroughly enjoying...

Righto, Gotto Go, farewell dinner out tonight and I need to get out that warm jacket!!!!

Have a lovely rest of the week...xx

June means Winter has 'started'

We needed to light the fire in May prior to the 'official' start of winter here.  A definite chill in the air,  and soup recipes, jeans and jumpers, electric blankets, hot showers and wood fire season is here......  I do love it when I am not watching footy from the sidelines in the wind!

This weeks machine sewing has been the main blocks for Candy Blossoms (using Quick Curve Ruler), and I have started sewing the sashings on......

This is the pattern from a book by Sew Kind of Wonderful..... looks quite different in my colours

My zig-zag blanket is finished!

Visiting UK grandson will be pleased with this, just in time for the cold weather here.... it's ended up a good size, this is on a double bed.

It actually goes quite well with the picture up in that spare room (perhaps he will forget to pack it????)

I had chosen 15 different balls of yarn some time ago and swapped them for the colours chosen by Attic24 so I could follow her sequence.

I will miss having this blanket on my lap these evenings.  I have taken out my embroidered table runner to work on now ....

Today I managed to go to Embroidery group and continued with the hardanger hearts border..... only to discover after sewing 10 hearts that I had made a mistake... so today I actually did more reversing than progress!  I was going to fudge it but June, the tutor warned me it would come back and bite me if I didn't fix it!

That's my sewing week, hope you have had some fun too.... xx

Righto, Gotto Go, I have boring grocery shopping to do ......

Middle of April

This week another 5 blocks to Wensleydale/Tuesleydale were done....

And finally after 11 years Sylvia's Bridal Sampler has been bound....

It has a fun backing too as I had used left over fabrics to make up blocks

With pieced front and back it is quite a heavy quilt

Made from this book - I do love a sampler quilt

Jack's beanie is completed, and now I have started another for younger brother....

I joined one block of curved blocks - I think it's going to work!

Crochet blanket has a few more rows and I will keep working at it, and some other handwork over the next few weeks whilst we stay in Brisbane to support my daughter through her surgery.

A few people have asked so just a short update, google will help if you do want more info....it's certainly been a time of learning for me.

She has Jelly Belly/Appendix Cancer or Pseudomyxoma Peritonei and will by having it removed, scraped and take out any non vital organs, HIPEC chemotherapy and a long recovery.  We have decided to stay in the city and be close by for the first few weeks then of course assist at home as much as we can.

As such there'll be a bit of a blog break since I'm not likely to have much to show but I will be having my morning blog reading as often as possible.  

Keep crafting, keep happy and keep blogging..... xx

April has started

This week I wasn't able to sew along with my Tuesleydale friend so I had a day at home..... Funny how usually I manage 5 or 6 blocks but 10 were done when I'm on my own!

English Grandson who is staying nearby commented how he would love his own crochet blanket as the one at home has to be shared.... so I dug in my cupboard and have started one....

... and I have continued making curved blocks - 24 each of these ones....

My Hardanger has been sorely neglected as I have missed a number of embroidery days, but I have started sewing this border of hearts..... 

I'm pretty slow, today I sewed 3 hearts, then undid 5 as there was a mistake, resewed 6 and undid 3 ... and then I got round the corner and across that little bit!  So a lot of practice!

I hope you all have a lovely long weekend, celebrating Easter.  The local family is here for BBQ lunch tomorrow and I'll make a chocolatey dessert... that will be my contribution to festivities.  Otherwise I am looking forward to a quiet few days.

Righto, Gotto Go - chocolate mousse to make... xx

First week of March

Happy to say our son arrived safely.  He had booked on a flight which did not go via the Middle East fortunately.

Before he came I finished up the binding on this baby quilt, a panel I quilted up a while ago....

First kiss - rather cute

I had been working on my stitch sampler over evenings..... this project had been ignored for some time

It's a real mix of different colours and stitches over the back of ticking.....  some lines are braids I have attached.  I'm really not very imaginative, I would have preferred a list of colours and stitches to work to!!

next I will make it up into a little project bag

I did get some machine sewing done and put together the top for this quilt made using Quick Curve Ruler and a pattern by Sew Kind of Wonderful

Lucky Quilt - 57" square.  

Binding is made in that green used in the centre. 

Off to the Quilting Queue

A few years ago I made this one using the same book and ruler, Persimmon Quilt is 74" squared

Both are made from Bali batik bought when we holidayed there in 2015.

Quilting details is shown HERE 

The ruler is fun and I do like the effect and improved accuracy (as one trims after sewing blocks) - there is another cut and started waiting for attention.

Righto, Gotto Go.  Snuck in a bit of quiet coffee time whilst Hubz is at golf and Son gone for a run.  This weekend we have one grandson playing cricket (today)  and another playing Rugby League (tomorrow) to watch.

Have a lovely weekend....

February is closing in

This week I finished the crochet blanket I was doing for KOGO

This picture gives a better idea of the colour

The rows are based on this Attic 24 pattern..... ( I do love her patterns)  Most of them are on line or as blog posts though I got a few printed ones when I have bought her kits.

Some time ago I posted that I was working with the Quick Curve Ruler and a pattern by one of the inventors of the ruler (Sew Kind of Wonderful)

This week I put these blocks together, there are other 9 patch blocks to make and they are set on point, but I quite like the circles this way makes

Gardeners Journal has been bound......

I do love the mix of piecing, stitcheries, applique Anni Downs does.  I custom quilted going around the stitcheries and different curvy shapes and lines in the various blocks......

This week a quilt top I made in 2021 is being quilted.  William Morris fabrics and some plain ....

some leafy feathers and twirls....

Tuesleydale got another 6 blocks this week.... 10 down 50 to go!

The friend I am doing the Foundation piecing with gifted me a braid roll of papers.... so today I went stash shopping and found a jelly roll of an old Moda range called Portobello Market.  I will do the braids in PM and add the cream sashing and some meterage of PM for the binding....  I do love an inexpensive quilt kit.  I would have bought the jelly roll when they were $45 I expect (double that now)

I won't be starting it for a while though but I do love a plan.

Righto, Gotto Go.  Eldest son from UK is going to visit so I'll be offline for a couple of weeks.  Will be so good to see him.

Have a great rest of the week....

Second Week of February

The bulk of the work on these bags had already been done and I was finishing off (I tend to work in a production line fashion)

These dresden plates were extra's from making others some time ago.... made in different Tilda fabrics.  I just had to applique them down.

These were made from stitcheries I had done years ago

They were for a different project really and from a stitching day where we learnt the colouring/painting then stitched afterwards

These were made from left over blocks from a larger quilt I had made.  Just added the borders

and these were made from various left over blocks and stitcheries, again just adding borders

I am well stocked up on zippy bags now, gift box, donation box etc.  

Most of all I have used up a goodly amount of odd blocks I had around (there are still more!!!)

I spent a day catching up on Hardanger.

Pink Greek Crosses

Heart shaped Kloster blocks

Cutting in these two and pulling threads ready for the next lesson....

And finally starting Wensleydale.  A friend and I are making this together and will get together on every second Tuesday so we are calling it our Tuesleydale quilt!

I am using mostly French General blues from different ranges.

Wednesday sewing with friends yielded work on the curve blocks.  I was struggling cutting the curves with the ruler and a friend showed me I was holding my cutter wrong.... it's like magic now and so easy!!

I think I love sewing (both hand and machine) so much because there is always something new to learn!

So the week has been another busy one......

We are looking forward to this evening and our Christmas/Birthday treat to ourselves in tickets to the special Edinburgh Military Tattoo that is in Brisbane for 4 days.

Then this weekend my cousin and his wife are coming to stay.  They live in Canada and I haven't seen him in 35 years when they emigrated from Zimbabwe.  We were great friends as youngsters.

Another busy week ahead - 

Righto, Gotto Go, want to make some sandwiches for our train trip to the city.

Have a lovely weekend everyone...xxx