Stitching the day(night) away

This bucket bag featuring a serious shopper from the Loralie Harris Sewphisticates panel is winging its way across the waves to Jantine as the winner of my recent giveaway. You'll have to wait for the post people to do their jobs as I did not take pictures of the sewing treats included. Played with my new thread acquired on my travels around the state earlier this month. Just a peek at this design from Red Brolly found in the Miss Millies Flower Patch book. The thread is from Cottage Garden Threads and the colour way is Muscat, it was fun to stitch.

I got distracted last night and completed this stitchery. Remember how bad I am at following instructions - this design is the Butterfly on My Heart design which Vicki of Tozz's Corner shared on her blog, I know, I know it is supposed to be an applique pattern, I hope she doesn't get upset with me? The thread is DMC 4220 and the background is light green. Pushing things to the limit - I have packed my bag and will be sending this lot out to my Secret Stitcher tomorrow - yes, that is the last day for posting. My package just needs to cross a state border, no waves this time so I shouldn't have to wait too long for the post people to do their thing.

Thanks to Helen for organising a fun swap and to all the generous designers who freely gave the designs for us to play with. Hope their is time in your day for some creativity.

Happy Crafting

Sunshine and Bright Colours

The sun came out yesterday and I played with these lovely bright colours in the sewing room. I just love when I can complete a project or two - okay they were small - from my stash. The old fashioned bias binding came from my Grandmothers stash and is probably a relic from the '70's as it was still in the celophane packet and marked 25c for 6 metres. It was the perfect colour for one of my projects.

I made this triangle pouch from a tutorial I found here. Super cute and way too easy, I am thinking Christmas wrapping here, yes there will be lots more in various sizes.

I know you have seen this before but I finally managed to take an outside photo of it hanging and not blowing around too much.

Hope the weekend is a good one wherever you are.

Happy Creating

The Back and a Winner...

Do you wanna see what I did on the back of my quilt? Of course you don't but here it is anyway - The quilt is just wider than the width of fabric so I whipped up a few more blocks and put a strip on the back - now I have somewhere to record the details. As you can see the quilting is very simple circles which outline the stitcheries and the block circles, nothing more than that. Yesterday while I wasn't working I gave the quilt a bath and hung it out to dry, but it was too windy for an outdoor photo, just kept folding over itself. It looks even better now that it is clean, well I think so anyway. Now for the winner of the giveaway - Jantine over at Urban Style. Only a week late but you know sometimes life (or driving long distances for dinner) just get in the way of good intentions.

Enjoy the remainder of the week wherever you are, I intend to sew lots!

Happy Crafting

BIG Weekend...

What's the difference between 600 and 800 Km's? This weekends destination Hamilton Vic approx 300Km from my house. Why? To celebrate a Big Birthday with my brother. Some Poppies flowering in my sister in laws garden, I really did go there and participate in the family celebrations. Back to the question... A view of the Southern Ocean - Pt Fairy Vic

A lovely patchwork shop... Warrnambool Vic

Shopping at said Patchwork Shop - Frangrant Cottage and it surely is, they have lovely smelling goodies as well as gorgeous Fabrics - My Loot - fabric and thread for a secret project, and some for me too!

Oh and visit to Bliss Scrapbooking, Warrnambool Vic - netted this lot - beautiful purple ricrac and ribbon - and Rings to complete the secret project.

In between all that driving, I put the finishing stitches on my Christmas Wish Quilt - one day it will be still enough to get a decent photo. I did the quilting and sewed the binding on Thursday, the weekend task was to stitch the binding down. Accomplished!

Back home and ready for some more stitching tonight.

Hope your weekend was productive one.

Happy Crafting

Annie has a new home

This is the Annie which I made for Gigi - she has arrived safely at her new home, where I am pleased to say she is Loved. I had so much fun with this pattern, she was easy to make and a good size. Annie travelled with her spider companions in her pumpkin costume for the Bumps In the Night Halloween swap, oh and there were a few treats in the treat bag for Gigi to enjoy.

Thanks to AuntPittyPat for hosting a super fun swap and Brenda Greenwalt of LillieMaes Crafts for generously allowing us to use her pattern.

Hope there is lots of time in your day to be creative.

Happy Creating

Swap Goodness...

Thanks to Amanda I recieved this bundle of goodness today - it turns out she was my Stitchers Angel and she certainly is an Angel - Look at all my goodies in my favourite Red colour, beautiful stitching and very useful items. There is a drawstring bag, a wrist pin cushion, a financial year diary and a needle wallet. In the background is tea towel printed with the underground net work - this package came from England. And for something very different I also recieved my swap package from Gigi in AuntPittyPats Bumps in the Night Annie Swap - I am in Love with this dolly who came in costume accompanied by her cat, all ready for some Halloween Fun.

Ooh - and did she bring lots of treats with her - there is some gorgeous fabric in Halloween and Autumn colours, a sheet of Halloween stickers and Halloween Candy called body parts - it is way too fun. There were some spiders in the package as well I'll display those in the resident spider webs. Gigi had asked if there was anything that I would like included that I can't easily get here so I asked for Stash tea and she got my favourite flavour - Liquorice and spice Herbal infusion - Yum!

There has been a little progress on the quilt project, but not much instead I went to the Kilmore Quilter's Quilt show on the weekend. There are lots of talented people in that group and the show was a very pleasant way to spend Saturday afternoon, I took the camera but forgot to take photos so I can't share.

Thanks to AuntPittyPat and Helen for hosting these wonderful swaps. Happy Monday

Bits and Pieces

Who could be hiding under this hat? Annie tried to hide, she just didn't want to put her broom into Action - but I sent her on her way to Gigi's house across the waves where she should be arriving shortly. Then you'll get to see what she looks like. As always I was sad to see her go, but I am anxiously awaiting my own Annie package coming from Gigi. The beginnings of my quilt in the previous post has attracted a lot of comments, thanks to all of you for the nice things you have been saying. There have been some questions which might be answered by a look at this quilt I made a couple of years ago from a design by Rickety Stitches called Lazy Hazy Days with summer themed stitcheries - you will need to click on the picture to see the detail. While there are a combination of drunkards path and solid blocks and the placement is very random, I used this quilt as inspiration for my new project. The only quilting is around the circles.

Time for a treat for some lucky reader - I will make one of these bucket bags and fill it with some treats of a crafty kind for a Giveaway to celebrate the three digit number that came up 10 posts ago. So I'm slow sometimes.

Every comment on a post between 100 and now will automatically be entered in the draw. You can also leave a comment here to be included and I'll choose a winner on the 15th October.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

Happy Crafting

Happy to be Here

Why is it that when you are on a roll someone comes by or calls? I sewed sets of four drunkard path blocks together for my circle blocks last night after the Old People visited. And today, after my sister called, I joined them all together with sashing to form the basis for the quilt top - now I need to finish the last stitchery. The sashing is actually a pale green in the same tone as the fabric I used for the stitcheries, (this is an inside photo). Hope your weekend has been sunny and productive.

Happy Crafting

The Story so Far...

The fabrics from Wednesdays shopping have been cut and sewed already. I have finished the first part of the construction process, there are 36 6" drunkards path blocks.

Remember that I am not good at following instructions. These blocks will form the main part of my Christmas Wish project and I intend to get it together this weekend.

Hope you are enjoying Saturday wherever you are.

Happy Crafting