Handkies free to good home (DTE members only)

Most of these are the printed handkies, and plain white with some embroidery or lace.

Piano fabric idea.

Remember that piano fabric I bought at the Quilt show, and posted a pic of here?  I think I know what I'm going to do with it, or part of it anyway.  I found the cutest photo on Pinterest, of a black cat sitting on a piano keyboard, and thought it would look great for a wallhanging to applique a black cat on to the piano fabric!   Watch this space....but don't hold your breath, lol ;-)

A.S.A. raffle Bird quilt

I've been working on my quilt for the Avicultural Society raffle.  After going through Ken's collection of monthly magazines from the society, I couldn't find any photos suitable for the quilt, so I hunted around on the internet and found some photos taken by a professional photographer who stated on his website that he was happy for people to use his photos, provided they ask for his permission.  So I emailed him to explain about using his photos on my quilt, and he replied the next day, giving me permission to use them.
I copied about 20 photos, went through them with Ken to select the best ones for the society (birds kept in aviculture) and once we made up our minds, I used the box of printing fabric that I bought at the Quilt Show, to print the photos.  (I put new ink cartridges in my printer first!).

Then I had to decide how to place the pictures on the quilt, and after much mind changing and suggestions from Ken, this is what I came up with:

The photos have been bordered with black, then put together with the green sashing.  It was too small on its own for a quilt, so I added some bird fabric to the top and bottom for extra length, but found it was too long and narrow.  I laid out the rest of the green fabric on the kitchen floor tonight, and put my unfinished top on top of it to see how it looked with a wide green border either side. 
As this has to be finished next Wednesday, I haven't got much time left to play around, so I'm going to add the wide green border either side of the length, and a shorter border at each end.  The backing will be a different bird fabric with a lot of reds, so I am going to use plain red for the binding, rather than more black.

Pin cushion and Needlecase completed.

I made this pair of sewing accessories for Joy, my swap partner on the Down To Earth forum craft thread. We were asked to make anything in blue or lavender/purple tones. It could be paper, knitting, sewing, or whatever, and I chose a combination of felt and fabric. I used a pattern called "Lilac Love", by Val Laird, who is one of my favourite needlecraft designers. I have heaps of her patterns earmarked in my magazine stash, but this is only the second one I've made. The pattern was for three items - the pincushion, needlecase and scissor fob, but I ran out of time before I got to the scissor fob. I don't think Joy will mind ;-)

Val's original design had little stitcheries in the centre of her items, but I was lazy, and just used a polka dot felt instead.  The dark purple is felt, and I stitched lazy daisies around the edge, and added beads in the centres on the pin cushion but not the needlecase (me  being lazy again), so to make up for my tardiness I added a little gold thimble button to the needlecase.

Craft and Quilt show photos now uploaded.

I have finally posted the photos I took at the Craft & Quilt Fair last week, to my Needlecraft and Quilt Shows blog here. Click on the link to see.

Quilt Fair, Aussie bird fabric.

I took all those placemats to the Avic. meeting this week, and the ladies were delighted.  I had pinned some lace and embellishment to some of the mats, but the ladies said no, they didn't need that, so I unpinned it and they were happy with them as they are.  They used two for door prizes, and one of the winners was a girl, who was thrilled to get something other than a bag of bird seed, handy as that is!

At the committee meeting (my first one) the guys were discussing the up and coming Avic. convention, and mentioned the raffle they are having.  Someone asked what were the prizes and the president replied "Oh the usual bag of seed and some books".  I piped up "Oh, that's not enough for an Australia wide convention!  You might get someone from interstate winning the raffle - how are they going to carry 20 kg of birdseed back on the plane?  How about I make a quilt using bird fabrics, for the prize?"  The men mostly looked blank, but one or two said "That's a great idea!  My wife would like that!".

So there I go again, opening my big mouth...they don't know it yet, but I didn't say what size quilt I would make ;-)  I do not make bed quilts - single, double or otherwise!  It will be a throw, about the same size as the one I made for Ken for his retirment, with the motorcycles.   It can be used as a topper for a bed, or to throw over the back of a couch, or even a large wallhanging.  Today I went to the Craft and Quilt Fair and asked every fabric stall holder if they had any fabric with Australian birds.  I didn't find exactly what I would have liked, but this one will do.  It was the last piece on the bolt, not quite two metres, so I was very lucky to get it before it was sold out.

My first idea was to cut it into square blocks and alternate them with four patch blocks of matching colours, but then I saw a display on another stall, where they had used photographs of birds printed on to that special photo fabric, and made up into a wall hanging.  Light bulb moment for me!  I can do that, and use this parrot fabric for the backing!  So I bought a pack of 10 photo fabric sheets, and will download some nice photos of finches and parrots from the Avic. society website to use, after I check with the webmaster it is okay to do that.

My EFTPOS card went into overdrive today as usual.  I was with my friend Connie and neither of us have been to a quilt and craft fair for a couple of years, so we had a ball!  An expensive ball, but she needed some retail therapy, and it was my duty to encourage her...lol.  These are my other purchases:

I never thought I would buy any more chook fabric, but someone always brings out something so gorgeous that I just can't resist it!  Luckily Ken liked it too....he didn't ask how much it was.

I need more Elvis fabric like I need a hole in the head, but I know quite a few Elvis fans, and am thinking this will make great birthday or Christmas gifts.

I love the piano fabric!  Bought just half a metre, because I know I have a pattern somewhere using that fabric, and always thought I'd like to make it if ever I found the fabric.
The Asahi Quilt bias tape is iron-on bias tape to use on stained glass window quilts.  I've always wanted to make one but thought nah, too complicated, but this makes it so easy!  Watch this space, lol.
The can is Quilt basting spray which I was shocked to discover later, had cost me $18!  Is that right???
I also bought two colouring books, but they are on my Art and craft blog.
The most expensive item for the day was not fabric, books or any of that.  Would you believe it cost $50 to park under that damn Exhibition Centre for 5 hours?  Another reason why I don't go to these fairs every year!

Nearly forgot to mention the Quilt Show.  I took heaps of photos, and will be posting them to my Needlecraft Shows blog in the next day or so.  I probably won't leave them there for long though, as I am aware that many people don't like photos of these shows on blogs or social media.  I'll put a note on here when I've done it.

Aust. bird items of patchwork.

I have recently been elected to the committee of the Avicultural Society of Australia (you can blame my husband for this, lol), and I offered to provide some of the prizes for the monthly meeting raffles, as they don't vary much from month to month, and one of the ladies has even started donating boxes of glasses, whether they are unused gifts from their home, or she has bought them for the purpose, I don't know. I showed some of my patchwork to the ladies at the meeting, and they all loved the idea of having bird-related patchwork items for the raffle. These are what I have completed so far:
A small runner with a Galah in the centre.  The sides look a bit bare, so I am going to add some matching buttons or other bling.

Mug rug with Blue Wren.

Mug rug or small mat with Sulphur Crested Cockatoos.

Pair of placemats using the same two fabrics but with different coloured sashing.  They don't have to be taken as a pair, it depends on what the ladies running the raffle want to do with them.

I had to use what was in my stash for these items, but I hope to find some better bird fabrics at the Craft & Quilt Fair later this month.  I know there are some beautiful Aussie bird fabrics around, but they aren't found in many fabric shops, and I couldn't even find much on line, so I'm hoping the stalls at the Fair will have some new lines in.

A hilarious tale of a quilter's husband!

Jane over at Loopy's Place provided this link to a blog she discovered.  The blog writer is a lawyer by profession, and a quilter in her other life.  She has published an article on her blog, written by the husband of another quilter.  The husband is a criminal court judge, and admits to finding himself bamboozled by his wife's new obsession!  It is long, but well worth reading, you will all relate to it :-)
The Sewing Lawyer

Elvis mini quilt.

I found this Elvis fabric at a Quilt and craft show a few years ago, and immediately thought of a friend who is crazy about Elvis.  Finally got around to making it up into a small quilt which she can use as a bed runner or over the back of a chair.  She also loves cats so I used a kitty fabric for the backing so if she gets tired of seeing Elvis, she can flip the quilt over and count kitties instead :-)

Beautiful vintage cloths and aprons.

On Friday I went to a cancer fundraising event at the Eltham Library.  The guest speaker was Wanda McPherson from the Embroiderers Guild, who spoke about the history and culture of tea around the world, and showed some of her collection of vintage embroidered cloths and aprons.  I have posted photos on one of my other blogs here.

Tote bag, Bee fabric.

A member of the Down to Earth forum posted a request last week, asking if anybody had a particular issue of Patchwork & Stitching magazine, as she was after a certain pattern.  I found it in my collection of P & S mags, and emailed her to ask if she wanted the magazine or just a copy of the pattern.  She said a copy would be fine, so once I'd done that I was about to put the mag back on the shelf, but decided to leave it out for a while.  The pattern T. had asked for was a cat silhouette on a totebag, and I had it earmarked to do 'one day'.  Well, no time like the present, so I pulled out one of the many promotional bags that I keep for redecorating, found some fabrics in my stash, and an hour later:  too easy!

 
Below is a photo of some fabric I bought last week at Darn Cheap Fabrics in Heidelberg.  I only bought half a metre, and have no idea what I will do with it, but I thought it would be useful for embellishing projects.

Got my mojo back!

Here is my second UFO project finished: the Sunbonnet Sue blocks made up into a mini quilt.

A friend was telling me about the pot holder she bought to use, but hates the fabric it is made of. I offered to make her another one, and finished this tonight. She is a Cat lover, so I think she will approve!

On to more practical things, I had three pairs of socks with small holes in the toe, and finally got around to darning them this week. I buy my darning wool from opshops, hence the variety of colours. Not many haberdashery shops sell darning wool these days, and even if they do, the younger staff have no idea what it is :-(

UFO challenge has reinvigorated me!

Whilst challenging others reading this blog to show their UFOs, I posted pictures of some of mine.   Nice to see quite a few have taken on the challenge, but a bonus side effect for me is that I have motivated myself to do something!  I got out some of the orphan blocks again last night and spread them on the kitchen floor to see what I could come up with.  The Sunbonnet Sue blocks will be teamed with alternative blocks of different fabrics.  I'm not using the two other blocks in this picture as they are too big, and too much pink.

I moved these blocks around for about 20 minutes and photographed each layout before deciding I liked this one best.  (But that can change, lol)

When I was tidying all these up, I found a single orphan block that was made from a kit that I was given at a craft show.  Here is the block, lying on top of a metre of fabric while I made up my mind whether to use it or something else.

After I'd made the block, I couldn't decided what to do with it, so parked it in the cupboard where it was forgotten until last night.  I had been wanting to make another wall hanging for our kitchen, as the ones I've been using before the renovation didn't really suit the new wall, and I was keen to make one with chook fabric that I have in abundance.   But when I discovered my applique rooster, I thought YES!  So today, this is what I finished up with.  Hubby has yet to notice...wonder what he will say.

Not much news for this blog lately.

It is a wonder I've got any followers left!  I used to be so busy posting my work and my linen finds here up to a few years ago, then I retired from paid work, and BOOM!  Thought I would have more time to do stitching and patchwork, but have got caught up doing other things with my husband Ken, who isn't in good health, so naturally I would rather spend time with him than anything else right now.  There are other issues taking up my time at home, but I don't post about those things here, so if you want to know about my non-stitching life, you can see it here.

I have started work on one of my UFO doilies though....just a few stitches, but at least it is out of the basket and on my sewing table.  I usually get some stitching done on those small UFOs when I go to the Embroiderers Guild once a month as a volunteer hostess, and it was only when I pulled this particular doiley out of the UFO basket that it dawned on me I had completely forgotten to go to the Guild last Tuesday.  I was so shocked, I felt really bad about it, as I've never done that before - just not turned up, I mean.  If I can't go for some reason, I always ring them in advance and find a replacement for myself.  But this past week has been full of unhappy events, and the Guild completely slipped my mind.  I sent an email to apologise and explain why I didn't arrive, and I also tendered my resignation from the volunteer role, as with Ken's deteriorating health, I never know where we are going to be lately, so I can see times ahead when I won't be available for volunteer duties, craft classes, or any other commitments.   

ANZAC Day 25th April 2015

Rooster embroidered tablecloth

I found this cloth on eBay last week and bid for it immediately - wouldn't you?!   I was lucky that there was only one other bid, so I got a bargain.  It is in perfect condition and beautifully stitched, although Ken raised his eyebrows at the colours...pink chickens?  he said.  Never mind, artist's perogative, I replied.  I think it is sweet.

Dare to show your UFOs!

I have been invited to photograph my UFOs for another forum I belong to, and rather than post it there and take up a lot of space on that forum, I decided to post the photos here and provide a link to the forum members to click on if they wish to see these.  Do you find it a bit sad, or depressing, when you look at your UFOs and wonder how on earth you got into such a state?  Maybe you are one of the lucky ones who finishes each project before starting a new one.  I don't have that self control, unfortunately.
So here we go.  This is what the end result will look like, if I finish it.

And this is how much I've done, up until about 10 years ago.  It's been covered up since then to keep it from getting dusty.  And to keep it out of my sight!

Australian cross stitch kit project nearly finished!  All that needs to be done is....

"Australia"! and a few names on the states.

I found this barely started quilt project in a plastic bag in the remnants drawer of the Guild.  Some blocks are completed, many of the components for more blocks are cut out, and there is a heap of fabric left uncut.  Sadly there is no pattern to go by, so if I ever got to make up more blocks from the cut fabrics, it would be a guessing game as to how it is supposed to turn out.

Peacock sampler pattern which I downloaded and started with great enthusiasm many years ago

But this is all I've done.

I have a large collection of neckties that I have been pulling apart and cutting into usable pieces, for years. I had visions of making a quilt of some kind with them, using the 'bow tie' quilting pattern. I got three blocks done, then went on to something else.The fabrics above the blocks are curtain swatches which I plan to use with the ties.

I went through a stage of making Sunbonnet Sue things - patchwork blocks, mug rugs, stitcheries, etc.  Trouble is I never got around to making anything with the blocks! 

The two vintage blocks below were found in an opshop by my friend Sharon who very kindly gave them to me.  I had thought of using them in conjunction with the ones I've done, but the pink background on mine would be completely at odds with the white cotton background of these, so I have another plan for them.

Finally, the doilies.  Each one has its own story, but I'm not going to write all that down here!  The embarrassing thing is that they all have very little needing to be done to finish them off!

So what is your story?  Dare you post your own UFOs on your blog?

10th Anniversary of my blog!

I've just discovered that it is 10 years since I started this blog.  A lot of water gone under the proverbial  bridge since then!  Some bloggers give gifts to people who leave comments congratulating them on their blog anniversaries, but the last time I made that offer nobody responded, so if by any chance you decide to leave a comment here, sorry!  There's no incentive to do so - ha ha!!

Odds and ends.

Haven't done a lot of sewing lately because I've been distracted with some paper crafting.  But here are a few sewing related things that I've accumulated lately.  Some scraps of peacock themed fabric from Sue over at I Purr Furr to Craft.  She made something with these fabrics and I asked if there was any left over.  Don't know what I'll do with them yet -maybe a set of placemats, mug rugs, or they might even pop up in a crazy patchwork throw!

Below is a beaded necklace that my late mother-in-law made when she was young.  She did tell me how old she was when she made it, but I can't remember now.  Another example of 'should have written it down'..
She gave it to me and suggested as it is damaged, that I might pull it apart and use it in another craft project, but I've kept it intact, and rediscovered it in a drawer last week.  I showed it to someone who is an experienced beader, and she said it is a wonderful example of a certain type of beading (Parisian?) and I shouldn't destroy it.  So I got a piece of acid free board, taped some wadding to it, and found dark blue velvet to cover that, to mound the necklace on.  It will take a while to attach it, as I'll have to sew around the beads very carefully to hold it in place, but I think it is worth keeping, don't you?   Once I've attached the necklace to the padded surface I will take it to a professional framer and get it framed.

Today I found this teatowel in a gift shop for $5.95.   It is machine embroidered on waffle fabric, made in China, and was one of a stack of lovely designs.  OK, it is not a project for me to do, and it isn't even hand done, but you might know how much I love peacocks!   Maybe I should have posted this on my peacock blog...

Little quick projects.

We have a swap coming up on the Down To Earth forum later this month.  One of the items we are required to make is a bookmark (well, two are to be swapped).  I made four today so that I could choose the most appropriate pair when I find out who my swap partner is.

Last week we bought two more hens for our flock, and as we collected them on Good Friday, Ken suggested we take an Easter egg or something up to the seller, who has become a friend since we've been buying his chooks!  But instead of a chocolate egg, I made him a mug rug.  I think he liked it - hope so!  He can pick which side is the front or the back.