Best of 2023

Linky Party is being held again over at Meadow Mist Designs.    Going back over my blog posts for the last year was fun and brought back memories that I had forgotten about.   

The project that dominated the first half of the year was the quilt for Miss M made from fabric that I was gifted last Christmas.  After much research on the net and other sources I came up with a pattern that I thought would work for these fabrics.    Some of the fabrics needed to be fussy cut in order for the design on the fabric to be showcased.     Done and dusted was how I felt about this project after working on it for quite sometime.

Out of 1 metre of fabric I was able to sew a set of two placemats, an apron and 1 bowl cosy with a bit left over which is still sitting in the stash waiting to be made into a hot pad.

Reading cushions, pear shaped pot holders and little girls bags all sold well at my recent Christmas market stall

A 2 fat quarter challenge was issued by my quilt group.  After much research and deliberation a drawstring bag was decided on.  

You can head on over here to see more best of 2023.   

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

A Zoom session and a challenge

Wednesday morning saw myself joining in with Chookyblue and other Chookshed stitchers for a Zoom session

However I was only able to join in for a short time due to another commitment and at some point after my leaving the group a discussion followed when it was decided that a challenge would be organised by Deana from Dreamworthy Quilts.  This challenge is as follows

If you would like to join, make a list of ten sewing related items or goals you want to work on in 2024, and post it to your blog on or before January 1st.  You can join late, but the first number will be posted January 1st.  Each month, January through October, I will draw a number.  That will be the number from our list we all work on together in blogland.  Blog your progress through the month to keep us all motivated.

Your list can include any sewing goal you set for yourself.  Make it reachable.  Here are some ideas:

• finish a project (name the project)
• work on a project (name the project)
• make a block (name the project)
• start a new project - can be open to any new start

Your goals can be whatever you choose. One member of the group plans to make three lists - one for sewing, one for yarn projects, and one for decluttering.

At this point I have no plans this coming year to make another quilt but who knows when I will weaken as there is plenty of fabric in the stash and many ideas in my head however at this stage my projects for 2024 will be smaller items again as they have been in the past year.   So my list of 10 items is as follows

 1.    Apple shaped pot holders

2.    Reading cushions

3.    Heat packs

4.    Garment making for myself

5.    Knit 4 beanies, sew them up and make a pom pom  for each

6.    Cross body bags

7.    12 bowl cosies

8.    A mystery project

9.    Snap top small make up bags

10.  Baby bibs

I look forward to seeing which number is called first and what the other Chookshed stitchers have nominated as their 10 items. 

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

Summing up the big day.......

After an early morning start (4.30 am) to see what Santa had left under the Christmas tree and a big lunch can sometimes prove to be a little overwhelming for some especially when you are 10.    Miss M was nowhere to be seen or heard mid afternoon and was found 

Curled up on the lounge  fast asleep with some of her gifts.  I think that there were a few others in the room wishing that they could have done the same.   

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

Happy Christmas....

Wishing you all a happy safe and enjoyable Christmas with family and friends whichever way you celebrate the season.  Hubs and I are lucky enough to be celebrating  the day with my parents, son and daughter-in-law, Miss  M as well as her other grandparents and uncle from the country who are joining us this year.

Seeing that all the shopping including the food has been purchased and dealt with accordingly hubs and I decided to treat ourselves to a champagne breakfast this morning.

Once the big day is over tomorrow Miss M will becoming to join us for part of the school holidays but in the meantime some reading

Beanie knitting  - if the weather is not too hot.

And eating my way through some of the goodies that are not usually consumed during the year are all planned for the coming week.

I say it every year but always weaken and end up heading to the shops to see what the sales are offering so I guess that will be on the list.  

I found these  pieces of fabric in my stash and thought that a couple of nighties for myself would be nice so that project will also be on the list.   

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all    

A very successful Christmas market stall

I was very pleased with the result ....the $ value taken far exceeded my expectations considering the market was on from 9 am to midday and only open to residents of the Village.  

I sold all 4 reading cushions as well as all of the bowl cosies along with the snap top glasses cases, small snap top make up bags, the Christmas tree trivets, little girls bags  and the apple shaped pot holders.  Other good selling items were the cross body bags, babies bibs, wine bottle gift bags and kitchen hanging hand towels.   I sold a couple sets of placemats, tooth fairy pillows, mini Christmas stockings (all of those sold last year so it is hard to judge what will sell on the day) and tabletoppers.  One or two of the other items were also sold.  

I was approached by one lady and asked if I would make her some adult bibs.  I did say that I would go and see her early in the New Year to discuss.   

And the last item on my to do Christmas list was a set of 3 placemats.    The recipients are very interested in ancient Egypt and I thought that this fabric had "their name" on it.

That completes my OMG for December so I can sit back and enjoy the lead up to Christmas without any pressure. 

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

Twinkling lights......

All around the City from the largest Christmas tree in NSW

To hotel foyers

A Christmas tree made up entirely of teddy bears (first one I have seen like this)

Office building lobbies

And to laneways 

Which all made for a very festive feeling while I made my way through the City.

After my day out it was time to make a start on the Christmas sewing list.    All 5 bags that my mother requested are now finished and have been delivered to her.

Next items on the list to be given priority were the 5 small notebooks that were to be covered

Along with the 5 mini pot holder grabbers

While the sewing was happening this audiobook was keeping me company.

And my bedtime reading is 

While it is fiction it is based on fact.   Set in 1946 it is the story of over 650 Australian war brides travelling to England aboard the Victoria to meet up with the men that they married during wartime. 

So getting back to my Christmas sewing list that only leaves the set of three placemats that need to be sewn.   The fabrics have been chosen all ready to go.  

Hubs and I had some domestics and routine shopping to do this morning and then stopped off on the way home for some lunch.   I could not pass up the rainbow bowl.   It was a delicious light meal for such a hot day.  

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all 

December OMG, FNwF and Santa came early........

To me.    He knew that I had been looking for a new sewing machine but was not going to replace my current one unless the new one had a much bigger throat which most of the sewing machines do not have.   

It has all the features of my current machine and a bonus  - which I was not aware of when purchasing the machine  - of a knee lifter.    

Santa was kind and said that I could use it now.   I did not need to be told twice and as you can see the box has been ripped into.  It is a beautiful machine to use and the extra throat space is amazing.  

This brings me to this month's OMG which is to sew my way through this list well before the end of the month as these items are Christmas gifts.

I have also had a request from my mother to make her 5 fold up shopping bags for some of her friends. 

Last night when joining in with FNwF I finally finished off my last two shopping bags. 

This now gives me a total of 5.   

Thanks Anne-Marie for moving us along with OMG and Cheryll for having the "gang" around again last night.   

Better get myself moving as the 5 small covered notebooks and mini pot holder grabbers are needed this coming week when meeting up with friends for Christmas lunches.  

Christmas tree and decorations are going up today along with writing Christmas cards and wrapping purchased gifts.  

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

November OMG and Lucky Me.......

I was the winner of  September's  FNSI and won the $30.00 voucher from Kitty Rose Cottage .  My choice was this gorgeous charm pack  which arrived in the mail yesterday.    Thank you Dawn.  I will have fun thinking up a project for such pretty fabrics.

My OMG for November was complete all 19 handtowels and that was achieved.  Thank you Anne-Marie for organising this again.   More finishes can be seen here.  

Our new book club book is

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm I know that you should not judge a book by its cover but........reading the back cover I would be offering it to an 8 year old child.   Time will tell.     I do have until the end of January to get through it but have a few books ahead of it to read first including this one.

All of my  market stall sewing is now complete and mostly priced which leaves me with  my own sewing for Christmas.    I have a list which I am making my way through.    More on that later.

The weather for the past 2 weeks has been rather drab and damp in respect to getting out and about for the day but great inroads have been made into my Christmas shopping.    I was feeling very disappointed a couple of weeks when I spent 2 hours walking around the biggest shopping centre in the northern beaches and only came home with a litre of milk.   It was time to sit down, put on the thinking cap, write a list and work from that.     I am pleased to report that there is only one left to buy for and then my mission will be completed on Monday.   

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

A day of sewing and FNSI

Time has been spent this last week working on and off sewing the tops and buttons onto the handtowels.  There were only 6 buttons left to sew on and this task was completed when joining in with FNSI early yesterday.

Here they are with the others that were finished off during the week.   All 19 of them now live in my stall/giftie box.  

Three more beanies were completed during the week and the pom poms sewn on yesterday.

Once the handtowels were finished 2 more shopping bags were cut out and a start made on pinning  them  ready for sewing.

After lunch I cut out and sewed up another drawstring  bag.    Not for me this time but for a friend who has offered to help me on my Christmas stall.   She is an avid knitter and does such a lot of knitting for the hospital auxiliary.     I  thought that the sheep fabric was a suitable choice for her bag.

This audio book is playing alongside the sewing machine.

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

In and out of the sewing room and 2 fq challenge reveal

The purpose of those leftover bindings and other leftover strips was to make myself drawstring bags.  This is the result

And the reason for making them is that I like to have 4 beanies on the go at various stages of construction at anyone time.

In the past they were all stored in this bag together

Everytime I put my hand in to take out the knitting it somehow get itself into a mess and time had to be spent unraveling a big tangled lump of yarn and rummaging around the bottom of the bag to find knitting needles.    No more.

All four now neatly stored in their respective bags.  

During the week hubs and I met up with friends for lunch.   I could not go past the linguine with roast vegetables 

My quilting group's 2 fat quarter challenge reveal was last Saturday and some great ideas came out of it.

Good progress is being made with putting the tops on the handtowels.  More on that later as I am off to Spotty this morning to buy more buttons.   I hope that nothing else slides off the shelf into my basket!!!!!  

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

I am not a weightlifter despite.........

What some of the checkout operators think when packing my shopping bags.   I find that some operators put so many items into one bag that it is quite a heavy task to grab it with both hands and haul it up from the conveyor belt and over into the trolley.    With this in mind 3 smaller bags were made during the week and a few more will be added over the coming weeks.  

While in the sewing room churning out the bags and working on a couple of other projects this audiobook was playing alongside me.

The handtowels are progressing well.    They now all  have their tops sewn and pinned on ready to be stitched and buttonholes to be done.

I also made a very quick and easy custom made set of 2 placemats for our kitchen bench during the week.

Next item on the agenda is to make something out of these leftover bindings.

I hope to have the item/s finished for my next post.

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all