Retreat fun

Wow...what a weekend.

Friday night started with show and tell with the wonderful Carol Roberts from Cherry Pie Designs...it was a great start to what was a fantastic weekend at Debbie Donegan's Everything Country where we worked on  Carol's Chatsworth quilt.

Then it was all hands on deck come Saturday morning with Carol setting a cracking pace! Before we knew it we had fabrics chosen, cut, glued, sewn...and so many new techniques along the way...
We all came back on Sunday with our 'homework' completed (well, not all of us!!!)

...then out came our machines for some flying geese (we flew like we'd never learnt to fly before...)

...and snowballs

...then needlturn (so many ways to choose from!)...

Oh, and between all of this we had some yummy food...in fact we ate all weekend!

Thanks so much to Carol -  such a generous and easy going teacher with so much to share.

And to Debbie who always inspires us, feeds us and...keeps us in line!

Great weekend (my first patchwork retreat ever!)

FNSI

Well I had tickets to the Comedy Festival on Friday night so didn't pick up any patchwork but I made up for that on Saturday and Sunday. I joined a 'Stargazers' class on Saturday and caught up with some great friends while comparing our fussy cut stars. I've completed my five stars, chosen the background fabric and have decided in a table runner rather than bed runner.

I pinned it all on this morning so I'm ready to go with the needleturn. I plan to use the original fabric as a border and binding.

Last night I enjoyed a couple of hours of Netflix with my son and spent the time fiddling with some Christmas fabrics and hexies. These will end up as little Christmas hanging ornaments. Thanks again for the virtual sewin...

Friday night with friends

Last night a friend joined me for some relaxed hand stitching and chatting. I managed to finish the stitcheries for some cute Christmas decorations. I made some of these last year (see earlier post) and fell in love with them.

I really find this simple activity relaxing at night during a busy week...the only thing that gets in my way is that I usually haven't traced anything and I really can't be bothered mid week to do anything other than simple hand sewing!

Then I found another UFO just waiting to be picked up...this lovely needlecase of Lynette Anderson's...I think it's gorgeous.

Just need a little more stitching and some applique...I've narrowed the roof down to two beautiful pieces of wool...and then it will probably be put away for next time...

Thanks for the inspiration Cheryll...very impressed with your hosting prowess whilst travelling!

Friday night sew in

After a week of feeling sick and four days in bed I was desperate to do something. I wasn't up to anything really tricky so I grabbed a bundle of beautiful flannel fat quarters I purchased at the Sydney show from Picklemouse Corner..three years ago!!!

Cutting instructions were included so off I went...and after a couple of hours I was playing around with placement.

..and here's the completed top...

Yippee!!!! 

I'm a little excited by this...I told my daughter I'd started and finished a quilt top that I only started on Friday night and she replied 'hang on, doesn't it normally take you, like, 3 years...'

I suppose I've got a lot of time to quilt the thing!  Any ideas for quilting? I want something open and simple because I want to enjoy the soft feel of the flannel...concentric circles???

Thanks Wendy, for organising this virtual sew in...now  I'm off to have a look at what everyone else got up to.

Friday night with friends

I love the motivation these virtual sew ins provide...I started a small(ish) side project, starting with fussy cutting and EPP some lovely stars.

It was fun to see all the options I had with the fussy cut mirror...it's so clever!

...and it was relaxing to put a couple of the diamonds together...it really is addictive...

I'm hoping to use these stars in a bed runner to sit on white bed linen in our little beach house...maybe some more appliqued on some big cushion...and a table runner....

Did I say this is addictive????

Thanks for the night (and day). Now I'm going to take a look at what you've all been up to x

Friday night sew in

Last Friday I spent a few hours going through some old patchwork magazines with a friend and 'almost' finished a little project from Anni Downs' latest book.

The Sewing Day Case is so sweet and perfect for my scraps. I started the stitching as soon as I got back from the Sydney show and I've been putting it together very slowly.

Here's the book and pattern...

Here's the progress so far...

stitching and fabric choices complete

almost there...

I need to finish the ends and sew on a clip...I wonder how long that will take me!

Thanks for a good night...

FNwF

After a couple of inspiring days at the Sydney show I've been trying to do a little something every night, so FNwF was a perfect opportunity to do finish some of my UFOs. I seem to 'almost finish' a project and then put it away. Well, on Friday night I pulled out two table runners that were 'almost finished'...I just had to finish the binding!. So while hubby watched my son play soccer from a wind blown hill late Friday night, I sat in front of the fire and completed two projects - one for Christmas and one for my mum.

This christmas runner is one of Annie Downs' beauties - lots of simple stitching to keep me happy.

I made this one with the help of a friend.

The tops of these table runners were neglected for ages until I decided I couldn't put the quilting off any longer (not my favourite part of the project), and then it sat unloved until Friday. So happy they are finished...I delivered mum's today and she loved it.

Thanks for the virtual night sew in!

Friday night/weekend sewing

Well, thanks to Wendy I've finally finished one block of my Gossip in the garden quilt...yeah. I completed the the dresden plates from my last post, so it's on to the next two!

I've also been having fun with with my clam shells...I'm only one row away from having a panel of clam shells for the back of my project case (see last post).

Today I started playing around with background and applique fabrics for the front, and found some beautiful woolen felts that will be perfect for the roof... I picked these up from Hatched and Patched at the Sydney show the year before last...I knew I 'needed' them...

I can't wait to have it all ready to go...I just love the hand stitching that follows.

Thanks Wendy for the virtual sew-in. I'm off to have a look at what others have been up to.

New Project....

I know in my last post I said I would not start a new project....but I just couldn't resist this one!

Leaving Newcastle yesterday my husband suggested taking the scenic route home and, much to his surprise, I said yes ( I normally take the quickest route possible!). What he didn't know was that I was hoping to come across a quilt shop whilst passing through small towsnships...and so we did.

 As soon as I walked into Dungog's Creative Crafts and Fabrics I found a quirky bolt of fabric designed by Lynette Anderson and a couple of others from the same range. Well, I just had to have them...I knew they would work perfectly with the patterns in her book I purchased last year.

I love the dog!

I then came across a little project bag which was waiting to be decorated - this was also perfect (of course). The shop's sample was decorated with clam shells which I haven't had any experience in, but it certainly got the creative juices flowing.

With my head full of ideas I spent today with a patchworking friend and teacher who threw open her scrap bags and we came up with this...

The dull blues and browns are very different to my normal choices but I'm liking how they've been lifted with a few others. This is going to be the back of the project bag.

I'm planning a stitchery and applique design for the front, drawing from the same fabrics. This is based on a pattern in the book I mentioned earlier - I've already chosen the threads and background.

And after a clam shell 101 course I'm on my way!!!

You've got to love holidays...

FNwF

 

Wow...I've made it back to blog land.

This is the first time this year I've picked up needle and thread for something other than hemming school uniforms!

I opened up my Gossip in the Garden 'quilt in progress' and decided that hand sewing was the way to go. I had some dresden plates ready to be stitched onto their background fabrics. It was a perfect way to get going again...plus it meant I could talk non-stop as there wasn't much thinking involved!

I caught up with a friend who moved to the Gold Coast late last year, so stitched and chatted all day Saturday. And to top it off, I sat on the verandah Sunday afternoon and just kept stitching. Still a way to go....but I'm so enjoying the journey.

Thanks so much for the inspiration.