Lots and lots

Oh boy - it has been so hot in Sydney for so long now that I just don't feel like doing anything much, especially if I have to go outside.  Thankfully we are supposed to get a cool change tomorrow - hooray!  At least I have still been able to sew.  This week I have completed two mug rugs.  I think it is OK to post about them as my partner in the mug rug swap doesn't know who I am and therefore won't read my blog.  These are for the Mug Rug Swap being coordinated by the Quilting Bloggers Gallery.  Love it.  Haven't done a swap like this before.  I guess you could say I am a swap virgin!  Anyway, my recipient, who I won't name, just in case, is overseas so I decided that I would make one Aussie Mug Rug and one fun one.  The Aussie one features the kookaburra which is the bird in the centre of the star.  I love them - they sit on the fence or in the trees around my house and laugh at us all the time.

The inspiration for the fun mug rug was the saying "from my house to yours" which seemed quit appropriate.  This was my favourite one to do.  I even hand quilted both of them - which is something I NEVER do but i felt that they needed it.  Normally I would be concerned about hand stitching aggravating the arthritis in my thumbs but it wasn't a problem, perhaps due to the size of the project.

On Friday the postman bought me a wonderful package, my new portable design wall.  I don't have a wall where I can put one so this seemed like a good option.  Am dying to sew some blocks to put on it - later tonight hopefully!  In summer it will stand in front of the fire place and in winter I will move it to the conservatory as the fire will be on.

Last night and today I have spent an age cutting, sorting and ironing my red scraps for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge now that we are finished with the blue.  Certainly nowhere near as many as the blue (thankfully!!!)   So  not looking forward to the green month but that is yet to come. I have sorted a heap of strips around 6 1/2 inches long, some binding, a bunch of strips cut the full width of the fabric which I might use as sashing, a bunch of strips cut 1 1/2 inches wide left over from a long ago project (about 12 years!!!!) and finally the plastic container of little bits.

I had enough fabric in one scrap to cut pieces for one red flower block and three large nine patch blocks that will be turned into disappearing nine patches and a heap of smaller squares in various sizes.

The last pieces are my kaleidoscope blocks.  I haven't cut the white corner units yet - that can wait.  I need to do some sewing!

Now I am all organised for my month of sewing red scrappy Saturdays.  Yippee!  And after all the cutting sorting and ironing - I want to sew - so.........bye for now..........Happy Stitching!