Hello strangers

Hello there. My poor little blog has been suffering this year, but a lovely email from a special bloggy friend has prompted me to post. My blog might be quiet but life has been going on at its usual rapid pace. I have been knitting socks and shawls, English paper piecing diamonds and a little applique. 

Some exciting things have happened too. This little favorite of mine won second place in the Miniature category at the Sydney Quilt Show in June. I have wondered for ten years if a quilt of mine would ever be exhibited there, let alone win a prize. What a great experience it was. I loved doing my white glove duty too, and spending a crafty weekend in Sydney with the Cassilis Quilters.

It was also exciting to see my own design, Doing The Rounds hanging at the show. It didn't win a prize, but it's my favorite quilt ever. From the scrappy original sketch to every single hand stitch, it is my own work, and a personal goal achieved. The icing on the cake was being approached to make a pattern for my quilt, and it will soon be available to purchase from De Quiltster in the Netherlands. Hats off to all the wonderful designers who do this for a living, pattern writing is hard! If you're interested in a copy, please email me.

I hope everyone in blogland is well and happily stitching away. I'm more often found on Instagram as Thimblestitch1 these days, so pop over and say hi.

Take care,

Susan

Goings on

I've been somewhat lax in the blogging department lately.........but anyway, here's some of what I've been up to. 

It was only a matter of time before my knitting adventures turned miniature. Whipped this little sweetie up last night, about 3" high. It's a free pattern from Little Cotton Rabbits.......but be warned, even if you're not into knitting, there are some VERY adorable creations to be found there!

 

Made a mess in my sewing room last weekend, but the creativity just wouldn't come. Moved stuff around a bit and made no forward progress on these hexies. Still hand quilting my Doing The Rounds quilt, but the progress doesn't make for very exciting photos. 

 

 

Another boxy pouch from deep stash fabric made a couple of weeks ago. These pouches are such a great size and shape.

 

I'm busy working on my SSCS gift, it's almost done. I can't settle on an idea for the decoration but I hope it comes soon.

Happy stitching,

Susan x

 

Hexagons and socks

I have been playing with some hexagon graph paper to come up with a star layout for my little 3/8 hexagons. I started the centre diamonds a while ago and Hilda has inspired me to get them out again. I love little hexagons but they're not exactly stash busting! Rather than working only in red, I'm hoping to add another colour in the next round. I find colour selection the most challenging part of quilting!

 

It would be fair to say that sock knitting has been added to my list of addictions. My purple tweed Petty Harbour socks from the last post are finished and my best pair yet. So, so comfortable and soft. And the next pair cast on......although it has become my first sock fail. I fell into a trap for new knitters when I purchased the grey yarn. It was called sock wool, the skein looked a full skein, but as I was knitting, and just before the heel, I thought the ball of yarn was starting to look a bit small. A quick check of the very fine print on the label to find that it was 65g not 100g. Not getting two socks out of that, so I unraveled it all and put it aside for something else, maybe a beanie. A little disappointing, but we live and learn.

And the very next day, these lovelies arrived from Sharon at Woolarium. The red and blue are both Admiral Druck tweed, absolutely lovely to knit and wear. The blue will become a pair of socks for the man of the house!

 

 

It was been a rainy, rainy winter here, and last weekend our river flooded. Some roads were closed but no houses flooded like in other areas. Always a shock to see a familiar walking track covered in water. Our dam and tanks at home are all overflowing, so that's a great way to head into Spring and Summer.

 

I also got back into some hand quilting yesterday. I've been putting it off for a while.....too busy knitting......but made some good progress yesterday.

 

Hope you find some time to stitch over the weekend.

Susan x

Another little finish

This little mini was almost finished at my Two Rives retreat, it only needed the binding sewn on. Just 11" x 12", and made with 1/4" hexies. It was inspired  by a quilt I saw at the Sydney Craft show last year, you can read about it here. It wasn't until I added this photo that I noticed how much that very dark flower stands out, too late to do anything about it now!

I will have to think of another small hexie project, I'm a bit lost without them!

My son came home from Uni last night so it has been a good family day today........right up to the part where I disturbed some paper wasps and got about 14 stings on my back and arm. Feeling a bit fragile now, but at least my hands haven't swollen, so I'll still be able to stitch.

I hope you're having a happy Easter of stitching, chocolate and NO creepy crawlies!

Susan x

Hexie mini

I finished a flimsy last night....a teeny tiny one.....12" x 10". I was inspired by a quilt on display at the Sydney Craft Show last year (see my post). It just needs to be appliqued onto a background, probably the same dark red as the hexies between the flowers. I auditioned so many fabrics for those spots, but came back to the darker red. Anything else compromised the flowers. 

My eldest son is soon leaving for University in Sydney. I'm so happy and excited for him, but a bit sad for me, I'll miss him so much. Fortunately it's only 3.5 hours drive away, and I'm trying to look on the positive side of all the patchwork shops I will be able to visit more regularly! Anyway, as part of his packing I made this cute pouch for some first aid supplies. And he likes it!

Hope to show some photos of the next part of my quilt design soon. 

Susan x

A little crazy

I'm back at my 1/4" hexies again. Working on this lovely inspired by one seen at last years Sydney Quilt Show. I need the papers out for another project! Not sure if those little spaces on the right should be red or something else.

It's slow going but I've finally turned the corner with Sacrlett Ribands. I am so excited about finishing this one day and hanging it above my bed.

School is back for two of my boys.....seems odd that one of them didn't go (he leaves for Uni in three weeks). I just have to share Mr 14's holiday creation. It's a folding pocket knife made from an old pallet. To be honest I didn't think it would work when he showed me the design, but to his credit and with a small amount of help from Dad he's done it. Kept him occupied for quite a while. 

Happy Saturday!

Susan x

Procrastinating

I am procrastinating on some of my bigger projects by finishing off some of the smaller ones. I don't know what stops me from finishing some things off, but it's good to spend some time catching up now and then. After finishing the applique, it was good to get this pincushion made up on Friday. It's from a free tutorial by Leonie Bateman. It was very enjoyable sewing, and I'd like to do more with woven wool in the future. Thank you Leonie. 

I did this cross stitch earlier in the year but couldn't find the blog where the design came from. I stumbled across it again last week so found some finishing ideas. If you like pears and cross stitch you should definitely check out Marly's blog.

And these 1/2" hexies have been hanging around for quite some time. They are now a nice little spring clip purse.......because I need another purse as much as I need another pin cushion!

I hope you find time for some stitches today.

Susan x

Odds and Ends

Like everyone, I have been busy starting some secret Christmas sewing..........so not a lot to blog about. I have added red to some of my 1/4" hexie flowers.

Today I stuffed and finished off this Blackbird Designs pin cushion whilst watching the Moto GP. Not sure if I like the buttons, but they were called for in the pattern, and they're on now!

Some more DJ blocks from a while back, only six more blocks needed to finish my Jane at a reasonable size.

I seem to have more projects than usual underway and they are all slow stitching.........but they are keeping me out of mischief. Hope you find some stitching time in the week ahead.

Susan x

DJ and mini hexie medallion

My fingers needed a little break from hand quilting so I returned to my little 1/4" hexie medallion mini. I was going to leave it with the hexagon edge but decided a straight edge would be easier to work with. So I'm appliqueing the hexagon to the striped strip, then will mitre the corners and add a little binding. I absolutely love this mini, I love the feeling of the tiny hexagons and the fussy cutting. I'm still undecided if I could make a whole quilt this way.........it might take the rest of my life!

Some more DJ blocks finished.  I have a few more prepped but have definitely decided I won't be going the whole way with Jane. Appliqué and epp are the techniques I'm really enjoying at the moment. 

I finally finished unpicking that bit of cross stitch, it took ages. Now to decide on a shade of DMC red so I can get started again. School holidays started today. I think there was lots of time spent on the Xbox, but I did come home to a washed floor, so that's a bonus!

Susan x

A new mini

Irish Circles has had to wait this week, because this little hexie mini just wanted to be finished. I think I say this with every finish, but this one is my favourite! 

I wasn't too sure where I was going when I started, but I love where it has ended. Wish I had enough Antique Fair to make a large scale one, as the fabrics really appeal to me. I was inspired by a mini I saw at Pot Pourri Cottage in Newcastle last year, although it was made with 1/4" hexies, and this one uses 3/8" hexies.........such a huge difference :)  It measures 15 1/2" square. I am hoping my men let me drop into Pot Pourri Cottage when we are in Newcastle this weekend for the football.

Now that I've discovered I can knit in the car I'm hoping to get a lot of my next cowl done on the way over. I definitely need more cowls and more quilts in this cold winter weather we're having. We have no snow on the ground but I did catch some snowflakes at 5.30am this morning (hubby kindly woke me up to see it since I've never been in the snow).

Have a great weekend.

Susan x

Another mini and finished cowl

I started this mini With 3/8" hexies a while ago using a precious charm pack of Antique Fair. I was inspired by a similar mini in 1/4" hexies that I saw at Pot Pourri Cottage in Newcastle last year. Quilting inspiration struck this week so I finally made a start. I wasn't sure how to quilt the hexagons but I'm happy with how it's looking. 

A big ta-da moment last night when I finished my cowl from the Sydney craft show. Made in just over a week would be a knitting personal best for me. It was quite simple once I figured out the pattern, and came together quickly on large needles. I wore it down town today and didn't feel too conspicuous........was nice and warm too.

End of financial year has been wearing me out at work so I'm looking forward to some quiet sewing time this weekend. Hope you find a moment (or two) to relax too.

Susan x

FNWF

Decisions, decisions......too many projects to choose from for FNWF tonight. I started with a little bit of applique for a pincushion. Marina made it for Dawnie in Japanese taupes and I couldn't resist the kit last time I was at The Home Patch. I love doing needle turn, and am still looking for my next big applique project.....

Of course the hexagons are always calling me. Two mini's on the go.....

Or I could start knitting a new cowl. I bought the wool at Morris & Sons in Sydney last weekend, which had a huge supply of beautiful wools. Not sure how I walked out with grey when there were so many incredible colours to choose from.

And I haven't made the first stitch in Irish Circles yet (that's the backing in the photo above), which I basted last week, just waiting for the right moment. Fortunately it's a long weekend here, so I may get to do a bit of everything.

I hope this weekend finds you warm, snug and stitching (if you're in the Southern Hemisphere anyway!).

Susan x

Piece Yourself Together

I finally remembered to link up with Anthea at hibiscus Stitches for Piece Yourself Together (having some issues with Blogger this morning so I can't get the link to work.....sorry). I have a few EPP projects on the go, but this one in 1/4" hexies is the one that's been calling my name lately.

It will only be a mini, but I'm not ready to stop yet. So far it's about 8" across. I think hexie love is a special type of insanity, but gee it makes me happy.

Susan

Hexie fever

I thought I was cured of hexie fever but it seems not. Two new hexie mini's underway. This one with 3/8" hexies, using my precious Antique Fair charm pack.

And this one using 1/4" hexies and teeny red scraps. I showed my husband Elenor Jean and he has issued me with a challenge. I haven't decided if I'm up to it yet!

There has been some secret sewing for a little pincushion swap I'm in. Mine has arrived early so it's testing my will power.

No Dear Jane progress, a little nine patch quilting progress, and backing purchased for Irish Circles. I can highly recommend Widebacks for their large range and incredibly fast service. I often piece my backings, but sometimes a special quilt deserves a special back too.

It's so beautiful in the sunshine today that I think I'll sit outside to do some sewing. Happy Mothers Day for the weekend....... I hope we all get spoilt!

Susan x

Catch up

Busy times here lately, but not so much sewing unfortunately. We had a short trip to Brisbane in the school holidays. It's a beautiful city and we really enjoyed doing some sightseeing and shopping. Unfortunately not enough time to catch up with any Brisbane bloggers this time. A highlight was Teppanyaki at a Japanese restaurant.........you don't want to see a photo of me catching a bowl of rice!

It was exciting to come home to special mail. I won a giveaway on Granny Loz blog. It's even autographed by Gail herself. Thank you Loz, I plan to make something from it before Christmas!

What I have been sewing is all hexagons. Some 1/2" auditioning for a pincushion swap, and some 3/8" for a new mini. If you like miniature quilts there is a great new Facebook group called Small Quilt Lovers......lots of very nice eye candy there.

That's it for now. I have a day off and the chores are done so I'm off to contemplate the mess in my sewing room.

Hope you enjoy this ANZAC weekend, and take a moment to remember those who have sacrificed so much for us.

Susan x

P.s. Can anyone recommend a good Australian supplier of Valdani perle cotton? I'm after a particular colour that I bought at the craft show last year, and of course I can't remember who from. Thanks.

DJ

I hope you're not getting tired of red and white DJ blocks. I am happy with my momentum on this project but I felt like I was further along than only 38%. Still another 104 blocks to go......and the border triangles. These are my latest blocks.

I am not done with mini quilts yet either. I have been playing with some 3/8" hexies........

Happy Saturday,
Susan x

Odds and ends

I've been doing a little bit of finishing off. This cushion was stitched before I even started blogging, sewn together in Feb 2014, and finally stuffed last night. Better late than never!

Some lonely experimental hexies turned into a pincushion for an upcoming swap.

More leftover 3/8" hexies, these from the FiS Christmas swap in December 2013. Now a new mini waiting to be quilted. Very similar to one I made with 1/4" hexies for myself here.

And a little giveaway to finish. I won this set of smaller fabric pieces at a retreat, and they are just not colours I would use. The largest piece is 13" square, so suitable for a small project. Leave a comment and I'll draw a winner on Monday.

Susan x

Melbourne mini swap

I loved the mini I received from Elyte. The one I made for her was also in reds and creams. I intended to do an eight pointed star but the papers I bought weren't the right size, so six sided it was. It measures 12" square.

It was actually square, just looks wonky on the grass.

I also made a little pincushion for my fellow hexie lover, Marina. It looks a bit wonky because it was. 3/8" hexies.

I have been busy quilting my SIL quilt at night, it's keeping me very warm. Also planning my trip with the Cassilis Quilters to the Sydney craft show next week. Looking forward to catching up, seeing some beautiful quilts and buying a few supplies.

Susan x