April - FNWF

Surprise! Surprise! I'm back and it was only a couple of days ago that I updated my blog...... but I thought while I'm still enjoying my cup of tea I would update my (virtual) FNWF and show you what I have achieved......
The embroidery group I belong to is run by Fiona and during our Xmas break we get given "homework" .... usually a block to embroider that will be made into raffle quilt or such like....well I have been (very) slowly plodding along with mine and decided it was about time I finished it so.....

with only the outline of the heart to do..

....... it was finally finished off.....

My finished block will now join the others already finished -  this year they will be made up into a few wall hangings for our local hospital. We have about 70 ladies in our group (there being an evening and a daytime group) and each of these embroidered hearts is different! 

Hope others had a creative night.....doing whatever you enjoy!

Happy Stitching

Asta 

FNWF

The first Friday in March and it was time for a catch up with blogging friends.......

....but first I caught up with my friend Dzintra after work.....over a couple of drinks at a new local restaurant....

Earlier in the week I had met up with friends for a dinner at the same restaurant..... a lovely outlook over the river and our local marina....

...........this one from a distance

Back to Friday night..... I'm starting a"secret" sewing project so spent time doing some calculations for extra border fabric required - the rest had been "stashed" away for quite some time!

 Once that was sorted it was time for a bit of stitching - what else but my Nature's Journey quilt! The weather has been so warm that hand stitching with a quilt over the knees was not even a consideration so it has taken some time to get the binding finished but this time I was on a mission!!

with a little interruption when these 2 decided my lap was a very comfy spot to have a nap!

....the last stitch was in sight! ....though I still have the label to do for the back...then I will "announce" it finished! 

Saturday and it was time to head to Stephs Fabrics to purchase fabric for my "secret" project..... driving along the beautiful Moruya River on the way.....

Steph has now added a coffee bar to her "inspirational" shop....... opening onto the street and into her shop .....

One of Stephs assistants 

Steph on the the left and her barista

......What a coincidence that I should run into a like-minded friend, Mary.... Now I really had an excuse to stay and enjoy a coffee....the problem being that you can gaze over the lovely fabrics and contemplate whether you really need to buy more.... I did resist.... at least till next time!!

 A quick stop at an op-shop and another book was found for my book challenge "a book about an ocean".... pictured here with just a very sneaky peek at the fabric purchased....

Then time to head off to a luncheon date with a dear friend, Barb, but no photos - we were too busy chatting as we hadn't caught up for quite some time!  

On the agenda for the rest of the weekend? Dropping into a rehearsal for the play I'm stage managing - still not a lot for me to do yet....hopefully get my label made for Nature's Journey quilt.....maybe a spot of gardening - the "green" waste bin gets picked up this week so I feel I should fill it!.... And - checking in on what others were up to on Friday night!

Happy Stitching
Asta

FNWF

FNWF arrived and now that the top for my Nature's Journey quilt is finished the pressure was off and I could contemplate what else I could do, so a little Xmas stitchery was the answer.....

...by the end of the night ... which wasn't very late as for some reason I was so tired an early night was in store.... I had got this far.....

The front was nearly finished and the back side was just pinned so I wouldn't  loose the pieces..... lucky I had done that as next day while vacuuming I knocked some of the stitchery off the corner of the lounge and all that NEARLY went up the vacuum cleaner was this......my embroidery thread!

Not an overly productive Friday night.... and mind you the decoration is still not finished... weekend was spent going to our annual Handmade Markets ( a bit of Xmas shopping done) and a start was made on organising my sewing room - a "work in progress"!! , and a bit of reading in the sun which re-appeared after a few days of either rain or heavy clouds!

Hope others had a productive FNWF

Happy Stitching

Asta

Well, the long weekend is now at an end.... time to catch up with what I have been up to....

During the past week I actually had a project finished for OPAM (One Project a Month)! I've been so busy with the Nature's Journey quilt that I don't seem to have the time to actually finish any other project - Nature's Journey can't be included till it's finished :( ..... but here is my finish for September.....a start for Xmas

Pattern: Gail Pan

Then it was the first Friday of the month and time for FNWF ...... no stitching but time for cutting out another 200 x 2" squares for the Nature's Journey Quilt so.... with Miss Dora keeping an eye on things.....

...this teetering pile of fabrics......

became stacks of little squares a couple of hours later......

 Saturday dawned  - we were already into the second month of Spring and it was time to spring clean the house! ...An accumulation of magazines, a trail of fabrics from Nature's Journey quilt that seemed to have taken over the house (!) , various other on-going projects were all sorted and put away, furniture moved, the duster was out, even as the day was warming up I kept "hoovering" away! The house was well and truly "breathing" again!! 

Sunday - and a very hot day forecast! So.... together with a good friend we headed off to the Regional Orchid Show being held at one of the local clubs.... and air-conditioned! 
Who would have thought that there are so many varieties of orchids! ......from your traditional....

...to the exotics

....some with "attitude"....

...others you wouldn't even think were orchids.....

...... ones that looked more like a daffodil!

...other delicate ones.....

....and ones that were provided with a magnifying glass!! 

And this little orchid came home with me!....

Will it be the first of many? Ummm we'll see..... 

Then it was Monday - the last day of our long weekend :( .... gardening had been on the agenda for the weekend but it was too hot (don't enjoy being in the heat) so the day was spent pottering around in my sewing room - it is in quite a state and there will only be photos when there is an "after" as well as a "before"! ...... I finished reading my latest book....

 ....and enjoyed late afternoon with a glass of wine, nibbles and a few "old" magazines to browse through.

No stitching was done over this weekend but it's the start of a new week now so must get back into my Nature's Journey quilt - only machine sewing left now.

Hope all my readers had an enjoyable weekend too.
Happy Stitching
Asta

FNWF

Well, this month I did remember to join up with fellow sewers for our "virtual" Friday night get together...... don't know what happened last month - the days seem to fly by and it must have just "fallen in a hole"!
So what did I do? Would I dare do anything else except my Nature's Journey block for July? Of course not! So here is some further progress.......

....and it WILL  be finished over this weekend...am staying positive! Then starts the August "homework".......

Hope everyone else who joined in had an enjoyable & productive night!

happy Stitching
Asta

Forgot to do a post yesterday with what I stitched on Friday (FNWF)... oops! 
What else would I have doing except another (April!) block for the Nature's Journey quilt.... here I am about to cut out the fabric ready for the applique....

.... and a few hours later the block is finished....

Still have one more block to finish - which I thought would have been finished over the weekend but here it is Sunday night and it hasn't even been started yet!
Saturday was spent at our local theatre where I'm about to start stage managing our mid-year production.....
and today.... a friend (who know about gardening) came by to cut back my lovely tibouchina (not sure of the spelling) which split in half while we were having all that rain! (though the South Coast had not had nearly as much as further north).... as it was...

... and as it is now....:(

and the rest of the day.... well I returned to my garden and tidied other areas where nature is taking a journey of it's own! ... then some lunch on the back deck with my book.... followed by a visit from a dear friend .... and here it is Sunday evening - perhaps I'll get some stitching done before I retire?

Will be back soon....till then,
Happy Stitching
Asta 

FNWF

Lovely to be stitching with "friends" last night - I needed the motivation to get back into my stitching after March being a rather unproductive month (too many other things happening) ....
Firstly I finished the binding on the baby quilt - a WIP for some time (!) in the background - and then brought out my my Stitch A Long project.... (March "homework" was yet to be finished!)

...getting ready to start the applique...... 

.... and this is as far as I got last night with the applique - no points on the star block :( but at least they are all the same :) ..... the plan is to get all of the March blocks finished over this Easter weekend! ......though....

the knitting needles have come out, the wool is ready and the pattern is ready..... have also bought a new Clover crotchet hook to try out - so many people making blankets the temptation is too great!!

Till next time - Happy Stitching!

Asta

FNWF

Nearly forgot about FNWF (!) so started a bit late but did finish off this stitchery......

...Now all I have to do is sew it up into a little bag -  for myself, I think....

For those of you who follow my "yarns" you will know that I am also a member of our local theatre company and quite often stage manage or help out with shows through the year or with the occasional working bee.... well today it was the working bee and as much as I would have loved to spend "hours" going through my stash looking for fabrics for this stitchery and for the Stitch-a-long project it just didn't happen :-(  ..... perhaps tomorrow ? .....though I do have a lunch out planned....but not till 12.30!

Happy Stitching

Asta

FNWF & A Quilt Exhibition

FNWF and I was stitching again - had lost the momentum since my holiday - must have been too relaxing... more hexagons being created for "Gossip in the Garden".... I did say it would be a slow WIP!

Saturday and off to Gerringong to catch up with a couple of long-time friends and see the Gerringong Quilt Exhibition.... a snapshot of some of the quilts....

A Xmas tree made with prairie points..... 







and a beautiful quilt based on the colour wheel....



Then Sunday arrived and it was time to do some gardening - but no photos - I was too busy planting out and potting up plants purchased from the Bundanoon Garden Ramble from a couple of weeks ago.

Will try and get some stitching done during the week but Daughter No 1 and her partner have arrived back home from Canada and are staying here for a while while they ponder their next destination and with Daughter No 2 here as well till she departs for her next adventure I have a full house with lots of catching up happening!!

Happy Stitching
Asta

FNWF

Well, here I am - nearly 11.30 Friday night and as I'm only just having a cup of tea thought I'd sit here at the computer and let you all know what I've been up to tonight.... 
Disregarding the projects I have already under way I thought I'd start another!... Gossip in the Garden... an earlier post saw me deciding on fabrics - so what better time to start than FNWF!
Getting started.....

....and a few hours later 21 hexagons are finished (only another 50 or so to go!).... and finally a cup of tea! Just got into a rhythm, you know -  just one more and I'll make that cup of tea.....maybe just one more.... 

We have a long weekend here in NSW so with an extra day, minus 1 hour when we put our clocks forward for daylight saving,  I may sit and do a few more hexies! Otherwise will be catching up with a few friends, finishing the spring clean of the house and starting to pack for my holiday in Hawaii - just over a week to go now! A busy week at work coming up first so am trying not to get too excited yet.....  

Will pop back before the weekend is over.... 

Happy Stitching

Asta

FNWF

Well....what was I up to last night.... some secret sewing so can only show a little bit of this one....

and this one......

The top one was finished last night and will be revealed soon.... the other one has still a bit of work left to do......

Hope everyone had a productive night.

Happy Stitching
Asta