2026 First FNSI for the year and memories of times gone by.

 Welcome, welcome,  and a very happy New Year!

It just occurred to me that I have been doing FNSI for quite some time now after taking it over.  I had to go back and check how long and can you believe it......my first was Jan 20, 2012!  I've been hosting FNSI for 14 years this year....so since that very first Aussie FNSI, that's 

• 5111 days or 
• 13 years 11 months 28 days, or 
• 167 months 28 days or
• 730 weeks and 1 day or
• 122,664 hours or
• 7,359,840 minutes or
• 441,590,400 seconds!!!!

Can you believe it???  Happy anniversary to us! 

That's a heck of a lot of craft projects we've been able to fit in!  I'm so proud to be able to host this for us all, and with the help of our beautiful sponsor Dawn from Kitty Rose Cottage, encourage you with gorgeous fabrics and kits and a prize or two!  Speaking of which, have you seen the new Tilda range 'Songbird' ready for preorder?  (and yes, it is on sale at Kitty Rose Cottage!)  Ive just placed my order and can't wait to get it and make something beautiful.

Time has certainly changed since those early days and the idea of blogging is a little 'old' but I still like to blog when I can.  It's a little more arduous now with updates over the years making it more difficult to add photos and things so posts are fewer and farther between.  

Keeping up with the times, I've added our Facebook group to make it easier for those who don't blog (or who prefer the 'instant' inspiration) so if you are not a member of the group yet, I recommend you join so you don't miss out.

We've made so many friendships and learnt so much from one another over the years, I cannot imagine life without FNSI now.  We've grown from a few ladies to a group from all over the world.  I've found it to be so therapeutic and inclusive, particularly being in a rural area where getting together is limited. What are your memories of FNSI?  I'd love to hear.

Scroll forward and I've got a bit of a catch up for prizes for 2025.  November and December was problematic as computer issues made it difficult to post.....frustrates the bejeebuz out of me.....BUT, we'll start off 2026 with a positive...... some winners!! That's always good, isn't it?

We have winners for both November and December and without further ado....here they are.....

Congratulations ladies!!!  So much inspiration each month and a little payback is just the 'glimmer' we need!   

Looking forward to spending another FNSI with you this Friday night and for many more Friday nights to come!  Thank you so much for sharing it with me and here's to our little community growing bigger and stronger for a long time yet!

Big sugary hugs xox :o)

It's October FNSI already!

 ....and it's crept up again!!

This month's is a little delayed (or extended, depending on how you look at it!) as I totally lost track of last week being the third week of the month.  These months when the first is near the Friday really throw me!  So last week was an impromptu FNSI with this week being the 'formal' one!  Both weeks qualify for the lucky draw at the end of the month so make sure you're in.

I've been back for my orthopaedic visit and despite my ligament healing well, the swelling and inflammation is causing huge issues with movement and pain so I'm off for another 2 months recouping.  I don't have to wear my leg brace anymore, thank goodness.  Even though it helped significantly with pain and stability, it kept slipping down my leg as I walked and it was as frustrating as much as it was a relief!  I did go for a cortisone injection on Monday though.  Boy oh boy.....that was an experience!   The cortisone wasn't an issue at all....didn't feel a thing but the local anaesthetic into the knee joint was quite another story!  Put it this way, I'm glad I had a lovely nurse rubbing my arm for distraction and holding my hand!  I'm hoping it makes a difference....I've noticed a little so far but I don't want to be too over zealous!

In the meantime, I'm plodding along on some Christmas sewing and trying to catch up on some UFOs.  I did manage a finish of a Dutch Braid table runner, which I just had to put together as it had some beautiful bee fabric in colours I love.  

I finished a Christmas quilt in 'not my usual' colour palette but thought I'd step outside the square.  I really enjoyed playing with the free motion quilting on this one.

I'm preparing the last few EPP blocks for my Celestial Star Quilt so that I can complete it whilst I'm visiting my boy in Brisbane early next month.  My grandson will be 4 so I'm very excited for the visit.

And I've been catching up on my Temperature Tree Cross stitch.   Just a few days behind now but the temperatures are starting to rise again so the colours are becoming warmer too!  

There has been some secret squirrel Christmas stitching happening too which I can't show yet and some progress on BOMs I've been trying to catch up on (when my little helper isn't getting in on the act!).

And lots of catch ups on Netflix, Stan, Binge and all the other channels!!!  I managed to catch up on the whole six series of The Handmaid's Tale......a truly eye opening, thought provoking view of 'eutopia'! 

What have you been stitching?  There's been a few sneaky peeks in our Facebook Group HERE.  If you haven't joined in yet pop in and join because we often get the 'first looks' of our FNSI escapades there!

Last month we had twenty-one lovely ladies join in and there was loads to be inspired with.  I know I've been known to make a couple of  'sneaky purchases' based on what others are making....there's some beauties!   I popped everyone's names into the magic Wheel of Names and our winner for September was drawn!  

Congratulations to: 

Yahoo Sharon!!!  I'll message with details and a gift from our wonderful sponsor, Dawn of Kitty Rose Cottage will be on it's way to you!   Dawn has some beautiful projects and kits using the new Tilda Merry Little Christmas for sale so pop on over and take a look! 

 Make sure you sign up for this month (which is actually tomorrow night!) so you're in the draw for October!  I read somewhere on Facebook the other day that there is only 9 Fridays till Christmas!!! EEEK  ..... This year is really flying......must get more of my Christmas list written and made!  How about you?  These FNSI are really good for catch ups with our Christmas sewing, don't you think? 

Anyhoo....have a fabulous Thursday and I look forward to stitching with you all tomorrow night.

Sweet sugary hugs xox :o)

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)

 

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)

 

August already? Let''s sign up for FNSI

 Yep it's time, and I'm late!  Had a very busy week with double shifts all week and tutoring afterwards every afternoon so a bit late to the party I'm afraid!  But I see a lot of you signed up in our Facebook Group which is great.   The advantage of signing up on the blog is, if you have a blog yourself, you can link people to your page so they can learn all about you and maybe create new friends and learn new things!  I'm a lover of blogs for this reason but I don't get much time to indulge myself in them at the moment....life has become soooo hectic! (I know you know what I mean!)

Anyhoo.....sign up below if you can, or in the Facebook group under the sign up post for this month and remember to add some photos there so we can encourage you along!

Catching up on winners from June and July....this time is just running away from me!   I managed to get it organised this morning and in June, we had 31 ladies join together which is awesome!  It's so wonderful to be able to spend some quality time together, even if it is virtually, sharing things we love.  

So I put it to the Wheel for a decision, and our lucky winner for June is: 

Congratulations Dianne!!!!   

In July we had 23 ladies....there was so much inspiration, from stitching to piecing, crocheting....I wish I was as talented as you lot......I can do some things but there's lots I just am NO good at, and I recognise that but love to watch your talents unfold before me each month.

The Wheel decided.....and  July's winner is:

Congratulations Marilyn!!!!

Both lovely ladies have won a $30 voucher from our wonderful sponsor Kitty Rose Cottage to spend on whatever their hearts desire!   Remembering that for the rest of this month there is a sale on 'to celebrate Dawns Birthday Month.  Make sure you send her some birthday love by popping over to the site and buying up whilst there's 30% off some of the fabric ranges and 25 % off kits and patterns, whilst stocks last!

From this month, we've had to change our prize for our winners. Due to the cost of living and expenses constantly rising, we won't be offering our $30 voucher from August as a prize. Instead, Kitty Rose has offered to continue sponsoring our monthly sew in with a prize but instead of the voucher, it will be a current pattern/s that will be posted to you to enjoy! It could be any from the range, whether it be a Kitty Rose pattern, a Gail Pan Pattern or something different, I'm sure you will love it! For overseas winners, your pattern will be in PDF format and whoever is a winner, the prize will be personalised just for you! I'm sure you will understand and can embrace the changes as the prize is still one worth vying for!!! A big thank you to Dawn at Kitty Rose Cottage for constantly and generously supporting us on our crafty journey together. xx

Now I need to get ready for work so I'll leave with sign ups below and sugary love and crafty hugs

See you later today!!

BIIIIIG sugary hugs xox :o)