A Saturday Play Day...

Had a great day yesterday...played at a workshop day with Lisa of Fig 'n' Berry Creations, put on by the Stawell Craft Shop...lovely friendly welcoming ladies, a day spent with buddy Shez and cute projects designed by the lovely Lisa...fabulous...So what did we do...we had a choice of these two cute patterns, both of which we received as part of the workshop...

Given my sewing room is 220kms east of my weekday abode I had asked general questions of the pojects so I could pack requirements last weekend before heading back for the working week...Christmas themed, one stitchery, one applique...easiest I thought to start the stitchery on the day...took all embroidery floss, a bunch of backgrounds and stabiliser, to make a decision on seeing the pattern...turned out the pattern includes pre-printed muslin so all needed was choose which thread and stitchery design...

I'm not a kit person but I really liked the stripped fabric Lisa used in the applique project but the shop had none of that one left on the bolt so I grabbed one of the applique starter kits...then there are Lisa's designs which are all so darn cute and tempting...a lovely display of her quilts and other projects...I was particularly taken with her designs with birdies...and this lovely pattern followed me home to add to the library...

All in all a fabulous day well spent...looking forward to seeing what the lovely Stawell ladies have to play at next...

Happy Stitching...

A Miniature Finish...

I managed to get an OPAM tick for July...

Using two orphan half square triangle foundation pieced strips that were left over from the Fairfax Sampler project that was abandoned and ended up as four miniature quilts...I had actually put it together months ago as part of the whole re-purpose of that project and it kept being pushed around the sewing table just needing me to decide the right shade of cream thread to add some hand quilting...but now it is off the table and on its little stand...

And the stand which has stood on the shelf for years (and it could be 10, I've lost track, since it was painted) waiting for a quilt to keep it warm is finally cold no longer...

Not a huge finish - at 5" x 13" - but finally not being pushed around the sewing table any longer...

Happy Stitching...

SQT 2015 Swap...

Back here I mentioned I joined in a swap...which involved two epic fails and one oh that works...well the group reveal day was 11 July (USA time so really 12 July our time)...oh the loveliness that was revealed on the day...the deal was to post a photo of the quilt you received...but I didn't get to join in...nope, my mail box was resolutely empty...no enticing parcel to open on the day...so all I could do was look from afar...very disappointing as I was excited to play along...

A check of the group database on the morning of the on-line show revealed my partner, P, had filled in that she had received her parcel - whew! Seems the posties could only manage one way!!

This is what I sent to P...

 

The quilt front

 

The quit back

 

Close up of the fabrics

 

All together now

The photo colours are a bit weird as I had to take the pictures in the flat in various weird lighting options before going to work so I could get the parcel to the Post Office that day to hopefully make its destination in time.  The bottom photo is probably closest to reality.  Entirely machined except for hand stitching down the binding (I know, me, entirely machined!)...I used a variegated green/brown thread to machine quilt in a grid with cream in the bobbin and it worked really well with the fabrics. I forgot to measure it before it left on its journey but I think it was about 16" square.

I found the backing fabric in the haberdashery in the town where I now work and as the colours went well with the fabric I had originally planned to use I thought it was a bit of fun for the quilt to take some Aussie with it to its new home in the USA.  As I would have had to pay for 400g of fresh air I added the little extras to justify having to pay for a 500g parcel when the quilt only weighed 100g...and Australia Post whinges that their service (ha that is a laugh!) isn't being used as it was...ah, people want to use it you are just making it way too expensive and 500g increments is just plain ridiculous!

Yesterday I finally received my parcel...post marked 2 July and carded 23 July...21 days from Maine, USA!!!...seems it took an unauthorised holiday and went via Canada!! The Canadian posties had written "try Australia" in texta under the address label and must have realised just how important it was as there was a Canadian express post sticker on the front - go Candian posties...and it was worth the wait as here was what was inside...

Isn't it lovely...thank you very much P, I love it.

Happy Stitching...

Nature's Journey - the June Final Report...

While bunkering down on the couch this morning hiding from the white crunchy (frost not snow) brrrrr world outside I finally managed to get the last stitch into the final of June's blocks...then the world went all blue and bright (apparently it's called sky & sunshine) so they went outside for photo time...

Two of the big blocks are somehow off centred but I'm choosing to ignore that...still some make-up blocks to do as I discounted some I didn't like along the way, decisions have been made and they'll be done soon-ish-ish...

Happy Stitching...

Nature's Journey - the interim June Report

I'm behind with Nature's Journey...here it is two weeks into July and I haven't managed to get June finished...nearly there but not quite...

Drat, the acorn one is upside down...ah well, you get the idea...

Fingers crossed for June to be finished before the calendar says July is over!

Happy Stitching...

One...Two...Three...Swap!...

So I joined a swap...haven't done a swap outside of the SSCS for ages...this one is part of a yahoo group for Kathy Tracy's Small Quilt Talk...make your partner a small quilt...good-oh...how hard can that be...apparently, very!...first the agonising over fabrics and patterns...couldn't make a decision...then...light bulb!!!...

First epic fail...

Start something else...Second epic fail...

Time was a-ticking...

Third time lucky...went together without a hitch...final stitch in binding last Thursday night...entrusted to Aussie Post this yesterday afternoon for its trip across land and water...

What? where's the quilt...well, I can't show that yet can I...that would be telling if my lovely swap partner happens to stop by...these are the pieces resulting from the epic fails...

Ha ha ha

(definitely not taken today...no blue sky happening lately)

Happy Stitching...

NJ Progress...and A Finish...

There's been precious little progress to speak of stitchy wise in May...the interludes of Sewjourn and the Geelong Quilt-In aside which were long standing arrangements or they wouldn't have happened...the month taken up with starting a new job and the resultant head spinning having not done the work type for a few years...the rusty brain cells needed going over with a Jex big time!...the job not close enough to commute so splitting time between home and a flat...too tired and brain dead to do much with a needle and thread amongst the remembering and the cleaning and the setting up...but I have managed this week to get the May SAL blocks ticked off...

I didn't feel a whole lot of love for these blocks...but they are done and spread in amongst the others I'm sure they'll be fine...and they are done!!!!...on to preparing the June blocks...

At Sewjourn I started a zippered pouch...today I remembered it was in the sewing bag just waiting for the final bit of machine sewing to finish it off...


Thimblestitch do you recognise the fabric? The green bundle you kindly gave-away on your blog last year...

three of the fabrics for the outside of the body and binding...

and another for the lining...Thanks again, I really like the fabrics in this little pouch...Made using Quiltsalott's tutorial, which K pointed us in the direction of.

After it's something on the board for OPAM for June...finally something to report!!...

Happy Stitching...