FNSI November

 Lovely to join in with my Friday stitching friends again this week.

I got my sewing machine out for a couple of hours in the afternoon and cracked on with quilting my Churndashalong quilt/tablecloth. It has been waiting a while - there always seem to be other priorities for my machine when I get it out!

Not finished yet but another session should see the quilting finished and binding on so a finish is not far away. 

I am keeping the quilting simple, as you can see, havn't taken out my marker lines yet either.

Very nice to have a finish to report for the evening though. I have been busy crocheting away in the evenings and my scarf was almost finished. All I had to do was finish the border - simple dc - and then join the ends together.

If you remember I picked up two balls of this

at my favourite charity shop and really had no idea how far it would go. In the end it was just enough for a double wrap cowl.

And nice and cosy too!

Many thanks to Wendy and all my fellow stitchers for your company.

Churndashingalong in October

 

Having completed the little wall hanging last month (and gifted it) my task this month was to finish putting together the churn within a churn within a churn which will be a tablecloth for me. I did have to order more fabric as those outer squares are 14" but fortunately the shop where I originally bought the fabrics had the last of this line on sale, so not a huge expense.

I do have enough of the pink and brown floral to make a scrappy binding for this and for Wings so I think I had better get that made next before I use them for something else! Also need to look out for something to use as a backing - again for this and for Wings. Then the problem of how to quilt - as I don't do fmq I think I shall have to practice some walking foot designs.

October has been a very mild month here with just one near miss of a frost early in the month. Overnight temperatures at the moment are over 10 degrees. So the garden is still thriving and looking very colourful.

Have a great weekend.

It's a Wrap!

 My little Churn Dash wall hanging is complete.

I have been wanting to make something churndashy for some time so thank you Chooky for spurring me on. I am very happy with how this has turned out especially those little rose buds.

All fabrics - apart from two hexies

Now I need to crack on with my second Churn Dash project and I need to add another Churn Dash around the outside.

Something for October I think.

Churndashalong update

 Here we are, nearly at the end of another month, so it's time for a Churn Dash SAL update. And I am pleased to say that the top of my little mini quilt is complete.

I have appliqued some little rosebuds along the top border and am very pleased with how they are looking. I hadn't tried these before but they are very simple and very effective - the tricky bit was pressing the vine and leaves without squashing the buds!

Septembers task will be to get this quilted and to press on with my other churn dash project, the small tablecloth.

Thanks Chooky for organising the stitchalong, just the motivation I needed.

FNSI - late on parade!

 Ooops, should have posted about FNSI yesterday but somehow ran out of time!

Many thanks to Wendy for organizing our evening and you can pop over to Wendy's blog here to see who else took part.

I had the afternoon to myself so decided to crack on with my Churndashalong wall hanging. I added the borders (by hand, couldn't be bothered to get the machine out) and then the row of hexies which I put together the other evening.

Very happy with how this is looking. I am imagining some applique along the top border. Looking forward to working on that next week.

After supper I cracked on with this sock and managed to finish the heel turn and gusset which need a bit of concentration. A bit of straight, mindless TV knitting to do now until I reach the toe.

This Zandra Rhodes design West Yorkshire Spinners yarn is lovely to knit with although I would have preferred less even stripes of colour.

Well that was my Friday - I think I have caught up with most peoples blogs but will just go and see now who I have missed!

Have a great week.

Friday Night with Friends - August!

 That first Friday of the month has arrived very quickly again. Lovely to be sewing with friends and thank you Cheryll for getting us together. You can see what everyone was up to here 

First up I finished these two little Churn Dash blocks.

Then I thought I would crack on and add them to the first two and you can just see the result here - unpressed and in use as a table for basting my RSC Dresdens.

This months RSC colour is orange but I don't need orange, I need brown, hence little brown petals being basted. A good afternoon and evening's work I felt.

Today we have been to the Taunton Flower Show and spent a few enjoyable hours wandering round the many stalls and tents. Lots of beautiful flowers and veg in the competition marquee and a small craft section. I am not going to bombard you with pictures as I only took 2, but I thought this needle book was gorgeous!

The embroidery on it was stunning. Unfortunately I didn't get a close up.

These two stumpwork items also caught my eye - lots of lovely work had gone into these.

Right, I am off to cook some dinner and then I shall be cracking on with those Dresdens. Have a good week.

Churn Dashing Along in July

 I am really enjoying seeing all the variations of churn dashes that are being made - and so many!

I have made another of my 4.5" blocks and attached it to the first one with some sashing.

It is square - it's my photography that isn't!

I am very happy with how this churn inside a churn is looking

and I am planning another round to make this a small tablecloth size.

So that's my July SAL catch up. Thanks Chooky.

Friday Night Sew In and dashing along

 FNSI has come round again! Many thanks to Wendy for organising us and you can see who took part here .

I have joined in with Chooky's Churn Dash SAL which I am calling a Churndashalong! I had no intention of joining in as I do not want to start another quilt, but when I realised I could make anything using Churn Dash blocks then the idea of a wall hanging was born. I have plenty of the pretty fabrics that I am using for my Wings and Pretty Things so I thought that I would use those . I am also hand pieceing as there is no room in this house for my machine to be out permanently. Besides, I do love hand pieceing. It was how I learnt to make patchwork blocks all those years ago before rulers and cutting boards had made it to the UK and I resisted joining in with the fast machine piecing for many years.

Anyway, back to my Churn Dash blocks which I pieced for FNSI on a hot (for UK) afternoon and evening.

They are 4.5" finished. I will need 4 for my wall hanging, one of these and three more in different fabric combinations. The other one I will use as the centre of a larger Churn Dash block, then probably a third to make a small table centre/cloth. I enjoyed putting these together and am looking forward to next month when I shall make another block.

I also found time to cut out the applique pieces for my last Wings and Pretty Things applique block - here are two that I finished this week.

Have a good weekend everyone.