No FNWF for April

I couldn't join in this month's FNWF, I was doing FNPF instead.  Then I had SSWF and SNSBM and this is what I did:

And in case this is too many acronyms:
FNPF - Friday Night Preparing for Friends (my sewing group were coming Saturday)
SSWF - Saturday Sewing with Friends and I cant show you what I did then... Secret Stuff
SNSBM - Saturday Night Sewing By Myself

and I hope to get some SSBM too (Sunday Sewing by Myself) - adding those prairie points and making it up - whoopee - no binding on this one!

March Finishes

I only managed 2 Projects for OPAM and one of them is for Thirteen in '13.
Firstly, my pincushion for SAL  - I had previously posted about that..

Secondly, my Sew Laugh Love - a design by Leanne Beasley...just love her designs.. . is now finished.

The original pattern calls for small pieces of fabric to be appliquéd in the areas that are not stitched.  My bestie bought me a jar of buttons when I missed catching up with her at the Stitches & Craft show - some of them were perfect colours for this project - and there were some square buttons - the perfect size fir this wall hanging - and the only colour missing was yellow - I really wanted a yellow one so I painted one yellow, then re painted some of the pink ones to tone them down a bit.
(See, that's why I hang onto all my old craft stuff - it does come in handy at times.)

I've had to spend a bit of time lately getting hand stitching ready - I have almost run out for now!  Still got plenty of machine work to do.

Hope everyone had a lovely Easter break.

Stitches & Craft Show 2013

I finally got to the Stitches & Craft Show on Saturday (23rd March).
 It's not a huge show - so I had plenty of time to sit in on a few talks as well as walk around the stands - a couple of times.  
Here are some of my purchases.  I had to hide a couple...(in case)...and I have already used my new glue gun - $4 from Craftspot - a bargain!  

I bought:
a CD with machine embroidery files for quilt labels; a McKenna Ryan pattern; fabric - 2 reds (I have hardly any red - rarely use it), fabric with tape measures, and little houses (love houses & buildings), some Japanese fabrics for backgrounds for a quilt that I can't decide about), a dark green sashiko thread (for the same quilt  - maybe) and a spool of black thread with a tiny silver fleck...plus...we all received a little Stitches & Craft show pin when we paid our entrance fee.  That will go with the rest of my badges etc that are on my Quilt Diva Quilt.

Really looking forward to the bigger October show...I have already started the shopping list for that!

March was a GREAT month for Giveaways

I am almost embarrassed to post about this..

This month I have won 3 Giveaways.
Firstly - and I have received this - a collection of lovely goodies from Val Laird.  I can tell you her handwork is exquisite.
This is what I won:

(Picture from Val's blog)

Then I came second in Barb's Giveaway   It was a total surprise as she had only mentioned "a" Giveaway.   
ED:  My surprise has arrived:
Beautifully wrapped:

and I have been admiring aqua and red for a while - and this was inside - 3 yummy pieces of fabric and 3 Cosmo Seasons Threads - and colours I don't have already  - and a beautiful little card:

Then - to my complete amazement I won a Giveaway from Aunt Marti.  I won a giveaway from her before - here - and when I entered her next one - I commented but said not to include me in the draw since I had already won one - You wouldn't believe it but I was picked out first in that draw.    But I kept entering her Giveaways and this time I have won a book - signed by the author no less!  I will have to wait a bit for that since it will have to come from the states.. No complaints here!!!

They say things come in 3's, so maybe that is it for a bit!!

The downside to all this fun & excitement is - (1) more projects that could end up on the "to do" list and (2) it's almost the 28th and I still have a project to finish by the end of the month.  Lucky Easter is a loooong weekend.

Happy Easter everyone - if you are gathering with friends & family - enjoy and stay safe.
If its a quiet one - enjoy it and get some sewing done!!

Friday Night Sew In

I joined up again for Friday Night Sew In.  I love knowing that a lot of people all over the world (well allowing for time zone differences) are sewing with me - keeps me motivated.

I got a bit of a late start after staying back at work for a bit, so I worked more on these 9 patches.  They are for Birthday presents at one of my groups - the KQ Girls.  So I don't want to show all the blocks - in case someone is looking...

and then I wrapped them.

 That's it for me - trying for the Stitches & Craft show again tomorrow!! 

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.

Works in Progress

I have been mainly hand stitching at night lately, so my March SAL project is not complete yet but well under way.

And I thought I may as well start on April...

 I have oodles of machine sewing to be doing - just haven't quite got there yet...

FNWF

I joined up with 55 other people for FNWF last night and sewed whilst watching TV - who can resist another showing of Pretty Woman?

I worked on this:

Not too much more stitching to do - hopefully I will finish that today whilst at my sewing meet.

You can have a look at some other of the other work done last night by clicking on the link above and following the links to various people.

Thanks for the company everyone, see you next month.

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!) 

Some Finishes

Firstly, a quilt I was making for my eldest daughters best friend's wedding - last December.  Finally handed over to the Bride & Groom.

Secondly two quilts that I had quilted, then bound and are now on their way to Chookyblue for her Caring With Quilts project, to give quilts to all the people who lost their homes recently in the bush fires that raged through the Warrumbungles Shire.  I can't imagine losing everything in one hit and I know a quilt will not make it all better, and they are not even thick enough to keep them warm in the winters there, but its a sign that people all over Australia care.

I still have my February project for Aunt Marti's Challenge to finish.  And some "homework" for my sewing class on Wednesday - eek - February is such a short month!!

Better get my skates on.