It's been awhile.... let's sit a spell and chat...

Hello everybody.
Since reviving my blog, it was not my intention to leave it so long between posts.  The last few weeks have been interesting and I seem to have a lot to chat about.
Lets see... what have I got to share..
Quilting
Cross Stitching
Me behind the scenes
The world and the current environment
And in no particular order.

I have blue hair .... and a brand new grandson.  I was due to fly up to Townsville to help look after my Mini-me while her mum was in hospital.  Unfortunately, my flight was 7am Wednesday, and the borders were closed due to COVID-19 at midnight Tuesday.   Lachlan was born 27 March - and I changed my hair to a vivid blue to celebrate.   It is slowly fading, but it is such a lovely shade, I'll be getting it re-done in a few months, in time to visit when the borders are re-opened in Australia.

It's a Buoy!

I made a baby quilt for Lachlan - it is titled "It's a Buoy!"  I had fun creating this quilt - referenced SuzyQuilts Sailboat quilt pattern.
After the quilt was finished, I then used the Just Get it Done tutorial and made an 'After Quilt' 

This I had a lot of fun with and I really like the way the spare sailboat sails now look a bit like bunting. And the border was stitched with prairie points, using the information from Sew Easy tutorial.  It really sets off the whole quilt

The next quilt which captured my attention, as part of my "Finish it off" obsession was a hand pieced quilt.  My first quilt.  

1985 Sampler quilt

detail of hand piecing

I had attended a night school in 1985 and this was the result.  Yep.  1985.  This quilt top has waited since 1985 to be finished.  (35 years....)  Trying desperately not to overthink things.. I failed majestically. 

Batik pieced sampler back

 I started by drawing out 12 patchwork blocks that I thought would look good.   6 basic 9-patches and 6 basic 4-patches. It was my intention to sash it with dark green and border it with the orange fabric... but I changed my mind at the last moment.  The orange fabric will be the binding too when my machine comes home and I can finally quilt it.

I had a load of batik FQ's and using quilt math, with only a few re-do patches, spent time working out the best method of HST that was economical for my fabric reserves.  I carefully pieced and measured and made sashing and borders and now I have a quilt top and bottom for a double-sided quilt.  It is so near completion, but my sewing machine had a hissy fit with all the sewing and is now in the service centre, getting a tweak and a push and shove and a gentle massage before coming back to me next week


This month in cross stitching I had an epiphany in regard to HATS Harriet Salt Sampler.
Firstly I couldn't find fabric which was 'right'.  I found some online and ordered some lovely 32count floss.  When I finally started Harriet in rotation, was happily stitching the first alphabet and got to the end of the fabric before realising I was in error, stitching the design over 2 threads instead of one.  Slightly frustrated, I flipped the fabric over and started again.  I barely got through the 'A' when I realised I was not enjoying the process, nor the look of the result.
I made the decision to stop stitching Harriet.  I may take her back up again another time, or I might make use of various alphabets in other designs.  The floss I will use in another single colour stitch of my own choosing in another time.  I do have a lot of choices of charts.  The fabric should suit another Mirabilia mermaid, or will be put to use on another design.  The time allocated to Harriet in Rotation, I will change to Shores of Hawk Run Hollow.
 

As for the rest of my stitching in rotation... The English Floral Sampler has now completed to N - Nasturtium
I get a lot of pleasure knowing this is growing and I'm now more than half way...


Today is the 20th of the month and my TOL 2020 SAL section for MAY will be updated on the page.  There are a few people stitching this, and it is lovely to see each version and how different but same they all are.

Despite 2020 being extreme circumstances for most people worldwide.  I had earlier this year determined that 2020 was to be a good year for me - I have a new mind-set and am working hard to re-set my work/life balance.  I am one of the lucky ones, I work M-F from 9-5 and that has not changed.  I work for a company which has been determined to be an essential business.  Social Restrictions have meant traveling from home to work and back again, and I've spent most of my home life sewing and stitching.  I have been keeping in touch with my friends and family through phone and video calls.  However, late April, I had a major panic attack, brought on by work stresses from July 18 to Dec 19.  As this has been resolved, it was as if I was wound up and after relaxing, a spring went off be-doinnng!  The bright light in all of this, is finding out my heart is sound and healthy and there is no evidence of a heart attack.  I know the triggers now and after a few after-shocks am healing well with confirmation that the mind-set I started in January.  It did, however, mean that I avoided most social media, including facebook and blogs for a few weeks
I feel much better now and am catching up... hence this lengthy catch up 
If you are still with me... thank you. 

Mid-April weekend of finishes show and tell.

It's been a busy weekend again.
I managed a few other finishes.  First I sorted my batting scraps, and using the inspiration from 'Just Get it Done' tutorial, made up some Frankenbatting. 

All those strips of batting left over from quilting projects, trimmed and stitched together.  It gave me a useful table runner sized piece to use.     

I found a table runner I put together some New Years Day a couple of years ago, after somebody on some Facebook group asked where to get the pattern.  I looked at the picture and figured out the pattern pretty quickly.  The reason this one is special, is that the yellow floral fabric was once a favourite shirt. 

The butter yellow linen was so soft, and when one or two rips became evident, the fabric made its way into my stash.
So it's quilted and bound, tonight I'll be stitching the binding down and tying off all the quilting thread ends.   Then it will make it's way into my gift giving basket.
I also managed to simply quilt the disappearing Shoofly mini quilt - made up last weekend after watching the Friday Missouri Star tutorial.  See, I tend to make their quilts in miniature, because I don't need to make a big quilt at the moment, and I just want to try a new technique.  
This has a recipient and will make it to her home shortly.  I didn't take a picture of the coaster using the same fabric as the binding.
Oh what else do I have to share?   What about some detail of the April TOL SAL.  Check out this blog page on the 20th of each month for the monthly pattern release.  This is the 2nd colourway I've made of this pattern.  I've not updated the lilac version yet.
Who knows what next week holds??  Enjoy your week everybody

Easter Basket Flurry of Finishes

So much fun participating in the Easter Blog Hop. 
I spent Saturday, finishing off a few smalls out of my overflowing basket of finishes.

I have sorted them by size, and leaving aside those finishes which need to be framed, and the larger finishes to be made into cushions or wall hangings, set about making small fobs or pin cushions, slightly larger cushions and padded ornaments.  I selected a few to be turned into mug-mats. 

Those of you with eagle eyes may notice some of those finishes from the Easter Hop are now finished and ready to be gifted to friends.

A lot of these were practice pieces and I have no information on the source.  I guess you can spy a Lizzie Kate.  In the larger pillow section, there is a carnation which I stitched in 1981.  It was from the background of an Assisi piece which now sits on the wall of my parents house.  This would have been my first experiment in applying my own colour shading to a pattern as the original was outline only.  Bronny's sheepie farm was an original design by myself in 2011
In amongst the mug-mats is an applique sheep, I rescued this from an op shop some years ago, but buttons and all, will make a fine mug-mat

Later in the evening, I turned my head towards my English Floral Sampler - to finish off week 1 in rotation and finished "M" - Morning Glory.  I've been looking forward to this one, as I love the blues/lilacs.  This means I'm now half-way through the alphabet and therefore the sampler, so a bit of happy dancing being done here right now.

Today's plan is to play with a couple of small patchwork projects which have been living inside my head for a few weeks.  I hope to have these done, so tomorrow I can move onto attempting to finish a couple of backs for existing quilts.

I hope the Easter Bunny has been kind to you all and your needles have been productive.

Easter Treasure Hunt Blog Hop 2020

Here it is, my first every participation in a Blog Hop. Jo at Serendipitous Stitching has organised a lovely Easter Activity.  Hop over to her blog and read up all about it and follow the blogs to find a message that will be hidden on each participant's blog post on Easter Friday.  

The theme is Easter or Spring, and the idea is to share pictures of such themed stitching...   Why not? I thought, I can do this..  Surely I have in my mountains of stitching something Easterish or Spring Like...    Head first into the basket of finishes I delved....  Band Sampler after Band Sampler, Cats, Snowmen, oooo I'd forgotten I'd done that, ornaments waiting to be finished into something to hang.  Cushions waiting to be finished, some specialty stitches waiting to be framed (really MUST do that soon) - surely I had something with bunnies???  Easter Eggs???  What am I do to?   Of course!  SHEEPIES !!  Sheepies are spring time.

Starting with the banner across the top - I remember stitching that in 2011 and now plan to finish this into a bolster cushion to send up to my Granddaughter, because I know she can count up to 5.

Do you like Lacy Lamb?  This deserves to be stitched into a small cushion  (stay tuned folks for all the finishes that will happen over this holiday isolated weekend)  I think it was a chart sent to me in 2011 - the Year of the Sheep.  So many sheep were stitched that year.  

I did mention band samplers - here is a group of 4 - Not sure who designed these either, but how should I finish these?  I might stitch these 4 together in this sequence for yet another cushion cover  Spring/Summer/Autumn/Winter  - I don't know if they are Lizzie Kate, but I had a thing for her samplers some 10 years ago

2011 - one of my first sheepies - it is a wee thing. Dated MMXI - destined for a scissor fob or pincushion methinks - teenie sheepies

Another couple of samplers - A day in the country stitched in 2011, Black Sheep - stitched in 2008 and Home is where you hang your Quilts stitched in 2009.  All have springlike essences.  You in the northern hemisphere, must remember, we here in Australia have just hit Autumn, Spring won't be here until Halloween  - lol

Do you like this little stitch?  I think it was a freebie from Frimousse a decade ago.  I think it might have been one of my first forays into variegated thread - Needle Necessities, or as it has become, Threadworx.

I'm determined to finish this sheepie sibling bookmark this weekend and send it on to somebody!  Let me know in the comments and I'll pick a name on the 20th April to send it out.  I'll post anywhere.

Before I get onto one of the first stitches I ever did, I will share for you MY letter as part of the Treasure Hunt.   Jo allocated to me, the letter  

Go ahead and have a look at all the other blogs in the Hop, leave a comment so we know you are playing and work out the secret message.    The next blog can be found here

I"ll leave you with one of the oldest finishes I have in my basket  - a bit of Spanish Blackwork

  I first started cross stitching in 1975 at school and enjoyed it.  I remember stitching on the train, heading to work in 1981.  This pic is somewhere in between, possibly 1978 and one of my High School assessment pieces.  It had been finished into a cushion to enter the assessments, but I brought it back to just the fabric before the cat could claw it to bits.  So this bit of spanish blackwork has been sitting in my 'lets finish this soon' basket for 42 YEARS !!!!    

(can we spell P R O C R A S T I N A T I O N ???)  

Happy Easter Everybody and Enjoy your Stitching.  Looking forward to Hopping across to all the Blogs in this Treasure Hunt.

The People's Choice SAL

2020 The People's Choice SAL

Having fallen into this SAL - following Jo at Serendipitous Stitching who was asking about Modern Samplers.
I have a lot of traditional samplers as it turns out, but I feel a modern sampler can still hold parts of traditional samplers, but without the biblical verse.
Well I was dipping into my basket of finishes, looking for items to show for the Easter Blog Hop (come back here on 10th April) and I found these  items....

Quiet Please, stitched in 2013 was, from memory an online freebie.  I stitched it in dark and light olive green DMC and I think needle necessities variegated.  The fabric is more vibrant yellow than shown here (pic taken under lamplight) and the variegated is similar in shading to gum leaves.

Coffee - well this was most definitely an online freebie... and was finished when I had a different surname in December 2004 - a lifetime ago and I've yet to finish the design.  

How could I have forgotten my own design?  I designed this and released the pattern on 123 Stitch.com way back in 2007.  I've used this sentiment again on another, more traditional sampler later in the same year.
 
I think, after rifling through my finishes basket, that I might make a few cushions and wee ornaments over the Easter weekend and empty the basket somewhat

Don't forget to come back on the 10th - I don't know yet just what I'll be sharing....  This will be my first blog-hop!

Harriet Salt Quandry .. . ..

Happily stitching away this week on Harriet Salt.  Stitching the first row of Alphabet... going quite well I thought, until I realised that I had stitched past the half way point, with still a considerable amount of alphabet remaining for the first line.

I remember working out the full chart stitched over two would result in a large stitch around 2foot square.  This would pose a problem framing and hanging such a sizeable design.  Simple, I would stitch the whole thing over one thread.  I bought new fabric just for that purpose.  

At what point did I realise I was stitching over two threads and not one???
Yep.  You guessed it.  When I'd finished the letter I


Quandry.  Do I continue this alphabet over two, changing just where I start the second line - changing the design entirely.

OR

Do I just start this row again, from A - stitching over One as intended and unpick what I spent stitching another time.

I have enough fabric length-wise to start again.  I'm just somewhat embarrassed that I did not pick up my goof earlier.   I'm now at the end of the week, so it will be another 4 weeks before Harriet comes back into rotation.

Blue IS my colour ....

My Grandson, Lachlan John Bacon was born on Friday 27 May.  Due to COVID-19, I had to make the heartbreaking decision not to travel to QLD.  Doing so, I would have had to have traveled through 3 airports and ran the risk of transmitting the virus to a newborn.
So I have stayed home, and to celebrate his birth, decided to colour my hair blue.  

Fluro Highlighter Blue!

It is supposed to wash out after 5-6 washes, but as my base colour is white and very porous, the colour hangs on and I can expect this to slowly fade over the next 4-5 months.  I am happy to have hair that provides a positive impact during this global event.

I'm not on lockdown yet, having a secure job in facility management.  Should I have to reduce my hours, I have plenty of stitching ahead of me to keep productive.  I might even turn to Craftsy to discover a new craft or technique.

 

I also have finally made a start on Harriet Salt.  One evening's stitching completed the letter 'A'.  I'll see how far I progress during this week along this alphabet line.





I'm contemplating stitching bunnies for 2021 - along the line of 2011-The year of the Sheepie!  So, will spend the next couple of months sourcing some charts, in particular, something simple to stitch on the 21st of each month.

Hoping you are all keeping safe and isolated.
We are strong, we can craft our way to sanity.

If you are reading my blog, drop a line to say hello!

A crafter's self isolation solution

March update on stitching and crafting.

We crafters have been practicing for self-isolation for years.  I am lucky as I am still working and likely to remain so, while the building is operating.
However, It is Saturday here in Sunny Australia and on Wednesday at OMG-o'clock, I have plans to fly interstate, to act as carer to my not quite 2yo Granddaughter.   Why?  Because on Friday (if not before), My wonderful Daughter-in-Law is booked for a C-Section on Friday 27 March and we are waiting eagerly to greet my new Grandson.  While My son is allowed to visit, young Claire is not able to visit due to Covid-19 restrictions. 

I have taken all precautions and have been given a clean bill of health from my doctor and will be flying up to help out for two weeks.   I have also prepared a Grandma bag of crafty bits to take with me and am looking forward to Tea-party with dolly in the park, painting the driveway with water, drawing on the footpath with chalk, (as little miss is not allowed to use texta or crayons at the moment!), many little craft ideas to keep her occupied and hopefully not missing mum too much.
I'll be looking forward to my few days holiday on the way home!

I have been stitching, although by looking at my TUSAL jar for March, you wouldn't think so. 

 
  

I've finished L for Lily for the English Floral Sampler  - really pleased how it is progressing after all this time.   
 







 
Keeping to my planned stitching list I've managed to finish the March Section of the TOL 2020 Sampler - Lilac version and well through the Blue version.

I'll be taking both of these with me for some downtime stitching while away.   Poor Harriet Salt may be passed over again this month. 

Well that is that,  I haven't got a progress shot of the quilt but that will be shown off when I've got a Grandson to complete the photo-shoot.

Wherever you are, and whatever you do, please try to stay positive and follow directions.  This is an interesting time and we will live through it.  Virtual Hugs from me and mine to you and yours.

February - how my year is progressing

It's been a full-on February
Many birthdays in the month to celebrate, and preparation for a new Grandchild who may show up early (due on 20 March) 

To this end, I've been stitching a quilt - mostly on weekends. 

I selected a free quilt pattern - Ahoy Sailor - online from Suzy Quilts and started with the blocks, these ended up 8" square    
I changed the shoulder blocks and the size of the 'water' blocks under the sailboats, added a strip of sky and found a great border print.   I even made up a buoy block. 

I have therefore titled this one "It's a Buoy!"  So have hung it out on the clothes line (as you do), to take a picture which really serves to show all the seams up well.  When it is quilted, it should be a better photo.  One of the strips of 'water' is full of sharks.

Stitching today, I've been watching you-tube channels and am picking up some great tips to try out - have binge-watched Just Do It Quilts and now that the top is done, (and because I cannot learn to stop before I make quilts too big - its a 60" cot quilt) I"m making an after-quilt for the back - using up as much of the scraps as I can.   I plan to make a prairie point border after watching Sew Very Easy tutorial.
Cutting the border fabric here I am using a vintage hot iron to weigh down the other end of my template - This idea came from watching Donna at Jordan Fabrics

I've been so busy that I now need a new iron!  The teflon coating has given way and is peeling off.  Allan tells me that I can use his, so it's not all that bad.

Embroidery Update for February

I've got my new fabric for Harriet Salt and have so far, only gridded it out ready to start stitching.  

However, due to my plan for the year, tomorrow, I will be back to stitching on the English Floral sampler - I've made a plan and it's only fair that I try to keep to it

• First Week is English Sampler
• Second Week it my TOL mystery Sampler (so I can have it ready for the 20th)
• Third week is Christmas stitching... hmm 2 months down and no Xmas stitching in progress.
• Fourth week is Harriet Salt.
• Weekends and daylight is left for Quilting