Saturday in the sewing room

Hello there, how is your Saturday going?  I have had a great day in my sewing room, preparing a few blocks for some works in progress and finishing up a couple of things.  Firstly here is the bag I started early in January.  I'm really pleased with this, it's a nice little size, and I am really loving these Nicey Jane fabrics.  This was my first experience with ruffles and the result is not too bad!

In an Afternoon Bag designed by Rosalie Quinlan 
using Nicey Jane fabrics by Heather Bailey

This little flanged pillow is a Lizzie Kate freebie, the fabric I've finished it with looks red here, but is actually a very dark pink with cream spots.  

Friendship Grows, Freebie by Lizzie Kate
Stitched on Cream linen with Weeks Dye Works threads

This little lavender pillow is not todays work, but was my only January OPAM finish, and also my first Sew It's Finished finish for the year.  My list of works in progress at the start of the year was fairly large(a little understatement maybe) and I'm endeavouring to work on it with all the Sew It's Finished girls again in 2012. I think this was started about 6 years ago, and it only needed the opening closed, took about 4 minutes max!!  There really is something wrong with me!  But - it is done now..........

Lavender Pillow from Country Threads Magazine(can't find my copy to get designers name, sorry)

It's a long weekend here in NZ, where we are celebrating out national day, Waitangi Day on Monday.  Tomorrow we are heading to Central Otago for a little jetboating, and guess who's coming with us?  I'm sure  you can get proper pet lifejackets, but we were just trying this old one on Kelly for size this afternoon ......

I hope you are enjoying a wonderful weekend whatever it is you are doing ............... 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

Chilly days

Greetings!  It's been a slow week here, the girls have had a couple of days off school while we were snowed in.  We've also had no landline phones in the whole distirct for the last couple of days so it's been very quiet, not sure if that is snow related or not but I hope they fix it soon, as we don't get mobile reception here either.  We've just been crossing our fingers there would be no emergencies!  Last day of school today, so we're all ready for a couple of weeks break.

Not much relaxing in this chair this week.......

And we've all been having fun in the snow ..............

I have finished the long-lost bag for my friend, I hope she'll feel the wait was worth it. lol    One more thing to cross off my WIP list!  I've also pieced the little charm pack quilt I showed last time, and started piecing the back for my niece's Abracadabra quilt in Bliss fabrics. 

Angel Pin Carry Bag - Rosalie Quinlan Designs, from Homespun # 21

 Finally thanks for the comments on my last post about the Silver Ferns sadly losing the netball World Champs final.  I can tell some of you (Kiwis) are feeling my pain. lol  When our eldest bought home this gift on Monday from her cousin/best friend who has just been on holiday to Australia, I couldn't stop laughing!  So appropriate, a kangaroo with boxing gloves on ready to give someone a hiding. LOL   I love it!   

                                  

 I have a little something in mind for Chookyblue but she might regret saying there's no hurry......... that's a dangerous thing to say to me.

Hope you're having a great week, take care ........................ Nicky

The most perfect Sunday...............

I feel so privileged(and exhausted) to have spent the day yesterday, learning from these lovely ladies, Leanne Beasley and Rosalie Quinlan.  Lesley from Forget Me Knots in Christchurch organised the most fantastic workshop, a Mid Winter Christmas theme, and every detail was perfect, thank you so much Lesley!

The day for me started at 4am, with an hours drive on icy roads to catch the plane to Christchurch.  Not only did Lesley organise everything, she even came and picked me up at the airport - now that is service!

Leanne and Rosie are wonderful teachers, with a great sense of humour, very down- to-earth, and both are very big on doing what makes you happy, if you aren't enjoying a technique or project, find a technique that will be enjoyable.  Our 'mistakes', or what we think are mistakes, make our work original, and keep it looking handmade.

This sweet little bag 'Three Sweet Bluebirds'(the third bluebird is on the needlecase inside) was one of Rosalie's projects, and it was so neat to see how she does her needleturn applique, an art I really admire, but am hopeless at.  Silk thread certainly helped make my own piece look a lot neater, and I will keep practicing,

I am determined to master it.  Rosalie also taught a doll called Poppy, and a beautiful stitchery which can be finished onto a canvas. 

 

Leanne talked to us about designing our own quilt, where to begin, use of colour, keeping it balanced, and heaps of ideas and patterns to get us started.  The blocks above are the work in progress on her own quilt, which as always is going to be stunning.

One of the highlights for me was being able to have a really closeup look at some of the girls original quilts, and other projects, one I really fell in love with is this one, Rosie's 'I Remember' BOM quilt.  I am really going to have to practice that needleturn.

 This is Leanne's latest BOM 'Down in the Garden' and it is stunning.

 Some of Leanne's cute little pincushions.

 

 Just some of the gorgeous bits and pieces that Lesley had set up on display to tempt us.

 

It was so cool to meet some other bloggers, including Shiree, and  Deb, who are both doing the Gardener's Journal Stitchalong, and lots of other lovely ladies who were all so friendly and welcoming.  (One sweet lady who lived near the airport even dropped me back there on her way home - Thanks so much!)

So, all in all, a fabulous day away, great people, great food, lots of new projects to get busy with, and memories to treasure.

Till next time ...............Happy, happy stitching

PS: It really is nearly 1.30am, but I wanted to write this post, while it was still fresh in my head!  After a long day at work today, yesterday already seems like a distant memory.........sigh.