What made my week.......

No pictures today, but I've had a great week, albeit it tiring.  My job has been sooooo busy, but during the week a book order arrived that I'd been waiting on.  Ordered a few weeks back & 3 great books arrived (and all at good prices too) on the Battle of Fromelles, Stories from the survivors of the Thai-Burma Railway & Constructing Australia.  Can't wait to look at the Fromelles book - so much detail.

Then a towel rail arrived on the same day - not a big deal, but it was just like Christmas, with lots of new things.

And yesterday a thank you card arrived from one of the quilt owners, with a very nice thought to treat myself.  All I wanted was to just get her quilt put together & see her enjoy it.  So nice and unexpected.  So I bought 3 new Cottage Garden Threads yesterday in the blue tones as a starting point.

And about 10 days ago we had over 100mm rain in less than 24 hours - and when you don't have mains water, rain like that is a bonus.  Must take some photos of how everything is now so green (and not just one shade of green either) - looks a bit like a DMC palette of green.

3 weeks to Easter too - I'm looking forward to some family visiting & spending some time with them.

I hope your week has been filled with nice surprises or at the very least nothing has gone horribly wrong.

Thanks for reading - ~Karen~

Feeling good.......

Why am I feeling good.......well, the quilts arrived safely (Australia Post has delivered) and the owners are thrilled.  This is particularly important for me, as the green one was the 4th complete quilt I've made and the other was an assembly.

Secondly, Katherine from http://katherinescreations.blogspot.com/   has listed me as one of her 7 blogs, so a big thank you :). Now to pass the mantle on, (and some of these Katherine has listed, but here are my favourite 7 and in no particular order) and most of these blogs I read without being a follower.

1. http://katherinescreations.blogspot.com/ 
2. http://californiastitching.blogspot.com/
3. http://www.gumtree-designers.com/
4. http://jillian-alwaysstitching.blogspot.com/
5. http://countrycrafting.blogspot.com/
6. http://sarah-redgingham.blogspot.com/
7. http://margaretmyblog.blogspot.com/

 The 3 cross stitches above were done some years ago for my late mother in law.  I decided not to hang them in their frames (3 holes in the wall), but opted to put them into a quilted panel & hang from the curtain rail on my sewing room wall (no holes required in the wall).  (I've had a curtain rail put on the wall to hang small projects such as this, with a pocket at the back of them & then I can change them easily if I want to.  I borrowed this idea from someone else, so cannot take credit for it).

3 ply baby jacket-Sirdar leaflet 3178 (leaflet cost $1 in a 2nd hand shop)

  

Another little baby jacket  - this time I quite like this little pattern and would probably do it again (and no I didn't read it beforehand again either lol).  I did add some colour to the ends of the cuffs, bottom & neck as it was so very stark.  Another one for the stockpile.

And finally, I got back to the family tree cross stitch.  Not worth a photo yet, but next post I will include one.  I seem to have found the enthusiasm to pick it up again & continue.

To finish off, Vale Elizabeth Taylor.  A huge screen presence & campaigner, who I'm sure will be missed.

Have a great week where ever you are......:)

`Karen `

It's Hump Day again........

Ah, it's Wednesday again.  Must be the short week we had here due to our Holiday on Monday for a horse race.  Anyway, the extra day has given me a chance to finish some more things off.........



Above is the  matching cushion for the green quilt.  All the quilts were posted yesterday, so fingers crossed Australia Post doesn't let me down.....



3 Ply wool baby jacket....

The baby jacket above is another one for the stockpile.  Must say it's a pattern I'm not overly fond of...it starts at the bottom & then all pieces get joined for the yoke.  I don't think I'll make it again, but it looks OK now it's done - it looked really wierd during the making process as I wondered how we were going to reduce all the stitches down.  (who ever reads patterns in advance, but this may teach me to in future lol).  Now to do some matching bootees with the left over blue wool.  I really do enjoy crochet with wool, especially for clothing, but acrylic is OK for rugs.



What about this grasshopper.  I couldn't get close enough with a ruler without the grasshopper flying away or me falling off something, so you'll just have to take my word for it, that it's about 8 to 10 cm long (nearly 4 inches in the old scale).  Beautiful markings though.....

Now for the coming week.....must get back to the cross stitch of the family tree - it won't stitch itself, then I think some hand sewing maybe on the hexagons - they're portable to be able to take with me.

Final note.....while I've been enjoying an extra day off, Japan has been suffering - I think it's going to take a long time for those left behind to get back on their feet.  Watching the news is becoming such a sad time of day.

Thoughts with those in the world cleaning up & finding loved ones......

~Karen~

Thinking.....

Since completing the second block of the Gum Tree Designers 'Things we love' BOM (see previous post), I've been thinking about what it is I love, aside from family & friends.

First would be 'Rain' - so important when you rely on the rainfall for your drinking, washing water etc and it really is nice just to stand in it...

Second would have to be the 'Garden' - trying to establish trees & shrubs, fruit trees & the like when you really don't have a lot of experience or knowledge.  It's satisfying to see your tube stock grow or have the first apricot from our new tree.

Third would have to be the 'wildlife' - watching the local creatures going about (and eating my shrubs) when we've invaded their space.

Finally, it would have to be sewing, crocheting & crafting - being able to create something that brings a smile to someones face (or your own) when it's finished.

Now to think of some ideas for the remaining blank blocks for this little quilt, plus enjoy what's around me.

The 2 pictures show a quilt I completed  - I didn't sew the top, but put the quilt together & then quilted it - just finished the binding a couple of days ago.  I love the colours & have to post it back to its owner, who I'm hoping will be thrilled.

Have a great week

~Karen~

Hump Day........some finishes

I always seem to do this on a Wednesday lately...not sure why, anyway that's why today's is called Hump Day.

I must admit I'm feeling kind of pleased with myself.  I got myself organised & have finished the blue quilt & binding is machine sewn on, green quilt too has it's binding on, finished quilting around the Lion (but I'm not sure what I want for the binding - keep changing my mind). 

Lion is now quilted

Latest cardigan

On top of that my cardigan is now finished too.  I haven't been able to find a shawl pin, so will have to make my own.  (Have some ideas already, so watch out for that one).

I've been reading the gumtree-designers blog & sent a 'New Beginnings' kit after the Queensland Floods.  I've never tried a stitchery in a quilt block, so thought I'd give this one a go.  I've just finished block 2, but haven't put the fabric around either block as yet.  I did buy 4 beautiful blue fat quarters with this project in mind plus some blue homespun for the back (I love blue).  The BOM is called 'Things we love' - check it out.

Block 1 - A Happy Home

Block 2 - Friends

4 fat quarters

In the next week 2 bindings to be sewn down & decide what to do about the Lion....then back to the Family Tree Cross Stitch & maybe some more baby crochet in between....have to see where the week takes me.....

Have a great week......

~ Karen ~