What a Difference a Bit of Paint Makes......

 I have a lot of frogs as well as  a lot of fake frogs in my garden.  They were all starting to get a bit chipped and damaged from the weather.   I thought about getting a tin of spray paint but that would be a bit hard to use around the eyes.   Also as I am a very messy painter, I had put this job off for a while, and then I discovered Paint Pens.  As you can see from the before and after photos what a huge difference the pens have made. You can get the pens in a medium and a fine point. I got mine from the local newsagent.   I am going to give the frogs a spray with a clear varnish before they go back in the garden.

A Quick Gift for the Boys!!!!!!!!!!

Heading up to Bowen in a few days to visit my grandsons and to watch them play football.  I always take them something that I have made.  I bought the hand towels a while ago as they had a little zip in the corner that could be used for a bit of money or a key.  I found this great design in my collection, not sure where I got it from.  The banner on the design was blank so I did the Cowboys for Cooper who follows the Cowboys Footy team and on the other two I put Roosters as the Kellen and Nathan are playing for the Burdekin Roosters.   I was happy with the result and I hope the boys will be also.
                                                                             

 

A close up of the design........

Challenge Time Again !!!!!!

 Every year we do a challenge set by Carol the lady who runs our Patchwork group.  This year she gave us a Patchwork Square that she had made and we had to make something with it.    The square is in picture one and I put the purple around it.   I decided to make this cute little bag.  I always try to do something different as I can't see the point in making the same thing over and over again.   I found the pattern here ( crazy mom quilts) and the directions were very easy to follow.   It is really a surprise when you unzip the bag to find three little zippered compartments inside.  By the way I got 2nd place and won a $25.00 voucher to spend on fabric.  Lucky me.

Log Cabin Rug.......

I am just a learning to Crochet so I wanted to do something fairly easy as I am only a leaner.   I decided to surf the internet and I found what I was looking for,  Something different and also it would suit either male or female.
I have a friend who does wonderful crocheting and will help me if I get stuck.   The pattern for the Log Cabin Quilt is here and the directions are very easy to follow and the blocks are quick to complete.  There are a few threads to stitch in but that doesn't take long either.  I am very eager to get this project completed.
                                                                   

Joining Selvedge.......

I decided to make a cover for my Singer Embroidery Machine with my Selvedge Blocks.  This is how I have.decided to join my blocks. I have joined all the blocks and have the shape of the machine cover but as my machine is getting a service I will not finish it until I can make sure it fits.  I had to make a lot more blocks as Singer Machines are quite large.  The only thing that I don't like is that to fit the machine I had to cut and join  some of the Selvedges but I like to see the things that I put so much time and effort into so I can live with that.   Hope my machine will be back shortly so I can get the cover finished.
                                                         

Happy Mothers Day..........

Enjoy your Day

Selvedges !!!!!!!!!

At our last Patchwork day we  all had to bring some Selvedges and some 4 and 1/4 inch blocks. This was one of the designs that we could work with.   The way the blocks are put together is what determines the design. I haven't yet decided what I will be doing with my blocks, but I will have to make a few more so I have enough to play with.   So, don't throw away your selvedges, there are plenty of great ideas out there.
                                                                         

Lest We Forget .......

Decorated Hessian Bags..........

 I have seen so many different ideas for decorating the hessian bags from Woolworths.  Here are a couple of ideas I have come up with using some of those doilies that we have in our cupboards. I made the Rose on my Embroidery Machine and the design is from Embroidery Garden.  The design uses the single petals that are bought in packets of a couple of hundred, and then you just lay them out in a circle and sew around on the bottom edge of the petals, starting from the outside working towards the centre. Covering the petals with some sovly helps with the stitching and stops the petals getting caught up.  I stiffened the doily and then stitched it on the bag around the edge and then hot glued the rose on. I also used some old costume jewellery that I had for the centre of the rose.

                                                                               

Pot Holder.........

 We all made these pot holders at our patchwork group.  A great way to use up some scraps. The pattern says that you sew  the front and back together with the right sides facing leaving a gap for turning.    I decided to do mine a bit different and quilt all the layers together and bind the edges.  It took a bit more time but I really liked the finish.

Easter Gift Bags....

This is a little bit late for Easter but I think they are really cute.I wanted some gift bags for friends we were visiting over Easter, I couldn't find anything suitable in the small town that I live in so out came the craft supplies and this is the result.  Also having limited time I needed something quick and easy.  I had the bags ( I am a bit of  a hoarder) and all the supplies and was surprised that something so simple could turn out so great.  All it took was a bit of my time...............
                                                                         

Easter T Shirt

An Easter T Shirt for my youngest grandson, Cooper.  This is a great design for boys. I got the design from here and it stitched out really well.   I am sure Cooper will love protecting the Bunnies & Chicks.   Happy Easter to all.
                                                                       

Cowboy Quilt..........

I forgot about this quilt I made many years ago for my son, he was in Pony Club .   About 35 to 40 years ago there was not much to choose from in the way of fabric for boys and I was extremely happy to find this cowboy panel.    I never quite got it finished before he left home and got married so I thought I would give it to his son,   Matthew loves motorbikes and is not into horses...My other grandsons are into football and are not interested in it.  I will keep it till someone comes along who loves horses.  Maybe a Great Grandson.........
                                                                             

Riley's Block

This block is called Riley's Block and I decided to use the stripe fabric in different ways to see how it would turn out.   It turned out rather striking I though.  Not to sure what I will be doing with it, maybe the front of a wheelie walker bag.