Friday Night Sew In

First FNSI for 2015!!  Yippee!! - A big thanks to Wendy for hosting!!  and  the recipes...

I was able to finish my Mouse pincushion - a Natalie Bird pattern.

I'm off to  Natalie Bird workshop at the end of February and wanted this finished before then.

And I did some tracing and cutting for a secret project (or two) ..more to do yet.
I'm trying to get some things together ready to sew when TV gets back to normal - ie when the tennis / cricket / soccer etc is all done.

I'll be visiting the other FNSI sewers over the weekend - and it's a long one - Happy Australia Day to all the Australian visitors!

Christmas Wishes

My Christmas Wishes wall hanging is done.

This is a free pattern from Anni Downs and Chookyblue selected it as a starter project for the 2015 Stitch-A-Long.

It was quite quick to stitch in one thread (Cottage Garden Thread #507...Rusty Gate) and I had enough of one of Anni's Christmas fabrics to complete it.

The Stitch-A-Long is in full swing now - most people have their pattern, a lot have selected fabrics, but Part 1 doesn't officially start until February..so I will keep my progress to myself for a bit longer.

Christmas Break 2014

I've been on Annual Leave since 19th December - sounds like ages ago !!!
Christmas is always a small family thing for us, since all the relatives are outside the immediate area, so its a good break and allows time for me to organise sewing things and actually get some sewing done.

So I started (late November) with a To Do list - not all sewing - and it wasn't everything I hoped to do.
As is the way with lists - things got changed - some got done - some didn't.

This is the list now:

Its an on-going thing so I'll keep it for a bit.

One thing that is nearly finished is my Christmas Wishes - a free project on Anni Down;'s blog and the starter project for the 2015 Stitch-a-Long. 

I am still deliberating over the dangly bits on the original pattern - maybe some beads or maybe nothing.  It will become a small wall hanging with some pink Anni Christmas fabric around it.  (Soon)

The main project for the SAL is Nature's Journey by Anni.  I think Chookyblue chose this so that no-one who wanted to play along would have ready started - the pattern has only just been released... I hope I have my copy by next weekend (preferably Thursday as I have a free day)....I'm itching to cut!  and sew!!

I also made a lot of progress on my North Pole Quilt - all the house blocks are now assembled, so night times can be some stitching.  Normally during the  week its 8.30 or so before I can get into my sewing and it gets too late to be selecting fabrics and messing around.
And I have almost finished my Mouse Pin Cushion . . more on that later.

Hoping everyone has had a good start to 2015, that your mojo stays where it should, and the year is full of happy things for everyone . . .

The Excitement Builds

I really wanted to use fabrics I already had for my SAL.  I could easily repeat the types of colours I used for SKOW, but wanted something different.

I started with 3 fat quarters of Vintage Modern - but that wasn't enough and I would have to check out what else would go with it (probably Miss Kate...)
Then I found some blue & yellow fabric (Deco Dreams based on Clarice Cleft work - love it but no more of that available...)
Then I remembered two fabrics I had bought with the idea of making a table cloth...so after a trip to a shop yesterday- combined with a sewing day - I now have this collection - half stash - half bought.  I will probably add more - I need to go through the stash again but this is my starting point.  And I have a collection of squares that I have received over the years as part of club memberships  . . that will take a while - the pile is over 10" high.
I have no idea yet how much the pattern says but I'm sure this will get me through . . .

Now I just need to wait for the postie . .

Bag for Work

I needed a big bag for work.  I need to be able to fit my laptop. lunch and other bits & pieces, so I made it 16" x 12" and 6" deep!!

I was lucky to have some large pieces of the black & gold fabric - they came from a  very generous scrap bag - so only needed to add the sides.  It was very quick to put together once I'd decided the measurements.

First Project for the year!!

Much excitement .

That pesky Chookyblue girl has been teasing us all with the promise of new SAL.  For those who have been involved before, there has been a lot of eagerness, as there was no SAL for 2014....and although we all have more than enough on "The List" ...most of us would fit in a SAL project or projects just because its so much fun. 

So finally she has spilt the beans and our curiosity has been satisfied.
We will be working on:

"Natures Journey" by Anni Downs

But we can't start today - we have to wait for the release of the book - so plenty of time to get on with "The List" - or the optional start up project she gave us:

Free Christmas Stitchery

In the meantime - as I am on Annual Leave until 12th January - I am working through my Christmas "To Do List" - it ended up with 18 items...mainly sewing ...as well as some de-cluttering etc...so far I'm going OK - I've crossed off 5 things, deferred one thing and am almost finished one more...and still 1 week to go!!
Maybe some photos later on.

If you want  join in the SAL fun - pop over here and sign up - there is a limit of spots available, and you must have a BLOG and commit.  (so, read what your commitment is first!