Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Some new reading.......

...and some planning to do.  There has been no sewing the past few days, but I have been reading these 2 books which I ended up ordering from here (the exchange rate was better for me to buy from there than it was for buying it from Oz)


I haven't finished the current Stitch-a-Long yet but am pleased with my current progress, so thought I would get some pre-reading done before the next one kicks off !

I have read Bonnie's blog and liked her ideas about using squares etc as leaders and enders (rather than using scraps of fabric over and over again) so you then have segments to use to construct blocks for a quilt.  I suppose it is about sewing smarter,  so I decided to buy her book and continue to read about how she does it.
So while I haven't been sewing anything in particular I think that reading is good preparation for future projects !!!  Sounds like a good excuse anyway...

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Is Spring on its way....

Blossom on the plum tree
It's been a lovely sunny day today and there's been the sound of something that we don't hear over the winter months- the lawnmowers zooming around the yards.  Nothing much grows over the Winter.  So today I took a walk around the garden to see what signs of Spring I could find...
It has been a sunny afternoon...
Some colour in the garden..

New growth on the golden elm...
It shouldn't be too long now before the rhododendrons are in flower.  It has been a glorious day here today and it has been matched by my delight in a win for the Wallabies and Robbie last night...it will be a relief for me going to work tomorrow after the ribbing I got last week when the team and new captain was announced...

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

You know you need help when...

You can't see the eye of the needle to thread the cotton through.
You can't tell that you have left a few fabric threads between the stitches when you are backstitching...
So what do you do- go and get tested for some reading glasses- which is just what I did a few months back.  But...  I have still found it difficult to stitch at night.  I have been using a halogen floor lamp and even with the new glasses I just wasn't happy.  So last week I saw this lamp ( on sale at 40% off the day I was looking) and bought it.  It is just wonderful ......
My new Daylight lamp
So what is so good about it- well it has a bright white light over a wider area ( my halogen lamp cast more of a dull yellowish light in the one spot in comparison.) 
I'm delighted with my purchase and am enjoying being able to clearly see what I am working on!
It might help me to work a bit faster on some of my handstitching...

Sunday, August 21, 2011

FNSI

I decided to participate this month after reading about it just early this week.  I have to confess though that I wilted early on in the evening, but not before I had tacked some more hexagons onto papers and then sewed 3 new 'flowers' together.  So this is my effort for the night...
With focusing on finishing the stitching for Tis The Season, my hexies have been lying forgotten so it was time to get them out and sew some more together- I now have a month to get prepared for the next FNSI so that will see me better prepared than I was this month, as I only joined up the night before..

Friday, August 19, 2011

I thought I might try this....

I have been reading about this on some other blogs so thought it might give me something to focus on tonight.


If you are interested pop over to   Heidi's blog for more information and to sign up

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Feeling pleased with myself....

Blocks 11 and 12
I have finished stitching blocks 11 and 12 of Tis The Season so I now have all the blocks I need to piece together for the quilt.  Block 13 will be my label for the back ( I still have until the end of the month to stitch this and finally finish a month with everything done and up to date!)  I was well behind schedule at the end of July, hence the feeling of satisfaction that I have caught up so much.  All I need to do now is put the borders on the blocks and put it together- maybe this weekend........

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

The Polar Blast continues....

So I am the lucky one in our family to have another day at home...Yippee!  Everyone else has had to go to work.  My plans for the day include reading the latest Homespun magazine (which just arrived) and doing some more stitching.  What a way to spend the day...and then there will just be 3 days left of work for the week!  It is still very cold today and more snow is forecast but all we have had this morning here is rain- while the snow is falling up in the hill suburbs.  Here are a couple of more shots from yesterday- it was too cold to stay outside for long...

It's snowing, so visibility is low!

The snowplough is there, trying to clear the edges of the road

Bar-b-que anyone? Not in this weather!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Snow.... So what will I do today?

With the day off work due to the snow, the big question is what will I work on first??
It's been a relaxing start to the day- not having to rush off to work (and knowing I will still be paid for the day!)- it's much warmer too at home- the temperature outside is supposed to be 3 degrees celsius but with the wind chill factor it will be in the negatives.  
The dogs have been out having some fun in the snow... running here and there...enjoying it while it lasts.   It may last a day or two, just depends on whether any more falls today....
out and about, footsteps and paw prints criss-crossing in the snow ...
our golden retriever,  a quick shot while he was still 
There is no travel out of the city as the roads are closed, even the airport is shut.  So what is a girl to do but sit back and enjoy the extra stitching time... 

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Catching up..... and how much snow will fall today?

Another block stitched with the photo taken in the late afternoon sun the other day.  That leaves just 3 more to finish.  Block number 11 is all but finished, but I won't be taking the photo outside today.  The forecast for us in the South was for snow showers beginning today and that is just what we have.  It's the middle of August and Spring is officially only 2 weeks away (if you are counting calendar months, not though if you look at the weather!)
The snow has been coming in bursts so that it starts to lay on the ground but then it stops and melts away before the next lot comes.  It is supposed to last into tomorrow and be worse than what we had 3 weeks ago, so will have to wait and see what happens as the day goes on.  One thing that it brings with it though is chilly weather...  
So I have done some baking today (Neenish Tarts and Raspberry Coconut slice)  I use a recipe my Aunt used for the slice - every time I make it, it brings back the memories of my Aunt who lived in Forbes and our visits to see her there.  If we went at Easter time we used to leave at about 3 am on Good Friday to get a good run out of Sydney, stop in Bathurst at about 6 am where the Lion's Club had their refreshment caravan by the bridge, and then carry on arriving in Forbes about 9 am in those days.  My Aunt always had a cooked breakfast waiting for us all... it was the best of times catching up and seeing her,  and relaxing in the country before we had to return to the bustle of the city afterwards... 


WOO HOO- have just found out that because of the snow conditions I'll be having the day at home tomorrow, no going to work- a 3 day weekend, what a bonus!!!  
It has continued to snow on and off throughout  the day and it is quite thick in parts of the city- it is expected to freeze overnight so they have made the call already! 
(Seriously the roads will be a nightmare in the morning)

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

A Lucky Surprise....

When I got the mail in today there was an envelope from Australia with..... a copy of the English Patchwork and Quilting magazine which I was lucky to receive as a result of a giveaway on Jeannette's blog, (where she was celebrating the fact that her blog had been profiled in a recent issue of the magazine.)   Thank you Jeannette!
I have had a quick look through it and there is a lot to read- 12 new designs with a profile of each quilter to accompany them.  Here are 2 that particularly appealed to my husband...


I can see why, as the first one has elephants in it and it is the way that the colours that have been used in the second one...

I had a photo of another Tis The Season block I have finished but it didn't upload with the others and now the battery is flat ....so tomorrow...



Sunday, August 7, 2011

Two more....

Another two blocks stitched and I have another one nearly done- that will leave just 3 blocks to stitch and I will have the 13 blocks done.  All that will remain then is to add the borders and put them together- I'm feeling more confident that I can achieve this by the end of September!  Fingers crossed...


(I'm focusing all my stitching energy on my Tis The Season blocks until they are finished - no being sidetracked by other projects for now...)

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Just keeping on stitching...

I'm still stitching away on my blocks for Tis The Season so here is a photo to show 3 more of the blocks...

The rest are at various stages of completion.  I have found it easier to do the running stitches at night when it's a bit harder to focus and save some of the other details for when the light (or should I say my ability to focus!) is better.
I thought I had the borders worked out but now am not so sure if I want to do it that way- so I am going to wait till I finish all the stitching so I can try a few things out.
It's been a lovely sunny day again- I just have a few things to do before I settle down to watch a bit of the rugby and then Sons of Anarchy tonight.  (All the things my husband likes to watch and which draw you in as well...)

Monday, August 1, 2011

Package in the Mail

Sitting on my doorstep as I went to go to work this morning was a cardboard box (from Hancocks, just what I had been waiting for)- as much as I wanted to open it then, all I could do was put it inside and head off to work.   Home again and straight into the box, looking for the quilt kit that came at such a good price, but what came out was this, something covered in layers and layers of bubble wrap.
It took a while to unwrap the layers to reveal this...
a cute tin 'suitcase' with part of the design for the quilt on it, 'Faith' by Howard Marcus, Collection For a Cause, Moda Fabrics.  I wasn't expecting it to be packaged in something like this- so what a lovely surprise.  When I opened the case there was the fabric kit all nicely packaged..
Aaaah what gorgeous fabrics.
Some people might be wondering when I think I might get around to making this quilt when I have so many other things in the pipeline (or still just a part of my "I want to do that one day!!) but sometimes you just have to get things when you see them because they won't be there the next time you look ( and at less than half the original price and with the exchange rate improving all the time, it would need to be a stronger person that me to resist!)