Design Board Monday #23 - Home Again

I am heading home today and will have to say goodbye to the rest of my family soon.  I will miss my mum especially. Now that she is getting older, each time gets worse.

I won't make it home in time to write a post for Design Board Monday so, one more time, it will be pre-written.

I made another gift for the lil' man....a cute bib.

I bought the fabric from Frangipani Fabrics some time ago and backed it with some micro towel cloths I found at the bargain shop. I am planning to make a few more for him after I come home...mainly because I needed my box of sewing supplies but I didn't have time to dig around for them before I left.  I also wanted to make sure the sizing is right for him. It won't take much to post them on.

The microfibre towel cloths worked a treat for the back of the bib and they were just the right size.  4 of them only cost me $3...I call that a bargain. I also found a microfibre pet towel in light pink and light blue....they were about $5 each. A good find since I searched Spotlight for a similar fabric in meterage but only found a very thick terry toweling.

I really wanted to use velcro as a fastener and I know I have tons of it but couldn't find it in my sewing room. I had to resort to using a snap button.  It does look cute though!

Does the fox I appliqued on the front look familiar? It is from the cover of this month's Homespun and is a teaser for the new BOM from  Natalie Bird....are you going to take part?  In the meantime, it was perfect for my bib.

I can't wait for my lil' man to model his new bib for me.....

You can find the pattern for this baby bib with a tutorial on Sew She Sews.

What have you been up to while I have been away?

• Link will be open until Sunday 6.3.2016.
• link anything that you are working on this week or over the past week....needle and thread is all it takes.
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Design Board Monday #22 - While I'm Away

I have been away a week now and I will be back sometime next week Although by now I am most likely missing my farmer, my cows and my fur-babies, Callie & Lila.

Now, I am not promising but I am pretty sure that miss M and I will visit one of our very favourite shops while we are in London.....can you guess which shop that is??

I make it my mission to visit Liberty of London, because it is just so fascinating. The building itself is worth going in and looking at....and then there are the different levels of absolutely-to-die-for goodies....not just haberdashery....although, that is where we usually end up.

Have you visited this iconic store? Did you buy anything?

I once went in with the absolute intention to buy some Liberty Fabrics.....and I did....and they cost me an arm and a leg! Yikes....now I am terrified of cutting into them as I may decide later that it was actually something else I wanted to use them for.

So, I can't promise that we will buy anything this time around....but I am definitely going under the clock and through the archway to the pub next door for a slice of Key Lime Pie....the best I have ever tasted!

I have had to cheat a little to get this post pre-written and used some photo's from a previous post....if you would like to return to that post and read about Liberty, some history and indoor pics included - Click HERE

For now, it is time to share your Design Board:

• Link will be open until Sunday 28.2.2016.
• link anything that you are working on this week or over the past week....needle and thread is all it takes.
• Please add a link back to Bits 'n Bobs as part of your post (why not get the button code from the side bar to paste into your post)
• Please make the effort to visit other link users and leave them a comment to make their day! Don't forget me! I like comments too!

 

Design Board Monday #21 - Jet Plane

Now, at last, I can reveal that as you are reading this, I am flying to the UK to visit my mum and meet with my family....I will also be saying 'hello' to little baby G which is why I was on a deadline to finish THAT Baby Quilt. There are so many secrets surrounding this visit, I was a little worried about letting the cat out of the bag but I think I am safe now.....unless my mum is reading this because she doesn't know I am on my way to see her.

I am so delighted to be personally delivering the little man's quilt....and I am looking forward to taking lots of pics of him laying on it.

Yes, I finished it.  As usual, when I have a deadline....I left it to almost the very last minute to sew like a madwoman.

I actually enjoyed the last few days of sewing.....there were a few panicked moments when I thought I was going to run out of the white minky with only one border rectangle to finish up, but then I found a piece that had been misplaced.....phew!!!! and also, I was not happy with the first label...it was handwritten and I thought it looked tacky! I went into Picmonkey and created my own label which, after I had eventually found the fabric to print in onto, was too big for a corner square.....so I slapped it (er...sorry....carefully placed) it in the middle of the top border.

my Picmonkey Label

I have washed it to make it fluff up more and remove any girl dog cooties that may have been present.

I really want to continue the linky while I am away so please share what you are up to, or have been up to, this week...

• Link will be open until Sunday 21.2.2016.
• link anything that you are working on this week or over the past week....needle and thread is all it takes.
• Please add a link back to Bits 'n Bobs as part of your post (why not get the button code from the side bar to paste into your post)
• Please make the effort to visit other link users and leave them a comment to make their day! Don't forget me! I like comments too!

 

Another Block Bites the Dust

Despite Callie making it difficult for me to stitch, I eventually finished block 5 of A Country Tea Party last night.

 I was a bit daunted when I first started this one....the lines all seemed to merge into each other but once I got one teddy stitched it made it easier to separate them and then it was full steam ahead.

I know I have said it before.....but, isn't it just the cutest BOM? The bears look so soft and the colours are so pretty!

Talking about pretty! I look my readers for a walk around my garden on Cath@Home yesterday....featuring these pretties....do you know what they are called? I found 3 different names other than the scientific name and my readers had a few more to add.....if you haven't visited me at home yet, come on over and take a look.

Now that block 5 of ACTP is done, it is time to get back on track with Flowerville....I am 3 blocks behind....how did that happen? ....

 

she naps...I stitch

I am a little behind with my BOM stitching and 'someone'....aka Callie.... is not making it very easy!

Here I am sitting in 'our' chair with my feet up for some stitching R&R...when Callie decides she would like to take her afternoon nap.....on my lap!

 She is very polite about it and initially rests her chin on the chair and looks up at me with big puppy eyes as if to ask permission to get up...I can't refuse her...she is 10yo now and who knows how much time I have left to cuddle with her...lots, I hope, but still I cannot refuse!

I inch my legs over to one side to make room for her but she still likes to half lie on me...

She is quite a heavy lump but I don't mind and she doesn't hassle me by insisting that I keep patting her (like Lila does) so I left her there and continued with my stitching....although it was a little cramped.

What am I stitching?
I am still on Block 5 of A Country Tea Party. It is the central block so it is larger than the others....by now I just have the flowers and grass to do.

Do you have a friend to keep you company while you stitch?


 

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Design Board Monday #20 - Challenge Update

Believe it or not, I have already gone 30 days on my 100 Day Challenge and it is time to check in! Didn't that go quick? Way too quick! Just to recap, here is what I pledged to do.

And here is where I sit after 30 days:

1.  Baby Quilt

I have to finish this one this week ... the good news is that I only have the borders to add and then I get to do the snipping. Oh, I mustn't forget the label!

2. Blog 3x a week

Well so far this hasn't worked out...January was just so full on with other happenings...February won't be much different....here's looking at you March!

3. Mystery Quilt

Ok, I didn't expect to start on this just yet.....Baby Quilt was priority.....but I did unpack and have a look to remind myself what needs to be done.  It actually looks nicer than I remember...

There you have it....why not head over and take a look at Jen's Quilter in the Closet Blog to see how everyone else is faring...you may want to have a look at what you could do in a 100 Day Challenge.....I am sure there will be a stage 2! Jen gave my blog such a great plug mentioning the Design Board Linky so I guess I should get on with that now.......THANKS for keeping me on track for at least one post a week....and just so you know, I am still going through last weeks link ups...like I said, it's been busy elsewhere!

• Link will be open until Sunday 14.2.2016.
• link anything that you are working on this week or over the past week....needle and thread is all it takes.
• Please add a link back to Bits 'n Bobs as part of your post (why not get the button code from the side bar to paste into your post)
• Please make the effort to visit other link users and leave them a comment to make their day! Don't forget me! I like comments too!

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Design Board Monday #19 - So Much Happening

There is so much happening around here at the moment but non of it involves my sewing space.

1. We are still talking about the fire we had here last week and we are still in awe of our good fortune in averting a much greater emergency!
2. We also enjoyed a visit to our home by one of my farmer's sisters and her husband...the weather was glorious for that event and they got the full sweep of all the views that we enjoy everyday
3. Over the weekend we attended the wedding of the farmers niece in the North of the State and even though the event was threatened by floods....it all turned out well and a day to catch up with family. 
4. This morning we have noticed a definite change in demeanour of one of our cows and we are certain she is starting the first stage of calving. 

So you can see why I am a bit distracted again this week and unfortunately I have nothing to show...sewing wise!

 But Wedding-wise, on the other hand....here are a few pics. The wedding was held at historical Brickendon Farm which was established in 1824 and is still owned by the same family, 7 generations on. The barns which were built by convicts are stunning and a gorgeous back drop for the ceremony. Due to recent rain and flash flooding, the wedding was moved inside at the last minute but that did not a matter at all as far as the ceremony went.

 The adjacent barn was decorated beautifully from the table settings right down (or up) to the floral 'chandalier' hanging from the central beam (lower right photo). For me, I enjoyed the specially choreographed Bridal Waltz the best and the Groom's speech brought a lump to my throat. And then we all danced the night away....I just love weddings!

One of my facebook friends posted this photo on her page and it really did hit home but I may well be saying the same thing when March swings around too.

Now, I do hope you have been more diligent than I have with your sewing.....I can't wait to see!

• Link will be open until Sunday 7.2.2016.
• link anything that you are working on this week or over the past week....needle and thread is all it takes.
• Please add a link back to Bits 'n Bobs as part of your post (why not get the button code from the side bar to paste into your post)
• Please make the effort to visit other link users and leave them a comment to make their day! Don't forget me! I like comments too!