Happy Christmas

Wishing everyone a safe Christmas,  filled with joy and happiness.

I was totally  spoilt by Florence from France, who was my partner in the 2014 SSCS hosted by Chookyblue.

Big hugs and thank yous to Florence.

This a photo of all the gifts Florence  sent to me!  Some beautiful  Tilda Fabric and buttons, and thread,  a candle  and holder, plus a Candle Mat and a Wall Hanging.

A close up of the Candle Mat and Candle Holder. 

And here is a  close up of the wall hanging.

So once again thank to Florence .

I  had better try and have a  sleep, as I have to go back to night shift tonight.

Thank you for taking time to stop by. Happy stitching. Sharon

I Am Truly Blessed

What an amazing day today has turned into, sadness has been replaced with a smile and sad tears are now tears of happiness.

I just want to send warm quilty hugs and big thank yous to Serena.

Serena, from Sew Gìving, sent me one of  her special pouches, made of Liberty Print Fabric and Linen. Inside the pouch was some Liberty  Print Fabric, I  love Liberty Fabric.

I am  so blessed to have  friends like Serena,  even though we have never met in person, only in Possum Magic,  a round  robin  quilt journey.

If you are  ever lonely, join one of these  online quilt swaps, whether  they be Round  Robins  or block swaps, you can meet lovely ladies from all over the world.  

Thank you for taking time to stop by. Happy stitching. Sharon

Compass Quilters

This week I  have been  so spoilt with blocks received from Rebecca from One Wee Bird (I  ate the chocolate before i could take  the photos, lol)

 and Carla from Granny Maud's Girl, sent me not only three blocks, but three lovely  fat quarters, and a beautiful  pin cushion, thank you so  very much.

Thank you for taking time to stop by. Happy stitching. Sharon

Chookyblue SSCS 2014

What a lovely surprise  arrived in the Post Office  Box ......., a parcel all the way from  France. I was very excited, as  I have  never had a parcel or letter from France.

I opened the  outer box very carefully, savouring  each  uplifting  of sticky tape.

Drumroll  please,

Look at all the lovely parcels, that were  ensconced  in the box.

 I  read the instructions  carefully, and  opened  the  parcel that said  to open  now.

Another  drumroll  please

Isn't  he the most  cutest  snowman  ever?

Thank you  Florence S. You can see more of Florence's lovely work over at chezprincessenounouche.blogspot.fr

Christmas  Day cannot come quick  enough, so I  can open the remaining  parcels.

Thank you for taking time to stop by. Happy stitching. Sharon

November - Where Did You Go?

It has been a  month since I  have posted. Not sure what  happened to  November, but it is almost over.

I have been  working in a number of  projects, some secret,  so they cannot be  disclosed  until the recipents have received the said items.

But what I  can disclose is Rebecca's quilt,  Rebecca  is from One Wee Bird blog, and a member of Possum Magic,  the  round robin I am  in.

Here is the border  I made for Rebecca's  quilt, (please excuse the red check background  the quilt is sitting on).

I chose the pinky red and green from my stash my stash,, somehow,  the  photo  colours  are not exact. The pattern of the border is a leaf design from a book of quilt borders.  First of all, I  framed  the previous  border  with a one inch  strip of white, I wanted a border that stood out,  yet blended  at the same time. The border is a four inch, when completed.


Thank you for taking time to stop by. Happy stitching. Sharon

Craft iT Forward

It seems like eons ago, when in fact it was early July, that I left  a comment under  Craft it Forward, blog post,on Julia's blog, Lia's Handmades,  however, late last week i received  a mystery parcel in the post, mmmm, i wonder what it  could be?

Craft it Forward  is similar to a chain letter for crafty surprises. The first five people, who have a blog and leave a comment under this post will receive a  handmade gift by me, sometime in the next twelve months.  Once you receive  your gift, you will have to Craft it Forward it to five peoeple as well. What a lovely  way to spread love and happiness.

Here is a photo of the lovely  pumpkins  Julia sent to me,

Thank you for taking time to stop by. Happy stitching. Sharon

October is Here

I hardly  can believe that  it is October  already,  not only  October m but almost half through October.

I am down  in Brisbane for a  few days, for medical check-ups, and the  like.

It is a wonder that I ever made it ....., last Monday night on my way home from work a huge kangaroo  leapt out of nowhere and hit the side of the car,  the driver's door is a bit buckled, nothing  to severe, the rear bumper  was a bit flappy, I was lucky  enough to be able to push it back on. Unfortunately  the kangaroo was not so fortunate,
He was as big as a human.

I have also completed  half of the 2014 Hexie BOM, actually  there are more blocks and  sashings, they just require  sewing together. (The tail belongs to  one of my assistants, Poppy)

Thank you for taking time to stop by. Happy stitching. Sharon 

All Ready To Mail

Finally finished cutting out 8, no make that nine sets of two inch squares for the Postage Stamp Charm swap,  I cut myself a set as well.

I also completed the top of a mini quilt for a swap over at #carriesgroup on instagram.  Cannot divulge any info as the swap is secret and I do not want to ruin the surprise.

Also this week,  Chookyblue released our partners for the 2014 SSCS. Shall have to get busy on that project as well.


Thank you for taking time to stop by. Happy stitching. Sharon

Wild Horses

Wow, what a start to my morning,  awoke at 04.00 hours, not sure why, because it was my sleep in, anyway got ready to come into town for a hsir appointment before I head off to work.

This is what greeted me in the driveway

Some wild horses,  there were two pet horses with these fellows. These horses must have broken out of their paddock. By wild, they have been branded, but not broken in, however, I have been able to pat some of them ages ago.

Well this morning they surrounded my car, gave the car a good old sniff and lick. I was lucky enough to be able to put them in another paddock, so at least they are nearby.

Thank you for taking time to stop by. 

Happy stitching. 

Sharon

More Weekend Sewing

I am running slightly late with September Compass Quilter's blocks for Nesta, however, am happy to report they are now completed and ready to mail.
Nesta requested a Cross stitch block in pink, yellow or orange,  so I raided my stash and made these

I hope they fit in with the rest of Nesta's blocks. They were a fun block to make.

Today they will depart on an epic journey to Italy!
 
Thank you for taking time to stop by. Happy stitching. Sharon

Weekend Sewing

I knew it was to good to be true, that the plans I made for the weekend would come to fruition, yep you guessed it, had to work on one of my days off.

This is what I achieved any way.

Anyway I shall go back to sewing some more hexies together for my 2014 Hexie BOM.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by. Happy stitching
Sharon.

Addicted to Thread

I was merrily sewing hexies together on Thursday,  and this is what happened

September Hexie BOM - Birdie

Here is the latest addition to the 2014 Hexie BOM,  a rather cute little birdie.

In addition to the birdie, I have been madly sewing hexies together for the sashing.  

Unfortunately I do not have any thing else of interest to post, just been working and sleeping,  and doing a little hand sewing in between. 

Thank you for taking the time to stop by. 

Happy stitching Sharon. 

Postage Stamp Charm Swap

Mary from the Curious Quilter has organised another round of Postage Stamp Charm Swap;  sign up begins 20 September and closes on 5 October 2014.  This is the link should you wish to find out more
http://thecuriousquilter.wordpress.com/2014/09/20/september-2014-postage-stamp-charm-swap-begins

This is the eighth round of Postage Stamp Charm swaps, it is my seventh and oh boy, it is lots of fun and very addictive.  My choice of size is two inch squares, I have been cutting, collecting and sewing together for a few years now.  I am aiming for a Queen size bed quilt, in my opinion my quilt is coming along nicely, but slowly.

I urge you to join in, you get to meet lots of other quilters from around the world and swap little squares of fabric.  My choice of size is two inch sqaures, I have been cutting, collecting and sewing together for a few years now.  I am aiming for a Queen size bed quilt, in my opinion my quilt is coming along nicely, but slowly.

You have a choice of sizes, one inch, one and a half inch, two inch or two and a half inch charms to swap.  Basically you cut one hundred charms, have them ready to post and sign up.  This round it is limited to eight swap per person;  For us that that been quilting for a while we can also nominate to send a Newbie gift to a new quilter, the Newbie gift consists of fifty charms.

Anyhow hope to maybe meet up on the Postage Stamp Charm Swap.

Thank you for taking time to stop by. Happy stitching. Sharon

2014 Chookyblue SSC Swap

Guess what?

Give up?

The amazing Chooky Blue is organising  a 2014 Secret Santa Christmas Swap

Wow, I participated in this swap in 2013 and had a ball of fun.

It is all very secret squirrel, not allowed to say who your partner is, and you make them a beautiful gift,  something younwould like to receive,  made with love, also a Christmas decoration to hang on the Christmas tree.

Sign up is only open this weekend, I am so glad that I checked my emails (am a little stretched for, time as I am on night duty, thus not having a lot of spare time for internet).

Anyhow, off for a quick cuppa before I head off to work.

  

Thank you for taking time to stop by. Happy stitching. Sharon

Day Off Work - Sewing Fun

Yay for a day off work, and double yay for the internet working (very hit or miss out here).

Finally got around to blocking my very first lace shawl.

 

And here is Harry Creek,  giving the shawl the once over.

All I seem to have been up to is sorting and selecting fabrics for my next Hexie Block, all will be revealed at a later date.

Also sewing blocks for a couple of swaps I have been in, which unfortunately,  I had to pull out of, work just became to mbusy, l and I was lagging behind something shocking, mso instead of putting myselfmunder more stress,  I removed myself  from the group, oh, it was lots of fun, but I think I had bitten off to much.

I still, am in Possum Magic, Ausbees and Compass Quilters. These will be easier to keep track of.

I shall post photos of the blocks I am posting in a couple of days, just so the recipients can receive them and not spoil the surprise. 

Thank you for taking time to stop by. Happy stitching. Sharon

A Day of Petals

Today was spent organising myself for the next five days of shift work.

I traced out some petals for a Round Robin I am participating in,

then captured about halfcan hour of hand sewing,  before I had to leave home. I guess it won't be until next Tuesday until I can get back to the sewing machine.  

Today's photo for the 2014 - 91 Days of Spring is a frangipani from the front garden.

Thank you for taking time to stop by. Happy stitching. Sharon

There Are Days Sometimes You Should Not .......

Oh dear, I knew I should have had a rest day today, instead of sewing some blocks for a swap that I am terribly behind in.

I set the sewing machine up, got out my trusty snap lock bag with the paper pieced pattern, and selected fabric, started sewing and cutting,  went to sew the almost completed block together, and alas, I had sewn the initial pieces together in the wrong order. I was not game enough to start another block, I shall wait until next Tuesday when, I hopefully have a day off,  fingers crossed.

On a more positive note here is Day 2 of my 91 Days of Spring photos

These are some of the tomatoes from our garden. Pesticide free, I smile and think to myself lucky they are not growing at Mum and Dad's, as their corgi Sonny would be having the time of his life munching on them.

Thank you for taking time to stop by. Happy stitching. Sharon

Welcome to Spring

The first day of Spring has arrived,  the morning started off at 12 º, but the day soon warmed up ...... to 32º.

My yarn and new knitting needles arrived for the Sweaterbabe KAL. Clue one was released today, hopefully I will get it cast on later tonight. The colour looked very different on the website when ordering, it is called Shadow, by Rowan, it is Kidsilk Haze, 70% mohair,  30% silk.

Also today I started taking a photo for the 2014 - 91 Days of Spring,  here is the first photo,  a gerbera from the garden.

Thank you for taking time to stop by. Happy stitching. Sharon

Goodbye Winter - Hello 91 Days of Spring

Wow, cannot believe today is the last day of winter; the weather out here has been rather warm, around 29 -31º centigrade,  though the nights can still be slightly cool, around 16º.

My plans for spring are to take a photograph a day, for 91 days of spring, at this stage no theme to the photos,  just random ones that take my fancy on a daily basis. They will be taken with my Samsung Galaxy Note, as I have somehow lost or mislaid my camera.

My sewing plans are to (try)  and keep up with my BOMs and the Compass Quilters and Possum Magic.

Anyhow, I am going to gather some hand sewing, a cup (or I should say pot) decaf tea, and settle back and watch ANZAC Girls.

These blocks I received from some oc the Possum Magic group,  warm hugs to you ladies (I would mention your names,  but not sure re privacy issues whether or not to name the ladies).

Thank you for taking time to stop by. Happy stitching. Sharon

Been Absent

Another month has passed., and I have been very slack in my blogging.  The only excuse I have is that I have been away in the early part of August,  then when I came back, been doing extra shifts at work.

I finally finished block 5 in The Happiness Quilt BOM by Monica Poole.

I also finished block the 7 in The Hexie BOM, this month it was the sun

I have made a start on the sashing 

I have also been working on some blocks associated with Possum Magic and Compass Quilters.

The shawl I have been knitting in Kelbourne Mystery KAL is almost completed, I am on the border rows. Once I have completed the shawl,  I shall post some photos.  I really want if finished and offf the knitting needles over the weekend,  as I have signed up with Sweater babe for a scarf knita long. 

Thank you for taking time to stop by. Happy stitching. Sharon

Possum Magic - Wendy's Block - First Border

Here is Wendy's block,  unfortunately,  the true colours did not come through mon the photograph, the centre star is the most magical green, and the spider web surrounds are beautiful deep sea blues, well tones of.

I pondered mon this for days, well actually a couple of weeks, , kept changing my mind, first of all,  I was going to frame it inna narrow strip of red, then I thought deep pink, these were some of the colours in Wendy's blue surrounds.

No I went to my friends shop, and looked at fabric for two hours, before deciding on the dark purple, then the triangles were paper pieced, I was lucky there was some Kaffe Fassett fabric that said, grab me, I will look great, so I  just did that, then chosenthe pale blue and pale purple to compliment it all.

When it was done, I was 99.87%  happy, mit just required something,, so I sat on it for couple of days, and wallah, decided on the dark purple to go around the outside.

In today's mail, Alice's block arrived,  mmmmmmmmm. I am flying to Brisbane next Wednesday for nine days, so probably will not do anything before I go, but I   have an  idea in my head.

Thank you for taking time to stop by. Happy stitching. Sharon

New Bloggers Blog Hop 2014

Hello and Welcome

I am not sure what happened my original post fore the New Bloggers Blog Hop was written and I thought I had set it to publish at 13.00 hours Brisbane Time, but alas, I have just checked now and no post.  So now I am trying to remember what I had written.

First of all I would like to thank Beth from Plum and June for hosting the Blog Hop.

A little about myself, I am a fifty something mother, grandma, registered nurse and crafter.  My main passion is patchwork and quilting, though I do enjoy knitting and cross-stitch.  I have been sewing since I was eight years old, and quilting since August 2000.   Quilting is an addition to me.

I used to do Folk Art, until I fell onto the Quilting Train, how I got involved, I was in the Newsagent in Mossman, NQ, one Saturday and a dear friend said Sharon, oh you must come along, you would enjoy this, I still was not sure what "this" was.  Anyhow, I let my friend tell me of her new hobby and thought why now go along, it might be fun, well I was hooked.

Here are a few of my quilts and bags and other things I have made.  Unfortunately, I do not have photos of my earlier quilts, they are on 35mm film. 

 Quilt I made for Mum.

Quilt I made for Dad.

A bag.

A Christmas wall-hanging.

A bag with a stitchery.

A bag incorporating stitchery, and EPP hexies. 

A garland of Golliwogs.

A knitted minion.

A knitted Banana in Pajamas

A Mug Rug for my Sister.

One of my helpers ..... helping!

Quilting Tip

Always keep your quick-unpick close by, it is sure to be a great friend and not one to be hidden.

Blogging Tips

Where to begin, mmm, have your blog easy to navigate; photos of a good size so people can see them without having to squint; do not assume everyone is tech-savvy, give clear instructions if things are tricky.

A Curly Question

Do you finish one project before commencing another?  Or are you like me, who has a number of projects on the go at any one time.  

I shall say by for now as there are a lot of other interesting blogs to visit this round, they are listed below.

Sharon @ Fabrics and Flowers

Serena @ Sew Giving

Carmit @ Quilting Rainbows 

Jehn @ Jehnny And The Boys

Jenny @ Jack's Room

Deborah @ Sunshine Through The Rain

Jennifer @ A Quarter Inch From The Edge

Jane @ Where Jane Creates

Carla @ Granny Maud's Girl

Elli @ Lovelli Quilts

Marcie @ Marcie's Quilt Therapy

Cynthia @ Cynthia's Creating Ark

Jane @ Jersey Jane Quilts

Sally @ Wonky Patchwork

Bee @ Pink Almond Quilt

Debbie @ Quilting Makes My Heart Sing

Leanne @ Devoted Quilter

Karen @  Capitola Quilter

Thank you for taking time to stop by. Happy stitching. Sharon