A week of Saturdays

 At the moment everyday seems like a Saturday, but today it's the real one.

It's been busier than a beehive in spring here and baskets are cropping up everywhere. All the backgrounds have been cut after some dramas, and all the baskets are cut too.

I had wanted to add some white and cream backgrounds with grey but it just didn't look right to me so I went with a creamy background but as I was cutting I ran out of fabric so had to add a second choice and just got the remaining blocks out of the piece. Both were left overs from other projects and there will be some creative juggling once they need to come together.

Four blocks completed so far.... and I am pretty happy with them.

oops pardon the foot in the corner 

thought I would share some pin cushions  I made last year as gifts for crafty friends...

I love Pincushions and have way more than I need but it's nice to make them for others.

As you know Maisie was my Cat Scanner of quilts and when she passed it left a position to be filled. Miss Poppy seems to have stepped up to the mark and is the Queen of comfort!

She loves to check out a nice quilt whether it's in progress or giving it a test run once finished and don't even talk about crocheted blankets...

Here is another nighty that I completed for our precious little girl. I started it around 20 years ago and it just needed buttons and little extra embroidery.  Below it are some little singlets I spruced up for her too.

Sun is shining in between clouds and rain so I hope to make the most of those breaks in the weather.

Happy days!

Hope you have reason to smile today!

Marina

it's holiday time

 School holidays are here in Victoria though there isn't much difference to the past few weeks except for the fact I won't have to work from home and won't even get to go to work for my one day on site.

It has been great to go to work, a luxury in these lockdown times. An opportunity to see some work colleagues and interact with different people.

I am going to treat myself and start my basket case quilt. I have all the background fabrics now and I made an impulse by of some Tilda fat 1/8s for the baskets.  Hopefully that won't take two weeks to arrive by mail or it will not get to be my holiday project.

This weekend the little smocked dresses got finished completely and I can't wait for them to go to the little girls they were made for.

I got some very productive time in the sewing room this afternoon.  The latest border for Spring Bouquet has had lots of new applique pieces glued down. My plan is to get it done by the end of this month then next month's goal will be to complete the fourth border.

A neglected project has been my Farm Sweet Farm quilt top. The top and bottom row of pieced blocks needs to be done and I had entertained the thought of giving them a miss and just putting an outer border but fired up and made a start on the remaining blocks. Chain piecing them seems the easy option so the centres got done first. Only 5 more to do and I am on the home stretch...

Hope your weekend has been crafty

marina

sewing day

This morning I got all ready to take part in the zoom get together only to realise it is on next week! 

Not wanting to waste the enthusiasm I spent the day in my sewing room getting stuck into those smocked fronts.

Two little dresses are done with just some finishing touches needed, namely-hems, neck and buttons and elastic in sleeves.

I'm quite happy with how they came together but I can tell you there was a heap of reverse sewing and re-sewing. I knew there was a reason I always stalled on the sewing machine side of things.

all this sewing got me enthused enough to delve into my 'smocking box'. I have some dress front's in various states of completion that have been there for many years... just waiting for a little recipient to turn up and need some little dresses. I think if I can get them done our little princess will get one and I will gift the other two to some other little girls in the family.  All the pieces are cut out waiting to be completed.

This one just needs sewing up....

This one needs some embroidered flowers along the front.....

This one is all pleated and ready to be smocked. All the cottons are included.

Some patchworking has been getting done too but the item I am working on at the moment is a secret project so it will be revealed once received so you'll have to be content with smocking for this post.

Happy days

Marina

Friday

 Another week has flown. Crafting has been sporadic but there have been a few ticks off the to do list.

Two little fronts got smocked and hopefully this weekend I can get a good start on sewing them together. I am quite happy with them and the only issue I have is that the fabrics were so busy and they take away a little from the smocking but I can feel my stitching improving and getting more even.

Early in the week a good friend celebrated her birthday so I popped her gift in her letterbox on a walk with the furries. A gift card and a mini quilt to celebrate.

I made this in an attempt to use up some of my Liberty leftovers. I got to make a quick project and play with fabrics I enjoy. 

Think I'll leave you with a picture of a Camelia flower from my garden. I have five large bushes in full bloom. The are amazing and add a burst of blooms to the garden. Sadly they don't last too long but we'll enjoy them while they last.

Tomorrow I'll get to catch up with sewing buddies via a zoom meeting. It's not the same as a get together but it will be a nice change from sewing alone at home.

Hope you all have a great weekend

Hearts progress

 Some time ago I shared a photo of some little hearts that I decided to make to use up little scraps and bits left over from other projects. Well in my absence from blogging they had accumulated and I decided to sew them together. The project is ongoing of course as there are always little scraps that are happy to become little hearts. They make a great pick up and go project.

This is the where they are at.... once the tin is full then they will get sewn together and added to the main part.

two other little UFO's that needed finishing were two little minis that were made from half square triangle scraps that I had held onto for way too long. Then they stalled as minis that needed quilting. Well they got quilted and are on display.

Sunday crafting time was spent pleating two little fronts for smocking.

Now just to finalise colours of cotton and smocking pattern. Sometimes I think I enjoy the prepping process just as much as the crafting.

Happy Days!!

Marina

Saturday sunshine

 Today the sun is shining... the wind is blowing but at least the sun is shining and it is a lovely mild day.

Seeing as we welcomed a granddaughter I have been able to resurrect an earlier passion of mine. 

Smocking!

I altered a romper and turned it into a dress and finished some little nighties that I had discovered quite a few years ago at my mum's house.  I had also cut a little dress from a Liberty stash I had received for a birthday a little while ago which has made a very pretty little dress and re-acquainted me with some lost skills. The result isn't perfect but still pretty. I wish I had done a practice run first on a more inexpensive fabric. But as they say there are no dress rehearsals in life!

I have two more dresses cut out and a metre of fabric waiting to be cut into.  It's lovely to be doing this craft again.

I am trying to finish some secret sewing I have to do and once these are done it will be full steam ahead with this pattern.  A new design by Irene Blanck. I love little baskets and that border is something I couldn't resist. 

I only have Spring Bouquet as my other applique project so this will fit in to the scheme of things well.

I still have to decide on my backgrounds, I am thinking a light background but can't decide between vintage or reproduction fabrics......Reproductions are my comfort zone but vintage might be a nice change. Lucky I don't have to start it straight away.

Happy sewing!

Marina

UFO guilts

A few weeks ago I visited my sil who had just been given a mountain of fabrics from an elderly aquaintance who was destashing.
Among the metres of fabric and assorted crafty books and goodies were numerous, and I mean numerous smocking projects waiting to be sewn up. My sil asked me over to have a look and give some advice on the sewing process for the smocked pieces and also to give me some lovely aida and cross stitch linen that were in the stash.
Seeing all those beautiful smocked dress fronts and thinking what would happen to my own stash of wip's smocked bits I have decided that I need to address those ufo's too.
I used to love smocking and made lots of items as gifts for great nieces and nephews who were born at the during my smocking phase. I was also smocking for other sewers and a magazine and that took a little of the enthusiasm away. You know when you have to do something to other's specs it becomes a chore not a hobby. So quite a few unfinished pieces got put away in a large box. I was great with doing the smocking just not so great with the sewing them up into a garment.
Well it's best to get them out into the open and I think I need to try to make some headway with these ufo's too... so they are being added to the list and will wait for their number to come up. Who knows they may just make it to the top of the creating pile too...

 Here are the ones that have just been smocked, some pieces cut out....

 this is an assortment of garments at the finishing stage......quite a few needing buttons....
I feel so guilty having this many unfinished bits.

Now to more pleasant things....
Yesterday Hub and I visited family in Gisborne (sorry girls....) and I also made a visit to Patch and quilt to look for a cream fabric from a previous visit and also some red to finish my sew a long minis. No luck with the cream but found some lovely reds. We then headed off to Daylesford and made a little detour to Castlemaine to Threadbare. Found a gorgeous cream and some more reds and two greens.
 Two amazing shops in the one day. I only had about 15 min at Threadbare as DH must have had an inkling I might go a little crazy lol
Here are my goodies...   (the greens will go towards applique on my sweet william blocks)

Speaking of my sew along blocks...
The first one is done, just needing some wool applique which is prepped ready to go.The outer border will have more applique of a trailing vine with the flowers in the corner. Hit a bit of a hurdle on the geese for the second one but am keen to get that one to this stage too. But I did manage those tiny star blocks..

a little wonky in places but done!

Some cross stitching has been happening while watching tv too now that I have a new stash of linens and aida..
These are both freebies...
This one from the Little Stitcher (Dorothy's red shoes by Laura Rimola) It is stitched with only one thread on tiny aida and it was difficult to get the stitches even as if I pulled too tight it would disappear!

 I really love this one and I will make it into a little cushion like the pattern....
Using some of the linen this time and two threads makes it a little easier.
Pattern from www.thesnowflowerdiaries.blogspot.hu

Off to put that smocking stash in my sewing room so that it is under my nose and I can't forget it as easily.
Have a wonderful sunday!

cheers
marina

quilt one stitcheries

This week I have been slowly making a start on the stitcheries for quilt one. My arm is still not quite 100% and if I stitch too long it is a little tender. Lucky the stitcheries are only small. I started using Madeira cotton for the stitching and regret my choice a little. I used to use it when I smocked for a lady and she used to prefer Madeira but I find it frays and doesn't fill out as well as the dmc. I will have to find an equivalent colour or just stick it out.

I also traced off the new Sweet Nostlagia block. It has a very cute easter theme. It is all ready to go!I am afraid my boy is a little too smiley lol. Perhaps I can fix that in the stitching.

Kymberly at The Cotton patch has taken the plunge and is learning to smock. With two gorgeous girls to smock for I know she will have an outlet for her new craft.
During the Christmas holidays I wanted to clear out some smocking ufo's. I love the smocking part just not too good with the sewing part. I pulled out one and managed to get it to the point of having to do the hand sewing. But I can show it off anyway- it's to encourage Kymberly. Next holidays I will pull it out again and perhaps finish off the hand sewing............ It's not like I have a newborn to finish it for. It will go into storage for when I have grandchildren who may wear it. (I hope that is a long way off!!)

cheers for now
Marina

smocking.....

Here are the pics of the smocked doll gowns that were rescued from mum's cleanout. They are just lovely and need only a little bit of finishing.....buttons and hems mainly.

I have changed some commenting settings on my blog due to an unpleasant anonymous comment left on an older post. I wish I had been able to reply but was unable to so I have changed some things so that anonymous bloggers cannot comment. I hope no one has trouble commenting, if you do please email me to let me know.
Not much happening on the craft front at this moment. I resolved to finish quilting my pin wheel throw which I started off hand quilting in a stipple pattern. Well I have learned my lesson. I had only an area about 20 inches square left to do and finish it I did. But I have such a sore arm even a week later. Talk about repetitive strain! So  I am taking it a little easy to recover, though I do want to do the binding this weekend. Will see how I go.
Take care and have a great weekend.
Marina

ufo from the past...

We went to visit the newest addition to our family, a new great niece. We are up to 26 great nieces and nephews so far! Before my youngest son was born I wanted to learn to smock, which I did in anticipation of having a girl. My third son was born so I had to change tact and I learnt to picture smock, as there are a lot of great boyish patterns in picture smocking. 9 months after he was born our first great nephew was born which then started an avalanche of great nieces. At last I had the girls to smock for. As each one was born they would receive at least one smocked dress and the boys got a romper. I lost a bit of enthusiasm after a few years mainly due to smocking for 'pay'. Haggling over the cost of a bullion rosebud and people not wanting to pay for your work even though they sold the clothing sight unseen. I haven't completed any smocked gifts for quite a few years and patchwork has become my passion. I have a large stash of smocking ufo's. Rompers and dresses in various states of 'incompletedness'. With this new birth it has prompted me to look through these little packages and see if I can get inspired to finish some. A resolution must be made.
I thought I would share some pics of these treasures in order to inspire me to finish some.
Now which one do I start with?
cheers
Marina


ps. I think this is the modern smocker's must have books. Australian Smocking and Embroidery by Country Bumpkin publications. I don't think I ever bought an edition that I didn't use a pattern from. They are just gorgeous and the patterns for the garments are included and the photography is beautiful too. You can't tell from the photo but these in particular are quite worn and dog eared from use.