Stitching Along In April.
Posted on April 9, 2019 | 9 Comments
Stitching along slowly. Not a lot of big finishes, but several small ones.
This is the second block for Dancing Chickens and Flying Pigs.
I have also completed the February blocks for the Gail Pan BOM.
I have nearly completed the March blocks so I am not too far behind.
School holidays have started here in Victoria so it is time for fun with grand children sleeping over and lots of playing. And of course there is some rain – always part of the holidays.
Hope you have a great week. Cheers, Karen
A Cotton Crochet finish.
Posted on April 2, 2019 | 12 Comments
Back in November I was working on a crochet blanket which contained a variety of blocks. I was distracted when one of the colourways really appealed to me as a possibility for a full blanket.
So of course I went off on a tangent and made a block to try it out.
The more it grew the more I liked it.
You can see where it is going now.
I completed the twenty five blocks, stitched it together and added the simple border.
The pattern is from a Patons book, Colourful Crochet – number 108. It is simply called Mandala Motif Blanket.
I used an 8 ply cotton from Bendigo Woollen Mills. It was a lovey yarn to work with in the blanket.
It has ended up as a 125cm square.
My next crochet distraction is the Sweet pea blanket that is a CAL from Attic 24.
After a crazy cold weekend we are back to lovely sunny Autumn days. Perfect for time in the garden during the day, and stitching inside in the evenings. Have a great week.
Cheers, Karen
March Hares.
Posted on March 12, 2019 | 17 Comments
There’s always something that makes me think of Alice In Wonderland when I see hares. I am not sure if these are supposed to be rabbits or hares but the ears say hares to me.
This is another design from Wendy Williams. It is a block from her Hidden Treasures quilt. I am really not sure how I am going to use this yet – either as a separate piece or part of a small quilt. No need to rush the decision.
This is the other one that is part of the set.
The are work in felt on a fabric background. The threads are a mixture of DMC, Cosmo and Sue Spargo.
It has been a mixed week after the fires. Our weather is crazy and only two days after the worst of the bush fire we had a hailstorm. There was also light snow on the nearby mountains.
The main part of the fire near us is under control but there are still quite a few fires continuing to burn in the eastern part of our state. Sadly 29 homes were lost in the fire near us. There have been some wonderful posts on Facebook showing how well the firies worked to save homes and how close the fires got without damaging the houses. I am still in awe of the work they do.
We had an extra long weekend with Monday as a holiday and I am planning to have a quiet week. Hope yours goes well.
Cheers, Karen
March Fires.
Posted on March 5, 2019 | 15 Comments
It has been a hot and hair raising start to March in our area. Lightning strikes started several fires in the state park only a few kilometers from where we live.
This was the view from the car when I first spotted the smoke.
By the time I had arrived home the view had changed drastically.
An hour later the sky was black. The fire near us was in the Bunyip State Park. Unfortunately it moved into farm areas and at least seven homes were lost.
The fire is still burning but thankfully has slowed and no properties are facing any danger. It looks like it will take weeks to put out and there is no rain in sight. It is a credit to all fighting the fires that no lives were lost. They are amazing in the work they do.
We seem to be on the flight path for all the helicopters travelling to and from the area. We hear one every 15 minutes. Thankfully rail lines and freeways were able to reopen today.
Sadly there are still 17 fires burning in Gippsland so the worst is not yet over.
Okay. Time to look at something on the stitching side. I have managed to make progress with The Gail Pan embroideries. This is one from January. I still need to remove some of the guide marks.
I have also started a quilt from Hatched and Patched called Dancing Chickens and Flying Pigs.
This is the first block.
No, the outside lines are not crooked. I just didn’t smooth the block flat.
I am now looking forward to a cooler week as are many in our area.
Cheers, Karen
Finding Fabric For A Finish.
Posted on February 19, 2019 | 19 Comments
Quite an alliterative title. But not intended that way.
I had completed the three panels for my wall hanging and had auditioned fabrics for the border. Both were tone on tone – one green, one blue. Both were lovely and I was having a hard time deciding. So I took my project to my sewing session ready to finally choose and stitch away. Before I had even unpacked I saw a new fabric range and one fabric jumped out at me. It was a Liberty type print in greens and blues in just the right shade. So of course I bought it and used it then and there. Here is the result.
The fabric matched the idea I had in my head some time ago but of course I couldn’t find any when I first looked. I am so pleased it turned up when it did. Here are the completed blocks.
Bird.
Caravan.
Heart.
I had the right sized piece of fabric for the backing – Aussie place names. I had used this as a backing on my cat quilt last year.
Now I need to find the right hooks for hanging.
These are all from Patterns by Wendy Williams called Travel Threads. I hope to make more of these designs as they are delightful.
For a change of pace we went to see the Escher Exhibit in Melbourne today. My head is still spinning with the amazing designs he made. And it was lovely to enjoy the city on a cool day.
Enjoy your week. Cheers, Karen
P.S. Marina, my replies to you are bouncing back again. Send me an email directly and I will see if that works properly.
Summer Sewing.
Posted on February 12, 2019 | 18 Comments
When you live in or near Melbourne you do get used to the changeable weather. We have already had temps in the 40s this month and our aircon has worked overtime. This week we have returned to cooler days in the low 20s (70s). But today decided to play tricks with us and warmed up to a lovely 21c before rapidly dropping to 14 at lunchtime when a storm blew through. Who knows what the rest of the day will bring?
On to far more important things – stitching. Lots of bits and pieces on the go. I have completed the stitching on the little caravan.
I am now ready to put the three pieces together into a wall hanging.
Next up I am following Gail Pan’s BOM of Christmas stitcheries. I am going at my own pace and have finished one of the January designs.
I am also back to working on my McKenna Ryan quilt blocks. I have six completed and three to go. It was time to sew some of them together.
The top four blocks are together and I am now working on the one to the right of them to fill that gap. It will be a little trickier than the rest as it has a lot of pieces overlapping other blocks as well as the border.
Hopefully it will be finished when Christmas arrives this year. (No pressure!)
All my group activities have started up again for the year and it has been delightful catching up with everyone. I hope you are enjoying your week, too.
Cheers, Karen
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
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