Home again, home again Jiggety Jig....

This little piggy has had a lovely holiday - it was such a wonderful time spending with my family - and of course a little bit of being a tourist too!!

I came back with about 600 photo's - anybody for a viewing????? haha... do you remember the slide shows of holiday pictures - and hours of explanations???  I promise not to do that to you...

Before I left I finished the applique of this block - which is for the quilt we are doing in the Stitch-a-long... I still have to add blocks on the edges so it's not a block finish yet.... but it is very sweet...

I didn't sew on holiday - but I did ask my daughter to order me a kit... and I started this...

A ripple blanket!!!

I've only ever crochet little plain squares and never read a pattern so I am pretty proud of myself!!

It's just over half way on the ripples - then there is a border.... I love it already and ordered another kit to bring home in a different pattern....... ooooooooppsss - I really don't need another addiction!

My son picked us up from the airport and took us back to the farm he manages where we stayed for the first few days...

Lovely in the country...

 

Farmer son calls these weeds!  but they are pretty on the side of the roads...

We watched Maddie at her horse riding lesson (she looks so little and it was quite a smallish pony!)

Astrid liked her 'rainbrella' ......

Bacchus the dog leaping in the wheat made us laugh .....

A trip to Peterborough - I do love the majestic buildings....

- of course quilt inspiration everywhere!!! Hubz thinks I'm quite mad taking pictures of floors!

I always want to know the stories behind these old mosaics - the family who walked on them... the people who made them etc....

Righto, Gotto Go...... thank goodness for Sundays.....

May Projects.....

May has been a busy sewing month for me....

For OPAM I completed 15 projects.... some were lovely and quick and helped clear out space - like the grocery bags!

Thank you Kris and Peg for hosting OPAM and keeping a tally of how many things we all make together....

The UFO pile has reduced also.... these projects are all from that pile.....

Thanks Joy for hosting FINISHING STITCHES and keeping me motivated to get them finished....

... and for Christmas Items these are the ones that fit there... the wall hanger and two sweet pouches...

Thanks Narelle for hosting 1 Christmas Item a month.... I am always better prepared when I take part in this....

So there we are..... It's always fun to look back at the month and see just what has been achieved..

I am taking a break in June - hope to get back to sewing and blogging all excited and motivated.... touch base with you again in July....

Righto, Gotto Go .... some more blocks to sew together and borders to add.... as you can see it's a beautiful sunny day... autumn is such a lovely season....

Progress

Earlier this year I put together the top of my Splendid Sampler quilt....

I had various fat quarters of soft pastels so it is scrappy style.  I purchased fabric for the sashing and borders.

I did have lots of scraps left over - including of the sashing and borders... so I chopped and stitched and made a heap of new blocks and strips.  There were 7 of the bonus blocks I had made too which needed using...

This week I joined them together - very haphazhard..... but now I have a matching backing for my quilt.... and almost no scraps left!

Not sure whether it is my brilliance, frugal nature, insanity or just plain stupid!  No comments needed on that thanks!!! 

Wonderful to clear out this Work in Progress drawer in my sewing room... 

I also made a bit more progess on my baby quilt....

Hoping to sew the squares around the edges together this weekend.... then it needs a border ....

How pretty is my cactus outside the front door at the moment...

There is another white one behind it with big fat buds so I hope it will open up this weekend...

Yay, I have hit the triple figures with my Dutch Treat blocks.... 102/196 now...

That one on the top right was the most challenging of these blocks.... those tiny sharp points and I got a lot of frayed edges...

Ooops.. that didn't stay empty for long... giraffes and gardeners journal have taken over the drawer now!!

Righto, Gotto Go..... so many things I want to get done this weekend!  I hope you have a lovely one whatever you do.... 

Sewing makes me happy.....

Yesterday sewing with the girls I continued with some machine applique..... I now need to do some hand stitching on these flowers and giraffes

A very cute pattern called Hush by Julie Lovell

The last few days have been just perfect weather - cooled down from summer but not cold - I love home made soups and had a chance to use my new mug given to me by local daughter on Mothers Day.... isn't it great?  That's the spoon sticking out the handle...

I present to you my Teddy cushion... this was a pattern from a Stitchers Dream Day Out a couple of years ago and is designed by Libby Richardson (who will be back this year)  She taught us to paint our teddies and make those little flowers ... then it got put away but finally I have finished it....

I think it's really sweet... and it's another UFO out the cupboard!

Our bottle brushes are just starting to come out.... I know I am going to be getting the sneezes soon but the Rainbow Lorikeets love them and they do add a bit of autumn brightness...

Righto, Gotto Go..... some quilting to do today.... 

Too many things at once.....

Hello, hello......

Time to show off what I have been doing..... These are a series of Christmas stitcheries that I will be making into a banner...  I am using a thicker thread (actually is for weaving but I like the colour and the little bit of lumpy texture - though it is not the smoothest to sew)

My Gardeners Journal has a new block sewn... they are very sweet stitcheries to do....

.. and another of the Christmas stitcheries was completed..... one colour makes for fairly quick sewing....

I actually made this next one previously but since there is a new Stitch-A-Long happening with Michelles book I brought it out.... For May we are collecting up the pattern book, fabrics and making one of the small items if we so wish.  

In June the first block is to be done - which is the stocking...

The Stitch-A-Long is open to any bloggers - we all sew the same quilt and post about it each month on the SAL blog....

I don't remember us ever having door hangers growing up.... but I am partial to them so it's lovely to have this one.

A bloggy social engagement on Friday saw Chookyblue, Susan, Kris, Maree and myself having some coffee chats and some patchwork shop visits....  a very fun day....

I have sewn on the binding for my new quilt.... and just need to hand sew it down....

It can't fit in my basket by my chair of the projects I am actually hand sewing in the evenings - depending on my mood.... Dutch Treat, Gardeners Journal, a secret, Christmas sticheries, applique.

But today I am going to do a bit of my own quilting..... this bear is going to be another cushion.  I've done some little rosey flowers around the bear and now some hearts... I think it will be a little bit cute!

Our little pond has some new habitants.... can you see the little multicoloured fish on the right.... and just above the lightest fish is a pure black one....  There are 4 new babies.

The fish are always fun to watch....

Righto, Gotto Go... that cushion is not going to quilt itself!

Green month......

This months Rainbow Scrap Challenge colour is green..... I made up my basket and it is quite full - I seem to have quite a bit of green scraps....

On Tuesday we made up our little green houses..... mine are very scrappy and any green went in...

This is a UFO from Stitchers Dream Day Out a couple of years ago.  A design by Libby Richardson who is coming to the next one in September - so I thought I would work on it...

The borders are added now and I have made a backing - it will become a cushion but I think I want to give it some quilting .....

In the meantime I have finished this UFO - a stitchery that I have made up into a cushion.... did the handsewing of the binding and found a cheap pillow to use as stuffing.....

I do love it and it looks good in my lounge - even Hubz commented....

The back is envelope style.... my favourite way .....

Righto, Gotto Go.....  heaps to do.....