FHFS AND WIRES

 Today was a rather special day after the courier left a lovely parcel in my letter box. It was from Christine. I love receiving things in the mail and I feel like it is my birthday all over again.  Our first FHFS theme was hexies. I posted my swap items to the recipient yesterday so I can't show you what I made for her. BUT, I can show you how spoiled I have been. You know how I love pincushions, can't have enough of them? Well, look what Christine made for me .

 

 

Yes indeedy didey doo, I am now the proud owner of this awesome pincushion and a matching project folder. Infact, the pincushion has a home on my coffee table next to the couch I sit and sew on. It is my new fav pincushion!  But wait, there's more.

 

When I opened the folder up I discovered some lovely treasures.  Scissors, quilting needles, pins, DMC threads and a beautiful repro fat 1/4 were hidden inside. So many pretty things. I love the chosen fabrics and colourways. Just perfect. Christine also included my fav chocolate! I have no idea how she knew that I love the Lindt dark Raspberry Intense. YUMMY!!

 

Thankyou so very much Christine.

 

 

The other day I saw a post somewhere that WIRES are in need of knitted pouches and liners for orphaned animals due to the flooding in NSW. So, off to Spotlight I went to buy some pure wool and I have started knitting.

 

 

 

They are to be knitted using 8 ply pure wool and the linings are to be washable pure cotton or flannelette. Synthetics are no good as the animals can't breathe in closed synthetic pouches.

 

If you want more info you can go to www.wires.org.au.

 

So, using 4mm needles (8 in old UK sizing) cast on approximately 30 stitches and knit in garter stitch (plain) . For small pouches the dimensions are 18cm wide and 20 cm long when finished after sewing together. The larger pouches are to be 24cm wide and 30 cm long, approximately 45 - 50 stitches. They need more linings than pouches for regular washing and changes.

 

 Post to WIRES Head Office

 

PO Box 260, Forestville, NSW, 2087

 

I am off to clickity clack now.

 

Angel Blessings.

NEW PROJECT AS WELL AS A BIT OF INSANITY

I feel like I haven't really been doing much stitching lately but realistically I have actually done a lot. Perhaps it is because I am slogging away at the same old thing hoping to reach the finishing line eventually. Yep, it's that darn Insanity quilt. I unpicked all those background hexies from the hexie flowers , traced and cut out the new fabric and have restitched all these...

 

 

Still heaps more to do.

 

Although I am finishing off a few projects I still need to start new ones. I have decided to do another project from Gail Pan's book "Patchwork Loves Embroidery". I love her book and have made a few things from it. I also love using some of her stitchery designs for other projects.  I have just finished tracing these stitcheries for a wall quilt.

 

 

 

 

As you can see in my side bar I am in the" Friends Having Fun Swap" this year. The first one is due 30th April. I finished mine way ahead of schedule but forgot how close to the date we are now. So, this parcel is on it's way to the recipient on Monday. I hope she gets it on time.

 

 

 

 

 

I am scratching my head trying to work out how to make a ruler cover for the next one . Any ideas girls?

 

 

It is another dreary day here today, wet and rather cool.  Hubby is at his annual Anzac Day events with some mates so I am going to sit down and stitch watching these oldies but goodies.

 

 

 

 

 

LEST WE FORGET

 

 

BORDERS, QUILTING AND PREPARATION

I am proud to say that I have finally completed the purple border on my Insanity quilt. I can't believe it has taken me so long and now I face the challenge of the larger hexie flowers borders . I am also proud to say that I have successfully unpicked all those pesky background hexies that I stitched around the hexie flowers and managed to restitch 4 so far. Here is a pic of the Insanity quilt now .It covers our QS bed!

  




I have 3 little hand pieced  Civil War quilt tops finished but have left them sitting amongst my many other unfinished projects. So, I decided I had best get onto them. I have been hand quilting this one and should finish it this coming week. Well, that's the plan.

 

 

Another fat 1/4 birthday swap parcel arrived with a couple of extra little bits. I am just waiting on 1 more now.

 

 

 

 

The weather came over quite gusty and stormy a few minutes ago. The cockatoos were squawking and flying past to gather in the dead tree on the nature strip next door. 

 

 

 

 

 

I have a collection of stitchery patterns that I have not yet done so I have decided to trace these.......

 

 

 

 

 

to take here.

 

 

 

 

Let the countdown begin.

 

Angel Blessings to you all..

 

 

 

PRESSIES TO AND FROM

Oh my! It is such a dreary wet and cold day today.  It feels like winter has arrived early and I certainly hope it vanishes soon. It doesn't help when the ducted heating fails to work properly! Fortunately, I had a bit of sunshine arrive early this afternoon in the form of a surprise parcel. I was so thrilled to see that it was from a lovely lady, Trish, who was one of my craft forum friends for a few years before the site closed. Once again, a lot of thought went into this pressie.

Isn't it lovely! It has 2 pockets inside which are really handy. Most of you know I get all confuzzled making bags when it comes to the lining. So, I am really grateful when someone makes a bag for me. Back in my 20's ,before children, I used to collect Swarovski crystal animals. I haven't bought one for decades and was so delighted when my parents gave me this cute little owl. The photo doesn't do it justice, but trust me, he is sparkly cute.

 

 

Speaking of gifts, I can now show you what I made for Barb's birthday which was on the day before mine. They are a bit blurry but you will get the idea. Wish I knew how this blurriness keeps happening. I must be doing something wrong.. The first one is Michelle Ridgeways's free design. The second one from Red Brolly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, what have I been stitching lately? Jenny's 4th block .

 

 

 

 

 

And reverse sewing all of these !!!!! Why? Because I have run out of the fabric used as the background and surrounding all these rosettes. 

 

 

 

 

The good news is that a girlfriend came to my rescue after digging deep into her fabric stash. She has given me a couple of meters of the perfect fabric substitute which is very close to the hue , a bigger print, but quite perfect really. So, I have been basting more hexies to resew around all the rosettes ready for the BIG border.

 

May sunshine fill your days.

 

Angel Blessings.

 

 

 

 

 

HAPPY EASTER,HAPPY DANCING AND A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY

 I would like to wish all my bloggy friends a very happy and safe Easter.  I was happy putting out my little Easter decorations . Last year I was in the 12" Mini Swap and Simone sent me this lovely cheery Easter mini that I have displayed with a cute little rabbit and chook.

A couple of years ago I made a bunny teatowel which was a free pattern and some fabric eggs. The eggs are amongst some other egg decos. The bunny and eggs were originally symbolic to the pagans as a sign of birth and renewal. .

 

 

As sometimes happens, my birthday was yesterday, the day before Good Friday. This year I joined the birthday fat 1/4 swap and I am soooo pleased I did! I was so excited opening all the parcels that had arrived for me .  I have never had so many pressies on my birthday before , apart from my 21st which was a few decades ago .  Check out all these yummy scrummy fat 1/4s.

 

 

 

 

I was really blessed to receive heaps of extras with the fat 1/4s. Buttons, threads, choccie, tea bags and more.

 

 

 

 

Beautiful Peg sent me an extra special pressie. Even hubby loved this gorgeous table topper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each year Barb and I exchange birthday gifts as hers is the day before mine.  For years I have admired the beautiful crochet she does and I was overjoyed to discover these lovely doilys.

 

 

 

 

 

 A lovely surprise gift arrived from Shez. which I love. 

 

 

 

 

 

I would like to thank each and every one of my bloggers for your kindness, generosity, sincerity and friendship. Through you I have linked up with swaps and my blogging list is forever expanding. I can see by the wonderful gifts I have received that you all put the time and effort into truly knowing who I am. I also feel I need to thank and  acknowledge an incredible lady known as " swap mama", Cheryll .

 

Thankyou for wading through all these photos. 

 

Angel Blessings.

PARCELS, STITCHING AND STILL WORKING ON HEXIES.

 I
My dear hubby is quite amused each evening when I haul my Insanity quilt to the couch, plonk down with it draped over my legs, cushions and floor and proceed to thread 3 needles to start stitching the borders . I made a vow to myself that I would work on this quilt every night until the first couple of borders are completed. With one side and another round to go on 3 sides, I still have a lot to do but it will happen! I then need to search for another background fabric that will surround all the rosettes ( hexie flowers)  for the next part of the quilt.

I have enjoyed stitching pressies, swaps and BOMs during the daylight hours .  I have now completed the 3rd block of Val Laird's BOM.

 

 

Having finished some things for swaps and birthdays I decided to start stitching this little pattern that I bought on the Fabric Frolic at The Patchwork Teahouse. I am stitching it in blue and putting it in a little frame in my bedroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My birthday is only days away now and I am starting to get quite excited as parcels arrive. I am really good and NOT opening them until the day.

 

 

 

 

I am also waiting for  Gail Pan's new Christmas book to arrive . Have you seen it?  

 

 

I hope you have all had a chance to enjoy some sunshine. The weather has been topsy turvy here , winter one day, autumn the next. Thankyou for stopping by.

 

Angel blessings. 

 

 

BORDERING ON INSANITY

Yep! It's true. I am bordering on insanity while bordering my Insanity quilt. It seems an endless task going round and around , hexie by hexie.  To make matters worse, I have almost run out of the background fabric! Remember how I was preparing the hexie flower with the background fabric around them? Well, I am glad I only did 10 of them because I now have to reverse sew them all!!! Grrrrrr. Not happy. I figure they will stand out from any new fabric I happen to find. So, my plan is to get some new background fabric for the next lot of borders and that way it will look like it was planned that way. I guess I shall just need to spend a few extra hours unpicking and redoing. I am having problems finding similar fabric of the same tint. There are yellow whites, cream whites, white whites, beige whites etc etc etc and it is doing my head in. Thus my quilt so far.......

 

 

I have been working on the borders every night while watching TV or DVDs but have also finished Gail Pan's freebie Spring stitchery. There is  another stitchery peeking out underneath but it is hidden for a reason. Hehehehe.

 

 

 

 

This afternoon I started a cute Red Brolly freebie Easter stitchery.

 

 

 

 

 

For a moment I thought I'd also run out of the purple border fabric for the Insanity quilt but after much scrounging around in my sewing room I discovered a couple of metres of it. Wish I'd found the same amount of  background fabric too.

 It's times like these I remind myself that it is "patch" work  after all. 

 

On that note I wish you all Angel Blessings..