Friday with a bite.

It is Friday and the weather is sunny, with a chilly edge to the weather. My shoulder is taking its sweet time to get better and recover.  Decided to go treasure trove hunting... in my sewing room. Book cover which still needs to be embroidered. 

Pulled out a smock dress which a friend started and send my way, she had done the pleating and left it there. Pulled out the floss box and these colours just jumped out at me. 

Found the fabrics for the wish quilt,  the embroideries are in another box?

A giant Dahlia in process came out to play..

Rainy thursday.

First time I tried raw edge applique.  It was close to Christmas time many years ago. We woke to a rainy day, today. My shoulder and neck is on the mend slowly. 

This was the second one. One placed the fabrics on to a piece of muslin and sewed them to the muslin following  the drawn lines on the fabric. The fabric  was pinned right side facing out on the wrong side of the fabric, covering the area with a larger piece of fabric for the shape. Once it was sewn down, one had to trim it to the stitching line. Once all the pieces was sewn to create the picture, one would add the black bias tape to cover the raw edges. This was a first attempt.

Another first was foundation paper piecing, creating this tree wall hanging from a quilting magazine  years ago.

Diane is almost done with the Halloween Quaker. 

From snow to sunshine.

Funny how we went from snow to sunshine and 10C in a short time. Today is all about miniature quilt swap quilts and gifts of mini's I have been blessed to receive over the years from friends. This one is from Grace, which I received many years ago. 

First art quilt, a mixture of paints, decorative stitching and buttons.

Novelty fabric jars.

A Christmas swop. 

Very first mini I ever received and the little stars are amazing. Lynn was a stranger, until we swopped. We were meant to meet with this swop and have been friends ever since. Friendship is a gift, we are blessed to receive. We are grateful for these blessings in our lives.

Years later and Grace gave me this pink rose mini, all gifts I treasure and they remind me of the way our lives are touched and blessed by friends.

Snow and Tell...

We woke up to snow coming down this morning.  So as my shoulder and neck is on rest and recuperation,  a little bit of show and tell. Miniature Quilts. First up a 12,5 x12,5 inch Indian wedding ring quilt above. It took a year to make.

I made one just like this as my very first mini and swop. Decided to make one to keep after the mini swop to keep. It was my own design.

First trip around the World, aka around the oak tree with my acorn fabrics.

Baltimore mini took a year as well, with silk ribbon embroidery.  Everyone who belonged to the Inspiration group made their own colours of this pattern.

When life gets our attention...

This week's charm row. When it will get attention, all depends on when my stiff neck and frozen shoulder muscles decide to release what is causing it to keep me from doing what needs and wants to be done. Funny how when I  woke up to walk the cat to her food bowl, everything was fine. Hopped back into bed and went back to sleep. A few hours later, waking up and was in a different way altogether. It is getting better, just not as fast as one wants it too!

Slow sunday.

Funny how turning the clocks forward we sleep so much better and getting out of bed was not easy this morning and we could have turned over and carried on sleeping in.  It was not an option, so we got up and it will take a few days to get used to the time change again. 

Will start the framed border embroidery next where the lines at the top are.

The quilt got a little bit more handquilting.

Finished the second set with the green ribbon for a friend's birthday gift.

Fixed the back and applique a piece of fabric on the back of the scissor case, at the top.

The pink set is for the kitten rescue auction. 

Saturday stitching.

This kept me busy with the smock dresses and stitching this week. It is a Biscornu,  needle case, scissors case and a fob for a kitten rescue. The pincushion/biscornu needs a button in the middle of the square. This needs to be sent off in the mail this coming week.

The butterfly smock dress, the red one and the green  dress all just need the buttonholes and buttons, with the second hem which is done by hand.

This week's charm row is finished.  Lots of green in this one.

Mathilda the sheep is stitched. The back stitching still needs to be done.