Getting Ready For Winter

It is hard not to think of winter which is fast approaching.  I live in a cool climate so winter is usually quite cold and pretty gloomy where I Live.  I go to work in the dark and come home in the dark so it is indoor only activities except for weekends.  

Look what arrived last week to add to my stitching basket each month - The first month of "Chick Jubilee" designed by Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs.  The Tuesday night sewing girls are all doing it too so it will be fun to watch each other's progress each month.  I am sure that we will keep each other motivated for the entire 9 months.

I have been trying to decide how to re-structure and re-decorate our home - I thought that I would begin during the colder months when I can't do things outside.  So I have begun to move around some of my treasured pieces so that they are on display in the room that we use the most.

Our home is pine lined and I am working up the courage to paint the whole lot - To change it from the raw timber to a painted surface.  Am I mad?

Hmmm I'm still trying to decide ....... I have lots of pictures of similar homes to ponder over.

On a recent trip to the city I parked outside this shop on a trip to Spotlight and decided to go in for a bit of a look see.

It is a lovely yarn shop and I immediately fell in love with this adorable cotton yarn.  I have no idea what I will make from it as I do not know how to crochet.  BUT I am willing to learn so this will be another of my "Winter" projects.

What about you - Do you have much planned for the winter?

Hugs,

Fee x

A Few Finishes This Week

I have finished a few more items this week.  I am pretty pleased with my mojo lately - I hope he sticks around through the winter period.  Do you remember last year when I completed a framed Natalie Bird Stitchery which adorns my dining area?  Hearts Return. 

I have now finished the second one that Natalie released at the same time.  They are just lovely designs and a perfect addition to my home.

This one has a friendship saying - Isn't it pretty?

I have been stitching items for some Australian magazines too - I have been working to a list and am very pleased that I am way ahead of schedule.

And I have been stepping out of my comfort zone with techniques and colours - As you can see this one is traditional in it's colours.

And I think after finishing this design that I have a new love affair with yellow and orange together.

This fabric is called "Blushing" and comes in the most gorgeous tones of Blue, Yellow, Green and Pink - It's designed by Margot Languedoc of The Pattern Basket - I totally love her designs and her fabric ranges are just adorable !!  I did splurge on a kit from her recently and also a lovely big bundle of Blushing now adorns my shelves.

Have a wonderful Friday and an even better week end.

Hugs,

Fee xx

Autumn & Stitching

We are now into the second month of Autumn here in Australia and even though our days are still nice the nights are beginning to be a little chilly.  

One of my favourite things about Autumn is being able to snuggle under a quilt each night after dinner with my stitching on my lap.  The last few nights somebody has had different ideas.

Dreamer has plonked himself on my lap almost as soon as I sit down each evening.  He looks super comfy don't you think?  

So not as much stitching as usual for me - I just haven't had the heart to disturb him.  It makes my back ache if I have to sit hunched with my stitching so it's just easier to let him have an hour or so and then evict him so I can stitch.

Do you always follow a pattern when it comes to thread colours?  I prefer to match my threads to the fabrics that I am working with - I do not always put thread numbers in my patterns but instead prefer to give you the colour like "Mid Blue" 

I have just been asked to make something in "Buttercup Yellow" so I have chosen the fabric and have matched the threads to the fabric and here is the end result - I think it matches in okay - Do you?  They are not the colour palette that I am used to working with.

Month 8 of my Framed Hexagon Club is almost ready for release - I am really enjoying these.  It is fun going through my scrap box each month looking for nice pastels to meld in with the rest.

I have been asked a lot recently about if my drawings are available to download instead of a full pattern.  I wondered if that was something that people would enjoy, being able to stitch the scenes and drawings without a pattern to make it into something.  

I have decided to upload a few designs to my CRAFTSY shop to see how they go.  I will do that in the next day or two.  If you want to follow me over there just add me to your followers list and each time I list something new in my pattern store they will let you know.

Happy hump day to you all tomorrow.  I have a day off and a hair appointment to cover up the silver which keeps coming through !  Then we are off out to dinner to celebrate my oldest daughter Samantha's birthday with the rest of the family.

Hugs,

Fee x

Friday Night Stitching With Friends

Did you join in on Friday night?  I managed to get the stitchery panels finished for this new Sewing Duo Set I designed.

I used some Presencia threads that I purchased from Hugs & Kisses.

And yesterday I put them all together.  They are so sweet.

I made a tutorial of the whole process which has been formatted into a full pattern over at my CRAFTSY store for just $6.00 if you are interested.

Hugs,

Fee x

Decisions, Decisions .................

Happy Friday to you !!! 

It's pretty much common knowledge that I adore shabby fabrics and have quite a collection.  Recently I have been using up some of my Tanya Wheelan fabrics, afterall I have lots of it.

Do you want to see what I have been making for myself?

What I call a shabby medallion quilt.  This is the centre medallion of the quilt and will end up being almost 40" wide.  I am trying to do a little work on it everyday.  I have lots of fussy cutting to do this weekend for the 7th and 14th rounds.  What do you think?  Is it a good use of my treasured stash?

I seem to have a real thing for polka dots lately and even have little red polka dot bows on my nails at the moment.  The little design that you can see is what I will be stitching tonight for

Cheryll's Friday Night with Friends Stitching Night - Will you join us?  The more the merrier.

Hugs,

Fee xx

The Easter Break

 I had really meant to blog sometime last week before Easter but the time just got away.  With my hubby retiring late last year it was supposed to make my life less busy but somehow it doesn't seem that way at the moment - Let's hope THAT changes.  

We went to Salamanca Market on Saturday morning with our 2 youngest daughters for a lovely relaxing breakfast in the autumn sunshine and then went for a stroll around the markets.  I managed to find some jam raspberries so of course I just had to buy some.

So by Saturday afternoon we had a pantry full of this - Lovely FRESH Raspberry Jam.

Whilst I was in the bottling mood I decided to make some Tomato Relish from Canned Tomatoes for the pantry for winter - I love to use it in casseroles and one pot dinners for some extra flavour.  It is a lovely heart warming recipe which I have shared on my Shabby, Frugal and Free website today.

A lovely heart warming pot of pumpkin soup was made too - Part of it was put in the freezer for an easy meal in the next week or two.  Do you do that too?  Sometimes I just can't be bothered cooking for one reason or another so it is nice to make some extra's for the freezer to be used at those times.

I have also been busy in the studio over the Easter break.  4 new designs were finished and 3 of the patterns are already written up.  This is my little personalised christmas stocking.  It stands 9" high.  Amy was very pleased to see that the sample was made for her.

And I finished off this little table mat which is a perfect size for a tray or for afternoon tea.  It is an oversized mug rug really.  

And my favourite project from the weekend is my "Gone Potty" shoulder slouch bag.

All 3 NEW designs can be found over HERE at my new CRAFTSY store - All are very reasonable priced starting at just $4.00 and you can download them instantly in a PDF format.

See you later in the week.

Hugs,

Fee xx