March = Finished Top

With a change to my weekend plans, I found myself with some sewing time today.  This has been a beautiful project to work on ... thank you Michelle for sharing your lovely design with the quilting world ... love it!

Another thank you to Fiona and Raewyn for putting their hands up to lead the charge ... A pleasure to be part of this great, supportive group  😊 A windy day with frequent showers doesn't make for the best photography.

February + 2 Days

Now if February had 30 days like other months, I would have been on time ... here is my final block.

I so loved tending the garden around this sweet cottage. Inspired by finishing, I have joined this block with pudding and stocking blocks. I did then keep going while in the moment and joined the 3 strips into a top minus the final 2 borders.

January Hot Off the Press

Sometimes the time is right and I can strike while the iron is hot so the saying goes.  A little stitching Friday and Saturday night and "deck the halls" is complete.

So happy that I put in the time to prepare all the blocks (except the house block) way back at the beginning of this journey. I don't think I would have kept up otherwise. Friday I layed all the blocks out, pulled out the scrap box and prepared the last house block ... gee there's quite a bit of stitching on this one so I might just make a headstart if I can finish my other January projects first.

So enjoying this quilt and loving how it has come together ... thanks to this group for all your encouragement and lovely comments.

December Tick

I've been enjoying some down time and finishing some stitching.

So happy to be keeping up with this beautiful project and looking forward to the next 2 blocks.

November Finish

While sewing has taken a backseat in November, I did finish this block during the month but hadn't gotten around to sharing.

October Finish

Wow...even shocked myself that I have October block done. It helped that I had the perfect Christmas Postcard fabric and could fussy cut a card. A quick stitch Sunday night and ...

August September Caught Up

Happy to be on a roll ... I have managed to catch up with my blocks in good time.

August

September 

So far...

Loving this project and all the beautiful blocks being shared on the blog, thank you.

Progress August September

Last Sunday/Monday I managed to complete the machine applique on both blocks.

Now I can trace the stitchery parts ready for those mini moments when I can stitch.

I have a new block keeper.

A Double Finish

Happy day ... avoiding the whip 😉

I managed to pick up a DMC varigated that I hoped would work and am very happy with the result. June and July completed.

June July Progress

Lucky I made a good headstart mid June because sewing time vanished for a bit with end of school term and busy with cattle work. Now with a couple "free" days up my sleeve (not counting general hose duties and end of year book work), I hope to make some good progress on both June and July blocks.

So far ...

Ready for applique and stitching ... so happy and really enjoying this project xx

Still Prepping

I started the month by gathering my fabrics ànd cutting the base blocks, sashings and borders.

I am using a "Winterberry" charm pack for the 4.5" squares and some 2.5" squares with the remaining squares and applique from my stash. Instead of red/green I've been wanting to work using blues in a Christmas quilt and found a lovely blue/gold for the sashings and have gone with a pale blue base fabric for the blocks.

Doing "scrappy" is something I struggle with and need to have some control over fabric placement ... so ... prep, prep, prep. All the 2.5" squares and 4.5" squares are cut and layed out ... ready for sewing.

I also need a bit more of the blue/gold for sashings. My apologies for not following the plan exactly but I will start on the stocking shortly .... promise.

Hello from Queensland

Hello from my little dot on the map in country Queensland. An empty nester living on a small cattle property and working part time off-farm. Once upon a time I had a lot more time for my love of many things craft and sewing ... now it's just squeezed in.

Groups like the Stitch-A-Long family keep me moving forward instead of getting stuck in procrastination world.  I have only participated once before with Nature's Journey which is a finished flimsy awaiting quilting. I also made Tis The Season the year after it ran here.

This year I challenged myself to stitch Michelle's Calendar Bears by stitching one each month. April was a bit shakey being finished in May and now  after a relaxing Mother's Day, I can share a finished Mumma Bear and cubs for May.

Here she is with her calendar friends.

Now to get into town to add some fabrics ready for A Holly Cottage Christmas. I am looking forward to stitching along with friends and hope I can "squeeze" enough sewing time into my days. 

At Journey's End

Well nearly ... except for the quilting and binding but for now I am super happy with a finished top.

Sorry but I couldn't decide which photo layout I liked the best so went with all 3 ... I'm just that happy to have a top.

I can't thank Chooky enough for the opportunity to be part of this years' SAL and to Susan for being co whip cracker. In all the ups and downs of the drought, working off farm and general life, this has been the one thing that I could control. All mapped out with steps for each month ... great support and friendship with fellow SAL Gals and lovely comments cheering each other on.

Congratulations to our Champions and to those who have finished tops ... they are all amazing to look at and I love all the different colour combinations.

Fingers crossed that another SAL may commence with the new year. Knowing all to well how Mother Nature and other "stuff" can push you to your limits sometimes ... this journey has been a lovely oasis.

Thank you xx  ~  Narelle @ Pins and Whiskers

Scrappy Sunday

Today's effort ... cutting all the fabrics for part 8. Boy did it take longer than I thought digging through scraps to cut 200 x 2" squares. I managed to have no more than 4 squares each of the same assorted fabrics.

Narelle @ Pins and Whiskers

August ... Made It Just

It's a good thing that August has 31 days and not 30 or I wouldn't have made it....finished off the last row this morning. The sun is so bright this morning it hasn't photographed very well.

NJ will have to go on the back burner for a bit as September is a super busy month here starting with DD's wedding next Saturday. With the ceremony at home there's all the last minute tidying and decorations to finish making. I hope to get all those little squares cut before school holidays at the end of the month so maybe then I can concentrate on the Journey.

Loving everyone's finished centres ... well done!

Narelle @ Pins and Whiskers

Unplanned August Sewing

Last Monday was such a cold and blustery day and I found myself with spare time ... what! ... after getting over the shock I pulled out my 4 'orange' pieces and also my scraps from the appliques. Lots of cutting later I have 51 little squares (spares in case 1 or 2 just won't do) for the diamonds ...

and laying out while I cut the next border, I left this as is sitting on the spare bed to sew together later in the week.

A message from DD on Wednesday meant extra visitors arriving Thursday and the spare bed was required. Some late night sewing after work and the 4 borders are sewn and pinned to the centre ... phew! Now on with the rest of August and admiring everyone's lovely colour combinations.

Narelle @ Pins and Whiskers

Frosty July Finish

What else to do when Jack Frost is outside?  Stay inside and sew by the fire of course. Can I have a "J" for July please ... amazed that I have finished the centre block and love how it has turned out. I found it very daunting at the start with so many little pieces but a little stitching each night and ta..da..

I enjoy seeing everyone's colour choices and how lovely they all look.

A Chilly July Start

My July block is waiting for an early spring for some colour. The left and right smaller branches/leaves are stitched and the centre branches/leaves are in place ready for needle and thread.

Then I couldn't help myself and started playing with all the pieces cut ready and waiting to "Spring" into action. There's a lot of work for July but I'm excited with how it's starting to look. A few more fabric pieces to choose yet. 

Happy Gardening ... Narelle @ Pins and Whiskers

June Finish

I'm calling this project my 'sanity saver'.  When at the end of 'one of those days' (and they seem to be quite regular) I can sit down and pick up where I left off the night before ... and knowing that a NJ friend, somewhere, is also stitching away... maybe even on the same block.

Can I have a 'J' please ... so happy to be ahead again this month.

I have also made a start on July and pieced the background together. Might just have some time this afternoon to gather applique pieces.

Narelle @ Pins and Whiskers

May ... Hooray!

Instead of  "make hay while the sun shines" ... I "stitched while the showers fall".

For the first time I can say I'm finished my blocks early ... I have no idea how that happened. Loving this quilt and this group ... thank you :o)

Narelle @ Pins and Whiskers