Sunday Stash Report

Its been a week of little finishes as I outlined in Wednesday's WIP report.

Potholders 
I made another 3 sets of modern floral potholders to complete the order of 5 from my friend. I am so happy with how they turned out. These were 10" square 1.17m

Then I made some more potholders 8" square - 2 sets using Starwars fabric, 2 using Betty Boop fabric and 3 sets using Alice in Wonderland fabric. 1.97

 

Teeny Tiny Zipper Pouches
I have made 9 of these. They take up so little fabric but take quite a bit of time to complete. However they are fun and look great and hopefully they will be good seller on the Christmas Craft Fair. I have used up all the little ends - lobster swivel clips -  so until I get my order from Ebay I won't be able to complete any more. .46m

Earbud pouch
I made 7 of these in a variety of fabric scraps. I was really happy with how they worked out. .51m

Easy Cosmetic Bags.
Made 2 more of these. One in a cute owl fabric and one in pokemon fabric. .45m

Bandanna Bibs
Made 7 of these in a variety of fabrics. I plan to make a few more for the craft fair. Last year I made some Christmas bibs (both bandanna and ordinary bibs) I don't have any more Christmas fabric so perhaps I will buy some more and get some made - unless there is some amongst the donated fabrics for HWL. .29m

Hanging Towels.
I've made one using Starwars fabric and 2 using Betty Boop .3m

I still have plenty of fabric with me to sew but have just about run out of batting and iron on stiffening. I have been using some fabric my sister in law gave me for wadding to go in the potholders (some cotton cloth that I use 4 layers of in the potholders). We will be home midweek so I might get a few more things made after I get home to bump up next week's figures. In the meantime

My stats for week 44 are

Fabric used                5.16m        
Fabric added              0.00  
Net                             5.16m

Year to Date
Fabric used               143.43m
Fabric added               78.62
Net                               64.81m

Linking up with Patchwork Times

November Goals

October is almost over - 2 days to go and I can safely report on my goals. The only one not completed isn't going to be completed. I need to be home for it and I won't be home till 2nd November so there it goes.

I have already  basically done a report for the month at my mid month check in.

The 6 Christmas stockings I had to work on are all done as far as I can. 2 are completed and 4 are awaiting the embroidered names that are being done at home (thanks Lyndi) and I will finish them up as soon as I can after I get home. 

25 zipper pouches are done and sent to the person who ordered them

I have done HEAPS of stuff for Handmade With Love. As well as the zipper pouches mentioned above and the 4 Christmas stockings from the first goal I have finished handtowels, zipper pouches, pot holders, coin purses, ear bud carriers.

Hand projects - I've been doing some crocheting in the car. I have made 8 drink bottle carriers

I have put together the centre of the Club Mystery Quilt (now called Getting Along) and have sewn the borders but won't attach them till I add another small border at home.

I have worked on the Bonnie Hunter quilt String X (Stringen' Em Along). The string centres are all done and I will choose the background fabric from my stash at home.

The doily quilt, Handmade Heritage has the strips down one side but I need to cut more pink and purple strips when I get home to complete them with a strip and cornerstone for each one.

The only goal not complete is deciding on a design for Suzu's quilt. I think I will use the pattern that I bought at the Gold Coast in August. I can't remember it but if I definitely say I will do that one... I am DONE for the month - YAY

And Now for November

1. Complete 4 Christmas stockings (HWL commission)
2. Complete zipper pouches, headphone covers, coin purses, potholders, hand towels using licensed fabrics
3. Doctor Who Potholders (HWL commission)
4. Complete "Getting Along" quilt top
5. Complete "Handmade Heritage"
6. Work on String X quilt "Stringin' 'Em Along"
7. stitch velcro onto hand towels and bandanna bibs
8. Sew HWL labels onto the items completed whilst on holidays
9. Start work on Suzu's quilt

Fitness Friday

I wasn't game to hop on the scales this morning... well I had breakfast before I remembered to but it would have been a scary thing to do anyway.

I have tried really hard to keep my step count up. I have made it to 10 000 every day except yesterday. We were out yesterday visiting my other brother in law. We left straight after breakfast and got home on dark. I tried to get some steps in but by 9.30 I was too tired to be bothered anymore so went to bed 4000 short of my target. I was going to try to get extra today and I thought I did... but it ended up only being 700 more. Ah well.

And as to eating - yeah. We are on a working cattle station. The meals servings are huge and lots of things were fried... and I can resist anything but temptations. Today friends arrived with fresh buns, great Italian salami, luscious olives... so what could I do. Yeah I over indulged..... AGAIN.

So the scales and I won't be friends this week.

Walks here on the cattle station have consisted of walking along the road for the most part. I did venture off down a side track a few times. There hasn't been much wildlife to photograph but the trees - yeah I have lots of tree photos. 

There is also a magpie hanging about protecting his chicks so I get swooped most walks going up and coming back. He warns of his swoops with his chortling call and the flap of his wings.

I love the bark patterns on the trees 

and on the old fence posts

The other day my husband (Fixit Guy) came with me for a walk down to the river. Its not easy walking along the bank and there is only a bit you can walk along but it was somewhere different for me to go. 

The other side of the river has sandy banks that would be great to walk along... but getting there would involved driving quite a distance so not worth it. We worked out we could get the kayak down there but doubt that we will do that... he is finding plenty of things to keep him busy in the shed and following on behind his brother. I think I am going to go back to the van and crank out a few more items for the sewing stall.

I don't have my phone with me so can't record my daily numbers. I will add them when I get the chance.

Friday            10 073
Saturday        12 301
Sunday          10 887
Monday          11 522
Tuesday         10 468  
Wednesday    12 309
Thursday         6 142

WIP Wednesday

My big projects that I have been working on this month are all at a stand still. I need to get home to my stash to advance them and/or finish them off. 

String X is waiting on me choosing the background fabric and cutting the corner triangles. 

Homemade Heritage needs some more pink and purple strips for me to finish the last side and corner stone on each piece of embroidery. Then I will get to work on the borders.

 And the Club Mystery Quilt is needing a 1" finished border before I can put the piano key border on. I need to come up with a name for this quilt. I am thinking of calling it "Getting Along" cause that is the biggest mystery at our club... how to get everyone to get along with everyone else. Always seems to be someone on the outs with someone else. Individually they are all lovely women that I get along with (most of the time) but somehow there is always a bit of someone rubbing someone the wrong way.... sigh. But I do love my group.

There are no fabric shops here where I am currently in fact there are NO shops at all. My in-laws cattle station (ranch) is over an hour from the nearest shop of any description, aside from a petrol station. I also don't want to buy any fabric when I have a heap at home that I want to at least check out before I buy more.

As it turns out we might be making a trip down to Townsville in the next day or 2 to visit my nephew who is currently in hospital there. If I go then I will be visiting Spotlight to buy some signature bears for church so can check out fabric whilst I am there. 

Meantime I have been busy working on some smaller projects. 

I've made 5 sets of 10" potholders for a friend. She ordered them after seeing some I had made on Facebook. I showed the first 2 sets on Sunday Stash report but have since completed the other 3 sets.

I have also been making some Teeny Tiny Zipper Pouches from So Sew Easy (pattern on Craftsy). I've made 9 of them using scraps of fabric from other projects. The first couple I made to pattern and then I added a strip of fabric each side of the zipper for interest (I got the idea from another tutorial). I think that they have all turned out really cute.

I have made some more ear bud pouches - using up more of the scrap fabric. I've made 7 of them as well.

I made a couple more Easy cosmetic bags and 7 bandanna bibs. There's a few Pokemon bibs which I thought might appeal to the younger mums and a couple of Baber ones. I loved Babar so hope there are some shoppers who like him too

The caravan is getting into quite a mess. I have piles of fabric scraps everywhere. Staying at my in laws place I am not having to cook lunch or dinner so haven't had to clean up my sewing each day. I think I am going to have to had a tidy up soon before starting anything else.

So how are you progressing with your Works in Progress? Hope that you too are making progress

Sunday Stash Report week 43

Week 43

Sunday Stash report

I’ve been delighted to be able to make a heap of little things this week. I had prepped a number of projects before I came away. I had made the hand towels up last week and this week I got all the zipper bags that I had cut out done as well as the pot holders.

Some of the fabric I had used iron on clear laminate on but I wasn’t very happy with the results. Making the bags involved having to scrunch the fabric up to turn the bags in the right way and this caused some of the laminate to separate a bit. I am not sure if it wasn’t ironed on well enough of if I shouldn’t have scrunched up the fabric at all. 1.12m

Whatever – they got made and perhaps they will sell anyway given the pattern on the fabric.

 I made 2 red black and white Betty Boop bags and one black and white Pokémon bag with the laminated fabric and 2 other Pokémon bags. I put photos of my finished work on Facebook and a friend has already bagsied one of the Pokémon bags.  

As well as the licensed fabric bags I also made 2 patch worked bags using red and white patch worked fabric. They are a little bigger. I tried a different method with the zipper, using a pattern I found on the web. I stopped following the pattern half way through and so didn’t “box" the bottoms. They ended up looking like pencil cases. ,61m

So I unpicked the side, turned them inside out  and boxed the bottoms, turned them the right way again and the look so much better. 

Another project that I had bought with me to complete were some pot holders. I had 6 pot holders (3 sets of 2) cut ready to go. There were 2 sets of Pokémon pot holders and one set of space invader pot holders. I put photos of these too on Facebook and they elicited quite a bit of interest. .35m

A friend has ordered 5 sets of pot holders from me having seen them on Facebook – she has chosen what I called modern floral fabrics rather than the licensed ones and has asked for the larger size. (25cm square) I have made 2 sets of them but am going to need some more wadding before I can complete the other 3 sets. .78m

.78m

So my stats for week 43 are

Fabric used                2.87m        
Fabric added              0.00  
Net                           2.87m

Year to Date
Fabric used               138.27m
Fabric added               78.62
Net                            59.65m

Linking up with Patchwork Times

Friday Fitness

Its Friday again and I am writing this post before we head to my brother in laws property where we won't be able to access the internet via our phones. We might be able to go onto their internet but that might be a bit tricky - not sure what their set up is.

Have had a good week as far as meeting my Fitbit target goes. I managed it every day. Didn't go much over it at all but did manage to get there in the end.

Friday         13 894
Saturday     11 521
Sunday       10 284
Monday      10 880
Tuesday      10 026
Wednesday 10 717
Thursday    10 009

For the most part exercise has consisted of walking - sometimes it was walking through the rainforest or beside the lake

or to waterfalls 

One time we explored the remains of WW2 army camps in the area. This was most poignant for me as my dad had been in camp somewhere in the area in 1944.

Parade area

Fire place from the officers mess

Courderoy road

 and sometimes it was walking up and down a lighted footpath near where our van was parked overnight darkness having fallen before I had achieved my daily target. We also had a couple of trips in the kayak and the fitbit would count some of my strokes as steps (which I decided was fair enough)

Watching the diet has been a key to my "fitness regime" whilst we are on holidays as there are so many opportunities to indulge. Having a coffee and cake is an enjoyable outing for me. We like to give something back to the little towns we go through on our holiday and having morning or afternoon tea at a cafe is one way we can do this - but those snacks can add up! Another enjoyable ritual we indulge in is sitting under our awning and enjoying the view of where ever we are parked up and having a late afternoon wine with some snacks - a lovely end to the day. And then there are the enjoyable "gourmet delights" we purchase in the various places we visit - our favourite kind of souveneir. And desert. Desert is a lovely way to end a meal.

They can all add up. So we have resolved that in any one day we can't indulge in all of these and generally we try to stick to just one or 2 of them. If I have a wine I have to have something to eat with it. I am such a cheap drunk that one glass of wine before a meal goes straight to my head and leaves me a bit swimming headed, a feeling I really DON'T like.

This week we have enjoyed 2 lots of yummy treats whilst out. At the Mingali Creek Dairy cafe we enjoyed a devonshire tea. The cream was so lovely. We also bought some cheese, dip and yogurt whilst we were there but so far we haven't tasted them. We went to the dairy at the insistence of a couple of friends who said the food was divine. If we hadn't eaten our tuna sandwiches at the Milla Milla falls before visiting the dairy I might have gone the Ploughman's lunch. 

Then today, after we left Ravenshoe we stopped at the Mount Garnet Bakery and enjoyed a coffee and a vanilla slice. It was so creamy and sticky and yummy I didn't get a photo of it... my hands were too sticky to use the camera - but believe me it was good. We shared it so maybe tonight I can still have a wine with the family.

Weight wise things have remained steady. 97.7kgs. I haven't lost any BUT I haven't put any on this trip and that is important.

Getting my steps for the last part of our trip is going to be a bit harder. We will be at the properties and stuff will be going on and just going for an afternoon or morning walk is going to have to be more deliberate. There won't be random walks at scenic spots to indulge in. Still I am hopefully that I will be able to keep it up. I am going to give it a go anyway.

How have you gone with your fitness goals?