Chookshed Challenge #7 - June - Libbie's Embroidery blocks - Progress

My eldest (Libbie) found a stitchery panel in a recycling shop here in Brisbane when she visited...some time back.

She did the stitcheries, but of course needed me to make it into a wall hanging....to fit a particular spot...so the pattern needed to be "adapted"...Yes, patterns are just a guide, I say frequently. . . mmmmm

The original was in landscape orientation - she wanted portrait.  She is a busy homeschooling mum, so getting answers on sizing and placement required patience...or some nagging....

My Chookshed Challenge includes this project as "Progress".   Is taking it out of the bag and looking at the original pattern - progress?   LOL...maybe yes, but not enough.

I am in another Challenge Group and this month's project for that one took a lot of time, so this one missed out a bit.

But for my "Progress" - I have re-drafted the pattern and it's been "approved".   The colour draft is not quite right as ...annoyingly...the heart blocks are slightly rectangular - 6.5" across and 6.0" height when finished.

                                                        

The drawing is a bit hard to see... consider it a mud map....it's just for me after all. 

This is one of the stitched blocks....ignore the lines....

I decided to drench them in water and hang them...gently...to dry to help remove the creases from folding and the hoop marks.  Ironing them just flattened the stitching - even on a towel.

These are the fabrics she chose. 
I have cut the strips for the sashing - I won't cut them into the right size until I have cut the blocks - I just don't trust my maths brain at the moment - especially as they are not square blocks.

So, that is enough progress for this month.  I have it listed again so hopefully I can get further ahead next time.

Just as well I try my best to achieve what I list as my Challenge Goals . . .else this one would still be sitting in a drawer...LOL.
Very happy to have the deadline to get something done - thanks Deana!!!

For those interested.....the quilt design is based on the Bible Verse:

Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Sunday Stitchers #4 - Shop Ladies or Street Shops

My husband's sister (SIL) gifted me this pattern as she knew she would never get around to making it.   It arrived in July 2023.  I showed it to the Needle Girls group and "we" decided it would be a good group project...Well, 5 out of 6 of us did!!  I think we had some sort of time line to finish each shop during 2024- but I don't recall that we decided a finish date...we probably enabled ourselves with something new by the time the deadline arrived.....We are easily distracted.

At the November 2023 retreat we all attended, we visited Shelleys Curtains & Craft in Warwick, and I spied this fabric - available in several different colours.

I suggested it as a good fabric for the buildings - everyone agreed or didn't resist - so we bought 6 different ones to share between us.  We also bought a green at Glenrose Patchwork for the trees.

I haven't blogged about it much - but I know I finished the first block in February 2024, had done another 2 by April, another 2 by July and they were all finished by January 2025.
(It's convenient that I sent messages to my SIL to show her as I finished the blocks...LOL)

Since my motto for the year is "Finish It!", I thought it should go onto one of my Challenge lists and as both De and Helen have continued on the project - we all decided it should be on the Sunday Stitchers Challenge/Mojo list and we all made it #4.

That number was drawn in May - so due for completion by 21st June.  How lucky the month between the May & June meetings was 5 weeks and not 4!

My starting point after our May meeting was that the blocks had been made, four needed the awning trims added and they were not joined.   I had been able to get the lamp posts cut using a Scan n Cut machine, but still needed to trace and cut trees & foliage.
Once the blocks were joined, I added the lampposts, tree trunks...(the easy bits), then added the foliage ...not so easy . . .there is no pattern for how the designer laid out the pieces, so there was a bit of placing. moving, swearing, moving, taking pictures etc until I was happy enough with it.
Then all that had to be appliqued...I had used machine blanket stitch for most of it - occasionally using another decorative stitch on the little trees etc.   Machine blanket stitching over the awning trims was a little challenging due to the bulk.
Then there was the border and the quilting (not my strong suit at all.....)

But it was done - ready for Show & Tell on 21st June!!!! Phew.

De had hers finished:

and Helen got her top almost finished.

I thoroughly enjoyed making this - well the top...yes, it was fiddly, it was fun selecting the fabrics and the threads...mostly machine embroidery threads.
Early in the process, we discovered a fusible web that you can put through an ink jet printer, so that made tracing the shapes a whole lot easier - especially the flowers in the window sills and the tree foliage pieces, which had very wriggly outside lines...

Clayton's Retreat Day 4

I did get some sewing time today and was able to put all the string blocks together.

And a bit more cross stitching....only 123 stitches.

The girls will be leaving earlyish in the morning, so I guess "normal routine" can start again.

Thanks for following along on my crazy Clayton's Journey.

Clayton's Retreat Day 3

Nothing much (sewing wise) happened today . . .I had other things that needed attention...

Nothing on the blocks . . .but the roses are coming along . . .

And I can add that it is 82% complete, thanks to the app that I use now.

Fingers crossed for tomorrow!!!

Claytons Retreat Continues

Normally, I can get a lot of sewing done when I am having a Claydon's Retreat....not so much this time....however, I am sewing whenever I can.

By the end of Monday, I had finished off the 16 blocks I needed and laid them out ready to join on Tuesday...fingers crossed....

Monday Night I cross stitched

I have had several chats with the girls at retreat so am keeping up with their progress too.
They had their Chinese last night, so tonight I might do the same.

Stupid/Silly things...keeps us going . . .LOL

And...I still haven't resolved the issue of my blog comments not getting to my emails, so if I don't reply to you....sorry . . . .nothing personal intended....and my replies look a bit weird.

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)