When is a Retreat NOT a Retreat???

When it's a Claytons Retreat!

This is my second Claytons Retreat this year...one for Scrub Stritchin' and now - one for Glenrose Cottages with the SS group.

Life has thrown a curve ball and it has made a big splash and actually, it's not fun.   But this is my happy place, so I will put it all aside.

I had planned the following projects:

* String block top - make 19 more blocks and assemble top

* DV quilt top from some embroidered blocks we have

* Placemats for Meals on Wheels
* Village Green centre

* Scrap blocks for DV 

Sunday - while everyone was packing cars and travelling, I started on the string blocks.  I think I am a bit over halfway through making the blocks that I need.   

I will miss the company of the other ladies a lot.  And there is always a Chinese Take Away night, which I was really looking forward to....There are not a lot of Chinese eating places near me - lots of other Asian food....not much Chinese and Chinese is always best eaten when there is a group, so you can have a little bit of a few different things - like pizza and pastas!

Chookshed Challenge #1 - May - Christmas Shops

It was suggested that Project #1 could be a Christmas Stitchery.   I am trying not to start new things "just because"... that isn't working entirely well - but I decided I would finish a Christmas themed project instead.

The patterns for these shops were released over the period July to December by Spruce Craft Co...The same people who released the Summer & Winter Shops which I stitched last year.

This was a very easy finish as the shops were stitched but it didn't get to the finish line ready for last Christmas.

Sunday Stitchers - Challenge #8 - Cross Stitch Christmas Tree

"Someone" showed a group of us a pattern for a Christmas Tree....some of us decided to make it . . Sorry, no details - I can't dob in the owner...LOL.

I can't see any posts I have done, but I think I started it late in 2024...and I couldn't/didn't finish it in time for Christmas 2025....but all good for Christmas 2026.

I made it the right size to fit on my mini quilt stand, 12" x 14".

Notes:

DMC equivalents to charted threads
Stitched on Aida 14 count Stormy Sea

DV Donation Quilt

Another quilt made using a panel - I purchased a number of these panels and also the stripey fabric that works so well with it.

To make it a bit bigger I added a border of white fabric and stitched a number of decorative stitches on my machine.

And rather than a plain stitch along each image I used another stitch from the machine.

 

World Quilting Day & World Cross Stitch Day - Stitching Done

I can't blame my "enabling friends" this time.  I think I saw one of these on a Facebook post.....so I went looking for the pattern - quite reasonably priced - purchased both - and off I went.

I started them in October 2025.  (I remembered to make a note on the pattern...LOL)

The patterns are from the Fat Quarter Shop and include American spelling "COLOR KEY". No way could I stitch that, so I changed it to Threads and added a shape to fill in the gap.
It's actually surprising that "threads" wasn't included in the design anyway.

The original pattern shows these mounted on a Spool-shaped wall plaque - well, they are no longer available and the shipping from the States would be horrendous....So I plan to visit the local Men's Shed and have some spool shapes cut...stay tuned!.


Threads used:

Cosmo 335 (Green)
Cosmo 240 (Red)
Cosmo 2412 (Light Blue)
Cosmo 669A (Navy)

DMC 893 (Pink)
DMC 676 (Yellow)

Alana's #2 Baby Quilt & Taggie

Another baby quilt using the coin quilt pattern.  This one is for a Cousin-in-Law of my youngest daughter for her second baby - They didn't find out or reveal the gender ...though statistically it is likely to be a boy.

I found the Australian Animal fabric on sale, and then found a very cute fabric that I used on the back (also a good price) ....interestingly, the pattern runs down the length.

All the cousins that have partners now have two children each and I don't think there is talk of anyone having a third....there is still a Brother-in-Law who is a bachelor...so maybe in the future there will be some more baby coin quilts.

In the meantime, I may make a scrappy one for DV as I have a few pieces already cut...I'll add it to the list...LOL

And of course, I needed to include a taggie for the Cousin-in-Law.  And a daughter of some friends had another baby, so I made one for him. And I made an extra one to give to Lynda, who gave me some flannel she picked up at Scrub Stitchin'

Maybe no more taggies for a while either.

Chookshed Challenge #10 - April - Chapel Street Top

The wonderful Chooky "enabled" me down this rabbit hole . . .

It started in 2023 and I haven't blogged about it very much - apart from here (May 2025) when Chookshed Challenge #8 was to make progress on Chapel Street.

At the time it looked like this:

My design wall is just too small!!!!.  

The bottom picture is the bottom of the quilt, and the plan was to finish the colour wash with heading to blacks in the right-hand corner.

So, here is the top...Chookshed Challenge #10 completed.
I am thinking I will add a black border of 2 or 3", depending on the quantity of black I have left, then a wider border of fabrics used in the quilt.  A project for another day.

It's not a great picture - the holder upperer was not up to much.

Thanks Deana, for pushing us along.....I got to a point where - without the Challenge deadline I would have put it aside....I think most of you know that problem.

What will May challenge me with????  (7 or 9 would be OK...LOL)


PS:   I am trying to reply to each comment, but if I missed yours - many apologies!

DV Donation quilts (2)

#1 - Pink & Brown
At one of the groups I go to - a Machine Embroidery Social Group - the leading lady brought in some things that had belonged to a previous member who has since passed.  I don't know if I ever met the lady, but amongst the "stash" was a bag of 8" cut squares of a nursery print and some coordinating smoky pink fabric.   No one else seemed interested, so I took them home to make into a baby quilt for donation to the DV group that a few people at Sunday Stitchers support.

I had to add another fabric and found a reasonable match - a smoky brown.  I devised a layout - never the correct number of squares is there?   and cut the brown squares to enable me to complete the top.  I took it to the retreat at Warwick in March and finished the top.

The Machine Embroidery group meet on the second Thursday of the month, so I decided it needed to be quilted and bound before then, so I could have it for Show & Tell.

The KISS principle for the quilting!  Serpentine (Width 6.0, Length 2.7) across the diagonals.

Joining Binding

I will share this with you.....I know you all have your preferred method of joining binding...I have been using a method called "Liz's Lumpless Binding for so long . . . . .BUT . . . .I saw this method on Instagram a while back....have a look - you might like it too.

#2 - Blue & Green panel

I have also finished this quilt for DV.

It's a very pretty panel and I found the perfect apple green fabric to go with it.   
I may have bought the rest of the bolt at the time as that meant I saved money (by spending more???  female logic)

Both these quilts had been folded for a few days, so they are a little crumpled...
I have a few more DV quilts to pin and/or quilt...hopefully soon.

Sunday Stitchers - Challenge #10 - My Kinda Town

I started this quilt in November 2022 and made some blocks at various retreats over 2022 and 2023.
I really enjoyed the FPP & selecting the fabrics.....I did not enjoy removing the paper - even though I used newsprint it was still fiddly in those tiny bits.

I had the top finished (without borders) for my Sunday Stitchers Challenge Project in August 2024.

Then it sat for a bit...I could see I had to do something other than basic quilting ...and I am not a fan . . . .but I really wanted it finished.   I figure if I put it on a Challenge List (now a Mojo list...LOL) it will get done.

So borders added, pinned and quilted in various stages over the month - so many ends to thread in . . .so much starting and stopping . . .Overall I am happy with it - it's no show winner but I am happy to have it hanging on the wall in the family room for now.

Clayton's Scrub Stitchin' - Day 5 - Saturday

Another day in Sewing Paradise!!!

Well, really I need to be a little domestic today - washing, the floor is desperately in need of a vacuum...some shopping.....you know....the boring stuff.

While I have been sewing, I have been playing e-books from the library.  During one of Chooky's Zoom meetings, someone mentioned books by Dilly Court - so I went in search . . .My Library had all 3 books from one of her series, to which I have now listened.  They were light "reading", good company while I sewed.  (Thanks to whoever suggested them).  Unfortunately, my library only has those 3 - even though Dilly Court has written a lot of books...Oh well, on the hunt again.

I decided to pull out another DV quilt that I pinned a little while ago...got started on the quilting...

I got the central panel done.

Then dinner time and hand sewing the binding on the baby quilt...

Well, that is it for Clayton's Scrub Stitchin' I think - tomorrow the girls are leaving and travelling home.  I will be at Sunday Stitchers, so I won't count that...though of course, I will be sewing.

If you have read my posts - thanks - it is really just a bit of silly fun and I can't keep up these daily posts....