What i worked on yesterday.

I spent another day yesterday at the machine putting together another UFO. I decided i need a rest today from the machine & will do some hand work. Here is what i put together yesterday.

The redwork version of Anne's A Tisket A Tasket.

Happy Stitching,

Flower Day.

On reflection i wasn't happy with the spread of blues through the Flower Garden top or the fact it was ending in a 9 bloom row. Out came the scrap basket & i made another 10 blooms last week. This addition gave me room to spread the blues a bit further around as well as making the last row a 10 bloom row.

 

Those 2 flowers there are purple. Found the cute apple print fabric & thought it would look good in amongst the blooms.

 Last night i finally got a chance to sew more hexagons to the 2 rows i'd done weeks ago.

Side view &

long view. I think i'll be making half flowers to add to the rows of 9 blooms. or maybe edge the top with more of the stepping stones. Any suggestions?

Happy Stitching,

What i've been working on

It's been a busy couple of days for me. I traced out Shell's lovely 12 of hearts BOM. I hadn't used Valdani threads before & at first wasn't sure if i'd like them but i love them. They are beautiful threads to work with.

All 3 done. Ready for the next block.
Monday & today i spent at the sewing machine putting together 2 BOM's from 2009.

I put Anne's A Tisket A Tasket together. It still needs a border fabric. When i was buying the sashing, cornerstone & first border fabrics i couldn't find anything suitable. Hopefully i will soon as i'd really like this UFO out of the way. Now to put the redwork version together. I think that will be tomorrow's project.

This is today's effort. Jenny's Shabby Rose BOM.

As i was putting it together i realised i'd stepped out of my comfort zone with this one. These colours & fabrics aren't normally my style. Not sure how i feel about it yet. I'm hoping it will grow on me. :)

Happy Stitching,

Another finish & some goodies

When i got out the pattern & fabrics to start stitching the Christmas wreath i found another little Christmas pattern i'd traced out at the same time but had forgotten about. I stitched it up but wasn't sure just what to do with it. If i'd found it when i made the bag up earlier this year it could've been a pocket on the other side. I though about another bag but didn't really want one & then inspiration hit me. I quickly traced & stitched another Christmas tree. I had hoped to have my creation finished by last Friday but alas i ran out of time. Yesterday i spent cutting, sewing & putting together this:

A little runner.

 At the local shops the other day i went into one of the cheapie stores looking for a box to put all my bits of ribbons, ric rac, ect into. They had new stock in so the box i found doesn't match all my other boxes. :(  But i do like the one i got.

They have these "travel" looking ones in all different sizes. I even discovered chests there looking like this. I wanted to get one but as i was walking that day i didn't want to try & carry it home. Hopefully they'll still have stock when i'm down there with transport.

This gorgeous hat box also came home with me. Not sure what i'll use it for yet but i'll think of something :)

I ordered some Valdani threads from Shell & they arrived the other day. These are for her 12 of hearts BOM & these 3

are for her gorgeous patterns i bought a while back. :) Shell included some of those yummy chocolates again with a delicious teabag. I'm spoilt. :) Thanks Shell.

I spotted these cute black cat embroidery snips on a blog a fair while ago & set about hunting a pair down. I ordered them about a month ago after finally deciding that "yes i do need them" but due to delays they only arrived last week. I think i may just about have a pair of scissors for all the projects i have on the go. Lol.

Happy Stitching,

Xmas item & another finish

Today is 1 Xmas item a month day & i just made it. :)

I've been wanting to make this ever since Vicki had it on her blog quite a while ago. Now i can cross it off my "to do" list.
My other finish after several years is the table topper that matches the runner i finished a few posts ago.

The embroidery patterns were put out by Crabapple Hill many years ago. The shops that had them created their own versions of a tabletopper out of them. I liked this version the best of what i seen at the time & i loved the fabrics that went with the kit.

Just a couple of close-ups of the patterns used for the embroidery. See i told you i love anything to do with teacups, teapots, jugs & sugar bowls. :) Excuse the wrinkles. Photographed it straight of the line from drying. Lol. I was concerned to with this topper as i discovered a few stains on it when i went to quilt it. Luckily they seem to have some out in the wash.

Happy Stitching,

Some Finishes

One little project i finished over the weekend has only been waiting about 5 month to finish. I did the embroidery, cut the squares & that is where i stopped.  After seeing a post from Joy showing her stitchers cushion finished i was inspired to finish mine. Had a few difficulties because the pattern isn't big on instructions but i got there in the end. :)


Garfield thought he need to inspect the end product but looked away as i took the photo.
The other project i finished i a little bunny to be sent off to ?????? for the Easter swap i’m in. Hope her new owner likes her.

Today i worked on more UFO’s. Hopefully will have them completely finished tonight. Well 1 will be the other i'’ve decided to do some hand quilting on as the flowers & leaves were a bit awkward to machine quilt around.
Happy Stitching,

Flower Day

 All i've managed for the last 2 weeks are 6 1/2" hexagons & 1 1/4" hexagon. Only 1 baby as i've run out of papers. I'm trying to decided whether to remove them or not. I'm thinking i may leave them in sew the flowers all together & just frame the piece behind glass. Save fiddling with them tiny hexagons & trying to remove papers without ruining my blooms. :)

 The 6 by 1/2" blooms &

 The lucky last 1/4" bloom.

I've not progressed far with making my 1" hexagons into a top. I did realise though that i can't have rows of 10 all the way through. I'll need to either make 1/2 hexagon flowers for every 2nd row if i want the top to be square or just leave them out & every 2nd row will be just 9 flowers. I'll decide on that when i get another couple of rows sewn together. I got a surprise the other day. I thought i'd gathered up all my 1" hexagon flowers when i started to sew them together. I store them in a little chest of drawers & i have one of the drawers out as i'm using it to store the stepping stones. I was chatting to my son the other day & we were standing near the chest of drawers when i happened to look in the bottom drawer. Imagine my surprise when i found a large pile of 1" flowers stacked in the drawer. So glad i found them before i'd gotten too far into sewing the top as i discovered i'd actually made more blues then any other colour. Last night saw me laying all the hexagon flowers out on the floor so that the greens & blues were evenly spread out over the top. At least now i know what the top will look like. :)

Happy Stitching,

Yummy Goodies for Me!!!!!

Yesterday the lovely postie delivered to me a parcel i was expecting from Shell. I opened it to discover the patterns wrapped up so lovely i didn't want to open it at first. Also with the patterns was a little bag containing a teabag & chocolates. Thanks Shell. The chocolates were a little soft from the hot weather but nothing a stint in the freezer couldn't fix. :)

I will try the tea later on when i've time to sit down with a book & eat the chocolates then. :)
These are the beautiful patterns i bought from Shell.

I love heart patterns & Bunny patterns. This one combines the 2. :)
Today the parcel man also made a delivery.

The Lecien Basics i need for making Vignette In Stitches.
Yesterday i emailed Cath to get some more Cottage Garden Threads & this morning she told me the ric rac to match the threads was in. Well Cath just dropped by with my threads & the ric rac. So tempting to buy all the ric rac its so gorgeous. I bought some of course, who wouldn't at $11 for 5 metres of ric rac.

All the threads i needed for projects &

the ric racs. All so yummy.

Happy Stitching,

Stitchery

I don't usually get on the computer at night as that is my stitching time. I'm so glad i did last night as Paula posted the next stitchery for Home Sweet Home. I wouldv'e missed the posting otherwise as i'll be away from the computer a couple of days. I quickly traced it out & then stitched it up.

Cute "O" with a flower.
Happy Stitching

Fabric, Mail & Finishes

Last week whilst in Ipswich i went to Bargain Box hunting for fabrics to finish "A Tisket, A Tasket BOM" from 2 years ago. I also needed to fabric shop for my Easter swap & i also wanted to get fabrics to make up the Love Cats pattern. I had to buy 2 lots of fabric for the baskets as i not only did the applique version of the baskets but also the redwork as well.

These are what i bought for the applique baskets but i couldn't find a border fabric i liked or that matched.

These are for the redwork version. Easy to buy fabrics for that version. :)

These are for the love cats.

Fabrics i chose for my Easter swap. I bought enough of the homespun to make my girls rabbits as well. The lady i'm making the rabbit for likes pink.

These arrived this week in the mail also. Another gorgeous bag from Bronwyn.

And another purse pattern .:)

I spotted the rabbit candle mat on a blog somewhere & i liked it so much i just had to have the pattern. Whilst searching the Bareroots web site i found the little chicken candle mat which i thought i would make for Easter.

My first UFO finish for March. The stitchery is by Crabbapple Hill but a lady here in Australia designed the runner which also goes with a matching tablecloth. Stitcheries for it are also Crabapple Hill but the cloth was designed by the lady who i bought the kit off. And no it's not finished either but will be next week as it's next on my UFO to do list.

I love teapots, teacups ect so i couldn't pass by doing this.So sweet with all the gorgeous flowers.

My 2nd finish. This tabletopper was also designed by the lady who did the runner. Those tiny spots are very small suffolk puffs that are then gathered up. I had to make over 20 of them. So tedious them being so small. This is the topper i was trying to finish last year but had trouble figuring out how she put the binding on. Once i hit upon what she was talking about it was very easy to do. Not sure i'd ever like to do that again though.

This arrived in today's mail. Fat 1/4 pack of Me & My Sister Favourites to make Vignette in Stitches. The other fabrics i need will arrive in next weeks mail. Can't wait to get started. I'll have to hurry up & catch up with everyone else since Vignette 2 is out.

Happy stitching

Mail

I recently saw from Jennifer that her new book was due out so a check of my favourite book store was in order. I discovered that they had it in stock. Guess what arrived yesterday? This:

I haven't started reading it yet which is unusual for me but i'm in the middle of reading a book by another of my favourite authors. Can't wait to get into this book. It's set back in the times of the Civil War - Sylvia's ancestors are all in this one. Next find in the mail was this:

Perri let me know last week she had stock in so i quickly ordered it & it was posted to me Friday.
Leanne has a hexagon quilt in this book that i might have to look at making. She has little embroidered hexagons to join the flowers together. Just my thing. :)

Happy Stitching,

Morning Tea with the Nutters.

Yesterday saw me up bright & early ready to travel to Cleveland to met the "Nutters". My son kindly offered to be my driver & had me there at the designated time of 9:30. He's a good boy. :) Rang Joy to check i was at the right spot as i couldn't see any cars & having never been to the pub where we met because of the rain i wanted to be sure i was in the right place.
After confirming with Joy i walked around the back where i met Fee, Dawn & Vicki.

I think there was 21 ladies in all including myself & the Nutters. They came from the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast & areas in between. Pat was holidaying on the Gold Coast from Narromine & she came along to visit. Not all the ladies had blogs. Some of them are members of a craft forum. You can find a link for it on Vicki's blog.

Our Yummy morning tea. Oh look Jenny is lying down amongst all the food. Did you eat to much Jenny?

Vicki giving a speech. And the best news is next year they are meeting in Tasmania & having a retreat. Can't wait for that one.Starting to save my $$$$ already. :)

Our  lovely Nutters :Joy, Dawn, Fee holding Jenny & Vicki.

Fee gave us all this pretty bundle of fabrics. Thankyou again Fee. Then i got another surprise,

The lovely Vicki gave me this gorgeous pinwheel. Thankyou again Vicki.

Thanks again girls for the fabulous morning. It was so lovely to have met you all.

Happy Stitching