My week

We are now at the end of the 5th week of lockdown with another 4 weeks ahead of us - at least.  Further restrictions have been put in place although fortunately in our area it will not affect us as we can still travel up to 10 kms for exercise, shopping etc.    In some areas you can now only travel within a 5 km radius for shopping, exercise and unable to leave the local government area unless an essential worker with the proviso that you have a COVID test every 3 days.     

Life still continues along as it has for the last 5 weeks - going for my daily walks where I happened upon these two guarding the path yesterday.    They did allow me to pass without paying a toll.

Taking the opportunity each day after lunch to enjoy some sunshine outside on the balcony with a book and a cup of tea.   This was the next book in the pile to be read.

The next beanie is on the "needles".

Another jigsaw puzzle has been started.    This one is 750 pieces and I have to say that some of the shapes are not what I call a traditional jigsaw shape.   It is challenging the brain.   

Miss M continues to Facetime with us during the week and we  help with home schooling.  

A start has been made on a couple of Christmas table runners.  Progress so far on the first one.  These will be my OMG for August.  

I guess next week and the subsequent weeks will be much the same as the past 5.     Fortunately I have my sewing machine, knitting needles, books, jigsaw puzzles, domestic duties and a weekly shopping expedition - only for food - as well as a daily walk to keep me busy.  

Back soon and in the meantime stay safe and 

Happy sewing all

Its a Guy Thing

When reading about this blog hop several ideas went through my head as to what to make.    Of course one had to type into the search engine "gifts to sew for the male in your life" and many suggestions popped up on the screen but the one that jumped out at me was a key fob that clips onto your bag so that keys do not fall to the bottom of the bag when not in use.    What a great idea - I could do with one of those myself.     

Into the stash to find some fabric that matches with hub's man bag

I did look at several ways to make these fobs but I was not happy with those that had an extra piece of fabric that was wrapped around the outside of the fob to hide the join.     One I saw did not have the wrap around piece of fabric but you could see the raw edges at the join.    Not being a raw edge person and feeling that the other method looked too bulky I had a play around with the ends and devised a method that worked well for me.    No raw edges or bulky wrap around bit.   Here it is going through my machine.

I put the fob onto the loop, then stitched the ends together which enclosed the end seam into the folds of the loop.    When sewing down each side I had to slide the fob along the loop as the needle approached it.   

The finished product - no bulky wrap around piece to hide the join or any raw edges showing. 

And here it is clippped to the outside of the bag.    Keys all safe and no more rummaging at the bottom of the bag in order to find them.    

I made the strap long enough so that it can be put inside the bag and zipped up for extra safety.

Thank you Carol for organising another fun blog hop.   Now it is time to hop over to the following blogs to see some amazing items that have been created.

July 26

 

Creatin' in the Sticks

Storied Quilts

Quilted Delights

Samelia's Mum

Vroomans Quilts

Karen's Korner

 

July 27

 

MooseStashQuilting

Inflorescence

Becky’s Adventures in Quilting and Travel

Websterquilt

Words & Stitches

Days Filled With Joy

 

July 28

 

Ms P Designs USA

Beaquilter

Lianne Makes Stuff

For The Love Of Geese

Domestic Felicity

 

July 29

 

Scrapdash

That Fabric Feeling

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Quilt Schmilt

The Colorful Fabriholic

Songbird Designs

 

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

This Week in the Sewing Room

We are now just about at the end of week 4 of this current lockdown with supposedly 1 more week to go but the way numbers are rising on a daily basis it will not be a matter of if but for how much longer we will be locked down.     

Making the most of this situation my scrap bag challenge placemats are now finished and they are a perfect fit for our kitchen bench.    I did make them a little longer than a normal placemat.    Getting these finished was  my nominated OMG for July.

A jigsaw puzzle was completed.    This puzzle did have large pieces but many were similar so it was a bit of a challenge.    I need to pack it away and get out another one.

Two more beanies have been completed.

A decision has finally been made as to what to make for the blog hop next week.

Miss M Facetimes with us on a daily basis when she has finished her formal school work that she has to complete while being  "home schooled" .    She reads a chapter of a book to us and we then listen to the story that she is writing.   

I continue to do my daily walks when the weather permits.   We did have a lot of rain during the first two weeks of lockdown and this week has given us very strong gale force winds at times.     I only enter the shops once or at the most twice a week to do what I call "hunting and gathering" of  food supplies. We do most of our food shopping online  fortnightly  but I do like to get fresh fruit, veggies, milk and bread more frequently.    Most retail shops are now closed - some are offering Click and Collect - with the supermarkets, bakeries, butchers, fish mongers, pharmacies and fruit shops all operating. 

Another batch of muffin were made and now reside in the freezer for future morning teas.   These are passionfruit.

That about wraps up the week from my perspective.   

Linking with Put Your Foot Down

                      TGIFF

                      So Scrappy

                      OMG

                      Table scraps

Back soon and in the meantime stay safe and

Happy sewing all 

FNSI

As mentioned in my previous post the challenge HST quilt was returned to me during the week.   I made an early start this morning in the sewing room as I wanted to get the binding finished today.    Not sure why the urgency to do so as  neither I or the quilt are going anywhere soon but I do not like to have unfinished things around me for too long.    So here it is all quilted and bound.

You may recall that 3 of us from my small Tuesday group each chose different fabrics to make the same quilt and this is how the others  look.   The other two quilts were finished a few weeks before mine due to our move.     

It is quite amazing how different they look in the other colourways.   I chose to use another  fabric for the sashing between the blocks instead of the background fabric which gives the quilt a totally different look again.  

It was a fun challenge and all three quilts are being donated to charity.

I look forward to the next challenge to be set by another member of the group.   

It is such a beautiful day today and after being in the sewing room for a couple of hours  it is time to put on our walking shoes and go for a walk.  The complex that  hubs and I moved into just nearly 3 months ago is set on 11 acres and the gardens around the area are just beautiful with the best part being able to enjoy them without having to do the hard work.  First up we will head on down one of the many pretty paths that lead to the outside pool.    As you can see it is covered up for winter.

There is also an indoor heated pool but that it out of bounds at the moment due to COVID.    I am so looking forward to being able to get back into it.   

Heading back we will walk along one of the paths that lead to the fish pond.      The fish  all swam up to me thinking that lunch was being served.  

Along the paths can be seen many gorgeous plants including a very dark purple hydrangea which I have not seen before.   

Thank you for joining me in the garden walk and I hope that you enjoyed it as much as I did.  

Thanks goes to Wendy for hosting us again.    Head on over here to see more progress/finishes on projects.

Linking with Put Your Foot Down

Back soon and in the meantime stay safe and

Happy sewing all  

Morning Tea is Served

 

If you are quick you can grab yourself  one of the lemon and coconut muffins that have just come out of the oven.   They smell divine.    I did make a couple of adjustments to the recipe like cutting the amount of sugar down by 2/3's and substituting greek yogurt for the butter.     Delicious.   

Now that we have eaten time to organise some fabrics for another couple of Christmas tablerunners for the hospital stall.

Last night while watching tv another beanie was finished off

It is a grey, cool and on and off drizzly day so no going for a walk or sitting outside in the sun to read my book after lunch but I will trim the HST quilt that was returned to me by the longarm quilter yesterday.  She only lives a few minutes away and dropped it to my front door on her way  shopping.  All very COVID  safe.

Back soon and in the meantime stay safe and

Happy sewing all

This Week in the Sewing Room

Saw me join up with two blog hops - one due at the end of this month and one in the middle of August.  I need to put some thought into what I am going to make especially for "Its a Guy Thing" .  Lockdown has been extended for us Greater Sydneysiders for another week at least so plenty of time to do some research and gather a few ideas.    

I did finish off another beanie - this one for a boy.

A visit to the library has kept me in reading material.    These three are finished and ready to be returned.

The first one I thoroughly enjoyed and it did keep me guessing as to "who dunnit" as it could have been anyone of a number of characters all with a motive.    I did suggest to hubs that he might enjoy reading it as well seeing that it is set in a school environment and being a retired headmaster he might find it interesting.    He was also kept guessing as to who and why.  

The second book was a light and easy read but very predictable and the third book "Suitcase of Dreams" I could not put down.   It was full of dreams for a new beginning with the struggle and hardship to obtain those dreams a rollercoaster ride  for the family involved.  

Next in the pile to read is 

The binding that was cut last week was finally put on the Christmas runner for the hospital auxillary stall.    This can now be called a finish.   

                                                              

So that was my week in and around the sewing room.

Linking with Put Your Foot Down

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

Sewing via the Screen

Yesterday Chookyblue organised another fun Zoom day.    At one point there was  just over 20 of us from all over the world on the screen at once.   I had organised to work on finishing off the coasters that I started on Friday night which I did.

Mid morning Miss M phoned to say that she would like to Facetime with grandpa and me so I signed off from the chook shed and Miss M kept us entertained for over 2 hours by reading, colouring in, showing us her collection of pretty beads and then it was onto dressing up her paper dolls.   I remember playing with paper dolls when I was her age.    

By then it was lunchtime.   After lunch I retrieved some washing off the line and got around to ironing some binding for the placemats and a Christmas runner.

Time to head back into the chookshed and join in with the rest of the hens again.   By this time - mid afternoon - most of the overseas participants had signed off and it was those from Downunder and Lou from NZ  who were left.    

Thanks Chooky for organsing another fun sewing day.

Linking with So Scrappy

Back soon and in the meantime

 Happy sewing all

FNwF

An early start was made in the sewing room yesterday seeing that my social life has been curtailed.  Not wanting to waste the last piece of  blue scrap a decision was made up make up 4 coasters to match the tablerunner and placemats  - which are under construction.  Progress so far.

I did finish off knitting the first beanie and sewed it up last night while watching BHG.

Don't forget to head on over here to see what the others who joined in with FNwF achieved.

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

Keeping busy

This pile of leftovers from the tablerunner will be used to make a couple of placemats for when hubs and I have breakfast at the kitchen bench.     This will be my OMG for July.  

When they are finished the next project on the list will be to start on making some tablerunners for the hospital auxillary Christmas stall which will be held early December - COVID permitting. 

The stall which was to be held this weekend at the local shopping centre has been cancelled so the hot mats will sit in my sewing cupboard until who knows when.  

Another item on the list is to make some beanies for the Royal Far West for those  children between the ages of 5 and 8.  A start was made while watching tv a couple of nights ago.    

Back soon and in the meantime stay safe and

Happy sewing all