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.


  

😊Susan..sent from my phone.

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

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.