Yep ... Still Crazy Busy

 SIL has had his first knee op so we're one step closer there. A little evening stitching goes on and I have block 5 now complete. Tick for 1Xmas and WOOFA ... little goals are achievable.

We had our first sleepover baby sitting with Grandson M (7 1/2 months) and his big brother Grandson J ... all went well. This was the same weekend Chooky had another zoom stitching so sadly I missed out and this ... hopefully next time.

Just breath deeply and take that next step.

Driving home from town yesterday afternoon ... fire season already?

April Catch Up

Ok, so I lost track of April but that's alright...lots of good happened even in this crazy time of social distancing.

FNSI, 1XMAS and WOOFA ... Way back on the night of FNSI I made some good progress on 'A Merry Christmas Garden'.

Mid April our Daughter, Son-in-Law and Grandsons (one 3 year old and one 5 month old) came to live while SIL awaits a knee reconstruction. As my sewing is spread between the 2 spare bedrooms, I've had to pack, store and tidy and have small projects out.

A little crafting and cooking for Anzac Day as we remembered those who served and continue to serve.

I did finish Little Flynn's Farm and was lucky enough that when I took it to a quilter yesterday, the lady had a free spot, loaded it on the frame and I was able to bring it back home yesterday afternoon. Now to get the binding machined on 1 side so I can sit and hand stitch the binding down.

Then on with 'Mother Goose Nursery' for grandson no. 4 between living in a busy household and going to work 3 days a week ... never a dull moment.

Ooops!  I've also forgotten to share pics of March blocks for my Murder Mystery Quilt

and April blocks which was adding onto March blocks.

FNSI Result

Sequence and bead play ... Santa's now have there hats adorned ... thanks Wendy and friends.

Sewing Happens...Occasionally

Seems to have been a long gap between posts and finished projects...every now and then I manage a flourish of finishes.

First is the best...Little Parker's Farm is done done done

and won first place at our local show on the weekend.

I've had the pattern for these baby change mats since August last year...finally two finished and off to DD and DIL.

Yesterday I still had nothing ready for 1 Xmas Item a Month and it so happened that while rearranging some patterns recently, I found a long ago printed off pattern. Diving into a scrap bag, 8 tissue packet covers found there way into my gift box.

A successful tally for OPAM too. As there are only a few April days left, I best get needle and thread stitching to finish my next Calendar Bear.

Ric Rac Roundup and a 1 Xmas Tally

It didn't hurt a bit ... I just bit the bullet, pinned the rac rac and sewed. My first attempt was a bit skimpy but the 2nd and 3rd letters were ok so after some un-sewing, I have the first three letters ready.

Last night while waiting for the State of Origin Footy Match to start, I made a start on these 2 blocks. Unfortunately my sewing machine was effecting the TV reception so once the game started it was a no sew zone. So at lunch I finished them off.

Block  #5

Block  #6

I'm undecided. Should I or should I not share an update of the clever Elves who have been able to add to their Christmas stash each month since January ... just for fun.

Happy Sewing  >^..^<

A Christmas Collage

I'd like to share just a few gifts from lovely friends who brightened my Christmas.  Thankyou Fiona (Gingie), Cherryl (Diary) and Kerry (Stitchery and Santa).  I baked the cake back in November and iced and simply decorated for lunch at DD's. Lavendar kittie was cleverly made my very crafty mum.

Time to reveal my last 1 Xmas Item A Month ...."Tree of Christmas Cheer" from Hatched and Patched.  Kerry and I chose a 'tree' for this year's gift theme.

Happy New Year

A Quiet Moment At Last!

Oh what a week ... the final week of school ... busy, busy, exhausting! Throw in a couple of days of cattle work and there's been little time for sewing.  I did s.q.u.e.e.z.e in a stitch here and there so it's time to report in for '1 Xmas Item A Month' on the 15th of December and the last for the year.

My 'tree theme' Christmas Gift is so close to a finish ... just needs some padding and I'll be handing it over on Tuesday so I can reveal after then but for now here's another sneak peak.

TTS is also soooooo close. Running out of time I machine quilted 2 rows in the red/white check border and yesterday got the binding machined on. Last night I pinned the binding ready for hand stitching. I still plan to do some more hand quilting in the last border but for now it can hang on the wall once the binding is finished.

Thankyou to all my fellow elves who've been busy already posting their Christmas Goodies ... I'll be popping around for a longer visit shortly. It was wonderful to go to my gift box and take out the items I've made through the year. Some are on display and some are ready for wrapping and gifting.  I hope you've all found this time of year a little less stressful with your handmade goodies at the ready.

It's always encouraging being part of a friendly and fun group and I hope to see lots more creativity next year.

Merry Christmas and Happy Sewing

PS:  I promise a full reveal once TTS is on the wall and my 'tree' gift has been gifted :)

Summer Welcomes December

December heralds the first day of Summer for us, however this year Summer jumped the starters pistol and got here well before December. Nothing for it but to sit in front of the fan with some stitching and a tall glass of cold water.

I'm winging it this month with no list :)  With 3 projects to finish as soon as I can manage, I'll just keep working on those and chill out (if possible).  In no particular order of priority ...

#1  Ribbon Star - needs quilting - purchased backing this morning

#2  Tis The Season - 3 of 12 blocks hand quilted so far

#3  Christmas Gift with a tree theme - over halfway there

Oooops!  That looks a little bit like a list to me.

I promised yesterday that I would have a little reveal today so without further ado and a little drumroll please  . . . . . . . . . . .

Congratulations Cheryll for making 1 Xmas Item A Month - every month!  A little gift will be on it's way to you shortly.

After checking names against months, everyone's name was placed in a hat and I asked hubby to draw out 2 tickets. So if you participated 4 months I wrote your name out 4 times for 4 chances ... 7 months, 7 chances as so on. Another little drumroll please . . . . . . . . . . .

Lucky winners are Fiona and Sheila  Congratulations and a little something will be on it's way to you both.  I thank you all for sewing along side by side, or as close as we can be in cyberspace, and sharing all the beautiful gifts and decorations made throughout the year. It's time to start bringing them out of storage if you haven't already and enjoy the season.

Not trying to rush the New Year but I've already planned my 2013 item. As I will be working more hours next year I need to organise my sewing time to get the most out of it so when I saw this Rosalie Quinlin designs pattern from here, I just had to buy it. 

My plan is one letter a month for 9 months plus 1 month to put it together. I'm sure I can come up with something else for the other 2 months.

I would love to have everyone back for '1 Xmas Item A Month 2013' so keep an eye out in early January for an official sign up. Maybe you'd prefer to break down one bigger project into monthly chunks or continue with 1 or more items each month. It's all about the friendship and sharing and no stress aloud :)

Merry Christmas Sewing

I Overslept ... It's the 25th!

Actually I only wish I had overslept.  I've been waking up way too early for a weekend and have had a lot going on this month.  So I'm sad to report that I have no Christmas Item to share  :(

I know ... bad example to set but I just haven't stitched a stitch since the potholders were made.  At the beginning of November I finished off the stitchery for my 1 Item and then ... "the wheels fell off the wagon" as they say.

We celebrated DH's 50th birthday this weekend but his quilt is still a secret ... shhhh!  My plan is to get it on the quilting frame this Thursday.

Enough of my excuses. How have all you other clever elves been going? Busy busy of the sewing kind I hope :)

Time to take a sleigh ride through blogland and check out everyone's lovely goodies.  It's been a lovely time sewing and creating with this happy little group of elves and I thankyou all for joining me in de-stressing Christmas just a little :)

To wrap up the year I was thinking we could make a final '1 Xmas Item A Month' post on the 15th of December. It could be a photo of an extra project you've made ... or a photo of something you made through the year and is now on display for Christmas. Only if you'd like to ... our number 1 rule is 'no stress' and enjoy!

Happy Festive Sewing

Where Did Rudolph Put It?

zazzle.com

 

 

Here it is!  My 1 Xmas Item for the month of October ... the cream washer. I now have a pair and will wrap a lovely scented soap with them.

 

 

I've also been working on a bigger project which will hopefully be finished for November although I will only be able to share a sneak peak as it's a gift and I don't want to spoil the surprise. All going well my 'Tis The Season' will be another finish for November.

 

 

Have you been busy this month, tinkering away in the workshop with all the other elves? It's getting close now ... but I don't have to tell you that.  Looking for some inspiration? Take a look around the 1 Xmas Item page at all the wonderful gifts and decoartions.

 

There's still time to make a start before the Christmas Season is upon us. We'd love to see what you make so pop in next month around November 25th to share.

 

Happy Christmas Crafting

Making A List ... Checking It Twice

Wow!  Some of the Elves have been skipping around the workshop very early this morning and sharing pics of their Christmasy Goodies. It's starting to get a little bit exciting now with the Festive Season just around the corner so check out the "1 Xmas Item" page above for some Christmas Cheer.

How is your list?  Hope you've been able to squirrel away a few presents or decorations ready for December. Here is my September item ... the blue wash cloth ... which will be wrapped together with the cream one and a nice cake of pretty soap.

 

A cheery thankyou to all the elves who make our '1 Xmas Item A Month' workshop a happy place to be.

It's That Time Again

The 25th of the month has rolled around once more ... time for crafty little elves to share their Christmas Item or a sneak peak if it's a secret. Then pop it away in a safe place for it's not long now till the decorating and gift wrapping begins.

I have another washcloth to share this month knitted in a pale blue. A secret project has also been traced ready to begin stitching but that one will only have sneak peaks along the way.

Time to go visiting other elf workshops to see what you've all been busy with.

If at any time I miss adding your pictures to the 1 Xmas Item page ... please send me an email to remind me :)  Sometimes my mind can overflow and needs help gathering thoughts. I hope everyone is feeling more relaxed as the end of the year approaches and your stash of goodies grows.

Merry Sewing

Polishing the Sled

Oh what a month! Here it is the 25th already and I haven't posted since the 1st ... have managed to visit a couple of blogs but my unread counter is through the roof.

A little knitting or embroidery at night is all I've had time for this month and luckily I got in early with my 1 Xmas Item.  After knitting both 'Love' and 'Joy' washcloths I thought I could draft one with DD's name and I'm pretty happy with the result. Another for August is also drafted ready and waiting :)

Time once more to visit all my fellow elves' workshops and share their Christmas delights on our 1 Xmas Item page. Hope your stash of goodies is growing and you're looking forward to displaying or giftwrapping when December arrives. Thankyou for joining me in this merry little venture.

It's never too late to make a start so if you haven't had the time yet then perhaps August will be your month.

My other finish early this month was .... another scarf. This particular ball of yarn was purchased last year so does this make it a UFO finish?

I've had a couple of goes trying to get some 2" postage charm squares cut for the next swap ... this is just over half.

Last Wednesday I spent a beautiful day out with 2 lovely friends at a quilt show and these 3 fat 1/4's begged me to buy them.

May the sun shine for you today.

Did You Hear The Sleigh Bells?

The 25th has come around again and I nearly didn't make it ... how about you?

I'd given up on getting something even started for Christmas this month and then the day before yesterday I remembered the next wash cloth. With the wet weather settling in for the day yesterday, there was nothing else to do but sit and knit ... and eat when the time called for it and helped along by warm drinks and a good movie "Australia". Sorry the picture isn't very clear as it's still a dreary wet day today but I've added a little 'joy' to it :)

Is everyone starting to get a little stash together of Christmas goodies? We're at the half-way point now and there's still plenty of time to join in and make a start if you haven't been able to so far. Join our happy little band of elves and get a head start on the Christmas rush. Check out all the lovely gifts and decorations that have been made and put away for safe keeping ... click on the 1 Xmas tab at the top of this blog.

Happy Sewing and I shall be popping around to see what everyone has been up to this month.

1 Xmas Item and Scraps

Phew!  Just squeezing in between getting home from work and having dinner which is in the oven as I type. Hot off the knitting needles (finished last night while watching "Grays Anatomy") is my first knitted dishcloth ... 'Love'.

My first non-scarf finish and I had to learn how to un-knit and un-pearl when I skipped a row as it would have thrown the pattern out.  In the beginning I was doing something wrong and pulled the first 1/3 out because it just wasn't looking right. So out came my handcraft encyclopedia for a quick refresher on the purl stitch ... much happier with the second try.

Tomorrow I'll pop round and visit all the happy little elves to see what you've been creating this month. Remember your Christmas Items can be for yourself to use or a gift to be given and if you ran out of time this month ... there's always next month ... no stress here :)

Yesterday I even managed to turn the sewing machine on and do some sewing ... 100 little charm squares all into a block. These were the first set I received in the first swap (February?) and I have one more set before I can start on the 3 sets I received in this month's swap. Amazing how they all come together.

The rain has been falling softly all day so looks like it could be perfect for staying indoors over the weekend and sewing till my hearts content. Hope everyone can squeeze in a little or a lot of sewing too!

A Northern Hemisphere 25th

While it's already the 26th here in Oz I'm pretty sure it's still the 25th for our elves in the north so here's my One Xmas Item for the month of April.

Alison Terry designed Rose Bell

I look forward to hanging this sweetie somewhere special for Christmas.

Time to put on my comfy travelling shoes (slippers ... the days are getting chilly) and skip around blogland to see all the lovely Christmas items everyone has created this month. Hopefully you're starting to get a few things put away ready for a stress free Christmas ... if you haven't been able to make a start yet then perhaps May will be your month ... it's never too late :)

While I was out in the garden photographing my Rose Bell I noticed another rosebud nearby.

Don't forget to stop and smell the roses :)

(Ok, so where has that 'Publish' button gone again?  ... oh I see it)

Still Here and With a Finish!

Being back at work this year has severely cramped my sewing and blogging time.  Add a lack of inspriration with being busy around the house and paddocks and March/April has seen little sewing achieved. I have however squeezed a few stitches here and there and finally have a finish to share.

The story of my candle mat is in a previous post and I've slowly been adding rows of 1/2" hexies. I then quilted a base and stitched the hexie top down to complete the mat.

Only 20 days late but I can now say I finished my 1 Xmas Item for March.  I've also made a start on April's item ... how is everyone else progressing?

Made It to Patchwork Day

Finally after way back in early December last year, I've made it into our little groups' Patchwork Day.
We meet once a month and when January's date rolled around the sky opened up, creeks flooded and I had to stay home.

Monday afternoon our unstable weather produced yet another storm and once more Patchwork Day was looking grim and Tuesday wasn't looking much better. Being positive I packed my sewing things together and my lovely neighbour and I arranged to meet bright and early Wednesday morning all going well (dry) and give it a go.

Hooray!  We made it there and back and enjoyed a beautiful day of sewing, chatting and beautiful show and tell which you can see over at Mt Perry Quilters. 

First I cut 100 x 2" squares ready for a Postage Stamp Quilt and finished sewing them into pairs last night. The other 2 piles of pairs are from swap friends for the 2012 Charm Swap and Challenge.

Then I started blanket stitching on my next Red Delicious block. I had been trying to buy more backing fabric and couldn't match the material so ..... I bought 2 fat 1/4's of ivory and died them. 1 with tea and the other with coffee and the coffee one came out the closest to the original fabric so I'm using that one.

How are your Christmas Items going for this month? Are you like me and hoping you will have a finish for the 25th? If my post is a little late that day you'll know I am still busy stitching and if you finish your item a few days after the 25th that's ok too. Remember there is no pressure here ... just pleasure at the end of the year.