ScrapHappy May

It's the 15th of the month, and that time again to produce any work made from scraps. I just have two small scrappy projects this month.  Firstly, although I haven't done very much sewing in the last month, I did manage to make a few red hexies for the redwork quilt I posted about back in February. I haven't done a lot more on it, but had a bit of a reprieve on the deadline. You may remember I'd been working on it for a friend's 75th birthday gift, and was wanting it finished by the end of March, but Christine's sister decided they should go overseas to celebrate their milestone birthdays.... it was her 70th this year. Since it was all a bit rushed, and she was leaving the day after her birthday, she suggested we celebrate when she got back, so I still have a couple of weeks to work on getting the top pieced, if not the whole quilt finished.

I've also managed to prep the pieces ready to make flying geese blocks to fill in around the redwork embroideries I've done. Now that I'm feeling better, and more focused, I'll put the blocks back up on the design wall and work out where these will go, and what else I need to do.

 My second project is a bit different, and is one where I've used paper scraps.  I've had these metal card file boxes since 1987, carrying around the country with me, each time I moved, knowing ....hoping!.....someday I'd find a use for them.

They have a bit of history behind them. Back in the 80s I worked for DoCs (the welfare) in Western Australia, and these boxes were used to keep the card files of anyone who came into the office requesting a food voucher. Not a very good system, as there was no-cross-referencing with other offices, and people could go from office to office and claim a food voucher many times in a week. It was a very exciting time when all those handwritten records could be entered onto a database, and with the tap of a button, we could see when and how often a person was applying for assistance and respond accordingly.

Of course, the metal boxes were obsolete then and were to be thrown out, so I rescued these two, thinking I'd "do something with them".  Well it only took me 30 odd years, and so, with the help of some discarded seed catalogues, this one's being turned into a seed storage box. 

I gessoed the base of the box, then tore words and pictures and layered them all over, brushing on more gesso as I went. They're not finished yet, one side to go, but I'll add a layer of matte medium over all for protection, and fill up with seeds. It's been good to have a fairly mindless project to keep me busy, and great to have all my seeds in one place, and easily found. 

 Here are links to others who might have a scrappy project, there's always interesting ideas and inspiration, and they're a good read even if there's no scrappy post.

 Kate (me!), Gun, Titti, Heléne, Eva, Sue, Nanette, Lynn, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy, Debbierose, Tracy, Jill, Claire, Jan, Karen,
Moira, Sandra, Linda, Chris, Nancy, Alys, Kerry, Claire, Jean, Johanna,
Joanne, Jon, Hayley, Dawn, Gwen, Connie, Bekki, Pauline and Sue L.

till next time............

A Hot February Night

........and Scraphappy Day

I've been quiet here, but accomplishing much in the sewing department, mostly hand stitching binding on tiny quilts and stuffing soft toys and embroidering faces in the cool of the air-conditioned lounge room.   I'll post about them another day. It's been very hot, it felt like my brain had turned to mush and no words could be written.  It's still very hot now, nearly 11 pm and still close to 30 deg C (86 F) with 90% humidity, which is the killer. We all lay around like this all day, heat-lagged. For some reason, the cats like to lay on Mirrhi, no matter the temperature, and she gets quite cross with them, lifting them off her  forcibly with her nose., or with a well placed gentle kick nudge.

So to scraps...... while digging out crumb blocks for the premmie quilts I was making here,  I also found a few blue churn dash blocks I'd made for last years Rainbow Scrap Challenge, the start of a rainbow churn dash quilt.  Well that didn't get far, there was the flood and 6 months of cleaning up, and a definite lack of enthusiasm for very much, so the churn dashes were forgotten. Until now.

I've decided to make them my 2018 Rainbow Scrap Challenge project this year, and so out came the purple scrap bin and work was begun tonight. My day was pretty busy with a rally and march a couple of us had organised to stop our rail line being ripped up, and replaced with a rail trail.  This decision was made without any community consultation, and so a couple of hundred of us braved the afternoon heat and marched to the Council Offices to present our case to Council.  

 Nothing to do with scraps of course, except now, having prepared one churn dash block, I'm too tired to sew tonight, so here it is, ready for some cool, early morning sewing.  Not sure how many of each colour I'll make, 6 probably, but they'll be a mix of light and dark backgrounds, and a variety of sizes.

* Scraphappy Day

......till next time.

ScrapHappy December

It's late and I was heading to bed when I remembered I hadn't done a post for Scraphappy Day.  It's been non-stop and full on all day, starting with making green Holi powder .... a messy and time consuming business.........for a fun day tomorrow, called the Other Big Wet........after the water fights the coloured powder will be thrown around....lots of fun for all and a gift to the community from a local mum to say thank you for all the help she received after she lost her house and all her belongings, and very nearly her own and her children's lives in the March floods.

I've not long farewelled friends who will be away at  Christmas, and so came for an early Christmas dinner.  We had good gourmet pizza, salads from my garden and delicious seasonal mangoes, cherries and peaches. It's been quite a hot day, so a blessing to sit by the river enjoying a lovely cool breeze, a pretty sunset and  good company.

                       

Mirrhi was very excited to find this snake skin hanging in a tree right by where we were sitting.  We were a little nervous then, wondering where the now larger owner might be. There was another skin in the tree as well, but it was getting dark and no-one was game to just stick their hand in to get it......I don't know if it's part of the same snake or another one that's shed......I'll find out tomorrow.  This one's about 65 cms (26 inches) long, and has beautiful markings which don't show up too well in the photo.  It feels nice but creepy! The cats all growled and hissed at it, with fur raised and tails all fat...despite being indoor cats all their lives, and never having seen a snake, they know!

So onto fabric scraps. In between making blocks for the quilt, I made this EPP Death Star from Star Wars Return of the Jedi.  I'm so pleased with how it turned out, there were so many tiny, tiny scraps involved.  I found the pattern here, hers turned out beautifully symmetrical, unlike mine which is a little bumpy around the edges. The actual piece is only 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter, so not very big at all.

In case you're not a Star wars fan, or don't remember, here's how it looked in the movie.

Here's a couple of blurry close-ups taken very early this morning.

And finally, I finished the little kantha stitched mini heart quilt that I posted about in October Scraphappy. 

After adding some stars to it and calling it finished, I blanket stitched a soft muslin backing to it, and added a hanging sleeve.

I called it 'Oh my Stars and Hearts'.......very original, I know.   I'll find a wall somewhere for it to hang.

Linking with Kate and Gun for ScrapHappy Day, pop along and check out what others are doing with their scraps this month and be inspired.

till next time.

Edit :  I was going to link my Death Star EPP  to Anthea of Hibiscus Stitches who has a twice monthly link up called Piece Yourself Together, but I just missed it for this time, but here's a link to her blog anyway, she does lots of lovely quilting and EPP and is well +worth a visit.

A little progress

on the scrappy quilt for my son's partner's birthday.

I posted about this in my ScrapHappy Day post last month and so far I've made around 18 blocks, all at different stages.

The largest are around 8 inches, and that's what I'll aim for with the others, then it'll be time to step back and play with layouts.  The plan then is to add some more rounds or extra blocks to connect the colours....I have some scraps in pinky-orange and orangey-red that I'm hoping will work nicely......to end up with 10 inch blocks.

After I tossed aside all the yellow/gold scraps, and any of the others with white in them, I didn't have as much fabric to play with as I thought.  I didn't want to go buy any more fabric, so after a bit of thought, and a lucky find of some rose coloured dye powder......while looking for something else.......some of the not-quite-right pieces ended up in the dye pot.

Pinks aren't this bright, there's a lot of light coming in from the open door 

Initially I'd planned  to dip just the pinks, but then thought 'why not' and threw some of the reds and oranges in to see what I'd get.........and surprisingly it worked.......not pinky as I'd expected, but richer shades of the original colours.  Using the other side of some fabrics as well has given me a lot more options.

I've also been given a reprieve on the time frame to finish this, initially I thought L and R were going to India for Christmas, but that's happening in the new year now, so instead of rushing to get it finished and in the mail before they went,  I can take my time a bit and gift the quilt in person, as they're coming here. Much better!

Linking up with   Oh Scrap! at Quilting is more fun than Housework

that's it till next time, back to cutting and sewing.....

ScrapHappy Day in October

.......although I'm a little late!

Gun and Kate host Scraphappy Day and encourage us to use our scraps in some way, and then show off our creations on the 15th of every month.  It's the 16th here, but I'm sure it's still the 15th somewhere in the world.

This is a portable little project that I've been picking up and putting down over the last couple of weeks, taking it to appointments and making a stitch or two when I've needed a break from weeding,painting and mowing.

I'm making a journal cover, boro style.  This type of stitching is typically used for mending, but here I've layered large scraps onto a muslin backing, and then added smaller patches over them and used a running or kantha  stitch to hold it all together.  I might add some more patches on top as well, this will make the " fabric" that results nice and strong.

Close-up

I've used some of my hand-dyed fabrics, silk and indigo scraps from fabric bought in India and re-purposed scraps from op-shop buys, some over-dyed.  It's taken me a while to get used to stitching raw edges, but I'm enjoying it now and finding quite a sense of freedom and relaxation in it.

Next is a finished quilt that's not entirely scraps, but since a lot is, although larger scraps,  I'm including it as a scrappy project.  I bought the backing and that teal batik that's in the second border. 

I made this for my son's 40th birthday, which has been and gone, and we had planned I'd go to Sydney to give it to him, but his work commitments meant this kept getting put off.  This weekend he was free, so yesterday I hopped on the first flight out of Coolangatta to Sydney, and was able to present his quilt to him.  We spent the day eating good food, lots of chatting and catching up, and then mid afternoon he dropped me back at the airport.  I was home in time for tea.......pretty darn exhausted but feeling very satisfied!

Closeup  ...... color's not true here, it looks more navy then black

Oh and I sent it out to be quilted, Tina at the local quilt shop Moo Moo Stitches, did a lovely job, and saved me from hauling all that fabric through my machine and killing my back.

I'm linking up with Kate and Gun and other scrappy stitchers who're playing ScrapHappy Day this month.  Go and have a look and be inspired to delve into your scraps and make something wonderful.

I have other sewing projects to show, but will save them for another time....someone's waiting with admirable patience for her morning walk.  Hard to resist that face!

Till next time.....

Scrappy blue friends

Cheryll at Stitchingcubbyhole hosts Friday Night with Friends (FNwF) on the first Friday of the month, and although I've been meaning to join in for ages, this is the first time I've managed it.
Here's what Cheryll has to say about FNwF...

"We "meet" on the first Friday night of each month to enjoy a night of crafting.
You can spend YOUR time doing whatever you want to do...sewing, stitching, card making, knitting or crocheting. It's just a fun night in our own homes to sit and enjoy ourselves crafting with FRieNDs...some of which we have never even met.  These "friends" could be in our neighbourhood, country or on the other side of the globe!  We are NOT alone...lol.
SO... get the hubby and kids organised... order the pizza... chill the wine...then EnJoY some

"ME TiMe".

Simply sign up before the date each month & then EnJoY your Friday night... then over the weekend,  post a pic on your blog of what you got up to & we'll all come by for a visit.
We love to encourage, praise and admire ALL forms of craft so please join in when you are able. And if you join in... you have a chance of WiNNinG a small gift each month as well.

SO put the kettle on... I'll be over to your house one Friday night each month."

It's rather nice to be working on a chosen project knowing others around the world are doing the same.  It's also a good way for me to blog regularly, as I will (hopefuly!) post what I've worked on.

It was late when I headed to sewing room....these summer evenings with daylight savings mean I'm often still out walking with Mirrhi or doing a bit in the garden until around 8pm, and while I wait for the chooks to decide to go to bed. Then I just had to watch Banks, a detective show I like, so it was after 9 when I got to work. I finished off a block for the F2F block swap for  Emmely, who's the recipient for January, and has chosen green for her blocks.. Just a little peek, so the surprise isn't spoiled.

I then dug through my blue scraps and stitched up 3 and a half churn dashes for  RSC16.  Now I look at the photos, I see I placed the spotty bits around the wrong way, never mind, it's staying, I guess that's what happens when you're still up sewing close to midnight. These are 6.5 inch.

I started some scrappy blocks as leaders and enders as well, I'll add to them as I make more churns.

Thanks to Cheryll for hosting FNwF , you can visit other FNwFers by using the links at stitchingcubbyhole and see what they've been doing.

And just an update on the kitty situation.....Neesa has taken happily to her new 'sky bed'. She sleeps up on it all the time now and this photo shows how relaxed and content she is. I'm enjoying having her there too, I talk to her all the time, and toss colour and designs decisons around with her ....don't always get an answer, but I'm sure she's listening.

Molly has also decided  that my sewing room's the place to be, sleeping right near my chair.... a bit dangerous, as I forget she's there and have stepped on her a couple of times. She just grunts a bit and sleeps on.  

Right, have a friend coming for lunch, so better go figure out what to make for us. Till next time...

Linking up with Scrappy-HappySaturday and FNwF

Freud would call it displacement activity

........my friend Lajla says it's creative procrastination, which I like much better.  I didn't want to finish sorting out my sewing room, couldn't find the blocks I had cut out ready to sew for my pink quilt, didn't know where the pink fabrics to cut more from were, ......what to do!

Go through the scrap bins, find whatever fabric has pink in it ...different pinks this time.... and start  another quilt of course!  This scrappy number will go with the bunting for the little one's cubby house next door.....something she can throw on the floor and have tea parties with her dollies on, or snuggle in to look at a book.  I'm betting though her mum will want to carry it off to her bedroom to keep "special"....I hope not.

 Quilt top finished

 

I found the fine pink corduroy at the op shop (thrift store).  there's quite a few metres in this piece and it cost me one dollar!  I'll back it with this and quilt it simply.

 

***

 

A golden Easter horse also tripped off my needle

 

.  Organic, hand-dyed wool felt, filled with clean carded wool..... perfect for a baby to chew on

 

I didn't take a photo when I gave it to him, too busy watching his reaction.  His mum kindly staged this photo of him with it while he was napping,  as we weren't sure if he'd be awake before I left.

 

***

And freshly picked from my garden.....beautiful glossy eggplants, spring onions and greens...bok choy and spinach.

Cooked up into a delicious stir fry with tofu and rice noodles.  Yum!

....until next time