Welcome to my blog. I hope you enjoy reading about my adventures - in stitch and otherwise! And I hope that you will leave a comment so that I know you have visited.

Monday 26 January 2015

STITCH magazine for Feb/March

I have been so looking forward to the arrival of this magazine as I knew that my blogger friend Monika Kinner-Whalen had an article being published in it. And as we are going away this weekend for a month I was worrying that it would not arrive until after we had left!
 However, all is well as it arrived today and Monika's article - From Sketch to Stitch' - is there. It is lovely to see her beautiful work showcased like this and I hope that if you have a chance to get hold of the magazine and read her article that you will. It shows how she produces her beautiful threadpaintings using photographs and sketches.
You can see one of her threadpaintings centre right at the bottom of the front cover or you can use the link above to pop over to her blog and say hello.

Have a good week everyone.


Saturday 24 January 2015

FNSI for January and a Crazy finish





Thank you very much Wendy for hosting our Friday Night Sew In again. Do go and visit Wendy to see who else was there.

Due to some very cold (for us) weather, instead of catching up with some gardening yesterday I was able to crack on with some sewing. I wanted to finish my January block for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project so that I can get the next block ready to take away next week.

And this is it, now complete.


My blocks are all going to be colour themed so this is my black and white block. Any colour in the sequins and sparkly bits is entirely due to the photography.

A few close ups!





I was finished with time to spare and so I finished off this Dear Jane block - fortunately it was just the outer triangles that needed adding, the fiddly bits had already been done.




Hope you all had a good evening.

Thursday 22 January 2015

A finish, a new toy and a new start!

First of all though there is still just time for you to sign up for this months FNSI hosted by Wendy.





Just use the link above to pop over to Wendy's blog to sign up - then get the chocolate and wine ready!

Last summer I showed you this

lovely hanger given to me by a friend and made by her son. Perfect, as you can see for my swap postcards.
Before Christmas I needed a hanger for my Gail Pan Christmas mini and so I asked if he could make me one to match the card hanger. Well unfortunately Gail Pan will have to wait until next Christmas but meanwhile I have finished my Dawn Hay Preston Bag stitchery and made it into another little mini and here it is on my new mini quilt hanger.


I can assure you that it is a perfect rectangle - unfortunately the angle for photography has distorted it a bit!. Anyway, I love my new hanger and now both hang together on the wall of my 'studio'.


I have signed up for a block of the month! This is a new venture for me but having never, in 35 years of quilting, made a sampler quilt I thought it was about time! I have joined some of the lovely ladies in Our Craft Group and we are going to make a BOM each month this year starting in February. Each of us has chosen a block to make so we should have a good variety.
Last year, having decided that my stash was seriously lacking in pinks, I went mad on a shopping spree in UK buying pink fabrics. So I now have a lovely selection for a pink sampler quilt. Here are my fabrics.


I plan to add in a little more green too.

And finally while we were in UK for Christmas our Grandaughter, aged 5, was 'pretend' sewing costumes for Strictly (with which she was obsessed) using hair clips and dolls pram blankets! So I thought it was about time she did some proper sewing and found a first sewing kit for her to try.
Here she is working on a pencil case


and here with the finished case and a little bag from the same kit.

I think that was a success.

Hope to see you at Wendy's tomorrow!

Tuesday 13 January 2015

WIP Tuesday

After a couple of sunny days with frosty mornings we are back to grey skies with rain promised for the next few days. It has been good to get out in the garden - there is so much clearing and pruning to do and we have already had one massive bonfire this winter. Digging too as we have onions and beans to plant before we go away next month.

While we were away over Christmas I was working on this Dawn Hay stitchery for her Preston Bag pattern.


I have decided not to make the bag at this time as I want to use this to make a mini quilt to go on my new quilt hanger. Hopefully I can show it to you with the finished quilt next week.

I have completed this little Jenny of Elefantz stitchery.


Now to decide finally what I shall make it in to. More on this later too.

Finally I have started work on my Crazy Quilt Journal Project block for January. Here it is before stitching commences.


All my blocks for the year are going to have a colour theme so my first is black and white. Ever since I did my winter crazy block last year I have wanted to do a block in black and white so this was a good oppotunity.

Until next time.

Saturday 10 January 2015

FNWF for January






A big thank you to Cheryll for hosting our first evening of the year. I have already read lots of posts about last night and it looks like everyone had a great time.

I was busy working on this little Jenny of Elefantz stitchery. It is so colourful and caught my eye as soon as I saw it. Another evening should see it finished.


Fortunately there were still a few Christmas chocs to help the evening along. Had to give up sewing though at 10 as it was time for The Musketeers, one of my favourite TV series at the moment. Sadly Cardinal Richelieu turned into Dr Who at the end of the last series and the new baddie is just a wee bit too good looking I feel!

Have a good week everyone.





Friday 9 January 2015

More Christmas Post

On our return to France from the UK I was delighted to find two surprises amongst my post!

This beautiful card from Judy reminiscent of her snowy Idaho surroundings.


And this lovely Christmas tree from Eglea all the way from Brazil.


Thank you both very much.

We have spent this week catching up and getting straight after our trip so I am looking forward to this evenings sewing with friends - yes it's the first FNWF's of the new year!
 Have a good evenings sewing everyone.