Chookshed Challenge update

 Rust was my challenge for June and I am very happy with what I achieved. Firstly I tea and rust dyed a small sampler that I started some time ago. It just needed a little more stitching before I dyed it. Here are the before and afterwards again.

And added on to my sample roll.

I then put together a small panel ( just over A4 size) and dyed that, again with rust and tea.

I dyed this piece flat along with some sheets of watercolour paper and am very happy with a couple of these. The one that I did with leaves is worth repeating I think.

I have now stitched into my flower panel adding some beads and lurex thread for sparkle, which of course does not show up in the picture!

And I have started stitching another sample piece using a few previously dyed pieces to see how they will turn out with extra dye.

So now, apart from finding a frame for my flower panel, I am finished with rust for a little while but hope to come back to it again soon.

Deana has pulled #5 for our July project and I am happy to say this is my hexagon project which I last worked on for the Chookshed Challenge last year. For those who do not know, for some years I swapped hexagon flowers once a month with a lovely group of ladies, mostly in Austraila but with one lady from the US. They were all yellow and I have started to sew them together with a blue pathway. This is where I am at  now. You can see the pile of yellow flowers waiting to be added.

You may remeber that in May I put together a small box of hexagons ready to start whenever #5 came up, so I am all set to go this evening when there is yet another football match!

Thank you Deana, I am looking forward to this - no hard thinking, just happy stitch!

PYT Tuesday is here again!

Those two weeks zipped by!

Thank you Anthea for keeping me on my toes - pop over to Anthea's blog here to see progress on her lovely hexagon quilt and to see what other EPPers are up to.

I took my blue and yellow Grandmothers Flower Garden out of it's box again for a week and have made good progress.

Here it is when it first reappeared

I spent a couple of evenings basting yellow hexagons.

And then cracked on with my cloth.

It has all gone back in the box now until my next burst of enthusiasm! I have enough blue flowers to go all the way around again so another big push should see it finished.

Meanwhile another UFO has surfaced but I will save that for my next post.

It's raining again here - I am sure we must have had more than enough rain to make up for the dry summer we had last year!

Blogaversary, EPP Tuesday and other things!

It's my Blogaversary! This is my 300th post - I started my blog nearly 5 years ago. I want to thank everyone who follows my blog and there will be more for you later in this post.

Meanwhile, it is also EPP Tuesday.

Thank you very much Anthea for hosting this link. Sadly I have nothing new to share with you but, claiming Blogaversary privileges, I am sharing a picture of my first ever quilt which I may have blogged about before but if I have I can find no reference to it!! 

This quilt took me two years to make, 1979/1981 and coincides with my joining of the Quilters Guild

as a founder member. To me, at that time, patchwork was all about hexagons. I had a whole lot of learning to do! Not least that it is a good idea to wash fabrics before you use them because the plain brown and red fabrics both ran when wet. I had this dry cleaned several times before I decided blow it and put it in the washing machine. So sadly now, although still in  use, this quilt is looking very muted. Love it still though.

Thank you Anthea for the EPP linky which you can find here - do join in or visit everyone who has linked up.

I am very excited to show you this quilt flimsy which I have been given permission to share with you.

A friend who has been coming to my monthly quilt group has been making this quilt for her grandson for the last couple of years. The fabrics are all Native American Indian based and the blocks are all related in some way to Indians. She has also used this fabric to make a tepee for her grandson. Isn't it gorgeous? I shall be sharing some better quality photographs of this quilt as it progresses.

So now to my Blogaversary giveaway! To thank everyone who follows me I have a package of goodies to give away. Some yummy fat quarters, matching threads and a pretty French sewing sachet plus a few little extras.

Just leave a comment below if you would like to win them - I shall ask Mr RNG to choose a winner next Wednesday (3rd) which also just happens to be my birthday!

In the mean time, have a great week.

Piece Yourself Together - EPP Tuesday

Many thanks to Anthea for hosting this linky. Click on her name to take you to her blog and then look for the linky on the right hand side to see what everyone else is doing.

Late last year I joined a hexie swap group which means that each month I swap a hexie flower with my partner for the month. Here are the flowers I have received so far.

Well, it's not going to be a quilt any time soon but wheres the hurry?

It occurred to me that I have not kept a record of the flowers I have sent off to my partners and so, as these are so quick and easy to do, I have decided that when I cut out a set of hexies for my partner I will cut an extra set the same for me.

So here are my hexies cut and ready to sew for this months swap.

I am travelling again next week so I shall be sewing these while I am away.

I have also cut a stack more 1/2" hexie papers also to take away with me.

Well, that is all for now. I shall be posting about my February CQJP block later this week. See you then.