Declutter Ah-Ha Moments

Beautiful biscuit tins make the perfect storage. I expected to find more little scissors when I opened the lid but it turned into a real treasure trove ... cutting blades, hole punches, papercraft scissors and embroidery scissors among other things. 

Declutter Day 10 - Pins/Needles/Clips

My pins are reasonably under control ... the circle of pins have joined a pincushion and the dressmaking pins are released. 

Needles on the other hand ... I now have oodles of hand sewing needles for all occasions and shouldn't have to buy machine needles for a good while either.  All are neatly in 2 of these small containers alongside other bits and bobs. Clips are rounded up also. Day 10 - done.

Declutter Day 11 - Irons, Rulers, Mats

I have a small iron set up in the craftervan and then just my regular (clothing) fabric iron. There could be a tiny seam iron somewhere but I will need to dig further for that so I'm calling Day 11 - done.

Declutter Day 12 - Sewing Stations/Machines

Not much needing done for today ... these have been tended too while sorting previous days. I would like to make a nice cover for my embroidery machine so that will be a project to make a start on soon. Day 12 - Done.

You may notice a new 'LIST' on my left sidebar ... this is to keep me on track and remember to address those days that don't have an * yet. Let me know if any particular day resonates with you ... or maybe you've come across a treasure trove of ah-ha items.

FNWF and Sunday Snippets

First FNWF for 2026 ... I had an early start working on and finishing off the Meadow Mist Mystery blocks for December and January.

I think I read a comment that we start to put our blocks together next month so I'm looking forward to the reveal.

After dinner I got stuck into the extra optional blocks for the Murder Mystery Quilt ... not as they seam as the initial 8 blocks were then cut ... 

and turned into 4 of these.  I also managed to sew them into their rows in the quilt so another step closer to a finished top.

My decluttering is a work in progress and I think always will be ... but progress is progress.

Declutter Day 6 - Archives

Is what was once a keepsake still a keepsake ... or is it time to let it go?

Declutter Day 7 - Hot Spot or Rest Day

We could choose to have a break from declutter ... attack a 'hot spot' ... or revisit one of the previous days.

Declutter Day 8 - Cutting Tools

I have a toolbox where I keep my cutters and spare blades but I do need to do a roundup of all those little pairs of scissors left in strategic places and maybe some snips. Also dispose of those that I have to find the 'sweet spot' to make a good cut or snip.

Declutter Day 9 - Threads

After rehoming the thread stand, my sewing threads are all in a thread box and their bobbins are in one of those bobbin stands. If I'm sewing a scrappy quilt, I like to use up reels or bobbins that are getting close to empty. While I was playing with my embroidery machine the other day, I went through my embroidery threads, sorthing them into colours and noting which colours I'm short of so that was a bonus headstart when Day 9 came around.

On Sunday's I like to make sure I get out in the garden and give everything a good drink.  Well ... no need for that today with the wet stuff falling from the sky nearly all day ... 

Our mustering has been put on hold as we're expecting much more rain over the next few days.

Stay safe everyone with the fires, cyclone and flooding 💕

Decluttering and Embroidery Play

 Declutter Day 2 - Squatters

A few items relocated from the craftavan to spare bedroom. A timber cotton reel rack rehomed to a fellow quilter in our Quilt Group.

Declutter Day 3 - Magazines/Subscriptions

As I did this challenge last year, I don't really have magazines laying around but I did go through my emails and "unsubscribed" several places that I no longer have an interest in.

Declutter Day 4 - Books

Now books ... I am drawn to books!  I also had a stash (a lot) of "stuff" from my time working in a school and I've hung onto it incase the grandsons could use it ... my daughter homeschooled her boys for a short while ... but now they're all older and in school it was time to cull.  Which provided me with 2 nice magazine holders that I could put to use with ... BOOKS!

Another box 2/3 full for the burn pile.

Declutter Day 5 - Patterns - Hardcopy/Downloads

Ok, so this is the scary one and will take some time to find them ... filter ... and ask myself ... "Do I want to make this?" Stay tuned!

Onto the fun part of playing with my embroidery machine. I was going to do wonders when I purchased a second hand embroidery machine, bought all the tearaway, solvi, you name it. Embroidered a few projects like kitchen hand towels, singlets for the boys and then it's just sat there feeling sad and lonely. My car was in for a service yesterday so I arranged with my dear friend Kerry to meet up at our sewing room, dropped all my stuff off, dropped the car to the mechanic and spent the day revisiting my machine and getting some invaluable help and tips from Kerry.

Very happy with my couple of little projects ... time to put everything into practice.

This fellow was at my back door the other day ... I've never seen one and have no idea what it is?

Toes for a size comparison. 

Off and Running

My first finish ... Temperature Tree 2025

Around this time last year I read Susan's post about her cross stitch project. After making 2 Temperature Quilts I felt the call and joined a merry band of tree stitchers ... thank you Susan for sharing.

I always love a good declutter challenge so I've joined again this year with Just Get It Done Quilts ... 

Day 1 - Garbage ... working in the craftavan I found a few things no longer serving their purpose and today I'll re-home a few more items that don't need to be in there ... feels good.

On another declutter challenge ... I plan to work my way through the pantry and kitchen cupboards ... one shelf at a time. Some kitchen items can go into a storage box and if by the end of this year, if I haven't pulled them out to use ... they can go! 

Who loves a good declutter and what tips or hints do you follow?

Have a lovely weekend 🌺

Chookshed Challenge 2026

 Happy New Year to all ... Cheers to the 2026 Chookshed Challenge ...#3

I will admit I had my list ready a while back when I was having a good sort out and most of the projects are all in one draw for easy retrieval.

1.  EPP WALL HANGING (Fiona Ransley)  - a FefeandMe kit 

2.  ABC WALL HANGING - an online project commenced ??? years back.

3.  THE BASKET BAG --a Quilter's Angel kit

4.  EMBROIDERY WALL HANGING - Seasons Of top completed 2025

5.  PROJEC BAG - a Michelle's Patchwork kit

6.  HEATHER'S BAG - a Kadina Sewing Centre kit

7.  CROCHET RUG - this will require the purchasing of wool and may need to be swapped if #7 comes up and the weather is still warm.

8.  A MERRY CHRISTMAS GARDEN (Gail Pan) - 2014 - completed top in 2020

9.  A HOLLY COTTAGE GARDEN (Michelle Ridgway) - 2017 Stitch-a-long - completed top in 2018

10.  SASHIKO WALL HANGING - these are the panels stitched in 2025 and I have a plan!

Thank you ladies xx

Merry Christmas ... Happy New Year

 

Grandsons sleeping over ... town day ... Christmas celebrations ... other Grandsons sleeping over ... town day again today, sitting in the queue for recycling so why not pop up my last blog for 2025.

May 2026 be kind with new memories to cherish and lots of friendships and finished projects.

Busy Doing Everyday Stuff

 Just like that ... December is almost at the end and I don't think the hot weather helps either.

So for a quick wrap up of December this far ... our little Patchwork group had our Christmas breakup in the first week with everyone bringing a treat for morning/afternoon tea and we enjoyed a lovely lunch at the local cafe.  We also bundled up 55 placemats for donation to Meals on Wheels in the next town over, which also services our little town.  This was my last one made.

I'm still working on the remaining 50 December units for the Meadow Mist Mystery and hoping these might be the last of half square triangels.

The Murder Mystery Quilt layout has also been released and requires a few more steps to complete. Here is my layout so far ... I've joined the top/bottom, centre and side blocks with 4 more blocks to be made to fill the spaces. Then there are 2 narrow borders and a piano key border to finish ... phew!

Lastly I have my Temperature Tree Cross Stitch leaves added up to the 20th and have added a colour/temp key on either side of the trunk.

Christmas Lunch is at our home this year so it's time to tick off the last few things that need doing and anything else will happen or not. We also had grandsons staying over last week so not much sewing happens but plenty of baking.

I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas xx

Give your loved ones an extra tight hug this year 💞💞

There Goes November

I keep meaning to pop in to share bits and pieces and then I get distracted or busy ... so here's November in a nut shell.

Our little Patchwork group swap a small gift  at our breakup so I made a Scrappy Bucket and one for myself as well. They can be left as is, or fold the top over.

Mystery blocks have been completed. Last block for the Murder Mystery Quilt ... layout is revealed next month ... not long now.

Followed by 54 of these for Meadow Mist Mystery ... took me a while to plod through them.

I think I've mentioned that we're donating 50 placemats to our local Meals on Wheels for Xmas ... these are my last 3 ... playing with the Twister ruler and my friends special ruler.

I love this time of year when the Poinsettia trees are flowering.

Taking time to marvel at the wonder of nature around me ...

I'm off to have a little hop around blogland and see what everyone has been getting up to.

Chookshed Challenge Finish

With a few days to spare I can add another tick to my list of projects for this year's Chookshed Challenge. I will honestly say that without Deanna and Chooky behind this challenge, I would not have achieved the finishes that I have. So a huge thankyou to both lovely ladies and I do hope they are considering another round in 2026 (I may just have a few items ready to go...lol)

What did I finish you ask?  I'll whisper the year (2010) that this one was a completed top and stored away ready to quilt (I'm not great at finishing).

Pond Play ~ from the book '9-Patch Pizzazz' by Judy Sisneros

Red backing ... I was able to scrape together enough from trimming to make the rod pockets.

Closer look at the simple stipple quilting I did on my machine.

There is a little 'back story' on the red binding. My intention was for a blue binding to just blend in. That's the problem with long term UFO's ... I can't always find leftover fabric or fabric that will match well enough so I folded it away to await a trip to town to purchase some blue.  Go back a couple of weeks ago when I was searching for some oriental fabrics to border my completed Sashiko blocks ... NO! ... couldn't find that either.  Come forward again and I thought of 1 more stash where I might find some blue ... no blue ... but I did find the orientals and wouldn't you know it ... one piece was the exact red fabric used in the quilt and I was just able to squeeze a binding out of it.

Phew!  A finish!

  

FNSI + Sunday Snippets

 Friday was time to "bite the bullet" and start quilting on my Fishpond wall hanging...got halfway Friday night and finished the quilting on Saturday.

This morning I finished machine sewing the binding and am halfway again on hand stitching the binding down.

Through the week our resident babies flew the nest 🪹... not one day too soon as the next night, a carpet python had curled himself around the rafter beside the nest.

Harley and I have continued to go out walking each day ... sometimes mornings ... sometimes evenings, depending on the heat.

Time to settle in, under the fan, and watch The Block Auction ... 

Have a lovely week 🌹