Weekend Stitching & OPAM Countdown!!

Here it is, Sunday again ... another week has somehow flown past. It seems we were hardly shouting "Happy New Year" and we're already closer to the end of January than the beginning! SHEESH! The first month of the year and already I feel like I'm a month behind! :0)

It was another busy week, though not quite as stressful ... thank goodness! And it finished with a lovely day of sewing with my lovely friend, the Fabulous Fiona. Can I tell you ... I was SPOILT!!! :0) Fiona made the YUMMIEST waffles which we ate with maple syrup, raspberries and sour cream ... YUMMO!!! :0) Don't you all wish you could have lunch at Fiona's place?! Tee! Hee! Hee!

The other nice thing about visiting Fiona is that she is such a calming, soothing person to spend time with. After a busy, hectic week with a couple of mini-family crises, it was lovely just to sit, stitch and chat. Thanks Fiona!! So much more fun than therapy! Tee! Hee! Hee!

And since there's a one day cricket match due to start on TV in a little while, I'll be doing some more hand stitching today. A little bit of this ...

Almost finished the appliqué for the centre panel, then it's borders and a little bit more appliqué before this new version of Moon Dance goes off to the Fabulous Fiona to work her quilting magic. It's been fun to re-create one of my designs in a different colourway ... loving both, I have to say! :0) And when I've finished that stitching, there'll be this to go on with ...

... sewing binding down on my Paris Flea Market quilt ... will have to think of a proper name for it, won't I. :0) The binding could take a while to sew down ... this is the BIGGEST quilt I've ever made! It's 90"x81" and let me tell you, it was no easy feat sewing that binding on, working at my little sewing desk!! I think at some point in the exercise, every other object on my desk ended up being knocked onto the floor as I squoodged the quilt around to sew it! (squoodged is a very technical quilting term, don't you think!! Tee! Hee! Hee!)  :0) But ... it's on there and it will be very exciting to not only have a new quilt ... I'm keeping this one for my very own self! :0) ... but it will also be another finish to add to my new OPAM list for the year ...

... And speaking of OPAM ...

... Sign up opens TOMORROW!! Yep, if you'd like to join my sweet partner-in-crime, Sweet Peg, and me for all the fun of OPAM 2014, make sure you pop back tomorrow to read the updated guidelines and sign up. PLEASE ... if you ARE thinking of signing up, read ALL the guidelines first and save a copy somewhere to refer back to ... we had a few gals go 'off the air' last year or change their blog to invitation only but forgot to invite Sweet Peg or me ... and it made collecting finishes a bit tricky. We'd love to have you come and play with us. There won't be a number limit for OPAM this year, but there WILL be a cut off date, so jump in quick to play along with us. It really is a very low-stress, fun, encouraging challenge.

So ... I think I'd better go and have a cup of tea and relax with my stitching in front of the cricket while I have a chance, before the avalanche of OPAM signups begins! :0) Hope you're all having a lovely weekend ... my thoughts are going out to anyone in those areas fighting bushfires at the moment ... and to those silently and desperately battling drought too ... you're not forgotten ... we're praying for rain for you and wishing there was something we could do to help! Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

Stress & Some Stitching!

That about sums up my week, really. The stress was no one large issue ... you know how you have "THOSE" weeks where a whole lot of smaller things just get on top of you a bit? Well ... that was my week. Back at work after a break that didn't feel long enough and trying to get back into the swing of things, boss going on holidays as I was getting back and not in the best frame of mind to pass the baton, in-laws looking to move, after-holiday-tight budget pinching more than anticipated and a tradie leaving a mess behind that took the shine off a long-anticipated renovating project. (Why is it that a lot of the things we put 'old fashioned' in front of are a dying breed ... old-fashioned service, old-fashioned courtesy, old-fashioned common sense!!!!!!) SIGH!! It really isn't much fun being a grown up most weeks! :0)

However ... my thought is that the coming week will be better ... AND ... I've managed to achieve quite a lot in my sewing room over the weekend. :0) Now ... some of my stitching and sewing isn't quite finished to show you, but I've made a LOT of progress on several projects, so that's been good. But I CAN show you one new finish. Do you remember me sharing a photo of a new design a few months ago ...

This pattern is called "Birdie Bunting" and is a set of three hanger projects ... a large welcome banner, a small birdie hanger and a pocket door hanger. Well ... I made this version for a friend last year as a house-warming giftie ...

Today I finished this for her to match it ...

A pocket door hanger. This is a handy little pocket that could be hung on a door knob, or a cupboard handle, to keep your precious things safe ... sunnies, phone, keys, scissors ... all sorts of things. :0) I just need to find a little something to pop into the pocket before gifting it. If you think you'd find this hanger handy to have at your place, the "Birdie Bunting" pattern is now on my website as a paper pattern or a downloadable PDF.

So ... a week that started off stressfully has ended on a more relaxed, positive, stitchy note. I should have a couple more finishes to share with you soon, but right now ... I'm off to play Polly to sit back with a cup of tea and a little cruise around blogland. Hopefully your start to the year has been a little less stressful than mine ... but I hope there's also been some good stitching time for you. :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

First Finish & A Tute!

PHEW!!!! Another scorcher here on top of our 'hill'. Even this summer chick is starting to wilt a bit with 40 degree heat... VERY unusual for our hilltop. The only way my Beloved Geek Boy and I have found to keep cool is to open all the  windows an doors, turn the fans on full and sit and watch the cricket whilst drinking lots of icy water and crunching on fruit juice ice-blocks. :0)

 The only problem is ... I really needed to finish off a birthday giftie for one of our nieces to be handed over tomorrow when we catch up with GB's family. That wouldn't normally be a problem ... except, as I shared recently, my sewing room is one of the hottest rooms in the house ... EEK! 

But ... I was brave and trooped off to the sewing room (AKA the Sauna!!) and since I was tackling a quick project, I thought you might like a bit of a tutorial ... plus ... taking photos as I went helped keep my mind off how hot it was. I bet you didn't ever think you'd hear me grumbling about hot HOT it was ... me either! Tee! Hee! Hee!

First step ... collect your requirements. One plain coloured pillowcase, some pretty fabrics and some ribbon. After giving the fabrics a good press, I cut a strip of that pretty stripy fabric 5" wide across the full width of the fabric. (I actually had a fat 1/8th so cut two strips and joined them)

The next step was to fold the strip in half lengthways, right sides together and sew along the length using a 1/4" seam to form a long narrow tube. I turned the tube out, turned both ends in 1/4" and gave it a good press ... making sure the seam was in the CENTRE of the flattened strip

Next, I sewed a gathering row down the centre of my stripy tube and gathered it to fit the short side of my pillow case. (I only decorated the front of my pillowcase, cos you only SEE one side, right?! :0) Make sure you give your pillow case a good press too ... they get a bit squooshed in the packaging process. :0)

Once I'd pinned the gathered strip in place about a half inch from the 'cuff' edge of the pillowcase ... I cut a length of pretty ribbon a half inch longer than the frill. I tucked 1/4" under for each end to neaten and stop fraying and pinned it over the gathering stitching. I top stitched along both edges of the ribbon and along each end, which also attached the frill to the pillowcase AND hid the gathering line. :0)

Next, I cut a strip of a contrasting fabric 3" across the width of the fabric. I folded both short ends under 1/4" and pressed, then folded the whole strip in half lengthways with WRONG sides together, pressed it and stitched a gathering thread along the raw-edge side and gathered it up. I gathered mine fairly closely, but you could spread it out a bit more if you wanted.

After experimenting a little to work out where I wanted to place a feature frilly flower, I drew a circle with chalk pencil and started stitching my frill in place, following the circle until I got back to where I started ... then I spiralled the frill in another 1/4" and kept sewing until I got to the end of the frill.

 You can see that I still had a gap in the middle when I ran out of frill. To avoid this, you could sew your second and subsequent rounds of the frill 1/2" apart instead of 1/4" like I did ... but I had a cunning plan for that centre gap ...

... a sucky puff! :0) (as Bronwyn Hayes refers to them!!) The frilly flower was then finished off with a light pink button to attach the sucky puff and a length of leftover ric-rac for a stem ... and ... VOILA!!

A frilly, girly pillowcase for a teenage niece. And ... all fabrics and trims were from my stash! :0) I know there are a lot of gals promising not to buy any new fabric for six months ... I just know I couldn't do it! :0) I HAVE however, promised myself to look to my stash first when making gifties and projects for myself. A good start to the new sewing year, I think ... and my first finish for 2014! :0)

I hope you've enjoyed my quick tute ... maybe it will come in handy if you've got gifties to make ... or just want to spruce up your own bed. :0) I'm actually thinking I'll make myself a couple of these pretty pillowcases for our guest room ... in a colour other than PINK, of course! Tee! Hee! Hee! Hope you're enjoying the first week of the new year. It's back to work for GB and I on Monday ... GROAN!!! The only plus we've found is that we both work in air conditioned offices! :0) Stay safe whether your weather is scorchingly hot of chillingly cold and I'll be back to visit soon. Til next time ...

STICKY, SWEATY BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS

As The Sands Run Out On 2013 ... !

... I'm sitting here wondering where the heck the year went!! It's been a super-busy year, it seems, and like most people, as the year ends I can't help but think of the things I 'meant to do' this year ... and didn't! OOPS! I don't make New Years' resolutions, but each year I do try to set myself some goals to focus on during the coming year. This year, I've decided to share a few of those goals with you ... most are pretty simple, really ... in fact ... you might even set a few of these goals for yourself.

1. Tell the people I love how very much I appreciate them ... say the words, even if it's just to finish off a simple phone chat. You just never know what's around the corner and how wonderful to be assured that the last words your loved ones heard from you were ... "I Love You!"

2. Collect Hugs! Now ... being built like one of my teddy bears ... short and podgy!! ... I'm the perfect shape for hugs! :0) I used to hug a lot more than I do, before moving to a couple of places where hugging was restricted to family members and you got odd looks if you hugged too many others. I'm trying to re-teach myself to give and receive hugs more ... I will practice this in 2014 ... nice homework! :0)

3. Make more time to spend with family and friends. We're all busy and it's too easy to say ... "we must get together ... some time". I need to schedule more play dates because scheduling them in will make sure I MAKE time to enjoy the company of those who are important to me.

4. Make more time to create. I'm not very good at time management ... just ask my Mum! Tee! Hee! Hee! As a result, I often think I could spend more time creating ... if only I got a bit more organised! I think I need to take some tips from my uber-organised blogging buddy Kerryanne. :0) Then maybe I'll set a better example for the OPAM gals! :0)

5. Make more of an effort to eat healthier. I KNOW I feel better when I do this, but ... well ... it's that whole time management thing! :0)

6. Take time to stop and count my MANY, MANY, MANY blessings! :0)

I'm sure there will be some other goals to add to my list as I go through the year, but this is my starting point. So ... we'll see how I go with working towards those goals. Are you making any New Years' resolutions? Do any of your goals overlap with mine? Whatever you're planning as you head into the new adventure of 2014, I'd like to leave you with an old Irish Blessing that I found recently as my New Years' wish to you, all my blogging buddies.

May love & laughter light your days,

And warm your heart & home;

May good & faithful friends be yours,

Wherever you may roam;

May peace & plenty bless your world,

With joy that long endures;

May all life's passing seasons,

Bring the best to you & yours.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Til next time ...

BIG SQUOOSHY BEAR HUGS!

(see ... practicing number 2 goal already!!)

CHEERS!

KRIS

Scorcher Scotches Stitching!

OK ... I know I'm a summer gal and I keep telling you all that I LOVE hot weather, but today we had a SCORCHER here on top of our 'hill' that was rather out of character ... 38 degrees Celsius!! Now ... I know that's usually not too far from my comfort zone, but it was also super humid and sticky ... that's the part that I didn't enjoy ... no pleasing some people is there?! :0) I also know it's cooler than the 40+ temps my blogging buddy Chookyblue has been coping with ... but it sure was sticky and sweaty today!!

Now since I'm on holidays for another week (YAY!) I had big plans to get LOTS of sewing done. There's just a small problem ... my sewing room is about the hottest room in the house. SIGH!! It's on the side of the house that doesn't usually get a breeze and the front of it faces west, so it's rather like a sauna after 3pm. My solution was to dive in there this morning to do some appliqué prep ... before collapsing in front of the fan with an icy drink this afternoon ... icy WATER, I promise! :0)

The project I've been working on is a new sample of a pattern I released a couple of years ago ...

Moon dance. The original in the photo was for my brother's oldest son when he was born. I had fun with the mischievous little bedtime bears who were out playing amongst moon and stars instead of sleeping. The two little ones at the bottom are holding a blanket ready to catch their brother in case he slips. :0)

So when a new range of fabric arrived at my Home-Away-From-Home last week, I knew it was time to make this new sample ...

The range is called "Terra Australis" and some of the fabrics feature Aussie icons ... kangaroos, banksias, wattle leaves ... and lovely bright, cheerful colours ... perfect for "Moon Dance". One of the best things about this range is that there are a mix of 'girl version' fabrics and 'boy version' fabrics ... something for everyone. :0) The orange, navy, denim blue and light aqua are from the 'boy' fabrics, while the 'girl' fabrics include light aqua, teal, zesty green and fuchsia. As you can see above, I've stuck with the 'boy' fabrics. First step ... piecing the background ...

I'm not usually an orange fan, but am having fun working with a different colour-way. Those bottom rows were joined earlier in the week and today was all about appliqué prep ...

I managed to get everything traced, ironed on, cut out, placed and ironed in place ... and then it just got too hot in the sewing room. But I have plans for tomorrow ... taking my appliqué, my sewing pouch, a supply of cold drinks and perhaps a DVD or two ... and heading to visit where my folks are house-sitting ... cos they have air-conditioning! Tee! Hee! Hee! It's something we really only go looking for on about three or four days each year ... otherwise we enjoy the heat. I know ... we're a bit odd! :0)

Hope you're all managing to find some time to create ... and keep cool if you're 'enjoying' our Aussie summer. :0) OPAM gals ... have you updated your sidebar lists and emailed your final December tally to Sweet Peg or me? CHOP! CHOP!! Get moving! :0) The end of the month is almost here ... which of course also marks the end of the YEAR! WHEW! I wonder where most of it went?! :0) It must be time to start writing out our "To Do" lists for 2014 ready for OPAM 2014 to start again at the end of January ... stay tuned for the announcement to hit my blog and that of my Sweet Partner-In-Crime, Sweet Peg. I'm SOOOOOOO happy that Sweet Peg is co-hosting OPAM with me again next year ... we make a pretty good team, I think! :0)

Right ... off to hit the shower before sprawling in front of the fan to sleep. Til next time ...

SWEATY BEAR HUGS!

CHEERS!
KRIS