When is it going to be Spring

 When it's spring again 

 I'll sing again 

 Tulips from Amsterdam  

Winter has dragged on here (New Zealand), and I'm longing for spring to arrive. I need more sun in the days please. Today was a teaser of what is to come. I managed to actually get three loads of washing on the line and dried. First time I've been able to do that for a long time.

Anyway, enough of my dribble - here's what I have been up to this past week.

I attended an online workshop by JThouse to learn how to make her motif called 'Dione'.

I played YARN CHICKEN with it .... and lost. I ran out of thread just before the very last three picot edgings to the very last 'leaf'. How very annoyed I was (hah! I won't repeat here what I actually said).

But at least I now know how to make the motif.

 Embroidery on my Crazy Quilt block #8. 

Filling in details on some motifs.

Craft Room Organising

Since moving into our new home back in March, this room was 'earmarked' for my craft studio, and also as a spare tv lounge.

This part of the room is my sewing area. All my craft books will be on the bottom shelves, and then all my sewing equipment will be on the top shelves close at hand for my sewing/project table.

The three red stacked boxes on the floor on the left have more of my books yet to be unpacked, I hope they will all fit on the shelves ok.

I'm looking forward to having this place sorted soon so that I can plug in my sewing machine that I have not been able to use for well over a year now.

All this in the photo has been in storage all that time as well. Unpacking it is like Christmas and lots of birthdays all arrived at once and I am being reunited with long lost friends here too, lol.

I hope to have the table clear by next week and carry on sorting the other parts of this room, some of which will be the art & designing area. Lots more unpacking yet.

So that was my busy week.

And this has been another YOP post

Happy stitching

YOPping along

It's Sunday - and this is a Year Of Projects post.

  Summers End   crochet mandala.

3 rows added since last Sunday. One row of orange, two rows of yellow.

As this gets bigger it takes longer to complete one full round, hence only three rows rows done this week. It also takes a fair bit of concentration to follow the pattern (peace and quiet helps too, but there isn't much of this available at my home at the moment).

  Crazy Quilt Colour Journal  

This is a portable project that I take to meetings to work on. 

Each block has a selection of neutral fabrics for the background hand stitched together, and each block is a different colour scheme. 

This block will predominantly read as lime green (I hope) and is number 8 of 12.

Each block will include a paisley or two.

Each block will include a crochet motif or two.

Basic stitches to these seams were done while I was travelling/living in caravan since selling our farm last year. Additions and embellishments have been added this week.

And my new graphic for YOP

And another one bites the dust - PINK block done

YAY..... I've finished this block now.

It's PINK.

I like this one, it has some interesting shapes and seam treatments.

So now I have to await the big move in November when I shall be reunited with my stash to make the next naked block and start embroidering on it.

I shall have to invent a new crafty project to occupy my hands in between packing. ALL my 'stuff' is now out of reach, and I dare not go shopping for more because I'm fed up with packing it all away and out of sight.

And while I'm on the subject of packing --- I was in a dilemma about what to do with this:

It's a lovely piece of furniture, and I love playing on it (a perfect sound). I have been trying to get Tony to agree to keeping it, but it is rather big, bulky, and heavy, and he says we are rapidly running out of storage space. So I have been thinking about giving it away to someone who will love it as much as I do. Maybe the local primary schools could suggest a child or family who could make very good use of it.

Anyway, the problem of what to do with it solved itself yesterday.

I turned it on and started to play a sad tune on what I thought would be my very last time on the lovely organ. After about 3 minutes there was a splutter, a loud fizz, and then an even louder bang, followed by an enormous amount of smoke coming up through the keys.

Yes..... I killed the keyboard.

 How sad.

Close-up on the Orange CQ block

Here are some close up photos of my Orange block crazy quilt

The next naked block is ready and waiting for it's thread colour to be chosen.

I just can't decide which colour I want to work with next. It's not that I don't like the next colours, it's just that I have so many ideas and I'm finding it rather difficult to channel my thoughts into one colour.

Hubby & I have an exciting day out tomorrow, so I shall see if I'm inspired by any particular colour on our travels.

Woohoo - I Love Paisley's and Mandala's

Just a quick one-photo post today, as we are in the midst of O.I.S. (Other Important Stuff)

I love Paisley's and Mandala's

I will hopefully get some individual seam photos posted during the week (or next week at the latest).

CQJP progress on Orange block

There is only one word that describes this particular week for me --- BUSY

It's change-over week for ownership of our Auckland farm property, and that means lots of visits and meetings with professional services people.

This time next week I may be able to sit back and enjoy the sunny days, but for now, it's on with the business at hand.

Where did I find time to stitch? I have no idea, but here ya go, a bit more 'filling' on the Orange block.

CQJP 2015 - Orange block progress

Orange is the colour for the block this month and

here are some progress photos of the various seam treatments.

More embellishing to come next week.

Happy Stitching

Blue March - CQJP 2015

  Blue March  

Up close and detailed photos of my March block. 

A crochet motif embellished with stitch. 

A Paisley motif. 

 A Mandala motif. 

Random leafy effect. 

Bee-line above the amethyst gems. 

Another crochet motif.

The completed March block.