A Delightful Menagerie.
Posted on February 5, 2019 | 15 Comments
This quilt has been a long time coming together.I started the embroideries over two years ago. They are not particularly difficult, but many interruptions came along and it was often put aside.
It is good to see all the embroideries completed and to have them now together in a quilt.
This is All Creatures Great and Small by Natalie Bird.
There is a selection of animals to be stitched and these are the ones I chose to do.
I have used a mixture of threads from DMC and Cottage garden.
I chose soft greens for the framing fabrics as I felt the colour and pattern needed to be soft rather than busy.
The backing is also a soft green.
Lots of straight line quilting to hold it together with a little meandering around each animal.
Very pleasing to have finally reached the finish line.
Lots of busy things for me to do this week, but all are enjoyable. Hope your week looks good, too.
Cheers, Karen
A Winter Finish On A Very Hot Day.
Posted on January 30, 2019 | 14 Comments
It is Summer, so hot days should be no surprise. But 40 degrees Celsius is pushing it a bit. Mind you, that is 5 degrees cooler than one day last week. So with all that in mind I finished my Winter scene in wool. Didn’t make me feel cooler but I liked the finish.
This is Flocks By Night by Wendy Williams. Her original is in felt, whereas I chose to use wool.
I have also embellished most pieces with Sue Spargo wools.
Love those sheep on the hill. So cute.
Lots of wonky stars were made for the border.
I used fabrics from the night -time star blocks for the pieced backing, and a delightful stripe for the binding.
Its size is deceptive and is larger than it looks in the photos – 54 X 26 inches.
It can stay on the couch for a little longer then will be packed away until Christmas.
There are plenty more photos of this quilt showing the embroidery detail in this post.
Have a great week.
Cheers, Karen
Summer Embroidery.
Posted on January 22, 2019 | 19 Comments
I often notice that bloggers tend to get very busy with other things when the Summer months are here. It makes sense as there is so much to do outside and we have to make the most of those lovely days.
I am in that category as I have only posted once since the new year began. Lots of time in the garden picking corn, berries, apricots and tomatoes. And of course it is a great to to spend catching up with friends and family.
But I can say that I have been stitching when the time allows, mostly when there is a good match on TV at the tennis – The Australian Open.
I have been working on some small but delightful embroideries by Wendy Williams called Travel Threads. They are a collection of about 20 different designs that are 6 inches in size. I have been working on three of them and they are in different stages of completion.
The bird block needs a few more french knots.
I think the wreath is just about finished.
And the caravan is only in the early stages.
I am planning to create a small vertical wall hanging with these three pieces.
When is has been too hot to be outside I have set up a big table and used it to baste three quilts. Perfect with the aircon going. We have another 40 degree day coming later this week so more inside time coming. That is when I really feel for the tennis players. How do they do it?
Have a lovely week.
Cheers, Karen
Happy 2019.
Posted on January 1, 2019 | 14 Comments
How quickly we seem to jump into the New Year.
We had a lovely start with some beautiful weather – clear blue skies and warm temps.
The garden has been loving the warmth and the rain. The apricots are just showing some colour so they have been covered in netting.
And the corn is thriving.
There are a few sunflowers hiding in among the corn stalks.
Thankfully there are still a lot of blooms.
We have quite a bit of shade to keep us out of the sun.
And we try to keep water out for the birds in the hot weather.
I do hope this start to 2019 is a good omen for the rest of the year and I hope everyone is looking forward with a positive outlook.
Cheers, Karen
Christmas Snow.
Posted on December 24, 2018 | 10 Comments
Definitely no snow here for Christmas (30c) but a snowman instead.
This is a small decoration for the tree from a pattern from Penny Lane Primitives called Frosted Kisses.
There is also a candle mat and swag in the pattern, but for now one decoration will do.
We will far from the snow on Christmas Day as our plans are to be in a sea side town. And the forecast is for quite a hot day.
I hope everyone has a lovely Christmas and enjoys all that the festive season has to offer.
Cheers, Karen
A Year Of Snow Hearts.
Posted on December 10, 2018 | 16 Comments
December has arrived and with it the final Snow Hearts have been completed. It has been a lovely journey throughout the year with Joan, Shez and Jeanette. We have been using the free patterns from Bunny Hill Designs and completing one design each month. Thank you to all the ladies for keeping me on track and thank you of course to Bunny Hill Designs for the gorgeous patterns.
I have a large wire tree that has been able to hold all my hearts from the year.
These are the two that have been made for December. As for each month there is a felt background and a fabric background heart.
They look good as a group, too. These are the twelve felt hearts.
And these are the twelve fabric hearts.
They look lovely in their small groups but also mix well on the tree together.
It has been a delight to make these during the year and the bonus has been ending up with a great collection. Please visit Joan, Shez and Jeanette to see how their collections are going. And thank you for all the encouraging comments along the way with these hearts.
I think our home is starting to look like Christmas. Not too long now.
Cheers, Karen
A Very Woolly Post.
Posted on November 27, 2018 | 14 Comments
Lots of photos today and all are wool related.
I have completed the central panel of my wool applique piece. I am now completing the pieced stars that make up the border. The photos show the whole piece and then in smaller sections.
The pattern is by Wendy Williams and is called Flocks By Night. I have used a lot of Sue Spargo techniques to embellish the trees and houses. Each tree has a star, but those will not be added until after quilting.
Hopefully next time I show this piece it will have star borders and will be quilted.
Keeping the wool theme going, these are pictures of yarn bombing in Central Melbourne. These particular trees are outside the State Library in Swanston Street and have a definite Christmas theme.
I suppose this means Christmas must be coming soon!
Have a great week.
Cheers, Karen
An Animal Day.
Posted on November 21, 2018 | 11 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 | 20 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
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