Glenrose Retreat 2018

I have just had a week away with a mad bunch of ladies.  This retreat at Glenrose Patchwork is quite different to the one I do in August...but I still try to be prepped well and I try to make the most of the time away - that means late nights and not too much sleeping in.

I had a list of "To Dos" and was able to achieve almost all of it.

I've had to block out one - it's a secret project  - quite a time consuming one - I didn't finish it - I didn't expect to - but I made a lot of progress on it.

Here are a couple of finishes:

A small wall hanging with a stitchery from Natalie Bird.
(The stitchery was completed ages ago.)

I runner/topper for a set of drawers in our family room:

This one was an unplanned project.  This retreat is held at a Patchwork shop - very dangerous to the wallet!!!!    Quite a few of us made these reading pillows - the front of the pillow has a large pocket and you can add a few books and give it as a gift.
I fell in love with this greeny tree fabric and have a purpose for it early next year, so figured I would join in the fun.  It was very quick to make, just need a pillow now.

Another project I "finished" was to add the borders to my Holly Cottage Christmas Quilt.   I started this quilt as part of a Stitch-a-Long hosted by Fiona over here.
The quilt is designed by Michelle Ridgway and I have made many changes to her pattern.  I am sure she may want to thump me - but this is for my eldest daughter and she had a few requests - so the blocks got changed around a bit and we minimised the detail.  As much as the original design is gorgeous - I wanted this quilt to be for DD1. 

To take the photo I pinned it to a quilt on the wall - so ignore the blue and pink on the outer.  It stops at the bauble border.   I will be getting this quilted by someone so much better at quilting than me - so stay tuned for the finished quilt - before Christmas.

Just for the record, I also made an angel ornament, added ribbon to a towel and made a bag for the a charity project that Sunday Stitchers are doing.

I had a ball, I got so much done.  Thanks to the Tuesday girls who invite me along each year.  And a big thanks to De who did the driving - allowing me to crochet along the way and keep ridiculously late nights!

FNWF - July

And another month rolls by - and as usual I joined a group of cyber friends to sew the night away...its a bit difficult to sew when you are falling asleep in the comfy recliner - so I shuffled off to my Sewing Space and put this one together for the SAL.
It was mostly done - just had to add the squares around the block...then change them because I didn't like my original choice of big squares -  oh well that is why they invented unpickers!

Thanks to Cheryll and all the cyber sewers - great motivation to get sewing.

September SAL - now done!!

After all the ups and downs of the thread issue - the silk one I ordered was totally different to the cotton one one but still nothing like the original - I have finished the heart and appliqued it on.
I used some plain threads and swapped colours a lot.  I was lucky in that the variegated thread had long lengths of each colour - so it was easy enough to blend in.

Thanks everyone for your well wishes on me "Missing in Action " last Friday - after nearly 3 days of almost total R&R I am much better.

An almost finish

Most of my blog readers also know of the Stitch-a-Long blog.
Every month since January we have had a project to do - September is the last project for this year.
I didn't do the August one - by choice - and now I can't finish the September one - I ran out of thread - and the current version of what I used is a pale colour...hopefully the additional silk thread I have ordered will match enough.

But this is where I got to - its finished enough to be able to use - but should have the heart appliqued onto the purple dots........so sad not to finish this one on time and finish off the year..

 

The Stitch-A-Long has been a lot of fun - last year and this and the current participants are hopeful that the wonderful Chookyblue will be able to gather her strength and come up with some plans for 2014. 

July SAL finish

I posted this one over at SAL but forgot to include it here:

This is from Natalie Birds' book Tis the Season - Chilly Penguin bag.
The stitchery was optional - so I left it out.
To me it was a bit small so I didn't want to make a big fuss of it.
I hand pieced the hexagons instead of paper piecing them - I haven't hand pieced for years so it was nice to do.

I made it from a Charm Pack I won  quite a while back.. I pieced the back and handles as well to use more of the fabric.

Catching Up

I have finished my April project for SAL - I had made a good start on finishing it when I was doing SNSBM - and then I did SSBM (although I found out it was really a SSWF (...With Friends as the lovely Fiona was also sewing with me...).
OK enough acronyms - they are doing MY head in.
 It is "Bon Noel" wallhanging by Natalie Bird from the book Tis the Season.  I made it in blues to complement my Tis the Season quilt.

I thought at the time - this "Bon Noel" isn't real French and I was right - but it's done and we all know we are just trying to be smart saying "Merry Christmas" in another language.

.Another project I want to show is this one.

This used to be on my UFO list - and I knew I should finish it - all I had to do was put it together - all the bits were prepped.  But  I had started it to go with all my black & white sewing gidgets - then I found a big bag in the same fabric so I bought that - a lot easier and in the end a lot cheaper than the fabrics and classes that I went to, to make the bag.  So, I deleted it from the UFO list a while back but still had it hanging around...
When my SIL asked me if I had any spare black & white fabrics for a quilt she was making - I asked her if she'd like to have the bag as well.  She hesitatingly said "Yes?" and has now finished it. 

Each side has external pockets in varying patchwork techniques.

And now I realise I have made prairie points before!!

I think she has done a great job and I'm really pleased it went to a good home and moved out of my space.

Lessons Learnt

I have often said "You can learn something from every quilt you make". Well I have to extend that to "...every project you make".
I have finished my Anni Downs pincushion, for the March project for SAL.  I have learnt lots.
I don't always follow a pattern exactly how it's written... (well after all - I am a smarty pants!).
So, my lessonS from this project are:
1.  If its small and fiddly DO NOT use a loosely woven thick linen type of fabric to stitch on if it's going to have to be pulled through a small gap (and subsequently stitched back together after all the edges have frayed and been stretched).
2. If its small and fiddly DO NOT use parlan behind the stitchery - because of course not only do I have to pull the thicker than normal fabric through a very small gap - it has also been made even thicker by adding the parlan.
SO, maybe if I had stuck to the letter of the law - oops pattern - I would have avoided those problems...
BUT - go back to my earlier point - "Don't always follow the pattern too closely" - If the join was in the bottom of the pincushion - in the 9 patch - it could have been bigger and a lot of these problems may have been avoided.

Sigh. . . .

So, I am not all that happy with the end result - but I photographed it to hide its blemishes.

I think it might join the Turtle in being an "only child".

And, if you are interested - the first time I coined this phrase was when I used a fabric with a wavy stripe on it for binding - cut along the stripe - A VERY BAD move! - the binding looks so crooked.

OK - Gotta go - off to the Stitches & Craft Show!

Edited:  another lesson learnt today - long story - didn't get to the craft show - maybe Saturday.

February Finishes

For the Stitch-A-Long project - I finished my Red Home Tote Bag.  - Love this bag for its size and I will make another one - without the embroidery - sometime.

I also finished my February Project for Aunt Marti's Challenge - 13 project in 2013 and this is also for Sew Its Finished.  This is  "Little Red House" by Marg Low - the pattern and most of the fabrics came from purchases made by my bestie on my behalf at the Sydney Craft show.  I love houses and things like that - and although this is not my normal colour palette - it's good to do things a bit different - sometimes.

 (nice of my daughter to be wearing a coordinating top when she held up the quilt for me!)