Good morning, my friends. When I wrote yesterday, I was getting ready to have breakfast with my friend, Sue. She has a birthday today. I arrived at the restaurant before she did, and I wandered around the parking lot looking at their natural garden. They had pretty anemones blooming...
Meet Westfield.
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| Two (too) handsome guys :-D |
This handsome quilt made his appearance in make Modern's Issue 64 in May 2025.
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| Modeled by Paul, Picture by Preeti, Cover by Make Modern |
Designed in EQ8, Westfield is made using the Island Batik collection Poetic Bouquet and is Layer-Cake Friendly. One pack of 10" squares plus 3.5 yards of background and he can be yours.
Westfield is now available as a standalone pattern in my Etsy Shop, available at a discount of 25%, that is just $9 but only till Wednesday, 9/3/25.
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| On my bed :-) |
The pattern is ...
read moreKaleidoscope, such a lovely name for a group of butterflies, although I quite like the alternative name Flutter as well. I've just put a top together featuring butterfly blocks. This completion ticks two boxes this month, first for the Chookshed Challenge, as butterflies was on my list for number seven. Plus, I made the blocks as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge, way back in 2022.
I know I've mentioned my former neighbour Dorothy many times. I received a whole lot of her fabrics when she moved away, including a great pile of her beloved butterfly fabrics. I ...
read moreGood morning, my friends. It was a mostly sewing day yesterday. It was too hot to be outside, although I did get out early to groom the poppies growing in whiskey barrels. I didn't take any pictures. There's really not much to see. My slow stitching had to wait since I wanted to get out before it got too hot.
When I got to it, I was able to finish off the first of the two embroidered sections for Block 6 of the Raggedy & Friends project.
Good morning, my friends. It was a mostly sewing day yesterday. It was too hot to be outside, although I did get out early to groom the poppies growing in whiskey barrels. I didn't take any pictures. There's really not much to see. My slow stitching had to wait since I wanted to get out before it got too hot.
When I got to it, I was able to finish off the first of the two embroidered sections for Block 6 of the Raggedy & Friends project.
Good morning, my friends. It's looking like we're in for several days of hot weather. And if that wasn't bad enough, we're also under an air quality alert. Sounds like a good day to hide out in my refrigerated basement sewing room. We've been running the air conditioner, and that always sends the basement into freezer territory. When I'm in the basement, I'm wearing a hoodie, despite the hot temps outside.
The kitties were outside for a while. Smitty had to come inside to cool his tummy furs on the wood floor.
Good morning, my friends. It's looking like we're in for several days of hot weather. And if that wasn't bad enough, we're also under an air quality alert. Sounds like a good day to hide out in my refrigerated basement sewing room. We've been running the air conditioner, and that always sends the basement into freezer territory. When I'm in the basement, I'm wearing a hoodie, despite the hot temps outside.
The kitties were outside for a while. Smitty had to come inside to cool his tummy furs on the wood floor.
I have a Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) finish, I'm pleased to say. It all started when I found I had a piece of black and white fabric which I decided to use as a boys project, adding colours each month. Nice and simple to stitch, and I stitched up four blocks each month.
This is how it started.
Part way through making these blocks I had run out of the original black and white fabric, so had to go to my LQS and buy some more. I couldn't get exactly what I was using previously, but thought the ...
read moreGood morning, my friends. For the third morning in a row, I'm writing fast. Mike needs some routine lab work done this morning. I'm tagging along. We'll get breakfast afterward, and then we'll do our grocery shopping. It's sort of a date, but not. But, hey! We have clean windows! The better to see you with!
Yesterday's sewing was mainly my attempt to stay out of Scott's way. There was time for slow-stitching before he arrived. That gave me time to start on the first block for the "Home is Where my Flock ...
read moreGood morning, my friends. For the third morning in a row, I'm writing fast. Mike needs some routine lab work done this morning. I'm tagging along. We'll get breakfast afterward, and then we'll do our grocery shopping. It's sort of a date, but not. But, hey! We have clean windows! The better to see you with!
Yesterday's sewing was mainly my attempt to stay out of Scott's way. There was time for slow-stitching before he arrived. That gave me time to start on the first block for the "Home is Where my Flock ...
read moreGood morning, my friends. It was a hot day yesterday. It's looking like another hot day today. Knowing it was going to be hot yesterday, I got out early and picked my bucket o' weeds. It was all done well before the heat set in, but I still felt incredibly lazy for the rest of the day. I sat and iced my knees, and then did some slow-stitching. And then I took a morning nap. I might have thought that would take care of my slothful ways, but it didn't. I still took another nap after lunch. I ...
read moreGood morning, my friends. It was a hot day yesterday. It's looking like another hot day today. Knowing it was going to be hot yesterday, I got out early and picked my bucket o' weeds. It was all done well before the heat set in, but I still felt incredibly lazy for the rest of the day. I sat and iced my knees, and then did some slow-stitching. And then I took a morning nap. I might have thought that would take care of my slothful ways, but it didn't. I still took another nap after lunch. I ...
read moreGood morning, my friends. There was a red sky this morning. I happen to know it isn't because a storm is coming. I know this because Portland, Oregon, and the surrounding Willamette Valley are under the first ever extreme heat advisory. Hot weather will arrive tomorrow. I suspect what we're seeing in our red sky is from wildfire smoke.
Good morning, my friends. There was a red sky this morning. I happen to know it isn't because a storm is coming. I know this because Portland, Oregon, and the surrounding Willamette Valley are under the first ever extreme heat advisory. Hot weather will arrive tomorrow. I suspect what we're seeing in our red sky is from wildfire smoke.
Good morning, my friends. I'm writing fast this morning. We have to drive into town to get the windshield replaced on Mike's truck. Yes, the windshield. Do you remember the windshield episode...the one where we weren't even two hours on our way for our trip to Alaska when a gravel truck threw a rock and broke our windshield? Oh yeah...that was fun...and annoying.
Good morning, my friends. I'm writing fast this morning. We have to drive into town to get the windshield replaced on Mike's truck. Yes, the windshield. Do you remember the windshield episode...the one where we weren't even two hours on our way for our trip to Alaska when a gravel truck threw a rock and broke our windshield? Oh yeah...that was fun...and annoying.
Picture this - a completely solar-powered, aerodynamically designed, sleek automobile of the future. Its exterior is so dark and shiny that the passing landscape is reflected perfectly on its surface.
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| Cool Trees, Scorching Planet |
In January, we received a mini Oliso Iron, complete with a matching Solemate (a base for placing the hot iron) and a thick wool carry case. Island Batik's August Challenge is to decorate the carry case for our Oliso Mini Irons.
This was an unusual project. The thick wool carry case would certainly break a needle or two, if I tried sewing on it. The idea ...
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