Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Notice the stitchery in the background a Natalie bird design. 

Now the year is coming to an end I realise my year has been a whirl. 3 overseas trips and not much blogging has happened. I have been busy and thought I would see if I had some photos on my phone to blog before the year end. 

Xmas secret sewing

We have had out Christmas get together for our Monday group and I can now show you all our gifts we swapped. We are all so lucky such a talented group.

I have also done a bit of Xmas sewing and here is such an easy apron pattern. 

Home sweet home

Recently I returned from 4 weeks away in America with my DD no 2 and her school exchange.

What a whirlwind trip, fabulous families we stayed with and visits to some quilt stores  amazing , but there is nothing like home....

Travelling on the freeway. Mt rainier in background

Tacoma narrows bridge

My lovely friend took me here an amazing day out.  Sue spargo was there taking a class sadly I did not have time to attend. 

We couldn't take photos of the exhibition however we were allowed to take photos of this exhibition. 

A skunk! Had never seen one of these

A beautiful sunset on our last days there

Not much stitching in 4 weeks perhaps 2 hours at the most. 

I hope you have all been busy Stitching and creating. 

Sharon 

Starch /Floriani washable fusible trial

Firstly the Floriani product I did try, it was quite stiff and I did not like the feel of this when appliqued down, it made a nice finish but wasn't convinced that it would all wash out. You can now also get Helen Stubbings Product applique paper.

By the time I glued it all down and traced it,  I could trace onto the front of the fabric and have it needleturned down quicker,  But it is personal preference and whatever spins your wheels is what you should do.

The starch was a messy affair also, gave a nice crisp line on your appliques but I felt this was xtra steps and extra product.  You never know one day I may revert to these methods and until you try them you do not know if they will suit your style of applique.

Do look up recipes on the internet for starch and give it a go.

I thought I would use this product on my LOVE Entwined but I did not like the stiffness and was not convinced it would disappear enough.  I needed to do a smaller project to trial this. 

Love entwined hand stitching the zigzag border after Jen kingwells class it encouraged me to get on with this hand stitching and stop procrastinating. 

Happy Stitching

Sharon

Life is Beautiful

Its spring here in NZ, so where is the spring like sun??  So far cold and hail driving rain!  We need spring PLEASE...

Here are the start of the blocks I have begun for life is beautiful...  this is by Helen Stubbings HugsnKisses and you can choose all sorts of colourways..  I have had this in the cupboard for at least three years... hence I am trying to clear away all those projects that have been patiently waiting for me....  I have put my do not look at that project its beautiful but.. on high alert and said DO NOT BUY....

Have you looked in your cupboard lately and calculated how long to clear all those projects..  so many a year, how many good  years of stitching left??  Its inevitable we all buy too much... and have too many stitching ambitions.. but just keep on keeping on if it makes you happy...

So my goal this year was to get those to do's under way and make the finished pile higher..

I am quite pleased how it's going so far.

Sharon

Give me a Daisy Doo ....

Daisy Daisy give me a daisy doo....  I think that is how the song goes.  Jens Shop is Amitie Textiles in Melbourne.

 Jen Kingwell's quilt Daisy Doo has not had much time spent on her but marking and cutting flowers ready for travelling with me to the USA in a week is in progress...

Yes to the USA I am headed.  A school trip with my middle DD, to Seattle, washington State with a 6 day stopover in LA.  Packing is underway a task with two bags to pack and numerous name tags to sort.

Here is the T Shirt design my lovely DD 2 designed and  won and it is one of the tshirts we will wear when in the States.

Keep warm and happy stitching for the weekend.

Sharon

Hand stitching with Jen kingwell

A weekend of learning with Jen Kingwell .. We are hand stitching our blocks together, Jen has shown us how she hand stitches her quilts... Such a lovely tutor and her quilts are gorgeous ..

Kitznthingz have done such a fabulous job of this weekend 

I have started daisy Doo which is in Jens new book "Quilt Lovely"

There are some lovely blocks being done. 

I have posted some photos of Jens quilts and ......

and a discussion about battings... for hand quilting versus machine quilting..

Did you all know that there is a difference with battings.... as I hand quilt I was aware of this but a lot didn't and it does make a difference to ensure your batting doesn't shred if not secured by enough stitches. Also the scrim in battings can affect your ease to hand quilt... so be aware when purchasing batting to make sure that you have an idea of what type of quilting you want to do before you hand quilt.

Jen uses these boards to hold her piecing while she organises and stitches...  I have seen these before quite easy to make they are on Lori Holt's Bee in my Bonnet site. 

Thanks toAngela at Kitz n Thingz for holding this amazing workshop.. Go checkout their website..kitsnthingz 

Until next time happy stitching...

Sharon

Ooh its going to be a fun weekend... Guess who is coming to town

We are so lucky down south... this weekend we get to meet the wonderful Jen Kingwell from Amitie Textiles and Jen Kingwell Designs..check her out here. jen kingwell

Our fabulous patchwork shop  Kitz n Things is hosting Jen for a two day workshop saturday and sunday and trunk show on the friday night.  Check them out here kitznthings.. 

I'm making Daisy Doo from her fabulous new book Quilt Lovely.
Keep watching I will post from the event..

Until this weekend... Happy Stitching

Sharon

Bunting tutorial

Who doesn't like a pretty bunting?  The middle dd had been asking for a bunting for a while, so I thought the panel of bunting flags had been sitting in the cupboard long enough (a year). 

So a couple of weeks ago I set to making this pretty bunting.   I have put up a tutorial for anyone interested in making one.

First find a bunting panel, they are easy enough to find from spotlight, or your local quilt shop.  If you cannot locate one it is easy enough to cut strips of fabric and then cut 60degree triangles of the depth you want your bunting triangles to be.

Iron fusible onto the back of the panel or place the 60degree triangles you have cut on top of fusible.

Cut these triangles apart leaving the fusible paper on the back.

Now find a backing fabric and place the fused triangles on top of backing placing them so as not to waste fabric. Iron this down.

Cut these triangles apart, and choose a bias binding to place along the edge of these triangles.

You could make your own bias in a matching colour or if you find it easier buy the bias, you can get so many colour choices these days.

Place the triangles into the bias binding in the order you like..  I like to tack this down (I know it is a lot more work) but the finish is much nicer and you can ensure that the folded edges of bias are in the right place.

I then cut the end of the tape on an angle but leave it as a raw edge.

Then wella a happy daughter with a lovely colourful room.

Schools back, sewing is a go...JELLY STARS

Jelly stars...

Yeah school has gone back and today I got time to spend the afternoon sewing before school pickup..

The jelly stars have been started for a class project ..

Progress so far...

Start with a jelly roll and a bit about 60 strips of 2.5" strips.. Make your stars

Then sew stars together cut the background diamonds and wella. Stars galore...

This is fun as you don't know what you get unless you plan like crazy...  It is helpful to not have too many directional prints especially if they are not cut perfectly in your jelly roll.  You can however cut your own strips from your stash.. Along with a 60 degree ruler.

I hope the ladies enjoy this in class on Saturday. 

Until next time, thanks for visiting, happy stitching

SHARON

Rainbow Colours

The weather turned bad down south a week ago soo cold,  I felt like it was winter, so i got in front of the fire I got out the wool and crochet hook and started that rug I have been meaning to get to.  Just lovely colours of the rainbow... as my DD No 3 said. Is it for me!!

I'm not sure how big to make this. What do you think?

Happy Stitching until next visit.

Sharon

Snow and freezing temperatures in july

Wow July already, I have been gently reminded I have not been posting...  But I have been busy in the sewing room... This post has lots of photos..

More progress to the hexagon QAL the end is in sight

Pickles are finished .. Ready for the background blocks...

I have a returned appliqué quilt finally quilted... Ready for binding

Also a returned Dresden plate quilt binding on ready to sew down...

The lorax quilt all bound and hung

Some quilting started myself on the Xmas wall hanging by Natalie Bird

Just to prove I have started securing the blocks..... What to do next will pose more of a challenge

A pineapple cushion... This will look good with the Dresden plate quilt ...

I had a request for dr Seuss cushions for my DD 1the teacher, so here is what was quickly whipped up

For all those mums out there coping with school holiday woes.  A bit of sewing goes a long way.. But as my DD 3 told me remember mum that STRESSED is Desserts spelt backward...  So go for a dessert she tells me.  Perhaps that is because it is her favourite meal of the day.

So happy school holidays for all those in New Zealand. 

Sharon

Hexagons and crochet... Also clamshells

Where have I been you say...  In the middle of LIFE at the moment...  A trip to Melbourne ....  Classes....  Children ....
This is what my couch looks like at the moment...

A small space left for me.
So good to see some progress on my hexagon quilt.... Crochet... Clamshells....

Do you have those days when you just can't get to the sewing ....  OR days when you actually do not know what to FINISH first... Ha I'm sure you do! .

I have the borders on my Natalie bird Christmas quilt 😉 just to quilt now let's hope that doesn't take all year. 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you have been having a lovely time stitching

SHARON

HAPPY EASTER

Happy EASTER, I hope you all had EASTER bunny visit. Our visit to Arrowtown has been hindered by sickness when we arrived by the youngest dd getting the vomiting bug and only coming right on Monday.  When we ventured out to do the Easter egg hunt in the town perhaps it was half an hour and too much for her tired body we headed back home to the arrowtown dwelling.  It was not going to be our weekend though as we got hit by a power outage at 5-45 while dinner was cooking. 🔦 So off to the pub for dinner while poor dad waited for the contractor to arrive, which finally happened at 9-30pm and wella power back on.  It's sad when candlelight doesn't allow for stitching. I have however progressed some projects prior to the blackout. Photos to follow...😄

Is autumn here yet?

What a fabulous summer we have had. Perhaps that is why I have not been inspired to sew too much as the heatwave in Southland was deliciously hot. 

I have been doing a little bit of everything really...  

Log cabin and pineapple designs to show students... 

More work on my hexagon quilt putting middle path in. 

And... Some of those clamshells..... Which I plan to turn into a journal cover.  I used scraps of Liberty that I had hiding in a grocery bag....

Some crochet... The rug is growing

Have a great day. Happy stitching

Sharon