Paisley Patch

Another Month Gone

2011-06-05T20:22:00.000+10:00

Well, another month has gone and it's been another one of ups and downs. The down was losing our little dog Lucy just over a week ago. It was quite sudden and a bit of a shock, so it's been a sad week. What we thought was nasal swelling from allergies and sinus turned out to the a nasal tumor. She was almost 12 and had been blind since she was 3 due to glaucoma but had been a lovely, healthy little thing other than that. Well, she's gone over the rainbow bridge to be with Charlie and Sasha (our other two dogs we lost in the last three years), as well as Jellybean, our beautiful little guinea pig. We should have her ashes back in the next week or so ...

As for the rest of the month ... I did finish another of my BOM blocks. It's really slow going since I am doing it by hand, but it keeps my hands busy. I have also been doing some hand quilting on a very long term project which I am hoping to complete this winter before the warmer weather kicks in again. There is nothing worse than hand quilting in the heat. Here is my third completed block ...

I will be planning a trip to pick up some fabric soon so that I can finish my Tis the Season project. I also have to make a shaggy quilt for someone Tiffany works with. She is due to have her baby in the next couple of months, so I need to get myself organised. She loves Beatrix Potter, so I will be digging some of my fabric out, and then choosing some to co-ordinate.

Well, it's time to find something new to start. I have another BOM to do, but I also have a couple of projects I've seen in some of the magazines I've bought recently ... decisions, decisions, decisions .. LOL ...

2011-05-08T21:45:00.000+10:00

Wow, May already!! Where is this year going????

I haven't been getting much in the way of crafty things done recently, so in the last week or so I really put my nose to the grindstone and got a few things done. Doing things all by hand is quite time consuming, but at least it gives me time to let my mind wander and just chill out for a while. I completed the second block of my Country Romance BOM and I'm really pleased with how it looks. I'm loving the country colours because I haven't used them very much recently. I will be starting on block 3 this week.

Block 2 of Country Romance BOM

I have also been part of a group doing the Tis the Season Stitch Along. It's been great fun and I have loved doing them so much I completed them all and am looking forward to putting it all together and adding some embellishments. I decided to do mine in blue/aquas instead of the normal red/green, and it has turned out to be beautifully icy looking which is just perfect for me (I have always longed for a white Christmas but never had one yet). This will be the next best thing :-)

Tis the Season Stitch Along Block

I hope everyone has had a lovely Mother's Day. We certainly have here. Some lovely gifts and a relaxing day with stitching done ... who could ask for more? :-)

A Busy and Exciting Couple of Weeks

2011-04-05T15:19:00.000+10:00

I've spent the last few weeks working on a couple of different projects. This one is the first block for one of my BOMs. It's fairly long, so this is a small part of it ....

These are the Tis The Season blocks for April. I've been a super early bird this month so I can get a few blocks ahead and be more organised than normal ...

I decided this morning to do a little bit of baking, and muffins and scones were on the agenda. I was supposed to use choc chips for the muffins, but used block chocolate chopped into chunks instead. This, of course, means more chocolate (milk and white) in the muffins, and that can never be a bad thing .. lol ....

The exciting part of the last few weeks was our trip to see Jersey Boys at the Theatre Royal on the 26th of March. My daughter loves musical theatre and I booked the coach trip for her 18th birthday. What an awesome show!!!! We loved it so much that we have re-booked for another show in May and we are treating ourselves to a hire car to bring us home. Part of the coach trip was also a stop at the Birkenhead Outlet and The Rocks Markets. They were good, but Jersey Boys was the real highlight. If you haven't seen it you really should.

I hope everyone else is having a productive time. I really feel like I am getting somewhere with my crafting this year and I'll have some completed projects and not just UFO's.

Happy Stitching xxx

2011-03-12T18:22:00.001+11:00

Earlier in my blog you might have read about the Stitching Round the Block project I joined with Jan, Julie and Fiona. Well, we did take a little longer, but everything came together in the end and I received mine back from Julie. She finished it off beautifully, and it is just lovely ....

I also completed the block which went back to Fiona. I hope she liked it, and here is a picture of it all finished (I did the last part on this one which is the outer border) ...

Tis the Season Stitch A Long Progress

2011-03-12T18:08:00.000+11:00

So .... here are the first three blocks I've done. I'm really happy with them, and I'm so glad I decided to go with the aqua/blue theme. Some of the other ladies are doing some beautiful blocks too, and it's been a treat following what they have been up to. Time to move on to another BOM for a while now, until the next two blocks are started next month :-)

My BOM for this year

2011-03-06T21:10:00.000+11:00

I have also chosen a BOM to complete for this year. It's a lovely country style one and I am really looking forward to it. I have just got my first block so as soon as I've finished my Tis the Season blocks, I will be starting this one :-)

Tis the Season Stitch-A-Long

2011-03-06T21:00:00.000+11:00

Long time no posting from me. My blog must be feeling VERY neglected .. lol ..

I have been attempting to get my craft mojo into gear and start getting things done. I have been lucky to get into one of the last places in a lovely Blog Stitch-A-Long called Tis the Season. It will be going for some months to come, so I will be sharing my progress as I go. These are the fabrics I have chosen, and while they aren't the traditional red and green, I love them :-)

Trying something new

2011-01-02T21:46:00.000+11:00

A friend of mine (Jan), posted a tutorial for a quick and easy mug rug, and today I decided I would whip one up and see how it turned out. Well, here it is ...

It was super easy to make, and there will definitely be more done in the near future.

My daughter likes spending time in Sydney, so when I found this little cross stitch kit in a bargain bin at Spotlight for $3, I couldn't ignore it. It now has pride of place in her bedroom, and she loves it.

Now I have to decide whether to do lots of little bits and pieces, or stick in an do one big project ... who am I kidding, I will probably end up doing both, but I am determined to finish things I start now. What a perfect New Years Resolution!!! :-)

2010-12-22T15:43:00.000+11:00

I have been making a couple of things lately, but haven't been able to share some of them because they were gifts. This is something I made for the birthday of a dear friend earlier this month, so it's safe to share now :-)

It's the first and second parts of the Stitching Round the Block that I've been doing with some other ladies, and since Judy is a lovely friend, I thought it was perfect for her. She loves purple, so I made sure it was very purple.

I also came across a beautiful Owl stitchery wallhanging in a magazine recently and decided I would like to make one myself. I'm so pleased with the way it has turned out, so it's my Christmas present to myself :-)

Now to decide on my new project. I have started a mini cross stitch, and that will keep me busy until I make up my mind what to do next :-)

Snowman Wallhanging

2010-11-13T20:38:00.000+11:00

I've been making a few bits and pieces for Christmas and I finished my Snowman wallhanging tonight. He's soooo cute, and is offering to mend mittens cheap .. lol ..

I will be starting some more decorations tomorrow (after the dreaded housework is done) so I should have more to share in the near future :-)

Another UFO completed!!

2010-11-03T13:21:00.000+11:00

I am proud to say that another of my wayward UFOs is now finished and waiting to be hung. This is one I started for my Mam ages ago, and I'm really pleased with the way it has turned out. It has taken some time, but I can now give it to her as a Christmas gift.

Next things are to get back to our Stitching Round the Block project, finish another Christmas gift, and start my Snowman wallhanging. I'm loving being able to spend so much time with all my fabric and crafty bits and pieces :-)

Stitching Round the Block Update

2010-10-27T19:18:00.000+11:00

Yesterday I decided to make another stitchery for our Stitching Around the Block project. I'm going to keep the first one I made to practise with before I unleash myself on other people's creations. I think I will be much happier doing it that way, and I'll end up with two wallhangings instead of one, so that has to be a bonus :-)

Here is the new one ...

I also went to Spotlight and found some fabric to do the binding on one of my UFOs, so I will be tackling that while I wait for the next round as well as starting a few Christmas things I've just found patterns for. I'm feeling very inspired at the moment, and I haven't done this much sewing for ages. It's brilliant!!!

2010-10-24T15:00:00.000+11:00

This is my stitchery for the first part of our "Stitching Round the Block' group that just started. I will be posting it off to Fiona early in the week. I did mine in lots of different colours so it was like a garden in Springtime (unlike the weather we are getting at the moment .. lol). It isn't perfect, but since I have just started gettting back into my sewing again after a hugely busy year I'm quite happy with it. I'm looking forward to seeing what we will be doing for the next round!!

I am off to start another UFO now, so hopefully I will be posting a picture of it soon :-)

2 UFO's down :-)

2010-10-19T11:20:00.000+11:00

Well, I got stuck in yesterday and this morning, and hey presto ... two bags finished!!! The blue one is for Tiffany and the other is Mam's. I'm very pleased with them.

Now, what to finish off next? :-)

Wow, time really does fly

2010-10-18T19:04:00.000+11:00

I can't believe it has been sooooo long since I posted here. I guess life gets in the way sometimes, and that seems to have been happening an awful lot!!

Spending time with my crafty bits and pieces has been a very scarce thing for me this year. Since the chaos has started to settle, I have decided to be really good and complete a few of the UFO's that have been floating around here. I will post pictures of them when they are done, and hopefully that will keep me motivated. There are always so many lovely things to make, and I need to remind myself that they don't all need to be done at once ... it's going to be really hard trying remembering that .. LOL ..

I am super proud of my daughter Tiffany who has just completed her Certificate III in Children's Services. She's only 17, so that is a huge achievement for her. She's starting Diploma next year so that will keep her busy for 2 or 3 years, and then another 2 years at Uni for Early Childhood. She loves it, so that is a wonderful motivation.
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Well, off to get some crafty stuff done. I try to do most things by hand, but I'm going to have to get the sewing machine out tonight. Sewing machines and I don't always see eye to eye, so it's always an adventure.

Happy stitching :-)

Sharing some sad news ....

2009-03-19T14:16:00.000+11:00

I guess blogs are to share everything, so sometimes we have to share the bad stuff too. Well, here's some of the bad stuff ......

We had to have our beautiful dog Sasha put to sleep today. She was 12 years old, and a gentle, loving soul. It's so sad for our family because we only lost Charlie (one of our other dogs) 6 months ago ....

We'll miss you Smoosh xxx

Hand quilting progress .....

2009-02-28T14:46:00.000+11:00

Here is the start of the hand quilting on my heart wallhanging. I have a way to go yet, but I want to get it finished in the next couple of weeks if I can because I have another project I would love to start. I refuse to start anything else until this one is done .... lol ....

The Way to Live Your Life

2009-02-22T21:05:00.000+11:00

This is the signature of one of our craft forum ladies (Mitty), and I think it's brilliant ... it gives me a giggle every time I read it .....

Live your life in such a way that, when your feet hit the floor in the morning, Satan shudders & says... 'Oh sh*t.... she's awake!!'

2009-02-21T21:03:00.000+11:00

I've been going through some boxes and drawers that I haven't ventured into for a while. I found these, and realised how scarily fast time flies ... lol ... These are a couple of Santa photos I thought I would share ....

Heart Stitchery Wallhanging

2009-02-21T20:53:00.000+11:00

This week has been an absolute nightmare. It's one of those, what can go wrong, has gone wrong types (I bet you know the ones .... lol ), so I haven't been able to do as much as I would have liked craft wise. Here is an update of my Heart Stitchery Wallhanging. I've started marking it for the quilting, and will be basting this weekend sometime so I can start the quilting process next week (if I can find the time).

I'll post some more updates as the quilting progresses ... :-)

2009-02-09T21:22:00.000+11:00

Here is a Stained Glass panel made by a very dear crafty friend of mine. It was from the same pattern I used for the one I made. It's her first attempt with anything like this, and I'm very proud of her. Well done Judy .... :-) ...

She used to be a paper crafter, but we brought her over to the dark side of fabric and quilt making, and she's never looked back ....

2009-02-06T20:30:00.000+11:00

This is my current work in progress (among the many other UFO's ... lol).

I'm planning a wallhanging (inspired by my quilty friend Jan), and am nearly finished with the stitchery part. I'll keep posting bits and pieces as my project progresses.

Stained Glass Rose

2009-02-06T20:26:00.000+11:00

I haven't done a Stained Glass pattern for a while. I got this one from Kylie (our almighty leader on the craft forum ... lol) and since it's too hot to be out and about, I got some time to make it up today ....

2009-01-17T14:23:00.000+11:00

Here are a few crafty bits and pieces my daughter Tiffany made. She doesn't do a whole lot of craft at the moment, but sometimes she just gets the urge to be creative.

2009-01-17T14:07:00.000+11:00

This is a reverse applique a lovely lady on Oztion (named Maryann/Collectablefabric) once taught me how to do. It's quite easy, and very effective when it's done. I'm still deciding how to use it, but it will probably be a cushion or a bag of some type.

2009-01-12T21:52:00.000+11:00

Speaking of karate .... this is Tiff's Black Belt Grading. A very grueling weekend, and we were so proud of her (I don't know that I could have done it) ...

This is the board breaking (at the very end of the weekend before they got their belts). Look at her knuckles ... that happened on Friday and she still had the rest of the weekend to go!!

Finally the time came ... she says it was all worth it, but gosh it was hard as a parent to watch her go through it ...

2009-01-12T21:39:00.000+11:00

This is my very first quilt.

My daughter started karate when she was 10 and I was sitting and watching her for about 9 hours a week. I was going stir crazy until a lovely lady introduced me to quilting, and I've never looked back.

2009-01-12T21:17:00.000+11:00

This is a stained glass wall hanging I did in another class with Jan. We had to use the sewing machine with this one so it had to be beaten into submission (I've told you about my affliction with sewing machines ... they just don't seem to like me much ... LOL ...). It was something different from what I'd done before and I learned some new techniques so it was great.

Other Crafty Things

2009-01-12T21:08:00.000+11:00

I've done a few tapestries as well. My mother did the one with the little girl and I did the boy for Tiffany's room when she was younger. I did the bottom one which is in my mother's room now.

2009-01-12T19:37:00.000+11:00

This is a huge work in progress for me. It was done in a class with Jan, and is all done by hand. I am waiting for cooler weather to start on the hand quilting again ...

2009-01-12T16:18:00.000+11:00

I have mainly taught myself how to make the things I do, but for a short time I did classes at Spotlight. I was lucky to have a great teacher who I am still friends with now. Her name is Jan Quigley and she is a super talented lady with a wicked sense of humour. You can find her blog here .... http://mollys-meanderings.blogspot.com/

I wanted to share some of the things I have made in her classes, and although some of them are still unfinished, what decent quilter wouldn't have a few UFO's flying around the place?

These are some of the small Celebration wall hangings that Jan designed for our classes one term ... there are more I will share later ......

2009-01-11T20:54:00.000+11:00

These are some of the results of the Shaggy Quilt
craze we had (and are still having) on our craft forum. The ladies there are some of the sweetest people and I only wish we lived closer so we could all have a get together. Maybe one day we'll win Lotto and then we can ....

The quilt above was my first attempt and I made it for my mother. She loves it, and it's a great lap size ...

This is a Harry Potter lap quilt I made for my daughter ...

This pink one is another for my daughter. She is mad on pink and it suits her room perfectly ...

WELCOME...

2009-01-11T19:20:00.000+11:00

Welcome to my very first blog. I hope to be able to share lots of things, and especially some of my crafty endeavours ....