Redlands Quilt Extravaganza

To cut a long story short - today should have been a sewing day with Sunday Stitchers...but three of us (De Cheryl & I) ended up at the Redlands Quilt Extravaganza at Cleveland.

There was so much to admire and get inspiration from....

Lots of photos coming...lots...

This is a variation on a one block wonder...always wanted to do one of these:

and a close up

 This one had a very interesting border... 

 Can't resist trees ..

 This was great - could only get a close shot

The quilting was fabulous

 I took this one for Chooky - the chooks are machine embroidery

 This was fairly small - but such a variety of embroidery stitches

This is a Nikki Tervo pattern - stitched circles on a jelly roll race quilt - not such a good shot but a wonderful quilt - would look equally good using another fabric in place of the stitched circles.

 This was an interesting border on a Lucy Boston quilt

Here are a few quilts by Lynne Williams - she had quite a few quilts on display.  I met Lynne many years ago when I went to a creative arty group - it stopped after a while - just as I was getting into it - but I admire this woman's talent immensely.
She has had a serious cancer scare and some of her quilts reflect what she went through in relation to the illness and her treatments.   Very moving.

 And I thought this was also very clever

 some interesting quilting

 Love the Amy Butler adaptation

 Jeanette - I took this one for you!

 De, Cheryl and I examined this one very closely - it is based on Bonnie Hunter's Maverick Star - but comparing this one to the original - I love this one so much more...Although it is "wonky" it is structured wonky - only the points are "off kilter" - what a great scrap quilt and a great group project . . .we thought . . . 

This is a close up of the stars:

You can see what I mean about structured . . .I hope

 It must have been the day for Wonky as we also spied this one - wonky flying geese:

So many new projects to start . . .so man old ones to finish first...??
Thanks for your company De & Cheryl - it was a great day

Sad we didn't get a sewing day - but we did have a ball.

Quilt Show @ St Johns Enoggera

Maria - a sewing and blog friend from way back goes to this church, so I thought I'd go along to look at the Quilt Show - I meant to buy some raffle tickets in the hope of winning one of her gorgeous throws - ooops - I forgot!!

But I did spy a few quilts I liked in the display.

This one - mainly because I have this panel and this is such a great way to make it up:

 And this one - of course - for the purple and the butterflies

This has been a favorite of mine for ages:

 And I thought this was very interesting too.

Since I left that quilt show - Sunday plans have been changed and I'm off to the Redlands Quilt Extravaganza  tomorrow - more quilts to drool over - more retailers to keep happy.

FNWF - July

And another month rolls by - and as usual I joined a group of cyber friends to sew the night away...its a bit difficult to sew when you are falling asleep in the comfy recliner - so I shuffled off to my Sewing Space and put this one together for the SAL.
It was mostly done - just had to add the squares around the block...then change them because I didn't like my original choice of big squares -  oh well that is why they invented unpickers!

Thanks to Cheryll and all the cyber sewers - great motivation to get sewing.

Tweeny Weeny pin cushion

At Chooky's Chookshed party the girls made a tiny pincushion - you can check out some of  them here....Chooky was kind enough to send me the link to the pattern...I just had to make one...it finishes at about 21/4".  Perhaps an exercise in fiddliness.

I think it took longer to decide on the fabrics and cut them than to make it - although a VERY useful tip from Chooky was to cut the strips 3/4" wide instead of 1/2" - and the ones that should be 3/4" - at least 1".  I filled it with walnut shells to give it some weight.

Next time though I think I will draw it onto a very fine vilene and leave it in - removing the paper was a tedious part of the exercise.

One quick project finished....I have a collection of 'almost finished'   .... I need to get myself organised....

Gail Pan "Seasons" - Block 1

Finally a post that isn't FNWF or FNSI

Progress on my lazy daisy flowers...all my stitchery blocks have become block1.
Today is a day off work for me - and although I had some errands to do - I thought I'd do a bit on this block when I could during the day  I had a few of the units already assembled but still had cutting and sewing to do...one thing lead to another and the block is done.

I still occasionally have moments of "why am I doing this?" - but I do remember I loved the shop version - so grabbed the kit when it went on special when the shop was closing.
Now that I have a finished block I am happy with it.

FNSI time again - the months seem to fly by and when you have these regular meetings it just highlights how quickly a month can go.
Thanks to Wendy again for keeping us all going.


Tonight I worked on my Gail Pan "Seasons" stitcheries....so many lazy daisy flowers (grrrrr) - I was hating them - but I found a lovely variegated perle 8 thread DMC 4504 which I am using for those annoying flowers. I have them as good as I can get them now.

I also did a bit of plain crochet for a block for the blankets for "Knitting for Brisbane's Needy" group.

I found another great quote from Summer on Blossom Street -#6 in the Debbie Macomber Blossom Street series books.

"Watching a complex stitch pattern grow as I knit 

silences the voice in my head that tells me to sweep the floor.  

I imagine dust bunnies are knitting themselves together under my chair".

- Substitute "sewing" for knitting for sewing and she is spot on!!

Hope all my cyber sewing buddies had a fun & productive night - I will try to visit some of you over the coming week.

See you next month.

FNWF & the Chookshed Party

Friday Night

I joined 29 other ladies for Cheryll's FNWF.  and sewed and crocheted and cut & prepped.
You can go here to the Linky to catch up on everyone else.

Crochet:

To while away time when I am a passenger in the car (mainly to and from work 4 days a week) I have been knitting 10" squares to give to a friend Maria who makes the squares into blankets for the needy.
Whilst I enjoy knitting - I thought that crocheting would probably be a quicker method so I've started a block.  It's certainly quicker - though not as easy to do in the dark in the car.

Cutting and Prepping

After I found the last purplish fabric that I needed during my Victorian Road Trip - I now have the sections ready for my Little Patchwork Village quilt.
I hope to be able to cut the stitcheries on Sunday and start making the blocks.

Saturday / Saturday Night

Group #1 Sewing Day - so I sewed some more.   So I will clock that up to the Chookshed Party. (Click on the link to see the list of virtual attendees and what they worked on.)

This is a Gail Pan pattern called Seasons - I bought a kit for it - most unusual for me - when it was on sale at a local shop that was closing down - it must be 3 or 4 years old by now.
I have changed the fabric for the background so that I can do all the stitcheries and then put the blocks together.
This is so outside my normal colour way....I am already thinking its a bit dull.   It might just end up as one block.  I might just re do the whole block...who knows???

Sunday?

Hopefully some more cutting & sewing.

I hope all the Chookshed party people are having a ball - and all the cyber attendees are happily sewing along too.

Big Weekend

I had a BIG F.A.R.T.ing weekend last weekend...
(look here to see what I mean about F.A.R.T.)

and I haven't had a chance to blog about it yet.

Here is another big weekend - no F.A.R.T.s this time - a lot of sewing...well that is the plan!!

Tonight is FNWF and fortunately DH will be watching AFL leaving me free to have a quick meal and then I can sew.
Saturday is sewing day with Group 1
AND The whole weekend is Chooky's Chookshed party

I'm sure Chooky would love to have you join in the cyber fun - just click on the link above.

No idea at the moment which WIP or UFO I will work on...there might be a couple I could choose from...

Enjoy your weekend - Happy Sewing

FNSI - May

I think this post should be "Friday Night Recovery"

Friday, I had a FART - a Fabric Acquisition Road Trip!!!

Off to Toowoomba -  to meet Chookyblue, Fiona & Kris plus another sewing buddy Maree.

After a wet and very foggy drive up the range, I met the others in a lovely cafe - on a sunny day it would be lovely looking out at Queens park - today you could barely see across the road . .
Much chatting over a coffee..... as you would expect.
Then off for a short drive - we were heading to patchwork shops - but we met up in a car park somewhere (???) and travelled in 2 cars to the shops.  I was wondering if anyone looking on wondered what would make us all congregate in an almost unused car park and then take off . . .Oh well - their problem...not mine.

I did acquire some fabric . . .and a few other bits . . .

but it all has a purpose/project.... no more buying just because I like it.   (so far this year I have almost stuck to it! LOL)

After all that hard work - some design decisions had to be made for some other purchases - we enjoyed a small lunch, then a farewell to all and off down the range in even more rain and no less fog.

DH & I then went out for dinner - we had a voucher that had to be used by the end of the month.
Finally home to unpack purchases, plus a few other items I collected . . . .

A busy but very enjoyable day.

Got to love bloggy friends.

Quote of the day - maybe a lifetime!

I am currently reading the Blossom Street series.  I have read #1 before, but am re-reading it before I start the rest of the series.

The story is about a lady who opens a yarn shop and there are quotes throughout the book.  
 I earmarked this one:

If you can count the number of projects you have going, 

you need to begin another, 

so you have a varied range of complexity, 

from the very simple 'mindless' ones to those that demand undivided attention.

Laura Early, lifetime knitter.

I have no idea who Laura Early is - but I am not going to argue with her.

For those interested: the Blossom Street series is written by Debbie Macomber