Cheery brightness!

It has been a big weekend.

Starting Thursday night when I had three special friends to sew, and chat!

Lea, Trish and Cheryll...looking forward to doing it again!

Friday saw Janette and myself hitting the road to drop a friend at Sydney Airport.

We couldn't head straight home...we did need to recharge our batteries for the return journey.

What to do? What to do?

A lengthy visit to Material Obsession was just the tonic for weary travellers.

Thank goodness for Kathy and her wonderful troupe of happy stitchers...we both left with bags of happiness and minds full of inspiration.

It was exhausting!

Some fabric for skirts...a SUPER bargain...gorgeous!

Here is my new project...

And this is how that pile of fabric  looks tonight...

super easy with the EZ Double Wedding Ring rulers.

I am loving this!

Saturday saw me popping in to the local Stitches and Craft Show after another early trip to Sydney Airport...this time picking up a traveller.

And meeting a blogging friend, Leanne.

I love these big clamshells that she had made.

Hope you had a happy weekend too!

Cardygirl xx

Thankfully I am done with excuses...

And now I can reveal a fully bound Soul Searching Quilt...complete with hanging sleeve!

As I said, finding some "hangers" was a bit of a challenge, but my sewing friends are a lovely lot, and I soon found some very kind and willing volunteers.

I also took this picture on my back fence as I wanted to see it in the daylight.

I am pleased with it.

Have you seen this?

I am quite enjoying the new look Down Under Quilts, and this issue was extra special as there was a quilt created by a clever bloggy friend, Cathy. It is lovely, well worth a look.

This afternoon was earmarked for sewing time once all the household jobs were complete. Then my dear daughter and her beau arrived and suggested a walk on the beach with the dog...great idea! All was going well until a certain spotty dog decided that it was best to swim into the shipping channel of the Harbour! Great! Fortunately some lovely kayakers and a family in a motorboat managed to steer her back to the breakwater...and the gathered crowd exclaiming loudly about the sea-bound canine!

Innocent, I think not!

So, this evening has been spent doing prep work...all the pieces cut for the amitie BOM, circles ironed and ready to applique

...all bagged and ready to go!

Making fair progress this month.

Cardygirl xx

Excuses Part Five...the final hurrah!

I know, I know...enough of the excuses!

It is actually bound...looks fabulous too.

BUT...

I have no one to hold it up!

I want a lovely shot of it held high in the daylight.

It deserves it.

So, give me  a couple of days and I might be able to find a friend!

I have only a little clothesline, and no where else to hang it...but I will find a solution!

That was the final moment....drumroll, fireworks! Please!

In other happenings...

this is still under construction, but looks fabulous...Amish with a twist...gorgeous!

A BOM about to start at Quilt-Essentials, a lovely shop owned by Jenny where I sew fortnightly.

It looks great...nice to see the lovely solids, reminds me of my trip with Lea and Lorraine to Amish country.

I was very tempted! But I have stayed strong!

The bibs are finished for the sweet baby boys living next door to me.

Stay tuned for some Soul Searching pictures if I can find a friend!

 Cardygirl xx

Excuses Part Four

Yup...I am still at it!

Maybe I need some sort of counselling...there definitely is an issue around me and the "B" word...maybe it is a deep seated anxiety related to those primary school sewing classes and the super cranky and stifling teacher we had...or the trauma of High School sewing classes where I had to make a lawn "angel suit"...that caused me a great deal of angst...bias binding still gives me palpitations...hmmm...I think I am about to have a pivotal insight moment! Blog-therapy perhaps?

Despite all the procrastinating and wailing, there has been some activity here...

bibs for the darling twin boys newly arrived for my very sweet neighbours...

and a lovely stack of blues...

work on binding...

I definitely had some time as there was no cooking going on!

A fence being painted...

and a technically tricky BOM block nearly done...

all this achieved despite some stubborn obstacles!

The binding should be revealed verrrry soon!

Cardygirl xx

Excuses Part Three

Well, sort of.

I have actually started to bind.

Yes, really!

And it was okay...I have done one side, and turned a corner in more ways than one...hehe!

But, I was distracted by a few things happening...

more work decisions ...

and the cabinet makers who made our kitchen,

and laundry cupboards,

and bathroom,

and ensuite,

are coming to take photos tomorrow.

EEEEK! I have cleaned and polished so it is all shiny bright.

Maybe I might bind tomorrow night????

 Cardygirl xx

Excuses Part Two.

It is still not bound.

I have good intentions.

I say I am going to start it...a lot.

I have even had it sitting on my lap, needle poised.

BUT...

I got distracted by

Jean,

Kate,

Maree,

Marg,

 and Bernadette.

Too many pretty things.

And I have to bind. 

Humbug!

Okay, I will start tonight...

promise...

Cardygirl xx

Excuses Part One.

Binding.
I have an aversion to it.
Long story.
But this week I thought that I would commence binding my Soul Searching quilt.
Note I said commence not complete.
I adore this quilt and the journey that I had making it. Just love it, really odd that I love it that much, but I do.
So, the binding was made....


And stitched on...


But I couldn't finish it because...


The cat sat on it!
Cardygirl xx
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A week of random-ness...

A random sort of week...last weekend's sewing left my head in a much better place to start the working week. It was great reading the comments and thinking how we all struggle with lots we have to do, and lots we want to do. It is very liberating to just let go of the pressure we put on ourselves.

I have had a lovely week! My colleagues have had some concerns though when they found me snapping pics on my way to work early Monday morning...

but this path was worthy of a pic...

and I adore this old sign.

I have caught up with friends, one I have known since I was eleven, and one that has broken her wing (naturally it is her dominant wrist), had TWO sewing nights out with lovely sewing friends...thanks ladies I did have fun! So it was a good week.

And here is the progress on my amitie BOM...it would have progressed much further, but I had a bad dose of "Sewer's Mush-brain" and kept sewing seams, then having to unpick them...a good sleep seemed to help!

Hope you have had a good week too!

Cardygirl xx

The acceptance of limitations...

I am feeling quite philosophical at present...

 I have bleated on about life and it's busy-ness for faaaar too long (sorry about that!), so I have decided that to regain control I need to prioritise demands so that life is not a blur anymore! This past weekend there were no visitors, no grand plans and nothing super urgent that had to be done. There were things that would be nice to achieve, but it wasn't an issue if they weren't. So, I did groceries...washed sheets and towels...walked the dog (twice)...cleaned bathrooms...swept paths...caught up with friends, and then did some sewing prep!

Yay!

Funnily, I had an email from someone wondering what sewing was going on here. Rude?

Well, now I can show...

scarf progression (despite appearances my clever cat has NOT learnt to sew)...

gorgeous felts...

fun threads...

fabric from MO cut and waiting to become a sewing folder...

someone's belated birthday present to match her new kitchen...

That does feel better!

So, the new plan is to not HAVE to do everything...create opportunity for quiet time...and enjoy it!

Relax and enjoy the sewing time I make!

How do you manage busy lives and still create?

Cardygirl xx

Nothing to say...

just fabric to share....

Cardygirl xxx