Finished - Needle Roll

Pockets for pens and glue pens

Pin cushion, needle book and two good sized zipper pockets

I am so pleased with how my finished needle roll has turned out.  I made a few changes to the pattern, more in design interpretation rather than anything to the measurements.  The backing fabric for the middle outside cover and binding is not linen but a scrap from this shirt.  I made a covered button to tie in with the inside lining and the fabric on the base of the vase. Mine has possibly ended up a bit puffier than the one in the pattern due to the wool blend batting I  used.

I am going to enjoy using this needle book, I love all the colours I've used and special fabrics and trims.

Finished measurements are approximately 16" x  8.5"
Pattern from Sue Spargo - published in Inspirations Magazine 94/2017

A Needle Roll in Progress

Image from Inspiration Studios

Two years ago I bought a beautiful Inspirations magazine, completely swayed by the gorgeous Sue Spargo project on it's cover.  When I visited my sister in Brisbane that year, we both bought felt and ribbons to make our own versions of the featured needle roll.  Fast forward to this year and I have finally made a start.

A grey wet day in my sewing room,  saw me pulling out felt, fabrics and ribbons, deciding what I was going to use for embellishing the needle roll, cutting out all the pieces and finally making a start.  I had forgotten how much I enjoyed wool felt applique and the subsequent embroidery it requires.

I am changing my cover design slightly, my eyes can't handle stitching 1cm hexies together, and using different fabrics and trims from the original to make it my own taste.  It's going to be bright though.

Hopefully I get a chance to work on this in the evenings and get it finished this week.

Scenes from my Week

The Scout, Miss B and Mr J have been away in Blenheim at the 21st New Zealand Scout Jamboree for the past 10 days. They return tonight, no doubt tired, but full of so many interesting stories and experiences of what they have done.  While I do enjoy time alone to do all the creative things I like, it does get a little lonely.  Here is some of what I have been up to.

• I took myself into the city to the Auckland Art Gallery, ostensibly to see the Monet Painting which is currently on loan there.  While I can say I have finally seen a Monet painting in real life I was more impressed by the Maori Portraits: Gottfried Lindauer exhibition.  Photos weren't allowed, but I would thoroughly recommend that anyone in Auckland visit it.  When I had finished I took a little wander up to Albert Park, such stunning blue sky, matching flowers and city scape's that day.

• Time home alone usually means lots of sewing - I have pieced my Tula Pink City Sampler top - all 45 blocks I made.  I was going to give this to the Hospice, but a family friend has been quite ill so this will be made for her.  Now just to summon the enthusiasm for basting and quilting it.

• A bit of baking preparation for the returning Scouts - One Pot Spiced Apple Cake

• Enjoying making more decorative stitches on another bird for my Bird Dance project

• Of course reading features too, this is my current read, and I am really enjoying it, interesting quirky characters, a little magic, beautifuly descriptive writing, a little history - almost a fairy tale for grown ups.

Have a fabulous weekend everyone

Gone to the Birds

Over the past couple of years, my sister Janine and I have done quarterly swaps - usually comprised of quilting fabrics, pieces of felt and beautiful embroidery threads.  Towards the end of last year, we were talking and decided we must do something with these lovely things.  We decided that an applique project would be a good start.  Janine has picked the first project which ideally we should complete by the end of June, because I then get to pick the project for the second half of the year.

Janine has picked for us a Sue Spargo pattern called Bird Dance.  It features applique, lots of embroidery with stitches I have never tried before or seen before, ie: bullion knot (that's the gold loopy one around the bird's chest)  or really need to master - french knots.  Luckily Janine had given me a stitching book by Sue Spargo a couple of years ago.  Another good You Tube tutorial I have found demonstrating stitches is by Mary Corbet and is found here.

I have started with block number 26 and am making these birds in a colour palette of my own choosing, rather than the ones suggested in the book. Each block is 6.5" unfinished.  Whether I get all 30 completed is another story.