Christmas Fun and SKOW progress

I am so excited to show you my Christmas Fun quilt, Lynette Anderson's mystery quilt from last year, all bound and finished. I did enjoy stitching this quilt but it took me far too long to do the quilting and the piecing! I am thrilled with the result.

 Here are all those little appliques and pieced blocks all hand quilted and the buttons sewn on. I ended up machine quilting around the outer borders.

 Here is the label sewn on and ready to write on. It looks lopsided in this photo though it isn't as bad in real life.

 I also had yesterday afternoon in the sewing room and put together March's part of SKOW. I just need to sew the top borders and I will be up to date.

 I changed "gardening all day" to just gardens as I really don't like gardening at all. I like looking at gardens and love to embroider the flowers but don't like the work involved in actually gardening.

I went to the pictures on the weekend and saw The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. It was such a wonderful movie. 

  

Holiday stitching

I did manage a little stitching when I was away in between all the swimming, eating, playing trivia, watching shows and reading! I had almost finished stitching another of these little sheep scissor keepers as my original has been lost.

 I did the stitching on these appliques for one of Anni Downs' needle/sewing books.

 This little stitchery in one of the Christmas quilt ones from the Birdhouse. I want to make the lovely bag in the book.

 This is for little stitching bag and needlebook from Anni.

 This will be the label for my Christmas Fun quilt if "someone" ever finishes the little bit of quilting that needs doing!

 These cross stitched stars are part of one of Scandinavian Christmas borders. Now everything just needs to be made up!

Had a lovely read of the latest Vignette magazine this week. It is a lovely issue but did remind me to get started on my centre blocks of the Vignette quilt.

Classes and kits

Where has the week gone? I can't believe it is Friday again. We had a busy day on Wednesday at the shop with social stitching and then classes. So nice to see what the ladies have been working on. Bronwyn and Lynn have finished their bookmarks.

 Bronwyn has also finished her little needlecase from last year's stitching day and her scissor keeper is almost finished.

 Lynn was using this beautifully embroidered needlecase.

 What have I been doing? I have been busy over the last few weeks making samples and writing notes for the stitching days coming up in March and April. Yesterday I cut out lots of parlan, interfacing and fabric to start making the kits.

 I know...they aren't on for a while but I am heading off in a few weeks on holidays and just want to be organised.  Here are some of the photos and bags ready for packing.

 My stitching has slowed right down but I have been doing a little handquilting on Christmas Fun.

Stitching ...

I have managed to do a little stitching in between wedding festivities and trips to the coast. I have finished January's blocks for the SKOW Stitch-a-long. which is exciting. If only I could keep up with Fiona !

 I have appliqued the parts of block 7 of In my Garden. Need to force myself into the sewing room to sew it together.

 Woo hoo! The fourth border has been added to the Christmas Fun BOM. Now to get to the quilting.

 Most things have been set aside to work on some secret stitching and note writing for the stitching days Fiona and I are running in March and April.

Best get back to it!
Just a reminder to my class ladies that we start this coming Wednesday, 1 February. Looking forward to catching up with everyone.

A little stitching

Just a quick post before I head to work this morning. I have been stitching and here is a little progress! Chooky reminded us about keeping up on the Stitchalong blog and I thought I had better get started on this month's blocks as the month is almost over!

 I have been doing some secret stitching on a little canvas work.

 There are now 3 sides on the Christmas Fun quilt.

Stitching....

Finally....a day at home to try and catch up on some projects and to do a bit of 'dreaded' housework. I did just the bare necessities and then started to get a little organised on some of my projects. I prepared the applique shapes for the last parts of block 7 of In my Garden. 

 I have been continuing to stitch this third long border of the Vignette quilt. I can see the end in sight now! I daren't try and time how long these take! Last evening, I stitched all evening and really only completed about 3 of the larger flowers!!!! I haven't even started the centre blocks.

 I also did some cutting today ready for the outer borders of Christmas Fun. The sewing room was a little dark for photos!

Sometimes you  think you will achieve so much when you have a day at home! Still, it really doesn't matter if you don't get all your list completed. It is sometimes nice to just take your time and do things at a more leisurely pace!

Still stitching...

I have still been stitching but on my works in progress. I went to work after 2 weeks off and it was nice to catch up with our friendly customers at Hobbysew. I was tired though as the day had been busy. Not much energy to stitch last night. I don't think I have shown you my Vignette progress for a while. I have been plodding along and have finished the side blocks, 5 and 9. I am now stitching the other side! So many lovely flowers!

 I have pieced Christmas fun and hope to get motivated to add the borders over the next few days.

 Mostly I have been working on keeping up with the Some Kind of Wonderful Stitch-a-long. I have even been adding the long borders! I must admit this is a lovely project to work on.

Some progress

It has been lovely to have some quiet days at home to get into some sewing...especially some machining. I made the last 2 tiny pieced stars for Christmas Fun and the last block is done.

Here are all the blocks ready to be sewn together and then the borders added. I didn't like making the stars but they do look lovely in this quilt. 

 I have progressed with my SKOW quilt. Today is the last day and I have done the jeans.

 I am part way to finishing the piecing between the blocks.

 And here is the suitcase. I left the places as they were as I have been to all of them fairly recently.

I hope to do a bit more work this afternoon and start cutting the border pieces. I hope everyone has a fun New Year even if it is just at home stitching. Thanks for reading this blog during 2011 and I am looking forward to another year of friends, family, gatherings, holidays and stitching in 2012.

A great weekend and a bit of stitching

We had a wonderful weekend away at Mt Victoria on the weekend for a family reunion. We normally get together on Boxing day but as each family has grown this has become a huge gathering. It was decided to have a lunch earlier this year and it was mainly for the "older" members of the family. We had a wonderful time at Bev's guesthouse, Closeburn House in Mt Victoria. Here are Aunty Shirley (90), Ma, Pa and Uncle Alan. Aunty Dorothy would have been looking down from heaven and wishing she were there!  

 Here are nearly all their children and their husbands and wives. We enjoyed a delicious Christmas lunch and had a great time catching up on all the news. A few of us stayed overnight and enjoyed the guesthouse. Must go and visit it again.

 I have been stitching a little. I am very pleased with my little stitching bag from Some Kind of Wonderful. It was a bit time consuming but it went together well except for the times that I didn't take care with my measurements!!!

 As we were travelling I did a bit of secret Christmas stitching in the car.

 I also managed to applique a few pumpkins on Friday for the In my Garden quilt.

 Here is the last stitched block of Christmas Fun. Now to make the pieced blocks and put it together.

 It was very exciting at Hobbysew yesterday as the new Vignette magazine arrived! I wanted to shoo the customers away so I could read it! Hobbysew has them now if anyone wants one in Canberra.