Field Journal

Last year I joined up a monthly club via The Quilters Angel.  Field Journal is put out by Cottage Garden threads and each month there are 4 little pre printed stitcheries and 4 new CG threads and liberty fabrics for the borders.  

 I haven't started mine yet but it's my plan for next year …..

Here is the first one with the threads I need for it ready and waiting …...

In a lovely little thread holder gifted to me a couple of years ago by Chez....

4 new threads a month (plus the ones I already have) are much more than can fit into the folder...

I purchased a zip file from a local stationary store....

and ordered currency file sheets via ebay….

They are just the right size and fit each month into a sheet...

the long top is where it is open which makes them very easy to slip in and out...

This one is already full so I will need another zippy file....

I love CG threads and although they are quite dear I do find they are perfect for so many of the projects I like to do... this is an excellent way to collect up a good number of threads

Meantime I continue doing these little stitcheries... also in CG thread but all the same colour ....

I need to get moving on them so I can start the ones I have been saving from Field Journal (32 at the last count plus a larger design)

Rosalie Dekker/Quinlan who designed the United Stitches has been a favourite Ausi designer of mine for a long time (sadly she has now passed but her designs live on) also designed some fabric and I had purchased a bit of it.

I am using some at the moment - it has an almost linen feel, thicker than cotton but really really nice...

I found a fat quarter pack at The Quilters Angel and so this came home with me last week

My Christmas treat to myself, I have no idea at this stage what I will use it for but very glad to have it.... 

Righto, back to the sewing room.... 

My little mini quilt is finished.....

The hand quilting is pretty ordinary... but I'm learning.....

This quilts is Shoofly Sampler made from Quirky Little Quilts book by Sheryl Johnson.  I hope to make another of hers next year..

This time I added triangles at the corners to add a rod.... will see how effective it works

This week I purchased a quilting frame.... I will try it on a bigger quilt and see if that helps me get a better holding style and rhythm ...

Over this week Mr Postie dropped off some special ornaments...

From Michelle.....

From Maria.....

… from Shez...

Thank you so so much....

I really love the hand made ornaments and I have a lovely collection now..... 

Widget is staying for a few days and so he put the tree together for me and we are slowly adding the handmade ornies ….. 

I am very late with doing mine so today whilst he made up a jigsaw I did my ornie envelopes....

I finished off another penguin jumper ….. now we have 5 

Today I had a skin check at the doctors and as we went off in the car Widget was telling me about his thoughts on Santa being a fake.... (he is 10 now)

Well, I wanted an explanation about the ones that we see in the shops for photographs..... he was trying to tell me that they are a 'substitute' Santa....

"The ones in the store are prostitute Santa's"...…. well I was almost off the road …. 

Still makes me laugh out loud..... 

Righto, Gotto Go... my turn for a few ornies on the tree......

FNWF ... and more....

TaDa…. the crochet blanket all done.....

 I love the colours …..

… and I learnt a new pretty picot edge....

all folded and put away hoping for hand delivery to eldest daughter next year....

This is made from a kit bought from Wool Warehouse (UK) with a pattern by Attic24 who also has wonderful tutorials on her blog.  This one is Cosy Stripe Blanket.

I played with the Christmas fabrics I had bought and made a Bondi Top with it

The little red stripe is the back bodice..... 

These are my favourite tops...… cool and comfortable....

Double date with FNWF and sewing at The Quilters Angel and I started a new United Stitchers block..... this is how far I got in the evening.... satin stitch takes me aaaaaagggeeesssss…. 

This little 12" square mini in quilted...

… and binding done so it is hanging up now on the stand..... 

fits just right... thanks for the gift Michelle....

Righto, Gotto Go... a new week … I will be doing a mixture of sewing, quilting, child minding ….. it will be busy....

Hope you have a lovely week.....

Getting on with it.....

This is the 82nd panel of the Welcome Wall which is at the Maritime Museum in Sydney

… and Hubz and I are inscribed on it.....

The Welcome Wall is for immigrants to Australia, a sizeable donation to the museum and you can get an inscription.  Both Hubz and I are the first in our respective families to have immigrated here (2002 from Zimbabwe) and we felt this was important for us.

The unveiling was last week, unfortunately we were not able to attend but hopefully one day we will get to go and see it in real life.  A kind staff member sent us a picture of the panel and I enlarged it to find us....

Hasn't always been easy, but we have a home, an income, friends and family ….. lucky there are lovely people in all parts of the world... one just has to find them....

This weeks little stitchery is a lighthouse.... I am plugging slowly at these.. there is still lots more...  preprinted which makes a huge difference.... 

.. and I have been working on quilting this little mini quilt... so I can have it up on my frame for this Christmas....

The crochet blanket is finally done.... in spite of the heat I was tired of having the big bag of yarn lying around the lounge so I have worked on it in the evenings.....  It is just dripping off some excess water from a rinse (I may have spilt a Marguerita on it during its creation)

This mini is going to replace it in the lounge as I have decided I would like to 'practice' hand quilting.  The blue painters tape will be my guideline.....

This one is quilted and the binding stitched on....  some hand stitching to be done....

… and I have some Christmas fabric to play with..... my favourite store The Quilters Angel has 50% off all Christmas so it's crazy not to take advantage of it....  lovely quality fabric...

… and I am going to learn something new this month.... photograph printing on to fabric.....

Tips anyone?????

Righto, Gotto Go..... that blanket needs to put out nice and flat and the Christmas fabric is calling out to be cut!!

Have a lovely day... keep warm if you live there, keep cool if you live here....  fires, wind, smoke, dust and heat will keep me indoors ... lucky I sew!

A lovely weekend....

Last week I wanted to work on getting a few things that need finishing....

Over the year I have joined Jane with a sampler.... I did my blocks half size so mine is a mini quilt.  We started with a block that had one piece and ended with a block made of 12 pieces....  

So last week I added the sashing... and I have pinned it ready for quilting....

Whilst clearing a drawer I found a couple of flat (cheap) artist canvases so I used up some scrap wadding and a bit of bias binding and made a couple of block boards....

It is clear my gluing skills are limited.... but the boards will still work fine...

I have a mounting pile of 'stitcheries' which I have done over the years... every now and then I try and find something to do with one.... 

This is last weeks effort... the quote makes me smile and this is mounted also on an artist's canvas

(stitchery design by Michelle May of Raspberry Rabbits)

Then I pinned this mini quilt …. (pattern from Quirky Little Quilts by Sheryl Johnson)

.. and this mini quilt ….. (gifted to me by my friend Michelle)

  

and also this small quilt (40 x 46")

I fell in love with the delightful stitcheries all over again.....

it was so much fun making this one with different parts to it....

In my Garden Quilt by Natalie Bird of The Birdhouse...

There is embroidery, applique, piecing, hexagons …. so much to love in it....

Then a pile of bindings needed to be prepared too..... 

This weekend went so fast...

On Saturday we had Hubz work Christmas party, they don't do a 'party' always so it was fun to go off to a country pub and have a lovely meal.... not too late and a fun evening...

It was The Quilters Angel retreat time and of course I missed the Saturday but spent the whole day Sunday sewing.... (well maybe a bit of chatting too)….

I worked on my Bloom blocks doing the blanket stitch by machine.  I got all the beige, green and half the pink done.....

Righto, Gotto Go...  you can see I have created a few things to do... so I better go and get some done!  I'm having to resist the urge to make another In My Garden quilt... !!!