NEWFOUND OLD DISCOVERY

It has been so easy motoring through my Flowerville BOM and I really thought I would have it up to date by the time I next posted on my blog.....but.....I didn't take into account that I would run out of embroidery thread for the last few bits.....so I am on to A Country Tea Party sooner than expected.

One of the reasons I procrastinate over ACTP is that I have to do more work and trace the design onto the supplied fabric......it's time consuming, awkward due to a design flaw with my light box (I should write to them about that!) and makes my hand ache badly (an issue I have with my right arm) but worst of all...the # 1 problem I am having is that the quilt shop handling the BOM does not supply enough fabric for the stitching.  I understand this is a way of saving money but it doesn't help me!! Have a look at this ....

1.  shows how close I have to stitch to the edge to fit the design in.
2. shows how badly it frays and I can't get those edges into a embroidery frame...no matter how small.
3. top and bottom is a good measurement but the sides are barely cut to the size the designer suggests after stitching.

I knew I was going to be faced with these problems again and the issues start right from the moment I tape the fabric down onto the light box. I thought I had some sort of webbing tape that I could iron on to stop the fraying.....when I was looking for it, I found my box of abandoned cross stitch pieces...sometime last century, I used to make small gifts and cards...these didn't make it. The reason I am telling you this is because one of the pieces still had masking tape on the edges which I used once when I was without a sewing machine.  It was an Aha! moment for me.

Now, I know many of you use your overlocker to stop fraying. I don't have an overlocker but I have used other methods. Sometimes, sort of successful and sometimes not at all.

1. Fray Stop is a product I have used before and it works adequately but it is messy to apply, you have to wait for it to dry and right when I needed it, my half bottle had dried up!
2. No overlocker, no problem if I have a sewing machine....or so I thought! First I tried zig-zagging close to the edge...what a mess and it somehow managed to gather the edge of the fabric too.....so I tried a straight stitch like I used to with my Aida fabric....no good! It had to be close to the edge which left my fabric misshapen.
3. I gave the masking tape ago and Voila! It worked a treat.

Here's how I did it...

1.  I used what I had and my masking tape roll is just over 1" thick. I cut a strip just longer than the long side of my piece of fabric.
2. I carefully stuck it down the length...covering about a 1/4" of the edge. Pressing the tape well onto the fabric and the cutting board to avoid slippage.
3. Then I trimmed the masking tape right up to the edge of the fabric with a ruler and rotary cutter. Carefully pull both up and repeat steps 2 -3 on all sides....this way I only used one strip of the masking tape.
4. I had cut the tape longer than the fabric and I folded the excess to the back.

I found it gave the edges a lot of support as well as stopping the fray when I taped it onto the light box.  It was easier to tape down and keep taut while I traced. I am not worried about it being there when I finish stitching as I have to cut it down by at least 1/4" anyway. Here is a picture of how it looked after the tracing was complete.

No Fray! See that grey arrow between the 13 & 15" inch mark.  It is not fraying that it is pointing to but rather the whisperweft that I iron onto the back of all my embroidery pieces before stitching. Here is a close up to prove it.

I was so excited by my newfound old discovery....that I traced all 4 of my BOMs waiting in the sidelines....no excuses now! I will let you know how it holds up after it has spent time in the embroidery frame.

p.s....I never did find that webbing tape!

 
 Linking up with:

• Bee Social

Design Board Monday #32 - Oh Thank Goodness!

Oh thank goodness I have my camera up and running again....TG I can take much better photo's than I have over the last two weeks....TG I was able to join friends to sew at the Post Office on Friday....TG I decided to call in to the Quarter Inch Shop.....

I have been busily stitching on block 8 of Flowerville and although it doesn't seem like I have done as much as last week....I reckon it will be finished in a couple of nights and I can give all my attention to A Country Tea Party until the final block 9 arrives in the mail.

On Friday, it was agreed that I was needed on the farm with getting a certain cow to visit a bull and wouldn't make it to my sewing group.  As it turned out, said cow did not appear ready to visit the bull so I headed off to join the Post Office sewing group.  A lucky move, as it turns out because Tanya, who owns the Post Office, was sorting through her studio and had a huge bag of these vintage linens which she was wanting to sell....I managed to pick up 7 pieces for $25.

A close up of some of the embroidery.....puts my satin stitch to shame!!

Oh...and if you were wondering if the cow....Bessie, ever made it over the road to see Glenn...well the answer is no but that doesn't mean I was off the hook....Pippa was on heat this morning and bellowing very loudly so we walked her over...It was a much easier task than when we took Anna over last month. You can meet the herd and read about the 'Cow Whisperer' (that's me!) HERE.

Driving home from the PO Group takes me past Helen Stubbing's shop, Quarter Inch and I have been meaning to call in ever since she opened the doors.  It was now or never....here's what I came home with.

3 patterns and a charm pack for some hexies

 

And finally.....Thank Goodness, I have all your link ups to inspire me....so,

What do you have to share for this week?

• Link will be open until this coming Sunday.
• 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). This will help your readers finding the Link Up if they want to participate as well.
• Please make the effort to visit other link users and leave them a comment. Leaving me a comment after linking up will help me know that you have been by and linked up. 
• Other Link Parties are more than welcome to link up too! Please NO Sales, Endorsement or Promotional Posts....they will be deleted.

Link Below

 
Also Linking with:

• Podunk Pickins
• Monday Making
• Main Crush Monday
• Slow Sunday Stitching 
• Stitchery Link Party 
• Moving it Forward Monday
• Linky Tuesday @ Freemotion by the River

Design Board Monday #31 - Flowerville Progress

So I didn't post on Saturday because we actually had guests visit us @Home and I just didn't get around to posting anything. It was such a treat having Julia (from my Apatchy Quilting group in Brisbane) and her hubby call in for a visit.  After a cuppa and homemade blueberry muffins, we went for a walk to show them our property.  Rosie and the girls were very curious with the new faces and trailed behind us....probably hoping for a snack of apples...up to the back paddock where they decided to stay and munch on some grass while we took the forest walk back to the house. Later, I made my farmer his own apple galette for dessert.

Because of all that I only got as far as printing off the pattern for Jenny's design and I will get it ready for stitching when the next  Stitch In Days  linky is up again in two weeks time.

All stitching time was not lost though....I did get alot done on Flowerville throughout the last week...finishing block 6 - The Coffee Shop.

I still don't have my camera sorted out so you will have to make do with smart phone pics.  Anyway, with block 6 completed, I got started on block 7 - The Gypsy Caravan -  on Saturday evening and look how much I have stitched already.

Block 8 arrived in the mail this week and then I will only have one more block to arrive and stitch. After that, I can give A Country Tea Party my full attention.

What do you have to share for this week?

• Link will be open until this coming Sunday.
• 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). This will help your readers finding the Link Up if they want to participate as well.
• Please make the effort to visit other link users and leave them a comment. Leaving me a comment after linking up will help me know that you have been by and linked up. 
• Other Link Parties are more than welcome to link up too! Please NO Sales, Endorsement or Promotional Posts....they will be deleted.

Link Below

 
Also Linking with:

• Podunk Pickins
• Monday Making
• Main Crush Monday
• Slow Sunday Stitching 
• Stitchery Link Party
• Linky Tuesday @ Freemotion by the River ; and,

for the first time

 

Design Board Monday #30 - Another Block Done!

Design Board Monday is a little delayed today because I am having to use my smart phone to take photo's atm and IT needed charging. I have the ones I need now so lets get on with the Link Party!

I have two finishes this week.....

Flowerville - Block 5

I loved this block, although, I think I say that every time I finish one.  I have decided to stick with my Flowerville stitching for now (as far as BOMs go) until I have caught up.....mainly because it is already printed on the fabric which is easy to get it ready for stitching. Block 6 - The Coffee Shop is already on the frame. How do you like my African Violets?? and are they out of fashion? I struggled to find them at the Nurseries hereabouts.

Crochet Shell Stitch Blanket
When I last posted about this blanket a couple of weeks ago, I was despairing because I struggled to find the same colour blue for the entire blanket........and then.......I popped into the "Reject Shop" and lo and behold, I spotted a ball of the very yarn I needed on the shelf (believe me, it wasn't there the week before!) When I took it to the counter to pay, I asked the young girl where the next nearest store was and found it was not too far away. As it turns out, my farmer wanted to go shopping at a centre very close to the 2nd store and he offered to take me there after.  What a great idea....I found two more balls as well as the white container that my African Violets are in......and my farmer pulled out his wallet and paid for the lot!

When we got home, I pulled out 6 rows of the beige and 12 rows of the [other] blue so I could do it all the way I originally wanted.......well worth it! I am really happy with how it turned out.

As well as Flowerville Block 6, I am also going to trace a pattern from Jenny Elefantz latest Stitchery Club installment.  I will work on it on Friday night, 22/4, and link up Saturday for Stitch In Days. If you are working on a Jenny Elefantz design.....why not join in!

What do you have to share for this week?

• Link will be open until this coming Sunday.
• 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). This will help your readers finding the Link Up if they want to participate as well.
• Please make the effort to visit other link users and leave them a comment. Leaving me a comment after linking up will help me know that you have been by and linked up. 
• Other Link Parties are more than welcome to link up too! Please NO Sales, Endorsement or Promotional Posts....they will be deleted.

Link Below

 Also Linking with:

• Podunk Pickins
• Monday Making
• Main Crush Monday
• Slow Sunday Stitching 
• Stitchery Link Party
• Linky Tuesday @ Freemotion by the River

Design Board Monday #29 - Stitching at the Post Office

 What is it about the weeks just racing by at the moment. Before I can seem to take a breath, we are back to Monday again and I am reading last weeks link ups and writing a new post.  Well, I have been busy.....not so much sewing....but out and about a bit.

On Friday, I joined up with a new sewing group in Hobart.  We meet up at an old building which was once the local Post Office.

A very creative woman bought the building last year and has done wonders with it.... the rooms have all been beautifully revamped....keeping all the original rooms with their features and adding some lovely new 'old' ones, like these vintage chandeliers in every room.

Each room is dedicated to particular artists and their wares are on display and for sale while the rooms all have tables and chairs and are for hire to groups to hold meetings from bookclubs to our own sewing group.

There is a cafe downstairs and you can have a coffee (or other drink) brought up to enjoy in the rooms while you sew or attend whatever meeting.

Here are some features that I found interesting.

The entrance, the staircase, a tapestry upholstered chair, a stain glass door.

I worked on my Flowerville block and managed to get all the windows, the walls and the roof frame stitched....not a bad effort!

What do you have to share for this week?

• Link will be open until Sunday 17.4.2016.
• 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). This will help your readers finding the Link Up if they want to participate as well.
• Please make the effort to visit other link users and leave them a comment. Leaving me a comment after linking up will help me know that you have been by and linked up. 
• Other Link Parties are more than welcome to link up too!

Link Below

Also linking up with:

• Podunk Pickins
• Monday Making
• Main Crush Monday

Design Board Monday #28 - Getting on Board!

Scroll Down for Design Board Monday LINKY

Now I know that there are a lot of you out there who just love Jenny Elefantz stitchery designs, you might even be in her stitchery club....I am. I have rather a large collection of JE stitcheries which I am yet to start, including this find in a magazine (front cover!) ....OK, I have my hands full with a few BOM's atm....but now I have no further excuse.

Why? Because there is a NEW Stitchery Linky dedicated to Jenny's Designs. The Stitch-In Linky has been created by Susan from CQ4Fun, an idea she shared with me last year after a comment I left on her post.  I am so pleased for Susan to have this idea off the ground and I hope that you will pop over on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of every month to link up your "Jenny Designs".

I am on Board....are you?

*please forward any questions to Susan....not Jenny, as she does not play a contributory part, although she does endorse the linky.

What? You don't have any Jenny Designs to stitch? You can find them HERE on Craftsy or you could join Jenny's Stitchery Club 

Here's what I worked on this week

Nearly there.....keep scrolling

I ran out of that wonderfully coloured yarn so had to source something similar....there was only one ball of it left at the original outlet.

I searched everywhere to find a similar weight, ply and chunkiness of yarn and eventually ended up at Big W....an unlikely spot but I remembered that they do sell a limited selection of yarn and "VOILA"....I found a few choices of colour.   I went with this blue variation.

I does give the blanket a dirty appearance rather than the fresh look that I was going for but I am going to add another colourway into the mix and see what happens.

What do you have to share for this week?

• Link will be open until Sunday 3.4.2016.
• 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). This will help your readers finding the Link Up if they want to participate as well.
• Please make the effort to visit other link users and leave them a comment. Leaving me a comment after linking up will help me know that you have been by and linked up. 
• Other Link Parties are more than welcome to link up too!

You made it! Link Below

 
 Linking with:

• Monday Making 
• Main Crush Monday