ABC Book ~ Alphabet Book - Montana

Another ABC book has rolled off the press...or the sewing machine.

This one is for Montana - the 4th grandchild - and this is the 8th book I've made. There may not be any more grandchildren...but there are two more people I may make one for...time will tell.

Sunday Stitchers - June - UFO Challenge #10 - My Small World - Section 5

I am not sure about the Random Number Cyber Gods.  On my SS Challenge List - I had 3 (out of 12) things for My Small World.  We have only drawn 6 numbers so far...and all 3 have been drawn.

I groaned a bit when #10 fell out of the spinning container.
But - a challenge is a challenge -  I put these things on the list to make me do them.

The last section of My Small World is done:

The hot air balloon is not part of the pattern...

but patterns are just a guide,.,,, right??

And the top is together

There are a few bits that I could have done a lot better. . . but when viewing it from 3 yards . . .it's perfectly fine. (Just last month I repeated "Finished is better than perfect" to a fellow blogger.)

Originally started in November 2019 - here.

It is a challenging project - well for my skill set anyway.
And I still don't like how Jen Kingwell writes her patterns.  I was very fortunate - back in 2019 to be able to get a set of foundation paper pieced patterns for this..They were a great guide to the sizes.
And a new facebook group has started for those making the quilt now and it seems they will also have some additional guidance/patterns.

Not sure about the quilting plan yet.....probably next year...too much happening this year!!

FNSI - July

Winter has hit Queensland.
It is not often that I am thinking it is cold where I live...Winter is generally quite mild - by 10:00 AM it is often warm enough for a light top...and I rarely turn the air conditioning onto "Heating".
But its on this year - it has been cold - single digits overnight and very windy.

Nevermind, I can mostly stay in my Sewing Space and while away some time.

Tonight, as I joined cyber friends, I planned to sew some French Rose blocks.  

BUT any new project is hugely exciting and the first part of the Winter Shops Cross stitch pattern has been released,  I just had to make a start....

I have enough started, 

so that I can sew it without too much counting & checking 

on Sunday when I go to Sunday Stitchers.

Then - as it was footy time - I escaped and worked on the French Roses.

I had already prepped them so it was just a matter of stitching...
They are sewn by free motion stitching - with the wadding & backing attached.  De, from the Sunday Stitchers group asked us to make some - she will make a quilt for our DV Charity.

I had made 2 previously but will have 11 in total to hand over.
Here are a couple:

That is about it - thanks Wendy for gathering us together and a big "hi" to everyone who joined in.

FNWF - July

And another month has rolled on by .  . 

Friday Night saw me working on a little crossstitch.  One of my "enabling" friends showed it to me and I laughingly said, "Oh!  I will whip that up tonight".  It took more than a night - but not too many.  Here is where I stopped Friday Night.

As Saturday was a sewing group day - with Loose Threads - and it wasn't a complicated design...I worked on it some more.

Now, I just need to assemble it.

Thanks, Cheryll for hosting FNWF each month, and thanks everyone for the company!

RSC - June

Oops - it is technically July in Australia - so I am late....but in the US it is still June....

My blue RSC fish

and the next month is aqua...I will have to see what I have - I have already delved into the aqua shades to finish one fish...

Happy New Financial Year to all

Chookshed Stitchers 2024 Challenge - #10

My #10 Challenge project was to make the top for this Foundation Paper Pieced pattern.

The plan is that it will have an extra block added to each end and it can then "match" the sewing machine top that I made as my Challenge #9 - here

(Excuse the messy design wall...
this pic was taken at my recent retreat...
and I am not attempting to clean off years of threads...)

Most of you would know that my initials are SEW...so this is totally appropriate....and it was hard to resist buying the pattern.

It's from QuietPlay

FNSI - June

Gosh...sewing time again???
I have been sewing almost non stop since Sunday morning - a day at Sunday Stitchers, then on a retreat from Sunday night til Thursday morning

Today I have re-sorted my sewing box that I take to retreats...ready for the next one in August. Not a lot of fun, but necessary!

Onto the sewing....

I was able to finish this piece for My Small World.  I started it at the retreat knowing I had more of the white & coloured fabric at home....well....I didn't have as much as I thought - but was able to eek out what I had to fit.

and although there are other projects I probably should prioritise - I decided to stick with the My Small World FPP...and did this one

Together:..this is what they might look like when all put together.

Next step is to make the sky section.....quite a few1" finished blocks....

Thanks Wendy for organising us, Hope mostly you had a fun & productive night...or day...or weekend???

Sunday Stitchers Retreat - Glenrose

Does this title sound familiar?

Well, yes - it was only last month when I went to the Sunday Stitchers Retreat at Boonah!!!

I feel as if I accomplished more this time...3 full days and a night of sewing.

We arrived Sunday at about 5PM - after a day of Sunday Stitchers Sewing - and got unpacked just before it got dark.

I am happy to say a lot of the things on my list got done.

I had kitted up most of my projects:

and here is what I did do:

The last block in the Back to Nature project from Quiet Play - Frog

And I made some additional blocks that are not part of the released patterns but will help make a good-sized quilt.

All the FPP blocks I have done so far....still need a few more.

I think I will make 20 all up - add sashing and a border.
It will be a charity quilt when done.

Then, because I am in FPP mindset, I made this one.

 

But I can't show it all - it will be a separate post later.

and these for My Small World:

I also added borders to the central panel for this charity quilt.  I have another blue floral border to add, but it was getting late and I thought it best to wait.

And I finished with a crumb block....trying to use some of the left overs from projects done on retreat.

Everyone happily left their tea bags for me to collect the strings to add to the collection for Jo.

And in case you think all I do is sew, eat, laugh talk and sleep....here is a gorgeous rosebush that I walked past every morning.

We all had a wonderful time, many thanks to everyone for their camaraderie and to Alison for the organising.

FNWF - June

It won't be long and the year will be half over . . .

I had been doing some applique today on my Sunday Stitchers UFO Challenge #2...it wasn't going so well....so Friday night I plonked on the lounge - take away for dinner (the normal Friday night fish & chips) and did some stitching...no brain needed...

It's hard to tell what is stitched and what isn't, but this was a good coloured thread for the fabrics I am using.

Hope everyone stayed warm - even Brisbane is a little chilly at the moment - and my daughter in Townsville is wearing slippers.... It must be cool there too!) - and got some sort of sewing/crafting done.

Thanks Cheryll for cyber hosting us all.

Sunday Stitchers - UFO Challenge #6 - Completed

The Challenge number for February was #6 - my combination of a few old UFOs.

I had the top finished (here) by the "due date", but it wasn't quilted.

It's been on a little trip to the Quilting Fairy and it's now a FO.

Happy to tick those old UFOS off the list.