Chilly Days.

I've been working on patchwork this week, I do love to spend time at this sublime pastime.
It is a very cold morning & the snow overnight has dressed the mountains in brilliant white. It is ever so pretty, however the wind is  bitter. The sun is breaking through, so not as bleak as it looked earlier. It is a great time to be indoors with stitching for occupying one's time. Hopefully I'll have something to show by this evening. I'm in two minds as I'd also like to be doing some cross stitch, pity I can't do both at once.

Monthly Cross Stitch Challenge.

This is my choice for the ODW Challenge for June, something fury. The chart is a freebie from, The Little Stitcher. A small stitched piece, easily completed for me as a not so fast stitcher, within the specified 24 hour period..


Below is the May ODW challenge piece, which I thought was going to be just the inside strawberries. When completed, it seemed to be lost in the background linen, 32ct Belfast. I decided to stitch the rest of the pattern early in June, the white rose border to add some light to the design. Instead of a small jam bottle cover, it is now a much larger piece. I found a lovely piece of patchwork fabric on line called "Strawberries & Roses,  so  that will be incorporated  in the final makeup, yet to be decided.

Stitching for May.

This is the completed stitched part of the One Day Wonder Challenge for May. The subject was,
 something that reminds one of Summer. Strawberries seemed to be a good choice. However It needs some light to the design, IMHO, so back to the drawing board. 

                From another completely different, Sublime Pastime, is an 11x12 x 2" hexagon  patchwork piece.
This too, is yet to be quilted & completed into a cushion cover. Unfortunately the colours are not a true representation, they are brighter in real life.Enjoy.

 

Past & Recent Completed Items.

             Here is a wee pin cushion freebie, completed  in 2012, followed by the completed scarf mentioned previously.

Wipe Out.

Earlier this week  I managed to wipe out all the blogs I love to visit. By the time I realized my error it was too late to rectify the situation. I had been removing those blog addresses, that no longer seemed to be active. Next time I'll need to take more care as I slowly add my list, over the next little while. K.

Poppies for Anzac Day.

As promised, a couple more Poppies, one beautiful one from my exchange partner  Barb, below.
Thank you Barb, I wore it with pride.

Next another one that I made for my own collection. This one is very plain. Another is waiting in the wings for when I can locate the other items, to make it as I had envisioned.

It has been a busy stitching month with the Anzac Ornament exchange & another, monthly One Day Ornament  Challenge. Here is my one day stitch,  a two sided  baggage label, yet to be made into the tag I'd imagined.

' That will happen when I find the correct transparent holder, in which it can be displayed to keep it clean, 
 to be used as a thread holder.  Some years ago I purchased the set of baggage tag, stitched, patterns, from
The Needle's Content. This month's challenge allowed me to start making those tags, this is their "May Floss Tag.

I also stitched two other small pieces one with real wings, a freebie from The Little Stitcher, called Bluebird,

while the next one, has petal wings  & also is a freebie from The Little Stitcher.
They do need to be made up into small ornament pieces, sometime soon.

 I also knitted up a scarf,  from two years ago, which I had knitted twice before. I started on a circular needle which caused me a great deal of frustration so it was undone. Next I knitted it with too many stitches. That too, was undone. This time it is done & won't be undone. It is just waiting to be stitched together, then a photo to follow, so it can be used this winter.

  Thanks for dropping by,
Kay.

Re-orientating Photos.

I've been trying to work out how to re orientate two of the photos from a previous post, to no avail. I've decided to start right back at the photo storage, where I had more success. Here they are once more, re-orientated for easier viewing. They were from a Monthly Ornament Challenge, I joined back in 2013.

Much better to see them the correct way around. Enjoy.

Anzac Centenary Commemorative Ornament Exchange.

As part of the  Anzac Centenary for April 25th this year, I joined a commemorative ornament exchange. This commemorates the landing of Australian & New Zealand forces at Gallipoli, in the first world war, all those years ago. It is a major commemoration for both of our nations this year. It is celebrated every year in both countries, with a  public holiday, dawn services,  marches through cities & towns with members of all services, although now with only veterans from subsequent wars, along with some representatives from some families.  It is  followed by lunches & time together at RSL clubs, Returned Soldiers Leagues, where in Australia only, a gambling game of  "Two Up" is traditionally allowed on this day.

"Two Up" is a game using two single penny coins, placed on the face of a flat piece of wood, known as the "kip." Each penny is placed in opposite faces & is flipped into the air by the spinner.  Bets are taken & held by the keeper , known as the boxer. When all bets are finished, the boxer calls out "Come in Spinner"  & the coins are flipped. There was always a cockatoo in the wings. (see below). The betting is for both coins to turn up with the same face. 

"Two Up" was traditionally a game played by poorer communities of Irish & English citizens  in the 18th century.  When the convicts arrived in Australia, the game was first noticed in New South Wales, in 1798.
It  was an illegal betting game &  the Cockatoo, also know as "the cocky" was the person who was the lookout for incoming police raids. Cockatoos were phased out in the late 1930's & legislation was passed for "Two Up" to be played openly, only on Anzac Day.


 I've made a couple of pieces. The photo below is of one, now that it has been received by one of the recipients.

I cut one of the poppies from the fabric used on the backing, then embroidered it to the front, within the printing. At the top of the label at the back, I embroidered a small piece of  Rosemary for remembrance.
I was encouraged from childhood, to wear a sprig of Rosemary, pinned to my clothing on Anzac Day, a tradition seen everywhere on this day. On November 11th, we also wore a sprig of Rosemary under a red Poppy for Armistice Day. Poppies being the reminder of the sacrifices of the Great War,  the Poppy Fields of Flanders.

Kay.

Sparkle in a Grey Day.

In this part of the world we have experienced a truly enjoyable, although dry, summer. Autumn started well & up until last week we still had warm days. Since Monday, we have felt a distinct cooling in the late afternoon, when the sun moves off the house. Yesterday morning we awoke to heavy mist & light rain, which changed to heavy rain around lunchtime & lasted into the evening. Today it has been the similar so far,  with more of the same for tomorrow. To add some cheer, here is a photo of a contained, brilliant coloured, Black Eyed Susan, situated just outside my kitchen door. It brings great joy on such dreary days. I hope it will  bring a sparkle to your day wherever you may be located.  Kay. 

One Day Challenge.

I entered a One Day Challenge for April, with subject matter Spring or Easter. In this hemisphere although our calender fixture for Easter falls on the same day, except for time differences,  we have just entered Autumn.  Easter was my choice for this challenge. I hope you like my small piece.

I stitched it into a small pillow for completion,  using this wonderfully, colourful, Kaffe Fassett fabric.

This is a freebie design from  http://www.palkolap.blogspot.com
I managed to stitch it within the specified time, it was a very enjoyable challenge. Kay.

Very Grateful

Since my last post, our Burmese wanderer decided to get herself lost another time. This time for 11 days. I can only say, I was extremely stressed. Once again we circulated flyers around our village, walked the streets calling her name , searched under neighbours homes to no avail. One morning last week when I was beyond despair, a lady phoned to say she had found the cat, who appeared to be in a very bad state. We quickly drove up the hill 1.5 klms to find a very dehydrated, skin & bone bedraggled Holly. She was in a cardboard box, beside a very busy road, Normally she would have leapt from that box & run for her life.  Bless her heart, she had no fight left, she was curled into the base. When I lifted her out, it was such a shock to see her in that condition, although I had been aware that without food & water for so long she may not have survived. She collapsed into my arms & purred softly.  We took her to the vet & brought her home that evening,  re hydrated, keen to eat & taking water. Needless to say we are very grateful to have her home with us & have an outcome that I had not hoped to find. She is gaining weight , thankfully, she lost 600grms of her 3.1 kgs. Holly now does not have the liberty of going out doors, nor does she want to, at this stage.
K.

A Stressful Couple of Days.

As  mentioned in my profile, we are owned  by two Chocolate Point, Burmese, felines.

They have been part of our family for 15 + years. We brought them with us from home, when we came to live in New Zealand. In less than a week one was missing for over five days. She was in a good condition at the time & only eight years old. When she returned, she had naturally lost some weight & had what we thought was grease down here back. We thought she may have been locked in a garage & under a car, at that time. Below is a recent photo of Holly. We have been told & agree, she is a very pretty looking cat.

 One morning earlier this week, we awoke to find no Holly.That is very unlike her as she is always keen to eat, sit on a lap & wants to be part of whatever is happening. She is a very nervous & very cautious of  new folk.   She does seem to suffer some separation anxiety, when we are out for a day or, when DH is not around.  We searched the property, the street, and called for her during the day. DH was not too worried & suggested she would be back the following morning. Not so!
I was very unhappy all day. One does not think one is so attached.  We circulated our neighbourhood mail boxes early the next day, with missing cat information. As we sat down to dinner there was a call to say a cat was under a home, further along the street. The caller said she would not come out  & had gone further under when approached. DH  immediately went to the home returning an hour later without the cat. The plan was to let her settle, leave some food, then call us again if she appeared  closer to the door. An hour later we had a call. Both of us went out in the pouring rain & wind, took the cat carrier & fresh meat from home in her own dish. When she heard our voices she cautiously moved out of the shadows, to eat familiar food in her dish. DH  made a quick grab & we had her in our arms.I might add she had that same black  grease? marking only more along her head, shoulders & back. It was soot! I had one of those "ah ha" moments.
Hopefully she won't be missing again, although I will know where to look in the first instance, if she does.
A quick trip to the vet for re-hydration & she was back to herself. She has stayed very close to us over the last couple of days. I'm so grateful she is back home.

Perhaps you can see some of the soot in the photo below, she does look a tad bedraggled. K.

Paper Piecing Items as Promised..

Speaking of paper piecing, this is one of two European sized pillows to match my hexagon quilt from 2011
which is featured way back in a similar dated post on this blog.

                                     


I  started these smaller hexagons, along with the small stars for another quilt, early last year. With last year's   hiatus in my stitching, very little was accomplished.

                                       

 I've started doing more hexagons & stars over the last month, so I'm anticipating faster progress as I 'm able to return to my stitching groups. The finished quilt is still a long way away.

                
The stars are smaller than the hexagons & I've not made as many. I can almost make both without concentrating. I find it is easier to charge ahead if I have a cutting/preparation day prior to stitching day.

I'm needing to have a prep day as I've not many ready to go right now.
                                         

                                         
That's all for now, call back to watch the progress.
K.
                        

A Quilt Exhibition.

I visited a quilt exhibition the weekend before last. This was the Stonestead 7th Annual Festival, an event  which I always enjoy. This time was no different, with many different quilts to view, in the picturesque outdoor setting.

 It was a tad windy, keeping it somewhat cooler than  at other times. Behind this line of quilts were the items below. They were three dimensional, some clothing type designs, which featured copper mesh with fabric, laces & other trims.

                   These were very cleverly put together, although more than likely, never to be worn. I'm ever thankful for such shared creativity.

The quilts were displayed on lines in another area. All the different styles & colours making brilliant patterns in the wind. It is no secret I'm very much a lover of patchwork quilts. I love to see what other quilters have accomplished & I'm very grateful to be able to enjoy their work at such exhibitions.

A hexagon star quilt & below, a Christmas Tree Skirt.

 

  Below are a few photos of a Dear Jane Quilt, one of my particular favourite designs.

I'm told this quilt took 4 + years  to complete. What a wonderful quilt, congratulations to the maker.

 

 I hope you have enjoyed these photos even if you are not a quilter, until next time,

K.

English Paper Piecing.

Hello Bloggers, I've been reading blogs this evening, both cross stitching & patchwork.
I've just linked my blog to an English Paper Piecing post on  the blog, http://lifeunderquilts.blogspot.com.
For those who are visiting from that blog, you can find one of my hexagon quilts on a post from 2011. I hope this provides the correct link. I've failed to do the link correctly, please just scroll half way down the page to find the quilt. http://sublimepastimes.blogspot.co.nz/search?updated-max=2012-12-24T15:31:00%2B13:00&max-results=12&start=12&by-date=f
I will photograph the ones underway, then post them in the next day or so. K.

More Stitched Ornaments.

As promised, here are a few more of my stitched ornaments, not previously shared. I hope you enjoy the assortment. If so, you might like to leave a comment & let me know, I'd really appreciate your thoughts.

This is my duplicate ornament for the 2013 exchange. I stitched a quarter section of a circular repeat freebie pattern, from My Aunt's Attic. This is a particular favourite, probable because of the shape I chose for the subject matter.

This one is the duplicate for 2014. I love the whimsical in Halloween, so this one below really appealed..

 I was thrilled to receive this one, from my 2014 partner.

 The last one is a small hat from a larger pattern. I purchased the surround a couple of years ago & stitched this small piece sometime later.

 

  

I hope you have enjoyed these small cross stitched ornaments. K.

Time to Return.

To all who have stayed over the absent months of posts, checking in along the way to see if I'd return, thank you.
Although I've been absent for some time, some of my Sublime Pastimes haven't been neglected. Not that there are innumerable completions. Some of those of the stitching kind, are no longer on the "to do" list. I've stayed up to date with the two regular annual cross stitch exchanges, Halloween and Christmas. The Halloween one I joined five years ago, while I've been exchanging Christmas Ornaments for ten years.

I'm ever grateful for those needlework skills taught to me at my Mother's and Grandmother's knee. Those skills have provided joy, delight, solace, satisfaction,  achievement, reward and even on rare occasions, even frustration. Thankfully at times the concentration required for certain applications, can banish all manner of distraction.

Let's get underway with afternoon tea and a savoury snack. Two more of my Sublime Pastimes in the photo  below, cooking & gardening.
I made these this morning, they were enjoyed by all & they were very tasty. The decorative mignonette lettuce, nasturtium, pansies, heartsease, lobelia & parsley, all came from our herb garden & hanging baskets. Enjoy.

Now for a selection of  stitched items.

My Christmas Exchange Ornament 2014, was like the red strawberry on the right. I usually try to stitch an identical ornament for myself. I had a small, extra piece of linen, so I stitched the green & red one on the left, to add to my collection.

This is my ornament from my exchange partner. The photo does not show the beautiful sparkling cord surrounding the decoration.

I stitched more than one Christmas ornament last year, a couple of extras for me, below.
The first one a freebie from LHN, titled Seven Pines. I stitched it to commemorate a family visit prior to Christmas, which was very loving & gave great pleasure.

                                               I printed the details on the reverse.

The next stitched ornament was also a freebie shared, from the French blog, 'Jura Point de Croix.

The next ornament was a copy of the one I stitched for my 2013 exchange partner, except for an alternative  trim. This is another LHN  design called "It's Snow Cold."

I hope you have enjoyed this small collection, I'll post more items next time.