A surprise

The thoughtfulness of bloggers continues to amaze me. The lovely Teresa from All Things Vintage took pity on me not being able to go to the Quilts show at Queensland Art Gallery, and sent me this beautiful postcard and limited edition V&A fabric. Thank you Teresa, I'm sure I will find a special project for it.

Certainly a bright spot in a day of housework!

Susan x

Irish Circles Centre

I didn't do much sewing over the weekend, but I did choose the fabrics for the centre of Irish Circles. Surprisingly, I have used the two dark rust fabrics that I bought especially for the centre and main ring. I tried quite a few combinations but kept coming back to these. The ring will have motifs appliquéd onto it so it will blend in more. There is one small circle in the very centre which hasn't been done yet......

I'm enjoying this project but pressing all those seams on those tiny pieces is very frustrating. Any tips?

Unrelated to sewing, but I just had to share this photo of my Mr 16 crossing the finish line at the Mudgee Running festival in the 10km race. He was third overall, and second for his age group in 42 minutes. No, I didn't run......I enjoyed myself on the sidelines!

Hope you have a great week.
Susan x

Fat quarter love

I am lucky to be in two fat quarter birthday swaps. It is so much fun to get lots of little fabric parcels in the mail. Thank you Secret Sewing Sisters and the Sewing Orts.

I have actually been doing a bit of sewing as well. This is where I'm up to with the centre of Irish Circles. I have stalled at choosing the fabrics for the centre, hopefully I can make a decision today.

Happy stitching.

Susan x

A lovely gift

It was my birthday a few days ago and I was lucky enough to have Jo in the birthday swap for my online stitching group. Jo made a lovely project bag using French General fabrics and filled it with a charm pack, mini scissors, chocolates and magnets. Thank you Jo, I love it.

My family gave me an iPhone so there hasn't been much sewing happening while I'm playing with that.

My nephews quilt arrived in Melbourne safely and in time for his 18th, and it sounds like he really liked it........phew! It's rather special to share my birthday with him.

I'll be back soon with a pic of all my birthday fat quarters and hopefully some actual progress on Irish Circles.

Susan x

A little stitching

I have finished two more stitcheries for The Simple Life.

I even spent some quality time with my rotary cutter and mat this afternoon, cutting out pesky little squares and borders for it too. Now I just need to feel like a session at the machine!

I've been doing some hand piecing for Irish Circles, but nothing too exciting to show yet. I think I may be coming down with a second bout of hexie fever.....maybe another little purse......

So windy here today, so we have been having a cosy afternoon inside.

Susan x

Bloggoversary

Thank you Debbie for reminding me that it is two years today since I started my little blog. After my giveaway at the 300th post, I forgot about the bloggoversary.

It has been an amazing two years.....I can hardly believe that I worked out how to make a blog, let alone maintain it for all that time. It has brought so many new friends, ideas and projects.

So thank you for reading my blog, for all your comments and encouragement.

It's been a busy weekend here, but I have finished off my August blocks for the nine patch swap. Only one more month to go.

Hope you have a lovely Sunday.

Susan x

Ta dah!

Well here she is, my Floral Beauty top is finished. I can honestly say I have loved sewing every stitch of this quilt, it is a beautiful pattern.

Now I have to find just the right backing fabric so I can start hand quilting.

I'm really excited to see it finished, but also a little sad that all that needle turn appliqué is done.

Mr 12 is due home from his Canberra excursion tonight, and Mr 16 is heading off on his school ski trip on Sunday, so lots of excitement, unpacking and packing here. I hope you get some sewing time over the weekend.

Susan x

My clever husband

It has been a big day at our house. We finally have ADSL........lots of happy "users" here.....and now we have over 10 times more bandwidth. It's been a long time coming.

The other clever thing hubby did was build a back door shoe storage unit. Before......

......and after......

I love the rustic look of the timber with the mini orb. Now I just have to get the boys to put their shoes in it.....wish me luck!

I didn't do very much for FNWF, I seem to have developed a little Words With Friends addiction. I did piece some more border triangles.

Hope you're having a happy weekend.

Susan x

FNWF and A new beginning

I'm still working on my Floral Beauty, but today I finally made a small start on Irish Circles.

Hmmm.....different pattern but similar fabrics to Floral Beauty. Maybe that's because I'm making it largely from my stash. Does this happen to you when making scrap quilts or projects which need lots of small pieces of different fabrics? I'm not sure how to avoid it without buying lots of new fabric. I like most of the fabric in my stash so I guess it's not a problem.

I've already been sewing today so I hope it continues tonight for FNWF. Pop over to Cheryll's blog to sign up.

Hope you find some stitching time tonight and over the weekend.
Susan x