FNSI

Miss M had been staying with us over the past week and now that she has returned home and all the domestics that were neglected while she was with us have now been attended to it was lovely to be able to join in with FNSI.    I was beginning to have withdrawal symptoms from not spending time in the sewing room. 

Last time I was in there blocks had been cut out for a couple more children's quilts, blocks which had been cut out for a few weeks waiting to be sewn up were piled up in various areas along with fabrics that are waiting to be cut up making the room look like a bomb site.

It was a good feeling to get stuck in there late yesterday afternoon and make a start somewhere which resulted in this

Unfortunately one side of the room still looks like a bomb site.   My aim is to get it tidied up by the end of the month.   Those piles do mean something to me!!! 

You can see what the others achieved last night here.   

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

Catching up in the sewing room

Time has been spent in the sewing room this week making a start on some more childrens quilts.   Some quilting happened.    As it is only a top and backing with no wadding in between I can just use a normal sewing foot instead of the walking foot.    

Then came the binding

Then a finish

Pinning of another top that has been sitting around

More cutting

And a bit more cutting

That will be it for me in the sewing room until the end of next week as Miss M is coming to stay with us for the first week of the school holidays.  We are hoping that the rain has long gone as she has big plans to go to the beach, the zoo, a ferry ride and maybe a picnic.  

This months book club read is.  

One member of the group has already read the book and found it heavy going.   I am curious to find out why she thought so and look forward to making a start.   

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

Out and About and FNwF

On Wednesday it was decided to head into the City and then onto White Bay Power Station to see the 2024 Biennale of Sydney.   For me it was all about the venue rather than the artwork.   The station was built between 1912 and 1917 to power the tram and rail network in Sydney.    It was the longest serving power station in Sydney.   It was decommissioned in 1984 and has been left vacant ever since.    You can read more about its history over here.

Arriving at the power station after a short bus trip across the Anzac Bridge 

From the outside I had no idea just how big it was on the inside.   Standing near the main entrance looking up and up and up.  

You can see the relativity of the height of the roof from the floor by the people standing around.

Some of the equipment used to power the network. 

 

                                        

Original hand basins for the staff

One can imagine that it would have been very hot and noisy when in full production with employees having to have a good knowledge just what all the dials meant.      This is just one of many around the station.    There were many more just like this and many bigger but it was hard to get a photo as they were behind glass with reflections on them.  

And now for some of the art and as you can image the pieces had to be very large to fit in with the venue.

On Thursday the rains came which was a good opportunity to head to the sewing room to do some fabric gathering for my Chookshed Stitchers challenge #9 so when joining in with Cheryll and the other crafters for FNwF the fabrics were cut, pressed and now ready to sew up into small snap top bags.  

Some beanie knitting has been happening in front of tv of a night.

It is now 5 am Saturday morning and hubs and I have been awake most of the night due to the "rain bomb" which has hit Sydney.    As mentioned earlier in this post the rain started on Thursday and has intensified since early Friday morning.     As I type this the rain is coming down in sheets, the nearby waterfall is pounding and gale force winds are lashing the trees around us.

I am rostered on to do set up duty and the first shift at the hospital auxiliary stall this morning but the roads leading to the shopping centre from my area are flooded so I will need to make a phone call to one of the other members letting them know that I cannot get through which is such a pity as my car is full with pickles/chutneys, a bag full of lovely handknitted baby matinee jackets and dresses for little girls. With a bit of luck the rain will ease and the flooding will subside which will allow me to get there later on during the day.  

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

March Marched on to where??????? and # 9 challenge

Not sure where the last 4 weeks have gone !!!!!!!!   We did have Easter in there with the most glorious autumnal weather - lovely sunny warm days with cooler nights and mornings.     It was ideal to sit outside and enjoy our Easter lunch

Pity that hubs does not like prawns - I just had to eat them all by myself !!!!!!

Not much has been happening in the sewing room over the past month however the  #9 chookshed stitchers challenge has just been announced which after consulting my list it is time to gather my fabrics and other bits and pieces to make some small snap top make up bags.   

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

Chookshed Stitchers #4 challenge

For me was garment making for myself.  It was decided to make 2 pairs of light weight sleep pants which I like to team with a t-shirt to make good "in-between season" sleepwear.   

This is the second pair made during the week and is teamed with a black t-shirt.

 The ones below were finished off a couple of weeks ago and now that the nights have turned quite autumnal it was time to bring them out....I have to say they are very comfy and just ideal for this time of the year.  

Now to wait and see which Chookshed Stitchers challenge # comes up for April.

You can see more #4 challenge finishes here.    

Some reading matter

When hubs and I went out for lunch during the week my order was wild mushroom rigatoni........they must have been the "right" mushrooms as I lived to tell the tale.  

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

This past week has been all about......

I will begin at the beginning.     We are having an "open day" here in conjunction with Seniors Week and the Sales Manager asked if  I could make some flags to be mounted on dowel sticks which will then be attached to sandwich boards that will placed throughout the complex to guide visitors around to various properties for sale as well as showing the way to the waterfall walk and other lovely garden areas.    In the past they have used balloons but they are no longer allowed.

I was handed the various fabrics to be used (they would definitely have not been my choice as they were 100% polyester with no body and did nothing but slip and slide)

After doing lots of cutting, pinning and sewing

Here is the end result

All folded up and ready to hand over

I will take a photo on Saturday showing them as they are meant to be displayed.  

Also during the week our quilting group was invited by the local Council to take part in a Seniors Expo being held at one of the community halls nearby so myself along with 1 other were on duty to display (we were not demonstrating) quilts and other various items as well as handing out flyers about our group in the hope of attracting new members - our current member numbers are low and we would like to boost that count in order for the group to survive and grow.  

Beanies have still been happening in between other things. 

Hubs and I caught up with some friends for lunch at Randwick Golf club Malabar on a super sparkly day

Our new book club book is

Somewhere in the back of my mind I think that I have read this in the past but will start it as it was sometime ago if I have read it. 

I have just had an email informing me that I was one of the lucky prize winners in Project Quilting challenge 15.5 Wearables and the prize is my choice of a digital quilt pattern from Studio R Quilts.   I look forward to receiving it. 

Time to head off and organise dinner.   Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all

15.5 Project Quilting - Wearables

I can truthfully say that I did not have any "insider information" about this weeks challenge which is  Wearables.    It was a coincidence that I had nominated just last week for my Chookshed #4 challenge that I would be making 2 pairs of sleep pants.

Here is the first pair made and teamed with a t-shirt (which I did not make) in time for those cooler autumnal nights which will soon be with us.

Thanks Trish (taking over for Kim) for another fun challenge.    You can see more wearables here.  

Back soon and in the meantime

Happy sewing all