Craft - The Final Frontier

I've Moved

2009-04-17T23:41:00.002+08:00

I've packed up and moved over to Wordpress.

My new addy is http://craftthefinalfrontier.wordpress.com/

It is rather bare at the moment, as I haven't had time to unpack.....but the kettle is on, the teapot is warming, the espresso machine is burbling and there is a batch of lemonade scones just about ready to come out of the oven.....so I hope to see you over there!

A Lovely Award

2009-04-17T17:19:00.003+08:00

"This blog invests and believes inPROXIMITY - nearness in space,time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kindbloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut,even more friendships are propagated."

Thank you Yo Yo for this award. It really made me smile….especially your sentiments behind it. I’d like to pass it on to the following lovely bloggers….when I read their blogs it is like sitting over a cuppa, having a gossip and a giggle!

Andee….We were destined to be friends the way we followed each other around discussion groups and then Blogger….
http://moderndiary.blogspot.com/

Coni and Stewie…..I have laughed out loud many times at their adventures….much to the disgust of Lestat who thinks it is just WRONG that I read posts written by a dog….
http://spinsterstitcher.blogspot.com/

Sharon http://itsdaffycat.blogspot.com/. and Tammy http://witchystitches.blogspot.com/ ….I’m sure if the three of us got together we’d get into all kinds of mischief!

Jessica…a get up and go kinda gal….who has started a Yahoo self-help group for people who wish to make changes in their lives.
http://jessneal1978.blogspot.com/

Nancy…who is just lovely….never mind in chocolate!
http://lovelyinchocolate.blogspot.com/

Suzie…A stitcher with cats….says it all!
http://cat-in-the-moon.blogspot.com/

Miss 376….a crafting multi-tasker who I’ve had many wonderful email convo’s with!
http://loopylousadventuresintohandicrafts.blogspot.com/

2009-04-13T14:59:00.005+08:00

I’ve on dial up for the past four days because I had run out of my broadband quota……which wasn’t a major problem, as I stitched as blog pages download….It was more of a problem for Lestat on Thursday afternoon afternoon. I arrived home from a hectic last day of term, hot and tired with fish tank and Shark and Potato (the class fish) in tow…got that sorted out…..and sat down to read a blog or three. Lestat always joins me and sits on the computer desk in front of the screen. As I was waiting for a blog page to download I was patting him, tickling his paws and telling him he was the most wonderful, talented, handsome etc cat in the entire universe…..Next thing I know I was waking up face down on the side of a thrashing cat who was desperately trying to escape. As I sat up he shot off the table top and round the back of the chair to sit at a safe distance sending me filthy looks…..Now if that isn’t tired I don’t know what is!

This is my progress on Trick Or Treat Fairy. I’m enjoying stitching this immensely. The colours are fabulous. When it is finished I think it will be taking up permanent residence on a wall somewhere….not just at Halloween.

I got some extra x-stitching time in on The Peaceful Forest while I was waiting for dial up to load. It is relaxing to stitch and I love the colours.

I must admit I told a fib……this bag wasn’t for me at all….I made it for The Missus to keep her mandolin bits and pieces in. I’d told her it was for me so it could be a surprise. She didn’t have a clue and was delighted when I gave it to her earlier and immediately popped her mandolin stash into it. She has put in an order for a bag for her guitar foot stool, so I will make one sometime over the holidays.

2009-04-12T12:43:00.001+08:00

Happy Easter, Happy Passover, Happy Stitching, Happy Quilting! Have a wonderful day!

Stuck For Words....

2009-04-05T14:43:00.006+08:00

I’m having blogger’s block….but they say a picture paints a thousand words, so here goes….

This is the card I made for the Missus’ birthday on Thursday. She likes it very much.

I’ve finished all the fiddly stitching on the Trick Or Treat Fairy…..It is pretty much blocks of solid colour now….plus specialty threads and beads. I had a whole night of NO frogging last night….it was GOOD!

The Peaceful Forest progress….I’m enjoying the simplicity of the pattern and colours on this one.

This biscornu from The Floss Box (http://www.theflossbox.com/) will be for the Missus when it is completed….and she may get a batch of edible cup cakes to go with it if the oven behaves itself over the holidays.

The Missus gave me this little cutie yesterday along with the CD The Essential Yo Yo Ma....which I'm listening to now.

I received these through the post on Friday from The Stitching Post (http://www.thestitchingpost.com.au/)….I have the floss wound for Blackbird Sampler and Like Home already. The gals over at Shepherd’s Bush (Bush Blog…you can get there through my blog roll) have stitched a version of Like Home using different colours….It is lovely.

One For The Missus

2009-03-29T16:06:00.004+08:00

The Missus is taking up some refresher classical guitar lessons. This bag is for her to carry music, metronome and a variety of other musical bits and pieces. I've just given her the bag and she loves it.

I used the Pick A Pocket pattern from Quilts and More Autumn 2008 magazine. I'm part way through another using the same pattern. The bags are described as being super easy....and I'd have to agree. The ric-rac I bought for covering the blue I made is too wide....so I reckon a trip to the scrapbooking shop up the road is in order.....they have the most divine ribbons and may have some thin ric-rac there.

I plan on making at least a couple more of these. I have my Trick Or Treat Fairy in one with all the wound DMC floss and a tin of needles, scissors, threaders etc. They are just the right size and it means I have everything at hand when I want it.

Bumping Around In The Dark For Earth Hour

2009-03-28T20:31:00.004+09:00

It's Earth Hour and it is rather difficult to stitch in the dark....but fortunately I can touch type....and the screen adds a nice glow.....

The first Easter lily has popped up in the garden. Last year there was plenty of foilage, but no flowers. I'm hoping for both this year.

The bulbs seem to know it is autumn. They are popping up left, right and centre.....I just have to remember they're not weeds!

Looking into a worm farm is in full swing....we should have one in the next couple of weeks. The compost bin was given up as a bad idea due to the mouse family which lived in there.....The Missus got rid of over 20 mice. Nibbles wasn't too happy either when one got in the bottom of his house. Lestat just about had a kiniption fit the day we discovered them....it was a warm afternoon and they were dashing all over the garden. Normally he isn't that bothered about going outside, but this day if he could....he would have been out there and after the meeces!

Earlier in the day I mentioned to the Missus that I was feeling tired....she suggested that I put my feet up and do some stitching.....it didn't take too much to convince me! So today between dozing and reading I began stitching Peaceful Forest on 20 count pearl linen. I think it would look good in brights too.....just wouldn't be peaceful!

Revision

2009-03-27T17:28:00.012+09:00

I thought it was time to review and possibly revise my New Years Resolutions....

1. Finish, finish, finish!!!

2. Buy from my stash for all projects.....unless the LQS has a 40% off sale like last January...then this resolution is null and void!

3. Craft every day.

My REVISED NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS are......

Revised Resolution 1.
There is no such thing as a UFO.....they are ALL WISPS (TYTYTYTYTY!!!! to Kris and May Britt for coining this acronym.) Everything will be finished.....eventually!

Revised Resolution 2.
In these harsh economic times we must support the local shopowners......So when I purchase another pack of 10 FQ's or take the LOOOOOOOONNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG trek to the (not so) LNS I'm actually helping keep small businesses afloat.....

Resolution 3.
I don't drink and gave up smoking five years ago.....craft keeps me off the street and out of jail......This resolution doesn't need to change at all!

The Bent Creek piccies are eye candy for the x-stitchers.....I bought both the patterns today at the (not so) LNS along with the necessary DMC floss. When I got home I immediately started winding floss so I can start Peaceful Forest tonight and quite possibly The Swirly Sampler, too!

The x-stitch terrorist assumed it was all there for his benefit.....before I knew it there was a cat skidding across the kitchen table with the floss covering stuck to the end of his nose in hot pursuit of a paper bag filled with floss. I took my life in my hands as I took on this ferocious wild cat to stop him "killing" it!

He is sleeping the sleep of the innocent (or the worn out) now secure in the thought that he has dominated the invading x-stitch supplies.....It is very important when you are an indoor cat to guard your territory against ALL invaders....and not pick up the floss coverings, patterns and floss filled paper bags off the floor....or straighten the table cloth.....Being a cat you don't concern yourself with such menial tasks!

Something Old, Something New, Something To Dream About

2009-03-25T19:00:00.002+09:00

These scrumptious silks were a craft fair purchase from last year….or maybe the year before. lol I can’t remember….I have craftzimers disease. I dug them out over the weekend and was shamelessly fondling and drooling over them….I’ll be using them sometime this year….on what I have no idea….yet. Something as scrumptious as those needs to be used….

This would have to be my oldest piece of x-stitching. It is a bookmark I cross stitched on some kind of 32 count linen about 20 years ago...It was in the days before I was online and was a gift from a snail-mail pal in the US. I love it and still use it. It is in my current novel right now.

This is my March biscornu for Basket Of Biscornu (http://basketofbiscornu.blogspot.com/). I have not seen snow for forty years and have a fantasy version what it is like….just like the Christmas movies….all light and fluffy….not the reality I’ve seen on people’s blogs this year in Europe and the US! The design is “Snow” by Mari McDonald of Whispered by the Wind. (www.whisperedbythewind.com) It was stitched on 18 count aida using 4020 DMC floss. The Missus and I will be taking a trip down the road and round the corner with a detour to the coffee shop then on to the beading shop over the holidays to find a suitable bead to fill in the dimple.

2009-03-25T17:36:00.003+09:00

May the road be free for the journey,
May it lead where it promised it would.
May the stars that gave ancient bearings
Be seen, still be understood.
May every traveller be found.
May sailors in crossing the ocean
Not hear the cries of the drowned.

May gardens be wild, like jungles,
May nature never be tamed,
May dangers create of us heroes,
May fears always have names.
May the mountains stand to remind us
Of what it means to be young,
May we be outlived by our daughters,
May we be outlived by our sons.

May the bombs rust away in the bunkers,
And the doomsday clock not be rewound,
May the solitary scientists, working,
Remember the holes in the ground.
May the knife remain in the holder,
May the bullet stay in the gun,
May those who live in the shadows
Be seen by those in the sun.

A Prayer For The Twenty First Century by John Marsden

Ever Vigilant....

2009-03-22T12:45:00.002+09:00

Here is the every vigilant Nibbles.....guardian of all things crafty hard at work on his new branch....Any innocent bystander may have thought he was having all of his tail feathers pulled out one by one as he screeched loudly.....the truth is he was shouting out a warning about the ever present......

FROG!!!!!! Here she is just about to wreak havoc on a teapot block....After a wild chase around the house, with me madly swatting a craft magazine at her.....she left.....cackling evilly and vowing to return.....

A Day Sewing Is A Day Well Spent

2009-03-15T15:24:00.010+09:00

It is stinking hot....but I do have a gratitude.... REVERSE CYCLE AIRCONDITIONING! *happy dances around Blogland* It is degrees 41 C / 107 degrees F outside. I think the Missus and I will pack up the animals and move to Tasmania when we either win the lotto or retire....whichever comes first....either that or estivate in the house for the summer. Today I will have to just sit and sew inside.....I don't know how I will cope! ;) I started the above bag last weekend. It was all going well until the frog decided I was distracted enough to strike! I think the needle needs changing on my sewing machine....as it started slipping and sliding all over the place as I attached the handles. I'm not happy with how it looks, so it is a trip to somewhere which sells ric-rac and BIG buttons sometime this week.....It is Pick A Pocket from Quilts and More's Autumn 2008 edition.

This is where I'm up to with my March biscornu for http://basketofbiscornu.blogspot.com/ I've given the rotation the flick. I found it didn't suit me. So....I'm playing catch ups at the moment with my stitching. I'll be focussing on this biscornu until it is finished......I've picked a very cute cup cake design for next month which I spotted on http://www.happinessiscrossstitching.blogspot.com/.....and I'm using it to motivate me to finish this one. I did a fair bit of frogging on the middle snow flake, got a bit sick of it and shoved it in the dark recesses of my stitching bag....I'm over that now and am looking forward to seeing it finished. It is a freebie design from http://www.whisperedbythewind.com/ I originally saw it on http://freebiegallery.blogspot.com/ and thought it would make a lovely biscornu....I will know soon!

This is the beginning of the bag I'm making this afternoon for the Missus. I added a couple of inches to Pick A Pocket design. The original measurements are a smidgen too small to fit an A4 sheet of paper in. The frogs were out with their hob nail boots on this afternoon when I was cutting the black fabric. I was making all sorts of daft mistakes. I ended up cutting out a newswpaper rectangle and pinning it to the fabric before I cut it.....worked a treat. I'm putting it away until next weekend I think....and work on the biscornu for a bit.....

I decided earlier this month that I'd like to do Gail Pan's BOM. http://gailpandesigns.typepad.com/ This is my January block and it is sitting on the backing fabric. I started the March stitchery yesterday afternoon while the Missus and I were watching Saw V using the same DMC floss.

Here's my progress on the Trick Or Treat Fairy. I've put this to one side for a couple of weeks while I catch up on the biscornu and BOM stitcheries. I've been working on blocks of 10 x 10 stitches. I started on the bottom section and worked my way up.....Since it was long, brown and pretty boring looking I nicknamed it "The Monolith" from the Arthur C Clark short story The Sentinel...which I found about as exciting to read as that section was to stitch....As you may have guessed from the blurb at the top of my blog and my reading list down the side.....I'm a science fiction fan...but not of Clark.

Chocolate....The Sixth Food Group

2009-03-07T19:22:00.006+09:00

A friend sent me this.......I don't own a microwave oven, but had to share........

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE
4 tablespoons flour

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa

1 egg 3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

a small splash of vanilla extract

1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high). The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous). And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night! You are going to print this out straight away, aren't you?

My Magnus Stitchus, A Finish, Bargains and an Astronomical Theory

2009-03-01T19:38:00.006+09:00

This is the reason for the llllllllooooooooonnnnnnnnnnggggggggg receipt I mentioned in my last blog entry….I have all 100 colours for Waiting For The Mist To Clear. Before I start I’m going to wind them onto bobbins and number them. The floss was on sale….30c off a skein which was a bonus.

This one didn’t quite make it for a February finish. It is All Flakes Welcome by Sisters and Best Friends (Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornaments Issue 2007). The aida was too small to finish in the same way as the Valentine tree, so I‘ll frame it instead. It hasn’t photographed too well…and it doesn’t seem to matter what I do with it! Oh, well….you get that. Instead of beads for the eyes and a button for the nose I decided on french knots. I used to avoid french knots like the plague at one time….and used beads instead….How things change! This is the first time I’ve been able to do french knots on aida…..I usually pull them through to the back, so I’m rather chuffed.

I’m managing to stick to my New Years Resolution of only buying fabric which is on sale. I picked these sampler fabrics up when I was wandering around the shop as the above mentioned floss was being zapped @ $4.00 for 1.5 metres. During the obligatory stash fondling when I got home I was pleasantly surprised to find that the fabric was Moda. I call that a real bargain! The red fabric I fell in love with when I saw it. I immediately thought of Shaun Tan’s beautifully illustrated book The Red Tree….and at $8 a metre how could I resist? (www.shauntan.net)

I was reading this week’s New Scientist magazine….yes, I am a geek…and proud of it :) ....When I came across an article on gravitational holes…..Now I know why I couldn’t find the cotton I picked out to appliqué Holiday Morning….It is in a gravitational hole! You know what it is like…..you have put something in “a safe place” then when you are ready to use it….it can’t be found! Then days, months or even years later it mysteriously turns up! My theory is that “a safe place” is layperson’s term for a gravitational hole. What they basically are is spots in space around the earth where the sun and earth’s gravity cancel each other out…..and there is flotsam and jetsam floating around in all five of them…..INCLUDING all those odd socks, tape measures, needles and scissors we all seem to “misplace”.

February Finishes

2009-02-28T17:17:00.003+09:00

This one is a late or early….depending on how you look at it….Valentine pressie for The Missus. I’ve been pulling it out and looking at it since the day after Valentine’s Day when I finished the stitching, wondering how I was going to finish it off. I backed it with fabric, put iron on interfacing in the middle, bound the edge and used organza ribbon for a hanger…..Now it hangs on her study door. She was so surprised…..as she had no idea I was making it for her. The pattern is at http://www.matryoskabiscornue.blogspot.com/

This is my February biscornu for Basket of Biscornu (http://basketofbiscornu.blogspot.com/). I decided against a bead in the middle, as I thought it would detract from the inner part of the design. It took all month to stitch, so I may have to rethink my rotation! The pattern is at http://www.sebadesigns.com/

I have a 104 cm/41 in long reciept....never had one that long for craft purchases before! More on that soon.

Love Comes In Lime Green

2009-02-22T18:18:00.012+09:00

Valentine card for the Missus....She loves lime green....so how could I resist using her favourite fabric.....plus my favourite The Chook Shed heart? The Chook Shed designs are what got me interested in quilting. The Missus has the very first quilt I made.....a Chook Shed design of course!

The Missus saw me doing the stitchery (Gail Pan's January BOM block.....the button is on the left of your screen!) for this cushion....bit hard not to as I was sitting next to her on the settee at night working on it....I would have to sit in a box if I had wanted to keep it hidden.....I banned her from the family room (where my sewing machine lives) while I made it into a cushion.....and hid it until Valentine's Day......Then told her where it was with instructions to remind me if I didn't give it her.....I tend to do that.....Put things in safe places then forget about them.....and find them days, weeks or months after the event! She put it on top of the tv cabinet in front of where she sits on the settee....So glad she likes it that much.

I stitched this heart tree from http://www.matryoskabiscornue.blogspot.com/ last weekend. I'm thinking of finishing it as a pinkeepy/matress finishy thingy.....I've been pulling it out all week and having a look.....It was stitched in DMC varigated thread on 14 count aida....just can't remember the number......It was fun to stitch and came together very quickly.

This is the top from my latest biscornu. It is called Tiny and is a freebie by Banu Demirel. I think it came from http://www.sebadesigns.com/ or her blog....I'm not sure which. It is a blackwork design stitched on 14 count aida with DMC 4142. I only have the corners on the back to finish before stitching the two sides together. It is my February biscornu for Basket Of Biscornu (http://basketofbiscornu.blogspot.com/) I may unpick the middle to take the square out and just leave the arrows.....all depends on what it looks like with a bead in the middle.....The Missus thinks she may have a bead in her stash to suit.....

Today is a National Day of Mourning for the victims of the recent bushfires in Victoria. A ceremony was held and the song I Am Australian was sung. It was written in 1987 by Bruce Woodley and Dobe Newton with the musice by Bruce Woodley. The words epitomise who we are as a nation.

I came from the dream-time, from the dusty red soil plains

I am the ancient heart, the keeper of the flame.

I stood upon the rocky shore, I watched the tall ships come.

For forty thousand years I've been the first Australian.

We are one, but we are many

And from all the lands on earth we come

We share a dream and sing with one voice:

I am, you are, we are Australian

I came upon the prison ship, bowed down by iron chains.

I cleared the land, endured the lash and waited for the rains.

I'm a settler, I'm a farmer's wife on a dry and barren run

A convict then a free man, I became Australian.

We are one, but we are many

And from all the lands on earth we come

We share a dream and sing with one voice:

I am, you are, we are Australian

I'm the daughter of a digger who sought the mother lode

The girl became a woman on the long and dusty road

I'm a child of the depression, I saw the good times come

I'm a bushy, I'm a battler, I am Australian

We are one, but we are many

And from all the lands on earth we come

We share a dream and sing with one voice:

I am, you are, we are Australian

I'm a teller of stories, I'm a singer of songs

I am Albert Namatjira, I paint the ghostly gums

I am Clancy on his horse, I'm Ned Kelly on the run

I'm the one who waltzed Matilda, I am Australian
We are one, but we are many

And from all the lands on earth we come

We share a dream and sing with one voice:

I am, you are, we are Australian

I'm the hot wind from the desert, I'm the black soil of the plains

I'm the mountains and the valleys, I'm the drought and flooding rains

I am the rock, I am the sky, the rivers when they run

The spirit of this great land, I am Australian

We are one, but we are many

And from all the lands on earth we come

We share a dream and sing with one voice:I am, you are, we are Australian

I am, you are, we are Australian.

Hugs From Around The World

2009-02-15T12:13:00.004+09:00

The Missus and I made twenty of these kits to send to Lorraine (http://chookasmum.blogspot.com/ ) who is collecting craft supplies for the victims of the Victorian bush fires. The kits are dead simple to make….I drew a heart on a piece of paper and traced it onto aida with a watersoluable pen. Then I added a rectangle of felt a little bigger than the aida, some DMC floss and a tapestry needle…..All put together in a snap lock bag with a note which says…..

HUGS FROM WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Cross stitch the heart.
Attach to the felt with running stitch.
Keep it close and when you need a hug…..give it a squeeze and know you are being hugged from Western Australia.

I’m asking anyone who has cross stitch supplies to dig through their stash and make up a kit…or maybe more to send to the crafters who are fire victims. These kits are portable and easy to put together. I used the supplies I had on hand….You may have a stash of those cute freebie kits from the front of cross stitch magazines that you don’t know what to do with….you could maybe send a few of those.

Postage is minimal….each kit is light. All twenty kitted up only weighs 200 grams or
0.4 of a pound. It is something you can do over a cuppa or a glass of vino, with your family or friends…..

Feel free to use the note I wrote and change Western Australia to wherever you are and put it on your blog to spread the message. We all know how our craft can comfort us in times of need…..and these people are in desperate need of comfort. Even though we are spread all over the world, together we can make a difference.

Bloggers Are A Generous Mob

2009-02-11T17:18:00.002+09:00

Craft bloggers are a generous mob. We see it through swaps, complimentary designs, exchange of ideas, advice a a myriad of other ways. Lorraine over at http://chookasmum.blogspot.com/ and Peg at http://happyinquilting.blogspot.com/ are organising Sanity Savers for victims of the fires in Victoria. This morning over 180 people had been killed, more than 750 homes destroyed and over 5 000 people are homeless. These two ladies are asking for bloggers to help. The Sanity Savers will be supplies for crafters who are victims of the fires. If we all give something from our stash imagine how we can help soothe the hearts and souls of fellow crafters. Go to Lorraine or Peg's blogs for more details...

No one has ever become poor by giving.
Anne Frank

Blogger's Having A Hissy...And I Don't Have A Title (Interesting Or Otherwise) For This Blog

2009-02-08T16:03:00.011+09:00

Blogger's gone completely bonkers and put my piccies in the wrong order! Oh, well....ya get that! This is the completed biscornu which I made from a little Christmas ornament pattern. I had no idea how it would turn out.... but am pleased with it. It is biscornu #4 that I have made and the second with a Christmas pattern. Three of anything is a collection....When I make #3 with a Christmas design it will be a sub-collection!

I only went to the LSS (local scrapbooking store) to get the black card in the piccie so the Missus and I could make some ATCs…..honest! Then the voices in my head started whispering to me….the Missus LOVES that shade of green…and you love purple…..the boxes are a purrrrfect small project for you and the Missus together…..and the owl paper is JUST what you need to cover them….with an owl cut out or two on top…..besides what self-respecting OWL (Older Wiser Lesbian) could go past them…..the buttons are just what you need for Holiday Morning….you get the idea…..I was in a daze I tell you until I got in the car and realised what I had done…..That is what happens when you haven’t completed any papercraft in months and go to the shop on your own! lol

This is the back of the biscornu. The bead is the same as the one on the front....but it is easier to see on the piccie here.

I made a beach tote yesterday. I usually take my everyday tote....but needed something bigger to carry all my junk in! It worked really well today. I could find everything easily.

I love the body language....Not ANOTHER photo!

I thought the buttons deserved a close up. They really jumped out at me when I saw them… mother of pearl backed and striking. I hadn’t expected to find any buttons in a scrapbooking shop….but you never know your luck in a big city! I'll be going back for more buttons in future...

This is my progress on February's biscornu. It is zapping along very nicely. I should be able to finish the last "arm" this week then begin filling in the gaps...it only looks like a cross because of the way I'm stitching it.

We had goosebumps this morning at the beach…which meant it was perfect for a wander…..and a piccie. The tide was out which mean there were all kinds of beasties to look at in the pools that were left. It heated up as the day went on, but not enough to put the airconditioning on. Not that I would be complaining if it was. In Victoria 65 people have lost their lives in bushfires and more are unaccounted for. It is a terrible day for all of Australia. I count my blessings every day and don't take things for granted....even more so on days like today.

I made a Valentine's Day card for the Missus this arvo. I will post a pic after the big day. I'd like to get back into card making this year using my luverly rubber stamp collection. I have some House Mouse stamps that are too cute for words that haven't been used.....yet.

I've had a few bumps with the cross stitch rotation.....all to do with the Hallowen Fairy....I know fairies are mischievous, but I've hardly started stitching her yet! lol It is third time lucky. First I cut the even weave too small....Then I decided that I valued my eye sight more than I wanted to stitch on such a small count....(I think it is 22 count, not 25....see....it is so small even wearing glasses I can't even get the count right! lol)

So yesterday it was measure and remeasure a piece of 14 count aida (my favourite for big designs). When I was satisfied with that I dropped it into a crock pot of cheap and nasty instant coffee (which smelt so bad it could have quite easily been a witches brew!) to bubble away outside under the patio....

Being such a lovely day I whipped out the tablecloth and coasters. The Missus and I sat outside having a cuppa....until the stench of boiling coffee drove us inside! Next time I must remember to put it around the side of the patio where we DON'T sit! It all worked out in the end, though because it turned out a lovely caramel colour. When I have stitched some more on it I will post a piccie....A 5 x 10 stitch brown rectangle isn't that ispiring to look at....no matter how neat the stitches are! lol

I have some non-traditional Christmas prints sitting in the bottom (Murphy's Law strikes again) of my fabric stash container which are just crying out to be used....which I reckon will be just right for Gail's Christmas BOM. I stitched the January block as a panel in a Valentine cushion for the Missus and loved it so much I've decided to do the BOM. February's is up and VERY cute! If you havent' seen it there is a link down the left of my blog you can click on. I'll be using different coloured floss, as the colours in the fabric are bright pinks, blues, golds, greens etc. Picking the floss colours is part of the fun though....

I'm off to make a vegetable slice for tea....and then some serious stitching on the Halloween Fairy and quite possibly watch an episode or two of Dr Who! DS is a third generation Dr Who fan....and the Missus is one, too! Which is good because it gave me an excuse to knit a Dr Who scarf (Tom Baker style) for her a couple of years ago in the gay pride colours. I was glad to finish it, but it looks fab.

Flying Into February

2009-02-01T19:10:00.002+09:00

This was going to be the first of 25 cute little cushions to make up the days on a x-stitched Advent Calendar…..It isn’t going to happen…. Instead it will be (surprise, surprise)….a biscornu. It was going to be February’s Christmas ornament for Seasonal Ornament SAL, but I started it in January, so that would be cheating! February’s ornament will be All Flakes Welcome by Sisters and Best Friends from JCS 2007 Christmas Issue…that is unless I change my mind….which I’m sure you know by now is entirely possible! lol

When it is finished, this will be my February biscornu for Basket of Biscornu. I think blackwork is striking….even in variegated orange! This one is called Tiny and is by Seba Blackwork Designs.

I was really stuck on the border until yesterday because the one in the book (Material Obsessions) was just not me….and there was no point in going on with it until I had worked out a border I was happy with. The outer border is going to be the same as the inner ones and I am hoping to get that done next weekend and start the quilting. It was supposed to be my January finish for One Project A Month….but as you can see if you look in my side bar….I got a bit side tracked! lol It was all fun and now it is a February finish…or maybe March or April……..

We went to the beach this morning for an hour before it heated up. I took this piccie from our favourite perch about 9am.

Catching Up

2009-01-31T20:40:00.006+09:00

When I popped into the LQS to get some cotton for quilting Holiday Morning and needle threaders (I go through a LOT of these.....I think it is about time manufacturers made some reinforced ones! lol) I spotted this scrummy Christmas fabric. It immediately made me think of angels.....especially since it was turned the other way.....maybe it was angel turbulence as they zoom through the ether. Since there is a hole in the fabric box just about this size I bought one metre. Now the search is on for a corresponding fabric.....and the first stop is the BOTTOM of the fabric box....Murphy's Law says whatever fabric I want will ALWAYS be sitting in the bottom of the box! It happened with the fabric for the Valentine cushion I made for the Missus......any excuse to fondle fabric! lol

I ordered these from Colours Down Under. Sending the order was an ordeal.....I had SIX attempts at faxing it....I'm seriously thinking about asking a priest to come in and exorcise it! It couldn't be me now could it? Now let me see.....trying to send the fax three times with the machine unplugged from the telephone connection.....faxing it the wrong way up......and two paper jams....Nah...not me at all!

The service was great and fast, too......and everything is up to 20% off. It doesn't get much better than that, does it? Except.....it is a Perth based business.....so I can go visit......YAY!!! If you are a x-stitcher it is well worth a look.....and for those of you in the U S of A....with the exchange rate being in your favour.....the prices are great.....and no I'm not being paid a commission! lol The addy is http://www.coloursdownunder.com.au/shop/

I'd come to a screaming halt on Holiday Morning until today. I didn't have a clue how I was going to do the inner and outer border. Until I had a light bulb moment.....gotta love those! I gathered up all the fabrics I used in the top except the background, sliced them into 2 1/2 in strips and then chopped each strip to different lengths, with the intent of randomly joining them together. It was about this time that something wonderful happened.....

I'd grabbed my scrap box which being a rather large cylinder is the perfect shape for giving fabric strips a severe shaking. As I emptied it of scraps, I put to one side some rather familiar looking sewn "scraps" which had been folded together.....It was the Teapotz blocks I thought I had thrown out! Now I think that proves my theory that the "safe places" we put things into are actually worm holes. Objects go in there and come out somewhere else....That is the only explanation I have for finding blocks in the scrap box....

After that excitement the container was shaken, rattled and rolled until the fabric was well and truly jumbled....and I didn't let the thought of safe places even briefly cross my mind.

As soon as I had finished pairing the strips The Quilt Inspector jumped up and took charge. I'm sure he is psychically connected to fabric!

T Is For Tagged

2009-01-31T14:52:00.007+09:00

I found this when I was bloghopping.....and I tagged myself......Whoever's blog I got it off tagged herself too. Maybe it is the start of tagging anarchy!

The rules:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 2 to 5 sentences, along with these rules.
5. Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual book. Pick the CLOSEST!

The nearest book is - The Girl Who Heard Dragons by Anne Mc Caffrey.

The sentences are - "Don't be so proud it hurts!' Barla said, suspending pride in the interests of healing her husband. Thus abjured, Dowell swallowed the dose, closing his eyes at the pain even that minor movement caused his swollen flesh. Barla saw Aramina's tender concern. "The numbweed will be taking effect soon. I am truly grateful to her."

Coasters

2009-01-30T17:28:00.000+09:00

I started the coasters…..this side doesn’t look too bad….just needs a bit of quilting and some buttons to finish it off…..

This is the other side (notice NO close ups lol)…..EVERY time I do the technique when the wadding is sewn with the outside I end up with a piece like this *laughing*…..EVERY time!!!!!

It was an easy fix, though….and I just have to sew some cute little yellow buttons on the corners over the weekend. Even without the button the Missus and I gave them a road test….makes a cup of tea very spekky when it is with a handmade table cloth and coasters!

Biscornu, Biscornu, Biscornu

2009-01-29T20:46:00.001+09:00

Here's a couple for Jeanne and all the other biscornu addicts.....

www.sebablackworks.blogspot.com/

www.sebadesigns.com

Ramblings.....

2009-01-28T14:27:00.008+09:00

Yesterday morning the Missus and I choofed off to Cottesloe Beach. It was so relaxing sitting in the shade dangling my feet over the side of a gazebo. The gentle swish of the water had an hypnotic effect on both of us….that is when we weren’t chasing sea gulls and willy wag tails for photos….Most uncooperative birds….wouldn’t sit still and pose! Do you remember the HUGE world wide concert on New Years Eve when the clock ticked over to 2000? There were some amazing places shown and the beach just in front of the Indiana Tea Rooms in the photo was where the Australian part was broadcast from…..

The piccie doesn't do the colours of the sea justice....lots of different blues and greens.....and of course the white sand....put your sunnies on! lol

When I got home yesterday afternoon I got stuck in to this table cloth for a little table we have outside. I added a couple of layers of iron on interfacting to give it a bit of weight....It started as an orphan block from a wall hanging, which I added the inner blue border to, intending to make a cushion....It never happened....So a couple of weeks ago I dragged out all my scraps in co-ordinating colours....(and some of them were VERY scrappy! lol)....and ended up with a table cloth.....

I took my life in my hands when I took the photo....the grevillia is permanetly full of bees! I race out early in the morning to cut a piece for Nibbles as he likes to eat the ends of the flowers (dripping with nectar) and then shred the rest! He also has branches in his cage as natural perches which he strips all the leaves and bark off!

The nectar in the flowers is a traditional bush food for indiginous Australians....whap the flower against your palm and you get a LOT of nectar.....a natural form of Poweraid I've been told!

It is back to work tomorrow(SIGH! SIGH! SIGH!) after a wonderful relaxing summer holiday.....so it was only natural that I visit the LQS to console myself! I love the way they package up their "On Special" Fat Quarter packs......

and I like the price even more! $20 for 10 FQs is NOT to be sniffed at.....when the average price around the quilt stores in Perth is $6. I'm making a bag using these. I will start it this arvo....and probably finish it on the weekend.....or I might work on my WISP.....or there was that Halloween project.....and those couple of cloth dolls.....ooooohhhhh I think I may have enough scraps left over to cobble together a couple of fabric drink coasters.......

AUSSIE! AUSSIE! AUSSIE!

2009-01-26T07:53:00.007+09:00

Today we celebrate as a nation who we are and what is great about Australia. It is a day for reflection on all our achievements and for being proud of our remarkable nation. It is a day where we re-affirm our commitment to continue making Australia an even better place for the future. HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!

The piccie is one I took last year. It is a view of the Swan River from Kings Park.

This is Frozen January……..Another wonderful freebie from Alexandria over at http://matryoshkabiscornue.blogspot.com/. It is my third biscornu, which means we now have a collection……..andI have an obsession! They are fun and easy to make. I love the way the little corners suddenly appear…..and it is an excuse to visit the bead shop… It is always a novelty to come out of a craft shop and have spent less than 30 cents.

Jeanne has made the same biscornu and it is a beauty! You can see it at her blog http://spiralj2.blogspot.com/ and she found an interesting way of stuffing it!

I averted disaster yesterday. I prepared the fabric for Nora Corbett’s Halloween Fairy a few weeks ago, then dragged it out yesterday and kitted it up. I get paranoid about measurements, so got out a measuring tape and checked….I’d cut it out to the exact size of the pattern! I’m SO glad I checked because I’m doing it on 25 count something or other (I have no idea what it is lol)….and I would have missed it until it was too late! There is a postive side to it….I have a decent sized piece of 25 count something or other to make Halloween ornaments with!

Grub’s up….grab a plate and get in line! Doesn’t this look tempting? lol This is my craft slow cooker….all sorts of concoctions go in here. Today it is 14 count aida with a Parisian Essence mix for Waiting For The Mists To Clear.

Blogger went bonkers and posted my piccies in the wrong order....This should have been with the other biscornu piccie....

It was all too much for Lestat to cope with…..he collapsed in a heap on my sewing chair.

Mad About Dragons

2009-01-24T20:12:00.006+09:00

The x-stitch pattern in the piccis is Waiting For The Mists To Clear. It was a birthday gift a couple of years ago from The Missus. Kerry Blackwell of Character Creations charted it from the painting Waiting For The Mists To Clear by Ian Brooks. There are 113 colours and a stitch count of 230w x 332h. *Whips out piles of cushions for the x-stitchers for a soft landing when they faint.* It's been calling to me for a while now.....and it is time I started....

I've decided on a rotation so I don't get sick of it or go permanently cross eyed. (The Missus gives it a week lol....she knows me very well.) I've not done a rotation before, so it will be interesting. It is as follows....

Monday - Biscornu
Tuesday - Christmas
Wednesday - Halloween
Thursday - Serendipitous choice
Friday - Halloween Fairy (Nora Corbett)
Saturday/Sunday - Waiting For The Mists To Clear

I've not forgotten the machine sewing.....That is staying spontaneous.....I can only stand so much structure and organisation in my crafting life!

Positive Tips for 2009

2009-01-24T07:29:00.003+09:00

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
3. Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep.
4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today.'
5. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
6. Play more games and read more books than you did in 2008.
7. Make time to practice meditation and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.
8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.
9. Dream more while you are awake.
10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured IN plants.
11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds, & walnuts.
12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk, and let new and flowing energy into your life.
14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, or issues of the past, negative thoughts, or things you cannot control. Instead, invest your energy in the positive present moment.
15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class, but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.1
7. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the NEGATIVE BLUES away.
18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
26. Forgive everyone for everything.
27. What other people think of you is none of your business.
28. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
29. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
30. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful.
31. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
32. The best is yet to come.
33. Do the right thing!
34. Call your family often. (Or e-mail them to death!)
35. Each night before you go to bed, complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.
36. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
37. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life, so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.
38. Share this with those you care about. May your troubles be less.

http://meari.blogspot.com/

What Kind Of Soup Are You?

2009-01-23T20:53:00.001+09:00

*hearing Twilight Zone music* This is me to a 'T'!

You Are Minestrone
You are a spontaneous person. You don't make or follow rules. You just go with your gut.You're eager to go wherever life takes you. If something doesn't work out, at least you've learned.Nutrition and eating healthy is very important to you. You eat your veggies.That being said, you're not a picky eater. You like all foods.

http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofsoupareyouquiz/

2009-01-21T19:25:00.002+09:00

I'm pleased with the way the stitchery for the cushion in the making for The Missus turned out....only a little frogging, no pricked fingers, no blood........which is more than I can say for this afternoon's stitching.

The Missus found a vampire movie called Perfect Creature for the bargain price of $2 this afternoon.......which we settled down to watch when we got home....She with a Sudoku and me with some cross stitch.....the usual kind of thing! Whenever we watch a movie I subconsciously look for quilts (I'm not addicted......honest!!!!)......and yell out "QUILT!" whenever I see one. Even after almost seven years of me doing this The Missus still jumps when I do it. Understandable really when you are engrossed in a movie and the person sitting next to you yells at the top of her lungs and waves whatever sharp, pointy object she has in her hand at the television.

After the Missus recovered from me yelling when I saw a quilt....we became more and more engrossed in the movie....the suspense was building.....my stitching was becoming automatic. That was when it happened....just as the police were bashing a door open I embedded a tapestry needle in my thumb......(I have NO idea how I managed it......I'm left handed.....was holding the needle in my left hand.....and I stuck it in my left thumb!) I yelled, the Missus had to be scraped off the ceiling and needed a couple of minutes to compose herself before we continued with the movie........I sat there looking at the needle.....willing it to jump out by itself....which it didn't (I really dislike pulling needles out of my digits.....even more than sticking them there in the first place!) I was not too impressed, as I had to stop stitching so I didn't make a bloody mess of my biscornu (which I think was rather fitting as we were watching a vamp movie)....Then to add insult to injury, the frogging goddess had been lurking, just waiting for an opportunity like this.....I was one stitch out on the biscornue border which meant reverse stitching a side....

All ended well, with no more frights for the Missus and only a few more minor jabs for me!
With all the carrying on, Lestat decided that the best thing to do was to hide under the dining room table cloth.........

Support Your Local Craft Store

2009-01-19T18:46:00.008+09:00

Before the big craft chain stores muscled in, there were craft shops dotted all around the suburbs of Perth. Unfortunately, not any more.....They are few and far between. There is one shop I've been going to for over 20 years which just keeps going and going regardless of what the Australian and world economy are functioning. Their shelves are jam packed with all sorts of charts, kits, scrumptious threads etc. It is one of those shops where you can always find what you are looking for. It is a real Alladin's Cave for x-stitchers.

I love going there.....and the visits are NEVER short.....it is always worth the 80 minute round trip. Today I couldn't bribe The Missus or DS with coffee and cake afterwards to accompany me.....They both know from experience that it would be a very, very long visit!

Today's visit was to stock up on needles for x-stitch.....(and I just happened to pick up the bits and pieces in the piccie for ornaments and biscornues). These are like hen's teeth in Perth. It is ludicrous that the chain stores sell x-stitch supplies such as threads, aida, linen, patterns and kits etc and do not stock a simple item like needles.

I'm a strong believer in individuality and freedom of choice and expression. Crafters in Perth are losing these choices as the LQS and LNS lose the battle against the chain stores. Sure, chain may be cheaper....and for variety crafters can shop on line...but these pale in comparison to the wonderful tactile experience of running silk thread through your fingers, finding that chart or pattern that you fall in love with or have the rainbow of fabrics dancing in front of your eyes.....If we don't support our local craft stores they will become a memory.

Evil Angel

2009-01-18T16:41:00.000+09:00

I’ve never liked the head on this doll which I made about 1 000 years ago. It just doesn’t sit right and is too small for the body. The Missus suggested I change the head….so I immediately ripped it off with great delight! (It was attached by a hot glue gun….look closely and you can see the left over glue) Then we both had one of those lightbulb moments at the same time (hearing twilight zone music)…….it would be perfect as a Halloween doll….with her head tucked under her arm!

Something Spotty This Way Comes

2009-01-17T19:22:00.004+09:00

This is what I've been making with the spotty fabric. It Pick A Pocket from Quilts And More Fall 2008 issue. On the front of the mag it says this is a "super easy" bag.....and it certainly was....and fun to make too! The straps create six outside pockets......which will be gr8 for stuffing little bits and pieces in. This one I'm using for work when I go back after the holidays. I can see myself making more than one of these in different sizes......A grrl can never have enough bags!

This is my fourth finish for the month, which I am happy about. Tomorrow I intend to make a dent on the Holiday Morning Quilt. It was the project I had chosen to finish for the One Project A Month Challenge, but I've been sidetracked with bags and stitcheries! So back on track tomorrow!

We watched V For Vendetta last night and I made a good dent on the cushion stitchery. I did some more this afternoon.....finishing 6 roses. That's when I wasn't fighting the frog off! She was dancing on my shoulder today wearing hob nailed boots! Tonight we are watching Gattaca and I'm hoping to finish the roses and get a good start on the ring.

A Bit Of This And A Bit Of That

2009-01-16T19:13:00.002+09:00

The fabric was measured, remeasured then sliced and diced. This is Jan Mullens of Stargazey fame's fabric which has been lurking in my stash for a few years. I want to make a good dent in my stash this year, as I don't want to get to the stage where I am digging out fabrics I've had for 20 something years!

I'm pleased with the progress I made this afternoon. The second side went much faster than the first....I LOATHE and DESPISE reading instructions, but stuck to it......with only a little reverse stitching.....YAY! I cut out and sew at about snail's pace (which suits me), but anyone who cuts and sews at a reasonable rate could have this made in less than an afternoon!

In between machine sewing, I had a cuppa or two with the Missus and did a bit more stitching on her cushion. I'm using DMC 4190 for the flowers, DMC4077 for the french knots....and DMC I have no idea because I've not written it on the bobbin for the rest. I've settled on some hand dyed fabric for the cushion....with a special something at the back....which is going to have to be kept secret for now......as I want it to be a surprise.....

I've just found an interesting looking site for anyone into biscornu. It has a lot of freebies. The site is...... http://www.stickfee.de/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=viewdownload&cid=2

Click on the word entwurf to go the the patterns.

Jelly Bean Birds and Snow

2009-01-16T08:15:00.003+09:00

A few stitches here and there…….and the jelly beans look like birds! I’m having a think about how I want to complete the borders on this one, as I don’t have enough fabric in the right colours to make even the inner border! I’m thinking about doing a scrappy Coin Purse for the inner and outer border and only having one outer border.

As for quilting, I’m going to quilt simple branches and leaves in the big spaces. All the appliqué pieces will be satin stitched or zigzagged on by machine……after I teach myself how to do it! I need to teach myself how to do that….should be fun though….zooming up and down on the sewing machine always is!

It is 30 degress C / 86 degrees F already at 8.20am. If there were any snowwomyn here they would not last long! This is Let It Snow by Casey Buonaugurio Cross Stitch Designs. The pattern was in JCS Christmas Ornaments Issue 2008. It is my winter ornament for January's Seasonal Ornament SAL. (http://seasonalornaments.blogspot.com/)

I stitched the year on the back cuz I didn't want it looking bare. We don't put up a Christmas tree, so no hangers on the ornaments. I reckon I will be able to make at least six Christmas ornaments this year, which will be fun, as I really enjoy making them.

I think I am going to spend the day putting together my new project and hand stitching the January block Love for Gail's BOM (http://gailpandesigns.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/01/a-christmas-wish-free-bom.html) ......which I'm making into a Valentines cushion for the Missus....She reads my blog but knows she is getting it........a bit tricky to hide it from her as I sew, cuz most of my time hand sewing is spent when we are sitting on the settee together! lol I completed the word Love last night and am looking forward to getting some of the roses done today.

Something New

2009-01-15T15:18:00.004+09:00

I’ve had a fuzzy little purple creature running around in my head for the past few days yelling….”I WANT TO START SOMETHING NEW!!!! I WANT TO START SOMETHING NEW!!!!” Today I gave in….with something which I can finish in an afternoon or so…..First thing is to pick out some fabric. I have a 55 litre plastic crate to store fabric in. When it is full I don’t buy any more fabric…….it is bursting at the moment…..hence the fabric diet for the year, because I reckon it will take at least a year to make a decent dent it it! lol

By this time I’m hoping Murphy is applying her law to somewhere else…because I really don’t want to rummage through the whole crate to find what I want!

The Craft Goddess was smiling down on me, as I only had to empty about a quarter of the crate….only thing is….I need to put it all back…...and I’m not sure if I can make it all fit again!

I have a discussion with the Missus who quilts by osmosis about colour arrangements of the Jan Mullins fabric I've chosen. She has a good eye for colour and can identify a log cabin or flying geese block at 50 paces! Now it is off to sew!!!!!!!

A Couple of Finds

2009-01-15T14:59:00.004+09:00

Tidying the stash can turn up forgotten bits and pieces. I vaguely remember stitching this one a couple of years ago with mum in mind as a recipient. She is a Thomas Kinkaid fan and it makes me think of his style. I’ll frame it up and give it to her next time we see her.

I can’t even remember stitching this little robin. It looks like it would have come from an English cross stitch magazine. Now it has been added to this year’s Christmas card stash....plus it is a finish!

Desert Snowflake Biscornu

2009-01-10T11:31:00.007+09:00

I've just finished happy dancing around the family room with Nibbles bobbling along, too. Lestat aka The Quilt Inspector aka The Cross Stitch Terrorist ran off in fright. The hermit crabs just sat. I happy dance every time I finish something....big or small. This first piccie is the top of the biscornu.

This second piccie is the back of it. I stitched the pattern for Christmas tree ornaments Christmas Delight 1 and 2 (http://www.thecatswhiskers.net.au/). It is my first finished Christmas ornament for the year....and a finish for Seasonal Ornament SAL. (http://seasonalornaments.blogspot.com/) It is stitched on 14 count aida with DMC 4130. The beads are a couple from Benjamin's - my favourite bead shop here in Perth (http://www.benjaminscrafts.com.au/).

The day I started the biscornu it was stinking hot about degrees 38C or 100 degrees F which got me to thinking about how much Christmas cards have changed since I was a kid.....and how much more relevant to me Father Christmas is in the outback! When I was growing up, I spent a lot of time living in the desert.....where Christmas Day was usually well into the hundreds! All the Christmas cards had lovely snowey scenes....and I'm sure I sent mum bonkers asking her why this was so when we lived somewhere BEYOND hot!

The DMC colours reminded me of the beautiful reds and browns of the desert...........so Desert Snowflake was born! As for the blue beads in the middle......I'd ride my bike through the red dirt to the blue oasis of the town outdoor swimming pool....even though the water was warm all year round!

*repeating to myself 100 times* I must read instructions....I must read instructions....I must read instructions....As I was whip stitching the sides of the biscornu I had a niggly feeling something wasn't right, so before I started writing this blog I decided to put my mind to rest and checked on the construction instructions for a biscornue. I saw what was niggling at me immediately..........I had sewn the biscornu together from the inside (turned it out the right way) and how I had done it last time was to stitch it from the outside. The difference seems to be the points aren't as pointy this way around........they are probably EXTREMELY pointy on the inside! rofl

Holiday Morning Wall Hanging Block 4

2009-01-09T15:55:00.002+09:00

The back grounds and fusing of all four blocks is complete. The next step is to add details to the birds so they stop looking like jelly beans with brown leaves! lol

Holiday Morning Wallhanging Block 3

2009-01-07T18:23:00.005+09:00

The background is sewn and the details fused....I think this is my favourite block of the three. I think this may be a January finish for the One Project A Month Challenge.....along with a biscornu....and probably another Christmas card. I found a cute little robin piccie when I was going through the den of inequity which is just the right size for a card. I've finally learned that to be sitting up to the wee hours on Christmas Eve finishing cards or gifts is NOT my favourite thing to do.....so this year everything will be finished EARLY! lol

Mixed Media

2009-01-06T23:46:00.006+09:00

During my quest to clean up the den of inequity, I came across this mixed media piece I made last year. It was fun to make, which got me thinking.......

and digging out my favourite four of the piccies from last year's Luis Royo calendar.........

which led to more digging and more thinking (and feeling like my head was going to pop) as I found some interesting bits and pieces, which led me to....what would happen if (which can be dangerous...as the last time I had a what would happen if thought I temporarily lost my blogroll!)........

......I recycle the calendar piccies? After consulting with the Quilt Inspector who pondered and gave it much thought (sitting in a box helps him processes his thoughts).....I decided to have a go at making an art quilt using some of the more unusual bits and pieces I've collected. I'm at the "I haven't got a clue WHAT or HOW I'm going to do" this stage, but I'm sure it will be an interesting process. I've given myself a time limit as I'd like to have it hanging at Halloween....So now it is on with the next step! (When I figure out what the next step is!)

One Project A Month Challenge

2009-01-04T21:48:00.005+09:00

I've joined the One Project A Month Challenge which is being run by Kris (http://tagalongteddies.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-years-action-excitement-challenge.html) and May Britt (http://abyquilt.blogspot.com/). The guidelines are simple and easy to follow...and most of all it looks like fun! In a nutshell...the challengees try to complete one project a month in the craft of their choice....I reckon I can complete 12 projects this year.

I've almost finished my first out of two big challenges for the year.....cleaning up the den of inequity that is my sewing room. A trip to the shops to get more crates and then another couple of hours tomorrow and it will be finished. I keep looking at all the crates which are neatly lined up and labelled, thinking wow...they look pretty spekky! I enjoy collecting my craft "stuff" as much as using it!

Challenge two is keep it tidy. I think that is a matter of will power....put whatever it is back straight away when I've finished using it. A simple concept I know.....but not always followed! I will have to keep reminding myself how good it looks neat!

Just Another Day....

2009-01-03T20:01:00.004+09:00

$20 bag.....

.....$40 necklace....

.....$50 dress....

.....$200 pair of shoes.....

.....$78 lunch at my favourite cafe....

.....watching the Missus calmly wiping her face, hair, shirt, bag, the table and passing me a glass of water as I sprayed her with the mouthful of latte which went down the wrong way.....

PRICELESS!!!

Crafty Start To The New Year...And A Resolution Or Three

2009-01-01T18:38:00.009+09:00

I began the New Year by starting two blocks for Holiday Morning by Kathy Doughty from the book Material Obsessions (authors - Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke). It involved some piecing and applique.......thank Goddess for vlisofix! I've also taken up the January challenge over at Seasonal Ornament SAL (http://seasonalornaments.blogspot.com/) This month's challenges are one ornament with the theme anything winter and a Christmas ornament for this year's tree. I'm stitching Let It Snow from JCS 2008 Christmas Ornaments as the seasonal ornament. The Christmas ornament will be a biscornue. Both will be fun!

Now to my New Year Resolutions.....

1. Finish, finish, finish!!!
2. Buy from my stash for all projects.....unless the LQS has a 40% off sale like last January...then this resolution is null and void!
3. Craft every day.

The third one won't be hard to keep! ;)

Last Finishes For The Year

2008-12-31T16:35:00.000+09:00

The New Year is less than 8 hours away here. It's been fun this year blogging, reading blogs, getting to know people and finding new friends. Happy New Year and may it bring happiness and good health to you and your family.

These are the last finishes for the year and the last of the UFO x-stitching. I don't have time to possibly finish another! lol Keeping a record on my blog of what I finish has been an real eye opener....Otherwise I'd not have a clue how much I'd made....especially not 53 finishes! No UFO's.......now I can start the New Year with a clean slate.

Chicken Happy Dance

2008-12-30T14:52:00.000+09:00

I happy danced around the lounge when I finished Here Be Chickens. It is the last on my list of finishes for Finn's Challenge and 2008.....and a day early! YAAAYYYYYY!!!!!!!!! I'm really happy with it. I just need a trip to the hardware shop for some dowel and it will be ready to hang!

Finn's Challenge (http://finnleah.blogspot.com/) was brilliant. It motivated me to finish my current WIPS and make plans for my UFOs. The only UFOs I have now are 6 cross stitch piccies which will be made into cards and a cloth doll which I need to repaint the face on, replace the hair and make new clothes for. Those are projects for early next year. As part of Finn's Challenge I finished 6 x-stitched Christmas cards, 5 x-stitched cushions, 3 redwork cushions, 3 applique cushions, a x-stitch piccie which was made into the front of a bag, 2 softies, a little bag with tags, 2 x-stitched Christmas ornaments, a biscornue, a x-stitched needleroll and a quilted wall hanging. Thank you SOOOOOOOOOO much Finn. Your challenge made finishing fun!

I will have to remind myself that finishing is fun on a regular basis I think. I've not started Holiday Morning yet I am planning my 3rd quilt in my head! This year I had a Luis Royo calendar with some of his warrior women. I've got an idea running around in my head to make a mixed media wall hanging, using my favourite calendar piccies as the basis for fabric paper with a similar quilt top layout as Retro Starburst in Material Obsession by Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke, incorporating some of the techniques in The Painted Quilt by Linda and Laura Kemshall.

At this rate I will have planned out enough quilts for the next ten years before the New Year! lol Not everything comes to fruition...but planning is always fun.

A New Start For The New Year

2008-12-29T15:46:00.001+09:00

The Quilt Inspector tirelessly guarding my stash which is on the table above him.

My fabric stash. It has taken about eight years to collect it all. I've sorted it into colours and themes. The next step is to fold it neatly and (hopefully) pack it into a 55 litre plastic container. The plan for next year is to "buy" from my stash....and use each of my craft books at least once. It is going to be a fun filled crafty year! I don't follow a particular plan, I just make what I want, when I want. I may even complete more than (at last count) 47 projects next year!

Holiday Morning from the book Material Obsessions by Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke. It is my new quilting project.

I won't say next because as you can see I've picked out the fabrics I will be using. I'm not doing anything with it until I have finished Here Be Chickens.....By hook or crook it will be finished tonight! There is nothing like the temptation of a new project to act as motivation for finishing an old one!

I also have my eye on Fanciful Flowers from the same book....I could say that it will be the second project, but being a gemini....anything could happen and I will probably change my mind at least a bakers dozen times before then! lol

An Early Start For Christmas 2009

2008-12-28T16:01:00.000+09:00

What else is a gal to do on a hot Sunday summer afternoon except get crafting? I whipped out the card making supplies and about a dozen little cross stitch piccies, matched them up and this is the result....the angel and Father Christmas are a few years old and probably came from the British mag CrossStitcher. The reindeer in the middle is Sharon's design (itsdaffycat.blogspot.com). The cards and nick-nacks were freebies from Issue 206 CrossStitcher.

Reindeer

2008-12-26T19:27:00.000+09:00

I've just finished cross stitching Sharon's cute reindeer (http://itsdaffycat.blogspot.com/) as part of tonight's SAT over at Let's Stitch. I'm thinking of adding some silver french knots in metallic thread instead of beads.

Next is a toasted ham and cheese sanger with the Missus and the obligatory cup of tea to sustain myself for some more SAT stitching....I'll be starting my second biscornue...Christmas Delight 2 by The Cat's Whiskers (www.thecatswhiskers.net.au) using DMC 4130.

2008-12-25T22:17:00.000+09:00

The Frogging Goddess took police advice this last couple of days and decided not to drink drive....and has been firmly sitting on my shoulder looking through bleary Christmas cheer infused eyes interfering with my crafting! I didn't like Yule and Believe with narrow borders, so hopped out of bed at 6am yesterday morning (I couldn't sleep...so what else is a grrl to do except get up and craft??) and frogged the two ornaments. Things were busy during the day....plus the Missus and I got comfy watching The Muppets Christmas Carol last night sipping on ice cold egg nog.....so I didn't get back to the ornaments until after 9pm....There was a lot of mumbling on my part about getting ready for Christmas next year in January as I sewed and frogged...sewed and frogged....(the Frogging Goddess was waving her magic wand around with much enthusiasm by this time and you all know how elusive she is.....if I had managed to get hold of her, she would have gone the way of cane toads and been up close and personal with the inside of the freezer!)....and wrapped the Missus' Christmas presents....I eventually finished about 2am this morning....I was determined to get them finished, as they were for mum and dad...there wouldn't have been a problem if they were not finished....I wanted to get them done for own satisfaction.

This is the card I couldn't show....it is the one I made for the Missus.

Last night I started stitching Sharon's (http://itsdaffycat.blogspot.com/) lovely little reindeer pattern while we were watching The Muppets. I'm using the same aida and thread as the ornaments in the top piccie. It is fun to stitch. When it is finished it will be reindeer ornament number 14....Thank you for being so generous, Sharon and sharing your design.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T00:40:00.000+09:00

Wishing you all a safe, happy and peaceful

Christmas and New Year.

Some Christmas Finishes

2008-12-23T21:14:00.000+09:00

An ornament for Dad...Mum's just needs to be stuffed...

A card for mum and dad. There is also one for the Missus....but since she reads my blog I'm not posting the pic until after Christmas.

I was stuck on how to finish the cards until today when I picked up a copy of the British mag CrossStitcher Issue 206. There was a freebie on the front with tiny buttons, Christmas embellishments and stickers....just what I was looking for!

I've given up on every finding the Teapotz....I think they have gone to the alternative reality where all lost things go. So, they are off the list....Now there is only Here Be Chickens to finish.

Do You Biscornue?

2008-12-22T17:45:00.000+09:00

I've just finished my first biscornue (it won't be my last).....along with an episode of Doctor Who. It is a gift for the Missus. She loves it and I'm thrilled to bits with the way it turned out. I used 14 count aida, DMC 4050 and two glass beads. The Missus asked if I could make it as a paperweight, so I used the same kind of beads used in teddy bear making....worked perfectly! I was surprised how easily the whip stitching went. It is different than anything I've made before and striking to look at. I don't think photographs can do justice to these little beauties! The pattern can be found at http://www.matryoshkabiscornue.blogspot.com/

It's 24 hours later and I'm still excited....

2008-12-20T16:06:00.000+09:00

When the Missus and I went to the post office yesterday to check the mail, there was a parcel from my luverly, dear across the pond friend Andee....then off to lunch (nice way to start the holidays).....all the time wondering what was in the parcel. When I got home and opened it I found....... I kept saying OH WOW! OH WOW! All those lovely quilting magazines and other goodies! I have found at least one project I'd like to do in every magazine....enough to keep me busy for quite a while! There's a redwork printed fabric sheet (which wouldn't behave itself and show up clearly when I took a piccie) with the quote "Behind every quilter is a HUGE pile of fabric!" , a needle and red DMC pearle cotton. How true is the quote? lol I can't wait to start it.

The pride badge had me beaming....It has joined my other lesbian badges on my apron....and I look forward to wearing it when I am out and about!

The postcard is of a Fraser Smith carved wood sculpture in wood and watercolour called "Floating". This guy's work is amazing. The postcard sits under a sewing machine magnet on the front of the fridge.

A Quilt It kit....which was like Aladdin's Cave...as more and more came out of it.....

.........including everything needed to make the cushion on the front.....

....and a HUGE stack of pattern cards.

Andee also included this lovely Yankee Candle - Mistletoe scent. It smells divine...The Missus and I keep picking up the jar and sniffing it....I've left the lid off, as the scent wafts around the lounge....I'm lighting it on Christmas Eve while we watch The Muppet's Christmas Carol (one of my favourite versions of that story). I have it sitting on my computer table just now....and the scent is wonderful.

This cute little duck sits next to my printer, just above my computer and makes me smile every time I see it.

Thank you so much for all the wonderful gifts, Andee. I am totally blown away by your generosity. *hugs the cyber stuffing out of you.*

Two FInished Projects

2008-12-15T07:35:00.001+09:00

Two Proud Owls from the owl challenge at Queer Crafters is finished. As you can see, they aren't much bigger than an espresso cup. The pattern is from the Softies Too book. They now sit very proudly in front of the tv....and don't block the screen.

This is the last block from the Make A Wish quilt I converted into a cushion. I used it as part of the Christmas Challenge over at Queer Crafters.

There Is Progress!

2008-12-14T16:23:00.001+09:00

I'm determined to reach my goal of making a fresh start on January 1st next year with my sewing. These piccies show my progress so far.... Only about 25cm of hand sewing on the back of the binding and the sleeve to go on the wall hanging Here Be Chickens.

Two proud owls for the Owl(s) challenge over at Queer Crafters...these were frogged this afternoon...feet added......and now only need to be stuffed.

This is the last cushion of The Wish Quilt blocks. I made it into a cushion this afternoon....now it only needs stuffing....

This is the beginning of a Christmas ornament. I saw Staci's Believe ornament http://snippetsandstash.blogspot.com/ and liked it so much I decided to try one myself. I'm using the Liberty Sampler free chart at Passione Ricamo (http://www.passionericamo.com/) to make the word. I'm also planning on using the same font for an ornament with Merry Christmas.

Those are my projects for this week and I hope to be finishing the last one on Thursday night. That would leave one ornament (Merry Christmas), the Teapotz trivet and tote.....if I can ever find the Teapotz blocks....I've looked everywhere they could be.....now I need to look everywhere they can't be!

Oldies But Goodies

2008-12-13T22:15:00.000+09:00

The Missus and I visited my parents today. I took the camera and got snappy on pieces I cross stitched for them many, many moons ago. Christmas Is Coming is my favourite piece out of all those I've cross stitched. It was a gift to my parents over ten years ago. They like it so much it stays up all year round. The three Christmas patterns were from an American Better Homes and Gardens cross stitch magazine.

This Nativity scene was a gift to them also over ten years ago. Joseph's nose and thumb were frogged and restitched a few times until I was happy with them. I left the background until last and it seemed to just fly along after the rest! lol

I enjoyed stitching this one. It was also a gift for my parents over ten years ago. It was a last minute stitch....and I spent quite a few nights stitching into the wee hours.

This was from an Anchor kit.......a long time ago in a suburb not so far away. It was the second cross stitch I had ever completed....I went from a tiny very basic koala....to this...but it never occured to me that I couldn't do it....surprising what we can do when we put our minds to it!

It was also a gift for my parents.

Day Without A Gay

2008-12-10T19:55:00.000+09:00

Proposition 8 bans gay marriages in California - which have been legal in that state since June. Day Without A Gay coincides with International Human Rights Day encourages gays and lesbians not to call in sick to work, but gay....and give your time as a volunteer. It is a way of protesting and out-loving those who hate us.

Last week the Australian Federal Government made changes to legislation which meant gay and lesbian couples are recognised as being in a defacto relationship. Which is fine and dandy.....for the state and fedral governments. The benefit for them is taxation....good old money! They have no interest in improving our rights....just taking more money. "So what?" you may say....the difference is hetrosexual couples have the CHOICE between defacto relationships and marriage....we do not. We are good enough to take money from, but not good enough to marry. It stinks of a double standard.

What the USA and Australian governments and many more around the world are choosing to ignore is the fact that gay rights are human rights.

Sites of interest: http://www.daywithoutagay.org/ http://www.jointheimpact.com/

To Market, To Market

2008-12-07T19:52:00.000+09:00

As we walked into Fremantle Markets today the Missus spotted some lovely totes made out of recycled sari silk.....and as she knows my obsession with bags.....especially totes.....and she knows how much I like sari silk (I have a partially knitted sari silk clutch MIA in my sewing room)....so she pointed them out to me....that was it...love at first sight.....I knew she was doing some Christmas shopping today, so I hinted to her how much I liked this bag.......and she sent me off to look elsewhere......when I got back much to my surprise she gave me the bag.....she said she had seen my eyes light up when I saw it.....and didn't want me to wait until Christmas....it was a lovely surprise. She reckoned it was me down to a "T". I've kept it hanging on the pantry door all afternoon admiring it....I absolutely love it!

These were the last two weeks challenges over @ Let's Stitch.....anything Christmas....and also a FAL (finish along) for this weekend. I finished them as gift tags with info about the lemon cordial...when it was bottled, ingredients, suggestions for serving etc. I'd put the stitcheries in a safe place and couldn't find them for about a week.....have to remember not to do that. lol

I found some 250ml bottles at Fremantle Markets today which were a perfect size for some lemon cordial.....which is delicious btw....the Missus and I tried some when we got home...we worked up a thirst walking around the markets today. ;)

After bottling the cordial, I finished each bottle off with a scrap of Christmas fabric and tags.....all ready to give as gifts to the teacher next door to me at work and the three education assistants who have worked for us this year.

By Golly.....

2008-12-06T22:09:00.000+09:00

Ever since I was a kid I remember Dad's favourite saying when he was cooked a meal he enjoyed...(said in a Lancs accent....think Bill Oddie when he was in the Goodies and you get the idea....) "Looks good, tastes good and by golly it does you good!"

That was what was going through my mind after I put the lid on the second bottle of lemon cordial I made from fresh lemons a friend gave me. I think it looks good.....I'm not sure about it tasting good yet....I haven't had a drink of it....and I'm sure it will do me good....in the feel good kinda way!

The recipe is from A Year In A Bottle by Sally Wise. There is a little blurb before each recipe and each one makes me want to rush out and find the appropriate fruit or veg and start preserving!

A Month of Finishing

2008-12-03T20:28:00.000+09:00

Smell My Feet by La-D-Da....whimsical and witchy....ppppuuurrrrrrfect!

Friendship Grows by Lizzie Kate. I finished it with a scrap of blue hand dyed fabric.

Long, long ago, in a cross stitching galaxy far, far away I used to spend December finishing any bits and pieces that had fallen by the wayside during the year. That all went belly up when I discovered quilting....with the result of spending almost a decade up to my ears and loving it in WIP's and UFO's. I've gone full circle again and am looking forward to starting the New Year with a clean slate.....and oodles of new projects to choose from next year!

The piccies above are the first two finishes for the month......I rediscovered how much fun finishing things is from taking part in Finn's Challenge.....The following are bits and pieces which I intend to finish by the end of the year in no particular order.....

- Teapotz trivet

- x-stitch biscornue

- Teapotz bag

- Here Be Chickens wall hanging (I've finished 2/3 hand stitching at the back of the binding)
- redword Christmas cushion

- 2 x-stitch Christmas cards (Let's Stitch weekly challenges)

- 2 x-stitch ornaments (Seasonal ornament SAL December challenge)

- 2 softie owls (Queer Crafters challenge)

Twilight Zone-ish

2008-12-02T12:33:00.000+09:00

I was trimming the edge of Here Be Chickens this morning, thinking I will treat myself to a new decent brand rotary cutter and keep the one I was using for trimming edges and cutting wadding etc......when it fell apart! I just stood there looking at it laughing.....now I have no excuse not to buy a new one.

Shet got it.

2008-11-27T07:30:00.000+09:00

I'm grinning from ear to ear....if you are curious why....zoom over to Andee's blog at.........
http://moderndiary.blogspot.com/

Clue 8

2008-11-26T13:21:00.000+09:00

She keeps track of her quilts in a handwritten journal.

Clue 7

2008-11-24T19:37:00.000+09:00

She is a fan of the Prince of Pop.

Flying Fabric

2008-11-23T16:49:00.000+09:00

My fingers were flying yesterday….and Nibbles almost had a conniption fit he was so excited at all the fabric flying around.

This was the biggie for the day….I made myself a craft tote and put Treasure Hunt by Calico Crossroads on the front.

I had a lot of fun making it…even with a few OOPS! kind of moments. The first was when I was making the bottom of the bag….I cut the triangle off on the wrong side of the sewing line. I ended up with a lovely square hole on one side of the bottom of the bag. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as the bag looked better a bit shorter. The other two OOPS! moments were when I sewed the bag inside out….then sewed it the right way out….but with the seam on the outside. Sewing things inside out is not uncommon. I can never remember that the pieces need to be facing each other. Maybe I will remember now I have written it down….or maybe I have it wrong again! lol

I didn’t follow a pattern, just cut, sewed and unpicked until it looked good. I’m really proud of myself for making it, as a few years ago until my wonderful Missus gave me a sewing machine I couldn’t sew at all. An even nicer compliment is….she has asked me to make her a tote with a flap out of the same fabric.

She has some Celtic cross stitch kits I made up for her a while ago which she is thinking of stitching which would look wonderful on the front of the tote.

I also made a needle roll with Barbara Ana’s cross stitch design Home Is Where The Heart Is, stitched on 14 count aida. This was for the fortnightly challenge over at Queer Crafters http://queerquilters.blogspot.com/ with the theme HOME.

Clue 6

2008-11-23T16:18:00.000+09:00

There will be some smiling faces on Christmas day as her relatives open their pressies to find wonderful handmade gifts from her.

Clue 5

2008-11-22T17:28:00.000+09:00

She enjoys an occasional scrap.....

Clue 4

2008-11-21T07:31:00.001+09:00

She's a mystery woman.........

Clue 3

2008-11-20T07:33:00.000+09:00

She delights in cutting up big pieces of fabric into small pieces, then sewing those back in to big pieces.

Clue 2

2008-11-19T07:42:00.000+09:00

The parcel has been posted to someone on my blogroll.

A Clue

2008-11-18T17:43:00.000+09:00

I'm not saying who it is for......but I will give some clues. The first clue is.......it will take 5 to 7 work days to arrive.

Surprise!

2008-11-17T20:01:00.001+09:00

Here it is.........ready to go....where it will land....nobody knows.......

Sunday Ramblings

2008-11-16T16:59:00.000+09:00

This is a piccie of Nibbles, my personal assistant, taken nearly a year ago, just after I found him. At the moment he is having a nanna nap....he has exhausted himself today shouting advice about all the comings and goings of the household.

I spent a pleasant afternoon kitting up x-stitch designs from magazines. The pattern and piccie of the finished designs were photocopied and glued into a visual diary (I don’t like drawing on the glossy magazine paper); the aida and threads were put together in snap lock bags (what did we do without these?). Then everything was numbered. It is amazing what I can find to do when I don’t want to work on UFOs or sort out the den of inequity isn’t it? lol The other sad thing is I will have to visit my LQS to get the missing DMC flosses....I don’t know how I will cope!

The patterns I’ve kitted up are:
Cross Stitch Crazy Issue 116
* Floral Bouquet (a free card kit with everything in it)
* Eat Cake First (one cupcake)

Cross Stitch Card Shop issue 62
* Skating Reindeer (a free card kit with everything in it)

Just Cross Stitch October 2008 Halloween issue
* Batty Jack
* Pumpkin On Gingham
* Halloween Pumpkin Ornament
* Night Owl

Country Cross Stitching October 2008
* Crow and Pumpkin Cross Stitch

Not So Silent Sewing Machine

2008-11-09T15:42:00.000+09:00

After I had finished the quilting on Here Be Chickens, I was sick of the sight of it. So it was plonked in a corner of the Den of Inequity...lost and alone....I had even forgotten what I had named it! Until this afternoon that is. I started thinking about Finn’s Challenge....and how delightful it feels when I finish something....and how I want to start off the New Year with a clean slate....lots of quilts, stitcheries and x-stitch kitted up, but no UFOs or WIPs. So the sewing machine was dusted off....with Nibbles screeching encouragement from outside the window.....and as you can see from the piccie....it is well on the way to being ticked off as another finish for Finn’s Challenge. I finished machine sewing the binding this afternoon. Next weekend I will hand sew the back of the binding and attach the hanger. Then the only biggies I will have left are the Teapotz to make into a table runner or table cloth and the cross stitch piccie of the cat to make into a bag. In the words of a well loved Tasmanian icon....DEAD EASY!

X-Stitch, Challenges, SAT's and a Silent Sewing Machine

2008-11-09T11:02:00.000+09:00

This is the last stitchery from The Wish Quilt. When it is washed and pressed it will be made into a Christmas cushion to match the others I made up recently.

I plan on having a day on the sewing machine next Sunday. Sewing Friendship Grows and The Wish Quilt stitchery into cushions will keep me busy in the morning. The other piece I plan to work on is making a small table runner or cloth out of the Stargazey Teapotz blocks. I’m still tossing up which to do....I have a week to think about it...and change my mind....lol

Last week’s challenge over at Let’s Stitch (http://letsstitch.blogspot.com/ )was to stitch a FREEBIE. The piccie shows my contribution - Friendship Grows, a freebie by Lizzie Kate. I will make it into a cushion to go with Bloom and Hello Spring.

I’m enjoying stitching Smell My Feet by La-D-Da. I like whimsical or quirky Halloween designs and this one fits both criteria. I changed the stocking colour from green to purple as it is my favourite colour....and I think just as much of a witchy colour as green. ;) I’ll probably work on it for Friday night’s SAT over at Let’s Stitch.

The theme for this week’s challenge at Queer Crafters (http://queerquilters.blogspot.com/) is HOME. I am x-stitching the Barbara Ana Design (http://www.freewebs.com/barbara-ana-designs/freebies.htm) Home Is Where The Heart Is. I don’t have a before piccie, but there is a lovely needle roll and also a small cushion with the same design at http://freebiegallery.blogspot.com/ (search for Home Is Where The Heart Is).

You Don't Choose Who You Fall In Love With

2008-11-06T20:51:00.000+09:00

I admire George Takei greatly. This speech is worth listening to, whatever part of the world you are from......whatever your beliefs........When he spoke about a pluralistic society, he said what I feel eloquently.

I can't even begin to imagine how he and his husband feel.......a committed couple for over 21 years, married for a month......now in limbo waiting for the results of a referendum to let them know if they are still married.....

http://www.homepagedaily.com/Pages/article6275-george-takei-on-defending-gay-marriage.aspx

Here in Australia, Prime Minister Rudd supports the ideal that marriage is between a man and a woman........no matter how many different people they may marry......or it could be that some people get it right the first time....and others need more practise.....they need to be married two, three, four or more times before they get it right.....Doesn't matter how much or little it means to the people involved, or how well or badly they treat each other?

If the day ever comes when the missus and I can marry, it won't be Armageddon....life will still go on.....people will still put their pants on one leg at a time.....but there will be a group of ordinary people who won't be discriminated against for who they fall in love with.

Added Friday:

When a group is accepted by the system and laws reflect this through equal treatment, there is a flow on effect into society. For example, in Western Australia, racial vilification and violence towards people because of their race is considered a hate crime. There are serious consequences for hate crimes in Western Australia. Vilification and violence towards people stemming from their sexuality is not considered a hate crime. What messaged does that give?

I’ve been out for 29 years……and things are improving……slowly…..I look forward to the day when I can walk down the aisle with the missus….me wearing this outfit…… http://www.naergilien.info/interesting_costumes/returnvalkyrie_08.jpg ..even if I’m 90! lol

We may not get equality in my lifetime…..but I know that it will happen.

Music To Sew To......

2008-11-06T20:33:00.000+09:00

http://musicbox.sonybmg.com.au/?bcpid=18089611&bclid=70421132&bctid=1900387090

Luverly Crafty Bits

2008-11-01T19:00:00.000+09:00

One power ball......and I will visit here in person to buy the shop out! lol

www.thestitchingpost.com.au

Where It All Started

2008-10-27T20:06:00.000+09:00

I just found the pattern for the first cross stitch I ever made. It was what started my love of handcrafts. It was a freebie with aida, needle and thread on the front of an Australian Better Homes and Gardens magazine. I found it really difficult to do, but I plugged at it, as I made it for my son, who was six at the time. There was lots of frogging involved. I eventually finishedand he loved it. ........That was about 20 years ago.

http://www.dmc-usa.com/mjRS/1/doc/US_freedesigns/xkoalabear.pdf

Bloomin' Marvellous - Finish # 10

2008-10-26T20:48:00.000+09:00

With Hello Spring is Bloom by Lizzie Kate; stitched on 22 count evenweave. I finished it as a pincushion. I managed to squeeze out enough hand dyed purple fabric for it. It was part of last week’s Let’s Stitch (http://letsstitch.blogspot.com/) challenge on the Seasonal theme. It is also my 10th finish in Finn’s Challenge.

Next is Here Be Chickens. I aim to have this completed before Friday night. I only need to put on the binding and hanger.

Finn's Challenge Finish # 9

2008-10-26T17:22:00.000+09:00

Habits are hard to break. I took part in the weekly challenge with a seasonal theme last week over at http://letsstitch.blogspot.com/ . Hello Spring by Lizzie Kate was perfect…although it felt more like summer the day I started stitching….hot and humid…YUK!

I was flying along, stitching enthusiastically, then when I had finished Hello Spring (and I was stitching Spooky Friends by Judi Utter), I immediately put Hello Spring to one side and started stitching Bloom…by Lizzie Kate….without any thought of what I was going to do with Hello Spring and Spooky Friends or how to finish them. INSTANT UFOs!!!

It was about that time that the danger signs started flashing….and I could almost hear the echo of the robot from Lost In Space…”DANGER! DANGER! WARNING! WARNING!” Even though I hadn’t x-stitched for eight years I had continued with the bad habit I had all that time ago. I had the beginnings of another UFO pile! I’m not criticising myself over it….I’m just pleased that I am aware of it….I’d like to have the enjoyment of seeing things finished and decorating our home….big and small. So here it is….# 9 finish in Finn’s Challenge.

I love the pink background fabric. It was one of a hand dyed fat quarter pile I picked up on an art and craft trail a few years ago when the missus and I were living in the country….nearly two hours away from the nearest LQS and LNS!!! I will be delving into my stash to see if I have any purple hand dyed left for Bloom.

Finn's Challenge Finish # 8

2008-10-26T14:47:00.000+09:00

*doing the happy dance and singing* Another one bites the dust….another one bites the dust….another one gone….another one gone…..another one bites the dust!

This is Spooky Friends by Judi Utter which I finished as a pincushion. I’m really chuffed with the way it turned out.

Finn's Challenge Finishes 3 - 7.

2008-10-25T20:43:00.000+08:00

These are the completed cushions from The Wish Quilt UFO's. Taking part in Finn's Challenge is really motivating. These would have lurked in the bottom of the UFO bag for goodness knows how long all sad and forgotten otherwise....Now they will form part of our Christmas collection. I have one more stitchery in this which is about 3/4 finished. Now I know which part of it I've been putting off it will be easier to finish....cuz I will do a bit of that, then a bit of something I like....extrinsic motivation is a wonderful thing!

Here is the plan....which I am sure you know by now could change at any time! lol I am pleased with my progress...feels good to get things finished!

Finish by the end of the month
- Spooky Friends, Hello Spring and Bloom pincushions
- Here Be Chickens binding and hanger

Finish by the middle of November
- biscornu for the Missus

Finish by 31st December
- Teapotz table runner, placemats and teapot rest
- Treasure Hunt bag

The Quilt Inspector Strikes Again

2008-10-25T16:14:00.000+08:00

The Quilt Inspector has struck again…..this time giving his approval to Thursday’s purchases from the LQS. As soon as the contents of the paper bag were placed on the table, that was it….Lestat was up there checking it all out. He is a funny little thing, any paper or fabric, he is on it. Except aida or evenweave for my x-stitching. He won’t sit on those at all…..just smells them suspiciously….Until he spots the floss…then he turns into the X-Stitch Terrorist and starts batting at it and trying to eat it…YUK! Not that he gets very far. I’ve learnt to tuck in at the back whenever possible….he isn’t interested then.

As you can see in the piccie, he has taken possession of my fat quarters and also An Angels Story by Annie Downs of Hatched and Patched. If the fat quarters look familiar, it is because they are another set of 10 for $20 from the LQS. Apart from being gr8 value, it is a good way of trying different fabrics than I would normally choose.

I've been admiring Peg’s beautiful Angel blocks on her blog at http://happyinquilting.blogspot.com/ as she posts piccies of them and when I saw the book at the LQS I pounced on it. Lestat can resist it as much as I can! lol

I was thinking about stitching the angels instead of appliqué and using DMC Linen threads. I was looking (and drooling) over some yesterday afternoon and it feels very dry, as if it would drag as you stitched. Have you tried them? I'd appreciate your opinion.

Bloomin' Spooky Friends!

2008-10-25T16:02:00.000+08:00

This is Spooky Friends by Judi Utter. It is x-stitched on 14 count aida. I’ve been working on it for a couple of weeks at lunch when I’m not on playground duty, then decided to have a go at getting it finished last night for the Friday Stitch-A-Thon over at
http://letsstitch.blogspot.com/ I was close, but didn’t quite make it….but did get it finished after lunch today.

Does anyone stitch in public? If so, what kind of reaction do you get from people?

I had an appointment yesterday, which I knew would have a wait time of about one to two hours and I was nervous about, so I decided to take some x-stitch with me to pass the time and calm my nerves. When I sat down, it was more like being in an elevator than a waiting room. People were sitting there, looking at the ceiling or the floor with no eye contact or chat. This made me feel even MORE nervous! As soon as I got comfortable in the chair, I took out the zip lock bag with my supplies, put the evenweave in the hoop, rattled around in a film canister for a needle, then started stitching…..

There was an immediate change in the atmosphere of the room. People started whispering to the others they were with, started taking out books to read or notebooks and pens and started writing etc.

Nobody said anything to me, but every time a woman opened the door to go out of the powder room, they paused…and they had a look at what I was doing. (I had the WORST seat in the waiting room…right next to the ladies loo! lol) When I was telling the Missus about it later on, it occurred to me that when I started pulling all sorts of stitching paraphernalia out of my (rather large) handbag I must have looked a bit like Mr Bean! ;)

The piccie in the hoop is what I was stitching. It is Bloom by Lizzie Kate. It is on 22 count evenweave. At least I think it is evenweave! It has sat in the back of the wardrobe in the den of iniquity commonly known as my sewing room for so long I can’t remember! lol I’m really glad I stitched, as it calmed my nerves a lot.

Cushions and Oddities

2008-10-19T17:28:00.000+08:00

About a month ago I decided not to continue with The Wish Quilt. Which left me a problem….three stitcheries and three appliqués which turned into instant UFO’s. They’ve been in coventry ever since then…until this morning when I had the idea that I could turn them all into (Christmas) cushions. So before and after Chaos and I went to our favourite restaurant for lunch, I sewed and pressed and sewed some more. I will begin stuffing tonight…...and hopefully by the end of next weekend I will have six new cushions for Christmas. (The third stitchery isn’t quite finished yet.) An afterthought.....They might be finished the weekend after....I've just signed up for the weekly challenge over at http://letsstitch.blogspot.com/.....I'll be stitching Hello Spring by Lizzie Kate. You can see the design over at her site.... http://www.lizziekate.com/free.html
I finished the second side for the missus’ biscornue. I’ve put it to one side for a few days cuz I’m sick of looking at it! lol That’s not a bad thing, tho’ cuz when I pick it up again it will be with fresh eyes and enthusiasm!

Besides that....it is one of those projects that needs concentration....so a quiet Sunday afternoon and a few cups of tea will be necessary!

My shortest post ever

2008-10-18T17:11:00.000+08:00

I saw these two at the LQS last night and couldn’t resist.

Spoilt rotten

2008-10-10T17:26:00.000+08:00

When I picked up the mail I had a lovely surprise. There was a parcel from Fiona over at http://dragonfly-crafts.blogspot.com/ waiting for me. I was a prize winner from her Blogging Sleepover. I felt very spoilt when I opened the package, as I had received a lovely hand written note from Fiona, a pot holder…(this made me smile really wide as I had just bought a book on how to make potholders the day before!)....a face cloth with a lovely crocheted band around the outside. (I’m teaching myself how to crochet…so I was in awe of what Fiona had hooked.)….a booklet showing the area where she lives (makes me want to visit…looks like a lovely part of Oz)….a postcard of a waterfall…..and a pen.

To me, face cloths are one of those little luxury items to be used every day…scrummy soap and a face cloth with a beautiful crocheted edge are sheer heaven!

I love kitchen gadgets and nick-nacks……including potholders. The fabric on the one Fiona made for me is fabulous…I smile every time I use it.

Thank you so much, Fiona, for your wonderful gifts, you made me feel very special.

It's Done!

2008-10-04T23:08:00.000+08:00

My first x-stitch in 8 years...is finished! *happy dance* I'm glad I didn't start off with a biggie...like Teresa Wentzler's Rapunzel lol (which is on the "to do" list for the future). Sometimes instant gratificiation is just what I need. Now I just need to make the bag it will be on the front of.

Friday Night SAT

2008-10-04T16:58:00.000+08:00

Here’s my progress on Treasure Hunt. I’m happy with how much I completed last night in Let's Stitch's Stitch-A-Thon. I even squeezed some stitching time in this morning….The part around the thick outside border. A few more nights and I will be finished….and raring to go on the next one! The SAT’s have been great fun to join in, especially knowing that there will be other stitcher’s needles flying @ their six o’clock!

UFO Challenge

2008-10-01T22:23:00.001+08:00

When I said I'd join in the UFO/WIP challenge on http://letsstitch.blogspot.com/ I was sure I had a x-stitch UFO or long-standing WIP lurking in the bottom of my x-stitch stash....I reached the bottom of the crate and......NOTHING! I vaguely remember having a ruthless chuck out a few years ago of any incomplete projects....so that makes Treasure Hunt my long-standing WIP....a whole five days! lol (I started it on Friday night for the SAL.) The button is a ceramic one I picked up at a craft shop this morning. I intend putting it on the front of the tote which Treasure Hunt is to be the front of.

Mind you, with all the lovely designs in magazines, on blogs, websites and in books it is hard not to start a myriad of new projects! So the piccie above is where I'm up to. I'm hoping to finish the x-stitch in about a weeks time, as I'm bursting to start a biscornu.

I've found a lovely one at http://freebiegallery.blogspot.com/ (27th September, 2008) It is taking a LOT of will power to not start something new as I'm an expert at starting new projects, then putting them to one side when something new comes along! I'm hoping to curb that by inbetween working on a large project I like, making quickies when my interest starts to wane....hopefully that will keep my interest up. I know it works with quilting!

Hen's Teeth

2008-10-01T12:21:00.000+08:00

Cross stitch needles are like hen's teeth in Perth. There are plenty of the thicker tapestry needles, but not many places that sell the fine ones for cross stitch. Which (naturally) led to a trip across town to the needlework shop....I won't say local cuz it was a half hour drive there. lol Of course taking so long to get there I had to make the trip worthwhile *grinz*

As you can see The Quilt Inspector is taking his job very seriously and branching out into other areas of craft. He jumped up to check things out as I was putting the goodies out on the table. There was much sniffing and rolling...with a sneaky attempt at a nibble on the embroidery floss, too....hence the indignant look in the second picture when he was growled at....like all cats he thinks he can do no wrong.

This Calico Crossroads design reminded me so much of Lestat I had to buy it. He is an indoor cat, so the only opportunity he gets to climb trees is......you guessed it.....once a year when the Christmas Tree goes up. He gets himself into all sorts of pickles....to say nothing of the tree! lol

I've not tried John James needles before, but they look like they will be ok. I bought size 28's. I like the fine ones....They will go through any count aida. Five packets will keep me going for a while. I will tuck them away until I've finished using all the freebie ones from the front of magazines. Those are always handy to keep.

One thing I really don't enjoy is winding floss onto the cards. I find it mind numbingly boring...and a waste of good crafting time, too! I think I may have hit on an idea that may mean they get put on more often (I have a bag with about 20 or so that need winding on hidden away in the den of inequity). If I wind the the floss on while tea is cooking I reckon I will be able to get them done fairly quickly.....in theory anyway. lol Being a Gemini will help I think....multitask, multitask, multitask.... (I bought a packet of those today in the hopes of becoming more efficient and organised.)

I couldn't resist some of the aida packets that were in the sale bin today. I picked up three 50cm x 65cm pieces...a navy blue, a dark Christmasy red and a colour which is called rustic all in 18 count for the princessly sum of $5 each. I've always used cream or white before, but for that price, I decided it was time to branch out a bit! The blue and red I will be keeping for some biscornu. I think they'd look good with some geometric designs. The rustic aida will be perfect for the Halloween Fairy which I will be starting soon. I came across it on http://letsstitch.blogspot.com/ ...Melissa M is stitching it....then lo and behold I found the same pattern in the September issue of Cross-Stitch and Neelework at the newsagents the other day. I decided it was more than mere coincidence...so had to buy it. There's a piccie at http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2123449870077748232gAfpQq This one is on different background to the one I'm going to use, but you will get the idea.

I found some verigated DMC floss (4050) which I thought the Missus might like for her biscornu. It is limey green and blue. (Lime green is her favourite colour.) If it is not her colour, I'm sure I will find another use for it. I was nearly home when I remembered I'd not picked up any grey floss, which I need for the current cross stitch. So, I made a detour to a nearby craft shop, which does NOT sell cross stitch needles...or DMC floss as I've just found out....*mutters to myself 100 times* I WILL check the brand before buying floss.....* I don't like Anchor floss. Never have, never will...nope, nope, nope....Oh well, I will just have to put on my big grrl knickers and get over it. There were a couple of good things came out of going to that shop, tho'...an extra large "quick" yo-yo maker and a cute cat button....so it was not a complete loss. ;)

X-stitch Freebies

2008-09-28T17:03:00.001+08:00

I'm looking and drooling....There are lots of really lovely ideas. The designs are mostly small enough to complete over a few nights or at most a couple of weeks. I'm hooked!

http://freebiegallery.blogspot.com/

Coffin Buzz made me laugh.

I've not made any biscornu yet, but can see me having a collection of them soon!

Check out Jour De Fete. It is a sweet way of using an altoid tin. Could be easily adapted from x-stitch to patchwork or any other kind of stitchery.

There's even a few by Teresa Wentzler *drools on the keyboard* I’ve been a fan of hers for years and love how she “paints” with threads. She has some really lovely designs for free on her site http://www.twdesignworks.com/ I am rather partial to dragons and she has a gorgeous patter “Tempest” In A Teacup featuring a dragon.

Little Bag And Some Blatent Advertising

2008-09-28T16:30:00.000+08:00

I enjoy making these little bags. I like being able to make something in an afternoon….and it really quietens the “Iwanttostartsomethingnew” voice. This pattern gives neat corners. I found the pattern at http://orangeflowerpatterns.blogspot.com/ I do have a small fix to make on it. I put one of the tabs on upside down. Just something small…but annoying! lol

I have joined a collaborative x-stitch blog. If you are a x-stitcher and are interested in joining a collaborative group, I think there may be a few places left. Go check it out if x-stitch is your thing....some great stuff going on over there.

I've changed my quilting group Queer Quilters from being e-mail based to a collaborative blog. The invites have been sent out to the members, so I'm hoping they will take up the offer. If you know any lesbian or gay quilters who may be interested, please send them over to http://queerquilters.blogspot.com/ All the details are over there. Feel free to have a squiz yourself at any time!

I've been finding I want to blog about non-crafty bits and pieces lately. My purpose for this blog is to keep it craft related, so decided to start a collaborative blog with Chaos (the missus). So.......anything non-craft related, such as books that we read, gardening, cooking, general life stuff is over there. The url is http://two-proud-owls.blogspot.com/

An Award

2008-09-28T15:30:00.000+08:00

I'd like to say thank you to Tatania over at http//www.little-mysteries.blogspot.com for the Kreativ Blogger Award. It really made me smile. I felt very proud when I read that she had awarded it to me, as she is such a talented and creative woman.

The rules are:
1. The winner may put the logo on her blog.
2. Put a link to the person you got the award from.
3. Nominate 5 blogs.
4. Put links to the blogs.
5. Leave a message for your nominees

The hard part was choosing only five bloggers to pass the award on to, as there are so many blogs which are enjoyable to read. After much thought and speculation the list is down to:

http://www.acozylittleplaceforstitching.blogspot.com/

http://betweenthestitches.blogspot.com/

http://needleshooksandpaperbackbooks.blogspot.com/

http://oodlesofstitches.blogspot.com/

http://plushcat.blogspot.com/

One For Pincushion Fans

2008-09-21T12:55:00.000+08:00

http://www.needlenthread.com/2007/06/biscornu-needlework-oddity-thats-really.html

http://own-two-hands.livejournal.com/4186.html

Some Kind Of Record

2008-09-15T18:50:00.000+08:00

I think it must be a record….This is the second time I’ve been to Spotlight and only purchased what I went in there for. That is when I remembered what it was! A friend jogged my memory by saying it was probably quilt related. I came out with two metres of reasonably thick vlisoflix. I knew the second thing I needed was something important, so after wandering around the habby section for a while I remembered it was batting. I spotted some bamboo and cotton batting and thought that I’d give it a go. I’ve used wool batting and the artificial stuff (can’t think what it is called) before, both which I have been happy enough using. If the cotton and bamboo quilts up as well as it feels, I will be using it again.

On the way home the car just happened to pull into the car park of the LQS. It has a mind of its own. It wouldn’t budge until I had been in the shop. I think it was in cahoots with the quilt inspector….who you can see in the above piccie giving the once over to my purchases. Of course it would be just bad manners of me if I didn’t purchase something while I was in there. Soooooooo……I got a fly eye, a Clover “quick” yo-yo maker and the pattern Seed Pots by Hatched and Patched. I’ve not had one of their patterns before and have been eyeing this one off for a while. That and a whole wall full of other patterns! lol The instructions look easy to follow, are logically and clearly set out. These are supported by some easy to follow illustrations. Even though I don’t follow patterns that closely when I make something, I enjoy reading them….and I like these!
As you can see, the quilt inspector is totally exhausted by his work. He is currently fast asleep on the back of the settee in the lounge. It is his permanent spot at night. Which is fine until he sees another cat or some kind of threat out the window, then I get beaten about the head with his swishing tail! lol
Here’s hoping you have a crafty week.

Finn's Challenge - Here Be Chickens

2008-09-14T17:17:00.000+08:00

This is where I am up to with Here Be Chickens. I just have to add the corn for it to be a completed flimsy. That means a trip to Spotlight for some fusible webbing and some wadding for the Teapotz. I will wear my running shoes….in case of temptations! lol

Finn's Challenge - Teapotz

2008-09-14T16:44:00.001+08:00

Untrimmed Table Runner Blocks

I’ve just had an “AH-HA!” moment with the Teapotz. I’ve been sitting at my sewing machine this afternoon putting blocks together and not enjoying it much at all. I thought that I wasn’t in the mood for machine sewing, but just realised it is something completely different. With the Teapotz I have been trying to emulate what Jan Mullens has made (with my own fabric and colour combination). For ages now I’ve been putting off sewing any blocks for it. It is on my list for Finn’s Challenge to finish by the end of this year. It is something I would really like to finish and tick off the list. The only problem is I’ve not been enjoying the process. Which is NOT me! I sew for myself…et al…. I sew what I like and enjoy making. This afternoon I was so sick of making blocks I laid out the ones I had made, trying to work out a design for a smaller wall hanging. Then I thought why make a wall hanging at all? Every so often on blogs I see table runners people have sewn and they are all lovely. I have a bit of a drool, then think to myself…I’d like to make a table runner….one day.

Untrimmed Placemat Blocks

Well….one day has come. I’m not making any more blocks. I am going to make myself a table runner and some placemats out of the eight inch blocks which would have made the outside rows.

Teapot Mat Flimsy

The big block which was to be the centre is going to be turned into a mat for sitting a teapot on. I have the Teacupz pattern also, which I reckon I might use to make matching coasters. I will hand quilt all with swirls of steam (Jan Mullen’s idea) using stranded cotton. I have a lifetime supply of this as I started my crafty life as a cross stitcher. All wonderful accessories for a Mad Quilter’s Teaparty!