15 Minute Challenge A Class and Some Dressmaking finishes

 I can't believe it is nearly a month since I last blogged.  Work has been busy as usual but I have still found the time to do some sewing and find out some of the features of my new machine. 

A couple of weeks ago I did a workshop with Judy Newman and Margaret Mews.  They are great fun and make lovely quilts mostly by hand.  It was a 3 day class and I ended up swapping my working days to get the long weekend needed instead of having an extra day off which was the original plan as I need to work on my outstanding leave.  But the workload hasn't  let up even though April is a little bit easier than the next few months.

I decided to start Settle which is one of Judy's quilt's but I still purchased a couple of other patterns and template sets to keep me going through out the year. The original is below.  

Here are my finished block from the 3 days I have since finished 20 so only another 60 to go.  I am using a lovely voile as the background there are embroidered blocks to do as well.

 

I have been doing some dress making as well to test out the new machine.  The patterns are from a site called Pattern Emporium and I am really impressed with how easy to follow they are with lots of photo's and instructions as well as quite a few general videos to watch for bits and pieces.  I have  finished 2 dresses and have prepared the pattern for a shirt that I hope to finish in the next week or so.  

It has been unseasonably hot here 34C yesterday and hotter today it will low 30's for the next week I think.  We really need rain so the rain Gods need to wake up soon.  

That's it for me I think I have managed to stitch 95% of the days over the last month.  So I think I'm keeping up with the challenge.  

Head to Kate's to catch up with everyone.  

15 Minute Challenge & New Toy

 Although it hasn't been 100% stitching every night I have been doing lots of sewing the last couple of weeks.  

I repurposed some squares that I had cut for another project and made large pin wheel blocks that I will be making up into a top.  The blocks are 14" the plan is to make a quilt top for Mo she was after a new doona cover in old fashion florals and I think this fabric will fit the bill.  If she doesn't like it when its done, I think I will just put it up for sale on my etsy shop.  

Gail Pan who does stitchery quilt has a new BOM out and I saw some block done in some lovely tilda fabric and I was itching to get my hands on the pattern, I talked myself out of it by pulling out an old UFO which has lots of stitchery blocks.  I join the single blocks into blocks of 4 to make it a bit more easier to handle and have less raw edges.  

I think I had only finished half a dozen blocks I've doubled that now.  Still might get the Gail Pan BOM but I'll wait and see how I am going with this quilt.  

And for the new toy.  I came into some money last month and decided to splurge on a new machine.  Because I love my Juki straight stitch I thought I would try a Juki Sewing Machine with all the bells and whistles.  I've just unboxed it at this stage and read the manual and maybe looked at the instructional DVD.  I ended up getting it online and it was $300 less than I could get it for locally and the service from the shop was great even though they were in Queensland and had gone through a Cyclone.  I was hoping to have a play on Thursday but  already it looks like Thursday is going to be a running around type of day so it will be the weekend now. 

I plan on making some clothes with this baby.  I really want a dress finished for 2 weeks time when I am booked into do a Judy Newman/Margret Mews Class but that might be pushing it.  

I'm going to get my Bernina serviced and Mo can use it as her main machine (she can borrow it for a bit) she can't keep it as promised myself I would never sell it.  

Thats it for me head to Kate's to see what everyone has been up to.  

15 Minute Challenge & Chihuly Nights

 Work is still nuts, at least I am getting paid for the extra hours I am working.  I've been trying not to work extra every day but I'm making sure I have down time.  

Mo got free tickets to Chihuly Nights at the Botanic Gardens, only problem was that the temperature was 43 that day, little old Adelaide registered as the hottest place in the world that day.  The heat didn't let up but the glass sculptures were amazing.  

I trimmed all the threads and gave La Cropte a good press.  

And I started a new crochet project, its using some 10 ply that I was using for another project.  

This weekend we had sit and sew which was lovely and I helped at the Crochet Guild table at Fibre Feast which was so much fun.  We were encouraging all the crochet ladies to come to our fun monthly meeting in a Pub Beer Garden I think our meeting next week might be our biggest yet.  

Head to Kate's to see what everyone is up to.  

15 Minute Challenge & Workshop

 Work is pretty full on, the co-worker who has been with us for 12 months resigned and after saying they'd work the week left 3pm the first day of the week and wasn't seen again except to drop off the keys to the office.  That was 2 weeks ago but it feels like 3 months ago, it has been lots of work to mop up the mess.  Though today I feel like I am almost back on track.  I will be back to being busy most of the time but at least I don't have to micromanage a man child.  

Last weekend was the Summertime Stitching with Petra Prins and Judith Ebbelaar they showed some interesting techniques for applique and most of their quilts are hand pieced.  It was a fun weekend but I should have done the 4 days not just the weekend, but with everything that has been going on at work I wouldn't have been able to have the time off.  They showed us how to do Dutch Binding which I think I will try out soon.  

Saturday was crochet guild, I have volunteered to help man the stall at Fibre Feast for a couple of hours in early March and help steward at the Royal Adelaide Show in August.  The group is still quite small and we have a fun time once a month showing off what we have done our latest pattern we are working on.  

I've just signed up for another workshop with Judy Newman and Margaret Mews at the end of March this is 3 days, I just told the boss I'm having Friday off but I might need a swap with my Thursday.

Sit and Sew is on 1st March with Fibre Feast on 2nd I'm up for a busy few weekends.  

I think I only stitched one day last week, so not good, did a bit of crochet on the weekend but managed to put together the last pieced border of LaCropte which I'm back to not liking again.  Let me know what you think... my thoughts are fabric vomit.  

I'll leave you with my redwork progress, which has been slow as I think I may be developing arthritis in my index finger.

You know the deal head to Kate's to see what everyone is up to.  

15 Minute Challenge & Long Weekend

 We had a long weekend this past week, but I did end up doing some work so it wasn't all enjoyable.  Hopefully the issues at work will be sorted by the end of the week and although I will be a lot busier again it will be a bit less stressful.

Its Mo's birthday today, she is 22 where did that time go.  I think she is bit miffed she had to work on her birthday.  She made a cake, ran out of cream but because of the holiday with no shops open the top is a bit half finished.  I am sure it will taste just fine.  She has booked a trip to London and Europe in May so we got her a few travel essentials.  

I had a finish, a pretty bag from Hetties Patch and finished another border on the La Cropte Quilt.  

I am looking forward to a weekend workshop with Petra Prins and Judith Ebbelaar should be fun and I won't be thinking about work and will probably end with another couple of projects to finish.  

Head to Kates you know the drill.  

15 minute challenge Happy New Year

We had another super chill Christmas even though it was very hot.  The airconditioner was put on at 8am and didn't go off until we went to bed.  Ended up with a sinus infection between christmas and new year so I was pretty fed up with myself by New Years Day but after 5 days of yuck it finally lifted.  

I had a wonderful day on Saturday the local quilt shop (that went online 2 years ago) has started a sit and sew day the first weekend of the month.  So I'm all booked up. 

Over Christmas I picked up a number of Japanese embroidery books so I have started a Christmas Table runner on some white linen.  That was my project for the first month.  The first motive is powering along but I'm not committing to which Christmas it will be finished.  

The table cloth from my last post has gone back in the cupboard.  

I've moved along with the hand piecing the end is in sight.  

Over the break I did a bit more folding and tidying of the fabric cupboards (mainly to find the linen to do the embroidery).  In my travels I found a project that I thought might be worth finishing.  Here are the blocks so far.  When I first pulled them out I was planning a 3 X 4 block quilt not realising how big these suckers are when finished.  I think the blocks are 23" so there is no way its going to be bigger the 3 x 3 now, so I will have a few left over blocks which I think I'll join and put on the back.  

Might contemplate hand quilting as the  blocks are far from perfect and I think a bit of big stitch quilting with pearl cotton might be a bit more forgiving with these wonky blocks.  

IT was my first day back at work today. I'm taking all my plant babies back to the office in stages because it is a bit of a chore to take them up the stairs to the office.  DH and I repotted them all (which was more work than he was anticipating) but they are all in fresh soil and hopefully with thrive for another year.  My succulents that have been on the balcony filled up the previous container so I got a nice bowl removed  all the babies and put them back into the old pot to grow again.

The rest of the plants will go back tomorrow.  There are a few more for the balcony and for my window sill.   

Thats it for me I'll try and blog a bit more regularly this year.

Head to kate's  you know the drill.  

15 Minute challenge and Hot Christmas on the horizon

 The forecast for Christmas Day is 37C as today is a balmy 21 and tomorrow is 28 I am hoping they have got things very wrong.  Mo and I did the shopping on Friday and we planned a hot lunch so we will be cranking up the air-conditioning early and keeping it on all day.  

Mo is working late tonight and working again tomorrow (Christmas Eve) so she can't have the usual day with her boyfriend where they put together a gingerbread house and exchange presents.  She is making a cake house this year not sure when its going to get finished tomorrow after work.  

Last week wasn't a good week on the stitching/crochet front as work had a bit of drama again... I was glad to walk out the door on Wednesday.. fingers crossed things have settled down when I return in January.  There were a couple of days where I just was so damn tired of it all I didn't do anything and went to bed early and read a book.  

Friday after spending most of day at the shops including a trip to the Market in the city I pulled out an old Christmas UFO.  It is a design by Viv's Creations, luckily I have a few of her patterns I love her naive designs but sadly Viv passed a few years ago.  This one has lots of lots of detail to go and I have all the threads and the plan was to use beads for the berries.  Must say my stitching isn't as good as it use to be it will probably pick up as I get on with it.  

I've also done some work on my Judy Newman quilt.  Still haven't finished the hand piecing part but pretty much all the other blocks are done, when I get sick of the embroidery I'll get back to the hand stitching.  

Got a bee in my bonnet about finding some linen to make a table runner for Christmas (next year)  ended up pulling out most of my white/colour fabrics and ironing then a refolding.  Found quite a few pieces of linen that will be good for embroidery.   

I have bought myself a couple of Japanese embroidery books for Christmas which was
why I was on the hunt for linen.  

That's it for me this week.  Everyone have a lovely Christmas head to Kate's.