June already? A May FNSI winner, some finishes and sign-ups for June FNSI

 Wow, chilly weather even here in the north of Queensland, also known as the Tropics, but boy, those 8 degree mornings are proving to be very crisp and "non-tropical"!   Despite that, our days are beautiful, with mid 20 degree temperatures and clear blue skies.....a favourite time of the year.  My job requires me to drive daily to Townsville, an hour trip each way and driving in this weather is just glorious!  

The sunsets and evening skies have been magnificent and as our sugar crushing season has just started, the beautiful smell of  caramelised sugar permeates the air. We really do live in the lucky country. 

I have managed to finish a couple of long term projects which brings joy to my heart (in more ways than one.....you'll see what I mean shortly!)  The only problem is, when I go looking for things, I find so many more that I'd forgotten about.....my list of UFOs and WIPs just keeps getting longer and longer!  You see, I'm a classic Gemini...... I'll focus on something and then something shiny and new will catch my eye and I'm off!   I have FOMO and I've struggled all my life to overcome it.  As I get older, I'm finding I need to reign myself in and focus, focus, FOCUS and I am getting better but boy.....I'm discovering so many projects that either need completing or starting.  A few of you know my list is well over the  *hmfffph* mark (muffled because I don't want to give anyone a medical episode!) and maybe that's why I haven't made a list....but I really do need to!  Can you relate?

Back to those finishes..... Sheryl and I went shopping a couple of years back when she first moved to North Queensland and we went to a quilt shop where we both bought a pattern - Jardin de Poche by Veroniques Quilt Designs.  I bought the kit to go with it and when I travelled to visit family, took it with me as it was a good hand applique and stitchery project.    Well, two years on, I've managed to finish the stitcheries, put it together, learnt to 'tie' quilt using hidden cross stitches (thank goodness for YouTube!) and bound it....my favourite part, and now it sits proudly on our dining room table!  I love this one!

Another finish I treasure is one designed by my beautiful friend Joy Coey, who we tragically lost to cancer a few years ago.  I had started this pattern at a "Let's get Stitched" retreat quite a few years ago and Joy had taught me how to fussy cut. I was so very happy with that effort and proud of what I'd learnt as Joy was a fantastic teacher but when I got home from the retreat I'd left it at that, hidden in a box as I was too 'scared' to ruin it (have you done that?)  After I finished my Jardin de Poche, I was working on something else in my sewing room.  This box kept popping up like it was prodding me to finish it.  So I bit the bullet and once I started I just couldn't wait to finish.  It had techniques, elements and products I hadn't used before which made me a little apprehensive but Joy helped me through!   I found afterwards that I'd missed a couple of paper pieced elements in the design, but that's ok, it made it 'mine'!  I had my first attempt at bullion roses (again - thanks YouTube!) and despite thinking I'd never 'get it', I trudged on, knowing that things get better with practice.   They're definitely not perfect but I'm happy with my first attempts.  

It will be used constantly and loved and treasured because it has so many memories of our gawjus Joy stitched into it.  I know she was prodding me and guiding me all the way through the process and I'm so thankful for knowing and loving her!

Now, on to our FNSI draw for May....we were blessed with sharing the night with 35 fellow stitchers/quilters/crafters and I know I got my fill of inspiration, but there's always room for more!  If you'd like to welcome anyone to join with us, please feel free...the more the merrier...and don't forget to let them know that just by joining in and sharing their crafty progress , they go into the draw to win a $30 voucher to spend on ANYTHING their heart desires at Kitty Rose Cottage, courtesy of our wonderful sponsor Dawn Hay.  If they'd like to know more, direct them to the link at the top of the page where they can find out all about FNSI aka Friday Night Sew In.

Thirty-five names in the Wheel of Names and the person that was randomly drawn for the May prize is.............

                                    \o/ \o/ CONGRATULATIONS NATALIE!!!!! \o/ \o/

We can't wait to see what you choose from all that loveliness over at Kitty Rose Cottage for your prize.

Don't forget to sign up for this month's FNSI.  I've left it a little late as I've had problems with my computer......what should have taken an hour has taken all day!  Doesn't matter though, just sign up below OR over on the sign up post in our Facebook Group.  

I can't wait to stitch with you all tomorrow night!  I'm soooo looking forward to it!

Big sugary sweet hugs :o) xox

My April finishes…..

my oh my…..where did that month go??? It has been a busy one, with some changes around here….. more time to sew, so that’s what I’ve been doing, and I’ll show you more of that later….but in the meantime, I’ve had finishes….believe it or not!!!   Here they are…. a Christmas themed table topper I’ve had cut out and blocks made since before last Christmas….I finally got myself together to play with the blocks and come up with this design…. A diary compendium that I bought as a kit from Joy at JoyPatch when we were at the retreat in Adelaide….I just love that teacup fabric, don’t you?  The pattern is called ‘Dear Diary’ ….and here’s the inside…… A fun little stitchery by Kerryanne over at Woodberry Designs for Fee’s birthday….. lots of shabby pinkness…..even in the variegated pink thread and the spotty pink ribbons…..It was hard to part with this one!!!!  Lucky it got there Fee!!!!  hee hee And some secret stitching for a Table Runner Swap put on by Sue…. mine’s headed off to Cathy but she has to wait for the posty to arrive yet to get a closer look! Finally, I’ve been playing around with this little petal pouch…. it’s in my favourite fabrics….Little Black Dress…..and this is the small one…..I have two more larger sizes ready to construct so they’re on the agenda tomorrow! Phew…..there is more…..but they’re not finishes so they’ll have to wait till later……..and if you’re waiting for the Birthday-Love Stash Draw……that’s coming tomorrow……!  fingers crossed everyone!!!! Hope you got lots of finishes last month too, including some for your birthday stash! Sugary hugs xox :O)

My April finishes…..

my oh my…..where did that month go???

It has been a busy one, with some changes around here…..

more time to sew, so that’s what I’ve been doing, and I’ll show you more of that later….but in the meantime, I’ve had finishes….believe it or not!!!   Here they are….

a Christmas themed table topper I’ve had cut out and blocks made since before last Christmas….I finally got myself together to play with the blocks and come up with this design….

A diary compendium that I bought as a kit from Joy at JoyPatch when we were at the retreat in Adelaide….I just love that teacup fabric, don’t you?  The pattern is called ‘Dear Diary’

….and here’s the inside……

A fun little stitchery by Kerryanne over at Woodberry Designs for Fee’s birthday…..

lots of shabby pinkness…..even in the variegated pink thread and the spotty pink ribbons…..It was hard to part with this one!!!!  Lucky it got there Fee!!!!  hee hee

And some secret stitching for a Table Runner Swap put on by Sue….

mine’s headed off to Cathy but she has to wait for the posty to arrive yet to get a closer look!

Finally, I’ve been playing around with this little petal pouch….

it’s in my favourite fabrics….Little Black Dress…..and this is the small one…..I have two more larger sizes ready to construct so they’re on the agenda tomorrow!

Phew…..there is more…..but they’re not finishes so they’ll have to wait till later……..and if you’re waiting for the Birthday-Love Stash Draw……that’s coming tomorrow……!  fingers crossed everyone!!!!

Hope you got lots of finishes last month too, including some for your birthday stash!

Sugary hugs xox :O)

It’s a catch-up post

Wow…it seems like it’s been forever since I’ve posted..I was going to do a post while I was on the Gold Coast but for 3 of the 5 days we were there, my mobile broadband was playing up  and on the other days I was measuring eye drops and medicines and visiting family and bloggy friends (Hi Joy and Marilyn!!!)  Time goes soooo fast when you’re with special people! Thank you sooo much to those who have been sending good wishes and prayers for DS’s eye operation….it was much easier than either of us expected…the explanation we were given of the cornea being scraped back, whilst still awake but locally anaesthetised, scared us more than you can imagine….I was like the pacing father outside of the birthing suite…except I was the pacing mother outside of the surgery!   I must have asked a dozen times if DS had asked for me….I think they took pity on me and let me sit in and watch…..DS was soooo calm, I couldn’t believe it!  It wasn’t until we arrived at my brother’s house at the Gold Coast that the local anaesthetic wore off….that was one rough night! A few days of a closed and weepy eye then we were back for review. But there was a bit of spoiling in between, with a favourite lunch on the agenda….. …the biggest kebab you have ever seen!!!!…..but even that wasn’t enjoyed totally as the sunlight caused all sorts of havoc!  All went well though, apparently…now just a blurry eye for up to two months when we return to Brisbane for another check-up. So I made sure I had plenty to go on with whilst I was there….. stitching the February block for our SIF finishers….. …finishing the stitcheries for month 2 of Fee’s framed hexagon Club …and catching up on block 10 of the Long Time Ago in Bethlehem stitch-a-long in Homespun…… before I allowed myself to be led astray by these two rascally blogging buddies….. We must have looked like middle-aged techno-heads with our texting and sending photos left, right and centre….after all, we didn’t want our bloggy friend Teresa, to miss out.  She would have been there too but she had eye surgery on the same day, at the same surgery, by the same doctor as DS…we had such a laugh when we found that out! After a yummy morning tea and a looooooong catch-up, Joy had arranged for us to visit her ‘work’ (I could handle HER ‘work' !!!) where I indulged in a heavy dose of ‘retail therapy’ with very little prompting *hee hee* from Joy and her merry band of work buddies!!!…..put it this way….being asked …..would you like fries with that??….tells me I’ve probably got more than enough!!! Just had to have these….they were on sale….50% off!!! and these gorgeous chubby birds will make a lovely block holder…maybe??? some beautiful RED teacup fabric that knew me by name *heehee* and some essentials that Joy said I reeeeeally needed!!! But I do like the quick-unpick you can see at the bottom of the photo in the plastic casing…..if you look closely, you can see it has a grey ‘rubber’ on top that you literally wipe across your stitches once you’ve unpicked them and it cleans them away!!!  And these cute little USB sticks….I can put all my crafty downloads on these and clear up my hard drive!!!!!  Yay!!!! My credit card was feeling all bruised and battered…it hadn’t seen this much action since…….well, since……last week???……and Joy took us to visit the lovely Nikki Tervo.  Nikki has lots of fabrics as well as her beautiful handcrafted buttons she makes….my first thought was…where do I begin?? I started amongst the Tilda fabrics which you can see here but then my heart skipped a beat when I found all the Robyn Pandolph fabrics….this one just jumped into my arms, for no particular reason… …along with these gorgeous fat quarters and lacy goodness….. and I don’t know how, but these patterns found their way home too… Nikki was so kind…she gave both Marilyn and I a copy of her Girly Gear Bag pattern and I just couldn’t resist signing up for  Nikki’s simply gorgeous Plate Quilt stitchery BOM (do you see a pattern happening here??)  But I figure I couldn’t walk past $10 a month!!! Before we knew it, it was 5pm and time to go….the chef at the Cleveland Lighthouse restaurant very kindly took this photo of us…I daresay he wasn’t a photography buff as it’s not an Elvis hairstyle I’m sporting…our newfound chef-y friend didn’t think a very windy day would make a difference to the photo!!!! I went home with a whole lotta bloggy love and these gorgeous gifts Joy and Marilyn made for me….. Joy’s hanging teatowel….mmmmm, coffee…I love these..so practical and I never seem to have enough, along with a takeaway mug hug and a special Joypatch pen and Marilyn made me this wonderful project pouch.  You can see the plastic zippered side, so you can see what’s in it…. and then the front says….. well, 89, but who’s counting!!??  (do you think Marilyn knows me all too well???? ) Sugary hugs xox :O)