A Pleasure to Stitch Life's Treasures.

So, it is done! Here's a look at the finished quilt - Life's Pleasures and Treasures - I love it! Gorgeous quilting by Chris Reeve and beautiful design by Kerry Gillespie. I really am delighted with it as it is a little different to what I have done in the past, and it was a pleasure to stitch. It's going to be available as a block of the month quilt.

I thought I would show you a picture of the little red and white quilt we did for the last Red Club project. Lovely traditional piecing and some hand-quilting.

And this is what we did for Christmas Club last week - it is one of Jackie Nicholls lovely little wall-hanging patterns called Raggedy Tree Quilt. We have a bit of a competition going to see who can decorate the tree the most lavishly and there will be a show and tell next month! Looking forward to that.

On the weekend I attended the Otago Patchwork Guilds Country Day - this was held at Bayfield High and there was a mini merchants mall - it was lovely to meet the others, and to catch up with many of you there. I think I managed to buy fabric from every one of the other stands! As you do!



A lot of stitching is now going on for the Stitchery Retreat which is coming up next month. Am working my way through the samples and the patterns which have been designed for the weekend are just gorgeous. In between times, though, I am also working on Rosalie Quinlan's, ''It's a Redwork Christmas'' and have done the first two blocks. I can tell that this is going to be one of my favourite quilts. This is just a little snippet of one of the retreat designs.


Just to finish off, I have to show you this lineup of ''Mrs Perkins'' - made by Carol and very kindly lent to me for display, these creatures are just delightful.


Have a great stitching week.
Jenny

Finishing Off!

It's been a busy couple of weeks, finishing quilts and class samples. Life's Pleasures and Treasures is back from the quilter, so just have the binding to go. Maybe by Friday!

We had one of the final Red Clubs last night, and the girls brought in their dolls from last month. What a gorgeous line-up!

Wendy also brought in her ''Magoo'' to show us - he is awesome - one of the favourite Melly & Me patterns. You just want to give him a snuggle don't you!

This is one of Debbie's latest stitchings, Two Brown Chickens, which is a newly released pattern from Leanne Beasley. Debbie found a gorgeous wooden frame, the perfect size, and painted it white. Looks fabulous doesn't it.

This is my ''Flower Girls'' quilt - it's been just a ''top'' for a while, (we all have a few of those don't we!) but now it is quilted. It's one of Brenda Ryan's beautiful designs, and I run this as a block of the month quilt. The embroidery designs of the different flower girls and the topiary trees are delightful. So finally I have been able to put it up



and here's a close up of Daisy.


Now I'm off to start the binding on the other quilt. The quilting looks fab and putting the binding on is one of my favourite parts of the quilt-making.
Happy Stitching.
Jenny

Nearly there!

I am nearly there - finishing ''Life's Pleasures and Treasure's'' that is. All the applique and stitchery is complete except for attaching them to the quilt top. This quilt really has been a pleasure to stitch - I love the vintagey colours and
needleturn applique.

These are some of the beautiful creations the girls brought to stitching group last week. This is Margaret's gorgeous little bag - it's a Hatched and Patched design - so cute!


''How to Grow Angels'' is another Hatched and Patched design - this is Debbie's stunning quilt - she used mostly fabrics from the Moda range of ''Hemming House''.


And, here's a pic of Pam's beautifully stitched cushion - a Cinderberry Stitches design, called ''Cottage Blessings''. This was one of the patterns from last year's Stitchery Retreat but is now part of Natalie's pattern range. Just love the mix of dots and paisley floral.


Red Elise has a friend - meet Jane!


I got these buttons last week from Barb -they are the cutest buttons I have ever seen. Each of these gorgeous little cupcakes are handpainted in glorious pastels. One of each please!


There are birdie buttons too but I will show you them next week.
Happy Stitching
Jenny

Pretty and Prim

I have been making dolls this past week. I just couldn't resist Miss Milly, from Rosalie Quinlan's new book ''Gift''. This is one of the most gorgeous books I have seen, every single project is a ''must make''.

Also, meet Tilly, Milly and Molly - these little creatures are adorable - one of Kerry Gillespie's patterns (http://www.myfavoritethings.com.au/).

And nothing to do with sewing at all, but last weekend I went to see the butterflies at the Otago Museum and was completely entranced.

Happy Stitching over the weekend.

Jenny

Let it snow!

It was snowing as I left home this morning - not a thick covering but the ground was white! It may be still snowing up there but down here at the shop, just raining. I have a little project picked out for this afternoon - I am going to make a couple more of these dolls. This is Red Elise - last week's project for the Red Club. She is one of the easiest but loveliest little dolls I have made. She is from a new range of patterns I have just discovered - two very talented kiwi girls, Sarah and Elizabeth, of ''The Farm Studio'' designs.

I have a few pics of some of the gorgeous work that the Friday stitcher girls have been doing. This is Gaye's fabulous bright flannel quilt.

And this is a beautiful little stitchery she has just finished.

Here's Debbie's hexagon table cloth - this was the first time Debbie had done hand-pieced hexagons and she reckons she is hooked!

I have finished a couple more of the blocks for ''Life's Pleasures and Treasures'' block of the month quilt - here's Happy Birthday.

And Easter Bunnies.

I am finishing off the last two this weekend and then will put it all together. So between the dolls and the quilt, my weekend is pretty much sorted. I'll be very happy stitching, and hope you will be too.

Jenny

A few of my favourite things...

These are a few of my favourite things right now - Songs of Spring - one of the little stitcheries from the new quilt of Lesley McConnell (faeriesinmygarden.com.au).

From Kerry Gillespie's new quilt, Life's Pleasures and Treasures, (myfavoritethings.com) here's my first block - Childhood Memories.

Here's the second block - Fruits of Life.

Christmas - always one of my favourite things - this gorgeous Santa is from a new panel just in.

And this has always been one of my most favourite stitcheries - fabulous pre-printed stitchery from Angels in Disguise.

Favourite fabric this week? Hard to choose but possibly this red and white story.

Favourite flower - apple blossom! Wistful thoughts of spring - my favourite season! These chilly nights, though, are the perfect excuse to grab your stitching, get close to the fire, and stitch into the night. Happy stitching.

Jenny.

This week's offerings!

I couldn't resist showing you the latest range of fabric I have from Moda - ''Hemming House'' by Brannock and Patek. Wonderful reds, teal, aqua, tan and blacks. When ordering from this range, I couldn't decide what to leave out, so got the lot!

Here's a photo of the girls from one of the Christmas Club's, showing off their finished Treetop Angel - gorgeous pattern of Rosalie Quinlan's.

And here's a snippet of the redwork stitchery they started this week. Cute little elves this time.

I've been working on the stitchery blocks for Lesley McConnell's latest block of the month quilt, Songs of Spring. I am loving the stitchery as Lesley as used a wonderful variety of embroidery stitches. I even had to get out my ''Elegant Stitches'' last night to find out how to do one - coral stitch - really simple but I hadn't done it before and I love the effect. So here's a peek at "The Flower Gatherer''

and Wisteria Cottage.

This is an adorable baby blanket made by Lynette - wonderful use of Kaffe's fabrics and don't the birds look amazing.

I also would love to show you Debbie's latest projects - these are from the Homespun magazine - this is a design of Jackie Nicholls of House on the Hill Designs (I showed you her latest patterns a couple of weeks back). I love Debbie's bright version of the trees.

This design of Natalie Lymer, stitched by Debbie, follows her style of the Truly Scrumptious girls.

Well, that's it for just now. I'm off home to start work on a certain doll, and a bit more stitching for Songs of Spring.

Jenny