Beautiful gifts & Scrappy stars

Last week I was thrilled to receive a surprise gift in the mail from Clare, a lovely lady who I have 'met' through blogging.  Clare started her blog Craftlady in Kiwiland late last year and she does the most amazing stitching and quilting, and now I've been so lucky to be able to experience it firsthand...... a most welcome and very much appreciated gift, this gorgeous bag, and matching blockroll.  The bag is now filled with the little hexies from my recent post, which I have been working on now and then, it's nice to have them close by in this sweet little bag, when I have a few spare minutes to stitch. 

I've never used a block roll before, but what a neat idea, this will keep my little Butterfly Garden miniblocks together and wrinkle free while I finish the rest of each block.

Isn't this fabric so cute, couldn't help but make you smile to read those cheerful words.... thank you Clare, you absolutely made my day, your workmanship is faultless, and I am so grateful to be the recipient of your wonderful stitching.

I have been getting a little stitching done, and have picked up my Butterfly Garden blocks again. Here are some newly finished miniblocks ..........these bring me to 28/81 completed.

Recently I spotted some scrappy stars over at Terry's blog Terry's Treasures, where she is co-ordinating a Scrappy Stars Sew Along.  In a desperate attempt to tame my scrap bin, I have joined in the scrappy fun.  I think there are meant to be two blocks a month starting in August.  I am late joining, so I've made my first four blocks .........each block is 12.5" unfinished.

These are so much fun, a little addictive, and I've decided to have no rules whatsoever, no fabric will be too ugly/loud/wrong for these blocks!  So who knows what the next ones will look like .........

I hope you've had a great weekend............. Nicky

Not so much breaking news anymore .........

Do you remember this, and this, and finally this last July............... wouldn't blame you if you don't, cos' that is more than a year ago.  Oh dear, I hate losing, but I was very happy to stitch something for Chookyblue as a result of me losing our little wager on the Diamonds v Silver Ferns netball match.  The main part of the stitching was completed last year, but as ever with me, the finishing is what takes me so long. SHAME on me!

Well, finally I got a little something on it's way to Chookyblue a couple of months ago, then I waited and waited to hear it had arrived................ and eventually it landed right back in my mail box.  (A true Aussie boomerang.....lol)  Thankfully it was none the worse for its travels, so I checked address details and had another go.........well I am happy to know that it reached it's destination all the way in the land of Oz.  I was lucky enough to have Chooky herself stitch for me in her Secret Santa Christmas Swap last year, so it was nice to finally return the favour.......

I stitched this little piece by Little House Needleworks called Necessities Sampler, added both Chookyblues and my initial, and finished it up as a little pillow.  You can see some other bits I sent for Chooky and her Fairy Girl over at this post........ can you believe that she called it 'Australia beats New Zealand'...... she may as well have added 'again' at the end of that title.........LOL

Thanks for all the 'encouraging' comments about those little hexagons on my last post, I have left them sitting out where I can see them, hoping they will inspire me again........... yeah right!

Till next time ......... Happy Stitching ................ Nicky

PS:  On Saturday all these little ones were born to this lucky ewe.......... doesn't she look a bit panicky about the prospect of dealing with 4 all at once....... I had to smile when hubby sent me the photo from his phone and titled it 'Busy Mum'.....

A blast from the past and a set of twins

I've been seeing a few 1/2" hexagon projects around recently and thought I'd dig out and share this abandoned long-forgotten Grandmothers Flower Basket that I started when the girls were little, about 8 years ago.  I'm not sure exactly what I was thinking, when I chose marble fabrics for the flowers and just any old random green prints for the leaves.  There are so many different shades of green in there it just about makes me sick to look at it now.  It was all done the old fashioned way, me tracing and cutting out freezer paper templates and hand basting, it's a wonder they fit together at all!  And those little hexies are small, 1/2" sides seemed tiny at the time, but they're all the 'in' thing now!  Now that it's out, maybe I should add a stitch or three, after all it is on my WIP list (a little optimistic to have it there maybe....)  So now you can see that starting projects and never finishing them is not a new concept for me ......... I am experienced at it........LOL

Here are a couple of farm pics........ a set of day old twins with Mum.......

And a view from the bush looking down through the kowhai trees across to the hills beyond .......

Well I hope you're having a great day ..........Till next time................ Happy stitching ............. Nicky

Sunday sewing

It was a beautiful day yesterday, so warm, with most of the day spent outdoors, but I did find time for a little machine piecing.  I have been collecting the Designer Mystery Block of the Month from the Fat Quarter Shop for the last couple of months.  Never done one of these before, but I thought it might help my piecing accuracy and get me over my dislike/fear of triangles!  I've seen a lot of people in blogland have all of their blocks done and up to date, so I finally started on Block 1 yesterday.

Loving the Vintage Modern fabrics by Bonnie and Camille, so pretty.   These FQS kits are so generous, there is probably enough fabric to make two blocks for each month!  However, I am more excited about the prospect of these bonus Half Square Triangle squares.   Now this is probably nothing new to quilters out there, but I only recently read about 'bonus triangles' here.  By drawing and stitching an extra line  onto my squares when I am making up the Flying Geese unit, I have all these sweet little HST squares, and by the look of the next couple of blocks, there will be quite a few more from this project.  Aren't they just so cute, doesn't take much to get me excited, does it??  Now to decide what to do with them all ..........

I hope you spent part of your weekend doing something fun too.........till next time, Nicky

PS: Our first lambs arrived yesterday too.........woohoo..... spring has sprung........

Still here .......

Well hello, it has been quite a while since I've been here ....... again..........3 months ago today since I last posted.    So much has been happening, some good, some not so good, but I wanted to pop in and let you know I haven't fallen off the edge of the earth.

Here are some random pics from the last few months..............

Some misty winter mornings on the farm ...................

A pretty sunrise.............

This framed stitchery is called Friendship Tree by Natalie Bird of The Birdhouse. I finished this in June for my best friends birthday. It was a lovely little piece to stitch, and I got the co-ordinating frame when we were in Australia earlier in the year.  I must remember to add it and another little finish from May(which is currently in transit) to my August OPAM finishes as I haven't 'finished' anything since February :-( 

I love the little wooden buttons that came in the kit, aren't they gorgeous?

I have been trying to find some crafting time in the last couple of days, and have managed to start another new project - surprise, surprise!   Nothing like starting something new when nothing else is calling out to be stitched on......... lol.    Can you guess what pattern this little lady is from?

She is from Anni Downs recent book 'The Simple Life', and will be a little zipper pouch.  It's been such a long time since I've done any fusible web applique that I'd almost forgotten how!  I'm not sure if you can see part of my little stripey dog on the left side of the pic, he isn't coming out how I'd planned, so I will redo him in a darker colour I think.  And then I'll have to learn how to put in a zip....... don't know how that will go.

Well, now that I have bitten the bullet and actually written a post, I hope I will be able to keep it up and not be a stranger any more!  I hope you are finding some time for some stitching.................. thanks for visiting, till next time ........ Nicky

FNSI - The Friday afternoon version

As I hoped, I did get a few stitches in on Friday afternoon for Friday Night Sew In...... on my Christmas Garden project.  I haven't worked on this in several months, so there isn't much change to see, but surely a few stitches is better than none!

If you joined in FNSI, I hope you had a lovely evening stitching too.................

Till next time ...........Nicky

(Semi)Normal transmission resumes

Oh boy, it's been so long since I did this that the whole blogger thing seems unfamiliar to me.......

It feels great to be back though, and I know I've missed reading everyone's news and happenings!

Things are good here, my Dad is recovering from surgery and looking forward to a smooth journey ahead now.      These kinds of bumps in the road are what makes me appreciate my family and also our wonderful friends even more, we simply couldn't get there without them.  I have had lots of 'checking in on you' emails and messages, so thanks for thinking of us!!

You'd think that in a 2 and a half month break from blogging I'd have lots of stitching to share but sorry that is not the case at all.  Very little stitching happened here, it's not through a lack of wanting to, but it just hasn't happened.    We did have a week in April in beautiful Noosa in Queensland, Australia, and what a fantastic place.  Noosa can be as busy or relaxing as you want it to be........ we fitted in some horse riding, kayaking, shopping, lots of swimming, and a whole lot of reading and relaxing!  I also managed to squeeze in a trip to The Patchwork Angel in Forest Glen, what a wonderful shop, I had a good old discussion with my credit card there, but of course I won in the end... lol ..... and some lovely goodies came home with me.

I believe it is Friday Night Sew In tonight, sadly for my sewing, we won't be home tonight, but I might try and sneak in a couple of hours stitching this afternoon instead.  I have a sick girl home from school today with a nasty head cold, so the perfect reason for a day indoors for me too!

If you're joining FNSI this month I hope you have an enjoyable evening stitching tonight, and I will catch up with you all again soon.

Take care ............. Nicky

PS: I've just had a look back to February on my blog and realise I didn't share a pic of Janis' finished Stitching Round the Block piece, so here it is...... Janis stitched Round 1, Raewyn stitched Round 2, Janis stitched Round 3(she and Leanne each did their own round threes) and I stitched Round 4 for Janis ...finally!!!  Thanks to Helen of Hugs and Kisses for a great round robin pattern and to Janis, Raewyn and Leanne for putting up with me!