Christmas Ornaments.

As I'm sure you remember I make and swap Christmas ornaments with friends and family each year. This year time got away from me and I couldn't complete them all.  So I owe some folks two ornaments in 2024. More on that in another post. Lets have a look at what I did achieve and receive. 

This handsome blue chap was sent to Janice. He arrived late thanks to the postal system.

I'm happy to say that Janice loves him.

This beautiful blackwork tree was stitched by Janice and sent to me.

Very nice too. Thank you my friend. I love it.

Another ornament I received this year is this lovely knitted wreath from Debbie.

The Suffolk puff lollypop above it was a previous gift from Debbie.

Here is a look at my own gnome. I didn't get chance to add his final ribbon bling, maybe later today, but at least he made it on to the tree. 

And speaking of the tree.

A tree full of hand made ornaments.

*

Lots of bloggers do an annual round up, but that's never been my way.

So I'll just slip quietly in to 2024 by wishing you all the very best for the new year.

I hope you have a happy and healthy 12 months ahead and for those of you taking part in some of the many sewing challenges, have fun.

Chookshed Stitchers Challenge.

I'm really not sure about this, I don't often do well at these kind of challenges but the organizers have made it appear easy and doable. So here goes, I'm jumping on to the bandwagon with my bundle of works.

1) The Scrub Stitchin' bag.  It would be good to think I could complete it, but first I must start it!

2)  Some EPP. I have one project on the go another all cut and basted ready to go and yet more more in the wings awaiting their turn.... More about that when it happens.

3) Quilt Morning Moon Fairies. 

4) Quilt a scrappy quilt.

I have a few to choose from. LOL

5) Cut fabric for a new start.

Windswept, my autumnal coloured version of this beauty might make some progress this year.

6) Continue to cut for windswept or start sewing.

Yep, two goes at this one.

Obviously months 5 and 6 are interchangeable. 

7)  Work on my latest scrapper.

That is currently a floral hit n miss.

I'll show and tell when I get a little more done. So far I have a few fabric scraps cut but really not much.

8) Stitch a Christmas Ornament, or three!

For ore information about the challenge you can visit Deanna at her blog here. 

All of this should be going on alongside my usual sewing, some of it is my usual sewing, but that's fine. 

Edited to add.....

September and October might not make much progress on these goals as I have a wedding dress to make, 

Good luck to everyone who is planning to join in. 

It's been a while....

 What can I say?

Life got in the way.

I've been working, a lot. My colleague was taken ill again with a badly swollen leg. I'm sure it is all down to that awful new virus. She has had nothing but problems since she had it.

I have been busy in the garden and the kitchen. Preserving season has started, I already made two batches of  cucumber relish! And I made an obscene amount of fruit mince pies, half of which are gone already. There were also savoury pies, cakes and slices.

I promised a picture of a cross stitch project, then gifted it without taking the photo. My other cross stitch finishes were all the same and one is yet to be delivered, so no pic of that yet either.

Oh dear, what's a blogger to do?

I did take some pictures at work. Have you heard of the elf on the shelf?  We have two at work, myself and some colleagues had some fun and the residents had some laughs.

The toy spiders were over the elves antics and  kept them out of mischief for one night.

That's the tea, coffee and sugar canisters all wrapped up!

I was ill on Christmas day so the children visited for only a short time. I asked Grandad to take photos please. So he took video. Sigh, never mind.

Yes, I'm all better now. 

I do hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and wish you all a very happy and stitchy new year. 

Hopefully I'll be back soon with some sewing content. LOL

Ready, set, sew.

When I was in Baradine for scrub stitchin' in April this year I bought one of Jude's Ready Set Sew kits. I 've picked away at the precut triangles and squares over a few months and this last week I've gotten stuck in and finished sewing them all.

Hmm, it would seem that blogger prefers my photos to be sideways again!

So the other day I got down on the floor and played shuffle.

Before sewing the blocks into rows.

Then yesterday I sewed all the rows together.

Today I added borders. 

That looks rather nice, I might just leave it there.

It really did not take long to put together, having the fabrics precut certainly helped a lot. Thanks to Jude and her Fairy. 

Now to find some batting for it, but no rush, I've already started cutting for the next project. LOL

I have a cross stitch finish to share, but I'll save that for another day.

There have been more extra shifts at work and some more to come. My colleague is out of hospital and will hopefully be back at work soon. Another is leaving and I'm to train her replacement.

Right, I'm off to sew for the remainder of my one day off this week. 

Another finished quilt in old man tree.

We don't have a big property with lots of trees and shrubs or other interesting places to drape a quilt, so I keep on returning to the same trees. Old man tree sits at the front of the property and is a beautiful tree, all year round. He does drop his leaves and has bare branches throughout the winter months. His branches and twigs look old and gnarly, they curl and bend in odd directions.

I thought I should try to get an image of the tree itself.

I couldn't get a great image of the quilt in the tree this time, so opted to try the fence just by the tree.

That works, all those lovely pinks and purples pop amid the green tones in the garden.

I do want to show one image of the quilt in the tree. Here you see the back of the quilt.

And Noah. I hadn't realised that next doors cat was peeping around the fence.

He visits every day and is a very handsome fellow. 

*

In other news, I have found a unicorn pattern to stitch for Charmaine as a part of her Christmas bundle.

Progress has been made on the cat cross stitch and also on the ready set sew blocks.

With just over a half of them now completed.

I've been doing extra shifts at work again as my colleague is back in hospital with complications following her dance with Covid. I do hope she gets well and is able to return to work soon, her little family has been through a lot this year, they do not need more complications. 

*

That's my news, I'm off to sew for a while before Torstein and Charmaine get here for their tea. 

Dinosaurs in trees!

That nice day finally arrived and I was able to get outside with the Dino quilt and get some photos.

First I tried old man tree. He now has leaves and flowers and is looking so pretty.

They cast beautiful shadows on to the quilt.

Next I wandered down the path and tried the cherry tree. 

It was lovely out there on a warm morning so I kept going and took some images of the gardens for you, but first a quick peep at the pantograph I used.

Dinosaur footprints by Urban Elementz.

Perfect!

Now back to the garden. 

The iris are looking splendid and I have to say I think this is the best I have ever seen them.

At the bottom of the path some lillies are starting to flower.

They too look to be setting up for a great show this year.

As are the neighbour's roses. Don't they look beautiful clambering over the fence?

Right under the window of my quilting room I can see some huge peonies.

This photo really doesn't show how big they are. 

Around the corner on the other side of the house is an area that gets very little sunshine and we have struggled with it, not really knowing what to do. Well over winter I finally settled on a fern garden. 

I'm just getting started to only two ferns and two small hostas at the moment, along with the lovely pieces of driftwood that my son Joe found for me.  I'm hoping to put a tree fern in there too, to give things a little height.

And finally while we are outside a picture of the flowers on old man tree.

They are beautiful, or rather they were, we had more wind and rain!

*

As  reward for sticking around while I show off my garden, here is another quilt.

I bought a Disney panel of an online seller and had to go shopping for suitable fabrics. That was the day out Debbie and I had recently.

A couple of days ago I made a start and today I have just put the binding on, I plan to close it before work this afternoon. 

Here is a closer look at the quilting design.

It's called Trumpet Vine, by Kerryn Emmerson.

While I quilted my companion/inspector was sat under the frame looking out of the window.

No Janice, the wedding cake tree did not lose all of its flowers in the thunder storm.

Let me see what else has been going on?

Plan A for my Christmas ornaments didn't work out, so plan B it is. They will be mailed to family and friends very soon.

I finally put a back on Dippy the Dinosaur for Torstein.

You've seen him before, but no harm in looking again.

Now to find something smallish and quick for his sister.

I've also been working away at the black cat cross stitch, more on that another day.

*

Time to go find lunch, then I'm going to sit and close binding.