Time

Would someone be able to tell me where the days, weeks, months and this year are going?!! They are all merging into one!! Whew, I cant keep up!

Lately, it's been...

...time to start Chateau Hexagon, Lynette Anderson's latest button mystery.

Cute so far.....

Light wasn't so good - it doesn't look as washed out in real life!!

Aren't the buttons just gorgeous?!

~~//\\~~

...time for more hexie-flowers and One Flower Wednesday

More of my NZ themed flowers

Thank you Karen, for hosting One Flower Wednesday. Please click HERE to visit other OFW stitchers.

~~//\\~~

...time for birthday gifts for friends...

I started these a few posts ago, but have now  finished them :-)

I made the pin cushions using the tutorial found here.

~~//\\~~

...time for a NEW DISCOVERY!!! I was so excited to discover that I can crochet away in the car for hours on end and not get CAR-SICK!!! If I've ever tried stitching etc in the car before I've had to take travel-sickness tablets but not this time :-)
This is a wrap I started quite a few years ago. It was my horse-truck project... when the girls were competing at horse events every weekend, we spent many evenings in the horse truck with limited lighting and amenities. It was a useful way to spend the evening while the girls were busy cleaning horsey gear or learning riding tests.
Anyway, back to the present, the MOML and I had a few days away recently (yes, the best time for dairy farmers to go on holiday is winter when there are no cows to milk) and there were 4 balls of wool left when we set out - 4 days later and 3/4 hour away from home again I had them all used up and the wrap was completed!!
[Time to tidy up the ends :-)]

Straight forward pattern meant I didn't have to look at it
all the time - meaning a happy traveller.

~~//\\~~

...time for photos... this is a cool photo I took recently - have no idea how I got the effect but I quite like it!

Now it's time to get back to some sewing :-)

Wishing you all nice sunshine or cosy fires, where-ever you may be!

Thank you for visiting, see you next time,

A small finish :-)

When I posted this picture a few weeks ago, I was accused of all sorts of madness - I was even asked if I had lost my mind!

Block finishes at 1  1/2"

Always keen to push a few boundaries and verging on Obsessive Compulsive behaviour, I continued sewing......

Woohoo my latest finish.
'Quilt' finishes at 6 3/4" square.

Yes, there are a few 'humble' moments but I'm OK to leave them as is.

As well as the questions regarding my sanity, I was also asked how on earth one goes about sewing such tiny blocks. The pattern I used came from Best of  Fons and Porter Star Quilts. 

For those of you unable to access this book and wanting to have a bit of a play, here are a few details :-)

The centre square and the corner squares were all cut at 1"

All the other pieces were cut slightly larger, sewn and then cut down.......

Cut 2" squares and cut on both diagonals to yield quarter-square triangles.
Once these are sewn together, cut them down to 1".
Trim seams to a generous 1/8th inch. Press seams open to reduce bulk.

The sashing strips were cut at 3/4" wide
and 2" long (the size of the unfinished block).

The 4-patch sashing strips were cut at 1".
Join and cross-cut into 1" segments. Trim seam to a generous 1/8".

Once the 4-patches are sewn together trim down to 3/4" square.
Hehe the trimmimgs are nearly as big as the squares - I didn't throw anything
out till I made sure I had the right pieces!

I cut the outer border at 1 1/4" wide but once it was sewn on, I decided it was
too wide. Remembering the sew then cut down lessons, I marked the
cutting line, sewed on my binding, then trimmed. Too fiddly otherwise.
(The white marker didn't show up so well so I tacked a running stitch.)

Just in case you didn't see it properly first time round...!!

The gorgeous and extremely lovely frame is one I bought at a stall at Paducah. The stall holder (sorry, I cant remember who it was) had these made exclusively for her by Amish craftsmen. There were a few other choices available but I was starting to worry about luggage/airplane weight, so opted for the smallest size!

And of course made from scraps - no yardage needed buying!!!! (Although, my scrap pile hasn't diminshed much, for some strange reason!)
Ok, now that I have got this out of my system, maybe I can go back to the projects I should be working on!
Have a lovely weekend everyone, and thanks for visiting,

PS If anyone wants to try this block and needs more details, don't hesitate to drop me a line.

Just One Flower

Here we are, Wednesday again; after missing last week, I decided I didn't want to miss again. After all, all it takes to participate is one flower.

One little Stitchbird

And here is my New Zealand series so far.

One a Wednesday, it will soon grow.

To join in or visit other hexie-gardens please visit Karen here.

Happy stitching everyone!