State of Origin Time !!!!!

Rugby League State of Origin time again. In Australia it is State against State.  Qld versus NSW. Each year I make my football mad grandsons a State of Origin shirt.  We are Queenslanders so we are the Maroons (TOADS) and New South Wales are the Blues (COCKROACHES).  This year the boys wanted their own numbers on there shirts instead of having their favorite footy players number.  I cut the applique out with heat & bond lite on the back and ironed it onto the shirt and did a small zig zag around the edge. Now to get them into the post.

                                                                           

My New Singer Futura........

I have always wanted an Embroidery Machine with a bigger Hoop.  I love my Brother 950D but the cost of a Brother with a large hoop was out of the question.  When I saw the Singer Futura on special I thought about it for while and did some research.  In the end I bit the bullet and bought it.  I haven't had much time to play with it but have manages this coffee design which turned out pretty good, no broken needles or cotton.
I still have a lot more to learn about the machine. A big thank you for all the help I have received from the Futura Facebook Page.  It is totally different to the Brother so it is a big learning curve for me but I am going to love that big hoop. The coffee design was a freebie from Urban Threads.

                                                                           

                                                                       

ITH Sewing Set..........

I loved the way that this sewing set turned out.  It was all made In The Hoop on my Embroidery Machine. The set consists of a Biscornu Pin Cushion, Scissors Holder and Rotary Cutter Holder.  Just a little bit of hand sewing on the pin cushion.   I put a string of small pearls around  the edge of the pin cushion.  The pattern came from Artistic Designs at  Oregon Patchwork.  The design stitched out beautifully and the instructions are easy to follow.

                                                                             

Kanzashi Flower Making....

We spent a day making flowers using the Clover Kanzashi Flower Makers.  I put mine on sun visors and they looked so cute.  Not to sure if  I would make them again as they take a bit of time and use a fair bit of fabric.  It was good to do something different for a change, and something that I had always wanted to do.
                                                                             

Paper Piecing !!!!!!

My first attempt at paper piecing.  I really loved this pattern and decided to do it in the pink and greens that will match the colours in my living area.  I just love the straight lines you get with paper piecing.  One is not enough so I will have to make a few more and put them into a table runner.  Another thing crossed off my bucket list.

                                                                           

Easter T Shirt

My boys are getting too old for Easter Shirts.  I still have one that will still love one.  I have to be careful with the design and not make anything to babyish.  This design from Just Peachy Applique was just perfect.  He can be the official at the Easter Egg Hunt.
                                                                           

Bunny Towel ........

When I saw this Bunny Towel I loved it straight away.  I decided to make it for Cooper who is five. This might be the last year that I will be able to make him Bunny Stuff.  They grow up sooo fast.  The ears are wash cloth, so it is a nice little set for him.. I got this design from Applique Corner.   They always have great designs.



                                                                           

More Footy Cushions............

Some more cushions for the boys.   The teams the boys follow are the Gold Coast Titans ( Blue), Melbourne Storm ( Purple) and the Qld Cowboys (Yellow & Navy Blue)  Once again these designs had to be split in Sew What Pro as I only have a 5 x 7 hoop.  The most inportant thing is to have the guide lines drawn and to make sure they match up and then everything runs smoothly.   I have two  more cushions to make for the boys that do Motorcross.   I will have to find out what words they would like on the cushions and get the designs made..  I will be delivering these in person and I am looking foward to seeing their faces when they see the cushions........

Machine Applique....

My grandson is into pirates at the moment so when I saw this applique I had to make it for him. The applique came from Applique Corner.    I used Heat n Bond Lite on the back of the applique pieces. It stops the applique fabric from getting wrinkles.  The heart eye patch was perfect for Valentines Day.

                                                                               

Mystery Blocks......

 This is what I ended up with when I took six 10' blocks and some 1'' black strips to our patchwork day.  The first thing we done was to put the blocks together and  do two cuts ( CUT 1), ending with three lots of six.  Move the top piece from lot A to the bottom and move the top two pieces from lot C to the bottom.  Join A & B with the 1' black strip and join B & C with the 1' black strip. You now have a new block.  Do that to all  six blocks.  Press the six blocks and cut as in  ( CUT 2).    Repeat the above again and  cut again (CUT 3).  Repeat the  above  again.     Trim the blocks.  I ended up with 6 x 8 1/2' blocks.  I joined tmy blocks together with the 1" strip, others used 2'' strips but you can use whatever you like. I made mine from Halloween fabric and made another two lots of blocks.   I am going to make s small quilt for one of the boys. They like the skulls and
gruesome stuff.  Another mystery solved.

                                                                           

Snowball Fight........

 I started this project before Christmas but didn't get it finished in time.  I now have something ready for this Christmas.  The design came from Embroidery Garden.   I used the bits of fleece that I had left over from other projects, I cut the pieces out separately and it didn't take long.  I great idea for Christmas and as soon as I saw the design I thought " I can make them for my Grandsons".    I am always on the lookout for boy stuff ( 5 years and older) so any ideas are always welcome.  Even the adults will have lots of fun with the snowballs. I found the buckets at Dollars & Sense and they are perfect.

                                                                                 

Another Mystery !!!!!

Our patchwork group has started again for 2014.  It was great getting back and getting inspiration from the ladies and having a chat and a cuppa.  For our next day we where told by Carol to bring 6 pieces of fabric 10 inches square and some black strips 1 inch wide. The mind boggles, I wonder what we will end up with.

                                                                                   

Owl Backpack ........

I had bought this pattern from Embrotique, The Sewing Loft a while ago.   As my youngest grandson is now five I thought  that if I didn't make it now, he would be too old for it.....       Anyway I dug out some fabric out of my stash and this is what I ended up with.   I have a bit less fabric now........  I am always trying to think of things to make without having to buy more fabric so I can get my stash down a bit..   I loved the way it turned out and it wasn't hard to make. It will be in the post soon as a little surprise for him.
             
                                                                                 

                                                                     

Something New ..........from Something Old.

 Cleaning out my linen cupboard the other day, trying to make room for more craft things, I came across a lot of crochet doilies and a  cream table runner that I didn't like.  I wasn't going to be putting them back so I spread them out on the spare bed.   They sat there for a few days and then I stared to arrange the doilies on top of the table runner.  I left it there for a bit longer and every time I went passed the room  I went in and changed the position of the doilies until I was happy with it.   I pinned the doilies into place and stitched them on with the sewing machine.  I now have a new runner that I really love with a lot of memories.