I fell in love.....

.....with this gorgeous quilt, from the current issue (107) of Quiltmania.....

It is called 'Brinton Hall', and the minute I saw it, it really was one of those 'I love that so much' breathtaking moments, and I do just adore it - but, sadly, let's be honest here LOL, at the rate I sew it would probably take me about 15 years to make it..... 

It is going to be published in 2 parts, so I am anxiously awaiting the next issue.

Nevertheless, as much as I love it, I decided I absolutely could not start it until I had finished a few other things first, and given my sewing stuff a good sort and tidy.....

.....only to find myself on Friday saying to my lovely friend Gabbie, hey, let's do THIS quilt together..... *insert rolling eyes*.....

Gabbie was at my house on Friday, and while we were looking at some things on pinterest, she saw this Kim Diehl quilt and loved it, and I remembered the pattern had come out in one of the American quilt magazines some time ago, which I just happened to have....  I dug it out to give to her, and of course, as all good friends do, I offered to join her!

As it happens, I have been looking at Kim Diehl quilts a lot just recently and had literally just the day before started a 'Kim Diehl' board on pinterest.  I love her designs, but I really love how she uses colour, and puts colours together.  

So it kind of felt a bit 'meant to be'..... particularly when Gabbie realised she had the same magazine
at home too! 

I think we will break it down into sections and do a bit each month, a bit like a block of the month, so hopefully there is a good chance it will get done.....

In the meantime, I have started playing with the layout of my hexie blocks, and I am having fun.....

xx

fridays.....

Apart from the obvious reason, Friday is my favourite day of the week. It's the day I go to sit n sew at my LQS, a couple of times a month it's either FNWF or FNSI, and I usually meet up with my sister or a friend 

for coffee or lunch.

At sit n sew this week, Gabbie shared her amazing and beautiful quilt she has been working on. I LOVE this, the colours are beautiful - and I have claimed first dibs on it if she ever gives it away!!

This week Gabbie was also working on her small quilt which is in gorgeous colours too.....

I have been working on my pincushion kit which Sue kindly sent me - perfect 'Tania" colours, thanks Sue!

Unfortunately progress is VERY slow going as my hand is still quite painful, but I will get there in the end.....

Hopefully at some point it will look something like this -

Last night of course was FNWF which I spent trimming my hexie blocks so I can start putting them together

...and starting a small secret project involving these,,,,,

~

A little while ago I joined instagram, and while I haven't put much on there, I shared these photos of some things I have loved doing recently -

...a fun visit to Typo after my last oncology visit

I just LOVED this 'fox' calendar so it came home with me - aren't the eyes amazing!  And it goes from Aug 2015, right through to Dec 2016

a fun coffee date with my gorgeous niece...

a freezing, frosty morning spent tucked up in a warm bed with a snuggly puppy and playing on pinterest

... and reading this book which I am really enjoying.

Hope your Friday was fun, and I wish you all a fantastic weekend

xx

it's that time again, yay!

yep... friday night with friends, this friday night... sign up with Cheryll over here...

hope to see you there!

xx

christmas in july ~ the gifts I sent....

These are the gifts I sent to Nanette in the Christmas in July swap -

a Christmas Cushion - I realised afterwards there is no "D" in Christmas for Decorations lol!  Or I guess it could be "H" and "T" for Hanging Things!!

a Star and Holly table mat

 

and an Inspirational words, Star wall hanging

I also sent a vintage style Christmas mug, but forgot to take a picture of that- but Nanette has one on her blog.

I must admit I was happy with what I made, but very relieved all the same that Nanette liked them too!!

Thanks again to Cheryll for the Christmas fun!

xx 

christmas in july ~ completely and thoroughly spoiled.....

.....by Anthea, in Chez's Christmas in July swap.  I just love everything she sent me, and she was/is so generous!

You may know, if you read Anthea's blog, that she and her family are going through a very sad time at the moment, and I wish her much love and lots of hugs. Anthea has sent me some very lovely, kind and thoughtful emails since I was diagnosed with cancer last year, and I have felt very glad to know her online, and felt quite excited my swap gifts were from her.

Here are the gorgeous parcels, wrapped in lovely paper - yes I unwrapped them while still in bed!

 ..... and here are the gorgeous things she sent me -

gorgeous 'Holly the Dolly'.....

a  lovely 'T' ornament.....

and this sweet bag.....

I got a lovely giggle out of the little note Anthea sent with her bag  - if you can't read it, it says 'a fun little goody bag... do wish someone 'piece' or 'peace'? (Take a good look at the words on the fabric!).... 

maybe it's Christmas fabric for quilters lol!

and these are gorgeous - a 'surfing Santa' knife, an angel snowglobe, and a 'Candy Cane Lane' candle 

I just loved them all.  Thank you so much Anthea!

And now I'm off for a cuppa and a lolly or two..... 

back tomorrow with what I sent to Nanette

xx

FNSI, a catch up, and sewing frustrations.....

I still don't seem to have been able to get into the practice of blogging regularly, as I had planned to do.....

Anyway, here is a sort of catch up, as most of the sewing that has been happening here has been 
Secret Sewing.  There has been this.....

my parcels sent off for Chez's Christmas in July swap.....

and this.....started on Friday night during one of my favourite nights of the month, FNSI, hosted by Wendy

...the beginnings of a gift I am making for a friend, from French General fabrics.  I had hoped to finish this and get it off in the mail this week, however......

VERY frustratingly, both my sewing machine and I have sustained Sewing Injuries..... (a half-hearted lol...)

I seem to have wrecked my thumb, possibly caused by too much hand sewing and hand quilting in too short a time, which is making hand sewing and generally just trying to grip things very difficult and painful.... 
and yesterday I managed to damage my sewing machine too.....

I was on the very last block of 16, the previous 15 having worked perfectly, doing some machine applique, and was having some difficulty in getting my bottom thread to come through to the top.  I think I must have been a bit over-zealous in pulling on the top thread to pop the bottom thread through..... I'm not really sure how it happened, but the needle, going down, hit the plate, bent and broke, and now the whole needle mechanism seems to have been thrown out of alignment, as when I now put the needle down it either hits the foot or the plate.  

With a new needle in, some gentle wiggling and nudging took place, and then a bit more forceful pushing and pulling... some swearing may have been involved....  but it seems we are both now pretty much out of action sewing-wise.

I am so frustrated, as I had a list of things I wanted to get finished this month, and was doing well with them.  So I guess I will resort to preparing projects as much as I am able, and a bit of tidying up and reorganising my sewing stuff will not go astray - and thank goodness I don't currently have any urgent deadlines to meet!

I am missing my sewing though.....

fnwf....

It's another favourite night tomorrow night ~ fnwf.....

Hope you can join us.  Sign-ups are on Cheryll's blog here,

and thanks to Cheryll for again hosting this fun night for us.

xx