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Yippee! My Dancing Chickens and Flying Pigs quilt has made it to the finish line. It has been a lovely quilt to work on and I am now looking forward to catching up with Anni Downs next design.

Quilting done and binding finished.

Lots of fun, quirky blocks in this quilt. They are all entertaining but here are a couple of favourites.

I think a quirky quilt needs a fun backing as well, so I chose these bicycles.

And to finish it off I used a blue batik for the binding, similar in colour to some of the wool used ...

After working on many projects last year with hardly any finishes, I seem to be finding that they are all now coming to an end within weeks of each other. Hence the light at the end of the tunnel. Or a mad rush.

I completed the last block for Dancing Chickens and Flying Pigs.

Last night I managed to trim up all the blocks, finish the outline stitching and start sewing the rows together. I need to look through my shelves to find a suitable backing so that it can be quilted.

Next up I finished another block from my ...

Nuno Felting!

Yes, Nuno Felting is so much fun! I started working on them when I got really sick from my negligent doctors, but now I am up and running with them! (My white blood cell count is now within normal range!!!!) They were so much fun to make, and it was nice, because when I was sick, it allowed me the chance to make something in stages, instead of all at once. I could felt it over 2 or 3 days, and it was a great experience! It’s not exactly the fastest thing in the world, but it ...

2020. Certainly a year that will not be forgotten in a hurry.

Here in Victoria, Australia we are having a lovely December. After our total lock down we have experienced 60 days without community transmission. That has been a wonderful achievement and well worth all those stay at home days.

With our new found freedom and a lot of sunny weather a lot of time has been spent outside. The garden is loving the attention. But the other side is that very little sewing has been done. There are a few bits to share. Even when I did have a ...

I realised October was getting away from me and if I didn’t post now I would miss it completely. I have been working away on lots of bits and pieces, but only one was a finish.

I am steadily getting the blocks done for the Sue Spargo quilt, Homegrown.

Lots more to go but a start has been made. At this stage I am putting down all the applique, then will return to complete the embroidery.

Next I have the first four blocks of another quilt from the book, Whimsical Wool Applique.

There are twelve blocks in this quilt ...

I may as well make the most of working with wool while the temps stay low. Spring has given us some lovely days but it is not getting hot anytime soon.

I have added to my baby gift supply with a couple of sleeping rabbits.

The design is by Twins Knitting Patterns, the same designer as the monkey in the previous post. Great patterns to use and easy to follow.

I think I have enough of these done for the moment.

I have finished the first panel of the Wendy Williams quilt called Over The Hill. Each panel is made ...

Welcome Spring. It has been lovely to get outside in the sunshine over the last week. But there has still been plenty of time to fit in some stitching, too.

Three of these little friends have been put together. I tuck these away for gifts. They are an easy project to have on hand.

I have managed to finish blocks 6 and 7 from Dancing Chickens and Flying Pigs. Past the half way mark now! I am starting to think about how to put these blocks together. I can follow the pattern but I am also thinking of other alternatives ...

I was in Minnesota for the past 2 weeks, just running amok… well, not really running, and not really amok either. I just visited some people, and hung out at my friend’s house most of the time. Lot’s of outdoor walks, and socially distanced brunches. It was lovely.

Now, while I was at my friend’s house, we made some Nuno felted scarves. If you don’t know what Nuno felting is, here’s the quickest answer: it’s when you take loose feltable fibers and embed them in sheer fabric. Now of course, I wouldn’t just ...

I am keeping busy with all sorts of projects. And am also keeping to the plan of alternating something old and something new.

The old first. I am working on the last block of my McKenna Ryan quilt. The beach boxes are down with most of the stitching done. But I also needed to prepare the kangaroos. The pieces have been fused together ready to be placed on the block and stitched.

I also had a donation quilt cut and ready to go, but it had been sitting there for over a month. That is now finished and ready to ...

Lots of work over the weekend has resulted in a finish. The caravan is together, the dolls are made, and then there was time to make something extra.

First of all, the little caravan carry case.

The front drops down to show the inside layout.

And these are the little dolls who will be living in there.

After all the fiddling around the final construction went smoothly.

I had a little more time left than I expected so I made a much simpler pattern from Two Brown Birds. These are called Bubs In Bed. They each have a face on ...

The last day of March. Hard to believe it has come around so quickly. Like many of you I have been digging into my list of projects to be done as well as working on UFOs My finishes for this week are all little things.

I have started working on The Twelve Days of Christmas by Larissa Holland of mmmcrafts. I have completed the first day of Christmas – a partridge and a pear.

These are made using wool felt and a variety of perle threads and DMC.

I am also preparing for an upcoming birthday. So this is Miss Kitty ...

When I had completed my clam shell wall hanging, I had quite a few left over circles. I decided to applique them to a variety of black and white background fabrics and turn them into a mini quilt.

A little bit of quilting was done and then a spotted binding was added. It measures about 22 inches square. I am not sure yet if I should hang it or leave it as a table centre. Maybe both.

I have also managed to get back to my Dancing Chickens, Flying Pigs blocks and have finished number 5.

Number 6 is now ...

There are a lot of bits and pieces that still need finishing, so I will try to keep on top of those UFOs in March.

Knowing that Easter is around the corner, I managed to find a frame for this little rabbit. I think it is a Bonnie Sullivan design (All Through The Night)

I had a pin cushion that had the stitching done from a long time ago. I finally stitched a backing on and stuffed it. It’s a Hatched and Patched design. (Annie Downs)

I managed to finish one hedgehog in time to give as a Christmas ...

I started this sewing case a little over two years ago. I was on leave before starting a new job in January 2018, and I thought I would quickly whip up this whimsical sewing kit in a weekend. I had everything I needed for such a little project already in my sewing cupboards. Too easy!

Instead of two days, it has taken me two years. As with so many of my projects, I stalled and it was forgotten.

The house front can be decorated in any way you like.

The back of the house is undecorated.

The pattern is the ...

Welcome to week 268 of Free Motion Mavericks.

Free Motion Mavericks

I've been pretty quiet on-line and off, just getting through these winter days. I can feel daylight lasting slightly longer, which is wonderful.

I did some meditation stitching. Here are my last three blocks.

This was an old t-shirt that was used as a cleaning rag. The last time that I dyed fabric, I still had dye left over, so I threw in a few extras. This one one of them. You can see the image of dried flowers from the original t-shirt design.

Impressions of dried flowers ...

Maybe early, maybe late – depending on which Christmas you are aiming for. These stockings had no deadline, so I am saying early.

This is a set of four stockings made from a panel, from a long time ago. I can’t remember the manufacturer.

The design was lovely and only needed some outline stitching.

My machine has a setting that gives a hand stitched look to the outlining.

I am happy to now store these away with the rest of the Christmas goodies to wait their turn until December.

I am also keeping my Christmas theme going with completing felt ...

My wool flowers and clam shell piece has made it to the finish line.

It has ended up as quite a big larger that I thought – 48 X 21 inches. It is a Wendy Williams pattern designed as a table runner but I will use mine as a wall hanging. It is from her book called Wild Blooms and Colourful Creatures.

I have used wool felt and cotton fabrics.

Most of the threads are variegated from Sue Spargo.

I kept the quilting simple with meandering between the flowers and straight lines through the borders.

I found a backing in my ...