Last week of 2025

Christmas is all over once again ...... and I look forward to some gentle days watching the Boxing Day test match and eating left overs!  (oh and Hot Cross Buns have hit the shelves - my favourite part of end of Christmas)

We had a lovely day, relaxing and filled with love and laughter.  Thanks to technology chatting to family in other parts of the world.

This year I did a dozen Sashiko decorations to send out......

This is the Garment Bag I made for local daughter.    Over the shoulder handle and a big zipper pocket on the outside

I joked that this was made with love for about 20 minutes, from then on it was made with scowls and swearing.... It is so much easier making a quilt!!

To be fair the pattern was great and going step by step.  It is the Garment Bag from Caroline at Sew Can She.

Zipper all the way down the front and ties to hold the coat hangers in and small handles to hang or carry

I initially started this as she had a job requiring a fair bit of travel, curve ball has arrived and suddenly she is very ill but it will wait till she can make use of it.

I have finished quilting Sylvia's Bridal Sampler.  The binding is added but still hand sewing it down to be done....

Yesterday I did the last 4 flowers for my 2025 Blackwork SAL.  Each flower is different and this was a test of endurance!!! haha

I've ordered a 35cm hoop which is what I will use to finish it off.....

Righto, Gotto Go, Christmas Day was at our house, and there is still some tidying and sorting to do.... there is always so much paper and boxes to get rid of.

Have a lovely time betwix one year and the next.... We'll catch up in 2026.

3rd week of April

Second block of Caswell quilt is done.....

Thanks to Michelle and Marina for the enabling .... and support....

My local group UFO for this month was to finish off my Sashiko panels into something.... I found some suitable fabric in my stash and made them up into these table toppers.... they are quilted too but in a matching colour so you can't really see it...

Binding was done at my Tuesday sewing day and then I went on a made up a couple of hexagon flowers....

In the evenings I have been knitting and crocheting.... this little jumper was finished....

It has little poppers on the back for fastening.... I think it will fit a 1 - 2 year old

I did find I needed to concentrate a bit for the pattern especially whilst increasing for the sleeve but happy with the result....

That's my crafting week.... 

Righto, Gotto Go..... I started some bags a couple of weeks ago and would like to get them done and out of the way....

Have a lovely weekend....xx

First week of October.....

Already October - goodness, September seemed to roll by extra fast....

I am pleased to say I have finished the top for Gossip in the Garden... such a fun quilt which I have been sewing along with Michelle.....

I used fabrics from my Tilda scrap box and mainly only needed to add background fabrics.   There is so much to each little block, some applique, some embroidery, some piecing..... it has it all!

Cutting and sorting for the border took a fair bit of manipulating... and mitred corners!!! (easier than I thought)

I also finished this panel of Sashiko.  It is hard to see but I have used two different (but coordinating) variegated threads

Now I have two... and not sure what to do with them ..... but they were fun to sew!

Some more crochet squares have been hooked....

and some pinning and sewing done.... (these are what I was sewing at the sewing retreat day)

I need 72 of these little 3 1/2" squares..... the coloured parts of liberty lawn and really quite fine to sew 

They will be very pretty once all done....

So that is the sewing for the week recorded...... 

I hope you have a lovely weekend....

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.....

Last week of May

This time of year is stunning.... cool/cold nights and glorious days

Late afternoon yesterday we went for a stroll around a nearby park....

Love this spiky grass - in real it is like one of those optical illusions with the round bally of soft spikes

a lovely outlook - it was a clear day and we could see the Bunya mountains in the distance....

One of the silver wattles is full of buds.... I found a few of these earely lovely yellow balls - it will be covered soon...

The grevillea's are in bud - we will go back in a couple of weeks....

There is such an assortment of the grevillea's....

This hibiscus has huge double flowers - very striking...

Kanagaroo paw... only a few with flowers...

... another grevillea version....

We found one little flannel flower - never seen it there before..... the petals are so soft..

... and another grevillea about to blossom

This week at home I finished the stitching on this Santa - which has been around for a long time.  Marina sent me the pattern ages ago and now I need to choose fabrics and finish it off to be a mini quilt ....

I continued with more tarts at stitching with the girls .... and a couple of evenings....

The Sashiko piece is finished.... I do like the look and am learning a bit more each time.

I'm not sure what I will do with this piece .....

I had a quiet morning tis week and cut and sewed 12 more blocks for the old shirts quilt - I have enough now to make a 63" square quilt.... next part is sewing all the blocks together of course...

Some more progress has been made on my Whitework......  I am speeding up - it took me about 2 hours to do one heart yesterday at Guild!!!

Righto, Gotto Go.... an out day today and I need another coffee before I go....

Have a lovely weekend...