Inca's Christmas Wall Hangings

My friend Inca passed away in January this year.  😢

Maureen and I helped her husband go through her sewing things—which were very well organized - and we found a Natalie Bird Christmas panel that had been completed but not made up.
We thought it would be nice to make 4 hangers - Oone for each of her grandchildren.  We aimed to finish them by Christmas this year.
Maureen & I had a planning and cutting day and we each ended up with two piles of stitched blocks and various fabric squares.

We are finished with the hangers and will add a rod to each one to make them easy for the parents to hang.

Mine:

Maureen's

I have finished a few quilts of Inca's as well as these and it brings back lovely memories...I can hear her talking to me as I work!

SS Mini Quilts - Summer

December was the month to show our Summer Seasonal Quilt.

I cheated.  I had planned to make a Beach House themed mini...I have decorated the toilet with Beach Houses...and the beach is very summery...so...

BUT, its December, there are multiple things that need doing that are more important....but - for my birthday Maureen gave me a little bag with stitched beach houses and an extra block with the beach house already stitched and borders on it....so I added some running stitches at the bottom for the sand, backed it and Voila!  a completed very small mini hanging...

If you want to see the craziness of the toilet...go here.

Birthday Celebrations

It isn't an "0" birthday, and I am not a big birthday-celebrating person....but I like to record a few things, especially so I can look back and see when I got things.

Sunday Stitchers

Sunday 17th November.
In 2023 our birthday gifts to each other was to give a stitchery kit. It had to include a pattern or traced piece and some embellishments.  It was to be completed by the meeting in our birthday month the following year.
I received my gift from Sue and showed it at the Sunday Stitchers Meeting in November (on schedule!!!)  I did the stitchery (already printed.....yay!!!) and made a small zippy pouch.  I used the supplied silk ribbon for a tassel.  The two fabrics, thread, ric-rac and tiny heart buttons were all part of my kit.

 

For 2024, we each gave a gift, themed "Bed, Bath &/or Table." Alison organised a random draw.
I received these lovely gifts from Maria. They were all great gifts for me—I love Lemon Myrtle (the soap). The tray is so pretty, and the towel... well, it can hang in the bathroom, but it's too pretty to use! That sounds like an old person, doesn't it?

SHLIMS

Our SHLIMS group met on Thursday 21st November for our usual chat and sewing session.  We went to the local club for lunch and when we returned home - I could open my presents:

Maureen gave me the flowers and a set of cleaning cloths - one for glasses, one for the phone and one for TV screens...very handy!

Louise gave me the box of chocolates . . .very yummy!

Sue gave me a key container with a lovely stitchery of a church on it.

Hilda gave me a bottle of Prosecco - the bottle is like cut glass - very swish - and the plant in the pot....it is now on my kitchen window sill.

Bestie special gift

Maureen & I also swap separate presents.  She gave me this lovely bag with beach houses.  She included one stitched beach house, the original pre-printed stitchery and a pattern...looks like another 2025 project...LOL

Needle Girls

Friday 22nd November

In 2024, our birthday gifts to each other were gifts that started with our initials....mine are SEW (very convenient initials).

Instead of going out - each person brought some food to share.  What a feast!  A particularly good potato salad (compliments of Lynda's husband), ham and zucchini slice.  I provided a salad.
And there has to be cake for a Birthday! - Black Forest Cake....my favourite (from De).

As we are close to Christmas, the shops have a lot of new & different - & tempting - foods to try.  De had alerted us to some Limoncello custard, and there was also Rum & Raisin, Hazelnut and Creme Caramel.  They just jumped into my trolley the other day, so we had a custard-tasting test.

They were all nice...hard to pick a favourite.

I also spotted a Limoncello drink (low alcohol) drink and somehow it also jumped into my trolley - so we all enjoyed a small glass of that!

The gifts:

From Lynda

Serviettes, Christmas decoration with S, Erasable pens, Embroidery kit…a gingerbread house…Walkers shortbread,  chocolate W

From De

Sewing machine hanger, Sticky Notes, Emoji stickers, Earrings, Exfoliating glove, Wrapping paper, Word Search book, 

From Sandi
Silicone cooking tools, Snakes, Scissor holder, Singer Sewing Machine pin, Slap band from Echidna, Extra creamy chocolate, Eat & Co shop ornament, Ecru thread, Excel spreadsheet pin and sticker, Werther's Cream Candies

From Helen

Sewing utensils holder, Egg head salt and pepper shakers (such cute expressions on their faces), Woman pot holder….or pen holder…or whatever!

What lovely and fun gifts! There was a lot of laughter as I opened each present. The Excel things were particularly funny…. I use a spreadsheet to keep track of my projects…. which often causes a lot of stirring from the girls…. Of course, I use spreadsheets for other things….so both these things are so good and so funny!

This is the pin - "Ohh...this calls for a spreadsheet"

and the sticker

The whole day was fun, lots of silliness...a bit of stitching...not a lot!

Family Fun

Out for a buffet breakfast with John, Bec Luke, Peyton & Montana.  There was to be cake afterwards, but everyone had had enough food!

The family gave me a gift voucher to buy a new suitcase—well overdue—I will get one with four wheels and easy rolling.

Phew - the Birthday is over...now we start Christmas get-togethers!!!

Needle Girls Glenrose Retreat

It was time for our annual retreat at Glenrose using the workroom and cabins.
10th - 14th November.

In addition to our regular group of 5 - Chookyblue and Miss Jules join us - to add a bit of variety to our conversation topics and sewing projects.

I arrived around lunchtime so that I could meet up with Jenny who had been staying in the house section and was leaving by 2PM.

I didn't take a lot of pictures - but I've been able to get some from the others.

I started with an optimistic list...and didn't do it all, , , but I am happy with what was done.  

What I did get done:

I made some drawstring bags for some Christmas presents. . . but I can't show them yet.

I finished my Sunday Stitchers Birthday gift from 2023. . . but I can't show it yet.

I added the two borders to this Pansy Quilt (a DV project)

I made two panels into tops for DV.  I had prepared the middle embroidered sections at home.

I added two borders to a large floral quilt top - for DV.  But by Wednesday night I was just too tired, so I didn't finish it

I did some crochet in between other things.

Challenge Project

Each year we have a challenge project...we just love another bit of stress....LOL
In 2023  we made things to match our zippy pouches from 2022.
So, this year we had to make a receptacle for the glasses I gave everyone last year.

I used a Cadbury Drinking Chocolate container and decorated it.

Next year's Challenge???   It is not a matchy-matchy project....😞
Chooky gave each of us a piece of pre-printed sashiko with either a tree or baubles, so we decided to use that as our challenge.  To be stitched and made up.

Stocking Swap

Since 2021, we have had a Stocking Swap. We use a Nancy Halvorsen pattern for the stocking shape and can use either one of the patterns in her book or another design.

And we add an extra.  The 2024 extra was a zip - at least 16" long.

This year I added a machine-embroidered poinsettia to my stocking.  It went to De.

Mine was made by Miss Jules.

Here are all the stockings and zips

We ventured out once - to Warwick Gardens Galore - great food and a lovely gift shop - and to Shelly's Curtain & Craft - always a tempting experience.

As we needed to leave by 9.30AM on Thursday, most of us went back to the Garden Centre for coffee and cake, then shopped in Brysons - another lovely gift shop.  I was able to pick up a few things on my list.

A wonderful week away - always a bit tiring - but mostly productive and a lot of fun!

Thanks, girls!

FNSI - November

The third Friday has snuck up on us again...I have been on a retreat since Sunday - back home Thursday afternoon . . .so I took it very easy Friday Night.

Friday was also the day that Little Winter Shop #5 was released, so I started on it. I did enough so that it will be easy to stitch on Sunday at Sunday Stitchers....a few large blocks of color and minimal counting.

Hope you were all able to get some sort of crafting done.

FNWF - November

I had a FDandNWF!
I sewed all day with my Friday group (Needle Girls)...well apart from a lengthy discussion about what fabrics were needed fro a 2025 project!!!!  and tonight I sewed some more.

I did some of this block...a Fig 'n' Berry pattern

and then I worked on the current Winter Shop...the Pizzeria - not much to go on that . . .

Thanks Cheryll for hosting us, thanks all participants for the cyber company.  

Sunday Stitchers - October - UFO Challenge #8 - My Town

This quilt has been "hanging around" laying dormant in a cupboard for a very long time.

In 2011 - Homespun magazine had a BOM featuring buildings...(I am a sucker for projects with houses/buildings...snd trees).  It was called 'My Town".
There were 9 blocks published...but I wanted something smaller and I had a great fabric to use as the border, which was sufficient for a smaller version using 4 blocks..

By August 2013 I had 2 blocks made and was working on another - here

At a retreat at Glenrose in November 2016 - I had the top made.

I think I added some of the decorations and had it quilted...not sure when...a number of years ago that is for sure.

Finally - decorations added, binding done.  Did someone mention a label??...maybe later.

Some close-ups of the blocks...to show some of the do-dads I added and talked about in FNSI.

I had the wooden signs made at the local men's shed.

Very glad to tick that one off the list...not the oldest UFO I have....

And that is the end of my Sunday Stitchers Challenge for the year.
We did start with 12 projects - but the two remaining ones need a lot of work and I have other more urgent things.  So, I adopted Deana's approach for the Chookshed Challenge and am stopping at 10 projects.

How did I do?  Not as well as for the Chookshed Challenge...

#2 - I made a start but wasn't happy with it.

#3 - needs a lot more blocks made.

#7 - large applique shapes to be made into the top...but needs a lot of quilting.

Oh well, 7 x DONE, 1 x Good Progress...probably better than if I hadn't had the Challenge to keep me motivated.
We are keeping the 2025 SS Challenge to 10 projects!!!

Fishy Business - October

My Rainbow Scrap Challenge project this year was to make the blocks for Fishy Business.  The October colour was "lights".  I didn't think that was going to work well for my brightly colored fish, so RSC 2024 is over for me.  (The rest of the year is to make the quilt.)

So this month for my fish blocks,I picked colours/fabrics  that I haven't yet used.

FNSI - October

Oops, I am running behind on this post, and for record keeping as most of the activity happens in that other place. It's the dark side.....LOL

Friday was the day for Shop 4 in the Little Winter Shop series, so I made a start...mainly so it was ready for sewing at Sunday Stitchers on the weekend.

But I also needed to work on adding the final doo-dads to this quilt as it is my Challenge project at Sunday Stitchers for this month.

A cross for the top of a church

An umbrella stand outside a Tea Shop

There are 4 buildings in this quilt - what are the other two???
Bonus cyber points if you know what the quilt is...LOL

There were a number of bits to be added...stay tuned for a reveal of the quilt post.

Thanks Wendy for organising us again.

Chookshed Stitchers 2024 Challenge - #8 - A Christmas Stitchery

When the group first discussed this Challenge... a few numbers were assigned to specific things - totally optional of course - but #8 was to be a Christmas stitchery and many of us decided to use a design from Anni Downs - the one she released for Christmas 2023. 

I had originally thought to enlarge it a bit and make it into a mini quilt to hang on a little wooden hanger I have - so it would need to be 12 x 14"....BUT I only have one hanger and several minis that fit, so I pondered . . Then Janice had another bright idea - to do this one and a few of the previous ones and make a larger, though still small, quilt.
At the moment - that is my plan...

Here is the 2023 Anni Downs Christmas Stitchery, using Anchor Variegated red (#1206)

I haven't trimmed it yet, pending a final decision on how I will use it.

And the 2024 Challenge is over.  Deana wisely restricted it to 10 projects - figuring that by November we were likely busy with Christmas projects.

So, How did I do?

I am happy to say that I completed 8 projects and for those that I didn't finish - I do have a finished top.  Finishing off will probably go on the 2025 list.

Huge thanks Deana for suggesting this and keeping us on our toes by posting the Linky Party each month.

FNWF - October

The year is flying past....but some regular catch-ups are good.

Friday Night saw me sewing the binding onto a quilt...This is my Sunday Stitchers Challenge for October... it's a very old UFO - originally started around 2011...but will be finished this month.  There are numerous 'doo dads" (embellishments)....to add.

Come back after October 20th to see the front!

Thanks Cheryll & fellow FNWFers!

RSC - August & September

My RSC blocks took a back seat for August.  August colour was Orange - but as Janice pointed out - the September Fishy Business block was to be a little school of goldfish - so it seemed appropriate to use orange for that - that meant I had to wait to hear the September colour before I could do the August blocks.  September RSC challenge colour is "Darks - black & brown".

Confused??

So here is August

And September

I thought it was time to see how they all look together - although there are still 3 more Fishy Business blocks (2 each month) to go.  There are additional squares to be added too.

Just random order. . . no plan yet.

Chookshed Stitchers 2024 Challenge - #7 - Placemats for Meals on Wheels

This was a pretty open-ended project...Placemats...I didn't specify how many....so it was easy to reach my goal...LOL

I did need to finish off these 4 that were started in a LQS workshop - giving us 4 ways to add binding.  I picked up a few tips - shared a tip with the instructor (LOL) and finally finished them.
I had done the poped/flanged binding before...but I make the contrast narrower. (Kits were provided with strip cut etc).  The one I had not tried before was the blue one - where you bring the backing over to the front to form a frame.  Good for placemats and wall hangings.  Not sure I would do it for a quilt...but at least I have the technique now.

Then I raided the bag where I had pieces cut, partly made placemats etc.  I dedicated about 2 days to the task and got 10 of the yellow/florally ones done - I still have more of that fabric..cut to size ready to go - but I want to get some backing fabric for those.

In the "Placemats' box, I also found some blocks that came from a lady who had passed away. There was no pattern or additional fabric with these blocks, so I put them aside for placemats.  I lost some of the points, but the colours are good - especially for men.

So Project #7 can be ticked as "DONE".
If we do the Challenge again in 2025, I will make "Placemats for Meals on Wheels" one of my items.  I still have a bit in that box!

Thanks Deana for suggesting this challenge - it has really helped move some things along the line....one project to go...guess we don't need to "wonder" what that will be . . . .LOL😁

FNSI - September

Time for another cyber meeting hosted by Wendy.

I settled down on the lounge, watching Better Homes & Gardens and started a cross stitch.  I was expecting to vacate my chair so the other half could watch the AFL game.  But he was happy to watch on the other TV, so I stayed put and watched some "Escape to the Country".

This is Shop #3 from Little Winter Shops by Spruce Craft Co (based in Melbourne).  I stitched the Little Summer Shops previously.
It's an easy stitch....not too much counting and one shop a month - so it can easily be slotted in between all the other projects.
Hope all the FNSI'ers had a good night and got some / a lot of crafting done.

SS Mini Quilts - Winter and Spring

My Sunday Stitchers Group decided we would make Seasonal things (mini quilts etc.) in 2024.

I posted my Autumn one in March.

And I finished my Winter one by the Due Date, but neglected to post about it

So, here is Winter.

Now its Spring (though we had a short burst of summer at the end of Autumn).

My plan at the beginning of the year was to do my house in the different seasons . . .but ...(1) I am a bit bored by the idea now and (2) I seem to be short of time!!!

So, I opted for a machine embroidery design called "Signs of Spring Tree" by Urban Threads.
I found a Quiet Play fabric in white with clouds and raindrops, dyed it with some blue paint and food colouring and added some green for the grass.

I was finished enough...but I did run out of time....I plan to add a sun and some more bits to it.

At least I have a good plan in mind for my Summer one.