July FNSI is open for sign-ups

 Wow, what a month!  The nights are getting cooler but not so much as you need to wear layers up here in North Queensland!  The roads are full of caravanners migrating north for the winter.....such a great place to be!  Our lowest temperature has been 8 degrees and that was only for one day....mostly in the early to mid teens in the morning going to mid to high twenties in the daytime.....it's perfect!   The beauty of living in the tropics in the winter!

Our school holidays have just finished and my back and neck have decided to seize up....go figure!  I have bursitis and tendonitis of my shoulder and have been off work for the last two weeks due to the drugs I'm on for the pain.  I have been ignoring the niggling pain for the past year or so but it had gotten so bad I just couldn't bear it.....massages, chiropractor and acupuncture have done little to fix it so off to the doctor I went. (I have an appointment with the physio next week...it's taken me 7 weeks to get an appointment!!!!)  I'm off for a CT scan tomorrow on my neck and upper back and a guided cortisone injection next week so fingers crossed I can get on top of it.  Lesson learnt......don't ignore niggles as you get older!!!  We need to take care of ourselves!

So whilst I've been at home I've been catching up on some sewing.  I've been putting together the hexies I received as part of a hexi swap in our craft group.  I'm making a quilt top with them and I'm sure to need more but it's well underway.  It's been a trip down memory lane as some of them have the dates on the papers on the back and some are from the early 2010's!  It's lovely to see them come to life.

Ive also been playing around in my sewing room and with hubby's help, have moved things around to be more "user friendly".  As my stash has outgrown its space and having been an empty nester for quite some time, things slowly but surely moved into my son's old bedroom.  It's been a favourite haunt but having been time poor and not very organised, every time I go in there I get very overwhelmed with all the clutter....I don't really even know what I have as some of my stash is in my downstairs space, some by the sewing chair in the lounge, some in my study and a lot in my sewing room so time to do an overhaul....very gently and carefully whilst I have some time (don't judge me!)

  I've loved looking at organising sites and getting loads of ideas but not sure how to execute it in my space so I've gone ahead and started to corral things.  This is one area I've started...with a bit of my fabric.  I've a shelf of some of my Tilda ( I have a HUGE tub to sort through yet) and some of my Devonstone solids.  Just getting my fabric together will be a huge achievement and then, maybe I'll feel a little more in control!  

I've gone through my threads and organised them, sorted my felts and my linens, lace and ribbons as well as my pellon, parlan and interfacings and my ironing station and cutting table are almost there.  So much more to do but little by little I'm getting there.  It's a good feeling!

As it is the third week of the month, it's time for FNSI this Friday night!  Every month I ask the same question.....how is time flying by so fast?  But I'm so glad I get to share it with you!  

I'm planning on stitching up a swap gift this Friday so hopefully it will be done and ready to post next week.  It'll be secret squirrel business so probably no pictures till after it arrives at its destination but there may be, just may be some sneaky ones!  

What will you be stitching?  I look forward to seeing what's on your machine/mat/lap this week.  Make sure you sign up below, or over on the facebook group page   Share it far and wide, the more the merrier.  We have over 150 members now but the more we have, the more inspiration and friendship and who doesn't love that?

We had a great sew in for June with 32 members join in. It's a great get together to catch up, encourage and support one another and to be inspired with all the crafty makings going on.  Our wonderful sponsor, Dawn of  Kitty Rose Cottage sends a prize to one lucky random winner for the month and maybe it will be you?  Have you had a chance to pop over to see what's new at the Cottage?  The new Tilda Merry Little Christmas release is ready for pre-order.......I'm frothing at the mouth as it's just divine!

I can't wait to make something with these when they're available.  Make sure you pop over and pre-order.  I swear Dawn has one of the cheapest prices for Tilda in Australia.  You won't regret it.

In the meantime, our lucky wheel has been spinning and has drawn our winner for June FNSI.

Congratulations Leah for being drawn as our June winner for FNSI!!!  I'll be in touch for details.   Meanwhile, sign up below or on the Facebook group page so you don't miss out in July!  

Looking forward to sewing with you Friday night.

Sugary sweet hugs xox :o)

 

FNSI is here...perfect for winter!

 Last month was my birthday month and I got spoilt rotten.  I found out our new neighbour has his birthday the same day as mine....only 32 years later (!!!!) so we took him out to lunch and then went to dinner with family.  He and his wife bought me a beautiful bunch of flowers which was very unexpected.  My boss called me into her office to talk 'serious' business.  I was honestly wondering what I had done wrong and going through a million different scenarios.  When I walked in, she unveiled a pair of perfectly gift-wrapped boxes and told me I could not open them until my actual birthday.    When I woke on my birthday, I headed straight for them as they had me intrigued.......inside were a pair of pearl earring and a pearl drop necklace, signifying 60 years!   So much thought put into it...and I haven't taken them off since!

I caught up with my best friend, Dianne and although our visit was quick, we always pack so much into such a short time.  She gave me such beautiful and thoughtful gifts....no stitching ones but ones just for me!   I love my snuggly and my warm socks.....perfect timing!    I caught up with Shez too and we went to lunch and had a 'girls day', shopping and just chatting.  The day flew by so quickly.  So many visits, phone calls and messages and lots of scratch-its....a few wins but put it this way, I'll still be going back to work! lol  Despite that, I am truly feeling blessed beyond measure!

I have been feverishly working on completing my Patchwork of the Crosses quilt and I can confirm I have finished the top this morning!   All Tilda fabric provided by Lucy Boston Club – Kitty Rose Cottage and I must say, I LOVE it!    If you've thought you'd like to start one but don't feel confident picking colours for all the blocks, I highly recommend letting Kitty Rose organise the hard work for you.

I love the colours all put together and how each one pops .  The pink Grunge fabric in the sashing really frames the blocks beautifully.  I couldn't be happier.  Now I just need to sandwich it and figure out how I want to quilt it....any suggestions gratefully accepted!  

I also finished the Tilly Tote Bag for a swap gift.  Here is mine that winged its way to it's recipient who has a love of pink, blue and teal....I hope I made one that fits the brief.

and here's the one I received in the swap....just gorgeous, don't you think?

Even personalised with a 'W' on the pot!  and the scrunched flower is just beautiful.  Some gorgeous swap gifts arrived with it too.. feeling very special. 

This Friday is our June FNSI - our first winter one in the southern hemisphere and our first summer one for those in the northern sector!    Even here in Tropical North Queensland, we've been hit with Mr Frosty with nightly minimums down in the single digits (but only for a few days!)  We're back up to minimums of 15-17 degrees C and daily temps of about 25-27 degrees C.  Still chilly for us but definitely nothing to complain about.  We managed to even cook up a nice warm beef stew one night and soup was also on the menu.  I even got out my fluffy slippers and my sewing buddies decided they'd help warm me up whilst I was stitching too!

Now I've finished this, I'm thinking Friday night might be catch up time for my Temperature Cross Stitch Tree.  Now it's getting cooler, I might be seeing some different colours come through which will be nice!   What will you be doing?  Any plans yet?  I can't wait to see what you are working on whilst we all sttich along together.  I get loads of inspiration from you all....my 'to-do' list is getting longer and longer!

Make sure you either sign up below, or sign up on our Facebook Group page.  If you've never joined in before or if you know someone who would love to join us, please invite them along.  The more, the merrier!  And who knows, you might get drawn out as the winner of our random monthly prize draw, proudly sponsored by our wonderful sponsor, Dawn Hay of Kitty Rose Cottage.  Pop by and have a look at some of the goodies she has in store.  There are definitely some beauties there.

Last month we had 29 ladies join us for our May FNSI.  There was so much happening.  I put the names into our Random Name Picker and spun that wheel like there was no tomorrow......

Congratulations to Jeanette Graham!!!!  Yippee!!!!  Dawn will be in touch to organise your prize.  Thank you to everyone for joining in.  I really hope you have as much fun as I do.

In the meantime, don't forget to sign up.  Have a great rest of the week and see you Friday night!

Big sugary hugs xox :o)

A Happy FNSI Easter

Well, I can't believe I haven't written a post since January, but in my defense, after the washing machine flooded half of our house and we had to replace flooring, carpets, walls etc, everything was packed away and my computer was inaccessible for the interim. I've only just signed off on the completion of repairs and I must say, it was a HUGE job. We've had people ask us if we were moving in or moving out! Packing boxes were stacked everywhere and half the house contents were moved to the front rooms. Mind you, it's been great for de-cluttering and it's given us the encouragement to start downsizing 'stuff'!

It hasn't made it easy to get into my craft room though as boxes and things from other rooms were stored (aka stacked) in there so sewing has been hand stitching in front of the tv when I can.   I've been working on a secret squirrel swap project which I can't show yet, but I can tell you it's done in Tilda, so very pretty!

I seriously can't believe Easter is over and we're heading into May in the next couple of weeks.  Every year I say the same thing and I'm sure it's not just me, is it?  I hope you've had a beautiful Easter spent reflecting, resting and sharing beautiful moments with family and friends.  

My little man (aka grandson, Ryker) had limited chocolate this year due to his craziness whenever he gets too much sugar so instead my son and daughter in law took him to see one of his favourites......Bluey at Bluey World!  He was over the moon and even got to meet Bluey - you can hardly tell them apart! 

He had such a big day he was exhausted before he got home.  He slept so soundly last night.....so soundly that he fell out of bed and didn't even know it!   Thank goodness for Snapchat and videocalls....the hardest part of living thousands of kilometres away are the experiences you miss out on, don't you think? 

My focus in the past couple of months is to get my Patchwork of the Crosses quilt finished.  I'm at the 'putting the blocks together' stage and constructing the top.  Then I'll go back and do the edging and corner blocks before sandwiching and quilting.  I hadn't looked at it as a whole until I took a progress shot of it on the bed today, complete with cat bump!  

Couldn't get him to move!  Still, I'm so happy with how it looks in Tilda!  I still have a couple of rows to add and I'm happy with how it fits my queen sized bed with plenty of room.

If you're thinking of making your own, take the pressure off and order your blocks from Kitty Rose Cottage.  Dawn will co-ordinate the colours for you and you can choose your own sashing block colours to suit your room's colouring.  I chose a pink grunge fabric as I am making this one for moi!

I hope you get the chance to see what everyone's been creating in our Facebook FNSI Group.  There's been some beautiful and needless to say, inspirational makes over the past few months.  My list of wants is getting longer.  If you haven't joined our group, just click on the "join" button on the group page or message me and I'll invite you in.....easy!

I've drawn our winners for January, February, March and April and without dragging it out, here they are.............

Congratulations ladies!  Dawn has your details and will be sending your prize shortly.

I hope you enjoyed our FNSI together and I look forward to stitching along with you in May for a very special Birthday FNSI celebration! 

Big sugary hugs to you all and chocolatey Easter love xo :o)

Welcome to our first FNSI for 2025

 Isn't it weird that it is already a quarter of the way through the century?  I can remember, what seems like only a month or two ago, preparing for the end of all technology with the Y2K bug and potentially the end of all mankind through a computer-induced apocolypse!!!  Now here we are, 25 years on and we haven't fallen off the face of the earth, but technology certainly has changed in that short time - hopefully for the better! 

So, speaking of technology....are you all ready to jump on board with our first FNSI for the year?  For those of you who are new, the FNSI tab above will explain all the details, you can join in by linking your blog below or if you don't have an active blog, sign in on our group Facebook page HERE  This is where all the activity happens on the Friday night and even well into the weekend because we all know, it's always Friday night somewhere in the world.

So join in, be inspired and chat with other like-minded crafty people, maybe meet some new friends and find some more projects to add to that never-ending list of projects we all have, all while having the chance to win a prize from our very lovely and generous sponsor Dawn, from Kitty Rose Cottage.  

Let's start the post with our December 2024 draw.   We had such a varied lot of craft, all very beautiful and all very inspirational.  That's what I love about our little group - the inspiration is always off the charts!  With 26 ladies joining in, some cross stitching, some stitching, some organising. some EPP, a little backing, a little binding and some Christmas decorations completed, we certainly had a busy night.  I took the names to  the Wheel of Names to see who our lucky December winner is and here's who it spun.....

Congratulations De!  Your Christmas isn't over yet!  I'll be in touch! 

I'm looking forward to stitching with you all on Friday night.  Make sure you sign up so you don't miss out on the draw!

Big sugary hugs

Christmas Wishes for FNSI and a few gifts to give away

 Well, welcome back to the blog!   It's been a heck of a year with work, work, work, a husband unable to work, a washing machine that chose not to work (but flooded the house) and a brain overwhelmed so often that I didn't get the blog to work!  I'm hoping that 2025 is a smoother year for all of us and I'd like to end the year on a high!

So with that said, I've managed to catch up on our winners for August, September, October and November....what's that saying....better late than never???  I apologise profusely and please don't expect the prizes before New Year as I've dumped it on our beautiful sponsor, Dawn as a lump sum so please be patient if you're a winner.  Our prizes are generously donated and come straight from Dawn's pocket so I feel awful leaving them all to happen at once....I really think I need to go visit her in 2025 and take her out to dinner and drinks (and stitching of course!).

Here are our winners and I am ever so thankful for each and every one of you who join in to stitch with us each month.  Our Fridays together really are the highlight of my year and I hope they have the same effect on you all too.

August 2024 saw 29 stitchers joining in and our lucky winner randomly drawn by the Wheel of Names is:

    25 stitchers participated in our September 2024 FNSI and the winner is:

October 2024 was a fun Halloween theme with 23 stitchers joining in.  Our Winner for October is:

November 2024 was a bit quieter with 20 stitchers coming together but that only gives each person a better chance of being drawn as a winner!   That lucky stitcher is:

A   H U G E  congratulations to all our winners and here's to a win for all of us in 2025!   

Speaking of wins, I feel like I've had a win with my Farmer's Wife blocks being put together as a flimsy...all I have left to do is add the borders and then sandwich, quilt and bind it.....so close!

That's a 2025 finish......well, maybe it might get a look in before the new year but I'm working with only the public holidays off so I can't see it.  

I'll be working on my Patchwork of the Crosses blocks this Friday night, adding more spacer blocks and sashing blocks.  I'm loving how this is coming together.  

What will you be working on? 

Before I forget, a sincere thank you to our sponsor who always provides such wonderful prizes and encouragement - Dawn from Kitty Rose Cottage. 

Pop over to her online store to grab yourself a bargain...I can honestly say she regularly sells the best priced Tilda fabric, sending it all over the world and if you have any queries, she will bend over backwards to help.  She truly is one in a million and I'm proud to call her one of my very best friends.

Don't forget to sign up either below OR on our Facebook group page.  

If you're not a member of the FNSI Facebook group yet, please join so you can follow along and see what everyone else is up to in real time.  Then post in your blog (if you have one) and we can join you on your page via your link below and join in the fun in more depth!  

Still a week to go, but Merry Christmas to you all. I hope you're blessed with everything you could hope for with lots of stitchy time and more!

I'm really look forward to stitching with you on Friday night....and remember, it's ALWAYS Friday night somewhere in the world!

Sweet sugary hugs xox :o)