I Lost the Fight...

The fight not to start any new large projects until I've liberated fabric from ones already on the go that is...but...

I've been fighting the urge to start one of this year's Summer School projects since I returned from Blackheath...last night I lost the argument with myself...*sigh*...

Hexies ready to be stitched into rosettes for the first round...and order placed for papers required for the rest of the quilt...

I found $10/metre fabric for this quilt's wide borders from one the shops in attendance at Summer School (and nope can't remember which one) and then I found three of their $5.00 scrap bags which worked just nicely with that fabric - bargain!  Other fabric needed will be scrounged from the on-site Fabric Emporium...such fun playing mix and match with fabric...

Happy Stitching...

Oh Good Grief...And Now It's February Already!!!...

And I'm up to blog post number 2 for the year...this is not a good start....good thing it is the beginning of February so I've got all month to get caught up (yeah like that is ever going to happen).  Aside from anything else it proves that I've managed to achieve very little in the sewing room for weeks and weeks...there was of course the quilty adventure to Blackheath, but aside from that I could probably count stitchy days on my fingers without the need to remove socks and include toes...so in an effort to get back into the whole stitchy bloggy thing (reading and commenting went out of the window as well)...here is what I made in January (I'm a bit late for OPAM reporting oh well)...

...felt serviette rings (no sewing required)...the serviettes are still under construction because apparently it is way hard to stitch around two squares of fabric!

I have managed in the last week to get some actual stitchy progress made on My Favourite Things quilt for the Some Kind of Wonderful Stitch-A-Long...

I had an hour to spare Sunday morning last week before going around to the fire station for Sunday stuff and got the itchin' for stitchin' on this project and I was certainly not going to ignore that itchin'...it was time to act...I've left the project box in the lounge in full view all week and it has resulted in the applique part of the blocks getting underway.  Sure, the stitchery part isn't done, there is a bit missing from the suitcase (the name tag label...oops! seems I forgot to include that bit when preparing the block) and the patty cakes need their cherry decorations but hey, it's a start and not too shabby for a week that also included two new working environments!...


The take-a-long project for craft group/friendship group when I've actually managed to go in the last few months has been the snowball borders for Bumb'le Bee.  One border was completed and stitched on in Karen's class at Summer School (it is one of her quilts).  Today between one job and the next I went to Monday Group for a while and managed to get the second border almost stitched on, I was about two snowballs from the end when I had to leave for the next job...guess what took priority when I was home from work for the day...the second border is on!

The project box for this one is also sitting on the lounge room coffee table mocking me and it seems that has worked...OK it probably helps that my working circumstances have changed again and is currently more regular hours with much less travel (well as from last week anyway - let's see how long it lasts!) so I'm not getting as tired and I have the head space and energy to stitch.

I'm trying the same methodology with my TAFE assignment, so far the mocking hasn't been loud enough but it really does need to start yelling as it is due at the end of the month...gulp!...mmm, maybe the stitching isn't going to be centre stage for a few weeks yet.

Happy Stitching...

Finally...A Post in 2012...

Well, it seems that January is almost over...mmmm...precious little stitching activity has happened in my January. Well there has been progress on Some Kind of Wonderful...it is still progress of the whole quilt preparation kind that really is not photo worthy...but otherwise so little stitchy activity that I caught the sewing room and blog in a little tete-a-tete about whether or not to just give up and wander off they were feeling so neglected.  So first off...Happy 2012...hope January has treated you well so far.

After much anticipation the time finally came for a little stitchy R & R...a lovely few days in the Blue Mountains (a short 11 hour drive across the border in New South Wales)...ah, just the ticket...five days in good company catching up with fellow retreatees, eating, drinking cuppas, talking, stitching, eating, drinking cuppas, talking, picking up stitchy tips, eating, drinking cuppas, talking, shopping, eating, drinking cuppas, talking...yes, mostly I think I did the eating, drinking cuppas, talking bit but I did do some stitching...

A block from a pattern of Susan Smith's, Sparrow's Nest...I was obsessed with using 1930s repros but didn't want to make the whole quilt that I signed up for in 30s...so in an effort to get that obsession out of my system I did the one block thing...and now I"m happy and can make the other quilt in "more appropriate for its design" fabrics...eventually, no rush.

Other than working on this block (this retreat is all hand stitching no sewing machines in sight - yay!) there was a little progress on a couple of my under construction Karen Cunningham designs, Bumbl'e Bee which now has one snowball border actually sewn on and the second almost constructed and a start made on preparing the patches for the coffin border for Anna...my objectives for the weekend and ones that I met...

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...

Scquilters Christmas Swap...Part 1

This year I participated in a swap through Scquilters (Southern Cross Quilters, a yahoo group for Australian and New Zealand quilters - we quilt under the Southern Cross down here) which started in January and ran for the whole year.  The idea was to make your partner a stocking (or bag or sack depending on their preference) and one or two presents each month to go in said stocking (or bag or sack) - all to be squirreled away and opened on Christmas Day.  My partner was Tracey in Western Australia (who as far as I know doesn't have a blog) and this is the gorgeous stocking she made me and the pile of pressies waiting under the tree...

The swap hostess Shaaryn had us fill out a questionnaire - and a very comprehensive questionnaire it was too - and then we were partnered up in a direct swap so we were able to communicate with each other during the year.  When Tracey asked me if I minded a red and white stocking I smiled and said no problem - my footy team is red and white! (Go Swans).  When the stocking arrived I almost couldn't believe it, Tracey had managed to embroider my snowman on the front!!  You see, I have this snowman ornament which I've had since babyhood (so yes, it is very old now)...um, actually, snowman is a bit of an overstatement, it is his head...yes it is old and tatty and nope I am not getting rid of it...I refuse to do away with my snowman, he goes up the top of my tree each year...it was like Tracey had seen my ornament and used it for her inspiration...

It's a bit dark under the tree so here is a better picture of the stocking...

And inside all those packages....a veritable treasure trove of goodies...

A book of fun small quilty projects...a lovely Crab-apple Hill quilt pattern (I love Crab-apple Hill designs)...a kit for an origami bag, how gorgeous is that blue fabric!...a roll of fat sixteenths of fun blue/green/brown contemporary fabrics...a fat quarter of yummy fabric with absolutely perfectly matching Rajmahal Art Silk thread skeins...a pretty tin filled with an assortment of buttons hiding a quilters tape measure...

..stop for a breather...and...

Stitchy gadgets and notions galore...quilters tape...reverse sewing tool (seam ripper)...yo yo maker...pretty scissors (I am always drawn to these scissors in the shops and now I have a pair!) on a retracable fob...machine quilting grips...quilting needles...a measuring gauage (something I've not seen before and most intriguing)...and a wooden needle holder (something I have always wanted and never been able to justify buying myself and in a favourite wood too!)...

But wait there is still more!....

An apron and two Christmas kitchen towels...lovely...

Think I've finished? Huh, you'd be wrong!!

A picture insertable travel mug (I'll have to make up a photo collage for this)...a pretty chenilled mug rug...tissue holder...tote bag of the cutest fabric...a fun small suitcase which I just love...a clever candle holder (which the firefighter in me can't use as a candle holder being fabric, sorry Tracey - so I'm calling it a pincushion with storage space) and the last parcel I opened contained the sweetest little knitted teddy bear, he really is absolutely adorable.

A better look at the candle holder/pincushion with storage space ('coz I think it is clever).  Isn't the dragonfly charm just gorgeous...

And just because he really is a sweetie...just look at that face!...

Thank you so much Tracey...I was beyond spoilt...I love love love it all...and thank you also to the swap organiser Shaaryn who did a whole heap of work and made it happen...

I'll be back later with what I sent to Tracey...

Happy stitching...

An Angel To Watch...

...Over my sewing room...

This Angel has come to live at my house...she visited with me on Christmas Eve but wasn't ready to stay...yesterday she came to stay...isn't she gorgeous...I have a spot picked out in the sewing room...thank you Mistea for my Sewing Angel...

With work (normal people wind down at this time of the year, my workload ramped up!) and visitors (got to get some socialising in there to take the edge off the working stuff) I hadn't had a chance for a photo shoot of all my lovely presents from the Scquilters Christmas Stocking Swap that I got to open on Christmas Day...as soon as I got home from work this evening I went straight in and took photos so once they are organised I will be back to share those goodies...

Happy Stitching...

SSCS 2011 - The Big Reveal...What I Received...

Finally...the time came and the parcels could be opened...wahoo!!!....and what was in these pretty packages...

 The most gorgeous table runner, a fun NZ printed tea towel and pretty Christmas stickers and pen...

Thank you Nicky!...love love love it...the table runner fits perfectly on top of my grandmother's glory box but it is too dark today to get any light in that corner of the room so I had to use the kitchen table for the photo shoot....and the centre photo makes the runner look quite green but in fact it is latte and raspberry...the light here today is less than Aussie summer-like so the colours are not being picked up in their true beauty...it is in fact, gorgeous...

Happy Stitching and we hope you had a Merry Christmas from me and the dog (yes Jindi you are a dog, you are too, stop arguing you're a dog...darn dog!...)