Spring time

There is always so much going on in our small city at this time of the year....

We just had our annual quilt show (last year it was covid cancelled)

I took a few pictures...

these are not all of them but the best I could do.... a lovely assortment.  I never do viewers choice as I love them all in different ways....

My favourite shop (now on-line) The Quilters Angel were there with a lovely assortment of goodies

A busy week, a lot of fun, old faces to see, new faces to meet.

One of my Tuesday sewing day ladies also does cake icing..... this is her cake for the opening..... 

Isn't it just magnificent.... all hand crafted

I have made some progress on my blackwork but to be honest I am in a muddle as to what I have shown...

I think these are the 3 latest ones....

Wild Garlic

Nigella

Crocus

Righto, Gotto Go.....  the weekend is here... bits and bobs to do.....

Hope you find some time for something fun....

This week has been busy with one thing and another... nice busy... just busy.  However of course my evenings are spent nice busy with my handstitching....

I am still working on getting up to date with my blackwork SAL....

Clematis

Astrantia

Amaryllis

Borage

Trumpet lily

Progress to date.....  Still quite a way behind....

I am loving doing this .... Helen bent my arm... she is back blogging to pop over and say Hi .... so many have stopped blogging so I get excited at a starter or restarter....

Have a lovely week... 

Righto, Gotto Go...... always things to do

September FNWF

Thanks Cheryll for having us on Friday....

I had a lovely day at the Embroidery show - such stunning work and I was so overwhelmed with the blackwork and crewelwork and stumpwork and everything else work....  

The afternoon was spent at a local event supporting and encouraging local food and drink businesses - gin, and beer, and burgers, and home made jams etc.

Friday night was spent stitching...

I finished off this bed of Bells of Ireland...

... and started this bed of Ranunculus (which was finished last night)

Yesterday some quilting, and sewing, and gardening, and sorting in the house......

Today is Fathers Day and off out for brunch with youngest daughter who has to do everything for us since she is the only one nearby (family joke)

Keep safe and well everyone,  

 

Righto, Gotta Go... coffee cup is empty.  Hubz is outside roasting a fresh batch of beans.

Spring is here....

Even though seasons don't change exactly according to the calendar there is something about the beginning of September... some trees just know the date it seems!

My prunus has never flowered as heavily as this year and the front lawn is covered in petal confetti - the blossoms are nearly all off in a matter of days.

The Wisteria is flowering....

.. and so are many of the natives.... not sure what this one is called but it's the first time it has flowered... some kind of grevillea I think

Retreat was fun.... some of the girls did some damage to their wallets at the patchwork shops... 

Every year someone is assigned a 'secret project' and we are given a list of fabrics to bring...

Marilyn asked for 3 strips of fabric and some pellon.... and this is what we made....  cute little bags and they are ready lined with the same fabric... very clever little pattern

Several ladies had these mats to stop the machine pedal slipping..... and so with 'borrowed' anti slip and 'borrowed' spare fabric and 'borrowed' stuffing this was made up....

works a dream.... and I think I will make myself another one sometime....

A project I had taken was for this little vinyl drawstring bag....  I like the bag but I don't think I will bother with sewing vinyl again unless I absolutely have to...

It is lined with cotton.... be a good bag for those shampoos etc

I made some progress on quilts.... this one has several different blocks so I made some of them up.... love these colours of teals and greens....

This is a William Morris layer cake cut into charm squares and then added corners to 2 sides to make the Road to Tennessee block.....  now I have 168 blocks and 336 little HST's to press and trim....

This week I hand sewed down the binding for my pretty pinwheels quilt....

The backing is a fun doona (duvet) cover.  It's a bit stiff from its sizing/starch but will be fine once washed and the colours were just right....

I quilted it with free form ribbons all over....

(do a meander then backtrack loosely to create a ribbon)

My blackwork garden is growing.....  slowly ... like real plants some seem to take ages to blossom and others are quicker....

Righto, Gotto Go... we have the bi-annual embroidery show put on my the local group - always stunning to see (no photographs allowed I'm afraid) but I know I will come home all enthused and excited....

... but first... coffee

That was August

Well it's WOOFA and OPAM time again.....

Almost everything was quilts which I finished practicing my quilting....''

These quilts are all WOOFA projects as they had already been made as tops...

feathers

railfence

blocks....

I Spy

Shocking Pink

The rest are new projects for OPAM

I also made 4 gold towels for Hubz...

... and crocheted a windspinner

Thank you Cheryll and Kris for our count ups...

I did have a couple of smallish finishes at retreat but they can go into September as a photo shoot still needs to be done....

Keep well everyone... xx

Do not gloat....

Lots of people seem to be having problems with blogger ... I was rather pleased with myself that I miss a lot of these!

Well, of course this week my comments didn't get sent to me by email.... which I like them too... 

I had this before and I just went and cancelled my email and saved and did  it again... for some reason I just couldn't open that section....

This is how I fixed it.... (in case any others are having this issue)

Into your blog.... and go to Design

Choose Settings....

Scroll down till you get to Email and select 'Invite more people to comment emails'

in the pop up box put in your email..... and press send...

An invitation will come to your email... you need to accept this....

Then do a test comment to make sure it has come to you.....

I hope this works for you....

In this process I also learnt how to screenshot on my laptop... and draw on my pictures with wobbly arrows!

This little embroidery was done this week using 'SmokeBush' colour.  Stemstitch, back stitch and pistol stitch....

Tomorrow I am retreating with the Brisbane girls..... so today I am sorting and organising projects to take with me.... They always do a small 'secret' project and we get a list of what we need to take.  I find it quite a challenge to choose fabric without knowing what it will be...

This is what I will use....

Retreat time also means visiting the local quilt stores - last year I purchased this vinyl fabric.... of course it has just sat around so I have prepared it to make a little bag.  

Then I have a good reason to replenish supplies when we go again!!!

I have a couple of quilt 'kits' cut and prepared for an event like this... quilts that I have wanted to make but just not got round to it....

Righto, Gotto Go... better go and find those kits....