CQJP - The Green Block

The Green Block on my CQJP is now finished.

Seam treatments and embellishments close-up pics.

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End of green, now on to another colour for my next block.... what colour will it be?

Watch this space, lol.

Happy Stitching.

February Is Yellow - CQJP

I am LOVING working with yellow.

I think it's a colour that is underrated. 

It's soft.

It's elegant.

It's soothing,

mellow, pleasant, classy, captivating, and, well,

just downright delightful.

What do you think of YELLOW?

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CQ Sewing again.

Phew! Finally I have some stitching to show you. 

We've been so busy here on the farm lately that I've not had much time left over for sewing.

The grass is almost ready for cutting and bailing again and that will be another busy time here at 'Lewis Acres'.

But for now, here is what I've been up to.

Crazy Quilting with Kathy Shaw's seams plus a few 'personal flourishes' of my own.

Plenty of room left on these seams for the addition of beads and SRE.

I'm just waiting for the postman to bring my new supply of Silk Ribbons.

I had to order more because my original stash is packed away in sealed boxes in the shipping container, and no way am I going in there to start opening up already packed boxes, lol, assuming, of course, that I can find the 'correct' box.

And just in case you are wondering about the background fabric.... it is all my own hand dyed neutrals.

Happy Stitching

Cyra

Heart Crazy Quilt week 27

Straight From the Heart Crazy Quilt

Week 27

This week I have a Kantha embroidery heart to show you.

Free Form style, drawing free-hand straight onto the fabric, gives this piece a traditional look.

The pale pink heart in the middle is rows of chain stitch.

Other stitches used are: running stitch, back stitch, satin stitch and emphasized couching (where the couching stitches comprise a design).

And a few more blue (and blue-ish) hexagon "bricks" on the Building Blocks quilt.

Now I must get a couple more days of packing done. Just got to get the house on the market, and then once sold, we can enjoy our travelling retirement.

Crazy Heart Quilt weeks 19 & 20

 Straight From the Heart Crazy Quilt 

Week 19

Applique heart with chain stitches laid side by side.

Week 20

Three textured crochet "buttons" and a running stitch border,

And as we here, in the Southern hemisphere are well on the way to winter, I crocheted up these squares (20 so far) to make a bodywarmer/tank-top/vest thingamigig.

The colours in the first photo are closer to the real colour.

A good week I think.

Happy Stitching

Crazy Quilt block update

Work on the crazy quilt is ongoing.

Trying hard to catch-up and get the last couple of blocks completed during the first half of January, so that I can then stitch them together into my wall hanging before the end of January.

Progress has been made on the October block over the last two days.

Here is where I am at the moment - almost complete. 

Freestyle Rhodes Stitch

Dice - inspiration for this came from the silver dice that was in my Christmas cracker.

The Crochet piece for this block. With a row of Chain Stitch at the base.

An Invented Stitch - probably been invented before I created it, but it is not in any book of instructions that I know of. Starts as a 'sort of' ladder stitch but with a knot on each side that 'pulls the stitch into a 'blocky' looking zig-zag.

Cast-On Stitch in a variegated mercerized cotton.

Royal blue ribbon couched down with thinner black ribbon. (beads have been added since this photo).

The central butterfly needs finishing. Then on to the next block. 

I'm hoping to get both blocks completed in the next one or two weeks.

Got to give myself this goal so that I can bite away at it and finish it in time to start the next one.

Here are the (almost) complete block pics.

I might add a little more bling after I've done the next two blocks.

Wahoo! the end is in sight now.

Happy Stitching

CQJP for March - Yes I'm late.....

CQJP for March - Yes I'm late..... & TAST Stitches Update

I have managed to get quite a bit of stitching time to myself this week.

Here are my latest TAST stitches that are on my CQJP block.

Stem Stitch

Nine rows of stem stitch in two colours stitched next to each other.

The black thread is two strands of cotton floss,

and the green thread is something silky that I found in my stash (oddment with no label)

French Knot

Five rows of French Knots in graduating colours from lilac to blue.

Detached Daisy's for edging.

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CQJP WIP

I am rather late getting my March CQJP block done but here is the progress on it so far.

The Naked Block

I made this block last Monday in my quilt colour scheme of black, white and anything in between.

Detail 1

French Knots & Detached Daisy's on left.

Braided Chain on right.

Buttonhole and Cross Stitch above.

Detail 2

Seam treatments being developed here. Lots more stitching needed, and then the beads.

Detail 3

I was having a bit of Whipping fun with this seam treatment.

You can just see on the left, in green, a detached buttonhole row.

Detail 4

The black semi-circles on the left are in Stem Stitch with Detached Chains and Ribbon Petal Stitch in them, and Seed Stitch done in DMC metallic silver thread.

On the bottom right is a new seam combination being nurtured.

This week I have been experimenting with new combinations for the seam treatments as I have been feeling a bit restricted with the TAST stitches and I'm longing for something a bit more challenging.

This coming week I shall add beads and hopefully finish this block as I need to start on my April block to catch up, but as I've managed to do all the above stitching in one week, I think I might be able to catch up soon. With both of my boys back at Uni again after the Easter break, and my older son gone back to his own house, I should have more daytime for myself.

It has been great having them around, but sometimes I would like to just sit and stitch without having to make (yet another) pot of tea or put the dinner on (why do they never stop eating and yet remain a healthy weight?).

I need to create another butterfly for that centre fabric patch, probably in stumpwork again as I like how the last one turned out. And I will crochet a piece for a specific area when I decide which area needs a bit of traditional lacework.

CQJP - TAST - Quilt Blocks & Life

CQJP - TAST - Quilt Blocks & Life

Life got in the way of my online presence over the last few weeks and trouble always seems to come in 3's.

We (hubby & I) have two sons still living at home. Both sons are Uni students, and both had trouble the same week about 6 or 7 weeks ago. Hence mum (me) to the rescue.

The first trouble that occurred was son#1 computer blew up. 

As his coursework demands copious amounts of research, writing, and digital designing, I had to give him my computer to use until he could buy a new one. Hence, most of my online absence was due to not having my own computer. 

The second trouble happened when son#2 was driving up the motorway to his Uni. The cambelt broke on his car and he managed to maneuver his dead car to the hard-shoulder through the busy city traffic. The engine was damaged beyond repair. Had to scrap the car and I have had to drive him every day since. It's a two hour trip there and back - twice a day. I'd much rather be stitching for those 4 hours a day, but his course comes before my pleasure. 

He is not legally allowed to drive my car. We are still searching for a new car for him but not many decent cars around at the moment.

Trouble number three - the trees in our orchard are meant to have the fruit ripening at different times, but this year they are all ripe at the same time and I'm having trouble keeping up with the fruit picking.

Our chickens are loving the windfalls, and the parrots are taking what I can't get to in time, my dining table is fully laden with apples, the peaches were juiced (delicious), the plums turned to mush too quick, we managed to save most of the pears from the bugs, but we are over-run with apples.

I'm fed up making stewed apples, apple pie, apple muffins and apple cake, even though it is well liked here and doesn't last long.

The last slice - and I only made this one last night.

I would be very pleased to have comments about other things I can do with apples

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And now onto my current stitching projects.

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TAST update

At the moment I can't remember where I got up to, but here are some that I have done on the chunky, brightly coloured, highly textured cushion that I'm making for my (almost blind) mum.

Chain Stitch

Couching

Running Stitch

Whipped Spider Wheel (tutorial on previous post here)

There are other stitches on this cushion too, as I'm slowly building up the colour and texture.

I have actually done a few more Whipped Spider Wheels on here, but no current photos as yet. You will have to wait for next weekends reveal for that.

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CQJP - February Finally Finished

Yes, I have finally got to a finishing stage for my February CQ block.

There is still more I would like to do on it, but I have run out of time, and really need to concentrate on my March block now.

And some details.

Stumpwork butterfly.

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Other Projects

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I have also stitched this Kiwifruit applique block for the Prostate Cancer fundraiser quilt, that my local quilt group are making.

And the following pic is the block I've entered in the block lotto for March at the quilt group.

The theme for this month was the Grandmother's Flower Garden Block and had to have a cream background.

All hand stitched.

Well that's me done for another reveal.

Happy Stitching.