A finish... and progress

I have managed to finish Wish You Well....

All bound in a nice rich brown....

My quilting was quite minimalistic but still quite a lot... if that makes sense.  I didn't want to detract from the work in the piecing.

I ditched around the blocks and around the stitched shapes then round the circles.... and I couldn't resist some feathers in the wider border....

Wish You Well was a BOM pattern from Gail Pan last year.... I just loved all the different elements of embroidery, applique and using doilies and lace...... such fun to do...

I have filled another garden bed in my blackwork... top right is foxgloves....  I find this goes very very slowly.... 

and finally this block for Civil War Bride is completed.....  I had done the leaves and branches and was procrastinating about the birds tail....

Today I will try and find time to prepare the next block to do.....

I didn't manage to go to my Tuesday sewing this week... a call for Jury duty which I was not selected for after all but still have to sit around a bit.... I did take my crochet and met a couple of lovely ladies to chat to so not too boring....

Righto, Gotto Go... long list of sewing bits to do today..... but first some coffee!!!  Have a lovely rest of the week... stay safe.... so many troubles all over the world to worry about....

Projects....

Another block for "From The Heart" is done....

This is where I am up to now.... there are 3 more blocks then some pieced blocks and a border which has applique on.... so still a fair bit to do....

I have pulled out this quilt to try and get it quilted.....  I did Wish You Well last year ....

There wasn't enough of the backing fabric I wanted to use so this morning I pieced up left over scraps from the front and made a panel to add to the backing....

Hand sewing has meant a couple more 'sweets' for the blackwork....

... and I might have ordered more Aida to do another one!!!!

This little baby quilt made it to the top of the quilting queue this week and is pinned ready to sew....

A friend showed me her plans for a quilt... the block is called Road to Tennessee and can be arranged to different designs... I have seen them as noughts and crosses too...

Anyway I have had this pretty William Morris layer cake which I have chopped into charm squares and the edge pieces will be in that light gold... it is almost exact to the gold bits in the fabric so I was chuffed to find it...

I have bought into an online quilting course for some inspiration and confidence in different designs.... I bought the wedge ruler that goes with the course as it makes cutting much easier and I think I will use it for scrappy quilts.

Anyway you make up a quilt with wedges and work on that so I chose a medium grey and a dark grey but silly me underestimated the fabric I need so I have to wait and get some more before I can make it!!!!  Grrrrr

So some chopping, some sewing, some growling, and this afternoon there will be some mowing done as the day has turned out beautiful after a couple of damp (all damp is most welcome) 

Righto, Gotto Go... off to rev up the mower......

Retreat Sewing....

A lovely weekend with friends (new and old).... its always lovely to get to know some people over an extended time.....

I took my large machine (Pfaff Grandquilter) as I can change the foot plate and quilt with it easily.  It is heavy and I think I need to treat myself to a trolley bag one day...

I went round all the black edges of the silhouettes in black, around the coloured borders of the blocks in a clear thread then used a lovely lightly metallic thread in the sky (so in real life you can see the odd sparkle)

Up the sashing was some scrolls...

... and leaves around the borders.... black on black the quilting is not obvious but adds texture

I even added the binding but will not sew it down until we have made a decision about how we are going to hang it....  so not quite a finish yet!

I found fabric for the border of Wish You Well.... I'm very happy with that blue, it is not as strong as it shows in the picture but picks up some of the blue's I have used in the piecing.  I found a nice mustardy brown for the binding

The Quilters Angel had a pop up shop where we had our retreat which was very convenient

Then I sewed about 200 dresden plate blades..... good to have company in jobs like that which is lots and lots of repetition...

Last night I turned them inside out and they will be pressed today and put aside to await the next step.... I need to make a bunch of circles for the middles next...

I don't get as much done as some people but I did finish off the things that I had specially wanted to achieve.  

Righto, Gotto go ..... a busy week ahead...

Take care, keep safe.... hoping for some rain here...

Friday Night

Last night we sewed together for FNWF hosted by Cheryll...... it was a hot night here and I was happy to sit and sew some backstitch animals...

My little duck is done.....

During the week I had a day of machine sewing to myself....

I worked on catching up with the blocks for Wish You Well.... all the stitcheries and the applique circles had been done....

so it was a matter of playing with my box of fabrics to place all the pieces....

I kind of find it easier doing a bunch of blocks at the same time... then I just need to clear up one time

All the main blocks are together now..... I will be shopping for something suitable for a border

Wish You Well has been a BOM hosted by designer Gail Pan for her I  Stitch Club... it has been such a lot of fun to do with stitcheries, applique, piecing and the use of lovely lace and doilies.

This weekend is retreat time.... I come home in the evenings but daytime is spent with friends sewing.....

I have taken my heavier sewing machine and doing some free motion quilting/raw edge applique on my animal silhouettes....

Righto, Gotto Go..... time for a coffee then get myself ready to go and sew!

Have a lovely weekend... it's a scorcher here so plenty of water will be consumed!

Hello December

I didn't get any finishes this month..... but I did get heaps of blocks done or partly done and I worked full time for 2 1/2 weeks.....

So I have nothing to show for  WOOFA or OPAM this month....

However..... a few plants are being lovely

This Hydrangea is full of these lovely bright pink blossoms...

this is another hydrangea.... so delicate... I just love it....

The new Hoya buds started bursting .... (Sue sent me this plant through the post from Victoria earlier this year)  Thanks so much Sue.. its a real beauty....

... and now it is this lovely ball of flower heads.....  and there are two more sets of buds growing

And Mrs Magpie introduced her twins to us at the weekend....

I just love that splayed out feet stance

Not a new idea but I found these plastic trays and bought a bunch.  I make up salads and cold meats for Hubz and my lunches on a Sunday..... so that it's nice and easy for us to have a healthy lunch during the week

I think it looks like patchwork blocks.....

Some hand sewing has been done and these are the final stitcheries for Wish You Well.....

My plan is this week to make up the last 4 months of blocks ... then I will need to do a bit of shopping for a border....

December means Summer here down under.... and we have been blessed (????) with a heatwave.... It is 6.30 in the evening and the temperature is 34' C..... and we are not as hot as some places.

 I have just given the magpies some watermelon which they enjoy as a cool snack....

Righto, Gotto Go... time for a cold Gin I think....

More hand stitching......

    

We have Bi-elections in our area at the moment and I am assisting the pre-poll..... working full time again is a shock to my senses!  I do enjoy the process of democracy we have here and lovely co-workers to chat to during down times.

I still have time to do some of my hand stitching at night and on a day off I put together some blocks

These are the final blocks for the latest border of my 'Love' quilt

two of these flower blocks were needed.....

I love this cute little mouse....

and a dragonfly....

One thin border is written incorrectly in the book and I hadn't looked at the picture where it was correct so that blue border is a ring in, having removed the one I had initially put there...

It is brighter than I had wanted but I think it works... and I have enough of it that I can use it for the binding which will tie it in better.....

I think it may be a while before I can get to working on the final border of half dresdens... they are pointy dresdens so I will do it by machine rather than EPP.  I will need to do a bit of working out to make the adaption work for me.

After joining up the blocks on my day off I sat and binge watched the Second season of Big Little Lies whilst catching up on my Wish You Well embroideries for November

I was quite simply too tired to do anything else ........

Righto, home things to get done and I can hear magpie calling for her snacks....  she is back to jumping on my lap to get them which is sweet.  I want to give her a stroke but I think that might give her a fright....

Have a lovely week

Another week is gone...

The last few weeks seem to have flown by even quicker than usual .......  

A few more rows have been added to my cream crochet rug.....

A horse has been added to the farmyard...

A couple of birds done for my  'love' quilt...

gotta love a little fat blue bird!

... and a bunch of circles completed for 'wish you well'...

and a bunch of quilts quilted....

Hubz was away for work for a couple of weeks... so more time spent in the sewing room (gotta take advantage of the time)

I will have full time work for a few weeks in our State by -election so not much will be done this month....

The sun is shining, the sky is blue, the horrid storms bypassed us, magpie is still good company.....

Gotto Go...... plenty still to do as always.... keep well, keep safe and keep smiling....xx