Keeping The Cold Away.
Posted on August 10, 2012 | 12 Comments
Yes, it’s Winter and I just have to get used to it. A lot of the trees around here have signs of Spring with their pretty blossom, but the wind, rain and low temps are keeping us well rugged up.
This quilt top is definitely aimed at Summer. It is made with a selection of beach fabrics and I have crab fabric for the backing.
I am starting to accumulate a few tops so I need to do some quilting and binding to catch up.
I have enjoyed a little time lately doing some knitting. I do enjoy little baby jumpers as they come together very quickly.
Hope these are warm and snuggly.
And just for fun, I made a few of these.
I do hope you have a wonderful weekend planned.
Steaming Along.
Posted on August 2, 2012 | 9 Comments
I have been able to piece together all the blocks for my kaleidoscope quilt with all the sashing complete.
(Unfortunately the colours in the photo vary due to weather conditions and the wind blowing the quilt.)
I wanted to run a small border of green around the whole quilt in the same fabric I had already used, but unfortunately I ran out. I will have to hunt around for more, or find a substitute. I can then use the original floral fabric in a larger border.
Here are a few more pics from our holiday. We went to the Marshall Steam Museum at Auburn Heights Preserve in DE. It was a great venue for 3 generations. I enjoyed the house tour, the other adults loved the engines and the children were able to ride on trains, cars and a bus – all powered by steam. There was even a steam popcorn maker!
Keeping Warm.
Posted on July 26, 2012 | 9 Comments
It is a rarity to have snow in our area, but it still doesn’t stop thoughts about snowmen. There are so many lovely stitcheries around for Winter. When they are small and easy to finish like this one it is hard not to be tempted.
This is a free pattern from Rustic Threads. I would like to do a few more and turn them into little pillows or pin cushions.
In the middle of Winter it is lovely to have a quilt or blanket to snuggle under to keep warm.
What could be better than a hand knitted blanket?
No, I did not make this. My hubby did. In fact, he made it from scratch. He bought several different coloured fleeces, then spun the fleeces into knitting wool.
He then knitted all the squares and stitched them together. I may be biased but I think that’s impressive.
Lovely Kits.
Posted on July 20, 2012 | 8 Comments
At the last craft show in March I purchased several Marg Low kits. This Winter weather has given me the perfect excuse to make a start on them.
This one that I have completed is Festive Trinkets.
Before.
And after.
I haven’t added the hanging cord yet as I am debating maybe sewing a small ring to the back instead for hanging.
The heart is approx. 8 inches in height.
I always like the way Marg uses the Theodora Cleave buttons in her work. I have several more kits to enjoy.
I have also been making progress on the kaleidoscope quilt with most of the sashing completed. It is nearly ready to go together.
I am hoping to work on this quilt top over the weekend.
One of the places we enjoyed going to in Philadelphia on several occasions was the Reading Terminal Market. Lots of lovely fresh produce and a huge variety of places to eat. It was always busy.
With very little difficulty we managed to sample quite a lot of the foods.
But my favourite stand had all these beautiful flowers.
Every Finish Is Good!
Posted on July 11, 2012 | 12 Comments
This was an easy quilt to finish. All the piecing was done and it had already been sandwiched together several months ago. All that needed doing was the quilting and binding. Too easy!
And a simple backing of Christmas decorations.
I am slipping in a few more photos from our trip. This amazing building is City Hall in the centre of Philadelphia. We did a guided tour of the building, ( not all 700 rooms), which included going through many of the mayoral chambers and then going to the top of the tower ( by lift). There is a viewing platform located right at the top just under the statue of William Penn.
It is 549 ft to the top of the tower. The statue itself is 37ft tall.
This is the stunning view. This photo is looking down towards The Philadelphia Museum of Art. (Think the steps in the Rocky films.)
A Few Little Birds.
Posted on July 7, 2012 | 14 Comments
I have enjoyed completing this little wall hanging from a pattern by Vivian Robinson (Viv’s Creations).
It is only 12 by 38 inches, so is an easy project to complete.
It is called Birds On The Ladder. It uses raw edge machine applique and a little bit of hand embroidery.
It is a great way to use lots of little bits of fabric.
Always a bonus when you can do that.
Unfortunately Viv does not have a website, but her huge range of patterns is available at Mrs Martins and Candleberry Country.
I thought a little bit of meandering for the quilting would be enough for this little wall hanging.
It was lovely to have some sunshine so the photos could be taken outside.
Have a lovely weekend!
A Little Bit Of Shopping.
Posted on July 5, 2012 | 8 Comments
I had a quick trip to Spotlight yesterday for a small number of purchases, and left with a smile after discovering a little discount, which I thought I must pass on. Spotlight has its own magazine, Get Creative, which costs 99c. On the back there is a $10 discount coupon on sales over $20.
So I bought this gorgeous little book of knitted animals. Normal price $23.99, but my price with the discount was $13.99. Don’t you love it when that happens!
The mag comes out every 2 weeks and there is another discount in the next one. You need to be a VIP member and only one voucher per member each fortnight.
And thanks to Anita for telling about this sweet little book.
My other retail therapy of late was during a trip to Intercourse in the Amish area of Lancaster, just out of Philadelphia. These are only a few of the stores I managed to visit with a friend.
And this is the treasure that came home with me.
Some lovely goodies at prices between $2 and $8 per yard. Music to ears of an Aussie who usually pays over $20 per metre.
Very Cheeky!
Posted on June 29, 2012 | 8 Comments
While I was outside raking up leaves today, these two cheeky cockatoos just sat in the tree next to me. They were not at all bothered by having me near.
I was able to make these tooth fairy pillows for our grand children while we were away. I hope they are not in a rush to have teeth fall out!
We also had a chance to visit Longwood Gardens to see the light installations. They looked stunning. I also enjoyed seeing the fireflies putting on their own competing display.
This is the first display at the entrance. Definitely worth the visit.
Back, Relaxed, But Very Cold!
Posted on June 27, 2012 | 10 Comments
We are back from a lovely month in Pennsylvania where we enjoyed family and warm sunny weather. Most of our trip was to spend family time together, but we did get to play tourist on a few occasions. That included seeing the sights of Philadelphia and Baltimore, trying a range of restaurants and of course fabric shopping in Amish country.
The hard part in coming home has been adjusting to the cold weather. It was 2 degrees Celsius last night!
I did a little sewing when we were away. This was aimed at the grand children as they love helping with the sewing machine.
We made pillowcases together. I had cut and prepared them before we left so that all we needed to do was sew the side seams. Perfect for little fingers that want to “drive” the sewing machine. They went on the beds the first night they were made.
I tried to keep track of most blogs when away and even managed a few comments, but really need to spend a few days catching up on news around the sites.
I look forward to visiting you and leaving a few comments.
Looking For Sunshine.
Posted on May 26, 2012 | 13 Comments
After the weather we have been having, the idea of finding sunshine would seem an impossible task. We are getting around that by flying over the pond to spend a month with family and sharing their Summer. I have no idea about whether it will be easy to post, or reply to comments or to even make comments on your posts in that time. I will if I can, but if not, you know that I will be having too much fun!
I have used the inside, cooped up time on the last few rainy and windy days to complete a few projects.
My Southern Jewels quilt came back from the LAQ and is now bound and ready to give as a gift in August.
It has been quilted in an all over pattern of butterflies, to reflect the main fabric.
And I used my all time favourite for the backing – gum leaves. These are all fabrics from Leesa Chandler’s range, Under The Australian Sun 1 and 2.
I have also completed the stitching on a small embroidery. This sweet little snowflake pattern is from Polka & Bloom and the thread is the Cottage Garden Peacock that I showed in an earlier post.
A little bit of knitting has been done, too.
I started with one but they were a little addictive. I thought they would be bright and colourful for our little grandson’s room.
The pattern is from Twins’ Knitting Patterns Mini Shop and is a freebie. This is the same site where I bought the pattern for the knitted monkeys I have posted previously.
That’s it for now. Just the last of the packing to do. Cheers.
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