It has been a busy and productive month

This month has been so busy that I am behind in posting my finishes.  As it is the end of the month and OPAM time, I thought I should go take some pics of some of them.

March sewing class at Sew This and That was projects using the circular attachment on our sewing machines.  The demonstrated project was a bag, which I didnt make, but instead I made this table mat at the class.

Each month this year we are being encouraged to use the technique learnt to make another project at home, to be taken in to the next month’s club. I dont always do this but I decided this month I should attempt something else using my new circular sewing attachment.  So my project is

 

I used some of the fabrics I had received in Tassie to make my box.  Most of them were 10 inch squares or fat 8 sized pieces.  The central piece on each side is a different fabric.  I added the flower decoration which we received in our goodie bag at Tassie on the top, and found 2 buttons I had bought at Anni Down’s store “The Home Patch” some time ago.  They worked just fine on the box.

Another finish I had was this bag which I call my travel tote.  I made it for using in Tassie, firstly for my carry on luggage for the flight, and then for our shopping trips.  It will be useful for when we go on Quilt trail in April, and going to Craft Shows.  It has a zipper top and large pockets inside.

This one started off with a pattern, but that soon got abandoned  - the bag is so modified that it is nothing like the original apart from having the panels making up the outside of the bag.  The size and all other parts of the design developed as I went.  But it seems to have worked out fine.

Will be back soon to show more projects including the ones from the designers/tutors in Tassie.

FMQ challenge and I’ve been a lucky duck

Oh dear, it has been such a busy month and I am almost running to the wire with this months FMQ Challenge run by SewCalGal.  This month’s tutor is Ann Fahl. Once again there was plenty of information and quilting designs.

I have combined all the suggested designs in the one practice piece to link with the challenge.  I found the loop and twist ok to do, and could add in the stars and hearts just fine.  The more difficult part which I need to spend more practice time on was the spirals and flowers.  They have tended to look rather messy and irregular.  So more practice coming up for all of these.  (ooh, those flowers look even worse in the pic.)

 

I have enjoyed practicing these motifs this month, though I havent put in as much time at it as I would normally be able to. 

And I certainly have been a lucky duck. I am a bit late acknowledging these, but in the last while I have been the recipient of 3 giveaway wins.

Firstly I won this pattern from Pat Sloan’s Girls in the Garden Blog Hop.  I liked the fresh look of the cushion Olive and Ollie made, using this pattern for their part of the giveaway, and that is the blog through which I won the pattern.

A few days later I found out I would be receiving  two spools of Superior MasterPiece thread in the Leap Day Superior Threads giveaway  on Little Miss Shabby blog.  These arrived last week and I am looking forward to trying them out.  Corey (LMS) has found them good for piecing and quilting. 

Lastly, I have this week received a  “Reunion”” charm pack  as part of the  Friends with Benefits swap giveaway which is organised by Kathy of SewHappyHouse. 

It is less than a month now till posting deadline for the Friends with Benefits swap.  My needle is working busily on my swap item.  It will be good to see everyone’s projects made for the swap.  A few sneaky peeks are showing up on blogs I am thinking.

Thank you to all 3 for the opportunity to enter these giveaways.  I will be using them all very soon I think.

I’ve been shopping

Yes, a trip to one of my favourite areas, Paddington in Brisbane.  My daughter and I went to check out the Antique centre as well as some other stores.

Once again I came away with some little treasures.  One new section since my last visit there was a store selling buttons, 60’s and 70’s style patterns, threads, and lots of other sewing treasures.

I could have spent a lot of time ( and a small amount of money) there, but unfortunately the owner of this store was having coffee with her friend, so wasnt too keen to provide service.  Hopefully next time I will visit at a more convenient time.

What I did buy from her were the crocheting cotton and the 2 spools.

Elsewhere in the centre I found the piece of vintage lace and the bluebird doyley.

The little glass container had a ticket on it saying it was from the 1920’s.  Not sure if it is but I liked it so it came home with me also.

These 3 doyleys came home from Tassie with me.  My collection is slowly growing – will have to decide soon what I want to do with them.

Harry’s Mum was a bit worn out so tried having a rest. She scored plenty of goodnight kisses – or was it a ploy to wake her up?  I think that was it.

But he allowed me to read him his bedtime stories that night.

They are such precious times.

Tassie Stitching Day

Beside the thrill of having Helen teach us, there were another 5 awesome tutors ready and willing to share their project with us -Fee, Jo, Vicki, Dawn and Joy.

Look at them, still happy and smiling at the end of the day. Aren’t they amazing!.

Dont the tables look so beautiful.

 

Those bags contained our project kits for the day plus other patterns and goodies.

The day was taken up with the sewing workshops, retail therapy courtesy of the tables below, a beautiful lunch, lots of laughter and chatter (except when we were concentrating on getting our stitching just right), friendship, and a huge amount of excitement about the whole weekend.

               Dawn’s table                                 Vicki’s table

               Fee’s table                                    Joy’s table

 

All aspects of the weekend were organised amazingly by Fee – she even managed to have beautiful weather for us. 

Now all that is left is to finish off those projects, and start saving for next year in Adelaide.

In Tassie - One very special visit

One surprise visit which Fee and Jo organised for us when we were on our Shop Hop was a visit to the Pattern Press., It was such a privilege to be able to visit Helen 

and we did all manage to fit in around this hive of activity to see the patterns being printed and prepared for posting out. 

Helen was one of the tutors at our Sunday Stitching day, where she taught us her gluestick applique method.

It looks like Sarah, De and I were totally absorbed in what she was teaching us,.

and it seems we werent the only ones, one of the later groups to visit her were equally as focussed.

She also had for each of us this little parcel of charm “lollies”.  After all the chocolate of the previous days it was probably a good thing that they were  inedible.

We also got to see up close her work that was displayed on her table, as well as buy from her stock.  Her work is as beautiful as it appears on her web page – amazing stitching.

Tassie - Part 2

These girls,(and guys) were THE best company you could wish for when on a retreat. It was so good to meet up with old friends (of a year ago lol) and meet new ones, especially those whose blogs I have visited. And also those who dont have a blog but still came along for the weekend. 

First and last photos were at our Saturday night dinner – the desserts were amazingly scrumptious.  Worth going back there just for the Sticky Date pudding.

2nd photo – Judy, Kathy,Lillian, Alison and Fee after our time at the Salamanca Market.

3rd photo – Morning tea while we were on our shop hop.  Yummy cakes and slices, wonderful coffees.

See what I mean?  Tasted as good as it looks.

.4th photo - Darryl is checking out that noodle box rather intently.  What could be in it? 

5th photo – Judy and Dawn with their new “friend”..

Lots of fun was had in the Cadbury shop..

Joy found:

                                                                               some Joy.

And Fee – well this speaks for itself

No its not what it looks like. You wouldnt think she would keep all those chocolates for herself would you?

She collected chocolates to share with us all.  That was before we went into their shop.

and before we helped the Cadbury economy like this.

Well, you cant pass up the opportunity can you !!!

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Tassie In Pictures part 1

 

.Amazing experiences, wonderful friends, shops, markets, CHOCOLATE – just a little of what we encountered on our trip to Tassie. 

Part 2 coming soon.

Tomorrow–its Tassie

One more sleep and we are off to Tassie.  It is going to be so good to catch up with Dawn, Vicki and Fee again.  I see Joy from time to time, and we are travelling on the same flight.  It is going to be such a good weekend and will be great to meet up with more bloggers.

I have achieved quite a bit at the sewing machine in the last week or so, but most of it will have to wait till I return home to be photographed. But I can show a bit.

Our young Grandie Peta (4 year old) came for a sleepover on Saturday – well in all we had 4 Grandies from 2 families come for the sleepover.  I had made her a doll quilt, pillow and drawstring bag. She has just started ballet, tap and jazz, so the fabric was just right for her.

 

When we took her home on Sunday I gave them to her.  She was being very grumpy and everything was wrong.  The quilt was too big, the pillow case on the pillow wasn’t right, and no she definitely didn’t have anything to put in the bag.  (We had a little chuckle at her contrariness).

No sooner had we left their house than I received this photo.(its a bit fuzzy).  She was holding on rather firmly to the drawstring bag and quilt.

She was worn out after playing with the 3 boys, so it was a sleepy grumpy.

It is not easy to have all 4 in a photo, but I did manage this one as they were all eating Rice Bubbles for breakfast.