The longer you leave it, the harder it gets

Oh dear, it seems to be the same old tune here.... far too long between posts.... but hello anyway and a happy New Year to you!   I haven't even managed to get a post done in January, now we're in February and I am woefully late in sharing some beautiful Christmas swap gifts made for me by my lovely friend Leanne.  We did three swaps last year, Easter, our birthdays and Christmas, and it seems Leanne knows me so well, even though we've never met!!

Leanne made me this beautiful Christmas wallhanging with a redwork stitchery, it is gorgeous, and was admired by everyone who visited us at Christmas, truth be told I have now moved it to hang in my sewing room, it's far too pretty to only have on display at Christmas time!  And of course it's in one of my fave fabrics 'Scrumptious'.

She also made me this sweet little pin pillow... isn't it cute with the little orange flower..... and a cute pattern and magnetic closure to make a little hexagon purse.  Thank you so much Leanne for another great swap.....  xx

   

This is what I sent to Leanne, a Thimble Blossoms mini Spools quilt and a journal, both in Scrumptious fabric(both of us using the same fabric was not planned, but great minds think alike!!)

And now tilt your head to the left, this is the journal, a Melly and Me kit, and some Tilda braid I sent.  For the life of me I can not get this photo to stay turned around the right way in Blogger!

I have done almost no sewing in January, and February hasn't started much better, I am heading to the sewing room this afternoon to make the binding for my Scrappy Trip quilt, I really want to get that baby finished, and soon!  As usual January has been crazy busy on the farm, so much stock work to be done, and I am only now catching up on the several hundred blog posts I was behind on reading.  I have missed the signup deadline for OPAM for 2014, but I'm still going to try and get something done each month anyway..... last year was my best year for finishes in a long time, I think the Stitch-Along projects being small each month helped my cause.  So here's hoping 2014 will be a good stitching year for me..... hope you're finding some 'you' time too..... Nicky x

SSCS gifts

Now that the dust has settled on our Christmas celebrations I want to share the beautiful gifts given to me by Cheryl in the SSCS exchange organised by Chookyblue and her very able assisant Googy girl.  In my last post I showed you the sweet little angel ornament Cheryl stitched for me and here is my beautiful Christmas stitchery piece, isn't it lovely?  I love the pretty variegated thread Cheryl has used, and the festive fabrics too.  Not only did Cheryl give me some of her beautiful stitching, but she also gave me a kit for another of Marg Low's cute Santa ornaments, I've seen some of these around blogland lately and they are lovely!  Thank you Cheryl, I have been thoroughly spoiled....

My SSCS partner was Maria in Australia, and I made her a Shepherds Bush cross stitch design into a Christmas pillow.  I made a few modifications to the pattern to make it the right size and shape.  I included a hexagon bag pattern and a few fabrics for Maria, a little blog spying told me that not only did she like the colour purple but she was a hexie fan too!  

A big thanks to Chookyblue and Googygirl for the time and skills they put into organising this swap, it's the only one I've participated in every year since I started this blog, and I love it, it wouldn't seem like Christmas morning without my SSCS parcel to open!  

Well the year is rapidly drawing to a close, I wish you all a Happy New Year and hope all good things come to you in 2014.  We are going camping with friends for a couple of nights to see the New Year in, so I will see you all again early in 2014.......... till then, take care ...... Nicky xxx

Where do I start?

So much has been happening here over the last few weeks, I have finally made it to the blog to check in..... 

Firstly my Secret Santa Christmas Swap gift has arrived from Cheryl in Australia, just look at this beautiful angel ornament she made me, it is adorable, thankyou so much Cheryl, I am waiting very patiently(OK, not so very patiently) for the big day to arrive when I can tear into the other parcels!  A very big thanks to Miss Chookyblue and her team for organising this lovely swap....

My SSCS gifts finally went on the sleigh and were delivered to Maria in Australia, where she has now opened her ornament.  From my stalking of Maria's blog I knew that her favourite colour was purple, so it may not be the most 'Christmassy' of colours I wanted to make her a purple ornament, though it shows blue in the picture.

Recently I was thrilled to receive my Scrappy Trip quilt back from Linda at Razzle Dazzle Quilter. Earlier in the year I won the quilting of a quilt in a generous giveaway by Linda.  The quilting Linda has done for me is nothing short of beautiful, and I plan to get the binding attached over the Christmas break, and then I will take some photos of the finished quilt.  So excited about this one!

We've had a busy few weeks of weaning lambs, cultivation work, school concerts and prizegivings. Our Miss 11 has finished at primary school and was rewarded for her hard work this year with a trophy for Diligence for her class at the Leavers celebrations.  She is super excited to be heading off to the college next year.  And Miss 13 received the General Excellence prize for her class with firsts in 5 subjects, we are just so proud of her and her hard work this year.  Two very proud parent moments! 

Christmas shopping to be finished this week, and the aim is to get our crops all sown before Christmas, and hopefully the old ewes shorn, and about 2 weeks of blog posts to catch up on, so if someone could find me a few extra days in there somewhere that would be much appreciated.  

Hope all your holiday season plans are coming together for you and that there might be some time for stitching in there too......    Nicky x

Spring is here....

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring in Southern parts, and we have enjoyed a mild winter, particularly August has been warm and great weather for lambing, which got underway for us during the last week.  A tiny vase of pretty little flowers is just the thing to say 'Spring'.......

In my last post I mentioned a retreat I had been on recently, and here are a couple of things I worked on while enjoying uninterrupted sewing time, what a treat that was.... two and a half days of it!!  This is a little Dresden pillow that I finished at retreat, and was part of the birthday swap gifts I sent to Leanne recently.  Without even discussing it, we ended up both making each other gifts from Bonnie and Camille fabrics, great minds think alike right?!

I also made Leanne a table runner in a kind of sampler format using half square triangles.  This was so fun to make, I used some of the bonus HST's left over from my 2012 FQS Block of the Month quilt, and added some more from the Vintage Modern range for variety. I did include some little extras but forgot to take a photo of them.

One of the main things I worked on while I was away was to finish up the Designer Mystery BOM, I have now made it up to this red border, I am unsure about the next white border with the pinwheel corners, I may try something different, or even leave it as is, it's already plenty big enough for me. This means that now I can start the 2013 BOM.  I have three blocks sitting waiting for me already!

 

A better pic of the colours - hanging on the clothesline late this afternoon.....

There were a couple of other projects I worked on, but one of them is still a little surprise so I will share it when it is done.  Since I've returned from retreat, I haven't really achieved much crafty-wise, but I will try and get a few stitches done some evenings during lambing(if I can stay awake that late!)

I am going to use my 'free pass' this month for the Stitch Along blog, I am still working on July's bag, so I don't think I'm going to get the August one done in the next few hours.....   

Thanks for visiting with me today... hope you're getting some stitching time in your day..... Nicky x

Easter sewing

 My lovely friend Leanne and I had an Easter swap and this is what I sent to Leanne.  A Hatched and Patched bag, a little bunny, some Fig Tree fat quarters and some other little bits and pieces.  And of course some chocolates that were added to the package later before I posted, I hope Leanne got to eat some of them or maybe she shared them with her boys.........?  I am still watching my mailbox, we posted on the same day - but there are no mail deliveries till tomorrow as we get an extra long Easter weekend - today is Anniversary Day here...... yay, no school!

After finishing my scrappy trip top on Saturday, Sunday saw me finish my little pincushion for the Stitch-A-Long March project.  I'm making the little sewing accessories for the SAL in some of my favourite Fig Tree Strawberry Fields fabrics, will be nice to have a matching set by the end of the SAL.....

And late on Sunday night I started to cut out a new little quilt for dear friends who are expecting a baby in June.  I am using Posy fabric to make Sugar Dish.  I'm taking a gamble here, I have a strong feeling they are having a girl..... so I hope I'm right as this is certainly not a little boy quilt...lol.  I've always wanted to have a go at Dresden plates, so this little quilt will be my opportunity.....

I enrolled in Camille Roskelly's Craftsy class called Pre-Cut Piecing Made Simple last week, and after only a couple of lessons, I have learned heaps of shortcuts for cutting and chain piecing.  This one seems so obvious now, but it had never occurred to me to line up more than one strip at a time with the lines on my cutting mat and cut them all at once.  And with my jellyroll strip folded in half it was doubled as well.   Of course it is probably obvious to most of you - but being mostly self taught, it takes me a while to catch on!!  This is my first experience with Craftsy, I thought the classes seemed expensive, but there are 4 quilt patterns with Camille's class and I did use a 25% off coupon.......we crafters can justify anything if it suits us though.......

So having spent a few hours sewing this Easter I am very pleased with my efforts so far .......

I hope you have had a wonderful Easter too........ till next time.......Happy Stitching.....Nicky x

My SSCS gift to Cheryl

I can now share the gift that I made for Cheryl in our SSCS exchange, sent halfway round the world to California.  The design is called Countdown to Christmas, by Anni Downs and was featured in Australian Homespun Vol 13 No 7.  I made a small alteration to the little sign, changing it from 'Countdown to Christmas' to 'Merry Christmas'.  I was pretty pleased with how the wall hanging finished up, and will definitely use a 'rusty' hanger again, I loved the look it gave.

Today I have put the final stitches into my Gardeners Journal quilt, and I don't know if I can put into words how happy I am that it is finally done!  I will put a post together for the SAL blog soon, and will share here too.   I have lots of emails to reply to and blogs to catch up on too, so that will fill in the rest of my Friday evening......

Till next time .............. happy stitching........... Nicky 

When all else fails read the instructions.........

I had some time at the sewing machine yesterday, and thought I'd get the piecing started for the zipper bag I've been working on from Anni Downs' Simple Life book.  So I happily joined all my little mini charm squares and then wondered why they looked like this bag would be enormous........ turns out I was meant to be using 1 1/2" squares, not 2 1/2".   That saying about measuring twice and cutting once...... it is absolutely right, you usually do have to cut at least once....... rather than not at all!  NOT happy - next time I will be more careful  and actually READ the instuctions!

I also got Block 6 of the FQS BOM together, all up to date now, and ready for Block 7 to land in my mailbox.  This block was designed by Kate Spain and is called 'Town Square'. 

Running a little behind with these two November blocks for the Scrappy Stars Sew Along that Terry has been inspiring ........ check out her stars all made up into a top already.

  

And finally this is the ornament I sent to Cheryl in Chookyblues SSCS exchange ........ it is the 2010 Snowman by Lizzie Kate.

I was so sad to hear of the tragedy in Connecticut, my thoughts and good wishes are with all in the US.  

Till next time............ happy stitching.........Nicky

Some stitching progress

I thought it might be time for an update on some ongoing projects......

• This is where I'm up to with Christmas Garden, by Blackbird Designs, the second pic is where I was at back in May(didn't think it had been that long....lol)  The top pic is a better representation of the fabric colour.

• Next is Block 5 of the Fat Quarter Shop Designer Mystery BOM.  This block is designed by the Blackbird Designs girls Barb and Alma...... still loving these fabrics.  Block 6 is ready to sew and Block 7 should be in the mailbox any day.

• I had my first attempt at prairie points on the first of two Pinwheel baby quilts, this is the completed top in Ruby fabrics, and I now need to add the prairie points to the one I have done in Bliss fabric.  The little twin girls these are for recently turned 1, so I need to make this a priority!!  Not sure how I will quilt these yet.......... 

I have heard from my lovely SSCS partner Cheryl in California that her parcel has arrived.  I can't find the photos I took of it, but when I do I will share the ornament I sent here.

We finished weaning our lambs this week, this was about 2000 ewes heading for the back of the farm yesterday .........

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Our girls are finished school for the year, they have both had a great year at school, our Miss 12 was awarded with the General Excellence prize for her class.  She was first in English, Mathematics, Science, Phys Ed and Visual Art, and also received a prize for Citizenship.  Our Miss 10 performed beautifully in her kapa haka group at their breakup, and has received a school report for the year that we are so proud of.  Apologies for the skiting, but there are two very proud parents here........  :o)

I hope your Christmas plans are going as they should, I'm off to town today to make sure that we will be ready too.

Till next time .......... happy stitching............ Nicky

Annettes SSCS gift

With Christmas Day now all done and dusted I can share what I made for Annette in Australia,  my partner in Chookyblues Secret Santa Christmas Swap...... this table runner using Rosalie Quinlans Little Patchwork Village design, and some  pretty Strawberry Fields fabric.

Annette has a lovely blog - Jindis Cottage - named for her much loved kelpie, Jindi, (sometimes you would wonder though - sounds like Jindi runs the house. lol) so I added the name to the house in the middle block...............

This birdie block was fun to stitch .......................

.......... and the big house with the Christmas wreath on the door seemed appropriate for this swap.......

So Merry Christmas Annette, I hope you like it .......... this is such a fun swap to do that I'll definitely be signing up next year ................. no pressure though Chookyblue .....lol

I'll be back in a day or two with some holiday stitching ................ Nicky

Exchange goodies sent by me

I thought I had better share some pics of the parcels I sent out for the two exchanges I participated in recently. First up, for Chookyblue's SSCS exchange I sent my gift to Alison/Cardygirl. I showed a pic of the ornament a couple of posts ago, and here is the main gift. This is Peace and Plenty, designed by Leanne Beasley. It is one I have wanted to stitch for a long time, and when I was sneaking around Cardygirls blog 'researching' I noticed she said her favourite colour was red, so I decided this was just the thing for her. I finished it onto a canvas(my first attempt at this, so please excuse all those staples on the back Alison).

Overall pretty pleased with the final result.

This is the handmade part of my gift to Pat for the 6 Things swap organised by Maree.  Pat doesn't have a blog I don't think, but is a member of the Club Quilt Narromine group, and boy oh boy she is very productive! Pat makes the most wonderful quilts, bags, runners, and lots more, so pop on over to their blog and check her work out. 

Something for the craft room was this little thread box, with a Lizzie Kate chart, the required threads, some buttons and some Thread Heaven(I love this stuff).

And I forgot to photograph the other bits and pieces - OOPS!  But they were, some fragrant soap, some Ferrero Rocher choccies, a book of scenic pics of NZ taken from the air, and a gingerbread house Christmas decoration.  I hope that Pat enjoys the goodies - I sure enjoyed gathering the bits and pieces for her parcel.

Well that is the end of swaps for the year for me - now I need to focus on Stitching Round the Block for Leanne. Raewyn and Janis...............and A Gardeners Journal..........and Butterfly Garden ..and Virtues Sampler .............and..............................well, you get the idea. lol

Fabulous Friday ..........

It feels like I haven't been here much lately......... so heres a bit of a catchup on the last couple of weeks.  My SSCS gift arrived with Cardygirl/Alison earlier in the month.  Here is a pic of the ornie I finished up for her. 

In breaking news my own SSCS gift from Maricarmen arrived in this mornings mail all the way from Argentina.  Excitement plus in my house right now!  However my camera battery is dead, so I will take some pics tonight when I get home from work.  My ornament is so cute and is on the tree already.  Thank you Maricarmen, I can't wait till Christmas Day now!  Thanks again Chookyblue for organising this brilliant swap!

And I also forgot to show a pic of my 6 Things swap which was sent off to the land of Oz.  This was the swap organised by Maree.

And then there was Queenstown.  We had a wonderful weekend with good friends who also have two girls the same age as ours.  Lots of boating and swimming, too much eating, but most of all lots of relaxing.  This is the view from the beautiful house we stayed in looking towards the town.

Down at the lake shore - yes, it was as cold as it looks in that water!

Hubbie about to take off on the "Mojo" behind the boat..... 

.........and still on after several circuits.  The general consensus was that the water was far too cold for skiing.

(Thanks A & S for a wonderful weekend)

Tonight is Friday Night Sew-In, and I've missed the last couple, so I'm really looking forward to this one.  I think I will get some more done on my Stiching Round the Block for Leanne and Raewyn.  Leannes is almost done, and Raewyns piece has arrived from Leanne late last week.  Why not head on over to Heidi's and sign up for some sewing time tonight??

I hope you've had a great week and that your Christmas plans are coming together for you. Thanks so much for stopping by today - I'll be back tomorrow with some FNSI progress and some pics of my SSCS parcel and ornie.

                                         Have a great day............Nicky