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

FNWF - May

Another month has rolled by  . . . .it will be June soon - how scary is that??

On Friday night it was the usual Patchwork Village - all the stitching is done so now I am just doing a plain running stitch on the edges to finish them off.

I have cut the pieces for the block borders - each block ends up as a star - and I have cut 7 sets of the contrast colour for the star points - I need to find two more plummy purples to complete that bit.

I also need to source another hand sewing project - I did buy a set of sashiko coasters at the March Craft show - but they are very quick so won't keep me busy for long...



Saturday was Group 1 Sewing Day - we had planned to have a short day and go to the Quilt Show in Ipswich - but that didn't eventuate so I was home early.  Since it was technically a "Sewing Day" I just continued on when I got home - DH is down the coast at an AFL game (Corporate Box - including limo transport there and back - doing it tough!!!).
As anyone who still does paid work or used to do it - you will know preparation time is the hardest bit - so I have cut, applied applique pieces, trimmed blocks and now have a lovely pile of things to work on when the opportunity arises.

This is one of the projects that was in a limbo state - thanks to the generosity of a few friends who could give me a few bits of that unusual blue colour I was able to create the doors and all the bits are now "applied" - except the rooves or roofs to avoid the spell checker.  I'm going to add a bit of trim (ric rac/lace etc) to them first.

I have been a bit quiet in blog land lately - I do hope to get back to more visiting and commenting - work does interfere in my craft and social life at times.   So if I havent been visiting you lately - apologies..
Big thanks to Cheryll for continuing this fun night!!  and for motivating me to do a post!
I'm off - got some sewing to do . . .  .

FNSI - April

Back to my standby project for Friday nights - Little Patchwork Village.   

So easy to stitch away - watching TV - sadly a repeat of BH&G....

Earlier in the night DH & I had taken DD2 and her partner to the airport.  DD2 has been seconded/transferred to a venue in ACT as Manager for a 4-5 month stint...Sad to see her go...but very pleased for her and her promotion.  She will have her hands full there and feel a bit cooler than normal, but I know she's up to it.

Thanks to Wendy for hosting and coordinating us all - sometimes the extra motivation we need to stay focused!!

100 Modern Quilt Blocks - A Modern Challenge

I bought this book - along with friends Maureen & Inca and another new friend Sue.   We decided we would each make our own version of a quilt using the blocks.

I am working on mine - not ready to show it yet...but I decided to participate in the Queensland Quilters Challenge this year, so used the patterns in the book to create my quilt.

The block patterns are very simple - you can whizz through quite a few in a night...that was some of the reason I chose to use them...very time poor at the moment....

FNWF - April

Again - time to join in with cyber friends to sew or craft in some way.

An easy dinner of leftovers - and TV on....stitching on lap...disconnecting brain from work problems . . .

Working on my Little Patchwork Village...block 6 (of 9)

Hope everyone is having a fun weekend - thanks as always to Cheryll for hosting and coordinating us all.  Go here to visit the others.

I'm hoping to give my blog some time & attention over Easter . . .and hope to catch up on some blog reading.

GDITC - Nundle 2017

What a fun packed weekend.

We left Brisbane on Thursday morning - Lynda was the Driver and I did my knitting . . .

Of course we had to stop at Warwick - Glenrose Patchwork - I bought a Cottage Garden Thread and a hanger (for a friend).

Off again on the long haul . . knitting . . chatting . .

Thursday night dinner at the Peel Inn.....most of the bloggers had arrived.

Friday morning ...some stitching in our cabin and them off to the Peel Inn for lunch.
A trip out to Cottage on the Hill - a few more necessary purchases.

Friday Night was in the BBQ area of the caravan park.  A lot of us had brought some stitching along....quite a lot of EPP happening - including me.

These are for a Charity Quilt that one of my Groups is making.

We also had Show & Tell.   A really good variety of projects...not all finished of course.
(might add some photos here later on...)
It was a late night for some...

Saturday - the day we all go for  - Sewing Day - this year the tutor was Bonnie Sullivan.  Our project was to decorate a bamboo steam cooker.  We were given a circle shape of an antique quilt, some preprinted fabric to stitch over and decorate, some felt, threads, buttons and fabric for a pincushion.

A really lovely project and a totally different concept to have fabric with the design already on it. This is a new line for Bonnie - she has a range of patterns in a similar vein - preprinted panels but plenty of scope to make them your own.
The saying in the photo is printed on a background - we stitched over the wording and then appliqued using feather stitch. There is a need;ebook too - printed fabric with stems and leaves and you add buttons for the flowers...I'll post it ...soon??...maybe
There is nothing I can find on Kerry's web site at the moment but I expect there will be.

There were a couple of "lucky" prizes handed out - random things like coloured nail polish - coloured underwear....I collected two of Bonnie's patterns:

Sadly, Kerry has decided that 10 years of GDITC is enough - this was the last one.  I think a lot of people would have come this year knowing it was the last......but I am sure some other plan will be 'hatched'.

We also had been given a design from Bonnie to use in any project we liked to be given as a swap present.  I made a sewing folder, which Marilyn received.

and I received this bag from a non blogger (Marcelle).

Sadly and surprisingly there were some people who did not  come & say thank you for their present. (obviously not bloggers.)

Here are the Bloggers of 2017 - we were lucky to have Mr Bonnie take the pictures for us.

Saturday night back to the BBQ area where we enjoyed a BBQ and our bloggers swap,
I gave these - a Design Board and a pin cushion in a tuffet style - hard to photograph - Dzintra received it.

And I got this lovely set of mug bag, coaster and scrap bag from Diddles.

I will be looking for a matchy matchy mug to go with it - thanks again Diddles!

During the weekend I managed to finish two knitted squares
- when people ask what I'm knitting I just say -
squares to make into blankets for cold needy people...
love the variegated wool in these:

On the way home we saw a rainbow - it's not that clear in the photo but it was magnificent...and we could see the end of it - unfortunately someone had beaten us and stolen the pot of gold.😞

Sadly, the end of a fun weekend - it's a long drive but it is so good to catch up with these lovely ladies.  It was a little sad knowing so many regulars were missing...(Kate - I was really hoping for some more lemon butter , , . LOL) and sad that there is no more official GDITC...but the wonders of modern technology allow us to stay in contact and no doubt some other plan will come to fruition . . .

Brown Paper Packages . . .

...tied up with string red ribbon . . . 

These are a few of my swap things . . . 

(In my next life maybe I should choose to be a poet!!!)

Off to Nundle in the morning...

FNWF - March 2017

It seems the only posts I do at the moment are for FNWF and FNSI - life (work) is far too busy at the moment to do much else.

Friday night - did a bit if sewing - perhaps a bit of napping too - but fortunately Saturday was also a sewing day.

Here are some of the things I worked on  . .  .

and I am quilting this:

My Little Patchwork Village blocks are going quite quickly - I am watching far too much TV obviously!..  This is #3.   Gonna need another new project soon.....LOL....maybe not.

Big thanks to everyone for their company and of course to Cheryll for hosting and coordinating us all again.

Have a happy time between now and then. 

FNSI and Chooky

FNSI

Once again I gathered with cyber friends to sew...

Earlier in the week I realised that I had a sewing day on Thursday and another one on Sunday - oops - no hand sewing project ready to go???? - so what is a girl to do?- start a new project of course!!

This is Rosalie Quinlan's "Little Patchwork Village" and I have been wanting to make this one for a while, so I found some background and pulled out the Cottage Garden Threads. (Breaking the norm here - I would always pick the fabrics then the thread...oh well - deal with that problem later on)
DD2 was there when I was looking at the threads - so I suggested she select one - which she did - at the same time saying - "Mum - what are we going to do with all this when you are gone???"  LOL - maybe I need to write out some instructions!

So, here is my block - 
I only sewed a little on Thursday and not a lot on Friday night - but at least I'm ready for Sunday now....and a few future FNWF. FNSI and Sundays as well.

(Night time photos - never the best.)

Thanks as always to Wendy for being the hostess - 

here is the link to go visiting the other cyber ladies.

Chooky came to BRISVEGAS

Chooky was visiting Brisbane on Saturday - so a great excuse for a blog and friends get together.
I caught Chooky:

but I didn't get a group shot - so I have copied one from the dark side of facebook....(I will thank Michelle tomorrow.

We had a fun, perhaps a little noisy, time....great to catch up with Chooky and Anita who I only see occasionally.