December Scraphappy

........kindly hosted each month, on the 15th, by Kate and Gun 

I haven't done very much sewing this month, being mainly pre-occupied with painting.....not the artistic kind, but walls and furniture.   To prove it, I have multi-coloured splotches on my feet, my hands and up my arms......pretty green from my sewing room walls, lovely turquoise from sprucing up an old armoire-type cupboard, also for the sewing room and dollops of navy from transforming a stained timber tv cabinet from the op-shop into an eye-catching piece for my lounge room.

I did manage some scrappy stitching though.  I wanted to make a gift to send to the US as part of a Christmas swap, so I played with various size patches in shades of blue, and laid them out 'boro-style' to make the background for some bunting.

A start 

I added some green, cream and some of my sun-prints for contrast and interest, and after cutting the triangles, and backing them, settled to the task of kantha stitching  the layers together.  I find this easy rhythm of the in and out of the needle calming and peaceful, almost a meditation.

  After binding and joining, I added buttons.

Then deciding it needed a bit of sparkle, I stitched a bead trail in a snaky pattern the length of each piece.

Yes. that's better 

And here it is, all finished. For the binding I used a scrap of green I had left over from cutting up an op-shop (thrift store) cotton shirt I'd used for something else.

My swap partner was delighted with her gift, and has it hanging on her apartment balcony. She said it reminds her of Van Gogh's painting 'Starry Night' as it sways in the breeze.

As always, you can visit Kate or Gun to see who has joined them this month in the battle of the scraps.  We even have a yarny scrap post this time, with The Snail of Happiness showing her stripy granny squares.

The day has cooled, there's a good breeze blowing in from the east, so it's time to let the hound loose.

.....until next time

Notes from November

I had good intentions of popping in here a few more times this ...oops... last month than I actually did, and I know a lot of bloggers are asking the same question.....where are the days and weeks going, they're flying by so fast.

So then I thought a bit of a round-up was probably a good way to go, so you...and I...can see what I've done.  Because sometimes it feels like not very much at all. So let's see, in no particular order.....

There was boro -style bunting, which went off to the States for a gift in a Christmas swap.  My partner had requested a non-Christmassy gift, and as I knew she has a little plant filled balcony, I though what better gift than fabric, beads and buttons to flutter in the breeze.

Gifts received in return....very sweet felt Christmas ornaments......

***

I indulged in some charity sewing and serious stash busting .....these three toys have gone off  to Western Australia, to join hundreds of other dolls and toys being sent to Uthando, where they'll bring a smile to the faces of children affected by AIDS.

Soft and cosy pouches and liners for a wildlife rescue group in Queensland.......

And bags to make carrying drains easier for patients after breast cancer surgery ....these went to Tasmania to a group called The Simple Gift of a Bag

A local group put out a call for donations of quilt blocks, which would then be assembled into a quilt to bring some cheer to a young girl diagnosed with a very aggressive cancer.  I dug into my stash again, quickly made these two and sent them off.

I think that was all the sewing, apart from the scrappy quilts I showed in my last post.

***

Then there was the day out with a friend, where we played tourist and visited the Numinbah Natural Arch, halfway between both our places, but just over the border in Queensland.  We hiked the rainforest trail up to the arch then enjoyed a picnic afterward by the river.

The gathering heat as the month raced toward summer brought vibrant sunrises

and fog shrouded mornings, that turned into hot sticky days as the sun burned through.

And just as quickly were replaced by sudden storms with hail and strong winds.......my jacaranda tree was knocked over by one of these ...... and as I write this another thunderstorm is rolling in from the south-west, cooling the day down, and bringing lots of very welcome rain!

***

Breakfast was enjoyed with friends.....

The cats are having their second breakfast....an egg!

So...November was a pretty full month after all, and a bit of well-earned resting was done on the verandah in the cool.

I hope your November was full to the brim too.

Till next time...........