Rose Star blocks, hellebores and violets.

I've been plodding on with the Rose Star blocks - I really enjoy the hand sewing - and now   

have nearly eleven blocks completed. At the moment they're lying on the floor on the back of an old quilt as I've been dithering on what colour to use for the background. Suggestions have included  white, white with a spot, and grey,and at the moment I'm wondering about the fawn/beige in the photo as a possibility. So hard !  And should I stay with this 2-3-2-3-2 layout or change to a 3-2-3-2-3 arrangment.  As it is at the moment I will have to make six half blocks to fill in the outside spaces.

I don't do much in the garden.  It's pretty much left to look after itself as long as there's plenty of greenery and a few spots of colour. But I couldn't help noticing today that the violets are starting to flower already.  Surely ti's too early for that - it's still summer.  They've been there for donkey's years and have never flowered this early before, even if the flowers are a bit small  and insipid looking.

And then there's the hellebore, another long-time resident.    It has always flowered late winter- early Spring but lately it's been blatantly flaunting itself and it's still summer.  Perhaps it's trying to tell me something !

Fifties Dress No 9 and Rose Star Piecing

Finished Dress No 9 for the Dress Me Up quilt.  Three more to go.

And I've also had a dabble with the Rose Star block which I first spotted in  Possum Blossom's blog which led me on to some instructions at Summerfete .  I've only used hexagon-shaped templates until now so I was tempted to try out these different shapes.

Not too sure about the colours though.  The samples I looked at had myriad colours and I don't trust myself choosing so many colours.  So I thought let someone else do the choosing and started using a layer cake of Moda's Urban Cowgirl.  All put together in a quilt the sight of these bright colours is going to knock you over at a dozen paces !

One thing I discovered though is that I get on much better using cardboard templates instead of paper ones.  Much more accurate and much sharper corners.

I've also changed my philosphy on creating still more UFOs.   I don't think that way any more.  I am simply an adventurer dipping my toes in as many waters as possible.  Who can resist when bloggers keep showing us so many interesting ideas.  There are just not enough hours in the day to try them all. So thanks to all those bloggers.

Jacobean Leaves

I spend so much time reading and enjoying other people's blogs that I forget to write anything for myself.    I've been a bit lazy but recently on Feeling Stitchy I saw the blog posted by Mrs Lacer feauring Kelly Fletcher's Jacobean Leaves cushion.

I like crewel work, which is used to embroider these leaves,  so I bought her pattern and have started working the leaves as small individual panels to incorporate into a quilt.  I don't have any particular lay-out in mind so have no idea how many I will need.  But if I repeat any leaf shape I can use a different colour combination from within the colour range that Kelly chose for her cushion leaves.

One of these days I'll make some more of these.  In the meantime it's back to the fifties dresses.

Mary Thomas and Shadow Work

Yesterday Florestia on   Feeling Stitchy  wrote about an old book called Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches by Mary Thomas which had caught her fancy.  Oh memories, memories, as Mary Thomas also wrote another book, Mary Thomas's Embroidery Book which is how I made my first attempts at embroidery.   I gave this information to Florestia and she has included my e-mail in her blog. 

Now I have to admit that I am positively ancient (but you can keep that information to yourself ) as I bought my copy of Mary Thomas in 1953 and started to teach myself embroidery  This shadow work throwover is the  second thing which I made.  My first effort was a pair of place mats but they have long since disappeared.

A throwover was used after setting up a tea or supper table, or the salads for lunch - something flimsy was thrown over the food to protect it.  This one was done on a square yard of some form of organza with the blue motif in each corner, traced directly from the book.

It's really a simple yet very effective form of embroidery.

I didn't do much embroidery over the years until much later when I found myself with an empty pair of hands .  Then cross sitch re-introduced me to the pleasure of hand-work.

Fifties Dress No 8 at long last

Fifites Dress No 8 of the Dress Me Up from Bobby Socks Quilts is finished at last, in its fashion  Four more to go.  I've heard marathon runners talking about hitting a wall and that's how I'm beginning to feel about these embroideries.  Each one seems to be taking me longer to complete !

Here in the southern hemishpere it's summer time and holiday time.   Most groups take this month off from their regular meetings, and with all the holiday activities as well it's easy for handwork to take a back seat for a while.

But I also finished quilting and binding the floral quilt with cross stitch panels and I am so pleased with it.  The colours  are among my favourites.  Taking a photograph of it lying flat doesn't really do it justice as it drapes beautifully. I used the bamboo batting which is so flexible.

Fifties Dress No 7

Dress No 7 now finished.  This one is a cutie !

Two of this year's quilts  have found a home.  Granddaughter has just finished first year university and has moved into a shared house with three other students.  These will help keep her warm as they try to save on the heatig bills !

I'm looking forward to having more time for sewing again once Christmas is over.,  But in the meantime I wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year .

Fifties Dress No 6 and some Little Baskets

At last I've reached the half way mark with Dress No 6 of the Fifties-style dresses for the Dress Me Up quilt.

Reaching a half way mark gives you the urge to start something new - it would be a terrible thing if my stack of UFOs got any smaller.   So with some charm squares from Moda's Buttercup I started on some wee baskets following Brandie's instructions.

Why do my photos never look as good as the real thing.  These should look  really soft and pretty.  The background is the cream from the same range with occasionally a lightly patterned background. I can't say that I'm a great fan of stitching the handles though. I haven't calculated yet how many more I have to do.  At the moment they are 3 1/2" square.

I've just realized that there are less than eight weeks until Christmas.  So it would seem that I'm now working on next year's UFOs.