Hearts for NICU babies

Recently the Mater Hospital in Brisbane put out a call for cotton hearts - they need sets of 3 - one for mum - one for bub in NICU and a spare.

This was mentioned by Helen in our Sunday Stitchers group.  I made 9 sets.  One of our members works at the Royal Brisbane Hospital which also uses these hearts, so we are gifting our hearts to them,

Floral Fun

Last year, when a number of the Sunday Stitchers groups were at retreat, we spied a small quilt in Quilters Companion.  One thing led to another and it became a group project for us in 2025.

In typical "Mdm Organiser" style I created a plan to spread the workload over a year...even though it is a simple & fairly quick project, a lot of us have other things on the go, so we took the "go slow" approach.

For February, we had to make 2 x Unit 1

  

RSC 2025 February - Blue

I completed 20 blocks for my Colorwash Quilt:

There is a lot more variety in the colours this month . . .amazing what you find when you raid the strip boxes.

Then I made 3 placemats...that got rid of most of the longer blue strips...still short lengths sitting around....

RSC 2025 (Pink) & Chookshed Challenge 2025

Rainbow Scrap Challenge

I deliberated about joining RSC again - I've done it a few years and it is great motivation to get some blocks made, . . but do I need yet another project???   NO

So, I decided to combine it with another project and the Colourwash blocks seemed ideal.

Maureen found this idea on You Tube and the plan was to motivate each other to make blocks from our stash....
The quilt on YouTube is finished with 3" squares, and there are probably 400 or so blocks. Ummm. I decided on a 4.5" cut and the total number of squares??? I have no idea yet. It depends on how it pans out, and it may end up as a colourful quilt.

I hadn't planned on any fixed number of blocks for RSC, so I just used what was easy to cut from bits I had "sitting around" ...I ended up with 16 for the first run, but decided to make 20 each month.
I will probably need a lot more for what I have in mind - and I may spread this over two years.

Obviously I tend to buy bright pinks in a similar tone.....but I am sure over time, my pinks will become more varied.

I also have quite a collection of cut strips . . . Previously, I've made string blocks for quilts for donation to DV...and I like to make placemats to donate to the local Meals on Wheels organisation...so I grabbed the pink strips that were long enough and made a simple placemat

Chookshed Challenge

For the Chookshed Challenge, #6 was the project for January, so I combined my RSC Commitment with the Challenge.  Off to a winning start

Sunday Stitchers - UFO Challenge 2025 - #6 - Hooley Dooley China Shop & Pearl's Tearooms

Many years ago - my Loose Threads group were all interested in some cushion patterns featuring Shops.  I have the full set of patterns and thought I would make them all....(in your dreams, Susan)

One of our group (Nolene) made one...and Inca had started one.   I found it when Maureen & I went through her stuff after she passed away.  It was about 3/4 done, so I decided to finish it off and give it to Helen in Sunday Stitchers who has asked each of us for any random blocks - with a plan that one day she will combine them all to make a quilt  (good luck with that I think...LOL)

The original has a lot of buttons which I don't have so I added some applique plates and cups to the China Shop, but left the tables in the tearoom bare.

Happy to pass it along to Helen now....

An Old Cross Stitch Project - Sampler Cross Stitch

A loooong time ago - I did a cross stitch of various patchwork blocks.
I am sure many of you will recognise it - it was the "flavor of the month" at the time and popular with bloggers.
Maria was one of those - and refers to it as Sampler Cross Stitch.

All the posts showing pictures are dated 2014 - with no picture of the finished work.  The link to the pattern is no longer valid - it looks like it came from "littlemissshabby" or Coriander Quilts.
Never mind now - it was all stitched.

I saw it while I was looking through a drawer (at other things) and there just happened to be some stripey fabric within eyeshot that looked a pretty good match.

So, I decided to finish it off.

Just for reference, I used DMCs in the following colours:
208    209    210    211    322    334    743    744    745    911    912    913    954    961    962   963    3716    3755    3841    3860    3861

A New Year . . .A New Project?????????????

If you read my previous post with 10 items for each of two separate challenges, you might think I had plenty to do....and if you looked at the list of "Planned Projects for 2025" you would be certain I have more than enough . . .but what happened today???
I spied a temperature cross-stitch - with a tree!!!

Now, I am a sucker for trees and houses and I have always wanted to do a temperature project - even though our temperatures don't vary widely .  . .so down the rabbit hole I went.

It just so happens I had some Aida in an oaty colour that seemed right...(trying to buy as little as possible) and I have the threads, so after a bit of sorting and cutting lengths of thread...off I went.

The pattern has one leaf per day and one color for each group of two degrees.  I'm pretty sure I will use the maximum temperature each day - that is generally between 16 and 33 - so I have allocated each day to one degree.

I started tonight and will work on the trunk downwards and the January branch before adding the leaves.

I plan to make this my FNWF and FNSI project.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to everyone!

May 2025 be happy, healthy & peaceful.

In preparation for my quilty workload in 2025, I have planned my challenge projects for the year for two separate groups. 

The Sunday Stitchers Number was drawn at our Christmas Party and is 6 

Today (31st December) the Chookshed Stitchers gathered cyberally and we drew the number for January...LOL...it is also  6 

Looks like a busy month ahead, because other projects need some TLC.

And, in case you thought that was all that I have on my plate....have a look at the sidebar under "Planned Projects for 2025 - Not the Challenges"
And there are a few more left over from 2024...

It's all fun and not to be taken too seriously.

Christmas Snow Globes / Baubles for Grandchildren

I started a tradition in 2019 - the first Christmas that I had a grandchild - and made a "Snow Globe" with his picture. 

In 2020 - there was still only one grandchild.

2021?? - I missed that year (2 Grandchildren by then) - but made up for it in 2022 (3 Grandchildren)

2023?? - I missed that again!!!! - but have caught up!

Here are the boys for 2023 and 2024

and the girls for 2023 and 2024

Maybe I can keep up to date in 2025???

Christmas Shenanigans

This is a long post. It's mainly for me to keep track of stuff, so I really do not expect you to read it all and comment....It is all a bit of the "First World" problem...but I treasure all my gifts and all the decorations will be kept and hung.  This is how I have been displaying my collection of decorations gifted from sewing friends over the years.....it is time to add a second string of lights.

Loose Threads

We started Christmas early and met on 30th November.  We met at my place and I had the tree up by then, but not all the other decorations.

Lunch was out at the local club and we had decided to swap bon-bons as presents.  Inside we needed to pack a fat quarter, a surprise, a treat, a reel of thread and a decoration.

Seriously lacking photos...ooops

Sunday Stitchers

This is always fun day - this year we had 13 people.  Everyone brought a contribution for the food & drinks table and it all tasted great.

Many people make something or give a small gift and here is my collection:

Alison - soap
Anita - gingerbread house with wooden buttons and a key holder
Cheryl - fold-up card with pictures of previous SS get-togethers & a lolli-pop
De - Christmas tree made from Suffolk puffs (yo-yos)
Helen & Sandi - star decoration and Christmas spoon
Hilda - purple fabric, some Ferrer Rocher & two little cord tidies
Juanita - fabric pillow to use as a weight...or pin cushion
Lynda - a rock painted as a house - the proceeds of the sale of these go to charity
Maria - a decoration with my name & 2024
Michelle - gingerbread man decoration
Sue - rocking horse decoration

We also swapped bon-bons.  

Inside we needed to pack: a fat quarter, a surprise, a treat, a sewing item and a decoration. 

My bon-bon went to De and mine came from De.........funny how that works!

Our Christmas challenge/present was a Mug Cake with mug. We could provide a recipe and the dry ingredients, or buy the mug cake ingredients as a pack.  I used a White Wings packet and added a Mint Pattie to be melted on top of the chocolate brownie cake....I hope it tastes good.  It went to Anita
I received mine from Sue and it will make a vanilla mug cake with Christmas decorations on top.

SHLIMS

Our Christmas present was to make a drawstring bag, approximately 5" x 7" and fill it.   No rules or guidelines on what to fill it with.

I gifted a chocolate letter for everyone and each bag included a Christmas decoration purchased from a recent Fair Trade market;

Hilda - a Tea Towel - Hilda makes a lot of hanging tea towels

Louise - a felted sloth and a card with wildflower seeds impregnated into the paper.

Maureen - An imitation Lego set to make a pot plant with a flower, some flower-shaped buttons, 3 packets of seeds

Sue - a felted wombat

Here are all the drawstring bags waiting to be opened.
 

I received:

Hilda

Louise

Maureen

Sue

This was such a fun idea....we will continue this on in some form.

We all supplied food ...salady stuff

and Sue made a delicious tequila margarita cheesecake for dessert.

Needle Girls

Always a hoot with this group.

For this year's present, we were given four letters from the words Needle Girls and we had to buy a present to match each of those letters and add an additional present that matched another letter.

I was given N E I and L - very easy to remember when I was out shopping.

My presents were:

N - Notebook (the pages have a dotted gri)

E - Eraser pens

I - Inkjoy pens (that took some figuring out)

L - Lego Christmas decoration (gotta love a challenge!!!)

And I added a Decoration - the angel

Because I am usually picked up and taken to the meetings I also gave each person a mug, a Christmas hair clip, 3 cross stitch needles, a roll of mini washi tape, a tiny rubber ducky and a small Lions Club Christmas Cake....

My presents:
From De

From Sandi

From Lynda

From  Helen

We all brought food - salad and De made the dessert - a ginger & lemon curd delight!

We had a project - after the "success" of our Diamond Dot sewing machine at the retreat - we had decided to purchase a wreath to make.

These are fun to make...maybe when they are small...??? 

but I do not propose to adopt it as a new hobby.

That is all my Christmas meetings for my sewing groups...a load of fun, some useful & some silly presents.

Christmas in our house will be noisy and busy in the morning as DD2 and her partner - and our 2 granddaughters (3 1/2 and 1 1/2) are coming for brunch...then it will quieten down and I may just retreat to my Sewing Room...

If you got this far . . .