Monday, August 27, 2012


My first daffodil.
Spring is nearly here.
I love this time of year in the garden.
Fragrant Jonquils, popping up everywhere.


I love the scent of these Jonquils floating around my house.
My plum trees are blooming.  These trees give me lovely fruit each summer.
 

Although my favourite season is Autumn, I love the freshness of Spring.  Everything waking up after the dullness of winter.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Friday night was my sewing group night.  Due to commitments, It's been a quite a few months since I've been able to attend.  We've all been meeting every 6-8 weeks for the last 7, maybe 8 years.
I always seem to get more talking and browsing done (we meet in a shop classroom) than actual sewing, but that's OK, it's all relaxation.
A little more stitching on my current hexagon project.


So many little shapes to stitch around.  However, it's all coming together slowly.

Thursday, August 23, 2012





A little time with my glue stick, and look at what gets done!
Since being introduced to the wonders of glue baste-ing  paper piecing shapes, I'm hooked.  It's so much faster than the traditional thread baste-ing methods, and just as accurate.
So these little shapes turned into these bigger shapes.....


Can you see how enthusiastic I've become about stitching in the mornings.  It takes a chunk out of the start of the day, but I'm finding that I start thinking about what I'd like to get done straight after breakfast- the washing is on early, the floor is swept, dishes in the dishwasher- just so I don't feel guilty about sitting down!

The next row of red diamonds and triangles have started.


And, I managed to get these cut out and basted in my tea break at work Monday night.  People are starting to notice!


Wednesday, August 22, 2012

A whole lot of stitching has been happening around here this week.
I've been tuning in to Bonnie of Quiltville this week.  Bonnie is turning on her live webcam most nights (her time), which is about mid-morning here.
It's lovely starting the day with some sewing.


I often sew at night with a movie on in the background, this is much better.  It's all quilting related.  Bonnie chats away about her project, giving sewing, pressing and fabric selection tips as she goes.  Even better, she answers emails sent in whilst she's on Quilt-cam!
It's just like being at a sewing group.  I'm busy stitching hexagons, trying to finish a project from Summer School in January- I may just be able to take a finished top to next January's class.
Talk about having just enough fabric for a project- I had a fat 1/8th of this cream and that's it.  I needed 8 more hexagons to finish my project.  I was certainly holding my breath as I got the piece out to see if I had enough.


Mindless pinning and cutting out is very easily accomplished when I have someone to listen to on the laptop.


So much done in the last few days.  Think I should take my temperature!
But gosh it feels good.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Such an exciting day today.
Bonnie K Hunter of Quiltville has added movie star to her list of credentials!
This week she has been turning on her webcam in the evening for an hour or so.  She has been talking to us as she sews 9 patches and strip sets for upcoming quilts.  Lots of little titbits of information about how she organises herself and her fabrics.
I had been trying to catch her for the last couple of days, but time-zone differences were working against me.  Bonnie has been sewing at about 9pm ish her time, or midday ish here.
Luckily today, as I was having my late morning cup of tea, Bonnie was online sewing.
As I started to settle in to watch I realised I need some sewing.  Thankfully, my hexagon quilt was here as I had been cleaning up my project boxes.
So from this...


To this...


Not bad for about 45 minutes of found time.
And I wasn't alone in the house, either.  I was sewing with Bonnie!

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Block 3 of The Marriage Quilt is done and dusted.


I've started to work on Block 4.  It's all going along swimmingly!
I'm also busily cutting out for the next border of Robin's Nest.  Nothing to show yet, but I'm still on track with my block of the month.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

I'm feeling very happy today.
I've finished the second part of my  "Robin's Nest"  block of the month, and yet again the next part hasn't arrived.  I'm still ahead!  The border fabric works so well, a lot of fussy cutting and baste-ing, but so good in the end.  I often look at fabric like this on the bolt and wonder how to use it- well this is a wonderful way.


The third part can come now!
I've also been working on Part 3 of  "The Marriage Quilt".
Lately there has been a lot of applique in my life.

 Not finished yet, but almost there.  I'm not anywhere near caught up on this quilt, though.  I have Parts 4 and 5 sitting waiting for me!