Into The Woods♡

Hello lovely lovelies♡ A lovely welcome to you♡ Another week of summer days has lazily drifted by. A week filled with many pleasurable pastimes. A week filled with enjoyable, slow hand stitching.

I've been stitching another quilt. A new quilt. A quilt which started with  the desire to  stitch together lots of EPP diamonds from pretty fabrics, then forming large triangles. Lots and lots and lots of diamonds dancing with vibrantly coloured and patterned, happy fabrics. 

I bought a couple of packets of EPP diamond papers last August and started stitching the diamonds with nothing in mind as to how I would use them in a quilt. I was just happy to make diamonds. Just happy to pet my fabrics. Large triangles eventuated but as more EPP diamonds were stitched together and a number of large triangles happened I began to see how I could incorporate these into a quilt.

Of course, I ventured down the rabbit hole of Pinterest and discovered the Sweet Surrender quilts others had made. Though each quilt was beautiful, with gorgeous appliqued flowers dancing between the scrappy fabric diamonds/triangles, I wasn't in the mood to commit to another flower applique quilt which wood take forever and a day.  

As I stitched the diamonds my thought was to perhaps use a patterned fabric between each triangle. An explosion of busyness....colour and pattern. After all more often than not, more is never enough, is the mantra I live by. =) I am that gal who loves an explosion of colour and pattern in a quilt. Gorgeous colour and pattern makes me happy. I auditioned numerous fabrics from my stash but each one was either not quite right or there wasn't enough fabric. So, I continued making pretty diamonds, forming triangles as I went along. Slow and meditative sewing, one could say, but at the time it helped to quell my troubled mind, to keep my mind from sliding down the slippery slope of anguish  and panic during the time my sweet Riley was struggling to recover in the NICU ward, from the meningitis she had contracted in hospital at three weeks old.....(having been born 11 weeks premi).

Then, I remembered a single bed child's doona I had purchased several years ago from a vintage shop. I loved the whimsicality of the fabric. Now, I didn't particularly start stitching these diamonds with a child-like quilt in mind, but then why not?? I might just fashion a child's quilt to live here in my home. A fun quilt with a child's theme, for me. Of course, it will be waiting for Riley when she visits, to snuggle under with her Granny as we journey into the land of make believe when reading a storybook or two. 

But, I'm jumping the gun just a wee bit. The fabric?? It's lovely. It's filled with utter delight. It's filled with wondrous whimsy. I admit it is not filled with an explosion of dancing colour and pattern, but that's what happens when you quilt, one changes one's mind all the time. =) If one is choosing from one's stash then one goes with what lays hidden within that stash. Though, I do love the colours. Watermelon pinks, raspberry reds, happy yellows, violets and mauves, lime greens, forest greens, jade greens.....all fit perfectly with my scrappy diamonds.

There are deer, porcupines, hedgehogs, wily foxes, wise old owls, squirrels, singing birds, rabbits and sweet mice resting beneath toadstools. When I look at the doona fabric stories from Aesop's Fables, The Wind in The Willows, Brambly Hedge and all those storybooks I read as a child of animal adventures and escapades in the woods come to mind. It brings to mind all those sweet creatures who live and sleep, and dance and play, in the woods. Hence the name of the quilt, Into the Woods.

Of course, flower-filled fabrics abound within the diamonds! In my mind's eye the floor of the woods would be blanketed with a carpet of floralicousness. =)

All the Sweet Surrender quilts I looked at seem to be machine pieced. As my diamonds are paper pieced I hand stitched the diamonds to the fabric triangles and then joined the rows, stitching by hand also. I found the doona fabric stretched a little, especially so as I cut the large triangles, so it was easier to piece together by hand. Besides I'm in no hurry to have this pretty finished. I'm just enjoying the slow stitching. I love that this whimsical piece of fabric has been loved by a child in a previous life. I love that it once covered a child as they drifted off to the land of dreams.

As it is Sunday and slow Sunday stitching  is being celebrated over at Kathy's place, I'm going to enjoy a little more hand stitching of my woodsy friends. More diamonding along, me thinks. Have a lovely day, lovely ladies♡

Until the next time........

A Li'l Coat Refashioning♡

Hello lovely lovelies♡ A lovely welcome to you♡ Another Sunday has drifted in here at the bottom of the world. Another pleasant, summery day to do whatever I please. A walk in the garden?? Gathering bunches of hydrangeas?? Snipping a few roses?? A little book reading?? Of course, a little Slow Sunday Stitching will be enjoyed throughout my day.

Not a lot of stitching has happened here this week, as I have been unwell. A dreaded lurgy I brought home with me. Airports and planes are not the healthiest of places; a Petrie dish of germs. I have enjoyed a little EPP, though. Some EPP diamonds. I bought a couple of packets of EPP diamond papers last September and with no thought in mind as to what I was to do with them.....just 'diamonding' along. Of course, I have a clearer notion of what to do with these pretties now, but that I will chat about next week. I know, I know....such a tease. =)

Today I wanted to show you a little refashioning of an old and well-worn overcoat that has been in my closet for many years. I purchased it from an op shop about ten years ago and it has seen a lot of wear. So much wear, that if I was going to wear it again it would need a little pick-me-up, indeed, a little gussying up. A comfy, navy blue, pure wool coat with a classic cut.

Last November Pete and I went to San Fransisco to visit our daughter and son-in-law. My daughter said I would need a warm coat as it would be chilly there. So, I dragged out my old, blue little number and pondered how I could add a little beauty, a little oomph. Of course, as it turns out, it was quite warm in San Fransisco and my refashioned blue coat never saw the light of day.......oh well. =) But come this winter, here in Tassie I will wear it all the time.

Last September Pete and I went to our favourite market which turned out quite fortuitous for me. One of those right place at the right moment kinda days. A lady I know from whom I had bought needlepoints once before was going back home to New Zealand to care for her aged mum. So, she had to get rid of her huge collection of needlepoints and other pretties rather quickly. Hallelujah! This was my lucky day.  One hundred dollars changed hands and I went home with 27 needlepoints, one gorgeous embroidery piece (which I used on my blue coat) and two gorgeous crochet blankets.

It's hard for me to resist an old needlepoint. I use these pretties all the time. Fashion a new bag.....tart up an old coat or jacket......fashion cushions, recover old chairs......so, so many pretties can be made from them.

Anyway, back to the old blue coat. I didn't want to go overboard (yeah....I know....kinda hard to believe) so I only added embroidery to the lapels and added pieces of a needlepoint to the pockets. I carefully snipped segments of embroidery from the beautiful piece I acquired from the market, carefully stitching these to the coat with invisible stitches, adding touches of embroidery with stranded embroidered cotton and tapestry wool, here and there. A few crochet flowers snipped from doilies were added into the mix, too.

Goodness, when looking at these photos I see these photos were taken in late September. September, when Spring was just beginning to dance. The waratahs, the daffodils, the bluebells.....all had bloomed to sashay in a happy dance.

I always enjoy refashioning a garment that has seen better days. It was fun to give new life to my old, blue coat by the appliqueing of snippets of pieces of old embroidery and embroidering some new flowers and leaves.  In essence a 'new' coat for winter when the frigid season invades my little place again. Plenty of time for me and my old 'new' coat to be sashaying around town. I might just get a few more winters out of my old blue coat yet. But as the very thought of winter chills dem ol' bones of mine I will just soak up all those summery moments of the months of summer I have left. You lovelies, up there in the northern hemisphere can entertain Old Man Winter some more. On second thoughts, you can entertain him forever, if you like. I don't mind. I don't mind at all! =) 

There are many needlepoints left in my armoire waiting to be 'stars of the show' in a new creation. As quite a few of my last haul of needlepoints are large......perhaps I will fashion a jacket?? Mmm....sounds like fun.

Have a beautiful, stop-and-smell-the-roses kinda day, lovely lovelies. I'm off to stitch a few EPP diamonds.

Until the next time......

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig♡

Home♡Home again, home again, jiggity jig♡ Hello, lovely lovelies♡ Yes, after all the travel these last few months Pete and I are home again. Ahh...home ♡ I had the very best time travelling all over the place. But now I have kicked off my well-worn travel shoes and replaced them with something a little more comfy. A very comfy pair of  stay-at-home-for-a-very-long-while, summery loafers.  It is always wonderful to arrive home and have the summery hydrangeas welcome me as I walk through the rickety front gate.

A wonderful Christmas spent with sweet Riley was a delight. Lots of cuddles. Lots of smiles. Lots of giggles. And I must say, Riley and her Granny enjoyed lots of conversations. It's amazing the wisdom of a wee, five months old's chatter.

I must show you my gift from my sweet Riley. A flower pot in which I pop freshly picked flowers in each hole. Truly, I couldn't think of a more perfect gift for this flower-loving Granny. =) 'Flowers for Granny'♡ So, so fabulous ♡ So, so treasured ♡

For Riley's first Christmas I wanted to fashion a visually stimulating floor quilt for her when she lays, rolls or sits on the floor. A bright and colourful quilt with a few fun active elements. So, I hunted and gathered some cute kiddies' fabrics and colourful felt from my stash, and began to play.

For the central panel I cut 4" squares from the fabrics and stitched these into rows of five. Around the border there are bigger rectangles with fun elements to keep a baby's attention.

There's a sweet puppy with fluffy, furry ears. Peek-a-boo......I see you! He has a drooling tongue......but watch out for those teeth!

There's a pussycat with an I've-just-slurped-up-a-bowl-of-cream, expression. Why look, she's hanging out with a pounce of cats. I must say I do fancy some of those glasses the felines are wearing. The heart sunglasses are my favourite, I think. What about you?? Chic hats, too. I must say, I'm rather partial to the little turquoise number. Oh so chic! She's a friendly cat. I wonder if she's friendly with the woolly sheep?? There's a happy elephant too, with the funnest trunk. Let's see how far you can pull it, Riley. Watch out though......don't tug it too hard.

Oh, there's the cutest car. That blue with the pink bumper bar is adorable. Oh look Riley, there are buses, pickup trucks, motor cycles, buses, vespers.........even bicycles, all passing by in the opposite direction. Oh my, is that a blue and white polka dot car travelling behind a rather posh limousine?? How fun! Why, I think I would like to park that spotty coupe in my garage. Putt, Putt, putt........the traffic travelling in the other direction is going a bit slow. A snail's pace if you were to ask me. Gosh.....the traffic is busy, isn't it?? Looks like we are the only car journeying in our direction, though. Oh, I do like being the only car in the lane. 

Look up high in the blue, blue sky, zoom.....zoom....zoom, zoom, zoom. There's a helicopter, a blimp, a hot air balloon. Even party balloons. I wonder whose party they've escaped from??  Oh look, there's a blue aeroplane with a propeller spinning around and around and around. Look Riley, it's darting like an acrobat in and out of the clouds. Weeeee.....I hope the pilot doesn't get dizzy. I wonder if it will fly up to the stars?? Wouldn't it be fun to fly up to the twinkling, shimmering stars, and the moon, in the inky darkness of the night sky?? I wonder if there's a man in the moon?? What do you think, sweet Riley??

There's a little cottage where, if you were to open the shutters and peek in, I wonder what you would see?? Let's open the shutters, shall we??

Why, there are sweet little girls just like you, Riley. The girl whose hair is tied with a pretty ribbon looks deep in thought, doesn't she?? Or, perhaps she is day dreaming?? Oh, look, there's a little girl whistling a tune to her sweet birdie. There's a sweet pussy cat, too. 'Tis a good thing little birdie is safe within the confines of her cage. Though, that sweet pussy cat looks as if she wouldn't hurt a fly. A bird...mmm...maybe..........but a fly.......no. =) There's a little girl up in the attic reading a book. Wouldn't it be fun to climb the stairs, snuggle down on a comfy, pink sofa and join the exciting adventures in faraway lands within the pages of a storybook, or two?? Oh, look there's tea to enjoy as well. I cannot wait, Riley, until you and I can delight in a tea party together. Such fun.

Lets knock on the door, Riley. Knock, knock, knock.......who's there?? Oh, how delightful. There's a girl and she looks all dressed up. She looks as if she is going out.  I wonder who she's going to gift those pretty flowers to?? Why, there's a prettily wrapped gift, too. Perhaps to her Granny' place?? What do you think, Riley?? I must say I love that little confection of a hat sitting atop her head....very pretty. One day Granny will buy you a pretty hat. But not yet, as I know you're not a fan of wearing hats. You know what, Riley, your mummy had the same misapprehensions about hat-wearing when she was your age. She didn't like them at all. =)

I wonder what's hiding in the blossom trees?? Shall we lift the flaps. I spy with my little eye........an owl, a frog, a ladybird and a butterfly hiding behind all those blossomy blossoms. Doesn't the sun have a smiley face?? I suppose he's happy it is a blue-sky, sunny day. It must be fun floating across the sky on a warm and summery day.

I machine stitched most of the elements though the trees, bushes, the girls in the windows and door of the house were machine sketched onto the quilt. These were cut from an old doona I scored from a thrift shop many, many years ago. I backed these with Vliesofix then sketched around each one several times with the machine. I knew that the pre-loved children's bed doona would come in handy one day. The backing is one I had in my stash. A lovely print with butterflies fluttering allover. There were a few elements where I used felt.....some of the animals....the flowers.  I quickly machine quilted in a meandering fashion. The quilting, I'm not totally happy with as my machine decided to not cooperate in places. So, so temperamental! Not to worry, there is so much visual interest in this sweet quilt I am quite certain my sweet Riley will forgive her Granny. =) Besides, there was a pressing deadline to reach. I had two weeks in which to design and stitch the quilt. I stitched the label on the back; machine sketching the sentiment. The next quilt for Riley?? I want to fashion a nursery rhyme bed quilt totally hand appliqued. But not yet as there are a few other quilts I need to finish. The hand quilting of Flower Meadow, for one. 

I had so much fun designing, drawing the different patterns and making this quilt. There were a few more elements I would've liked to have added but time was of the essence. I wanted to gift the quilt for Riley's first Christmas and while she was still a wee baby. A cute quilt for my sweet Riley. A quilt where oodles of observations, delightful  conversations and wild and playful imaginations are to be enjoyed. So, so many delightful stories♡ Seeing the world from the eyes of a wee child is truly one of life's greatest gifts♡

Goodness me, the last Sunday......the last day of this year. Tomorrow is the start of a brand new and fresh year. I wonder what this year will unfold?? I wonder what stories we will pen on those pages....in those chapters?? For me, may I be grateful and thankful each day and in those days where perhaps life is a little tough may 'God grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference'. I know one thing for certain whatever may come my way it will always be blooming wildly here at my little place. May you bloom wildly throughout this new year, too♡ May your new year be a blessedly wonderful one♡ Let me help you, lovely lovelies begin the new year to bloom wildly. A profusion of flowers, freshly picked this morning from my garden......from me to you♡

Until the next time.............

Linking up this week to the lovely Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching and the lovely Frédérique's  Applique, Patchwork and Quilting.