WIPW

There are a few things in the pipeline.  The pipeline being in my mind, so they haven't actually eventuated as yet.

So, I have a few in progress things.  Like the blocks to embroider for my  5" pin cushions.  ( I know there is another one, but where?)

and I have done a little more on my simple stitching.

And I have finished a friendship block for one of my quilting buddies.

Strawberries.  I was given the fabric in the front strawberry and told to do something with it.  I was going to embellish it with embroidery but decided to leave it for the quilting to do the embellishment.  I still have one more friendship block to finish.

Just a note

That change over to the NBN has played havoc with my email.  One account doesn't work at all and the other sometimes delivers the comments and is often days late.  So if I haven't answered your comment I apologise.  I might have to include the replies here on my blog for a while.  I knew there could be problems.

Look what turned up!

I gave up ever seeing this parcel.  I ordered it back in November 2019 and there said there would be a delay.  It left the warehouse back in January 2020 and the parcel arrived today!

It is in good condition and unopened so I guess it was overlooked.  I had been onto the supplier who assured me it had been sent in January.  As it was cheap I just wrote it off and decided not to buy from them again.  But here it is, my new Iphone stand.

It must be my day because I was checking my comments and there was an email from Christa in France who commented on my Nasturtium post.  She sent me a link on how to grow these flowers

Whilst I was in Toowoomba Angela collected some seeds for me and I have an empty pot I was wondering what to plant out.  I will just put in some and see how they go.

 

My first visit since lock down

I took a trip up to Toowoomba to stay with friends and 'the fridge on the ridge' lived up to it's name.  It was cold and the wind went through all the warm clothing.  But it is so nice to come in from that terrible cold.  I had to fight with the Millie to get near to the heater.

I love staying here, the friendship, the food, the shopping, heaven.  This virus has changed how everything operates but we are adapting.  Some of us slower than others.

We started the stay with  shopping and a break for lunch.  I am still nervious when a lot of people gather together.  A funeral 'wake' arrived just as we were finishing and I was glad to move on.  That is not to say that the lunch was not delicious, but, shopping beckoned.  We started at Hanna's, a country department store where they still write dockets for their sales and offer proper service.  I have enough clothes but I needed more fabric for table clothes.  They stock a wide seersucker that can be put in the washing machine and doesn't need to be ironed.

I also found a couple of other gems at a teriffic price.  One for patchwork and one for another apron.  Then, in a back corner in the soft furnishing department I found their sale table.  Off cuts from their curtain making department, mainly sheers this time,  "2 bags full for $2".  Also ends of rolls at $5 per metre.  I was very strong and resisted buying any of these but I will check out this area next time I am there.  What I also found was manufacturers sample swatches.  These were also $2 each.  Three for recycling.  There is too much for me here so I will share them with the Guild ladies.

We also checked out Vinnies.

A few new doylies.  (look at that price!)

And some bowls that I want to experiment with for the pin cushions and I do like that lavender design. 

That lot came to $6.00.  We visited a couple of patchwork shops but I wasn't tempted this time.  I hadn't been able to find any big buttons at the op shops, so i bought a couple of cards to see me through and replenished my stock of small sharp scissors. 

Problem was I had forgotten how sharp they are and promptly cut my finger!   I had a great weekend.

Stitch Club - Cas Holmes

It took a couple of weeks but I have finished my landscape for the Cas Holmes class.  I'm not very into working with paper, it was interesting but didn't really engage me at all.  I choose my island for the landscape.  The paper used for the sea was an image of ghost nets that wash up on the beach.  The red rocks was from a picture of strawberries from an Aldi catalogue and the green paper, representing the bush, from a travel brochure.  The best quality paper was the Aldi catalogue!

I mounted it on a piece of watercolour paper and included a short piece of prose I wrote.

The eagles begin their hunt outside my house.  I always know when one fly over, I don't know how, but I know and look up involuntarily. There is one eagle who always looks me straight in the eye, which is a bit unnerving.  It is as if we know each other, as though we have a spotlight just on us.  To highlight this I took a spotlight image of the piece.

I do not like stitching through paper and fabric, maybe because I am so emotionally connected to my stitching and I don't want the paper to intrude and it does intrude.  It doesn't feel quite 'right'.

Spring is going to get me.

I look out my window and what do I see?

Spring Blossoms!

And if that wasn't enough the ducks have produced ducklings.

Mum and Dad are giving them their first swimming lessons.

I like winter and I'm not ready for spring and summer.  But it is coming, ready or not.

Last treatment

I had the last treatment for the infection I have been fighting yesterday, so I celebrated by buying a new book, "Quilts from Tilda's Studio".

I have to say I am a fan of the Tilda range of fabrics and the quilts in this book are an inspiration, along with the toys that are pictured with them.

The toys are not in the book but you can download the patterns for free from their blog.

If you are into dolls have a look at "Tilda's Friends".  All free patterns again.

I do like how they incorporate traditional Scandinavian Designs into their quilts and pillows.

And the quilting is doable on a domestic sewing machine.

There are a number of pin cushions on this page as well.

My friend Angela also sent me some images of pin cushions by Kelly Klien.  I will be making pincushions for ever.

Out of action

I am out of action for a couple of days due to some health issues.  So I thought I would share an image of one of my favourite flowers, the nasturtsium.  These were on the table when I visited my friend Jane.  She had found them growing on a vacant lot.

I've tried to grow them but have had no luck.  Maybe the salt from the sea has been the problem?

WIPW

I'm not doing anything out of the ordinary at the moment.  I need to get new glasses to use to do my stitching.  The appointment is next week and then I will have to wait for the glasses to be made.  So I am just doing ordinary stuff.

Like, I finished another pin cushion.

And I am working, (a bit), on my simple stitching.

And I'm crumpling papers to use for the Cas Holms Momigami piece.

We are not using the traditional technique, rather her version of it.  I had no idea of what this was until this workshop.

 

You live and learn.

Left overs

After re-organising my sewing room I find I have bags of left over fabrics from previous classes.  Not enough to do anything major with but too much to put in the bin.  At the same time as this I was lamenting having been away from the sewing machine for a while.  So I went searching for what would use these pieces and I could sew them on the machine.

I came upon an old Quilt-along at the Fat Quarter shop that was based on small blocks and have decided to use these to make some pin cushions for the Guild sale table.  To be put on the table they must include embroidery, so I added a little.

I reversed the fabrics for the back.

I did find that I had lost some of my skills at the machine, that saw me tangle threads and do a bit of unpicking.  I need to travel up to town for a few days, for treatment for an infection,  so I want to get some more of these blocks sewn so that I can sit and embroider small projects whilst I am there.