Chookshed Stitchers 2024 Challenge - #2 - Sewing Machine mini quilt

This one was a quick & easy project.

I bought this as a kit - it was pre-fused and pre-cut pieces, so all I had to do was find the background fabric, a backing and a binding.

This year I hope to make a few mini quilts - mostly featuring sewing machines, so I included it in the Chookshed Challenge List. 

The first one is here

The word for the year - FOCUS

At the beginning of the year, one of my groups - Needle Girls, decided we should each have a "word" for the year . . . after some pondering. ..and considering my very long To Do List....I decided on "FOCUS"...ie - Susan Stay on Track, do not get distracted by new things....LOL...ROFL...LMAO...as if!!!!
It is only February and I have already added new things to the list. . .Oh Well!!!!

We thought we should each make a "thing" for our word...my immediate thought was to do something with eyes and glasses. . . .I knew I could borrow a pattern for the glasses from bestie Maureen....and as I was making her wallet using this fabric . . . . .

the idea for the eyes came to me!, (Maureen very kindly let me chop into the fabric to get the bits I needed.   A bit of Word Art in Microsoft Word and it was sorted.

Now all I need to do is remember to take note of what it says!!!

Homegrown - Sue Spargo quilt

At a Needle Girls retreat....it must have been November 2021, a project was discussed, and most of us decided to go ahead with it.   We did a bit of shopping and bought some sky and grass fabrics to share . . .
The project was Homegrown - a quilt designed by Sue Spargo.

We started completing blocks in January 2022, We had various deadlines where we took blocks for Show & Tell at Sunday Stitchers....and after a few distractions, decided January 2024 was the deadline for completion.

This is the one as per the pattern 

- but as I say "Patterns are just a guide."

So, mine looks like this:

Mostly mine is fabric, not felt and I added various pieces of trims, buttons etc and themed most of the houses.
A few years back I attended a Wendy Williams class and had made a lot of flowers, some leaves, and a couple of birds in felt...the plan being a tree pattern of hers.
Whilst the styles of both Wendy Williams and Sue Spargo are different - there is some commonality, so I grabbed some of the flowers from the UFO project and added them to my middle block.  (Maybe I can delete the Wendy Williams tree from my UFO list now...LOL)


It was fun to make (mostly), tricky joining it as there were several variances in thickness of the fabric or felt, and sometimes, buttons I had added had to be removed to be able to sew the seams...

None of us really wanted the outside border and mostly we did something different in the middle.

Here is De's

Here is Sandi's - she chose to make hers to fit on her wall above a wardrobe space.

Here is Helen's - her middle block is a lovely jacaranda tree.

All from the same pattern - and some common fabrics - but all so different.

We enjoyed doing a group project....we now have another one on he go . . .

Sunday Stitchers - February - UFO Challenge #6

My Sunday Stitchers UFO Project #6 is my "Inchie Project"

Back in February 2021, I joined with a few girls (aka "enablers") in a free project by Crabapple Hill - "Beautiful World Stitch-A-Long".  We nicknamed it "The Inchie Project".

I did get most of the stitcheries done...(maybe not each day!) and I put them onto 2 blocks like this:

   

They were finished by March 2021.

I must have had a vague plan when I was stitching them, as I chose thread colours to go with some other blocks I had.

2024 was the year to get them sorted!!!

In addition to the two "Inchie Project" blocks, I had some blocks made in a class prior to 2007 at Patchwork Plus - a Patchwork Shop in Wynnum  (Shop has since closed).

  

  I recall that I painted that braid...

and also some blocks made in a class prior to 2015 at Sewco - a Patchwork Shop in Mount Gravatt.  (also closed).

  

The heart block was originally an exercise making small pintucks 

and folding them over alternately, 

but it was a bit boring so I overlaid it with a doily, lace, and buttons.

Plus two embroidered blocks - I think at least one of them was from Giggle Buttons, and I have no idea how old they are...very!

    

I added some borders to the stitchery blocks to make them 12" finished, and added sashing & outside borders - all from my stash. (The outside border was kind of a surprise as these are not my normal colours!)

I did buy backing and binding.

Here is the completed top.

It is going on a little trip to visit the quilting fairy...stay tuned for the finish!!!

Notes:
Threads:  CGT 314, 506
House of Embroidery #54 Forest

FNWF - February - the real one!

After a little hiccup last Friday - Cheryll invited us over for a "Sew-In".

I had a sewing day with one of my groups - we were celebrating Lynda's Birthday, so we had morning tea so we could have a candle on a cake! and then lunch. . not much sewing got done.  We also spent time enjoying Lynda opening her presents.
this year we are gifting presents that start with each person's initials - L G & B for Lynda
I bought her:
a Bobbin Box
a Blue Bowl filled with a Lime, Grapes & Blueberrires
Guterman thread in Lemon, Green & Blue
ric rac in Lemon Green & Blue

a Bubbly Bunny (a chocolate)
a Glue Pen refill
and  

a packet of Lolly Gobble Blissbombs

 But we had a fun time and talked about current & future projects...LOL

For FNWF - I sewed a lot of 3.5" squares together to make 14 sets of vertical rows for the two RSC 2023 quilts. (10 to go plus some fill in squares...)
I have the horizontal rows done.  I have a retreat coming up at the end of March, so hope to put it together then - taking advantage of the large design walls.

Thanks Cheryll for hosting us - I hope everyone had a fun time.

FNWF - February

 A few of us gathered in cyber space for FNWF.

I worked on this project for most of the day.  The building is foundation pieced and then the other pieces are appliqued.  Some of them are quite tiny...

It is Shop 1 (Teacup Bake Shop) in a set of 10 - called "The Shop Ladies" by Sue Pritt.

I have a few friends who are also working on this.  I think we will all need to keep motivating each other.

One thing we have tried for this project is printing the applique shapes onto the fusible webbing - that did save a lot of tracing time!

It was a little frustrating in parts, so once all the pieces were ready, I decided to reward myself with something simpler.  I prepped this sewing machine applique which will be made into a small wall hanging.  This is also my Chookshed Challenge #2 project, so getting a very early start on that one.

There was no linkup from Cheryll this time - but it's hard to keep a sewer down!