RSC Challenge 2025 and FNwF

As this post is being typed I am feeling very smug with myself.   All items on the to do list have now been ticked off and the sewing room is still tidy!!!!  The last thing to be ticked off the list was getting the potato chip RSC colour blocks sewn together, backed and quilted.  By taking part in the challenge every month 12 blocks were made and 4 were used per quilt to make up 3 small donation quilts. Most of the fabrics were novelty prints and hopefully the recipients will have fun looking for various objects.  Each of the 4 blocks were 16" finished.    Here is the result.

Quilt no 1

Quilt No 2

Quilt No 3

All 3 together

These blocks are very easy and quick to make as there are no seams to match up when joining them together.   They are certainly very addictive.

Thanks go to Angela from So Scrappy for organising such a fun challenge.   It is amazing what comes out of left over scraps.   Now to think what to do next year when joining in again.

When joining in with FNwF 2 heat packs were made for Christmas presents.  

Don't forget to go over to Cheryll's blog so that you can see what other FNwF crafters achieved last night.   

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all 

Oh Christmas Tree

The City is all decked out for Christmas.    Sparkly trees appear right throughout the City.

Lights are strung across streets.   These would be very pretty at nighttime.

When walking down George Street towards Circular Quay these hanging bird cages caught my attention

And being curious I had to go down the laneway to see what it was all about.  (Excuse the finger in the photo)

My attention was also caught by this colourful wall inside a building.

Well that was my day exploring the City all dressed up for Christmas.  

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all 

Mother Nature

Can create exquisite creatures such as this butterfly which was spotted on the balcony table and thought at first glance to be a leaf which was destined to be swept off  into the bin.  Just as my hand was about do this dastardly act I saw it for what it was.  The smallest and prettiest butterfly I have ever seen.

 After a while it closed its wings up and a $2.00 coin was put beside it to give a comparison of its tiny size.    

Then on the other hand Mother Nature can be very destructive which has been proven over the last week as a series of violent storms have rolled in.   The one that hit Sydney Wednesday lunchtime was very short but very severe with lashing rain, hail and gale force winds.   It brought down many trees, ripped roofs of houses and buildings, caused flash flooding and resulted in the death of a person.  We were lucky that there was no damage where we are but it did bring down quite a few large tree branches over the driveway and down across  one of the garden areas.  It was scary watching the trees bending in such strong winds and then hearing the crack as the branches broke and crashed down.  

The ground staff got onto it pretty quickly and had it all cleared up within a couple of hours with the help of chainsaws.

Once the drama of the storm was over time to head into the sewing room and get on with tidying up.  The top of the fabric box now looks like this

The pile of fabric is off the floor

As are the piles of fabric that were sitting on top of the sewing machine and tables

Just do not ask to look behind the cupboard doors....but then again that is what cupboard doors are for!!!!!

At the beginning of the month I had rounded up quite a few balls of yarn that were various shades of purple - to honour the jacaranda tree - and knit them up into beanies.   Done.

When down at the library the other day I grabbed a pile of books which will make good holiday reading.   The top one is our current book club book.  

All that is left on my sewing room list to tick off before Christmas is to finish off the 2 potato chip block quilts.    Good progress is being made on these.  

Back soon and in the meantime 

Happy sewing all

    

Ticking off goals and FNSI

In my last post a list of goals for the rest of the month was made - namely filling an order for a drawstring bag.  Done

Making a start on cutting out fabrics for future small quilts.  Started

Just as I was cutting my way through various piles another friend donated this bundle to the cause

They have been stored away for another cutting session.  

Tidying up the sewing room.   No tick against this one....as you can see fabric is on the floor, on top of a storage box as well as all over my machine and sewing tables.   A tidy room in my next post....we will see. 

Last but not least is getting the three small potato chip blocks quilted which will hopefully be finished off by the end of the month.   

When joining in with FNSI last night another purple beanie was started.

That was my week in the sewing room.  

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all  

Back to bowl cosies and other things

Last week I had an order for 4 bowl cosies

Just as these were being finished off an order came in for another 2 from someone else.

While delivering them an order came in for a drawstring bag which I will get to this coming week.   

In between heat packs and bowl cosies I did manage to put together and start quilting one of the small quilts using 4 of  the potato chip blocks while being accompanied by an audiobook.

My aim for the rest of the month is to put together the remaining 8 potato chip blocks to make another 2 small quilts, fill the order for the drawstring bag, go through the piles of scraps and cut them into various sizes for future small quilts and tidy up the rest of the sewing room for a break over the Christmas period.  

Back soon to report on my progress and in the meantime

  Happy sewing all

Dressing up a plain handtowel

During the week I had an order for a plain handtowel to be "dressed up" for a cat lover who has a cat called Ginger.    

                                          

Here this is the result.

I also had an order for two heat packs which I worked on yesterday when joining in with FNwF.  They were ordered as Christmas presents for two boys.

You can see more FNwF achievements here.  

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

It is Jacaranda Time

The streets are awash with that gorgeous purple haze of the flowering jacaranda trees that appear in many suburbs of Sydney.

In keeping with the purple theme it was decided to pull out all the yarn in the cupboard and make November a purple beanie month.

A small quilt was finished off with a purple border.

The 12th potato chip block was finished (not purple) and will now allow 3 small quilts to be made in due course.

And 4 more beanies were finished off 

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all