Beginning of August ....

This week doors and windows were done....

We had this grated and gauzed front door - sliding glass door and a gauze door to keep the flies out in summer

We exchanged it with a stronger gauze without the grates - so you can see through it nicely.  It is both ascetically nicer as well as stronger and more secure.

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We added the strong gauze french doors in our bedroom which means we can have the door open in summer - and replaced a cracked window.  Been wanting to have it done for so long.

On the sewing side I made up a quilt for Community Quilting.... someone had made the segmented fans and donated them.  I appliqued them onto backgrounds using some navy bias binding and a blanket stitched quarter circle in the corner.  Then put the blocks and borders together....

So now it has gone in to get wadding and backing and then quilted etc....

This is a close up of the fans..... it's quite effective....

Hand work saw a few more framed hexagons done (they look the same as last time) and these two Sashiko style blocks....

Tomorrow we are going into Brisbane to see the Titanic show/experience....  my 2 times great uncle went down with it (maternal grandmothers uncle)  I have heard it is very well done.  

Then lunch and hopefully time for some curtain hunting as the new bedroom door is in the way of the blind.  Fix one thing and something else needs sorting.

Righto, Gotto Go .... have a great week...xx

4th week of July

 It has been lovely having a couple of warm winter days .... 

Over the weekend I put together my Asian Inspired fabrics top for the clubs Community stash....  I do like the look with the sage grey/green background.  Its up to someone else to find backing, wadding and get the quilting done (though sometimes I get to do that part)

On Tuesday at a friends house I got a few more framed hexagons done.....

... after finishing off this Sashiko style block ...

Now for a contraversial subject... brussel sprouts!  I find people love them or hate them......

I used to refuse this vegetable for many years - then a daughter suggested frying in butter with bacon and garlic.....

I love them this way now.... lunch yesterday!

Embroidery club yesterday saw another Sashiko style block done - very similar to the other one but less lines going to the centre .. I have done 62/365 now!!!

As you can see I am struggling to get my centres nice and neat and even stitching, however I think when they are all together it won't be too noticeable.  I am certainly not unpicking!

Clouds are over, a sprinkle of rain, and the wood fire is back on but I have some quilting to do ... but first some coffee!

Have a lovely rest of the weekend,.... xx

3rd week of July

This week has seen me make a start on putting together the blocks of the Asian inspired fabrics

There are 9 of these to make ....

One more sashiko style block was sewn... a little fiddly and rather messy ...

A start on the framed hexagons to join up the Field Journal blocks....

... and of course blocks of crochet gently continue....

I have signed up to a local lady doing dressmaking..... inspired by watching The Great British Sewing Bee.  I used to make quite a lot especially when my children were young.  However lost my confidence and lost my shape that fits into anything.  April helps make a pattern to fit.  Not sure I need another sewing hobby but I fancy it.

Righto, Gotto Go.... I'll get a couple more of those blocks together this afternoon...

Have a lovely weekend...x

Second week of July

And here we are half way through July!

WE have had a lovely few days at the coast with friends..... we ate out once a day, including one meal at a brewery,  looked at the ocean (cool wind so no toe dipping this time!), visited an Air Museum and had lots of laughs and chats....

I crocheted a few KOGO blocks whilst in the car.....

Last week at a machine sewing day with friends I continued with these blocks.  All the Asian inspired fabrics need to be bordered and this has been going on for a while.... Still more to do....  I have been doing these at Community Quilts each month but want to get them together soon.

I managed one Sashiko style mini block at Embroidery Group....

It seemed a busy week but craft wise not a lot got accomplished....

Righto, my tea is drunk and I have a donation quilt on the rack to be quilted....

Have a lovely week everyone....x

First week of July

FNWF on Friday thanks to Cheryll...

I did a bit of orange peel blocks and then worked on my crochet scarf..... I am about half way through now - have to use the pattern still for every row and it's a bit wobbly but fun....

The Blessings top is done, that pink border is all scallops so that took the most time for the border.... machine blanket stitched....

I will keep a look out for a suitable backing - but meantime it is waiting patiently....

This month's UFO is my Quilt As You Go blocks that I did as part of my Scrap Challenge last year .... but I gave up after 9 colours...

I have made them into 3 runners.... Quilt club sends off "Bed Brighteners' to some care places just to cheer up the rooms so I decided these could go there.

they were done as a monthly quilting challenge and each block is quilted differently and quite heavily - so wouldn't have been a snuggly quilt (in my opinion)

The yellow block was incorrect, so made a central piece (you can see the corners face differently to others).  I actually really like the block and think one day I will make a quilt of it...

Some more KOGO squares have been crocheted.  My eyes have been very tired lately, however the suggestion for eye drops and some new glasses have helped a lot!  I was surprised at how much I needed stronger lenses....

Hubby enjoys tinkling in his office with models for his time out at home and has just finished this Pirate Ship

It's been going for about 3 years, repairs, painting, gluing, knotting 

There is so much detail and really fiddly work.  A canon in each of those port holes ...

All those 'ropes' needing knots and cogs....

55 cm long .... I love looking at all the detail.... 

Now he is searching for another challenge...

Righto, Gotto Go, time for another coffee....  have a lovely week everyone....x

End of June

Once again I have no idea where the last month disappeared to.... I feel like I'm in some kind of time warp....

Eye test done.... new glasses needed (thank goodness for EOFY sales!) Skin test done - horrible cream treatment needed over the face!  Never mind the house renovations needed - it's a body renovation which is more urgent!!

When I'm at home I spend most of my time doing some quilting on the frame and then a bit of machine sewing when I need a sit down break.... Hand sewing/crochet is almost exclusively at night except on Tuesdays and some Thursdays when I am sewing with friends at club.  Some quilting on the frame takes a few weeks and other times it is done in a day. 

Embroidery Guild on Saturday saw two more Field Journal Hexagons sewn.....

Machine sewing time got me to work on this months chosen UFO - which was buttons I made last year for the rainbow scrap challenge ....

The button blocks are 3 1/2" finished... so it's pretty cute (well I love it a lot)

I had two spare buttons so I have bordered them and will make them up into coasters, or pincushions ..... 

I found a doona cover (new from the Swedish shop) that I think I will back it with .... lap quilt size

It's gone in a box to wait it's turn....

Tuesday was Quilt Group day at a friends house and 3 more Field Journals got sewn together....

That's all the embroidery hexagons done....

... next is a bunch of non embroidered framed hexagons to join it all together...

Embroidery Guild on Thursday I took my Sashiko style blocks and got these done....

I have rather neglected this project so hopefully will focus on it more this month....

The KOGO baby blanket is done so I will post this off next week.....

It's about 1m x 1.2 and I think it feels lovely... 

(the stripes are navy blue)

I really love my buttons!!!

Righto, Gotto Go.....

45th Wedding Anniversary tomorrow - we might go out for a pub meal ...... 

Have a lovely weekend......

Third Week of June

On the way to half the year done... and I can't say I have done half the projects I wanted to do!! 

This weeks crafting has included sewing face details......

I did these by hand embroidery 

Satin stitch and back stitch....

It does add some character to the faces....

Tuesday sewing I continued with sewing up hexagon flowers with Field Journal .....

5 more to go before I need to make the joining and border ones....

I put together the blocks for Blessings.... they had to be joined before adding the angel on top ... so that was done and she was blanket stitched around....

There is still a border to go which has a scalloped edge which will be blanket stitched and added on.

Happy with the progress this week... some crochet has been hooked - the blanket and the scarf are growing....

I do hope you have a lovely weekend.....xx