Sue's place in the sun

Thursday, November 24, 2011

a productive day


my first 5 blocks ready for stitching

It has been raining here for the last couple of day, so after finally choosing my fabrics and choosing the quick blanket stitch applique I have all my first 5 block ready to stitch. A quick trip to Spotlight in Campbelltown to pick up the DMC cottons I don't have and an evening of sewing looks in order. Like Suzitee one of the other stitchers I have written Sue S on my luggage tag, because there is always more than one Sue. Some will notice that the handles are around the wrong way - not for me they aren't I'm left handed.

some kind of wonderful stitch-a-long


my favourite thing fabric

I have been very slow to get organised, I wanted to use the Terrain layercake by Kate Spain for my blocks but finding someone who has yardage in Australia has been almost impossible. My Patch in Milton has some on ebay so I might try them. I have picked 3 creams to be the background, 2 charm packs of Central Park by Kate Spain for the smaller patchwork squares and 6 wonderful matching Kona solids fro the strips between the blocks.
I am now going to copy them onto the fabric and start stitching.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

more blocks

Bee in Oz block for Anorina

QBSA block for Maria

Christmas block swap block for Maria
I have spent the afternoon sewing, I made the bee in oz block for Anorina her block is 16.5" and then adjusted the pattern/block size down to a 12.5" block and made the 2 Maria's their block. The blue yellow block is going to Canada and the Christmas block is off to Western Australia. Having 2 swap partners with same name has been interesting as I thanked Maria in Canada for my Christmas block instead of the Maria in WA.

stray stitches giveaway

Linda is having a giveaway. Why not go have a look and enter. It's the same Linda that I made the bee in Oz block for October, picture at the top of my last post.

Monday, November 21, 2011

just a few blocks

Linda's block for Bee in Oz in October

Kym's block to me for September

Jen's block to me Christmas block swap for October

My block to Jen

Block from Maria for November

block from Heather, but I don't know which swap it is for and maybe October
As I previous posted life has been busy, here are a few blocks that I have sent and received over the last 6 weeks

Friday, November 18, 2011

What a Month

I was a supervisor for kids with a disability provision for the HSC (Higher School Certificate), the exams started 18th October and finished last Friday 11th November, it was fun but very exhausting time. I had to travel the 60km by train into Sydney because the school I was working at was St Andrews Cathedral School. I have done hardly any sewing but lots of knitting as the train trip took just over an hour each way. When I get a photo of the finished garment I made the lady Kina from Ravelry, I just need to sew the ends in and have started the kids size for Lily as she liked grandmas stripy cardigan.
They say I will get payed by the 16th December if the person doing the paper work gets it all right and you would hope so as she is a Maths teacher.

I am doing the next stitch a long, we are doing "My Favourite things" by Anni Downs out of her book Some Kind of Wonderful. I have a layer cake of Terrain by Kate Spain, 8 Kona solids and 2 charm packs of Central Park by Kate Spain and the applique is going to be done on white. Most people are using very country looking fabrics but that just doesn't suit me at the moment, I want something that was a bit brighter.

rainbow blocks

yellow orange and green, purple and blue green yellow
I did get my geese in a ring done and sent to Ann in Denmark. If you look closely at the one top left of the rainbow ones there is a little notch missing, somehow in my rush to get them finished I made a boo-boo, so it might be the one that comes back to me.

Next week I plan to get some more sewing done, a baby quilt for Charlotte, I've got blocks to make for a couple of swaps and Sameliasmum who is Queen Bee for Novembers Bee in Oz. I won a DVD from Anorina which I am looking forward to watching when it arrives.
I also won 4th prize in a giveaway on Possum Blossom Patchwork, I picked the red postage stamp.

We are going to see Mary Poppins next Friday our 33rd wedding anniversary and we are planning on spending the weekend together doing what we want.



Saturday, October 15, 2011

Finally


binding stitched


all done
Proof that this is finished. I sat  the other Friday night and did it but it has taken me until following Wednesday to finally take some photos to show that it is done.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Tis' the Season done


Tis the Season done


backing

ready for Christmas
My Tis' the Season only needs the binding hand stitched down - this will be done tonight watching TV, think it might be some sort of sport or a movie.
Now while I'm sewing I have to make a sit me up donut by Paula Storm for number 2 grand daughter who is  6 and half months old and a quilt for number 3 grand daughter who was born last Sunday. Her quilt is going to be a simple charm pack of Lollipop by Sandy Gervais sewn together

BINDING STITCHED DOWN


FRIENDS Swap

a parcel from Norway

wrapped in pretty poka dot paper

inside was this gorgeous bag

F -  Tilda fabric by a Norwegian designer

R - rose pincushion and a lovely card

I - items for my wellbeing, soap and hand cream

E - eight different colours of vintage buttons

N - notebook in hand sewn cover

D - drawstring bag

S - skinny scarf

surprise mohair wool, might become a pretty shawl
The doorbell rang, I was quilting my Tis the Season quilt, that stopped very quickly when the package was for me.
My parcel from Synnove  from the FRIENDS swap organised by Khris has arrived from Norway,  you have seen all the wonderful thing she sent me.

Now to go back and finish quilting my quilt so I join in the next stitch-a-long which is Anni Downs book Some kind of Wonderful. Chookyblue wont let us join in if the previous one isn't finished and she has been cracking the wip and pushing us along to have them done.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Why this name?

Dawn has asked what your blog name is and why?
sues place in the sun is what I called my blog more because I love sitting in the sun on our back porch than any other reason.
When I started blogging all the sue names were taken so I went with something a little more out there than just sue sews and knits and ..........

NOW TO THE BIG NEWS
Grandma, daddy and Charlotte

Granddad and Charlotte
Charlotte Ophelia Melvie Stubbings was born at 2.55pm on Sunday 2nd October 2011. She weighed 3.68kg and was 52cm long. Parents Joshua and Jaclyn doing well. Grandma and granddad were at the NRL grand final while all this was happening and didn't meet her until the next day.We now have 3 beautiful granddaughters 2 of them born this year.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Mug rug swap

mug rug swap
This is the second mug rug swap I have been part of. This one is wending its way overseas to India.

tis the season blocks


last block finished


second last block sewn into quilt

the top finished
This morning I sewed the blocks together, I am still working out what to do next. I was thinking about sewing all the leftover stripy bits together and doing that as a skinny border. I have a dessert roll (5" by with of fabric)of this line - Glace by Moda it has the blue fabric that is used in the bottom right hand corner block as well it comes in green, cream and red.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

F.R.I.E.N.D.S SWAP

Favourite things a stitchery 

Red hand knitted scarf and hat

Inspiration Homespun and Quilters Companion

Earrings bought at a local market from the maker

Nice, necessary bracelet 

Densye Schmidt Winding Roads 

Something special
Friends swap organised by Khris is to be posted by the end of the month, mine is ready to go to Synnove in Norway.

Favourite things stitchery by Christine Book, I have put some surprises in the package for Synnove, she can show you when she gets the parcel
Red Patons Feathers scarf and hat
Inspiration - Homespun and Quilters Companion, my favourite Australian magazines
Earrings green hand made from the local markets from the maker
Nice, necessary a green bracelet a Starfish creation
Densye Schmidt fat quarters Winding Roads only available here in Australia at Spotlight. Synnove favourite colours are red and lime green, the pink check is more red than the photo shows
Something special a handbag or craft bag it is an oversized Miranda Day bag by Lazy girl designs 

Saturday, September 17, 2011

A day with history

the front with me
along the back porch

the front

 looking at the
 back of the house

Camden Park built by John and Elizabeth Macarthur and still in the family 7 generations later is open to the public one weekend every September. It is this weekend and what a wonderful spring day to go out for a day in the country. John Macarthur is the father of agriculture in Australia and at one point in the 1800's there were 800 people working this  farm of 5000 acres, located on the Nepean  river south of Camden this historic house is wonderful, the gardens are enormous and has the oldest known camellia bush in Australia. Staffed by many volunteers they are trying to bring the gardens back to what they were in the past. There was a list of some of the produce that they grew which included 40 varieties of apples, 30 of the orange family as they put it which included oranges, limes, mandarines, grapefruit, lemons, varieties of fruit and vegies that no longer are around.
Some pictures of the gardens,