Sad news.

 For anyone still reading this blog, who hasn't heard from another source, my husband Ken died last week on 26th October.  He has had COPD for nearly 20 years, but the past couple of years have been hard for him, as his heart and lungs deteriorated.  He was at home having palliative care for the last few months, as I didn't want to send him to hospital or a nursing home, as I could care for him just as well at home, and he wanted to be home anyway.  While I am sad and will miss him, after 43 years of marriage, it was a bonus having him 20 years after the first heart attack, as I was told he probably wouldn't last for another year.  Also, being with him when he died peacefully, was better than in a hospital.

Stitching for the Ukrainians.

 My friend Sharon alerted me to a cross stitch pattern designed by Kateryna Stitchy Princess in Ukraine, who sells her patterns on Etsy to supplement her income.  Sharon saw her on a Facebook group, but as I'm not on Facebook, she posted the details to me.  I purchased the pattern for about A$5.50, barely enough to buy a coffee here, but helps someone in a war torn country to buy food and essentials.

She creates the most beautiful designs, and I hope more stitchers around the world will be encouraged to buy her patterns (they are downloaded to your computer when you pay - nothing is sent by mail that might get lost in transit) to  help her survive

StitchyPrincess | Etsy

This is the one I purchased:

And this is what I have done so far.

 So I am just going to pull out the photos on  my hard drive of all the stuff I've made during 2021 and so far in 2022.  Mixture of embroidery, cross stitch, patchwork and quilting. Some unfinished.

Any questions, just let me know.

2022

 Well, I seriously doubt if anyone reads this any more,but as it was originally set up for my own purpose of recording what craft projects I make, I suppose I should update it.  There have been a few quilts made since my last post in early 2021, and a bit of stitching completed and worked on.

So I will dig out the photos and do a write up soon.  But don't hold your breath...anybody who is here.

The first half of 2021.

 Okay, maybe I'm wrong, and hadn't posted anything since the first post for 2021.  This is all I could find on  my 2021 projects folder!  Admittedly I have done a lot of sketching, painting, colouring in and reading this year so far, but I really thought I'd done more sewing!

The cross stitch below is a kit that has been in a cupboard along with others for many years.  I pulled it out this year to be included in the Home Makers UFO monthly challenge.  Technically, it wasn't a UFO as it hadn't been started, but our little group isn't fussy about technicalities, LOL.

I made the mug rug below for my Bowen therapist, who had given me one of her business cards, which you can see tucked behind the mug rug.  When I saw the card I said to Kathy "Oh!  I have some fabric with gum leaves on it just like that.  Would you like me to make something for you?"  She was delighted with it, and said she has it in her office where her patients can see it :-)

This is the tiger cross stitch wall hanging which I finished after I posted a pic of the unfinished article in January.  The back is a piece of fabric with wild cats over it - leopards I think, not tigers. 

This is not a good photo as the quilt top was on the clothes line and half of it is in the sun, and half in the shade.  I have the backing and batting ready to finish it, and when that's done, I'll take a better pic.  The fabric was a fat quarter pack of a pattern called Aussie Christmas, but you can't see anything clearly enough here to understand why it was called that!  Anyway, you can see the design which was from a collection of postcards that our Quilt Shop sells, giving basic instructions for a quilt on one side, and a photo of the finished item on the front.  

Updates to be done.

 Well,  I suppose I can be grateful that the Blogger admin saw fit to reinstate my first post for the year, but I'm sure there were more since then.  I'll have to go through my photos on my computer and re post the ones of projects I've been working on since then.  

In the meantime, here is a quilt that I finished today.  One of my brothers died in April, and I asked his wife if she would like me to make a quilt for her, using Bryan's shirts.  She doesn't do any kind of craft herself, but loves to see what I've made, so she thought my suggestion was lovely.  I used two of Bryan's flannelette shirts and a pair of flannel pyjamas, and  I used an old flannelette sheet for the backing.  The wadding is made from old fleece tracksuit pants that I was going to throw out, until I figured out if I cut them up and sewed the pieces together, there would be enough to fill a quilt!  I am so pleased with the way it turned out - not just the design, but how warm it will be for my SIL to cuddle into on a cold night while she is reading or watching t.v.

What is is the Blogger admin doing ???

 I had several posts here in 2021 so far, and they have now been deleted.  I got a message from Blogger saying the posts were offensive.  Excuse me???   How can text and photos about quilting and embroidery be offensive to anyone??  I am really annoyed abou this.

A good start to 2021

 I thought I had updated this blog but apparently not.  I found my mojo in January and finished two quilts.  The first one is one of the two appliqued tops made by our Quilt Shop class tutor, and given to me to finish, and donate to a bushfire recovery centre.  The first one was done and sent off, but this one sat around all last year because I didn't feel like doing anything.  When I finally finished it, so many people asked me 'why don't you keep it, it is beautiful'.  So I asked the managers at the shop as well as Leanne, and they said it was fine if I wanted to keep it.  Instead of this one, I donated one of the quilts I'd made for for the nursing home that was still in my sewing room.

The second quilt was originally for the Avicultural Society annual Christmas raffle but as there have been no meetings, there have been no fund raising raffles, so at the moment this quilt is draped over  the back of our sofa.

The origin of this project was the tiger which is done in cross stitch on black aida, with the black and brown border in cross stitch.  I found it at an opshop and couldn't bear the thought that it might end up being thrown away, so I brought it home to make into something.  I have a lot of African animal print fabrics and tried a few different arrangements, but eventually settled on this, which will be finished with black binding.  The backing fabric is a piece of animal print fabric that was just the right size with a bit of extra border.  When it is all finished I will post more photos.

I was sure I had finished another quilt in January, but can't find any photos...I have cut a bundle of fat quarters in sections ready to make up, but that won't be done for a little while because I have some stitching I want to get on with this month.

By the end of the year...

 I started around October to plan and make patchwork and embroidered gifts for friends, and by the end of November I'd done them all.  I was quite pleased with myself, as usually I'm still madly stitching in early December to have things completed!

I had made this cross stitch star for a specific person but ended up doing something else for her instead because I liked this too much to part with it!

I made two of these mats, one each for two people, who both loved them, being cat lovers.

This is the backing fabric for the above mats and the hot pad below.

Using more of the Xmas kitten fabric I made this padded mat (for putting hot dishes on) for my home carer, who is also a kitty lover, and was delighted with this.

Two of my friends have a 'thing' about giraffes, so I made them a cushion each.  I had two lots of giraffe fabric - one is a dull gold curtain fabric with giraffes and zebras woven into it which was given to me years ago and I knew it would come in handy one day!  The other is patchwork fabric that I saw at the Eltham Quilt Shop and bought 3 metres of it because it was cute, and I knew I would use it!  When I was cutting that for one of the cushions, I ended up with a long strip which I used to make three mug rugs.  Two went to the friends with the cushions and the third went to another friend who declared she loved giraffes too, and wants me to make her a cushion.!

This mug rug is made from a small cross stitched flower that I found in an opshop and thought I would use it for a card one day, but the colours looked perfect with a piece of fabric I had in my stash, so it became a mug rug instead, and was given to the lady I was going to give the Xmas star too.  Just as well she liked this!

I stitched this Aussie Friends cross stitch design early in the year as part of an American fundraiser for the Australian bushfire recovery.  I didn't have anyone to give it to back then, but a long time penpal in the USA has been telling me about the friends and family she has lost to COVID this year. So I decided to finish this by making something she can use as a mat or hang it up if she wishes, to let her know her friends in Australia are thinking of her.

Doggy mini quilt

 One of my friends turns 80 years old this week, and as she loves dogs with a passion, I decided to use up the remains of a metre of doggy fabric that I had in my stash. I'd made a couple of smaller runners for friends in the past, and what was left was just enough for this mini quilt/table topper.  It is very simple; just the fabric with a couple of borders.

I used some floral fabric for the backing, in similar tones to the brown tones in the dog fabric.

"Friends" embroidery.

 One of my dearest friends has become very ill with Parkinsons Disease, and I haven't been able to visit her for the past few months due to the COVID restrictions.  She is in her 80's and we have known each other for more than 40 years.  We met just after Ken and I moved here to Eltham, and in those years we have had so many good times with our shared interests.  She is an artist, and is naturally interested in most creative craft even if she hasn't done it herself, so she loves my stitching and quilting, and I love her sketching and painting.  We went to many exhibitions together, and often walked down to the main street and had a coffee before walking back home.

Years ago I found a charming embroidery pattern in a magazine, that was designed for a cushion front, and I kept it, thinking I would do it for G, as it typified our friendship growing old together.  I always thought I had plenty of time to do it, but last month realised this was not to be the case, so I focussed on stitching it so I could give it to G now instead of waiting until it was too late and she was gone.  I took it around to her on Tuesday and she was delighted with it. I'm really pleased that I got it finished and she can see it every day and be reminded of our ongoing friendship.

And now it is October.

 I'm finally coming out of my craft coma, and have been working on various items.  The boxes of craft magazines coming my way have definitely awakened my creative streak, and I have some firm ideas for quilt tops.  The Christmas spirit came on me early this year, no doubt motivated by the magazines, and I've completed two small projects.   I love making bunting, and this style is a bit different to what I've made previously.  It will be going to Ken's cousin, who saw it last week when I visited, and she fell in love with it.

The wall hanging below appealed to me because it was easy and quick.  Instead of making the border patchwork with individual pieces, I used fabric printed with a Xmas patchwork pattern.

Three months on.

Three months down the track and I still haven't found my quilting mojo.  I have done a bit more on the Peacock cross stitch sampler, and a bit on my late MIL's table cloth.  I've been given boxes of magazines by a lady who was given them by someone else who was decluttering.  Old issues of Patchwork and Quilting, Australian Country Craft and Folk Art painting among others.  I am enjoying going through every one of them, and have put some aside to remove projects that might motivate me in the future,before I ditch them. 

 I put some of them out on the nature strip when the weather was fine and sunny a few weeks ago, in the hope that people walking their dogs and children might stop and pick out some mags to take, but after a week none had gone, so I brought them back inside and put them in our back yard shed.  My husband's cousin is mildly crafty, and has told me to dump them all in her garage after I've finished with them, as she would love to have a look through them too.  I hate throwing craft magazines into the recycle bin, as I am positive there are people out there who would love to go through them for inspiration, even if they are old issues.   I phoned the local Living and Learning Centre, and the lady I spoke to said that after the lockdown has finished, she thinks one of their rural branches might like the magazines, so we'll see.  They will be safe in Cousin's garage until then.

Damn pandemic.  I am aware that I am a lot better off than many people.  We are retired, live comfortably in our own home with no debt.  I'd hate to be unemployed with a mortgage hanging around my neck.  Even more so with a young family to support.  But it is the feeling of despair, wondering when or if it will ever get better, or even end in my lifetime.  Sad old world.  I suppose the best thing about it is that while much industry is at a standstill, less traffic on the roads, and less people out and about, the environment is having a chance to clean up - air is clearer, waterways cleaner, wildlife is making the most of having green spaces to itself.  

Stitching but no quilting (yet).

I really don't know if the COVID thing has anything to do with it, but I stopped doing any patchwork around the time the pandemic started to take effect.  It didn't actually have much impact on our life, as Ken and I have been homebodies for many years now, due partially to his chronic health issues, and just the fact that as we get older we don't feel the urge to travel far.   So the time we spend outside of our home are generally medical appointments, shopping, and occasional meeting friends for coffee and chat in a local cafe.   I go to a gym twice a week to keep my arthritic knees working, and Ken used to accompany me until lockdown, and although I am back there now, he hasn't been. 

So, there is no reason for my patchwork mojo to disappear, but there it is.  However, I've renewed interest in stitching - inspired by the monthly UFO challenge on the Home Makers Forum.
I finally finished a small cross stitch of baby lorikeets, which I was so close to just putting in the rubbish bin because it was so complex with a lot of colours.  I completely lost interest in it not long after I started it, but when I pulled it out of the cupboard when I was decluttering, I thought NO!  This is not going to beat me.  So I persisted, and here it is.

 


 I selected four projects to work on this year, all long term UFOs that have been around for many years, and which have almost ended up in the opshop at times when I lost interest in finishing them.  But I'm glad I've hung on them because I can see the end in sight! Well, not for a while yet, but at least there is some progress on them.  One project is a quilt made up of Crazy Patchwork blocks.  I've made up the blocks and embellished seven of them, with five to go. 

The other projects are my late mother-in-law's supper cloth that she started back in the 1930's or thereabouts, and gave to me about 10 years before she passed away.  I promised her I would finish it, but although I made a start, I didn't get far because it is quite an intricate design of roses and daisies, and it took me longer to stitch than I thought.  But I will persist, although it certainly won't be finished this year!

Then there is the Semco Tea Pots blackwork which has been on a frame unstitched for far too many years, so this is the year I plan to finish it.  I've done a bit, but a lot more to go!  I posted a photo of that on this blog a few months ago.

Finally there is the Peacock cross stitch sampler which I started along with my friend Sharon at the same time.  She finished hers very smartly, but I apparently got involved with something easier or more interesting not long after I'd started it, and it was relegated to the bottom of the UFO pile.  Not any more!  I've started on it again, and am looking forward to finishing it this year!

Fruit and veg. patchwork.

Some of the ladies on the Home Makers Forum decided to have a swap of 'care packages' to cheer ourselves up.  I made this table mat for my swap partner as she is a dedicated 'foodie' who loves to cook! I selected a bright cheerful Batik fish fabric for the back.  The design on the front was originally called 'Rainy Days' because the designer bought fabric with raindrops on it, and made it up during a spell of wet weather.  I found the pattern on the internet several years ago, but this is the first time I've made something with it. 
It's not a great example of how the design should look; other people have made it, but on bigger quilts, with the borders of each square of fabric wider than I've done here, and they look really great.
I have more of this fruity fabric in my stash, and am keen to make one for myself, but will make the black borders wider, and use more squares to make a table runner instead of a mat.

Stitching in these stressful times.

Life is back to normal!

Did I really say that on my last post?  Little did I know when I wrote that on 18th February, what would be confronting the world within weeks, or even days - of that statement.

I haven't visited any blogs since then, let alone post anything on my own, because I've been flat out adminning the Home Makers Forum, where 99% of the chat is about COVID19.  Naturally people want to vent their anger and frustration, and express their anxiety, but tonight I suddenly felt tired of it all, and have returned briefly to my little blog.

For my long term blogging friends, I can assure you that Ken and I are fine.  Not a lot has changed for us, as being old older and non travelling retirees, most of our time is spent at home anyway.  Ken's GP has instructed him not to leave the house, so all his medical appointments are cancelled, we don't go to the gym (but I still do my knee exercises at home), and we don't have friends and family popping in to visit us.  But we stay in touch with everyone by phone and email, and I have been writing letters to many of my friends, just for something different.  I've had a good response to that!

For  the month of March I was completely uninspired, like many crafty friends, but this month I made a conscious decision not to wallow in worry and sadness any more.  I got out some of my long term UFOs and have been working on them.  I've put my quilting aside for the moment, as I've been quilting steadily for a few years now and decided to make time for the abandoned embroidery and cross stitch.

Here I am on one of our last warm sunny days in March, stitching my late mother-in-law's supper cloth that she started around the 1930's and gave to me in the 1990's to finish!  It's taking a long time...I  had a photo of what I had stitched on this day but can't find it now.

This Semco blackwork sampler has been sitting on a large embroidery frame for goodness knows how many years.  It has been covered by a cloth, so hasn't been affected by light or dust, but it was in a corner of my sewing room and whenever I had to get something from that corner, I had to move the embroidery frame.  So last week I moved it right out of the corner and into the middle of the room where it gets good light from the window, and can't be ignored by me any longer!
Last week I did the cross stitch on the handle of the teapot/jug and a bit of back stitching.

Life is back to normal!

Maddy, Kathleen and Pam - thank  you for your kind messages of support after my previous post here.  The bushfires have largely gone now thanks to recent rains, and although it is still summer, I feel the possibility of further fires this season has diminished, and we came through unscathed for another year.
Ken came through his gall bladder operation and has recovered well.  I have finished the six week bladder cancer treatment and am feeling fine.  I've got my sewing mojo back, and have finally finished two more of my long standing UFO quilts - the Tie Quilt and the Abandoned At An Opshop quilt.  Here is the Tie Quilt:

I haven't been able to photograph the other one as it has been raining non stop and I can't hang it out on the line!  I'll do it in the next day or so if the rain stops long enough.

I'm now working on quilts to donate to bushfire recovery centres for people who have lost their homes.  A quilt is a nice thing to be given when life is so bleak.  Something to wrap around yourself or your loved ones and hide away for a while.  The tutor at the class I attend at the Quilt Shop here brought a heap of unfinished quilts and tops to our class last week and offered them to the students to take home and finish, to be brought back to the next class ready to be donated to bushfire recovery centres.  I took home this lovely appliqued top which just needs borders, backing, quilting and binding.   There was enough fabric to do all of that, so I have cut out strips ready to be sewn up and added to this to complete the top.  Hope to do that in the next few days.
Once that's done, I'd like to use some of my huge stash to whip up some more quilts to donate.  Maybe some quilts for boys and blokes, in plaid and other masculine fabrics.