An Animal Day.
Posted on November 21, 2018 | 2 Comments
All the photos of projects in this post have animals. Not planned that way and I didn’t realise until I was preparing the photos.
First up are the Little Penguins from a McKenna Ryan block. I am back to working on these blocks. I think there are 3 more to go.
I am being very sensible and hoping to have this one ready for next Christmas – 2019. I know my limits.
Then I have a finished stitchery. It fits in a 6 inch hoop. Not sure if to finish it that way or to frame it. No rush there, either.
It’s a Cinderberry pattern from Natalie Lymer.
And last of all are the Aussie animal blocks being made for a quilt. They are all prepped and ready to stitch. No eyes of course yet. The pattern is from The Red Boot Quilt Company.
So that is what I will be stitching next. I think I will need to make a few extra but I will wait until I see how the layout goes, then decide.
I have been able to avoid the big stores for a while but today I had to be in the city and of course all the Christmas music was in full swing. It didn’t drown out the didgeridoo player in Bourke St Mall though.
Enjoy the rest of the week.
Cheers, Karen
November Hearts.
Posted on November 12, 2018 | 13 Comments
This is the second last month for the year of Bunny Hill Snow Hearts. I have kept this one simple and have removed the words as Australia does not celebrate Thanksgiving. They still look lovely.
I often find that I am working on several projects at one time and often have nothing in particular to show in posts. Then after a while all the projects seem to come to a finish all at once. That is the case at the moment with at least half a dozen items nearing completion.
This is the quilt top using the bird fabric and the aqua and orange pinwheels. The top is ready and waiting to be sandwiched and quilted.
Quilting may have to wait a while as my big machine goes in for a service today.
I spent some time with friends making a few Christmas cards. Had a lovely day and this was the result.
Of course having a lot on the go does not preclude starting something new. This is the first block of many for an Aussie animal quilt from the Red Boot Quilt Company.
This wombat will need button eyes added but that is well down the track.
Summer is letting us know it is on the way with a hot day today, but we are still getting a few mild ones in between which makes it very pleasant.
Have a great week.
Cheers, Karen
All Through The Night.
Posted on October 28, 2018 | 18 Comments
I have been to a couple of workshops with Bonnie Sullivan from All Through The Night where I have received a couple of her lovely patterns, and bought a couple more. After getting them stitched I decided to combine them into a small wall hanging rather that individual items.
Each block is a pre-printed design with wool applique and additional embroidery.
Lots of red buttons were added instead of wool pieces.
The sashing is in flannel. I think it gives it a snugglier look.
These were delightful patterns to work on.
Not great photos but at least you get the idea.
I have a few more of Bonnie’s patterns left to work on. Hopefully some time soon.
Cheers, Karen
Hearts And Yarns For October.
Posted on October 8, 2018 | 13 Comments
It seems to take a little longer here, but Spring has arrived. This year it has been gradual with the days steadily warming up but a few cold ones still being thrown in. My trees like to announce the arrival of Spring and the warmer days.
It is time for The October Bunny Hill Hearts to be ready. We have done well with Joan, Shez and Jeanette all working on our little snowies.
My two are ready to show their faces.
As always, one completely in felt and the other with a fabric background.
In the originals they are representing Halloween and collecting treats. Halloween is not a big event here so I was happy for my snowies to simply enjoy collecting moonbeams (or moons).
I am amazed that we only have two months to go. They have been so easy to keep up with and I am delighted with the collection that is building. Thanks go to the other lovely ladies who are keeping me on track. Make a visit to see their versions for this month as well.
My other distraction at the moment is crochet. I have been making mandalas that will have corners added to make squares, then sewn together into a blanket. They are about 10 inches across. There are 25 in the full blanket made up of six different colourway combinations. This is my progress so far.
However!!! Once I had made the second group I had an inkling to change my mind and just go with that colourway for the entire blanket. Now I really have a tricky decision to make. Some hard thinking needs to be done over the next few days.
If that is all I have to worry about, life is easy.
Cheers, Karen
Woolly Finishes.
Posted on October 2, 2018 | 11 Comments
I have been catching up on recent workshop projects and have managed two finishes. These are from a day spent with Gail Pan and Bonnie Sullivan. The finishes are the patterns from Bonnie (All Through the Night).
The first one is the sewing case. It came with a pre-printed background and the applique is wool.
Front and back.
The inside section has several pockets for keeping threads and scissors.
The second project is a very cute snowman. He was to be in a frame but Gail made him up as a mini wall hanging and I thought that idea worked well.
I was even able to use some leftovers from another project for the backing.
It looks like we have some lovely sunshine today so time to get outside and enjoy it.
Hope you have a lovely day, too.
Cheers, Karen
Finally! A Quilt Finish!
Posted on September 25, 2018 | 16 Comments
It really does seem like ages since I finished a quilt so I am delighted to have finally made it across the finish line with one.
Of course my excitement was not reflected in the weather and I had to make do with an overcast day ( or three).
The design reminds me of mosaic tiled floors in some the the older Melbourne homes.
I resorted to an inside pic of the quilt to give a better sense of the colours.
This is a Tim Holtz design for the layout but I did not use his fabric.
I had a lovely fabric pack that had been waiting patiently on the shelf and it seemed right for this quilt.
I took this one to the LAQ for an overall design – something like bubbles and swirls. Not too sure if I have that right.
The back gives a better idea of the quilting.
And a close up shows that it is fabric covered in a design using Melbourne trams.
The quilt is finished with a red binding from the same fabric range as the front.
It was a bit like putting a jigsaw together when making the blocks for this quilt, but thankfully it all worked out.
I do hope this is the start to getting a few more quilts completed.
It is a bit chilly here so I hope you are having warmer days.
Cheers, Karen
September Snow Hearts.
Posted on September 10, 2018 | 11 Comments
My apologies to those people who are having difficulty with my comment section. I still have no idea why it is causing grief to some and not to others, but I will continue to search for a solution.
I have been able to keep up and complete my Bunny Hill Snow Hearts for September.
The felt one first.
And then the fabric one.
And of course the two together.
I am surprised at how quick these come around each month which is a good indication of how the year is flying by.
Remember to catch up with Joan, Shez and Jeanette to see their wonderful creations, too.
Just a quick mention that I may not be able to moderate or reply to comments in a hurry as we will be busy over the next few days.
Cheers, Karen
Making Progress.
Posted on September 3, 2018 | 15 Comments
Bits and pieces are coming together so it is good to see progress being made.
The first bit of progress is with the blog itself. Several times I have tried to add a subscribe button on the side but because my site is a mix of blog and web page it just didn’t want to play nice. After a little prod from Nancy I tried again and to my surprise it worked!
So now those you prefer to have email updates can use the new follow by email button.
There has been more knitting happening but this time it is not for the grand children. A few weeks ago I joined with many others to make little lamb jumpers for the farmers to use in the drought areas. Use this link to read one of the articles.
The pictures in the paper are so cute!
Next up our group of the Embroidery Guild needed some needle cases, so I used the Marg Low pattern to make some using wool felt.
I have started selecting fabrics to use with the embroideries I completed. This is the start to adding borders for each block.
I am not sure how big I want this one to grow so will just take my time playing with it.
I am also trying to plan out another quilt with no pattern. I loved the bird fabric and wanted to keep it in large pieces, so the grid paper came out and a few more ideas have been tossed around.
Should be a good one for Spring with the bright colours.
And Spring must be around the corner because I noticed one single, lonely blossom on my trees. Hope the others catch up soon.
Have a wonderful week.
Cheers, Karen
Brrrr ……. And Some Stitches.
Posted on August 28, 2018 | 10 Comments
Yes, it’s cold here. The heater is working overtime. I think Winter is telling us it is not quite ready to go away.
I have used my time inside productively to complete the last stitcheries in this set for All Creatures Great and Small from Natalie Bird.
Unfortunately I think the book is no longer available?
Now I need to determine a layout and select fabrics to turn them into a small quilt.
Last week I had the good fortune to attend a stitching day with Gail Pan and Bonnie Sullivan (All Through The Night).
The following photos are of Bonnie’s designs but were made up as samples by Gail.
The first is a lovely sewing wallet – outside view.
And inside view with all the pockets.
And next a little snowman hanger.
So sweet!
Unfortunately my pics of Gail’s projects blurred. You can see them peeping out in the background of the photos. I am sure Gail will have them up on her site or Facebook very soon.
Hopefully I can show my own version soon, too.
I hope you have a lovely week planned.
Cheers, Karen
Knitting And 90.
Posted on August 21, 2018 | 9 Comments
I had to get my skates on as I wanted to finish this jumper and hat for our 3yo grand daughter to be able to wear during this Winter.
I had started it well before our holiday, but had to get myself back into the knitting routine after our return. Thankfully it was done and given to her last weekend. It fits and looks like there is plenty of growing room for next Winter as well. It suits her perfectly with her blonde hair and blue eyes.
Now I will jump from the youngest member of our family to the oldest. My mum turned 90 last week so we all gathered together to celebrate.
It is so difficult to choose a gift for a person who is 90. When she was 80 we all gave her a trip to New Zealand with her friend.
This year my sister came up with a great idea to give her a book of occasions. What we did was all chose a separate activity that we can do with her so that over the next few months she will be out and about with a family member nearly every week.
I made a special book and then we all wrote about our activities and placed them in the envelopes on each page.
So now my mum is going to the zoo to feed the giraffes, is having high tea, will be touring landmark buildings, going to afternoon tea in the country side, visiting the National Gallery – and many more activities.
Now we just have to plan ahead for the next big one.
I welcome any ideas and suggestions.
Cheers, Karen
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