A finish

Today I have finished sewing down the binding on In Full Bloom by Lynette Anderson. It's only a small quilt but the stitcheries are lovely and were so enjoyable to work on.

As it was a BOM I had some leftover fabrics, so I used those to piece the back. I hand quilted it, which was a bit hard in places with the pieced backing.

I need to get going with some secret sewing too....here's a sneak peek.

The boys are mowing, the housework is done so I'm off to my room to sew. Hope you're having a great weekend.

Susan x

Works in progress

I was inspired by May Britt'spost about what projects she is working on this year. I'm sure there will be new projects and fabrics to catch my eye, but these projects are what I'm working on for now.

Finish quilting In Full Bloom before GDITC in March.

Make a start on The Simple Life fabric pack I got for Christmas.

Finish sewing down hexie border and quilt my Hexagon Star......by the end of the year.

Make a quilt for my nephew's 18th in August. Best get a move on with this one.

Floral Beauty. Loving it, and scared of all the needleturn, at the same time.

New Day stitchery.....finish by Mothers Day.

Make two runners for my new coffee table and buffet......soon.
Finish my little hexie bag before GDITC.
Stay up to date with the Traditional Nine Patch Swap.
I'm thinking about starting a clamshell quilt, but might wait until GDITC with Sue Daley.

I'll stop now, or this will become a very long list of all the projects I'd like to do.

I'm off to find a cool spot to stitch the day away.......now what should I work on first?

Susan x

Blue Mountain's Quilt Retreat

I'm so excited. The weather is cold and windy, and tomorrow morning Ann-Marie and I will be heading off to Katoomba for a weekend retreat at The Stitching Post with Sam.

The tutors are Gail Pan, Lisa Cantlay and Carol Roberts, and we will have six mystery projects to choose from.

We are staying in our own little cottage with five other ladies, so I am expecting lots of laughter, plenty of show and tell, and not much sleep.

I haven't had much sewing time this week, except to baste In Full Bloom and start quilting. I don't enjoy hand quilting in the ditch, but I think it suits this quilt.

Hope you have a great weekend - I'll do a post from stitching heaven!

Susan x

A little peek.....

At very little.........this is the back of my SSCS decoration.

And this is the pieced back for In Full Bloom.

Back to school tomorrow. Only ten weeks to go til Christmas holidays!

Have a great week.

Susan x

In Full Bloom

I have spent the whole day at home, a rare treat. Movies for the boys and sewing for me...... although there is a pretty serious water fight going on outside at the moment.

I have had a big session on the sewing machine today and now my In Full Bloom top is finished. I'm really happy with it. I think I'll use the leftover fabrics to piece the back. Joanne at Tranquility had a finished one on display, and it really won't need much quilting.
 

Some lovely mail yesterday. Lisa from Cubby House crafts sent me these sweet little Tilda birds. She is such a clever girl. Better find them a home inside.
 

I've been doing some gardening too - must be something about Spring. I like plants that don't need very much attention or water, so the rhubarb has died, but this crab apple is gorgeous at the moment (Tom Matthews I think).
 

I love school holidays. Hope you're having fun too.

Susan x

Saturday Night Stitching

It's amazing the difference that one less child in the house makes. Mr 11 was at a sleepover last night, and everyone else was doing their own thing, so I did too.

The Nest is the last stitchery for In Full Bloom.

And this is the centre of the quilt, with the pile of border pieces. Not sure when that will happen.

Talk of Christmas is creeping into the blogs, so I did some more TTS. Only one and a bit left to do.

I also made a list of projects on the go - not quite sure how it got so long! So I'd better get stitching........after I make the boys mow the lawn!

Enjoy your Sunday.

Susan x

The beehive

Beehive block for In Full Bloom. I can't count......now there is only one stitchery left to do!

Susan x

Tip of the day

I have a very special tip of the day to share. DO NOT iron template plastic! It smells bad, and it's no good for your iron or the template. Fortunately, it came off my iron pretty easily. It's just so darned hard to see when you leave it on the ironing board.

On a happier note, In Full Bloom is, well, blooming. First three rows sewn together. Just one last stitchery to finish.

The work of a hand quilter never ends. My FG quilt is coming along. I hate quilting really close to the edge, it's hard to get it to stay flat.

I have signed up for Chookyblue's SSCS again. I have been sneaking around my partners blog, and I think I have decided what to make. The only problem will be that if it turns out as hoped, I might need to make a second one for myself.

All this talk of Christmas is starting to make me nervous!

Susan x

Broken Dishes

No not really. Just Broken Dish blocks. These are part of the In Full Bloom quilt. I spent some time last night cutting the squares and making the blocks up.

I don't enjoy machine sewing as much as hand sewing, so I am happy I got them all done in one go. Just have to finish the last stitchery, and have another couple of sessions joining the blocks and border, and it will be done.

My darling niece in Melbourne is 21 today...........Happy Birthday.

Have a great week.

Susan x

Stitching and printers tray

With hubby away for a couple of nights, I've been busy doing some stitching. I think the Topiary block is one of my favourites from In Full Bloom.

And another month closer to finishing Tis the Season.

Lots of bloggers collect thimbles or other small objects, I thought I'd show you how I display mine. I bought this wooden printers tray on eBay a year or two ago. It will be a while before it's full, but if you enjoy miniature things it's a great way to display them. I have also seen trays covered in glass and used as a coffee table top. I left the tray as is with runners and handle rather than taking them off and pretty-ing it up.

It was so warm yesterday that we didn't even have the fire alight, although the toes are a little chilly this morning. Hoping to spend some time in the sunshine today............and maybe a little more stitching.

Susan x

WIP's

The problem with being a hand quilter is that there is always a quilt top waiting to be worked on. I am continuing my French General love affair, so thought I should pull out the top I made with precuts and get on with quilting it. Just quilting around the appliqué and along the borders, so it shouldn't take too long.

I finished the birdbath block of In Full Bloom. The last month has arrived, so only a couple more stitcheries to do before putting it all together.

Off to make some biscuits and caramel slice, then I'm going to ignore some pesky house jobs, and sew for the afternoon.

Hope you're having a lovely day, and keeping cool or warm, depending on where you are.

Susan x

Birthday goodies

It was so much fun opening the packages from the Secret Sewing Sisters, for the birthday fat quarter swap. I think I am well on my way to a nice stash of reproduction fabrics. Thank you girls.

My dear sister sent me an Elk brooch, in red of course.

The final month for In Full Bloom has arrived so I'm off to catch up on some stitching.

Have a great week.

Susan x

Sunday Stitching

I have been working on Garden Gate from In Full Bloom.

And I bought these fat quarters at The Stitching Post. The others are for a secret swap.

Feeling a bit lazy today so more blogging than stitching going on. Enjoy your Sunday afternoon too.
Susan x

Thank you

Thanks for all the ideas of how to salvage my stitchery. I have tried a couple, but the running is still visible. My last attempt will be today using natural yogurt - i'll let you know how i go. Hubby thinks it's just extra artistic effect, but I know I won't enjoy looking at it. It's only a quick stitchery so I'll just re-do it and be more wary of red thread in future. This is how my TTS looks so far. I think it will definitely need a nice red border to lift the colours.

I need to get going with In Full Bloom. Month 5 arrived yesterday and I haven't finished last month. This one is called Watering Girl.

I am still slowly working on hand quilting my stars quilt. I have 54 squares left, so have set myself the challenge of doing at least 2 a day so I should be finished in a month or so. I have so many little bits and pieces on the go that I am really looking forward to a big finish.

Hubby has gone to the Mudgee Small Farm Field Days today to look at tractors. The equivalent of quite a lot of fat quarters if you ask me!

Have a great weekend.

Susan x

Weekend Stitching

Jack Frost has been overnight. It was a beautiful, freezing frosty morning. In between soccer games and sleepovers I've been doing some stitching. Another block finished for In Full Bloom.

And Tis the Season - Christmas Reindeer

I bought a fabric pack for Anni's zippered bag at the craft show and decided to make a start on it last night. There is only one downside to fabric packs - if you make a mistake and draw your appliqué design on back to front, AND cut it out wrong, well, there isn't any spare fabric left. So my ground is slightly spotty instead of sprinkled with daisies. Not really a drama, just annoyed at myself. I used to really love buttonhole appliqué, but I'm not so sure any more. Now that I can do needle turn I think it's my preferred method.

It kept me occupied whilst I waited for the eleven year olds to go to sleep. Why do we have sleepovers????

Some family time chopping firewood today. Hope you're keeping warm and enjoying the weekend.

Susan x

In Full Bloom and off to Sydney

I love this latest block from In Full Bloom. I think Lynette's dog Hugo was probably the model.

I finished it today whilst watching Mr 15 compete at cross country in Wellington. He came second in his race which means he goes to State next month. I'm very proud of him, but really not sure where the athletic gene came from.

Only two more sleeps (more like 1.5 since I'm getting up so early Friday) until I head off to the craft show in Sydney. Picking up Deb and Kate along the way for a day that will be full of fun, friends and shopping. I can hardly wait for the Blog Meet at lunchtime, I think it will be a highlight - my camera is charged and ready.

Will be back to tell you all about it on the weekend.

Susan x

In Full Bloom

It is hard to beat being tucked up at home in front of the fire when it's cold and wet outside. Lots of lovely rain yesterday, and lots of mucking around with gutters and pipes to catch it all - the joys of living on tank water.

I have finished my latest In Full Bloom block, Flower Pots.

My Hexagon Star has been appliqued to the background with surprisingly few bumps. I'm amazed that I was able to keep it flat.  That means I should hurry up making these long hexie borders.

Out for Italian for a girls night tonight - you know the ones you see at school, or the supermarket, or racing by at kids sport - and you finally get together once or twice a year. None of them are stitchers, but I won't hold that against them, it should be a fun night.

Enjoy your weekend, and keep warm. It's so cold that maybe you should start a new quilt!

Susan x

In Full Bloom

Oh my gosh, I've done it. Technology is simply amazing.

This is the latest block for In Full Bloom. These little stitcheries are just divine - so much fun to do. I did this one on the train to Sydney last week - much more productive than driving.

Susan x

Yay. Housework done. Shopping done. Back to my stitching!

SKOW bag is coming along. It's construction method is a bit different for me, but I think it will be okay.

Had a dreadful experience on Monday. Waiting in town for Mr 10, hmmmm, how about a bit of stitching. Fabric, thread, scissors, needle - NO NEEDLE. How on earth could there not be a needle in my car?? Normally I can cover how badly impatient I am by sewing or reading - but I had neither - it was the longest half hour I've had for some time. But I made up for it when I got home, and have started the Birdhouse block for IFB.

I have planted 7 new trees now. My hole diggers have abandoned me. It's probably quite funny watching me swing a mattock out in the paddock. Three more to go. It's nice to get beyond the house yard and plant some trees that will (hopefully) grow really big. I loved the trees in NZ, so maybe I'm trying to re-create a little of that here. Some pine trees will be next on my list (oh how I wish I could grow a giant NZ hedge).

 

Off to Bathurst to visit Dad tomorrow. I really can't justify going to The Home Patch again - maybe I'll just pop into the other fabric shop - just for a little look.

Susan x