Third week of October

Hello there,

Well, it appears Spring has left early and summer is breaking October heat records!!!

My main sewing this week has been to continue with the embroidery on my linen dress using the Stick and Stitch.

I want to use the dress on Saturday for a Stitching Day ....

After a soak in water....

Detail on the back ....

It may have been easier to sew if I had thought of it before making up the dress but I'm pleased how it looks and the messy underneath won't be seen.

I couldn't start my hardanger lesson as I hadn't done the marking prep work required, so I did all that this week.  The Laguna fabric is too small for my eyes and I needed to get out the magnifying glass, while I had it out I did this last weeks blackwork flower....

Hardanger Lesson 1 will be today at club.

Too hot to think of a crochet blanket on my lap so I have started knitting 20cm blocks for KOGO.

I got this blocking frame recently and am using it to make sure my blocks are the right size so they can be easily sewn together......

Managed the 3 blocks so far.  The yarn is fun.   I have a few odd balls so I will make them up and add some plain ones to bring it all together....

A bit of charity quilting was done and general trying to sort out stuff in my sewing room.  I seem to have an awfully long list of things waiting for attention.

  Our grandson is finally in the air on the way here (last month his flight was cancelled due to a cyber attack at Heathrow)  Been a bit of delay getting his new flight organised.  He'll be with us tomorrow.

Righto, Gotto Go.... need to get the day going.... have a lovely weekend...xx

MId October

We had a good time with our son who turned 40 and his 2 boys down Southward in Victoria and then a few days in the Snowy Mountains, where there was still some good snow and we watch skiing etc.  WE stayed near a lake and Hubz tried out some fly fishing.

The boys loved their quilts ..... (the fishing one and Boys Story)  Mr 14's comment was "Nana, I just don't know how you do this"

Came back with lots of dirty laundry and well rested up...... I took knitting to do ....

A scarf in moss stitch.  I sew up the ends so it's an 'infinity' scarf.  I always find they don't fall or blow off better.

Whilst the washing machine was going and I was gently getting back into things I caught up on my Blackwork SAL

This was Saturdays effort......

Even though the evenings were hot I wanted to finish off the blanket which just had a few more rows to it....

A pretty shell like pattern

and now it is done and ready to be sent off to KOGO....  now the weather is so much warmer I will go back to knitting blocks.

Sunday I was back at the Blackwork.  

42 done... 10 more to go (yes 10 weeks of the year left!!!)  I'm still unsure what I will do with the finished piece.

... and now I am caught up.  I find this work I need to do when I am quiet at home and set up with the magnifying glass at the dining table.

I bought some of that Stick and Stitch I had read about to try.

It works pretty well and not at all tacky like I thought it might be.  Washed away easily enough.

So I spoilt myself and bought a set of patterns from Kasia, an Australian designer.  and I am adding some detail on to a dress I had made way back in May ...   but not worn yet.

I really like that Stick and Stitch stuff -. Kasia includes it in the pack but I know it is available at various places to do your own printing.

There were over 100 blogs to be read when I got back so I skipped through them, I love seeing what people have done but I didn't have time to comment on them.  Normal programming has returned!

Righto, Gotto Go..... Embroidery Guild is today.  I want to try Hardanger and one of the ladies is teaching it... not sure I have the right supplies but can find that out today.

Take care, have a lovely weekend....

4th week of September

Of course whenever I can I pick up a needle or dive into the sewing room

These Sashiko blocks have been done, I now need to draw up a bunch of grids for the next lot

I have tidied up a bit in the scraps and made more star blocks.... I now have 50 which will make up 2 reasonable size quilts.

For ages I have been meaning to make Trail Mix.  If I remember right Janice made this some years ago and I just loved it.  Free pattern found HERE

It does require some thinking of the blocks which I think is why I have been procrastinating.  Anyway I dug into my scrap boxes and smaller pieces of fabric.... I am not using just any scraps this time but have tried to put toning colours together.  Let's see how I do.....

Most evening I have been doing the crochet..... this is the Dune Blanket pattern by Lucy at Attic24 (but as you can see I am using one colour)  It gives a lovely texture.

Righto, Gotto Go.  I'm taking a few weeks break to spend time with family, and I don't expect any sewing will be done....

Sadly UK Grandie-boy isn't here yet - his flight was cancelled with the cyber attack at Heathrow..... hopefully he can rebook soon.

Have a lovely weekend.... catch you later.....

My place....

Michelle and I also visited Laurel Bank park which is full of beautiful annual flowers

Our garden is looking lovely too.  These plants have never flowered as heavily as this year so I think we had just the right amount of rains... plus my gardener works hard at it!

Clivia (I thought I had lost all the pale ones so happy to see this one in there)

Lime and pink.... great combo (not sure of plant names)

The May bush is looking gorgeous

The wisteria is just gorgeous..... so is the jasmine....

I was given an orchid a few years ago... it has done nothing since but look at what she is doing now.... I am so delighted with it.... 7 blooms and another 3 buds

The azaleas are doing their thing too

As I said never so full of flowers...

The week before I had managed to finish my Floral Fun top.  37" square and it is presently being quilted.  This is a SewAlong with Sunday Stitchers - great working to a timetable

Sewing with the girls on the previous Wednesday resulted in a couple more blocks of houses

and most of the top was put together.  I managed to sew the borders on yesterday so another quilt top done.  84.5 x 68" so a good size quilt.

Susan and I sewed along this one, she makes a great timetable to guide us... 

Righto, Gotto Go,  pleased to have a couple of tops made .....  I'm a bit occupied for a few weeks so not sure how much blogging I'll do..... but I'll be working on my crochet blanket

Have a lovely rest of the weekend...

Queens Park

After our trip to Laidley we came back for a Footy Finals that Widget was in.  As parking can be a premium (footy and park in the same area) we went early which worked in well as we could have a wander around one of the main parks.

This coming week is the main time we get visitors to the city and there is competition gardens as well as the parks.  

This one is Queens Park

Of course we had to have a picture on the butterfly seat....

The flower beds are just so full of colour.....

Michelle took some lovely pictures so I have 'borrowed' them....

The heavens suddenly opened up and we had to quickly find some shelter.  Stood under a tree and got hail and pouring rain (lucky we had umbrellas but that didn't help the rivers forming in the pavement)

We worked our way towards a toilet block where there was better shelter .... gosh it just really came down and was still raining when we made our way to the stadium and luckily found seats that were covered.

We did feel for the boys who were slipping and sliding, hard to see but there is big puddles at their feet.  They all got soaked and it was pretty cold.  Widget's team won but it was very close....  He went on to play again for the U17 (he is U16 team) and they won too... so 2 medals in one day.  A very pretty girl threw her arms around him so I guess he is moving on in life!!!

Got back home and had hot showers and a good sleep that night!

Righto, Gotto Go..... we have an English grandie-boy coming to work in Australia but will stay with us for a while... need to make up a room for him.... very exciting