Wannabe Nipper

I meant to add these photos to my post yesterday, and these photos are also for Laura.

Lily turns five in the middle of the year and will be able to begin Junior life guarding (Nippers) next season which begins in December (our summer).

Here she is with her Uncle (in black - my brother) out in the IRB (Inflatable rescue boat) having a ride.



But I think she enjoyed her icecream more..........

Happy Stitching

Susie

Progress

So I started this month's stitchery for our Stitch-a-long not really thinking how much more difficult it will be to 'trace' the stitchery on to darker fabric. I have ended up just drawing it on and hoping for the best. I like the darker fabric though.

Working on another bubba quilt for a sweet little girl who is getting on in age, best I finish this in the next day or two! This will be a little label appliqued onto the back.

Basting the quilt which I have decided to just back with some sweet flannette. I wanted something light even though we are going in to winter, it will be nice over the top of her pram or even in the car. 

really sweet flannelette

There has also been a little of this going on! We have now finished the season and little Lily will be five soon and will be able to start nippers with her big sister. 

Happy Stitching all

Susie

The books and patterns I am working on

I have recently been asked by a couple of Instagram friends (followers? colleagues?) what patterns I am working on. So I have decided to post some further details of these books and patterns.

During 2012 I worked on the Some Kind of Wonderful quilt by Anni Downs here and here amongst completing blocks throughout the year. 

This quilt was my first attempt at needle-turn applique and it certainly took me a while to get used to.

Anni Downs of Hatched and Patched is an extremely talented designer with numerous books and now a fabric line behind her.  I'm looking forward to beginning the feature quilt in one of her old books A Boy's story.

One of the other projects I am currently working on with everyone in the Stitch-a-long (SAL) are various projects from this book by Natalie Bird.

Another talented Australian designer Bronwyn Hayes of Red Brolly gave a wonderful review of Natalie's book here.

I also have one of Browyn's patterns on my to do list from the recent Australian magazine of Homespun.

This quilt is going to be so much fun to make. Made with beautiful French General fabrics - my favourites.

And lastly, for the record, I really want to make this quilt one day

Some close up pics here.

Perhaps they may be completed within the next 20 years?

Happy Stitching everyone

Susie

 

A little bit of this and that

In the last couple of weeks I have slowly been stitching along my cute stitchery for the Stitch a-long. I'm don't think I am going to finish the whole bag by tomorrow. I really don't want to rush it and am feeling the pressure!

I've been doing a tiny bit of this cross-stitch too when the kids go to bed. I find it so relaxing. 

My Dad turns 82 today and we are having dinner and cake here this evening. The kids are just beside themselves with excitement. However, I asked my mum the other day to give me some old photos of her family to start scanning into my computer (now that I have finally worked out how to do it properly). 

The photos are coming up so well in my Creative Memories package. I never got to meet most of these people. 



The photo's above are of my maternal grandfather who died when my mum was four, and my grandmother and great grandmother whom I never met. The sad thing is I don't have a name for these people when I talk about them to my mum. As I never knew them I always say 'your mum' or 'your dad'. Strange.

It is really interesting to see the family resemblances. We are lucky to have such old photos in good condition. The one on the left was taken in 1934.

Happy Stitching everyone,

Susie

January was a busy month

Amongst lots of quality family time, and finishing the top of this beauty, I managed to have a rather busy but productive month.

skow quilt

My first project in the latest stitch-a-long was this thread catcher from Natalie Bird's Red Home book. I enjoyed using some of my fat flat's from spotlight (I do have rather a large number of them lying around).

Red Home - by Natalie Bird

Next, some more progress on this Faye Whittaker - All our yesterday's cross stitch. I got this pattern from the World of Cross Stitching magazine. Its so relaxing to do this in front of 'Downton Abbey'. I'm trying to catch up before this new season starts.

Towards the end of the month, hubby and I found ourselves for two nights, kid free, in paradise (tropical FNQ - Cairns, one of my favourite parts of the world). OK, we did arrive in a tropical depression from Cyclone Oswald and some minor flooding but it didn't stop us having a lovely time celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary.

The perks of a hubby that travels alot is there is generally some frequent flyer points and hotel points to go somewhere. We were lucky.

This was the view from our room.

And this was 10yrs ago this month. (it was 44 degress when this photo was taken, you wouldn't know it!).

Happy Stitching, Susie

No Pressure - what deadline?

Can't believe I haven't felt any pressure getting this done by today! Who am I kidding?? Chooky placed a deadline of the 31st Jan on our quilt tops and our next 2013 Stitch-a-long project for January. I am yet to start my January one - approx 9 hrs left in the day!!

You MUST excuse the horrendous background - hubby's soon-to-be man cave. (only myself and little tackers home so couldn't ask them to hold it up - they would only make it to the first block!). I just needed to photograph quickly on my phone, and blog to show you the top is done!!!

(nicer photos to come shortly - I promise)

Not without some issues I might add. I was in such a rush that I didn't press one seam!! nope! so obviously the alignment is out of whack but I will just have to deal with that. Its all leaning to the side. I envisage over the next evening or so I will be standing up in front of the TV for two hrs or more trying to press this humongous thing!

This is my backing fabric - quite a contrast but I wanted that. And Denise Schmidt fabric at $4 metre from spotlight was a bargain I thought.

Now my biggest issue is how to quilt it - I think some FMQ would be wonderful but I'm not attempting it on this huge quilt. So I was thinking of hand quilting in the thin hand quilting thread (not sure what it is called - not Pearl 8 like I normally use) with some free motion designs I will draw on. Mostly on the strips - not the blocks.

Anyway, a weight off my shoulders - now to complete my next Jan project by this evening. I cut out the shoe bag template from the Anni Downs book and didn't realise there is a smaller template of the shoes in the back. Fortunately, I just got my hand on the Red Home book this week so I may just look at doing the thread catcher instead.

Happy Stitching All, Love Susie

A new year and new goals

Still can't quite believe the school holidays are almost finished. Its been busy here in the house of Flower and Linen.

Chookyblue has been cracking her whip in the Stitch-a-long. I have been going as fast as possible at the moment with three kids at home and hubby away for alot of the holidays but this is what I have achieved lately........

Some more of this.......

and this...........

a little of this.........

some more of these........

And to get myself into gear this year I've joined this wonderful group

http://sewitsfinished.blogspot.com.au/

I figure this should help me get through three projects I have going, I adore them still, but other priorities have taken over.

Lastly, I have decided to attempt a quilt that I have had my eye on for a long time now. This is the Girls Day out quilt by Libby Richardson that was originally a BOM for many stores a couple of years ago. I was fortunate enough to be in Cairns during the week to celebrate my 10th wedding anniversary and saw this quilt 'in the flesh' for the first time by Button Tree quilts and made me fall in love with it all over again.

picture courtesy of stitcherscupboard.com.au

Look at the details in these blocks, especially this block previously completed by Narioka

picture courtesy of narioka.blogspot.com

picture courtesy of lyndainwonderland.blogspot.com

Pop on over to see Sharon our host at http://friendsmakingquilts.blogspot.com.au/ of Lilabelle Lane fame. Such an amazingly productive woman with four children - not sure how she does it.

I am really looking forward to starting this quilt. I picked up two of twelve patterns for $2 each at Button Tree quilts - not sure I'm going to be so lucky with the rest. I'm hoping to complete most of this in this gorgeous fabric - however not having much luck.

La Belle Fleur by French General

Happy Stitching everyone

Susie