Feeling inadequate?

I have made a start on 'Sweet & Spotty' pattern by Cinderberry stitches, free pattern available here as part of Stitchers' Angel Project 2009.

The satin stitch is testing me out. I am eternally grateful to my mother & grandmother for instilling in me a desire to hand craft. But I have to say, they have also 'psyched' me out of a couple of significant life skills. As long as I can remember, I have been solemnly warned of the difficulty of baking a good sponge cake & mastering satin stitch. To this day, I've not been brave enough to tackle a sponge, and it is with much trepidation that I attempt this little design & all its satin stitched flowers. Wish me luck & do let me know if you have any inadequacies you can blame your forebears for!

Cot quilt finished

My Mum has been visiting & has finished her cot quilt for my niece. We traipsed all over the local botanic gardens to find the perfect spot to photograph it.

I had poor Mum climbing over hedges, battling branches & all but hanging from trees to get these photos. The things I make her do!

The quilt is made from Anna Griffin's 'Mackenzie' range by Windham Fabrics.

I really love the back of the quilt, borne of necessity as we didn't have enough backing fabric.

All folded & ready for delivery. Good job Mum!

Unfortunately, the reveal mentioned in my last tantalising post has been unavoidably delayed. Sorry to be such a tease! Circumstances beyond my control have meant a little more waiting.

On a deadline

No time to chat today. Stitch Bloom, stitch!

All will be revealed soon ...

Stitchers' Angel Project 2009

With the enormous success of the Stitchers' Angel project last year, Helen Stubbings of Hugs 'n' Kisses is very generously organising this wonderful stitching collaboration again. She has arranged for seven stitchery designers to release a free pattern each week for seven weeks, all with a 'roses' theme. You can find the details of designers involved here.

Helen released the first pattern, a sweet waffle weave bag with a rose stitchery which you can download here.

Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches provided the pattern for this week, the delightful 'Sweet & Spotty Needle Wallet' which you can download here.

Please be sure to say a big thank you to Helen & Natalie, especially if you use their free patterns. The generosity of these women is heart-warming. And keep on eye out next week for another great pattern to keep you busy.

A new pincushion

A quick visit to Hatched & Patched last Friday yielded a kit for this little pincushion, called 'Maisy's Flowers'.

I couldn't resist putting it together over the weekend. A great project - quick & satisfying! It is my first project using wool felt, & I really enjoyed the rustic texture of the wool. It is a very forgiving medium!

The pincushion is filled with silica sand & lined with a contrasting cotton fabric on the back.

I can definitely see myself stitching more of these. Another addiction in the making!

Spring is on its way

Our Taiwan flowering cherry (Prunus campanulata) in the garden at the farm is in full bloom right now.

It is the very first of our spring blossoms to burst into the cold late winter air. It is always so special when it comes into flower after the bareness of winter. A really bold statement, & so beautiful against a bright blue sky.

I caught a noisy miner helping himself to the nectar.

These birds are very common in eastern Australia and a bit annoying. They are true to their name, very noisy & bully other birds. You can hear what they sound like here.

Baskets of blooms

I am spending every spare moment I have sewing, and it's killing me, but I can't show any of it to you just yet! Be assured that the very moment I can share it I will. Ooooh, secrets! So I thought I would show you a WIP of my Mum's.

It is a small quilt 60cm x 60cm, embroidered with four naive baskets of flowers and an outer vine border.

The pattern is called 'Basket Quilt & Pillows #57' by Bareroots.

Cute baskets laden with hearts & hollyhocks ...

... sweet daisies ...

... stars & swirls ...

... some tiny bees ...

... and even some wheat!

What have I ever done to deserve friends like this?

My gorgeous blogging friend Janelle has done it again! She works in a fabric store, & has access to some to-die-for fabrics, so I put in a little order every so often. She sent news that some Sandi Henderson 'Farmers Market' was in store, so I asked her to send me this:

Being, it would seem, as seriously addicted to fabric as I am, she can't help but put a FEW EXTRAS in the package for me!

Too naughty! And too generous! Unbeknown to Janelle, it was my birthday last week, so how special did it feel to get such a delightful parcel?! Great fabrics, none of which I can purchase locally. She is the best!

Alexander Henry 'Kissable Color'

Miss 13 has her I eye on this one for cosmetic bags for her & all her friends.

'Joyful Damask' by Michael Miller - the cutest Christmas fabric ever

`Confections' by Robert Kaufman.

Little Miss 8 has claimed this one.

And even one for my boy! 'Bot Camp' by Michael Miller.

And so the list went on! Thank you Janelle. You are too sweet for words. NAUGHTY ... but sweet nonetheless!

Let's get together & feel alright!

Found something to make your Friday feel good! This link will explain:

Watch out for the boys from the Congo on their city balcony - too cool!

And this one just makes me want to dance (yep, around the kitchen, all by myself!):

More links here. Have a very happy Friday. Peace sisters!!

Welcome my friend

A little project, finished at last.

This is a needle case designed by Rosalie Quinlan called 'Welcome Friend'. The pattern is available here. There is also a very cute project caddy included in the pattern.

I used a little of my precious Amy Butler 'Midwest Modern' fabric to make this up.

After weeks of no stitching, it is nice to have something finished!