None of my own work

I am not sure why I found Toni's UFO so fascinating!! But once I opened up her Orange Crush and worked out what bits were needed where, how much was left to do and what was missing etc etc. I just had to do it. It was like a puzzle that just had to be solved, an itch that needed to be scratched... I sewed and sewed until I could go no further. I emailed Toni about a few missing bits and in our emails I could tell Toni still really liked her Orange Crush... so I did what I could and yesterday I mailed it 'home'. Toni will have the last few missing bits to do and then hopefully it will no longer be one of her UFO's!!


At times while sewing on Toni's quilt, I remembered the companionship of sharing a craft, of working together, of being able to call a friend and say "come help me here please". When I lived in Germany, my good friend Birgit was a great sewing buddy. She would gladly be teaching me new things, cutting pieces while I sewed, working out patterns... I miss that.


My closest (in distance) sewing buddy needed some fish fabric. As neither of us could find any I painted her a trout instead.


I look forward to seeing what Vicky makes with it :-)

So, not much of my own to show... DH bought me roses for Valentines...


And I'm packing so I've not been up to too much else. Just a few more sleeps until we see the sun for more than a few hours a week!! I plan to soak up as many rays as possible! This is our last long holiday before we are governed by the school holidays so there may not be much sewing on this blog while I walk on the beach etc.

(ps I have made arrangements to deliver some Beertje Zonn for Sonnja to some special little children while I'm in South Africa and I hope that all goes well with that visit)

Hospitals, Hexagons, Hearts...

Today I had a post-op consultation at the hospital. I waited for well over an hour for my five minutes with the doctor :-)

Just before I was called in, they tried to send me to see someone else. Someone who would know nothing about my operation or why I was there...
I sat in the waiting room sewing hexagons so to be honest didn't notice how long the wait was...

Following doctor's orders, I came home and took my own dressings off and snipped my own dissolving stitch thread ends. Then I felt sick. I am faint-hearted LOL

Speaking of hearts, I am working on another handwork project as well as my hexagons.



All this tidying up around the house has unearthed these die-cut hearts that my friend Donna sent me quite a few years ago. Donna included template plastic, freezer paper, glue, a demo heart and 85 (or so) fabric pre-cut hearts...


I decided to do them in bed and slightly differently to Donna's suggestion. So am doing the applique method where you draw an outline (using the template) on the right side of the fabric and then as you stitch you push the edges under with your needle. Needle-turn applique without the freezer paper. I would have done needle-turn applique with the freezer paper, but getting to an iron while resting was too much like hard work.


I have now done 8 and half and have 78 (or so) to go :-)





The other applique hearts that I did in an English paper-piecing sort of way while I was in hospital after my operation have found a new home. They'll be going to Clare for Quilts for Leukaemia:



Here's a little secret (don't tell DH)..., but while I've been lying in my bed I treated myself to 2 new books (sshh!).
This is one of them...



And this is my first attempt at an embroidery from the book.


I don't 'do' embroidery or 'stitchery', but I do love roses and I had an idea that I may embroider some of my hexagon pieces that are not rosy enough with a rose embroidery... just an idea...

A New Baby!

Today, I visited my friend who has given me a Singer treadle sewing machine. I brought my camera this time. As I took this photo my battery died!! But here she is:


Isn't she beautiful??? I can't wait until we can fit her into our house...

My 'old' baby came with me to play with all the other great toys in and out of the house


On the sewing front I have made another June BQL Bag Challenge for DS1's other teacher. Here are the 2 together.

You may notice I got the 'geese' the wrong way round on the second bag, hey ho LOL

I have also made my 2 blocks for Alison's project called Kid’s Quilts



These will hopefully go in the mail tomorrow!

On Sunday I got this parcel from my Longarmer Chris

Binding is being handstitched down at present...

When I was taking the block photos I looked up and out of my 'sewing room' window and this was my view

DH has done a wonderful job on our garden!

Apples and Bears

My friend Birgit has a wonderful tutorial on her blog for making Apple placemats. Pop on over and take a look. The instructions are in German, but the photos aren't LOL. (Instructions not for commercial use and please don't download the photos without contacting Birgit etcetera, etcetera...)

Now if you have any spare fabric (!) and you're feeling charitable Sonnja makes bears called 'Beertjie Zonn' for African children affected by HIV-Aids. Here are some of the bears she's made with fabric that I sent her.

Sonnja blogs about all the bears she makes and she is just so clever turning your fabric into gifts for the children. Please feel free to click on her blog should you wish to send her some fabric. (Pieces only need to be 12 x 24 inches)

And if you still want to win some fabric for yourself feel free to comment on this or my previous post. I'll draw a winner (or two) on Monday the 14th.