Our patchwork group met for tea yesterday and although a few had gone off for their year-end break, we still had a good time... and quite some ambitious plans!!! There's been a suggestion to do a friendship quilt for the church. For this, we need at least 10 - 12 kindred spirits. At this juncture, we are even thinking about "importing" back a few friends who have moved away from our area. The idea is to take up only one block each. It's going to be a free-for-all and the design will be controlled only as far as colour and size are concerned. This should be interesting - if it comes to pass (LOL!)...

We are also thinking about putting some of our stuff up for sale (to finance our passion!). However, none of us has any experience in business or marketing. For starters, an IT savvy friend has helped me put up a table runner on e-bay to test out the market. Nope, not this one here :-)

This is a piece I churned out this morning... which already has a home and is therefore not for sale :-)... A friend shared this design with me. It's a freebie from Cherry Lane.

More table runners before long? Probably... LOL!!! Thanks for dropping by and happy stitching, patchwork or otherwise :-)

Labels: 2008, Craft, Patchwork

Another table runner sewn up and ready to move to its new home. This time a more Christmas-y effect was achieved using red tartan (I totally forgot I have this in my stash).




Let's see how it looks displayed on my old cane furniture... OK, passed the test ;-)

Labels: 2008, Craft, Patchwork

Taking a break from sewing to try out this easy peezy (so claims my friend) no-bake cheesecake recipe. Used digestive biscuits for the base and blueberry pie filling for the top. See the result? Not bad, huh? ;-)











And it's yummy too... so the guinea pigs told me (Lol)!!!

Labels: 2008, Cheesecake, Food

With me and my big mouth promising to come up with Christmas gifts for friends (the kind that you make yourself!), I thought I had better get my act together today and start the production line moving! Three hours on and this is the result...

Hmmm... maybe I should not have stinged on my Christmas fabrics (but I'm in short supply and I have to ration that if I'm thinking about doing more). Can you see my little snowmen? Aren't they just adorable? ...Maybe I should dig deeper into my stash, I think I need more reds and greens, yes?

Labels: 2008, Craft, Patchwork

With Christmas round the corner, I was inspired to piece up a table runner. I couldn't find any ready pattern so I cooked this one up! It took a tad longer than expected... lot of trial and error... and plenty of patience (Lol).

Well, it turned out pretty neat, I must say. I just love the star in the centre (it took like forever to get that together) and the Christmas-y colours. And just to let you into the secret, my initial idea was to have 3 stars in a row but I was just too impatient to see the outcome!

Here's the back... I used red checks... and a little red tassel to finish off the end. And now to let you see how it looks displayed...

There! What do you think? And my display table? It's just an old sewing machine but it has a pride of place in the house. Quite an antique actually. The machine was already missing when we found it but I wasn't too bothered because I was more interested in the legs. It didn't cost us much those days but I'm sure I would have to pay a small fortune by today's standard.

Hmmm... some what bare, you say? I agree whole-heartedly! Time to go Christmas shopping :-)

Labels: 2008, Craft, Patchwork

Update on my Mega Mega (that's what I've resorted to calling my on-going project!). If you remember, I explained earlier, it's another patchwork blanket but double the size of my just completed work.

A closer look at the pattern of scraps :-)

Labels: 2008, Craft, Patchwork Blanket

Finally, it's finished! Sure took a while. I was beginning to worry I might lose interest & put this project into cold storage too!!! (You won't believe the number of things I've started and stashed away uncompleted... Lol). But, I didn't (yeh, yeh) and now I am the proud owner of another patchwork blanket. Ooops, I mean WAS - my younger daughter just put her stamp on it. She asked if she could have this since I also made one for my older one some years ago. And why not? It's not everyday that our young people appreciate homemade stuff. They rather get from the shops... and preferably one with a branded tag too! But I'm just so thrilled my girl loves this.

P/S Notice that in the end, I added an extra red polka dotty border - I forget, children grow (Lol) and I'd better make allowances :-)

Labels: 2008, Craft, Patchwork Blanket

English is certainly not a language for the faint-hearted. Don't believe me? Look at this piece of article I found on the Internet that shows how fickle she is :-)

Labels: 2008, English, Ramblings

At the moment, my friends and I are into quite a bit of patchwork. Here's what one of them have to show...

Using the same technique (strip-piecing) she did for her first two projects (both were blankets) she churned out this chair pad over a weekend... no sweat :-)

Her latest is this piano cover. Notice the colours? Such vibrant yet pleasing hues for the eyes. Naturally, it has become the topic of conversation for those visiting her. I wonder what she will cook up next :-)

Labels: 2008, Craft, Patchwork

Tomorrow is a big day for my younger daughter. To mark the culmination of her 5 years in secondary school education, she will be sitting for the SPM examination. I believe this is the toughest of all our school assessments – partly because of the sheer number of papers involved. She’s taking 11 subjects with a total of 23 sittings.

Throughout the last two years, hubby dearest and I have been yoyo-ing back and forth – AS ALL GOOD PARENTS MUST (Lol) – between counseling and chiding, rewarding and reprimanding, exhorting and hounding, supporting and threatening, encouraging and praying… It’s been EXTREMELY stressful and exhausting for all involved. Like any student, Sarah’s had her good and bad days. I suppose these past few years can be likened to that of our family taking a journey, with the last two being in a long and sometimes dimly lit tunnel! Where she stumbled and fell, we picked her up, where she couldn’t move another inch, thank God our Lord Jesus was there to lift her up and carry her through :-)

And now that the crucial stage is here, I must leave you with this blessed prayer, Sarah. I came across it on the Net. It's PSALM 23 (RSV) - Revised Student Version!!! (Lol) The person who wrote this is a gem! Thank you whoever you are for sharing and bringing on the smiles during this trying time.

PSALM 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not flunk;
He keepeth me from lying down when I should be studying.
He leadeth me beside the water cooler for a study break;
He restoreth my faith in study guides.
He leads me to better study habits
For my grade's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of borderline grades,
I will not have a nervous breakdown;
For thou art with me.
My prayers and my friends, they comfort me.
Thou givest me answers in moments of blankness;
Thou anointest my head with understanding.
My test paper runneth over with questions I recognise.
Surely passing grades and flying colours shall follow me
All the days of my examinations,
And I shall not have to dwell in this misery forever,
Amen!

So, Sarah, over to you now :-)

Labels: 2008, Ramblings

OK, I'm back... for a while at least. Have had to take a hiatus to attend to the family and some health issues that came up. Here, I thank God for the support given by friends and loved ones. I know I may still have to run off again when the need arises, but that did not stop me embarking on a new project :-) For the past two days, I've actually managed to spend some time on my latest passion. Here's a peek...

I hope I have not bitten more than I can chew (Lol)... because this round, the finished piece is good for a double. The design is by Jullie Wallace who took inspiration from the 1890s scrap quilts she saw while travelling in America. Mine will probably not be reminiscent of the colours of that period (Remember, the fabric stores here are rather pathetic) but I do hope I can at least re-create the patterns of that elegant era. The project so far...

I'm really enjoying this. Since it's a scrap quilt and there's really no particular arrangement of the blocks, I just can't wait to see the outcome. Also, I love the fact that I'm finally getting to use up all my "bits and pieces" :-) Well, time to get back to more stitching... and thanks again for dropping by!

Labels: 2008, Crafts, Patchwork