afternoon

 

What is about hand sewing that is so satisfying?

Doesn't seem to matter whether it's hand-piecing a block, catching a binding, some embroidery or a stitchery project.

I had a peaceful afternoon working on these diamonds and stars.

That cute little pincushion was a gift from Nora who used to blog on APQ back in the day and drops by now and then to see what we are sewing. Thanks Nora!

Hope there is time in your weekend for a little sewing.

inventive

 

found on Pinterest

 

Some folks are just too clever by half.

That said, I haven't been around much lately (okay four months since the last post) so perhaps this is old hat.

When I think of all the times I have dropped my roll of binding on the floor. 

You know it's been far too long since I spent time at the sewing machine. Something I should rectify soon.

I've really missed it.

Hope you are making better headway with your projects.

spam

If you receive an email from me with a link please treat it as SPAM!

I apologise if this happens. I have reported the issue to Yahoo.

I was going to post a link to an article about how this stuff became the word for nasty email but perhaps I'd better not.

unexpected

These blocks have been tucked away for a while now as I had been playing with different layouts, trying to find one that appealed.

After the post about small projects and a table mat seen on the web, I sat and stitched these guys together.

I really like them now and you know, I might just keep  going and make the lap quilt I always intended.

dust

I didn't mean for a whole month to go by before posting but it has been an endless battle with dust here after many days of strong winds. No sooner did we clean up than another windy day came along and we'd start all over again. Yeah, I know - first world problems.

Luckily we didn't experience any damage from fallen trees but a lot of folks did.The State Emergency Services (SES) are the first on the scene in events like this. The service is made up of volunteers and they do an amazing job.

A big project at work and health issues of a close family member have kept me from the sewing room. 

Until today!

 

I don't normally show projects at this stage but I'm so happy with how this quilt is looking. It was a good feeling to finally piece this top together.

Another reason for delaying this quilt was my frustration in not being able to find a fabric for the border that I liked. Nothing suitable at the local quilt shops so I ordered from the net with the only drawback being that you don't get true colours on your screen. 

The last fabric purchased is the best of a ho-hum selection.

The more I gaze at this quilt the less inclined I am to give it away. My sister won't mind if I buy here a box of chocolates instead - will she?

Now for a bit of gloating. . .

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Royal Australian Navy and Sydney Harbour put on her best day for the International Fleet Review featuring tall ships and 40 ships from 17 countries.

image courtesy of The Australian

You can read more about the event at International Fleet Review. The fireworks and lights spectacular is supposed to be bigger than the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

To the men and women of the Royal Australian Navy - thank you for your service.