a week of this and that

The week has just flown by. I have focused on my distractions more than I probably should but they are happily finished so it will now be back to my other projects, particularly my Swan Lake as I feel a burst of enthusiasm coming on for this project again. Hope mum is up to it!
I am very happy to say that last night I sewed my borders on my Park Avenue Hexies top. I checked back through my quilt journal and I started this back in the middle of 2010. It was never meant to be a get done quick project and I have really loved making it. I am toying with the idea of getting it quilted. The way my arms are at the moment I wouldn't even contemplate hand quilting it.

border design by the quilted crow girls.

there was a little unsewing involved as I cut the red border piece at 2 1/2 inches. I thought the thicker border would look twice as good as a 1 1/2 inch strip. Well it didn't so I unpicked and trimmed and am much happier with the result.
While the machine was out I thought I should finish Mr Cottontail who was patiently waiting for his binding.... another tick off the list!

Kathy Schmetz-Sweet Stitches bom

I was also inspired to do a little crosss stitching over the past week or so.
this is a lovely design by Samplers and Santa's. It is a freebie and one of several designs that were made up into pears.
Very cute and the designs aren't too difficult or large.

I have a few cross stitcheries that need to be made into pincushions. Must add that to the list. In the meantime I will get another one of these pears patterns ready for when the mood strikes.
The next Sweet Stitches block is ready to go and I think it better make it's way to the top of the pile. Focus......
Have a great weekend
Marina

it's mother's day

 

I think this card says it all, I thought it would give mum a giggle.

Inside it reads ''blame, praise.....your call"

we will be off to mum's for lunch today with food in tow. Meals on wheels it is.

I made mum's favourite dessert.. trifle

I did play with some crafting too this week. 

The next block of Sweet Stitches arrived this week. Not the one I thought would arrive but it is very welcome nonetheless. It is traced and ready to go.

I started to put some of the green stepping stone hexies together.

and just for some encouragement I had a play with the design floor to see how my border would look. After buying some more cotton for the green applique I finished up the first border and have started on the second one which I prepared this week.

Just as I imagined it.... gotta love that.

Hope you all have a great mother's Day!

Marina..

xx

a little bit of this and that

Lots of distractions seem to be cropping up and I have been enjoying them all.

I had hoped that the new block for the Sweet stitches bom would arrive last week but as yet it hasn't so I have kept myself busy till it arrives.

Quilting is progressing on Mr cottontail and the Christmas mini, some more green hexies have been prepared for basting, and a new Once upon a time block has been started.

I did forget to post a pic of the completed block for last month.

The gingerbread man and his entourage is completed.

 Love the little old woman, I think she looks a lot like Mrs Brown!

My other distraction has been this. This applique will become a border for my Park Avenue hexie quilt. I am 3/4 of the way through the first border.
I am so loving playing with the wool and the appliqueing is very gentle on the hands as it offers very little resistance. Much easier than stitching through fabric with vliesofix on it. The curves didn't work out too badly either.

 this is the centre...

this is the design to the side of the central flower. There is a reverse image on the other side. this pic shows the fabric background colour better.

loving it...

hopefully I can get the other side finished quick smart and get it sewn on to the main part of the top. It would be lovely to get this long term project finished.

Happy stitching and have a great week!

Marina

just a quickie

just had to post a quick photo.
My May block is done! just in time for the first day of May and I couldn't wait to put it on the hanger this morning.

A perfect fit, shame the binding isn't as perfect but I had some issues in some  places. One day I will get binding down pat.
Am loving it and I think Miss Googly is happy with it too.
Can't promise the others will get done on time like this one but we'll see.
Have a great day
Marina

some near finishes.

Will a nearly finished Christmas item still count?
I really wanted to get back on track with Narelle's one item a month but I have struggled most of the year to get anything organised or finished as far as Christmas gifting goes.

This stitchery has been done for ages and is one I have done a few times as I love it so much. It was time it got finished.... I thought a nice mini hanging would be appropriate.

Chose the borders, sewed the borders, basted the wadding and that is as close as I am to a finish. Must say that is a heap closer than I have been for awhile.

The next project on the agenda was to get the borders on my May block of Kathy Schmitz's Sweet Stitches bom. Oh boy all those 1 1/2" hst!
I was extra careful and did a little unsewing and resewing but am very happy with the result. Not bad for someone who doesn't like piecing?
I have always admired and loved mini quilts but working on these borders have just come to the realisation that mini quilts require mini pieces....
I should be a rocket scientist?
Thankfully it is only a matter of piecing borders not a whole quilt.

Seeing as there is a chance that I might get this done to hang for May I thought it would be good to get it basted and ready to hand quilt. I couldn't forget poor Mr Cottontail and thought he should get to that stage too even though he won't be hanging up till next year.

So that makes three minis to hand quilt!
I read on Mrs Martin's blog that the next pattern will be posted out next week!
Can't wait.

I received a lovely comment from Kathy Schmitz on my post showing block 1, remember how I had to have him walking the opposite way to the pattern? Well she drew him that way originally as she preferred him walking that way too but the pattern was reversed when she traced him to stitch. So I am not as odd as I thought I was. Funny stuff.
Well I am off to prepare some green hexagons. Thanks everyone for your supportive comments, the green it is! I got two more metres to make sure that I won't run out and yesterday I was doing some rough calculations as to how to set out the flowers and as to how many green stepping stones I would need. Let's just say bazillions!
I have about 40 - so far enough for one row, bazillions here I come.
Hope you have a great weekend

Marina
x

what do you think?

Yesterday I popped into GJ's for their 25% sale.
I generally like to buy my wadding when they have a sale but I just couldn't commit to which type to buy so I wandered around the shop looking at all the loveliness when I spied a gorgeous green fabric. (ok it had a couple of friends with it) The extra off white is for my stitching stash.

I had a flash of inspiration-perhaps this would be a great fabric to make stepping stones for my novelty hexie flowers?
I really like the colour and had a play with the flowers on the fabric this morning.

Would love some feedback...
 cheers
marina

ps I have reactivated word verification as I have been having some spam referral issues. Anthea (from Hibiscus stitches) has been investigating and one of the websites she linked to suggested that word verification may help stop the spammers. If it doesn't make any difference I will switch it off again.
Hope this doesn't put anyone off commenting.....

back to routine....

this week has just flown so quickly.
It's back to work routine and I am missing the 'me' time that was so abundant during the past two weeks at home.
I didn't want to lose all the momentum of the holidays so tried to keep up with the projects on the go.
The last 8 hexagon flowers for Swan lake are finished. I will now wait till mum and I can put our heads together to mark out the borders.
I have enjoyed playing with the wool projects I have started.
My scarf is all appliqued and I just need to sew the backing fabric on and it is done.
I thought it would take longer to make this project but it has been fun to make and not as difficult as I had imagined, thanks to the day in the barn.
I got so enthused with working with the wool that I have chosen another pattern from the quilted crow book to make the end borders for my Park Avenue hexagon bed runner. I have cut all the flowers just need to get all the leaves and stems done.
Here is my scarf....

I have made a start on the next Once upon a time block that I have traced out.
Look who has appeared...looking delicious with his gum drop buttons.

I think he is very cute. I did make a mistake when tracing him but I am hoping the line will fade with time.
Tomorrow I am hosting my craft group so there will be lots of chatting, laughing, eating and hopefully some stitching.
Wishing you a stitchy weekend

marina

a week of this and that..

I have really enjoyed my reward week of working on whatever I wanted to.
Some new carpet laid mid week took a big chunk out of my crafty time as we had to remove everything then put it all back again. Thank goodness we only did the one room! That was stressful enough.

the little girls of the world are altogether and I just need to decide on whether it needs a border or not? I do like it without the border but it just needs to be a little bigger.....
The Dr Seuss quilt was delivered to the quilters so I just have to wait for that one to come back for binding and that will be another ufo done. Gotta love that!

 I got my bunny stitchery finished and even got excited enough to get the borders done. You may notice that I have reversed mr rabbit as I just prefer him walking this way. Odd I know but that's just me. I dipped into my civil war fabrics for the piecing and chose a lovely purple. The colour doesn't show true but I thought purple would be a great Easter colour.
I just love these stitcheries and am almost finished may's one. The border may not get done quite as quickly but you never know. Then to quilt them!

(note to self-remove stray threads before photographing)

Back to normal next week, I will miss all this crafting time but that's the way the cookie crumbles.
Happy stitching!
Marina

the design floor

Yesterday I got the whole day to myself and thought it would be great to drag out the machine and start to put the little girls of the world together. Last time they reappeared I put aside the remainder of my Bliss stash to use with them.
Seeing as I don't have a design wall a sheet on the floor becomes a design floor.
Here is how it played out...

the stars have been sitting around for ages so they have found a project to belong to as well. Two ufo's knocked out in one project! there will be a border around the centre block.

 the postie brought this yesterday too.
thought it was time to commit to a background fabric and trace this one and mister Rabbit. After a great night of stitching Mr Rabbit is half done! I am so enjoying having a free week of projects. Hopefully I will get to play with my woolly bits again before the end of the week.

Today the plan is to get some more of the little girls done,should be able to put the rest of the top together and working on Mr Rabbit this evening.
If anyone is interested the patterns for the little girls is called "little maids" from Jenny B Harris of Allsorts Makery.

Happy days!
marina

a reward and an old project

There are a few projects that every now and then resurface demanding some attention that will see them get a little closer to the finish line.

Quite some time ago I made some little dolls of the world stitchery and just never got around to stitching them into a top. They are such pretty designs and I did some in redwork and some others in coloured threads. I needed one more in redwork to be able to have enough for a little project so when I was thinking of something to work on with other crafting friends Friday night I thought this would be a nice quick stitchery to fill in time waiting for my next Kathy Schmitz block. 

 She is well on the way to being done then she can join the others and I will need to work out how to put them together.
I also allowed myself to start my reward project. I made a start by cutting out the woolly bits, hoping I would remember the instructions given by the quilted crow girls. The pattern is from their new book.

 had to share this card that I brought for no 1 son's birthday this week.
He is a mad lego fan. He loved the card, I thought it was a cute one too.

hope you are having a great weekend!

marina