My Stitching Resolution Blog Hop

On my "to do list" in the sewing room is to learn two new techniques.    The first one being scrappy applique.   I was very happy with the fabric collage shoe that I did at the beginning of this year and thought that I would like to learn another new technique this coming year.   

And  second  on the list is to learn how to  make curved blocks.  I have been thinking about making  a drunkards path quilt for ages and this is a good opportunity to do so.  

I will also join in the RSC again this year  in order to finish off my fabric scrap baskets.    I notice that the colour for January is pink so a pink fabric basket is the first item on my to do list this year.    

To see more Stitching resolutions for the coming year hop on over to the following blogs. 

Just Let Me Quilt
MooseStashQuilting
Words & Stitches
 Sew Many Yarns
Websterquilt
Cocoa Quilts
QuiltFabrication
Stitchin At Home
Ms P Designs USA
Life in the Scrapatch
Kathy Kwilts and More
Karen's Korner
Quilt Schmilt
selina quilts
The Joyful Quilter
Becky’s adventures in quilting and travel 
Karrin's Crazy World
Quilting and Learning: What a Combo
VroomansQuilts
Cynthia's Creating Ark
PamelaQuilts
Quilting Patchwork & Appliqué
Kathleen McMusing
Quilting Gail
Homespun Hannah's Blog
appliqueand...
Songbird Designs
Storied Quilts
Susie’s World

She's Stitchin Again
Creatin' in the Sticks

Thank you Carla for organising such a fun blog hop which is sure to give us all lots of inspiration and motivation for the coming year.  

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

Best of 2020

Cheryl over at Meadow Mist designs is hosting her annual blog link party where we can showcase what we consider to be our "best 5 blog posts in 2020".    It was fun going back through the year and seeing what was posted and achieved.   I did not undertake any big quilts but stayed with mainly smaller items and did try out two new techniques to me.    The first being  my version of a fabric collage which had been on the "to do list" for over 12 months.   

The next technique was to try and make a small landscape quilt.    

I was given a bundle of  batik fabrics and turned them into a tablerunner using the pineapple blossom block.   

My next favourite was a couple of mini quilts to add to my collection. 

  

And last on the list was a double oven mitt.   I did end up making 3 of them.  

Don't forget to go over here to  see lots of "eye candy" and maybe even pick up an idea or three for future sewing projects.  

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

Will We or Won't We

Be celebrating Christmas Day this year.     This has been the question everyone in our local Council area who has been locked down since last weekend has been asking.   We finally received the answer to that question at 11 am this morning when the Premier gave her daily press conference.   

Sadly for us we are caught up in the boundary of north of a certain bridge and east of a temple so Christmas Day is cancelled for us.     We did discuss Plan B with our family last weekend if it should come to this so Plan B it is.    If the rest of our family lived within the same boundary we could have been together but they all live outside the area.  

Our Christmas tree will remain up  and the presents under it will stay unopened until we can all be together whenever that will be.  

This is the first Christmas Day that we have not celebrated with my parents, our son, daughter-in-law and Miss M - a very sad time.  I know this is  the  right decision for the good of the greater community and we all have to do our part in trying to stamp out this dreaded pandemic.    Fortunately we are all well and not showing any symptoms so we have to be grateful for that.     We will get together via screens at some point during the day.

I finished off the peasant top for Miss M during the week.  

But have put a hold on making the dress as a few of the dresses that were made for her last year still fit.  

I wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas and thinking of all those who cannot get together as a family to celebrate due to COVID.  

Take care

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

It is not over yet

Just as many restrictions that were imposed on us due to COVID were being relaxed 17 cases popped up overnight in my local Council area which in turn has caused the health authorities to ask the residents of the northern beaches to get tested if showing symptoms or have been to certain venues and fortunately for hubs and I neither of us are feeling unwell nor have we visited those venues listed.    It has also been requested that residents of the area do not leave their homes  for the next three days unless really necessary and especially keep away from crowded places such as gyms, places of worship and entertainment venues.  

So my plans for today had to be cancelled but looking on the bright side I was able to make an early start on the last  FNSI for the year and finished off my blue fabric basket.   Using up those never ending scraps was one of my WOOFA challenges for the year.    I now have a total of 4 finished fabric baskets with 5 more colours to go.     I will have a break from 2 1/2" squares for a while and pick that project up again next year.    Thanks Cheryll for moving us along during the year.  

I found some pretty fabrics in my stash during the week just waiting to be sewn up into garments for Miss M.  The butterfly fabric will end up being a dress. 

Today the green and pink floral became a twirly skirt

The white broderie anglaise underneath is on the cutting table and will be a peasant top to go with the skirt.     Now that my social life has been curtailed again my aim will be to get both the top and dress finished off before Christmas.  

Thanks Wendy for hosting FNSI on the 3rd Friday night of every month throughout the year so that we can spend time working on or finishing off projects and sharing them with others.     

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

FNwF

The first Friday of the month means FNwF which is organised by Cheryll.   I have to say that I did not put in one stitch tonight but I did have a bit of a marathon sewing session earlier in the week to get some childrens' aprons finished off for the hospital auxiliary stall today and tomorrow.

The ballerina and butterfly aprons were sold within the first 1/2 hour of us starting to sell on the stall. 

During the week I took myself off into the City and  was surprised to see just how quiet it was.    Usually the Strand Arcade is wall to wall with people around 10 am - not this week.

Martin Place is always another crowded and busy area - not this particular day.    

I did come home rather sad at just what effect COVID has had on our lovely city and to console myself  we put up our Christmas decorations to bring some cheer.     Next on the agenda is to write my Christmas cards and finish wrapping the presents.   Those  small gifts that are under the tree are the Christmas coasters made for our friends who we are having lunch with next week.     

Hopefully those who signed up over here did a bit more than me.

A big thank you to Cheryll for  organising us all on the first Friday night of each month - and during the height of our lockdown and restrictions she organised us on two Friday nights each month.   Hopefully she will be running FNwF again next year.  

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

Virtual Cookie Exchange and Christmas Blog Hop

I would like to share a  favourite recipe - though not a cookie - which is nice to enjoy a cup of coffee/tea with one or  three or ???  for a treat.    Rum balls are very popular here in Australia at Christmas time.  

They are quick and easy to make ahead of time and keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.     They can also be kept in the freezer for up to 2 months.   

For those who do not like or want alcohol just leave the rum out. They are just as delicious and "kid friendly".   

INGREDIENTS

1 pkt Marie biscuits

395 g tin sweetened condensed milk

2 tablespoons cocoa

1/2 cup desiccated coconut for rolling

1/4 cup dark rum  (optional)

Extra coconut for rolling.   You could also use finely chopped nuts or chocolate sprinkles.

METHOD

Crush the biscuits into a fine crumb.  

In a bowl add the biscuit crumbs, condensed milk, rum if using,  cocoa and coconut and mix really well.

Take dessertspoons of the mixture and roll into balls using your hands.

Toss balls through the extra coconut to coat.      

Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.  Enjoy.  

A tradition of my family is to serve a hot Christmas lunch even though we celebrate the day with quite hot temperatures.      My maternal grandparents were from England  and so the tradition of a baked meal  for Christmas lunch is something that I have grown up.   My mother carried on the tradition for many years and now it is my turn.   Rather than serve up each  individual meal I like to let each family member take as much or as little as they like.

We also have plum pudding with custard or ice cream plus a variety of other desserts to choose from.

And for those who have room for tea/coffee there is afternoon tea served with Christmas cake,  fruit mince pies, fudge slice as well as some leftover cheesecakes from dessert time.

Now onto some Christmas sewing.     I did mention in a previous post that I had joined a small quilting group and it was decided that we would make a tabletopper using the pineapple blossom block.     Here is the one that I did

And here is a picture of the three of them together.   I cannot believe just how different they look yet all three are the same pattern.   Mine seems to have a more jagged appearance whereas the other two look they have a more square appearance.    I am wondering if it due to the fact that I used a plain fabric  for the centre squares and radiating corners.     Perhaps someone can answer that question.  

                                                   

Now it is time to hop along to the blogs listed below for more sweetness.  Enjoy and a big thank you to Carol again for organising another fun blog hop.  

                                                                        December 1

Creatin' in the Sticks

Doreen – Just Let Me Quilt Guest

Bumbleberry Stitches

Home Sewn By Us

Quilt Schmilt

Food for Thought

Life in the Scrapatch

Ms P Designs USA

Just Sew Quilter

Cathie's Craftworks

Cynthia's Creating Ark

 December 2

MooseStashQuilting

Karen's Korner

Sew Many Yarns

Selina Quilts

Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life

Days Filled With Joy

Words & Stitches

Just Because Quilts

Beaquilter

December 3

Quiltscapes

Websterquilt

DayBrook Designs

Karrin’s Crazy World

Samelia's Mum

Songbird Designs

For The Love Of Geese

Stitchin At Home

Dreamworthy Quilts

That Fabric Feeling

 December 4

Just Let Me Quilt

Quilt Fabrication

DesertSky Quilting

Seams To Be Sew

Happy Cottage Quilter

Pumpkin Patch Patterns & Quilting

The Darling Dogwood

Kathleen McMusing

Scrapdash

Linking with Put Your Foot Down

Back soon and in the meantime

  Happy sewing all

OPAM and WOOFA Challenge

A big thank you to Kris from Tag Along Teddies who keeps us moving along each month to the finish line.  There were three finishes this month  for me which can be seen below.

And to Cheryll from Stitching Cubbyhole for motiviating us to make progress - big or small - on our outstanding projects. 

For my WOOFA challenge I got as far as sewing up a pile of blue 2 1/2" squares into fabric slabs.  

Back into the sewing room to put the binding on my item for the Christmas blog hop which starts this week and also make a start on sewing up childrens' aprons.    I did a further dive into my stash and found some fabric which will be suitable for little "master" chefs.   I have been asked if we have any aprons suitable for boys so I will be able to say yes.  

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

FNSI

After a successful morning at the shops which saw me get one or two gifts ticked off my Christmas list for those difficult to buy for people I took myself off to the sewing room and finished off sewing up  2 1/2" squares of blue fabric into slabs for the next fabric basket.

As you can see I also had a play with some pink fabrics for the next basket.   Putting those squares aside  a start was made on finding suitable fabrics to make some childrens' aprons for the first hospital auxiliary stall which we have now been able to hold since the beginning of the year.      

These aprons are  a very popular item and sell out quickly.    I had better get a wriggle on and get them made as we have 2 stalls back to back next weekend and another one on the following week.  I could have made a start on them at some point during the year but with COVID and the uncertainty of the future of our stalls I held off.  

Thanks Wendy for having us all "around" again.   Time to head on over here to see what others got up to last night.

Back soon and in the meantime

 Happy sewing all

A finish

Over the past week I have been working on my pineapple blossom tablerunner and am pleased to say that it is finished.     The frixon pen and iron were certainly given a workout while trying to decide on how to quilt it.     It is bright and vibrant so hence it has been called "A Study in Colour".

All of the batik fabrics had been given to me.   The black as well as the backing fabric have been in my stash for sometime so a no cost runner.     Got to be happy with that.  

This was my nominated OMG for November.     Thank you Patty for giving us the opportunity to share our finishes.      

Before ending  I would like to share with you what I saw outside the community hall last week where my large quilting group meet once a month.

On closer inspection when mum hopped off the nest there were 13 eggs she was sitting on.  Some of the eggs  have hatched and you can see a few yellow ducklings snuggling in.  

Poor little things.  I hope that they survive but mum has picked a busy, noisy, exposed spot to set up her nest.  

Linking with Put Your Foot Down

                      Midweek Makers

                      TGIFF

                      Finished or Not Friday

                      Brag about your Beauties

                      Meadow Mist

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

This Week in the Sewing Room

Saw the pineapple blossom tablerunner moving towards the finish line.   So far the blocks are sewn together, sandwiched and pinned ready for quilting. 

I have changed my mind a couple of times as to how to quilt this one.  It is now spread out on my once tidy couch waiting for a decision to be made.

A couple of months ago a member of the local a hosptial auxiliary that I belong to invited me to join her very small quilting group.    There are only three of them and they have been meeting together once a week for 10 years.  They all fell in love with the pineapple blossom block when I showed them so it was decided that we would each make a tabletopper using Christmas fabrics.   There is a limit of 5 fabrics only to be used.    These are my chosen fabrics.

I did finish off what I call a "no fuss" Christmas tree.   It now resides with my parents and will be their easy "put up pull down" Christmas tree.

Linking with Put Your Foot Down

                      Finished or not Friday   

                      TGIFF

Back soon and in the meantime

 Happy sewing all

FNwF

Another first Friday of the month turned up again which meant it was time to join Cheryll and many others in a fun night of sewing and crafting.     My purple fabric basket is now completed.

For the green and yellow basket I put bias binding around the top but  changed it for this one.   Looking at the photo I think that some top stitching is needed to be done to give it a finished look.    That will be my first job when next in the sewing room.  

And a start was made on cutting up blue squares for the next fabric basket.  

Slow progress is happening on the pineapple blossom blocks as I keep getting distracted by other things in the sewing room.

As I have joined Carol in her annual Virtual Cookie Exchange and Christmas blog hop I had better put my thinking cap on and put some Christmas fabric under the needle.  Thinking thinking. 

Thanks Cheryll for organising us again with another productive FNwF.  Time to head on over  here and see what was being created in other households last night.  

Linking with Put Your Foot Down 

                      TGIFF

                      Finished or Not Friday

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

OMG for November

Time to have a play around with that pile of  8 1/2" batik squares that I was given last month.   There is not enough to make anything big so a tablerunner it will be.    Having spent ages on Pinterest looking for ideas a decision was made to go with the pineapple blossom block.   

A few different colours were auditioned for the centre block and the radiating corners but black seemed to be the one to stand out from the others.  I have quite a lot of plain black in my stash to use up.  

My goal for this month will be to make a new tablerunner.   

We have hit the storm season again and true to form out goes the power again yesterday.   More storms are forecast for the next few days so I will make a start on some gardening while the ground is soft and the weeds offer no resistance  when pulled out.   Once that has been taken care of time to head off to the sewing room to cut and sew more pineapple blocks - hopefully we will not lose power again.    

Now that a lot of restrictions have been eased off due to COVID it is nice to be able to catch up with friends again to enjoy a meal together at a restaurant.       Hubs and I were very good during the week and opted for the healthy option when ordering.   I went with the Vietnamese chicken salad

And hubs the chicken ceasar salad

  

Linking with OMG 

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all