FNSI - September

The year is flashing by...how is that "To Do" list going??

Along with other cyber buddies, Friday night saw me stitching on my Pretty Little Sydney...again...it's getting there - hope to tick it off by the end of December.

There is a LOT of water to go...

Thanks Wendy for another fun night!!!

Perfectly Pleasing Pincushion Parade

I saw on Fiona's and then on Maria's blog that there was a

"Perfectly Pleasing Pincushion Parade" happening, so I thought I would join in too.

Both Fiona & Maria showed some lovely pincushions and how they use them all.  

Here is my collection.

I store a lot of mine in a small bird cage.  I have cat who would love to not only play with these - but is likely to eat them...so I keep them out of reach.. Even if he didn't eat them, he will pull the pins out and chew off the tops.

This is my oldest pin cushion....Dates back to around 1983/84 I think.  I went to a class to learn how to make bullion roses...the instructor's pin cushion was so beautifully done - I paid her to make me one.  It is full of horse hair - like they used to use in furniture.  I used it for many years.

Two Anni Downs designs - the flower gifted from my bestie, and the turtle because "everyone" was making one.

This collection were all gifts from friends in Loose Threads.

This lovely cat was gifted to me by my late aunt...made by a member of Buderim Craft Cottage....too lovely to stick pins in..

I won this as part of a giveaway from Val Laird.

Two pincushions from the SAL in 2014 - run by Chookyblue.

The simplest one of all - used to be beside my machine - it's filled with rice so its nice & heavy.

Another one I made because "everyone" else was making one...

And another one gifted to me - this is from Teresa in Sunday Stitchers.

Now my favourite (sorry to all the other gifters...) is this one.  It's large, its heavy so its stays where I put it and was made as a swap gift in the Nundle Girls Day in the Country 2016 by Dawnie...Thanks again Dawnie.

And my most recent - not a pin cushion, but a "Pin Holder"-  is this one...it's very easy to use as it has a magnet inside and the pins just "fly" onto the magnet.

I also have a few Sewing Caddy things - that include pincushions and if I didn't have that pesky cat, one would be sitting on the arm of my recliner. I made the black & white one to match a lot of my sewing gear - I take it to sewing days when I take the machine.  I made the pink one for a competition - the others were gifts.

This is the competition one...  

(Thanks to Faeries in My Garden for the photo)

The competition was hosted by Faeries in My Garden in 2009.  It was based on a TV remote control holder pattern and I turned it into a Sewing Caddy.   And I won!!!
You can read about it here.http://www.faeriesinmygarden.com.au/Gift-of-the-Month/240/

When I first read the posts by FIona & Maria I thought my post would be quite short...because I didn't really have many....but I think that is maybe not the case at all.

I also have these.

FNWF - September

September already??? Where is the year going?

Friday night saw a change of pace... back to my "Pretty Little Sydney" cross stitch.....working on the sky behind the Bridge.  Not much concentration needed..the hard part is done.

Thanks as always to Wendy for hosting & coordinating.  Thanks to all the cyber buddies for joining in - go here to see the link up.

August Finishes - OPAM & Sew Its Finished

One would think that having been off work for almost 2 weeks and being on retreat for 5 days I would have a gazillion finishes...but no!...I do have things more "progressed" than before but I did manage a few finishes.

   And sorry - you may have seen most of them before....

A very quick one
My first finish at retreat was a small ironing mat - 12" square.  It sits on top of a piece of very thick felt which used to sit under a manual typewriter.  The last one was made 2 years ago I think.

Then I made the Retreat Challenge - a pin & needle holder based on a pattern from Marg Low

The I turned my table topper that I won at Nundle this year into a zippy pouch.

AND - Donna's Dreaming
I finished this off when I came back from retreat...
I am not sure when I made this...I do recall I worked on it at a retreat - before I started going to Boystown retreats and the first one of them was in 2004.  So I guess it was 2003.
I do recall I was working on it and realized I had cut a lot of pieces too small, so I packed it away (quietly) and had to get more fabric and "fudge" it.
This was designed by Donna Elkington  (who used to own a Quilt Shop in Brisbane.)
I do love the border on this one.

Not too long til my next retreat....better  start planning!!!

Retreat Day 5

It's all over for another year . . .

Tuesday's finishes...well "finish" - 
After a very late night - Maureen was able to finish piecing her aqua and coral version of Lori Holt's Quilty Fun Christmas quilt from last year.

 My list that I prepared....not too bad

and the final Tally Board - a few projects to carry over...hopefully we will all get them finished before next retreat...

Our Star Performer joined us on the last day.
She is converting a gazebo cover that has "breathable" panels but only loops to join each side into a gazebo cover that retains the breathable sides but has zipped joins - to stop the flies getting in - for a non sewer she is doing a very good job.   I don't think we have converted her - she would rather be gardening - but she was very impressed with her Thread Catcher that she made - even woke her teenage son to show him last night - not too sure he was impressed with that.

I am lucky enough to still be on leave from work so I have been able to get through some of the other things that I had hoped to do...though I certainly do get a lot more done when I am away than when I am at home.  But I was able to put the binding on a quilt...more on that very soon.

Retreat Day 4

Still heads down and sewing madly...only 4 left by the end of the day

Today's work:

Maureen's Red Home mini quilt

 Inca's Quilt As You Go quilt for her grandson

 My French Collection - finally a flimsy...started this in 2008

and our Star Performer...(Wendy)
I gave her a pile of pre cut squares to join together....

then we cut a Thread Catcher for her and she made that up....

The Tally Board....

 Sadly only half a day to go....

Retreat Day 3

Sunday...still sewing away...when we are here there are no local "must go to" cafes or shops, so once we are here its head down and sew...of course we chat and tell jokes and have lovely food...but generally its all about the work.

As I've mentioned - this is our 10th year, so Wendy R has made us a special cake and put our candles on it.  Unfortunately, one of our group had already left, but we enjoyed the cake!

So here is Sundays work:

Louise has made several bibs

Erica has made fabric  letters for her grand-daughter who plays an alphabet game with her mum.  Erica arranged a group of her letters and hung them up!

Erica has also made a tee-pee - again for her grand-daughter

A bit of a group effort by Maureen - it's Fay's quilt but Maureen did the sewing...

I did some secret sewing . . . and I have done the applique-ing on the corner blocks for the Bridesmaids quilts

And a block for Quilts of Hope...they send you two pieces of fabric and you make a 91/2"
block and send it off to be made into quilts.  (Of course you could make a whole quilt...)

Our triumph this year....we have always had a bit of a joke with Wendy B who runs this place...she is NOT a sewer but we always try to suck her in...nothing has happened in the past.  This year a bit of the same, but she mentioned that she thought the tension was wrong on her machine...  I said "Bring it in and we will have a look"  so we gave it a mini service - removed the incorrect metal bobbin, changed the needle, re threaded and it was all OK.  

Sunday night and here she is sewing with us....she has made a king size coverlet into a double size and re bound it.....

I tried to get her sewing some scrap squares...no success on that score.  You might see her "Star Performer" section on the Tally Board.