Swaps, hexies and FNSI

I have been on tenterhooks since I received my scissor keep swap over a week ago because the parcel I sent my swap partner, Cheryl, had not arrived at her house!  I even went to the Post Office today to see if they could help and came home to an email from Cheryl that it had finally arrived!  I am so relieved and now I can show you what I made ... 

Needlecase and Scissor Keep - An Angels Story by Anni Downs
Strawberry Scissor Fob - free Internet pattern by Marie Greene

Of course some New Zealand chocolate found it's way into the parcel because every crafting occasion is made sweeter with chocolate!  Thanks to Sandy at Cookies and Cream Craft for organising this swap.

Well, the rugby has been exciting especially if you are an All Black supporter, which of course I am, and I managed to get sewing done as I watched.  I finished the fourth row of my Vignette hexagon quilt ...

So that's 80 hexie flowers with 60 more to make, or 4 rows done with 3 more to go! 

It's Friday Night Sew In tomorrow night (see button in my side bar) so I am looking forward to getting some more sewing done but perhaps a change from hexies ... Happy FNSI!  Wendy

A new treasure and hexies

I received the most beautiful gift yesterday from Cheryl in Australia (she doesn't have a blog).  Cheryl was my partner for The Keeper Swap and I absolutely love the sewing set she sent me.  She even sent me some lovely new scissors!!

I love the bird on the back of the scissor keep and the little sewing accessory has lots of useful pockets inside.  So this gift is my treasure today, my first swap and such a beautiful gift.  I'm linking today with Melody for Tuesday's Treasures.

I choose to work on hexagon flowers during the rugby in the weekend.  It was nice to dust them off and see how much I could get done!

I was up to three rows completed and sewn together and over the last few days I have been glue-basting and sewing furiously, so now I have 77 hexie flowers, three more to go and I can start sewing the fourth row together.  Unfortunately I have almost run out of glue so I ordered more today, I hope it arrives quickly!!

Happy stitching, Wendy

Craft & Quilt Fair and rugby

I woke up very excited today ... the annual Craft & Quilt Fair is on today and the Rugby World Cup 2011 starts tonight!!  Our home is very excited about the rugby, hopefully this year will be the All Black's year!

My new shelf hasn't got a chance of being hung as my husband has been busy getting his new purchase (a bigger TV) ready for kick-off tonight.

I love going to the Craft Fair each year, it feels quite luxurious to take a morning just to wander around being inspired by the amazing quilts on display.  Of course, it's not fun if I don't get to buy something so here are the goodies that came home with me ...

... stocking up on some gorgeous patterns ...

... also stocked up on some more of the Cottage Garden Threads that I love so much.  I also bought a reel of their beautifully hand-died ric rac to try out.  I will post some pictures tomorrow of some of the gorgeous quilts from the Fair.

If your computers can stand two more photos here is the stitching I have got done this week ...

It feels so good to have made a start on the Vignette blocks 5 and 9, LOTS of stitching to go but I have made a start!

And six more hexie flowers for my Hexagon quilt.  Hopefully with six weeks of rugby to watch I will get more stitching done!

Happy stitching, Wendy

Oh and one last thing ...

GO ALL BLACKS!

Almost a finish

The courier brought something very exciting yesterday ... my Boys Story quilt came home and it is now quilted!! I used Quilt Crazy (Sandra Bentley) in Tauranga and I love what she has done and, even better, Josh really loves it.  She has quilted lots of little designs throughout the quilt - dragons, dinosaurs, racing cars, trucks, trains, etc - so it has become like an eye-spy quilt, perfect for a boy.

Close up detail of some quilting

So just the binding to go and then it's finished.

On the sewing front, I haven't had time to do much this week, I got some flowers stitched on my hexie quilt ...

... and I started making the August Cookies & Cream Craft Christmas Club pattern.  I'm not sure if I am meant to show you the pattern yet so here is a glimpse of what I have done so far ...

Hmm, can you guess what it is? 

Happy stitching, Wendy

Hexagon progress

This week has been busy, trying to catch up on work now the children are back at school, but there have also been really special days.  I had my birthday on Tuesday and was spoilt by my family, although I loved my gifts what made it really special is that they obviously wanted to please me and spoil me.  Paul cooked waffles for breakfast (yum!) and Paul and Charlotte cooked a delicious dinner.  By the end of the day I felt very loved and blessed and days like that certainly make up for any times I might feel taken for granted (as is possible as a wife and mother!!)  Wednesday I spent the day with two scrapbooking friends as we all have birthdays in August, it was such a lovely day we have decided to make it an annual tradition!  I gave them the hanging cushions (see here) and they loved them.

So there hasn't been much sewing time for me this week apart from hexagons as they are so easy to take along with me and stitch when I have spare moments.  I have now finished my third row ...

... three down, four more rows to go!
The only other sewing I have done this week was adding rusty bells and a hanger to the hanging cushions and the Christmas wallhanging ...

The bells arrived from The Home Patch just in time for me to sew on before the cushions were given away.
I did buy some new fabric this week ...

The fabric on the left is Scandinavian Christmas fabric by Lynette Anderson Designs (very gorgeous) which I am thinking of using for the Cookies & Cream Christmas Club August pattern.  The pattern has stripe fabric in it so I am deciding out of the two stripes on the right.  I tea-dyed some calico ready for the pattern and also to make a Tilda doll ... I have joined a Tilda Sew Along that Lisa of Lydias Treasures is hosting and that I had seen on Shez's blog.  See the button on my side bar if you are interested.

The Farmer's Wife book arrived this week, I am so tempted to join in with the quilt a-long for this, hmm, I think I need some more fabric!!

The boys have returned from soccer and are wanting food so it must be time to feed the troops!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, happy stitiching, Wendy.

Back into Vignette stitching

This week I have spent my spare time catching up with Vignette stitching and I have finished block 4 ...

I couldn't resist laying out the first four blocks on my bed ...

... dreaming of the day that my bedroom is redecorated and this quilt takes pride of place!!  In the meantime I hope to start blocks 5 and 9 soon.
The other Vignette stitching that I dusted off this week is my hexagons ...

... eight made now for the third row.
And I received exciting mail this week, the August pattern for the Cookies and Cream Craft Christmas club.  It is very cute so I may want to start that soon.  I won't post photos of the pattern yet so I don't spoil the surprise for anyone.
Happy stitching, Wendy

Hexagons

Just a short post tonight as I really should be heading to bed!  I got quite a bit of hexie stitching done in the weekend and have sewed my first two rows together for my Vignette hexagon quilt.

Five more rows to go!! 
Well, I'm off to bed, happy stitching, Wendy

FNSI results

Whew, it's been a long day!  We have just got home from the Celebrating Age evening, it all went to plan and everyone had a ball!
Here is the sewing I got done last night for FNSI ...

4 more hexie flowers for my Vignette hexagon quilt

Holly was my couch companion for the evening ...

She is such a cute little cat I couldn't resist taking her photo!

Sewing hexagons last night reminded me how much I enjoy them and how relaxing they are to work on.  I have now completed 20 flowers for the second row so today, as I got time, I managed to start sewing them together.  This is where I am up to ...

Well, I think I have time to see what sewing others got done last night before I go to bed.
Have a good Sunday everyone, Wendy

Hexagons and cross stitch!

I managed to get some more hexagons made over the weekend so I have 13 flowers now for my second row.

It feels like all my projects at the moment are big ones, so on Monday night I had a look through patterns and found a little cross stitch pattern that I knew I could complete quickly ...


Me and Thee, source unknown
Stitched on 32ct linen with Cottage Garden thread No 504, Lilli-pilli

 I really enjoyed doing something different and quick and, as always, loved the look of the variegated thread.  Instead of sewing the current year I put 1993, the year Paul and I married, I thought it fit with the sentiment of the stitchery, and I think I will put it in our bedroom.  (It is so small you probably have to click on the photo to see the date!)  I now have to decide how to finish it, I think I will start by looking for a cute frame.  So ...  almost a finish!!

Take care and happy stitching, Wendy

It's Monday again!

Back to the weekly routine!  Kids off to school and I visit my parents each Monday morning, getting home about lunch time to get into some work.  Today is cold and blustery so I think I will light a fire once home in the afternoon - fire's are my favourite part of winter and make our home so cosy!!

Last week I finished stitching my first row of hexagon flowers together and started on my next twenty flowers - only completed two so far!

I also completed the applique for the fourth block of the Boys Story quilt, this week I will hopefully finishing sewing this block together.  I found the applique quite hard after not doing it for a couple of months - all those little pieces! 

Last week a new book arrived that I had ordered - Tis the Season by Natalie Bird - I don't know when I will find the time for this pattern but I think it is really nice so maybe I will get one of the smaller patterns made for Christmas!  I bought it from http://www.fionamarie.com/ and she also gave me this gorgeous waterlily pattern - thanks Fiona, I love it!

I hope you all have a marvellous Monday, perhaps with better weather than I'm having!
Happy stitching, Wendy

Progress ...

I am very excited to say that I have finished the Vignette quilt blocks 2 and 3 ... lots of stitching but I got there!  A niece asked me the other day if I get sick of all the stitching but I really don't ... I said to me it is as relaxing as reading, yet I feel even better about it because I am accomplishing something ... I guess only another stitcher would understand the relaxation and satisfaction that stitching gives!!



A close up showing the beautiful Cottage Garden variegated thread - I love this look!

 I have also been stitching away on my hexagons and also love doing these, although my fingers are getting a bit sore!  I have decided to make 20 hexagon flowers and then sew them into a row as I love seeing progress!!  I have made my first 20 so I have started sewing them together ... this is how far I have got ...

It is a beautiful autumn day here - I love autumn - and our little cat, Holly, kept me company outside as I took the above photos ...

Sweet little Holly

And one last photo, this really funny one that Charlotte took of the chickens...

Well, I hope you are all enjoying your Saturday, Wendy

Hexagons

I have finally started sewing hexagons for the Vignette Hexagon quilt.  Here is my start ...

Barney decided to sit on the hexie's just as I tried to take a photo ... typical!

Just like all the comments I have read, these hexie's become quite addictive and it is very satisfying seeing the pile grow!  I am starting to work more production-line style, cutting lots out, then move onto gluing, and then sewing them into flowers ... I think I am getting slightly quicker!!

I'm off to the quilt shop tomorrow for more red thread so hopefully I will be able to show some progress with the Vignette mystery quilt this week.

Well, Barney is on my knee so that is excuse enough to stay sitting here and to get some more hexie's made!

Happy sewing, Wendy