Oooops!

I nearly forgot it was Friday today - it's only 9.30pm, but I was buzzing around in the sewing room - not making plans for a blog post - and suddenly I realised that I needed to get busy on the computer.

Though it wasn't completed this week, I have this month's mini quilt to share. A big thank you to Wendy Caton Reed for hosting this fun project - click over to her blog to see the other participants for the month.

The applique in the centre is from Sue Garman's Afternoon Delight quilt, and after that I was just winging it. I was happy to find the red stripe fat quarter I could use in the border, it's thrilling to me to use things up right now, especially things that have been sitting around for a while. I had fun with the quilting, but I still need to be braver. Baby steps I guess?

And for things I've worked on this week, I did end up making the 9" version of last week's Moda Blockheads 4 block:

I haven't made this week's block yet, hopefully that will be a project for the weekend. But I did enjoy the churn dash block so much that I tested it in another colourway with a view to making a larger quilt:

Yummy fabric! I only have enough of the teal print to make sixteen blocks, so this project is destined to be a cute lap quilt for winter. This is where I'm at so far:

The pink sashing fabric was used as the border in my Farmers Wife quilt back in the day, and this quilt should use up the last of it. It's so much fun to remember past quilts when I'm working on scrappy quilts.

I'll get a bunch more piecing done tonight while I wait for a phone call - I dropped Camo off at a friend's party with a promise he could call me to pick him up later, and I don't mind how late! I definitely don't want him drink driving so I'm always happy when he asks for help. How is it that my little baby is turning 20 soon? It seems like yesterday that he was this tiny little guy scooting around the house! Time flies!

Well, that has been my week from a quilting perspective. On the home front I've also been doing a little sorting and clearing out this past week. I haven't discussed it on my blog, but around the same time as my FIL passed away, my Nanna was getting to a stage where she couldn't live independently in her unit anymore and was moving into the nursing home which is part of the facility she lives in. Though I haven't been doing nearly as much sorting/clearing/cleaning as my Mum, that was something we finalised this week. It is amazing how much a person accumulates in a life, and as a result when I came home I cast a different eye over the house and our posessions. I've resolved to send a bag of items each week to the op-shop - it will be difficult, but I'm hoping really freeing also.

Alrighty, that's enough from me for this evening, I hope you've all had a great week, and I will chatter with you again next week! xox

Inspired to applique ...

My Lily Rosenberry applique blocks have been a little neglected lately. I worked on a block for a bit last week, and that's almost finished, but I need inspiration to keep plugging away at them. So this morning I laid them out on the floor to see how they look together:

None of the blocks have been trimmed or pressed, so they're a little further apart than they will ultimately be, and also a little rumpled, but I'm super happy with how it's all looking! This is exactly the inspiration I needed to keep working away at these darling blocks.

It's so much fun to see the patterns forming where the blocks meet - I spent quite a bit of time looking them over. Imagine how much time I'll waste when I'm actually finished with them! And I'm so glad I decided to use a bunch of different fabrics, in my opinion it gives such an interesting texture to the quilt.

I'm also up to date with the Moda Blockheads blocks. Here is block 5 - once again fabrics plucked from my scrap baskets:

This block is from Me and My Sister Designs, it's an easier one this week, but ever so cute. I mentioned last week that I might go ahead and make the blocks in the 9" size as well, and I've decided I'll go ahead and do it. If I'm really good I should have time to stitch them over the next week or so.

In addition, I've been itching to do some simple machine work for a pieced quilt, so perhaps this block in the larger size will be good for that. I have some decisions to make!

Something I've noticed over the past week or two is that Bloglovin' doesn't seem to be working. Is anyone else seeing this? I sincerely hope it's not shutting down forever, I have a lot of my favourite blogs saved there and rely on it for updates. I'm so glad I have saved some to my sidebar here, but that has been a work in progress, and I'm not done with all my favourites. Once again, if you're a reader and you'd like to see your blog on my list, please comment and let me know. I always love to visit new people.

And last of all for today, thank you so much for the orders I received for painted heads after last week's post, I appreciate them so much! If you're working on Larissa Holland's mmmCrafts projects and are nervous about painting the sweet faces, I can help you out - be sure to check my Etsy store:

I'm determined that I'll make a complete set of the ornaments for little Mary to begin her own collection of Christmas decorations. This is a very easy declaration to make while I only have one grandbaby ;-)

I think that's all I had to tell you about this week ... but if I remember anything else, I'll check back in on the weekend. Chatter soon! xox

Working on a few things ...

This week as predicted, I was able to spend more time in the sewing room. I'm having fun flitting from project to project, which is not usually how I work at all!

I began prepping my ninth Lily Rosenberry block:

It's so much fun mixing up all the red and green prints. I really hope it makes for a visually interesting quilt at the end. Still lots to go before I can begin working on the applique, and I can't wait to start!

Here are the last two Moda Blockhead 4 blocks:

Block 3

Block 4

It's so much fun rummaging around in my scrap stash selecting the fabric for each block. I may still go back and make the 9 inch blocks too, there is a setting option that uses both size blocks which looks like fun!

And I continued work on this month's mini quilt, it's coming along!

Right now I'm working on mitering the border for this little quilt, and then I can get busy quilting it. So much of the fun of these mini quilts is deciding on which one I'd like to make, it's so great to have a finish so quickly!

And last of all for today, here is something I've been working on for my Etsy store:

I so enjoyed working on the little Elves by mmmCrafts and received so many compliments on the painted faces I had given them. Apparently there are people not interested in doing the painting themselves, so I've offered a limited number painted bead heads on my Etsy store. If this is something you're interested in, I'll be happy to help you out.

So that's it for the fun I've had in my sewing room! I'm babysitting little Mary for two days over this weekend, we're going to have lots of fun and we both wish you all a Happy Easter, and I'll chatter again next week! xox

Checking things of the Reno list!

This week the only bit of sewing/quilting I was able to get done was block 2 from the Moda Blockheads 4 project. I've only made the 4.5" size at this stage, I may go back and make the 9" too because it's awfully cute!

Block 1 on the left, and 2 on the right. I'm having such fun using up scrap fabrics and I'll continue to do so!

Stitching time was VERY limited this past week, because the very day after we were released from isolation, our kitchen guy came in and started demolition. We had organised several months back to have a little kitchen refresh to update the benchtops and tiling (and to rework some cupboards on the other side of the kitchen. 

When they got started, I almost forgot to take a before picture, the oven was already taken out and the cooktop had started to be disassembled before I remembered! 

It's all just very blah - you can see the surfaces are very dated - this kitchen was installed 28 years ago, and while everything is reasonable condition, it just felt like it was time for a change.

And here's how it looks now. I'm so much happier with it. My picture isn't great as it was at night, but the marble feature tiles in the middle are a lovely jade green colour, and they look so pretty. I had changed the handles on the cabinets over late last year they were originally cream coloured plastic handles. 

We didn't redo the whole kitchen as it's not certain that this will be the final configuration of the space - we've discussed making it larger at some point. But if that doesn't happen, we'll get Brian back to update the doors, and we can call this done.

The next projects on our list are to take up all the tiles and replace them with timber floors, and also to change the showers in our bathrooms. Will we be finished renovating then? Who knows?

Anyway, that has been my week, I know I'll have more time for stitching in the coming week, so I'll check back in with you all soon! xox