SSCS 2016 - Outgoing - The Main Present Edition...

December 25 is a long time away when waiting for SSCS (for everything else it zooms up way too quickly!)...but finally it arrived and Florence has opened her main present...a set to take cup/mug and cutlery to stitching (or other) happenings...and she has told me she likes it (whew!)...

 The present - main and some extra bits just because...

The set...

Mug/cup bag  

Mug mat to set her cup and biscuit on...

Fold in half and tie behind the cup...

Cutlery roll - pockets for cutlery and serviette... 

Roll up...

 

Sit in front of the cup... 

Don't forget tea in the pocket...

Ready to go...

Florence has cats and when I saw the cat fabric it meowed (very loudly and insistently) pick me!  I used iron on vinyl for the cup pocket for a bit of protection in case of a damp cup...and the fun floral fabric I picked up in Bendigo when I went on an Embroidery Guild bus trip a few weeks ago just because I liked it...it just happened to have the right shade of turquoise in the design so the cats wanted to play in the garden...gotta love serendipity :)

The bag pattern was from Red Brolly (mostly...I almost followed a pattern...almost), the mug rug I made up using an Anni Downes stitchery design from her "The Story of My Day" book and the cutlery roll I made up after seeing a friend's.

I'm always packing a cup/mug and cutlery to stitchy happenings and I thought maybe Florence was too so I hope she gets use out of the set.

Happy Stitching...

The Sleigh Landed - The Main Present...

During the stalk of Tonje's blog I found a kindred spirit...Dr Who! Combined with her love of mug rugs that sent me scurrying into the sewing room to create her very own...

 TARDIS!

The background/backing fabric reminded me of flying about in space/time

It was SO. Much. Fun. building a TARDIS...I just may need one for myself...guess I've just outed myself there (says the person streaming Dr Who on iView while writing the blog post!) *LOL*

Having started with an "extra" and with the ornament made that left the main present...what to make what to make...

Then I remembered a bag pattern from Jodie Carleton at a Daylesford Craft Experience event. The pattern stitchery detail wasn't matching the picture in my head...To The World Wide InterWebs and a Google image search!!!!...turning up the perfect embroidery design here. A rummage through the surprise filled "uncategorised could be anything" embroidery floss box unearthed a purple variegated, no label, could be cottage garden, threadworx or anything of that ilk, floss that yelled out rather loudly that it wanted to play along...

I kept the Work In Progress words and just replaced the pattern stitchery with the work basket design...

Work in Progress bag...I used stiff bag batting as Tonje does a bit of knitting and I wanted it to stand up so she could leave her yarn ball in the bag and knit away...and a black background with little squares of colours fabric for the lining for more interest than a flat black or solid colour fabric...

The whole parcel...I added a 2015 Calendar of Australian wildflowers...

I really enjoyed making these projects, I hope Tonje enjoys using them.

Now to wait for SSCS 2015! No pressure there Chooky! *LOL*

Happy Stitching

Kansas Troubles...

The other post I wrote a couple of weeks ago and then didn't get around to finishing...here goes...

An old UFO prepared for hand piecing on the train to/from work in the City (bear in mind here, haven't done that for coming up 8 years so who knows when it was prepared) was lost in the Overgrown Forest of Projects.  It made its way into the light about 12 months ago when, in order to move it from a bag of patches, I changed it to machine pieced. This meant much pinning and stitching line matching but the blocks went together nicely enough at the time and blocks were put together in three out of the four colourways.  With the final six blocks in the fourth colourway to be pieced it was then put aside again. A few weekends ago when it was raining and feral and definitely not the weather to put even a big toe of the door into the great outdoors I set to to finish up those final six blocks...and unlike the other blocks they did not co-operate...at all!

So, in the end, after spending an entire day on those errant six blocks, I abandoned the pattern layout, went one row less, so rectangular rather than square, and put the top together...

Kansas Troubles block table centre from Country Patchwork and Crafts magazine (only identified by the page header on the photocopy of the pattern with the patches, who knows from when or who by, so sorry but can't give credit)...

Those blocks weren't called Kansas Troubles for nothing...trouble they certainly did give!

I'm going to use remainder of the border fabric as the backing but as there isn't quite a big enough piece some piecing in of something else is required...when I get around to it.

I ditched one of the unco-operative blocks altogether but couldn't bring myself to throw them all out, they were wrong but still useable so...

Four into a top to become a placemat...

 And one a mug mat (coaster)...

A top, a basted sandwich and a finish...so not a bad tally for a wet and windy weekend...

Happy Stitching...

SSCS 2012 - Sent: The Main Present Edition...

As Christmas Day arrived and it was time to open the main present in Chookyblue's SSCS (Secret Santa Christmas Swap) Miche'le has opened all the presents I sent to her...

It wasn't all that easy to wrap!...

A very odd shaped arrangement.

Instead of a card I stitched a hanging tag...

And what was inside that strange shaped parcel?  Well, I had a plan which, even though I had chosen fabric and gathered all the ingredients, just couldn't get started, then Miche'le posted about a cloth doll she made mentioning she loves cloth dolls...that sent me scurrying into the sewing room to consult the bookshelves of magazine-y inspiration, the place of fabric procurement was especially visited the very next day and getting started was no longer an issue...presenting...Greta Jindi (Miche'le has named her Jindi, how lovely is that!) (based on Greta designed by Lynn Hyland of Li'l Blokes in Bendigo, the pattern published in Australian Country Threads Vol 2 No 4)...

And here she is showing off the design on her dress...

In the small parcels Greta took a couple of little "extras" along with her...a notebook cover using Melbourne fabric and holding a cute Marg Low notebook...

...a block of chocolate to help Miche'le keep her strength up during the Christmas rush and a Christmassy (but anytime really) mug/plate mat...the soap ended up being attached to the ornament present...(mmm...now that I look at the photo I think I picked up a different soap when I was wrapping, oh well, it's just the ribbon colour that is different)...

I hope Miche'le enjoys her presents and of course, huge huge thanks to the fabulous Chookyblue for hosting the best swap of the year...

Happy Stitching...

Christmas Angel Swap...What I Sent...

*Spoiler Alert: Holly as you haven't opened all your presents yet...look away now!

Early this year Karen from Mrs Martin's Quilt Shop proposed a Christmas swap with the year to prepare. In 2009 Karen hosted her first swap, Christmas in July, which was one of the earliest swaps I played along with. As with that first swap Karen provided a list of swap items. Some were specific and some not so much...fun!  The partners were assigned by early February with parcels to be mailed late November.  My swap friend Holly hails from a very warm area of the USA but loves winter, snow, snowmen...cold cold cold is her favourite kind of weather and, for her family, Christmas is celebrated for its meaning rather than the commercial trappings, Father Christmas and the like although she does love to decorate so I tried to bear those things in mind when I was making for her. I also tried to use patterns from Aussie designers. So, what did I send to Holly...(the headings are the items set out by Karen on the swap list)...

*A Christmas Postcard...

I used a piece of wintery fabric for the front and embellished the fabric print...quilted the hills and scattered seed beads all over for snowflakes...the first fabric postcard I've ever made, it was fun.

*A Christmas Decoration...

 

I choose the penguin stitchery from Natalie Bird's 'Tis The Season booklet (again, yep do like me this little book of patterns) to make this little hanging cushion.

*A Stitchery to fit a 4" x 6" frame...

I put mine in a frame.  I wanted something more personal than just finding a nice stitchery pattern and as Holly told me she really likes Waldorf dolls I thought that was a good basis to work from.  I found it interesting to research as I hadn't heard of this style of doll before and as Waldorf (or Steiner) dolls have no or very simple features I drew up this little design. Good thing they are simple dolls as I'm not exactly awesome at the drawing thing. Holly Days Closet is the name of Holly's blog.

*A Small Applique Wall Hanging...

I so enjoyed making the mini quilt from the applique panel that I received from the original Mrs Martin's Christmas in July swap that I searched out the magazine the pattern was from, yay for the magazine library in the sewing room, and made it from scratch for Holly.  I just love these trees.  I think I could make this little design up multiple times and never tire of it, it just lends itself to so many fabric/colour combinations for a different feel each time. Hand blanket stitch appliqued, machine pieced, beads for tree toppers and Christmas holly buttons to decorate and hand quilted with big stitch perle thread quilting (*hanger not included).

*A Candle Mat...

Pattern by Bareroots...given Holly's love of snow and cold the snowman model was the obvious choice.

*A Christmas Tag...

From a design by Vivian Robinson and featured in Homespun Vol 38, Vol 7 No 6.

*Something Sewing...

Holly is a voracious crocheter so rather than something specifically sewing I made a project bag based on the pattern in Anni Downe's Some Kind of Wonderful book using Melbourne (capital of my State) themed feature fabric and a little roll-up pocket to keep crochet hooks in - couldn't send it empty now could I *LOL*  I also attempted an amigurumi crochet tea cup pincushion.  Why a tea cup? The "something to nibble" will explain that choice.

I popped the crochet hook roll and tea cup pincushion inside the bag and then wrapped it in a fat quarter of pretty Australian bird fabric.  The next item of a starter kit also being themed to go in the project bag.

*A Starter Kit: include a piece of fabric, a button and some trim...

I purchased this little needlebook pattern from Karen's stall at the Monbulk Community Quilt Show back in March and then put the requirements together during the year.  The pattern is from a Victorian designer.

*A Santa Sack or Stocking...

As Holly doesn't do the Santa thing but she does like to decorate and she does like stockings I made her a linen Christmas Pocket using Natalie Bird's pattern and snowmen stitchery from her 'Tis the Season booklet.

*Something to Nibble...

Holly told me likes white chocolate but where she lives it is seasonal...what's with that?...so white chocolate Tim Tams seemed the logical choice to me.  She also loves tea, so to go with her Tim Tams, some yummy Tea Tonic tea to enjoy.  And of course a cuppa needs a mug/plate mat put your cup and biscuit on.

Holly chose silver over gold on the swap questionnaire so I wrapped each list item in silver tissue - except the project bag where I used fabric...

and then stuffed as many of the parcels into the pocket as I could fit, along with a cake of vanilla scented soap...

It was fun to have a box in the sewing room all year that I popped items in just for this swap.

Hope you enjoy what I put together for you Holly.

Happy Stitching...

Cushion Cover Swapping...

I joined in the Quilted Hugs Cushion Swap to make and swap a cushion cover...easy to send, no insert required!...I've been waiting for two things to happen before putting up this post...(1) hearing from my swappee that her parcel had arrived and (2) getting to a shop to buy a square cushion insert for the cover I received, after discovering my 17" insert is actually slightly rectangular at 17" x 16" and really didn't work at all for the lovely cover I received.

It seems my envelope is on a slow boat to where it has to get across the oceans as my swappee is international and as I did get to the shop for the insert I'm going to show anyway...

So...Part 1: Outgoing...

We had to nominate lounge, bedroom or outdoor and our preferred colours...my swapee, Geri, requested lounge, green, spring flowers.  Immediately I knew I wanted to use this fabric...

and along with that fabric visions of daffodils were dancing in my head...the fabric has no yellow in it...at all...not a speck...no matter how hard I tried I knew I wasn't going to be able to reconcile yellow daffodils and my fabric choice and the fabric won...time to move on to a flower that has colour choices including pinks...of course, tulips!...and finding this block meant I got to play with a few different greens as well...

I also sent a little mug rug...

Surprise!!...hexies!  I found this green springlike scrap in my scrap bucket and I wish I had more but there was just enough to make one 1" hexie flower...goodness knows where it came from, probably a rescued scrap from a friend or classmate that was destined for the bin...isn't it a fun fabric...

Part 2:  Incoming...

So what did I find in my mailbox?  I nominated lounge, blue and yellow and received this lovely cushion cover from Jan...

Jan also popped in a matching mug rug...for co-ordinated relaxing with a cuppa while reclining on my new cushion...

There was (important word in this sentence "was") a coffee bag and chocolate but they didn't survive until the photo shoot - he he.  Thank you so much Jan I really like what you made for me.  Did I mention that star and compass blocks are among my favourites!

And thank you to Sue for hosting this swap.  If you pop over to visit Sue she has pictures of all the swapped covers.

Happy Stitching...

Squilters Christmas Swap - Part 2...

So what did I send to Tracey over in Western Australia, my partner in the Scquilters Christmas Stocking swap (for an explanation of the swap see previous post)...?

First up Tracey also requested a stocking...

A closer look at the stitchery panel...

I've shown most of what I sent as I made things over the course of the year...realised way too late though that I didn't take photos of the things I included that weren't handmade, oh well, descriptions will have to suffice...

 Mug Rug...(there was a mug to go with this...not the pink one modelling)...

 Christmas Angel hanging cushion decoration...

 Digby Dog pincushion...(and a box of pins of course)...

Fun dog fabric on the back of Digby...

 Applique tea towel...

 Journal cover with fabric flower band...(with notebook and a lovely white metal peacock bookmark)...

 Scissor keep...(with pretty scissors and a beaded hanging scissor charm)...

 Hexagon thread catcher...

 Mini ponchette bag...(with a tape measure in a tin)...

 Hexagon needle book...(with sewing needles, a couple of skeins of embroidery floss and bobbins to wind the floss on)...

 Make-up purse...(with emergy boards...and a tube of hand cream)...

 Mug Bag...under the pinned fabric it says Tracey's...I forgot to take a photo without the name blanked out...oops!

 Button Life's Memories Together bag...

...there was also a photo frame and a container of lace, ric rac and buttons...and I attached a small Christmas decoration to the outside of almost every parcel (well until I ran out)...

Tracey she tells me she liked her goodies...

Happy Stitching...