Friday Night with Friends

Cornelia and I aren't very good at keeping up with our blog posts and it seems that the best way to do it is to sign up with Friday Night with Friends.  It's a great excuse to sew and to share what we've been up to.  Last time I shared with you block one of my Chateau Hexagon Button Club wall hanging and today I can show you blocks two and three completed and the start of block four that I stitched last night.  Here is block two:

Typical of me I didn't quite do it the way it's meant to be.  It was supposed to be like a sampler and had an alphabet and numbers on the bottom, but this verse came to me as I was stitching it so I put that on instead.
This is block three:

Isn't it pretty with the flowers in the wheelbarrow.  It's so exciting receiving the patterns each month and not knowing what's going to be next.  Block four has a cute goose button and has one stitched goose and one appliqued goose, except I think I might applique both geese instead of stitching one.  We'll see when I get to that bit. Here it is so far:

It looks a bit funny with just the goose legs drawn on waiting to be stitched and the tree has to have leaves and flowers yet but I'm planning to sit down this evening and do some more stitching so it won't be long before this block is finished.

Cornelia is busy making a bag like my one that I posted about recently.  It's one that we started at a retreat with Annie Downs.  She's busy sewing it together now and as soon as its finished she'll be doing a post to show you so you'll have to pop back again to our blog soon to check it out.  I know I can't wait to see it :o)

Corrina

A weekend sewing

As you can see below Mum had a very productive sewing weekend (even more so than she showed which I am sure she will post about soon).  I did also actually, I spent most of the weekend sewing in the end.  Mum is much more focused than me (and has far less projects on the go).  I flitted between about three projects, though the ultimate goal was to finish a project by the end of the weekend.

I joined in with Friday Night With Friends (though am super slack and am including my results in this post), in which I sewed some hexagons, laid them out and started to sew some together.  Then I decided to have a little organise of my sewing things and I bagged all my projects that have yet to be started, but I have all of the fabric etc for.

Then on Saturday I sewed some more hexagons together, did a tiny bit of stitchery on one project.  Then by the evening I figured I wasn't going to have any projects finished that I had started....so what is a girl to do but to start another one.  I had a little needle roll kit in my friday nights organised pile. So I got that out and by Sunday night it was nearly finished (the only reason it isn't is because the kit didn't have enough thread and I didn't have one to match so I have to go and buy some).  There is only a tiny bit of blanket stitch to go.

After I ran out of thread I switched to the last project, again sewing more hexagons together but for a different bag :).

Hope you all have a lovely week!
Happy Sewing,
Cornelia

Corrina's Friday Night with Friends

It’s great to join in with you all for Friday Night with Friends.  I’ve joined Lynette Anderson’s mystery block of the month button club - Chateau Hexagon and last night I worked on my first block.  My eyes wouldn’t stay open any longer before it was finished though so I’ve sat in the sunshine this morning and finished it - yay!  I’m so pleased with it and I’ve got month two already so I’m keen to work on that one now.  Here it is:

My faithful friends are never far away and here they are supervising:

Billy

and...

Milly

I’m also doing some knitting and I did a few rows last night too.  I haven’t knitted for myself for years and years but I saw a pattern for a vest that I really liked and it’s knitted with chunky wool on big needles so I thought I’d give it a go.  If you would like to look at the pattern just Google Patons Inca Book 1294 (it's the one on the front cover).  It’s knitted in strips and this is what I’ve done so far:

It has quite a cool quilted look to it.  I actually can’t knit for too long as I find it really hard on my hands with the big needles so it’s just as well that it knits up really quickly.  It’s going to be super warm when it’s finished.  Here’s hoping that I actually get it finished before winter is over.

I hope you enjoyed your evening as much as I did and I’m looking forward to looking at what you've been doing.  I always find it greatly inspiring.

Corrina

Friday Night Sew In

It's great to be back taking part in Friday Night Sew In again.  It's such a nice feeling knowing that while you're sitting at home sewing other people from all over the world are doing the same thing.  We've had a stormy windy rainy weekend here in New Zealand - perfect stitching weather!  If you look at our previous blog post you'll see that Cornelia and I have been at a stitching retreat with Anni Downs and our Friday night (and Saturday night) was spent working on our bags that we started at the retreat.  In particular I was working on the wool button panel for my bag.  Here's a close up of some of the buttons:

On Saturday night I put the bag together and it's all finished.  I'm so pleased with it and I'm really happy with the Japanese fabrics that I chose to make it in.  Here it is from the front and the back:

 And these are side views:

There was a lot of sewing in this bag but I enjoyed every minute of it.  I think that I love hand sewing the best and this bag had such a variety of stitching methods from stitcheries, hexagons, needle turn applique to working with wool and embellishing it so there was plenty of variety.

Cornelia was working on her bag too although she's really only just started on it.  Being a busy school teacher it can be quite challenging to find time for sewing.  Here is the start of her stitchery panels:

She is also working on a block of the month called Teddies at Play by Libby Richardson and this is one of her teddy blocks that she stitched.  You'll have to watch this space for progress on this quilt.  It's going to be beautiful when it's finished.

That's about it for our show and tell from Friday and Saturday nights.  We hope you all enjoyed your evenings sewing and we're looking forward to having a look to see what you did.  We find it so encouraging.  Until next time, take care.
Corrina and Cornelia

Stitching Retreat

 Oh my goodness gracious me, it was June last year when we last wrote a post on our blog!  The time sure seems to fly by so quickly.  Cornelia and I have been sewing though and have some photos to share with you so I hope you have time to sit down and have a look at what we’ve been up to.  Our most exciting news is that recently we joined Anni Downs at the ‘Heavenly Escape’ Stitching Retreat at Lake Okataina organised by Jill and her team from Cottage Flair and what a heavenly escape it was.  Our weekend started on Thursday night when I picked up Cornelia from Auckland Airport at 11 o’clock at night.  She caught the ‘Night Rider’ plane up from Wellington (real cheapie flights at only $30) and because it was so late we decided to stay at a motel near the airport and travel to Rotorua the next day from there.  However before we left Auckland we popped into Patchwork Passion at Onehunga and of course couldn't walk out without any material.  It’s such a yummy shop and we both got material needed for our projects at the retreat before heading off to Rotorua.  We had never been to Lake Okataina before and the last 7 kilometres of road was really narrow and windy through beautiful bush and we thought we were never going to get there when all of a sudden there was the lake in front of us and what an amazing picture it was:

Cornelia standing at the end of the jetty

 Looking back at the lodge from the jetty

I should have taken photos on the first day when we arrived as it was picture perfect with the sun shining on the lake but never mind, these photos with the cloudy sky will give some idea of how pretty it was.

Friday evening was spent getting to know everyone followed by a delicious meal together which was then followed by a ‘show-and-tell’ by Anni.  She is a fabulous designer and her fabric ranges are just so pretty.  We really enjoyed getting to know her over the weekend.  She is a really lovely person, so gentle and kind and generous.  Here she is giving some tips to a couple of the ladies (see one of her beautiful quilts in the background):

Our projects for the weekend included a sampler bag that has six panels - two of hexagons, two of stitcheries, two wool panels (one with birds and flowers and the other with little round button shapes); a button purse using a metal frame and a zippered purse that is made with hexagons on one side and applique on the other.  I think there was only one lady that finished a project and Cornelia was a close second with only the zip to put in her purse which she has now finished.  Here’s a couple of photos of it:

with needle turn applique on one side and hexagons on the other

Isn't the material just the cutest!

I’ve finished the hexagon panels for my bag.  Here’s a photo of what I’ve done so far and you’ll have to watch this space for the finished project in the not too distant future (I hope):

 

Too soon it was Sunday afternoon and it was pack up time.  It was such a neat weekend of great food, learning new techniques, a lot of fun and most of all fabulous company.  

Here we are all together holding up a quilt made using one of Anni’s patterns (A Boy’s Story), made by one of the ladies and Cornelia holding her little purse:

  

If you haven’t seen any of Anni Downs patterns before you should pop over to her website and have a look: http://www.hatchedandpatched.com.au/.  I’m sure you’ll feel inspired when you see her beautiful designs.

Until next time treasure your creative moments.

Corrina and Cornelia

FNSI-Part 2-Cornelia

Sorry this post is a day late, please scroll down to read mums post too :)

Here are the results of my Friday Night Sew In and some sewing I did yesterday also.
On Friday night I sewed together the last four strip blocks for the Janelle Wind Candy Girl quilt I am making.  My husband and I also watched a movie so I did some hand sewing on one of the flower blocks.  So far I have finished 6 of them and have 4 more to finish.  Yesterday I trimmed all the blocks ad fixed a mistake I seemed to have made, and cut out the scallop blocks.  Here are some photos :)

I should spend some my afternoon tidying the house and doing some school stuff, but I have a feeling this is going to take priority instead, it is way more fun!  I hopefully shall have some more things to share over the next week or so that I have been working on recently.

Happy Sewing
Cornelia

FNSI - Blog No. 1 by Corrina

Here I am back again after a few months absence from blog land and I thought I’d put in words a little bit of why there has been such an absence of blogging.  Our last blog was celebrating a very special day in our lives - Cornelia’s wedding.  Part of that celebration included the fact that my husband (Cornelia’s dad) was able to walk her down the aisle as he was deteriorating in health.  It was a goal that he was aiming for and he did it.

However he deteriorated very quickly after that and I was very busy looking after him and trying to keep up with my work as well so there was very little time for sewing.  I did manage to make a birthday present for Cornelia and it was the last thing that I made that dear Winston had an input into.  He has always helped me with colour choices and coordinating colours and so my memories of making this are very special. Here it is, a very funky apron made in Dr Seuss material...

It was a Natalie Ross pattern, only typical of me it didn’t end up quite like the pattern.  The pattern had binding around the edge but I wanted a frill and it wasn't gathered along the top and I thought it looked nicer on when it was gathered, so I gathered it.  Cornelia and Dean received quite a few wedding gifts for their kitchen that were in red so this coordinates nicely with their new kitchen theme.

I continued to nurse Winston until he died on the 31st of March.  I nursed him all through his illness and was holding his hand at the end - just like we planned.  We had a lovely funeral for him which was a real celebration of his life and a testimony of his faith.  It’s been an awful time of adjusting for me and I miss him terribly. Cornelia has had a lot of adjusting to do this year too with just getting married in January, moving into a new home with her husband, starting a new job and in amongst it all losing her father.  I am so glad we have a faith to hold onto and I just want to share with you two things.  This little poem that was given to us by a friend:

‘Sorrow and joy woven together with the mundane and ordinary form the fabric of our lives,

as contrasts in light and darkness bring depth to a picture, 

so do these seeming opposites bring depth and meaning to our lives’.

And this verse has been a source of strength and comfort:

‘So do no fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. 

I will strengthen you and help you;

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand’

ISAIAH 41:10

Although I have found comfort pottering in the garden, I have not been able to sew or do any form of crafty work and find myself just sitting there sometimes - doing nothing - which just isn’t me.  I bought a couple of new patterns in the hope that that would inspire me, but it didn’t.  However I went for a drive to Wainuiomata to see Cornelia last weekend which for us in New Zealand was our Queens Birthday weekend.  For those of you not from New Zealand it’s about a 7 or 8 hour trip depending on stops on the way.  It was lovely to see where Cornelia lives as I hadn’t been able to visit her since she got married. Cornelia, bless her, got me going on some sewing - an angel project tote, a design by Natalie Bird from ‘The Birdhouse’ (there’s a photo of it a bit further down in this post).  I also got to see her at work in her classroom and really enjoyed meeting the children that she teaches.  Here she is taking the roll in the morning and working with a reading group...

I left at play time to drive back to Hamilton and apparently the children were most disappointed that I’d gone home and all asked Mrs Scott where her mummy had gone - so cute!

I think I’ve got my enthusiasm for sewing back and I know that Winston would be pleased.  He was always so proud of my sewing and always liked to see me busy making something.  Also, our church has decided to run a PhD night (projects half done) once a month.  We love the name as this is the nearest we’ll get to doing a PhD - haha!  The ladies there have also been wonderful in helping me get back my enthusiasm for sewing.  We had our second PhD night last night.  There’s only about six of us so far attending but we do have a lot of fun chattering over a cup of tea/coffee and homemade cake, oh and sewing too of course :o)  I did some stitching on my angel tote bag that I started with Cornelia.  Here it is so far...

Cornelia registered us for FNSI and I really enjoyed my evening.  My niece Taya is having a birthday soon and so my FNSI project was a little purse for Taya, which is also a Natalie Bird design.  I think it’s rather cute.  Last year I made Taya an overnight bag (it is on a previous blog post if you want to look at it) and this little purse is in the same material as her bag.  I just have to do the lining for it.  I think if I made it again I would put a little taggy thing at both ends of the zip because you sort of have to squash the purse to do the zip up once it’s open and it would be easier to have the little tag to hold onto.  

That’s it from me for now - take care. 

Corrina