4th week of July

It has been a busy week with one thing and another but of course I still find time to play in my sewing room ....

The last two of the 'panels' have been done.... there is two identical pooh bear quilts.  These look like they are patched but it is the fabric.  I used a doona cover for the backings - nice and bright and can be reversible now.

Oh what fun with my Parliament of Owls..... once the curve sewing, pressing and trimming is done it is easy and fun making up owls.

I now have 10 small owls to make.....   I looooove them!

... and I have a gorgeous finish

 

Wings and Pretty Things was designed by bestie Michelle (see hers HERE) and we sewed it sortof together with Lin(see hers HERE)

I did do custom quilting....

I love the detail Michelle included (even if I am not a giant fan of EPP)

I loooooove it.....

I did purchase a pretty skein of yarn at the Jazz and Jumpers festival.  I have to say this is the most expensive ball of wool I have bought but it is hand dyed Marino wool and I will make a Simple Variations Shawl as made by Janice.... (thanks for the link)  I looooove it ... (see one Janice recently made HERE)

and woohoo I completed this final corner of my Table runner..... I am now going around the edge in a chain stitch as seen in the bottom of this.....  I loooove it....

Just one more picture ..... it's worth it....

So a lot to love this week......

Righto, Gotto Go.... cooler weather has arrived and the fire needs stoking and the soup needs heating....

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

Back home

A few intensive weeks in Brisbane.  I discovered the surgery my daughter had has a nickname of MOAS (Mother Of All Surgeries) and I can see why.  It is brutal and tough, I was told it was the largest of the surgeries they do at the hospital.   A few days in ICU and then a couple of weeks on the ward and at the weekend took her home.  Recovery is always better at home isn't it?   Time will tell how effective the HIPEC (chemo) was (and what next for that) ...... as with all cancers regular scans and tests for the next 10 years at least.

I never even opened my box of projects! but I did do a few rows of crochet in the evenings at the unit, and I did alter a couple of her nighties so she could wear them over the PICC lines.... the sleeve needed to be able to open so I cut across the top and applied some velcro - worked a treat.

Before we left to Brisbane I did finish quilting "Wings and Pretty Things" (designed by friend Michelle)

Hard to see the quilting but curls in the background and outlining the applique ....

Straight lines through the EPP pieces.....

Just waiting for the binding to go on now.....

I just wanted a couple of days quietly at home and the best way for me to rest is to sew.....

These two items were already cut and partly sewn...  you will see they are both the same fabric - because there was plenty!

A favourite top of mine.... Bondi top

The back has a pleat ....

And a wrap around dress ......

Now that it is cooling down I'm not sure I will really have a chance to wear them until it warms up again...

The evenings were spent finishing off the blue beanie.... so now these can be posted to the grandieboy brothers in Victoria.

Oh, and I thought I deserved a treat so got the kit of Anni Downs new fabric range

The girls at The Quilters angel have added a coordinating fabric for binding and included a preprint linen for the embroideries....

... and of course the pattern book

I'm holding off starting this as I still have lots of other handwork projects on the go  - it's so tempting especially with the preprints!!!

Righto, Gotto Go..... a quilt is set up on the frame, scrappy blocks are all over the sewing space and yarn is bubbling out the bucket next to my chair!  xx

2nd week of April

Grandson Jack requested a beanie for upcoming winter...

I knitted a beanie with chunky wool - it is too big even for a big headed person!

I will try threading some shirring elastic through and see if that works

Sewing with friends on Wednesday yielded another 5 blocks .....

I'm rather chuffed how well my bold dark stripes lined up so well!

A good start has been made on the crochet blanket.  I am using Lucy's (Attic 24) Coast Ripple Blanket pattern but with my own set of colours.

A little bit of embroidery has been done for the next section of the Table runner

... and the next attempt at a beanie has been started using 8 play yarn this time... it is a nice chocolate brown and khaki green... not the colours shown in the picture at all!

Righto, Gotto Go.... I'd like to set up a quilt on the frame for quilting..... Wings and Pretty Things that I did ages ago (2020) , designed by Michelle... but first I need to sew together the backing as regular fabric is not wide enough.

Have a lovely weekend.....xx

Stitching Time.....

The Brisbane Sunday Stitchers run a fun UFO challenge which I am lucky enough to be able to play along with them...  It runs from mid-month to mid-month when they have their real life meetings and last month was #1 which was to work on my Wings and Pretty Things quilt top designed by Michelle...

Yay.... my top is done...

I just love it and had such fun doing those needleturn blocks...… less fun doing those EPP elongated hexagons.... worth it though.

Of course it has moved to the Quilting Queue

The next number is 2... and that is my circles quilt...

All the blocks are made and the goal is to have the top finished..... (so it can then sit in the Quilting Queue!!)

Over the last week I have been stitching away at this stitchery in the evenings....

I am not sure what to make with it... an unusual shape...  The stitchery fits nicely in 6" x 18" .  Any ideas???

It is from a set designed by Rosalie Dekker but I have been using them for individual items.  Preprinted and such pretty things to stitch...

I showed you Natalie with my little "In My Garden" quilt.  That was a finish for me this week.

I made it some years ago....

… and learnt hand quilting last year for it..... (I wanted to try hand quilting on a smaller quilt before trying out a big one)

I just love all the different elements, applique, EPP, embroidery, piecing....

Michelle gave me a quilt hanger when I visited.  This will fit on it perfectly so need to get some dowling and ask Hubz nicely to put it up for me....

Righto, Gotto Go..... it's about time for lunch ..... I hope you are keeping safe, sane and stitching......

Now it's March!!!!

It is officially Autumn here now... I am looking forward to some cooler temperatures - especially at night time.... this last summer has been particularly brutal....

Australia is out of toilet paper!!! for some reason people are buying it up like mad in fear of coronavirus... doesn't make sense to me at all - we make it here, the virus doesn't give you the squirts ….. oh well.... whatever blows your hair back...

Being March I decided to put some plans in place for my crafting....

I am going to continue with putting tumblers together.....

This is my second top this size... and I am working on some little ones....

There are far more tumblers than I thought I had... I will get 3 of these size and 3 little ones using up the lighter fabric in between... then a couple of any colours together.

Any ideas of where quilt tops can be sent to be made up for some charity.  I'm not sure when I will get to quilting so if someone takes in tops I would be happy to send.... otherwise there might be a wait....  My personal preference is an ongoing need (as opposed to a one off supply)  I have somewhere I send small baby quilts already.

I have joined in with the Sunday Stitchers on their Facebook UFO challenge..... this month is #1 which is my Wings quilt top.

I have all 4 borders of elongated hexagons together....

… and 4 little butterflies for the corners sewn.....

We have until the 15th of March and then a new number will be chosen.....

This months WOOFA project is to be my Black and White scrappy curved blocks....

I'm not really sure how it will come together.... but the scraps are being used and a bigger piece of bright green that I had....

I am going to work steadily on my Field Journal blocks.... and try and do at least one a week... if not more...

Getting some practice with stem stitch....

… and some more... with French knots....

I love these delicate pictures.... and sew once a month with a couple of friends who are doing the same project... we are all at different stages and it keeps us all motivated.

I have had these pretty fabrics in my stash for a while... there were 25 blocks and I cut them all down to 10"...

This month I want to sew them together then cut it all up again.....

Yay for Fridays.....

Fridays always seem to hold a happy thought.....  

This week I managed to get together the third of my elongated hexagon borders.... hopefully will get to the last one this coming weekend.... they do look lovely so the pain of EPP has been worth it!!! haha

Most of this zippy bag had been done but the binding needed sewing down, so I gave myself a treat of an evening off from hexagons and finished it off.....

The stitchery was in my UFO box, I'm afraid I can't recall where it was from or by whom..... but it is a lovely saying

The fabric on the back is a bit fun.....

And this little baby quilt was also bound..... 

… there is another one just like this still in the queue.... 

A lovely gift arrived from Shez this week.....

 It opens up so there is plenty of room in there

.. and lovely little scissors in the special pocket....

Shez does very beautiful work so this is just gorgeous, it will be perfect in one of my zippy bags with a project all ready to go.....  thank you so much Shez... I love it...

A couple of quick pics from the garden.  My Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow is looking so lovely.  I have never seen it so covered in flowers - it is really celebrating the rain we had a couple of weeks ago....

 … and the ornamental pomegranates give such an amazing bright bit of colour…..  very cheerful bushes....

Both Hubz and I have had to be out in the garden a bit with pulling weeds... gosh they have grown so big in places we have never had weeds before...…  eurrggghhhhh  I keep trying to tell myself it's good for me to get out and do a bit but I am still not convinced!

Righto, Gotto Go.....  hope you have a wonderful funderful weekend....