Wednesday 25 July 2012

The winner of the Cushion Pattern

I am late with picking the winner of the cushion-- it should have been at the end of the Tour de Fibre!  I am a slow coach and taken this long to get to the end of the race!

The names were put in a hat and the winner is MAY BRITT. Please email me your postal address and the pattern with buttons will be on the way to you.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to leave a comment.

Happy sewing.

Saturday 14 July 2012

Tour de Fibre-- Cushion

I decided to make the patchwork piece I was working on into a cushion cover. This makes me want Christmas to be here soon so I can display it. ( I will be patient as time goes fast enough as it is!)


A Christmas Welcome


We wish for Love, Peace and Joy.



I have enjoyed making this cushion, although I did struggle with the machine work. I prefer to do as much as possible by hand rather than machine. I decided that the only way my machine work will improve is to keep machining.

I am in the process of typing  the pattern and have decided to have one to give away ( which will include the 2 buttons that I have painted). So if you would like to be in the draw, please leave me a comment.

It has been a glorious day here today-- the sky is blue with not a cloud in sight. Although I have already gone for a walk this morning, I think another walk this afternoon will be a great idea.

Enjoy your weekend.



Friday 13 July 2012

Tour de Fibre 2012 -- more sewing

I could not help but start a new project! It had been raining on the weekend and sewing is a good activity when it rains. Instead of working on my current project-- I started a new one. I was in a Christmas mood, so I started with some Christmas fabrics.

I had bought Anni Down's new Christmas fabric range at the Darling Harbour Show in June and decided to use a few colours from it in combination with some from my stash. I started with an applique centre which will then have 2 of my buttons on it to complete it , and then worked on the piecing around it-- working out the design as I went. Machine work is not my forte, so I dceided I would challenge myself and try it.

 3 Eight pointed star 4"blocks-- they were a challenge alright!



Then I needed 1"blocks for the border.



I was cutting and joining and unpicking ( with lots of muttering under my breath) when my DH walked by. He had this look on his face which implied that I was totally crazy and he could not understand why I had to cut these big pieces of fabric up into small pieces and then join them up again. No wonder I was getting frustrated when the joins weren't right!


I have finally almost finished the top-- I have to decide if it will be a small wall hanging, or a cushion-- that is the decision now. Hopefully, will complete it this weekend and will put a photo on the blog shortly.


I went out into the garden for some fresh air to clear my head after all the unpicking I had to do-- and found this hanging from a branch of a Bottle brush shrub.



A cocoon-- I wonder what will emerge from it?




The pansys and violas have not done too well this year-- I think because it has been too wet for them. But this little plant does look rather nice--- the subtle purple shadeing at the edge is like watercolour.

The sky is blue today. I will have to go outdoors and enjoy the sunshine.
Enjoy your weekend.



Thursday 5 July 2012

Tour de Fibre 2012

I decided to join in with  Hanne's (www.hannequilt.blogspot.com) and May Britt's (www.abyquilt.blogspot.com)  Tour de Fibre 2012 to get me working on my quilts and embroideries and not be distracted by other activities. I have started with the SKOW SAL quilt that I had lagged behind with and have definitely noted some progress!

This is where I have been for awhile.


I had these blocks done but not joined-- so further progress.

I was struggling measuring the long 2 "strips and got a brainwave to join the 3 together and then cut to the correct length! Why had I not thought to do  that before?

This is where I am up to now.

I had been waiting for the weather to improve to photograph these blocks-- I thought if I pegged them on the line I would be able to get the whole lengths in the photos. Even though it is not currently raining, it is windy and no way would these pieces keep still long enough! So the floor is the next best thing.

I must add that I have only seen snippets of the Tour de France on the news, but it is still helping me concentrate on my sewing!

Have a lovely weekend.