French Collection

This has taken quite some time . . .
I started the stitcheries in 2008 - a few of us from Loose Threads decided to do it - tempted by all the lovely buttons I think - or maybe it was just "peer pressure"  . . . .

I found a post from June 2014 - I know that was one of the later ones.

Finally it was a flimsy at retreat in August 2016

Then it took 3 years to get it quilted...and in the meantime I had done several re-orgs of my sewing stuff. .  .where or where are those buttons???
I finally found them over Easter, so was pleased about that.  Being so old it was unlikely that I'd be able to replace them

So it went onto my Sunday Stitchers' UFO Challenge List as #9 - and it needed to be finished by May 17.

Finally!

FNSI

Joining Friday Night Cyber parties certainly guarantees I do a blog post.

Friday nights are the same as ...same as...each week.

We had a takeaway meal of smoky chicken from a local cafe that we like and are trying to support in these crazy times...whilst watching Better Homes & Gardens, followed by a new reno show - (on 7 two) one room each week - budget renos - much more realistic than House Rules (in which I am very disappointed this year . .another story).  So more crocheting . . .I should be stitching but by Friday Night I'm usually a bit pooped.

Then I needed to get on with some button sewing - I want to finish all the buttons on a quilt ready for my Sunday Stitchers meeting on Sunday...at a pinch I have until 10:00 AM on Sunday to finish.....(There are over 100 buttons on this quilt). 
The next time I am tempted by something that needs more than three buttons - please remind me of this quilt.  Sewing buttons onto a bit of fabric is fine - but onto a quilt - so much harder - my hands are sore from rolling up the quilt - holding it - and trying to keep the button in the right place and then sewing it into place...and keeping it as neat as possible on the back...sigh

Here is one block:

It was a late finish...more to go on Saturday.
😟

Tula Pink - Zippy Pouch

I have a fondness for the Tula Pink fabrics - some more than others - but when Homemade was released I "had to" have some...  It has  sewing theme, so I decided a Zippy Pouch was the order of the day.  I added a scrap bucket and a small pincushion - I find them useful when out sewing - gives me somewhere to put my needle.

I have a bit left over  . . .so I might add to the collection.

Bonus FNWF - May

Cheryll is hosting bonus FNWFs..so once again I joined in the cyber group.

It was an Odds & Sods / Bits & Bobs night

I finished the hand sewing on some binding, some crocheting and some stitchery...all whilst watching the square box - the usual BH&G and a George Clooney movie .

Hope everyone is doing OK - restrictions are easing up in Queensland and a lot of people will be out & about visiting mums on Mothers Day.  Hopefully the general population will take it easy and be sensible.

Happy Sewing & thanks Cheryll

Green Sashiko Ferns

A long time ago . . .I signed up for this BOM.  Green Foliage Quilt from Indigo Niche.  But I've always called it Green Sashiko Ferns.

It seems I started it in April 2012...and finished stitching the sashiko in April 2013.
Then it sat . . .
It became a flimsy in 2017 at retreat .
Then it sat . . .
Finally I sent it along to the wonderful quilting guru Fiona who has quilted all around the leaves...very painstaking, but it looks wonderful.
Then it sat . . .but only for a bit this time.

I added the binding and finished the hand stitching during two Zoom meetings.

Glad to call it a finish.

The resident quilt holder upperer wasn't available so these will have to do for now.

 it's hard to see the detail, so one close up shot:

FNWF - May

And so we continue in Self Isolation, but some things do not change and that is our cyber sewing - Friday Night With Friends is here again  . . . .it doesn't seem that long ago . . . LOL
Thanks Cheryll for giving us an excuse to sew - or the motivation to do so.

I started with some crocheting whilst watching Better Homes & Gardens and something mindless that I can't even recall now . . .oh yes - Some place in France that churns out 336,000 croissants a day - all by machines...

My friend Inca gifted me some left over yarn a while back.  I had run out of the lovely variegated yarn I had been using, so got stuck into hers.   I have used most of it - apart from a large ball of white which is possibly not suitable for a blanket for cold needy people, and now I am down to the dregs, so to speak!!!

I'm hoping the blue I am adding will be a similar thickness....Not all 8 ply is the same . . .a bit like dress sizes??? LOL  

Then I moved into my Sewing Space - the other half found some movie that I was not at all interested in  - did a bit of sorting and packing up the work computer and then stitched the two bird outlines - not a lot  . . but it all helps.

That is about it for the night - but it's a long weekend here...yippee.  I have an on line sewing gig on Sunday (lots of hand sewing for that one) and plan some sewing fun on Monday.

Here is the link if you want to catch up on some other cyber sewers,

Hope everyone is keeping safe and not going bonkers.
I'm still looking for all the free time that people are talking about.

Crochet blocks March & April

Normally I hand over the collection of crochet blocks each month to Maria at the Sunday Stitchers' Gathering.  I didn't take them in March as Maria wasn't going to be there and of course we didn't have an April meeting, so they have been piling up  . . .

Since it is now past the end of April I thought I would bundle these up and record the tally.  This is really only for my reference.

I have 35 blocks.

6 of these came from the yarn given to me by Inca....thanks Inca

   

#100 days100Blocks 2019

I joined Gnome Angel last year and made 100 blocks in blues and whites during the year.
I posted some of them, here, here, here

My Sunday Stitchers' UFO challenge number for April was #2 - to make the flimsy for that project.  As they were all still individual blocks - that was a tough call - fortunately Easter and a lock down helped and I got it done - just!!

The blocks were - 50 8" x 8" and 50 4" x 8".  So i joined the 50 small ones and made 25 blocks and then did a 8 across and 9 down layout.  I originally had another plan in mind . .
.but didn't like it once I started to lay it out.  So went with this. 

My original plan was "just a quilt"...but it's a fairly good size for a queen sized bed, so it might end up there...(should have put slightly wider borders on...oh well...).
and I made the binding at the same time...supposedly that is a good thing to do...before you use the left over fabric for something else perhaps??

I have a few small  things to tick off my list and then I can work on next months's project...looks like more binding is needed...
Speaking of which .... I knew I should have been able to make more green binding when I made the last lot for the  WMQG (for the bush fire quilts) ...I found the rest of the fabric , so I made 4 more.

Happy Sewing
Stay Home
Safe Safe

FNSI - April

Hello out there in Cyber World.

I hope you are coping and not yet pulling your hair out!!!

Tonight I joined Wendy and other crafty sewing people from all over the place to de-stress from the work week (even though it was a short one).
Go here if you want to visit the others.

First I did a bit of stitching on this:

Yes, you guess it another project.  Most of you will have seen the FaceBook project - initiated by Natalie Bird called Love & Hugs from Australia.
Only 16 blocks and that could make a nice sized quilt.   I think this will be a bit of my history as a sewer and of someone who went through - and survived...I hope - the 2020 Pandemic.  Maybe for my children to tell their children.

I've also started the flower block (you can see a tiny bot of it to the right) but this one took my fancy tonight.

Secondly:

I have a "thing" to finish off for the SS UFO Challenge - by Sunday (10 am if I am desperate) - so after BH&G on TV, I escaped to my Sewing Space and worked on it... just a small peek for now.
I only have the top and bottom border to put on now and my mission will be accomplished.

I do hope next months project is a smaller one - it was a real challenge to get this one done ...thankfully I had Easter.  (perhaps I can bribe the number generator person to give us the "right" number for next month...???)   #10 would be a great one, thanks De.

Well I guess it's another quiet weekend ahead - Sunday we are having our SS Meeting using Zoom...isn't it amazing how we are all starting to embrace even more technology.
 It will be nice to see everyone and chat - I think we are going to be given a roster - 15 or so of us all talking at the one time will not work!

Take Care everyone
Stay In & Stay Safe

Road Trip Quilt

Thanks for the feedback on the question of Border/No Border???

I'm still pondering . . .
but I've added some close ups and the story behind each one (as needed).
(Partly as a record.)
I made the quilt to represent the family holidays over the years - not a lot but it is what it is.....

 All the holidays were in Australia.... and obviously we needed suitcases.

 We traveled by car and plane for all the trips.

We stayed at the Gold Coast several times- at the Nara Resort and saw the Dolphin show a number of times over the years.
and also once up at Port Douglas (just Libbie then)

 We now travel to Townsville occasionally to visit Libbie, Serge & Luka

and occasionally take a photo or two.

On a trip to Victoria - mainly catching up with John's relatives - all overt the state....we included Ballarat/Sovreign Hill.

and we visited a cousin in Tongala who had a Dairy farm - each year he named each cow, he went through the alphabet, and the year we visited he was up to "P" so the following year was to be "R" names - so of course he named one of them Rebecca.

 We also had a few holidays at Noosa and Burleigh.
On one of the Noosa trips we stayed in a place just along the river...and each morning we had pelicans visiting - Libbie insisted they were ducks...she was very young.
At Burleigh - we got up very early a few times to enjoy the sunrise over the water.

On the Victorian trip we visited Mornington Peninsula and I got a "thing" for the beach huts.   I came home and decorated the "little room" with all things beach houses....
have a look here.

Of course we went to Phillip Island - yes we saw the penguins, but the highlight of the trip was that we were able to get a totally dairy free milkshake for Bec.  At that age she was highly allergic to dairy and to find a milkshake with soy milk and Vitari (a gelato type of thing) back in the mid 90s was a delight.

 The Three Sisters speak for themselves.
And of course the zoo at Dubbo.

Sydney
aaaah ...need I say more?????
Melbourne - so much to see but it had to be a tram.

So, that is the story of the quilt.   I had a piece of the hot air balloons and thought that went well with the travel theme....I - of course - bought more and added a few more pieces from the same range - I got the extras from Natalie Bird and added to them from my stash.