Scrappy n' Happy

A little block love!

2012-02-17T14:15:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

Well a lot has been happening here – we all ended up sick with colds, the car is not going anywhere for at least another week and to top it all off the washing machine died….It must be so expensive for people who don’t have “Mr Fixit” hubbies, we were able to get the part half the price off ebay and hubby fixed it himself. I am glad I married Mr Fixit – maybe that is what I will call him from now on LOL

Anyway there has been some sewing happening…I have nearly finished my Name Game Swap quilt but I won’t show you yet because I think my partner is on to me!

But I will show you the blocks I have done so far for the Marti Michel BOM I am doing at the local PWS.

I am seriously loving my fabric choices – a bit if Sandi Henderson Secret Garden and a bit of Joel Dewberry’s Aviary 2 and some solids to calm it all down…and some random fabrics from my stash too.

This is block 1 which is actually last months block.

And block 2 which we did last night. I am really enjoying my night out once a month…gives me a break from the bedtime routine which has really turned into a nightmare I don’t know how to fix.

Also there is one other thing that is super exciting happening but I can’t tell you yet….you will be the first to know!

This and That

2012-02-10T10:37:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I feel like this week has flown by…filled with drama.

Our car has died, this is quite a problem for us because we only have one car and we live 15 minutes drive out of town so it is too far to walk or ride anywhere. Fortunately we live in an almost commune with hubby’s family so we are able to borrow a car to get to school and other important places while we work on fixing the cars engine.

TP is on his second day off school. He started running a high temperature with headaches early yesterday morning – like 3am ugh. He seems to be a lot better today, not so hot and he has a bit of an appetite again. Hopefully the rest of us don’t get it.

Anyway, what do you do to entertain sick kids?

I just go with whatever they want to do, TV, movies, colouring in….today they wanted to do some glueing.

BW is doing collage and TP is making red submarines in the blue sea.

I am looking at a book I borrowed from the library -

This book has some great blocks and ideas in it! Might have to try a few of them and it might be one to buy!

And I have been working on some things for my little shop -

These should be listed soon!

Finally some sewing

2012-02-01T21:24:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

After a week of not even wanting to look at my sewing things I finally sat down and did something.

I worked on the quilt for my partner in the Name Game Swap…

Just a sneak peek in case my partner is looking! I am still deciding how to do the name…applique, stitchery, faux applique…I don’t know.

TP needed a library bag for school so I whipped up one today for him.

He picked the fabric out a while ago and I was waiting to use it in something just for him.

The pocket should have been deeper but I was trying to keep the robots upright….Anyway he says he hates it, maybe he will feel differently tomorrow.

School starts and paying it forward…

2012-01-24T16:48:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

So school started yesterday for my oldest little fella…

He is in Grade 1 this year. Unfortunately I had an anxiety attack yesterday morning and couldn’t take him myself so his dad got the honour of settling him in.

It all went fairly well with no tears! Maybe daddy taking him worked out for the best…last year it took a whole term for him to calm down and settle in which probably explains my anxiety, I have been stressing for the last week. Anyway I’m sure it will be a good year for him, he has some friends from last year in his class and he has big goals! He wants “to learn to read long books with tricky words” – his words!

Now on to paying it forward….

A couple of weeks ago I won a giveaway, there were a couple of prizes but this is the one I won -

It is lovely but it is not my style…here is a pic of the back -

I have conversed with the person I won it off and asked if I could pay it forward…

So, if this is your style and you truly love it let me know…the first person who says they love it will get it! I will post international too! Please make sure I can contact you.

X and + blocks

2012-01-20T16:44:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I have decided to tackle all the swaps and QAL’s one at a time. So far it seems to be a good plan.

The X & + blocks are swapped in lots of 5….so I could do 10 or 15 or even 20…as this is the first round I have just done the 5 and will see how it works and how much postage is.

These are some crazy looking blocks!

I have made 8 so I am keeping the 3 worst blocks and sending the best ones! There are going to be some very interesting quilts coming out of this swap…

Winner 3!

2012-01-18T09:32:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I really would like to thank you all for playing along and making this really fun! I have learned a lot about my fellow bloggers and found some great new blogs along the way too!

Without further ado…..winner no. 3 is -

Congratulations Heather! You can find Heather here.

A quilt in a day …. ha ha ha

2012-01-14T12:15:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I love making big quilts but I have this thing about having to make complicated time consuming patterns. So a lot of my quilts actually end up taking years to complete because of interruptions and lack of motivation.

I think the lack of motivation comes from not being able to afford to have it quilted professionally and not wanting to struggle trying to do it myself on my little machine.

Now that I am looking after my SIL’s longarm quilting setup I think I might be able to get some of those quilts off my wish list and actually make them! Not to mention quilting the tops I have sitting around….here is a picture of my practice stippling…

I am soooo happy with it, I have never been able to master stippling on my machine but with the longarm it just seems to happen!

Last weekend I was hugely motivated to make a quilt quickly…ha ha! I gave myself 24 hours to finish the top but I do have little kidlets and the weather was not in my favour – on Sunday it got sooo hot I had to give up sewing and couldn’t sew again for about 4 days! My sewing area is at the western end of our house and is poorly insulated so it gets HOT….and it is not nice sewing and sweating all over the fabric!

Today, a week after I started, I finished the top!

The pattern is Amy Butler’s Lark Quilt. I did make changes though, I can’t just sew up a pattern! I have to alter it!

The changes weren’t too drastic, I used a Sunkissed layer cake and didn’t want wastage so I made my strips 10” wide instead of 8 1/2”. Which also gave me a queen sized quilt rather than a double!

The quilt top is 85” square.

PS. Don’t forget to enter the 3rd giveaway if you haven’t done so already! Leave a comment on the giveaway post and I will draw the winner on Wednesday.

Winners and Giveaway 3!

2012-01-11T21:00:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I have a funny sad feeling that the party is starting to wind down….you know almost like a wedding – giveaway no.1 was the ceremony, giveaway no.2 was the reception and now with giveaway no.3 we are cutting the cake and preparing to wave off the bride and groom and everyone is tired and ready to go home to bed….maybe that is just me LOL it has been soooo hot here for the last few days!

Okay now I have some winners for you, Mr. Random played nice tonight and gave me what I wanted straight up!

The winner of the $25 voucher from the Fat Quarter Shop is….

Congrats to Hueisei! Hueisei is from Malaysia and blogs at Love It Sew It.

The winner of the $25 voucher from Want It, Need It, Quilt is….

Congrats to Tracey! Tracey I am kinda assuming is an aussie since she looked at Janes shop….Tracey blogs at the Peony Teacup.

Now for giveaway no. 3 I have a selection of goodies for you…which I may or may not add to as the week goes by!

I have 4 fat quarters – 3 are from Urban Chiks and the pink one goes so nicely so I thought I would throw it in too.

Aren’t they pretty?!

Have you had a chance to try Wonder Clips? They are fantastic! No more pins stabbing me when I sew on binding!

Some buttons that go with the fabric! and 1 meter of cotton tape/ribbon that is too cute!

To enter this giveaway all I would like you to do is leave a comment telling me if you are doing any Bees or Quilt-alongs etc that I should know about….I love group activities!

And if you are a follower leave a 2nd comment saying so!

That is all folks….I will draw the winner next Wednesday the 18th of January.

Too many great things happening!

2012-01-09T10:43:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

There are so many great things going on this year in blogland and on flickr! I have been really careful not to sign up for too many, but here are some I couldn’t resist -

(Click on the pictures for the links)

The Japanese X & + block swap

This is my practice block…why I can’t take a straight picture I’ll never know!

Name Game Swap

Hosted by Samelia’s Mum….I love the one she made for herself so this should be great! Sign ups are open until the 15th.

Swoon Quilt Along

I have the patterns for two different sizes of this particular block and I really wanted to make a Swoon quilt this year so I couldn’t resist!

Dress Up your Roll

This one is Hosted by Jane and I think it sounds different and fun so I am going to give it a go! Official launch is today so go and check it out!

Just Takes 2

This has started already, not that I have started yet! I am going to do mine scrappy purples with white background….I think!

So far that is all….and scrolling back through this lot I am wondering what I have gotten myself in for!

Just a reminder that I will be drawing giveaway 2 on Wednesday so if you haven’t left a comment on the giveaway post yet don’t forget to!

Winner and Giveaway 2!

2012-01-04T14:19:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

Are we still in party mode? Well I am!!

I learned so much about you all with my question from the last giveaway, I hope you all have a healthy and creative 2012!

Now - The Random Number Generator got to pick any number between 1 and 48 …..

The winner is number 26 – Penny from S.C.

Congratulations Penny I will send you an email shortly to get your address!

I have a fantastic giveaway this week -I hope I can come up with something equally good next week…the pressure!!

There is not one but two gift vouchers up for grabs! Yay for you! Pity I can’t win my own giveaway!

So for the Aussie ladies I have a $25 gift voucher for you to spend at my friend Jane’s shop!

I have meet Jane a few times and not only is she a lovely lady but her prices can’t be beaten here in Australia!

And for the International ladies I have, with sponsorship, another gift voucher for $25 for you to spend at the Fat Quarter Shop!

How cool is that!

To enter I would love it if you would go to either of the shops and have a look around then come back and tell me what you would spend $25 on!

And if you are a follower you get to leave a second comment telling me you are a follower!

I will draw the winners next Wednesday when I announce the 3rd and final giveaway!

Some quick sewing!

2012-01-02T16:41:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

Believe it or not I haven’t turned my sewing machine on for nearly a week! What the?!

But when I saw the tutorial for a “Bapron” over at The House on the Side of the Hill….it is sooo cute!

The tutorial is done by Jess at Craftiness is not Optional. They are so sweet and very easy to make!

My SIL is due to have a baby in about a month so when I saw these I knew what to do – make some of them of course! The pink one is from Cape Ann fabric and the blue one is some Organic fabric. Lined with pale blue flannelette.

This is the last blocks for the Bee in Oz for 2011 -

It is called Drunk Love and should make a beautiful quilt.

I don’t know if we are doing the Bee again this year so I have signed up to do Just Takes 2!

Which has just started today so you need to get in quick! Click on the picture for the link to the webpage.

And lastly – I will announce the winner for giveaway 1 on Wednesday so if you haven’t entered yet now is your chance!

Reflecting on 2011

2012-01-01T07:51:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

Last year was a big year for my little family….

Lets start with my quilting/sewing finishes. I finished 4 quilts that range from wallhanging size to single bed size.

I think my goal of 2011 was to finish a lot more quilts than this! And make less smaller things -

I finished quite a few smaller projects. Mini quilts, a table runner, mug rugs, Magoo, bags, a spider shirt, placemats and napkins!

As a family we have had quite an eventful year. We all got bikes and have been doing plenty of family rides….We bought a caravan and did two trips – one to Charleville and the outback. One to Bundaberg for a week.

TP completed his first year of school as a Preppie, and is eagerly awaiting Year 1. And we shall never forget BW breaking his arm…

I think that 2011 was actually a pretty good year for us. We have plenty planned for 2012 – family holidays and adventures…we are thinking about starting a family blog about our adventures!

Now my creative goals for 2012 -

1 - I really do want to make more big quilts. And maybe that will be more achievable because of my next goal…

2 - I am going to learn how to use a long arm quilter – I am looking after my SIL’s quilting machine set up and have the opportunity to figure it out so that is the plan!

3 - I am going to go where ever the creative winds blow me! Without fear!

4 - I will sew what I feel like sewing, I will be ME on my blog and I will continue to sell some of my creations so that I can afford to be creative.

Family wise - I will try to be a great mum to my 2 little fella’s! And a good and loving wife to my very supportive and loving hubs!

My Bloggers Choice Fat Quarter Bundle

2011-12-30T21:50:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

This has been all over blogland this week so I thought I would give it a go!

The idea is to design your own designer fat quarter bundle like we have seen on the Fat Quarter Shop and then link it up over at Quokka Quilts. There is the possibility of winning a half yard bundle of your selections too!

So I started with violet/purple – my favourite colour! And grey had to be another key colour. I tried yellow as the 3rd colour but it didn’t look right so I went with berry (violet-red) because it is next to violet on the colour wheel.

I have actually been playing with this for a couple of days…and also did another completely different colourway. But I do love this one! The hedgehogs just give the selection a touch of whimsy too which is great.

This is the fabrics from left to right -

1 - Michael Miller Dirt Cotton Couture Solid Yardage
SKU# SC5333-DIRT-D
Cotton Couture Solids by Michael Miller Fabrics

2 - Michael Miller Berry Cotton Couture Solid Yardage
SKU# SC5333-BERR-D
Cotton Couture Solids by Michael Miller Fabrics

3 - Michael Miller Violet Cotton Couture Solid Yardage
SKU# SC5333-VIOL-D
Cotton Couture Solids by Michael Miller Fabrics

4 - Sweet Birdie Bubblegum Fruit Stripes Yardage
SKU# PWKD041-BUBBL
Sweet Birdie by Kathy Davis for Free Spirit Fabrics

5 - It's a Girl Thing Gray Doily Dance Yardage
SKU# CX4605-GRAY-D
It's a Girl Thing by Michael Miller Fabrics

6 - Circa 1934 Black Ginger Yardage
SKU# 37003-24
Circa 1934 by Cosmo Cricket for Moda Fabrics

7 - Modernology Blush Avant Garde Yardage
SKU# MO-3801
Modernology by Patricia Bravo for Art Gallery Fabrics

8 - Outfoxed Purple Triangle Toss Yardage
SKU# 5575-P
Outfoxed by Lizzy House for Andover Fabrics

9 – Tuxedo Collection Gray Falling Flowers Yardage
SKU# C2693-GRAY
Tuxedo Collection by Doodlebug Design for Riley Blake Designs

10 – Terrain Berry Dahlia Yardage
SKU# 27091-12
Terrain by Kate Spain for Moda Fabrics

11 – Hometown Stone Barbershop Yardage
SKU# 5464-42
Hometown by Sweetwater for Moda Fabrics

12 – Pajama Party Pink Houndstooth Yardage
SKU# 5828-22
Pajama Party by Barbara Jones of Quilt Soup for Henry Glass Fabrics

13 – Outfoxed Dark Purple Happy Hedgehogs Yardage
SKU# 5572-P
Outfoxed by Lizzy House for Andover Fabrics

14 – Pajama Party Pink Circle Dots Yardage
SKU# 5822-22
Pajama Party by Barbara Jones of Quilt Soup for Henry Glass Fabrics

15 - Ruby Cotton Grey Sundae Yardage
SKU# 55037-13
Ruby by Bonnie & Camille for Moda Fabrics

Have you joined in with this? The only way to beat this for fabric playtime is actually doing it at the store….you know then you can pet the fabric too!

What do you say to a …… giveaway party!

2011-12-28T16:58:00.001+10:00

Hi Guys,

To celebrate the opening of my little shop and because I forgot my 2nd blogiversary about a month ago…and after my last post I checked my stats and some numbers matched up! I have done 143 posts and had 143 followers! How cool is that!

So that makes 3 ….. lets have a party!

Over the next 3 weeks I will have a giveaway each week! This week I have for you -

A bunting covered 2012 diary! Since my last bunting diary was quietly popular I made another one!

The diary/journal is a my.mini.organiser diary – designed to keep you organised! I found them at my local newsagent and they are fantastic, the perfect size to cart around with you – it measures 18.5cm x 12cm.

I used scraps for the bunting and some ~~Reunion,~~ Sorry its from Hometown, what was I thinking? by Sweetwater fabric for the background. I really loved making this and the bunting is so fun looking!

So to enter all you need to do is leave a comment telling me what you hope to get out of 2012…..what you want to achieve, your hopes and dreams for the next 12 months!

And if you are one of my valued followers you can have a second entry! Just leave a comment saying you love me…..only joking, just let me know you are a follower!

PS. If you can’t wait to win this diary I have a couple more that I just listed in my etsy shop. They are all different and unique! My creative juices have been really flowing, worth a look really!

Playtime!

2011-12-22T16:57:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I have been wanting to share a few things with you. What I have been working on and playing with!

I have been making some new blocks for a sampler I am working on -

This block is called “Seeing Double” from the book Modern Blocks.

This block is called “Quatrefoil” From the Modern Blocks book too.

And another block from the Modern Blocks book - “Megan’s Star”. I love this book and have a few more blocks I want to make from it yet!

What sampler would be complete without a Dresden of some kind?!

Almost 99% of the tutes I found for this one used a special ruler, which I didn’t have. I managed to find one with templates and wouldn’t you know it – I just can’t find the website! I have been searching for the last 10 minutes…oh well. If I remember I will let you know.

I have 4 more blocks to do and then I can think about sashing!

I went to Sneak Peek at my local PWS last week and signed up to do this BOM designed by Marti Michell. I would love to use some of my Joel Dewberry stash but I am still playing with ideas! I have a month to figure it out before class starts!

I also did a little stash building! I had a voucher for a free metre of fabric if I purchased a metre so who can blame me?! My free metre is the houndstooth, isn’t it great? Unfortunately they only had 1 colour of the Henna Garden, I think to match the other Sandi Henderson fabric which is next to it. I would have loved to get it in some other colours too.

Today I picked up some light reading from the Library -

I say light in jest – check this out…

The Elm Creek book has to be over 2 inches thick! It does contain 3 of the novels though. I have just started this series and I am so loving it! I can’t wait to sit down with a cuppa and the You Sew Girl book either!

If you are still here you can tell I have been saving a few things up! Thank you for sticking with me!

Now over the next week while things are a bit quieter in blogland I am going to be working on something very special….wait and see!

New Things!

2011-12-20T10:05:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I have added some new things to my little shop…

These are 2012 Diaries! Great for the new year! And another lanyard made with some gorgeous scraps!

I am also selling these -

This is Issue 1-4 of the Vignette Magazine. I do love these but I can’t see myself having time to make the lovely quilts that are featured….so rather than keeping on collecting them (Issue 5 is now available) I am selling these as a set for $50. I will do free postage for aussies too! What a bargain! (RRP is $17.95 each)

I haven’t listed these anywhere yet so you can buy them directly from me at the moment! They are in great condition, I haven’t made any of the designs only read them and dreamed a ~~little~~ lot! Just send me an email if you are interested.

On a different note – Stuntman update!

Our little stuntman who you might remember broke his arm is going for his last hospital visit this afternoon. They are just checking that he now has normal movement in that arm, I don’t think there will be any problems as he has been using it normally for the last week. Which has given me a few more grey hairs!

Scrappy hexagon bag

2011-12-14T20:23:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I borrowed this book from my SIL about a month or so ago -

Natural Patchwork by Suzuko Koseki – who also designs fantastic fabric too BTW! There are some beautiful projects in this book, but this is what I chose to make…

The hexagon patchwork shoulder bag. I love the scrappiness of this one! I used a pack of scrap charms I won a while ago and added a few special fabrics from my stash.

I added a zippered pocket to the lining, with a silver ring off one side for keys or whatever. I also used a magnetic snap to hold the top together, this was my first attempt at this one and googled how to do it just to be sure I was going to do it right. Thank you to all the fellow bloggers who put little tips and hints on their blogs!

The straps are leather bag straps from Clover. Really nice and soft!

The Big Launch!

2011-12-10T19:38:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

Do you see my big news!!! Over to the left….

It all started with these – covered notebooks.

I was making TP’s end of year presents for his teachers. And I really love the process of starting with scraps or small pieces and seeing were I end up.

I loved quilting them and adding the embellishments – ric rac, buttons, flowers.

And I thought “I wonder if I could sell these?” and I asked a couple of people and got some good feedback. So I am launching my very own (holy cow!) etsy shop!

Jump on over and have a look! If you know anyone who is looking for quality gifts or even for some self-spoiling (is that a word?) send them to visit me! I will be adding more items regularly….I have a million ideas racing around in my head!

I might even have a giveaway to celebrate! Keep an eye out for that soon!

I feel like I have done the NASA countdown for my own shop….so exciting….I think I need a glass of wine now to calm my nerves!

Something is finished!

2011-12-04T18:15:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I have been desperately wanting to start another quilt, I have most of the fabric sitting on my cutting table tempting me, but I thought I should try to finish some other things first.

These are the placemats from the Colour Block Placemats and Napkins Sew-along. I finally quilted them and spent one night on each one doing the binding.

With the matching napkins. I used DS Quilts fabric and the white is from the Sunkissed range.

This is my wonky star night sky quilt. I got the girls from the Bee in Oz to make me a block each and I added some more to make it bigger. And the rocket is my own design that I screen printed with help from my SIL Debbie.

This has been sitting on my table for months patiently waiting for borders. I scrappy pieced the first border with left over starry night fabrics, I didn’t want any of the star points to touch the red border so I extended the sky.

I love the fabric that is the last border…on the selvedge it says “Doki-doki Kids” printed in Japan. It has the cutest astronauts and space ships.

Now that the top is done I need to think about backing and quilting, it might take a bit longer yet – this is always the slow point for me!

I wonder what I can start now! Hmmm, maybe I should finish some more stuff….something new is very tempting though!

Ups and Downs!

2011-11-25T18:05:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

Well this week has had its ups and downs for sure!

Here is the down -

This little stuntman broke his arm on Saturday. He fell off a stool in the kitchen, looking at this photo I wonder what he was doing on the stool….

It took awhile to sort out because the first hospital said it was dislocated and put it back in – all by feel, no x-ray. The doctor did x-ray his shoulder to check the collar bone which is fine.
So next we took him to our GP when he still wasn’t using his arm and got an x-ray of his elbow – GP said the x-ray looked okay but when the results came back from the Imaging people they said maybe a fracture.
Then we had to take him to a different hospital that has a Orthopaedic department. They put it in a half cast and made an appointment to see the specialist 2 days later. When we saw the specialist yesterday they cut the cast off and had a look at the x-rays and said yes it is fractured.
They said he could just have a sling on 24/7 for 3 weeks and I said that is not going to happen, the sling won’t last 1/2 hour. So they put a cast on for 10 more days and then he has another x-ray to decide what happens next.

That’s the short and sweet version! As you can see from the photo he hasn’t slowed down any. When I was taking the photos he says “Mummy get one of me standing on one leg”!

Here is an up that happened -

This is my fabrics for the Rainbow Charm Swap. My colours are – blue-green, red-orange, green, violet and yellow.

I can’t wait to start cutting them up!

Floating away…

2011-11-14T21:16:00.001+10:00

Hi guys,

Yesterday I walked into my sewing room and looked at all the projects I have started over the last few weeks and felt over-whelmed….then I went and had a cup of tea and thought about it for a bit.

I decided I needed to finish something.

I pieced the front of this kite months ago, after I won a mini charm pack of Little Apples. Since then it has been hiding out under a pile of books and patterns on my sewing table.

The pattern is from Moda Bakeshop. I changed it a little, added some feature blocks and made the bows rectangles and then gathered the middle.

I have this feeling that flying kites is symbolic of freedom, thinking outside the box, following dreams and flying high.

Maybe I just like the idea of floating off on a breeze!

Biting off way too much!

2011-11-09T17:05:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I seem to be starting a lot more than I am finishing…I think it is a disease.

It all starts with some new reading material…

I borrowed Sarah Fielke’s book from the library, it is a great book! I am considering buying this book just because the foreword is so inspirational!

Natural Patchwork is a book I borrowed from my SIL Debbie, it is full of beautiful projects and some fantastic bags! Which is what this panel if hexagons is for….

This will be the front or back of one of the bags. I have pieced these on the sewing machine using a Marti Michell template that happened to be the right size, don’t you love it when that happens?

This pinwheel is something I just had to figure out. I suppose it is a bit naughty, we saw these quilts at the craft show and asked how they were made, the man showed us a special ruler that cost $15 which really isn’t too bad and I nearly bought one. But I thought it looked easy enough to figure it out on my own and here is what I came up with.

I used some leftover squares from a Happy charm pack and some yellow out of my stash for the border, it isn’t finished yet as I am still deciding what to do next on it.

Also playing with the same set of Marti Michell templates…this is for another mini quilt for my mum. The segments are called uptown (or something like that) and tumbling blocks.

The Starburst Quilt pattern is one I got from the craft show because when I saw it on display I loved the block. Since then I have seen it again in blogland called Swoon, exactly the same block except different size.

Hooterville….what can I say. When I saw this pattern a while ago on the Material Obsession blog I knew I wanted it and then last week mum told me she had ordered some stuff from their shop and I said “quick ring them and put the Hooterville pattern on your order!” – saving me postage you see!

So, as you can tell my to-do list is getting way tooooo long!

Before I go I want to ask you – do you like rainbows?

I have seen this done in the US but never joined in. Now Lilabelle Lane is starting up a swap for us Aussies and Kiwis! Go and check it out if you are interested – more players are needed!

Playtime!

2011-11-01T12:35:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

Since it is November already….were is the year going?….I thought I’d better get my block done for October in the Bee in Oz.

This is so nice and bright. Linda is making these 16” blocks into quilts for charity.

This block is for a sampler quilt I am making from Where the Wind Blows fabric. The pattern for this one is from Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks magazine volume 2.

This one for for the same quilt, and the pattern is from Quiltmaker’s 100 blocks magazine Volume 3.

I have also been working on my Colour Block Placemats and Napkins…

This is the Napkins. I am using DS Quilts fabric for everything except the white, which is from the Sunkissed range.

Now I need to get to work on the placemats.

And finally, yesterday mum and I had a bit of a sewing day.

I made pyjama’s. I used a bit of left over knit from making baby things when TP was born 6 years ago. It has embroidered teddies on it. And finished off the cotton pants with some ric-rac.

Mum worked on a dress for me that I cut out a while ago but my machine refused to sew the fabric….her’s had no problem with the fabric so obviously it is my machine – very frustrating. Anyway, I will model the dress when it is finished…..I don’t know if you should look forward to that! haha

Teacher Appreciation Day

2011-10-28T12:18:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

Today, in Queensland anyway, is Teacher Appreciation Day. A day to say thank you for being a great teacher.

My son has 2 teachers that share the week and a teacher aide who is there all the time. So I needed 3 quick and easy presents…nothing too over the top.

I got the idea for fabric bookmarks from here. But of course I had to make them scrappier.

You can use up some left over charm squares for these. For the flowers I used 4 matching fabrics and used the leftovers for the bookmark. So you would only need 5 charm squares per bookmark! And a piece of heavy interfacing.

The flowers come from a book called Kanzashi in Bloom, but I have just found a tutorial here for you.

I used metal buttons that you cover yourself. You can get the kits from the Haby Goddess. It is the first time I have used them and I am so in love…super easy to make and don’t they match so well?

The bookmarks measure 10” x 2” and the flowers are 2” across diameter.

Stash Building!

2011-10-26T20:46:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I don’t always blog about what I buy at the local or not-so-local patchwork shops….maybe it is buyers guilt or maybe I don’t want you to be envious!!! But tonight I feel like sharing!

First up I have the 2 fabrics I bought at The Fabric Palette. I seem to still be collecting space fabric which I am using in the wonky star quilt. And I could not go past the kids stripe at $5 a metre! That is a huge discount, like 75%! I got all 10m’s, I am thinking quilt backing, kids totes, all sorts of kids stuff!

This is what I got at the Quilters Shack….there was actually so much to look at that I found it hard focusing so ended up just getting fat 1/4s. I love text fabric so I had to get them, and the others just caught my eye.

On Sunday I went to the Craft and Quilt Fair in Brisbane. I went with my SIL Debbie and had a great time! It was pretty quite, we didn’t feel like we were fighting for space, and the quilt display was very inspirational!

I didn’t take any photos because I forgot my camera. But I was wondering are we allowed to take photos?

I went with the idea of getting a few specific things…Cottage Garden threads were on the list and I picked up 3 shades to try out. They look so good!

They were also the only thing on the list to get ticked off!

I found a fat 1/8th bundle of Spring Street, which I have loved since first seeing it. Random fat 1/4s and some Little Apples. Oh, and there is some natural twill tape with measurements on it – love it!

Plus the book, which still needs a good going over. But I love the tent on the cover!

We both bought a pattern that had been sold out, so I should be getting that in the mail very soon.

This Friday is Teacher Appreciation Day….so I have been making a little something for TP’s teachers. I’ll show them to you soon!

Holiday Adventures!

2011-10-23T21:53:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

Yesterday we got home from a week at the beach at Elliott Heads. There were a few drama’s, but we are still new to caravanning so I guess that is to be expected…..forgotten ropes, leaky windows…. but there were good times too.

Playing around some rock pools.

On the beach at Burrum Coast National Park near Woodgate. We discovered a great little camp ground that you need a 4wd to get into.

The Boardwalk in the same national park. Great for the kids and their scooters.

I also checked out the 2 quilt shops in Bundaberg…

The Fabric Palette…A great store with a fantastic fabric range, they even have dress fabrics. I forgot to take a picture inside, it is a beautiful shop with exposed rafters and big open space.

The Quilters Shack…The store front is very, very deceiving. Let me show you!

This is the front of the shop, the door is just to the right. Some gorgeous Debbie Mumm things available here!

The back of the shop!

I have to admit this shop blew my mind….So big and spacious, absolutely (almost) anything your quilting heart could desire! They have all their bases covered - kids, batiks, repro, 1930’s, japanese, blah, blah, blah.

I actually got a bit overwhelmed and ended up just getting a few fat quarters. But it is definitely on my visit list again for next time, I will be more prepared!

In my next post I will share my purchases with you, I haven’t taken photos yet!

I also got some sewing done!

I started some rainbow hexie flowers.

I am using 1/2” hexagons, they are sooo cute! If I say so myself LOL

I don’t really have a plan for them, but they are great for a bit of hand sewing!

PS. Guess were I was today? I will blog about it in a few days!

Good things!

2011-10-14T19:11:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

Today my potholders from the swap Potholder Pass 9 arrived!

They are from Denise, I couldn’t read on the envelope where Denise is from….if you are reading this can you let me if you have a blog or anything?

The little one is a needle and pin holder with cute little pockets along the bottom. I think it would make a great mug rug too. I love them!

Perri from Stitches in the Bush is having a great giveaway….

I have been working on the next part of the Bonnie Hunter quilt (the blue and cream quilt)….

I need 168 of these squares. I think these will take a while!

We are going on holiday tomorrow so it will probably be quite around here for the next week or so. Bye!

Sewing frenzy!

2011-10-11T16:08:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I am in a bit of a sewing frenzy at the moment! My mojo is pumping! LOL I hope it sticks around for a bit….

First up, let me warn you that I am still trying to figure out our new camera, it is nothing like the old one which I realise now was fantastic and easy to use. All my photos are fuzzy ….ugh…. very frustrating.

For sewing day last week at Christine’s I took my machine so I could get the rest of the Broken Dishes blocks made…

Since sewing day I have sewn them into the required units for the quilt….I have 15 x light Jamestown Square blocks, 15 x dark Jamestown Square blocks, 22 x half Jamestown Square blocks and 46 x Broken Dishes blocks.

I have made a pair of potholders for my Aunt and Uncle who put us up for a night on our holiday. Just to say thank you!

They are 10” square. I made 2 square in a square (I think thats what they would be called) blocks, cut them into quarters and swapped them around a bit. And ta-da two gorgeous blocks that would also look great repeated for a quilt. I have run out of insulbright now, some more is on my sewing shopping list…I love making potholders!

And as if I need more projects here are two I couldn’t resist…

This is a Colour Block Placemats and Napkins sew-along. I thought I might use up some of my DS Fabrics for this one as I am making 2 sets that will coordinate and be for everyday use.

This is a stitchery book by Helen from Hugs n’ Kisses. I am a bit late joining this one but I have always wanted to do something like this and the end result is gorgeous!

I am starting with Lesson 2. Because lesson 1’s PDF wouldn’t download with the proper font for the title, hopefully I can go back and get it later.

So there you have it, my ever growing list of WIP’s! I just can’t help myself!

Potholder Pass 9

2011-10-05T20:47:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I joined in with a swap for house shaped potholders and have been working on them over the last week.

It took me a while to decide what to actually do but I came across this great garden print in my stash and that set the ball rolling….

I am really pleased with how they turned out. I didn’t have a pattern so I was winging it. I should have measured them but they are approximately 8” wide x 11” tall.

I found some fabric with people dancing on it so I put that in the windows…there’s a party goin’ on!

I even broke into my Hometown layer cake to make the roofs, I love the red roof!

I hope my partner likes them!

There was a sewing day today at Christine’s….I sewed like crazy but need to do some pressing before I take a picture of my minor achievement!

Great company, great food (awesome muffins made by Christine) and uninterrupted sewing time equals one very happy girl! Thanks Christine!

The Holiday Experiment

2011-09-29T21:59:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

That is what we are calling it. I guess it was a big experiment – first time in the caravan, first long trip for the boys and first time in outback Queensland.

This was the first stop, Possum Park near Miles. Which is a really nice place to visit, with its bush setting it was lovely and peaceful (until we got there).

We discovered here that the fridge in the van was not working properly. For the whole trip it would get up to 14 degrees every day so we lost most of the food (the freezer still worked) and had to work around the fridge problem. But this gave me quite an anxiety attack and I was ready to come home that night.

But we decided to stick it out and keep moving. So we drove on to my aunt and uncles property near Injune.

We had a bit of a farmstay experience here. We watched them work on some of their cattle and the boys got to go for a ride in the truck.

And they got to explore the dozer.

Hubby also helped them with a heifer that was having a bit of trouble delivering her first calf. We only stayed the one night here, it would have been great to stay a couple more but maybe next time that will be possible.

When we woke up and tried to take some photos of the homestead the camera wouldn’t work. So we had to quickly buy a new one in Roma and didn’t get to learn how to use it properly so please excuse the photo quality from now on.

This is Historic House in Charleville. Always great to get a bit of a feel for the area, and they had a little quiz style search and find game for the kids.

A bit of the Charleville streetscape. We spent two nights here at the Bailey Bar Caravan Park, did some laundry, had some relaxation time in the middle of the day because it got quite hot and got to see some Bilbies. They are so cute!

Just to give you an idea of how flat it is out here…..it just goes on and on. This is between Charleville and Cunnamulla.

The Cunnamulla Fella. A song sung by Slim Dusty. The rose gardens in this little town are fantastic, so beautiful. We just stopped here for a quick lunch of jam sandwiches and some play time for the boys.

This is St George, you can just see the weir in the background. We stayed here at the St George Caravan Park for the last night. It would have been great to stay here for a bit longer and explore the area.

We really rushed this trip, mainly because of the fridge. We did it in 5 nights rather than taking our time as we had wanted. We did a few really big driving days, especially the last 2 days which were 550+ kms each. Considering the big kilometres we did, over 2000kms all up, the boys handled it pretty well.

We found lots of great parks with playgrounds for the boys to play at. The towns we stopped at for some playtime are - Yarraman, Chinchilla, Mitchell, Cunnamulla, Bollon, St George, Moonie, Dalby and Blackbutt. All had great parks and clean amenities.

Sorry there is no sewing to show you in this post….I will have something to show you soon.

Babies and holidays!

2011-09-18T20:38:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

Here are the promised pictures of the baby geese…

There are 6 little fluffy goslings.

It is very interesting watching the family unit at work, it is like having 3 parents. They really stick together!

Although they are bringing the goslings up around the house you don’t want to get too close….boy are they protective! Which is actually really lovely to see.

It is school holidays here in Queensland. We are heading off tomorrow on a road trip, we will be making our way out to Charleville and back again.

Just to give you an idea because it is surprising how many people, even queenslanders, haven’t heard of Charleville!

I even managed to fit in some sewing time…

I made 2 matching sets of a potholder and dish soap apron. As soon as I saw the tutorial for the apron I new I had to make at least one!

There is one for my parents caravan and one for ours….we are all heading off on adventures!

I better go and finish packing….catch up later!

Bee Blocks

2011-09-14T20:43:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I have a problem….I get beautiful fabric, that I love to look at, love to touch and match it up with other fabric but when it comes to cutting it – boy do I have trouble! Usually I put it back away because I am scared of ruining it or using it for the wrong project….crazy!

This is one such piece – it is a gorgeous Kaffe print. Fortunately or unfortunately, not sure which, It isn’t my fabric so it had to be cut up!

This is what became of it – a Mod Mosaic block for September in the Bee in Oz. It looks really cool with the black and white sashing!

I have also been making extra blocks to go with the blocks that the girls from the Bee made for me…

This is a circle of wonky stars, I love this block and knew if I didn’t make it for this quilt I would really be kicking myself later.

I got the inspiration for this from a block on Flickr and made it up as I went along.

This was made with two smaller stars made by on of the girls in the bee, I wanted a 12x12 block so I filled it out a bit!

I love the little astronaut hiding in the little star! I have the blocks sewn together, 3 across and 5 down, I am really undecided if this is going to be big enough. I will be adding borders. Um, Um, Um….yes, no, maybe….I don’t know!

And because you are probably sick of looking at wonky stars I will show you some new life…

That is a baby goose, hatched yesterday! And see those eggs, well they hatched today. We have six babies! And one more that is hatching…we saw its beak sticking out the egg! Hopefully I will have some better pictures to share soon.

Finally a finish!

2011-08-31T11:55:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I have finally finished something! YAY!

It is only small quilt, a table topper or placemat. The block is called Big Little George and the tutorial is from Lily’s Quilts.

I had to try this one, it is paper pieced and has curves! I thought finishing it square looked a bit boring so I made it octagonal!

Can you see the quilting? I had a play around with it. I did my standard scallopy look in the centre and used a new design for the outside, from The Free Motion Quilting Project, it is called H2O.

I have been inspired to pull out the blocks from my month in Bee in Oz…

Sorry for the bad photo. This is what I had early yesterday…. I have added more blocks but haven’t put the pictures on the computer yet. I hope to have the blocks all joined together very soon and then it is border decision time!

Do me a favour?

2011-08-26T23:21:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I thought I would be crazy a put a quilt in this weeks Quilting Gallery contest….

This is the quilt – some of you might remember it….

It is called Opposites in my backyard.

It is designed for kids and has 3 sets of opposites with removable tags for each set.

Please vote for me! Go here and see all the others too!

Goodness!

2011-08-21T22:11:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I have been feeling a little uncreative the last few weeks. But I think my mojo my be returning! Yay!

Today I thought I better get to work on my block for August for the Bee in Oz.

I made a sample first….

This is called Interlocking seasons and the tutorial is here. The original and my sample are 12.5” square.

This is the actual block for August…

This is 22” square. So HUGE! This is going to be a very dramatic quilt! I have to say I love this block but it is quite complicated and I needed to use the trusty “reverse-sewer” more than once.

Here is something else I have been working on…

This is from Homespun Vol. 11.5, such a funky design by Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches deserved to be finished. I used Make Life fabric for the piecing.

What a fabulous hat - Holding all the essentials for your sewing room!

I love the price of the fruit, if only things were that cheap! I do love her red stripy long-socks though!

I know it isn’t technically finished yet but I am still celebrating!

One project is never enough!

2011-08-07T17:28:00.001+10:00

Hi all!

Do you find it difficult to work on one thing at a time? I do.

I vowed to just work on the blue and cream quilt but I have been lured away by other tempting ideas! I will show you some but first an update on the blue and cream quilt…

Here is a mountain of broken dishes! Not sure how many, I would guess half of the required amount so probably about 100 or so!

This how they go together. A four patch unit (these 4 aren’t sewn together yet) this is the dark colourway and I need 15 of this block.

This is the light colourway and I need 15 of these too.

I haven’t started joining these blocks together yet but I put these on the design wall to help keep me motivated and to see how the colours work together. I like it and I think it will look quite scrappy when it is finished.

Now on to some distractions….

This is the top for a kite wall hanging. The tutorial is from the Moda Bakeshop. I have used the mini charm pack of Little Apples and some fabrics from my stash.

This is a wall hanging I am working on for my uncle who was in the Queensland Ambulance for quite a few years. I am sort of designing this as I go along!

I also dabble in dressmaking every now and then. I picked up this fabric at Spotlight and I am thinking view C. I will have to see how I go with time management!

I know there are other things I am also working on but maybe it is best not to confess too much!

Bee Blocks

2011-07-29T18:50:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

Wow, where has this month gone?

We have been struggling with sickness in our house. TP bought home a flu bug from school, which of course got us all and gave me a bad chest infection. We are slowly mending now so hopefully things can get back to normal soon.

I have managed to get a couple of bee blocks done, first is Munaiba’s block for June. The tutorial is here.

Next is Kate’s block for July. The tutorial is here.

I have been slowly progressing with the blue and cream quilt, I have made about 100 of the 210 broken dish blocks. I will take some pictures soon to show the progress.

Mug Rug Adventure Swap and Other Incoming Goodness!

2011-07-11T17:51:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

Today has been a fantastic mail! I had 3 great little parcels all arrive together, I found them partying in my letter box!

This is the mug rug I received from Uberstitch! It is so cool, thank you Pam!

And there are a couple of pieces of really nice fabric included in my present!

I don’t think I have shown you a front picture of the mug rug I made….

And with the coffee cozy I threw in for my partner…

On to the other goodies! I won a giveaway over at Wendi’s blog….

This is the cutest little mini charm pack! And now I have some Little Apples!

I won a $20 gift voucher from the Haby Goddess and these are the goodies I picked off the website – a button making kit, some binding with crocheted edge and ‘camp out’ stitchery pattern, the Extra Curricular mag was thrown in for free – how good is that!

PS. If you live in Brissie and want a nice romantic night out I highly recommend the restaurant we went to on Friday night! It was so beautiful with our table next to the open fire place and the food was superb! What’s it called you ask….Birches at Mt Mee!

Holiday fun!

2011-07-08T11:59:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

Let me tell you these school holidays did not start out fun. Every time we tried to do something it would rain. We tried to go to the beach – it rained. We tried to go to the mountains for a picnic – it rained. I gave up on the outdoors and thought mum and I would try taking the boys to the movies. Everyone does it so why not us….we will not be doing it again for a long time. They actually did not enjoy it, I think the movie ‘Cars 2’ lost them a bit and they are the ultimate outdoors boys who can’t sit still for even half an hour.

This 2nd week of the holidays has been better, we have had a play day with friends and rides at beach.

This is at Bribie Island, we rode across the island to the surf side were the boys had a play.

And picked flowers for mummy!

Then we went back to the calm side of the island for fish and chips for lunch. It was a beautiful day!

The only crafty thing I have been up to is finishing off the 800 odd half square triangle units for the blue and cream quilt. I think I should give it a proper name!

Can you see the little mountain of ears I have been trimming off? And there is still quite a lot waiting to get to this stage!

And Hubby and I are having a “date” tonight! The first night out without the kids for years! Yay!

Winnings and a winner!

2011-06-26T16:07:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I thought I would show you some things I have won lately, not in the last week….but over the last couple of months!

The coasters on the right I won from Bree, aren’t they great?! I bought the Vignette Issue 3 which is very inspiring. Under the top of the magazine is some brown fabric, this is Bella solid Moda U Brown, I won a yard of this colour and also the Bella solid Black by participating in the FQS Bella Parade which was hosted by Shruti.

I won this sweet little package from Kelly. There is a bag made from a fat quarter, a needle holder, a pincushion and a rainbow charm pack. I love it!

Which brings me to my little competition….no one guessed which travel mug was mine! Don’t you know me at all? Only joking!

This is mine on the left and my mum’s on the right. Honestly this paper was like my third choice so it is no surprise that you couldn’t pick it. It does have my favourite purple flowers though!

However, someone is going to be getting a little something anyway!

Mr Random Number Generator has selected number 9 as the winner….Michelle May, congratulations Shell! I hope you like the coffee cozy and coaster! I will send you an email.

These are made from the Boutique fabric range, I love this range! Tutorial for the coffee cozy came from House on Hill Road.

PS. There is a great giveaway happening here!

Retreat and a little competition!

2011-06-20T17:45:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

Retreat was great! It was soooo nice not to have to wash up, cook and do washing for a couple of days, although I came home to a sink full of dishes.

This is what I started with…over 420 little cream squares and the same amount of blue squares, ready to make half square triangles. Yes over 800!

This is how far I got. About half of the cream and blue squares sewn together and some of the “broken dish” blocks sewn together. This pattern is in the latest Homespun magazine.

I wanted to have a finish to show for the weekend so I put together this Ooshka Boy. Pattern is by The Red Thread, as is the gorgeous face panel. This is the only boy she does at the moment. The boys love him and I will need to make a second because he is causing a few fights. I actually stuffed him when I got home but otherwise he was finished at the retreat.

This is the sweat shop! Mum is in the front left working on some machine embroidery. There was about 23 ladies and I won’t be able to tell you all their names. Too many people to get to know in one weekend for me – I am a shocker with names!

One of the mini workshops was decorating these travel mugs. The bottom screws off and we used special paper you embroider on and decorate with some flower punches and bling! Which then goes up in behind a clear layer and it is supposed to be water-proof.

Now for a little guessing game! The first person to guess correctly which mug I made will win something…I don’t know what yet but I will come up with something to suit the winner!

Retreat time!

2011-06-17T23:18:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I have been keeping a low profile lately. There has been a lot of sickness and drama in our house for the last couple of months and this has made me reassess my priorities.

I am really cutting down on the time I spend on the computer - which is mostly blog surfing, and I feel like I have gained an extra couple of hours a day! I have made a “must read” folder in google reader and at the moment it contains 16 blogs, which is not many when compared to the 168 blogs I am subscribed to.

I plan to keep my blog updated because it is my creative diary and I am still creating. Actually I am more inspired than I have been for a long time.

But guess what I am doing this weekend….

My bags are packed! I am going on my first ever quilting retreat – I have been on a scrapbooking retreat 6 years ago, how times have changed!

The retreat actually started today but I am only brave enough to leave my boys for one night….I know I have too many things packed but what if I get there and don’t want to work on a particular project? I need to have options!

I will share some pictures of my little adventure with you when I am back and recovered.

Weekend Wrap-up!

2011-06-05T22:05:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

It hasn’t all been good here over the last few days…well month really. But we will talk about this weekend and there are good bits!

It started out with me having to pick TP up from school early on Friday afternoon, the class had been on a trip to a farm and he had started vomiting on the way back to school. He stopped doing that Friday night but he has been really off colour all weekend so he will be home from school tomorrow. So far the rest of us have stayed okay so hopefully we won’t get it too.

TP is always bugging me to make playdough so I thought that might be a nice quiet activity for them, it keeps them both busy for hours – the key is not to make it too often! I use a great recipe that doesn't require cooking on the stove. Here is a recipe.

I think that is enough “keeping it real”.

I have also worked on a couple of projects.

I finished putting together the top of the Schnibbles Plan C quilt this afternoon. Now I need to sort out some backing.

I have made some progress on the Mug Rug for my partner of the Mug Rug Swap Adventure 2. Just working on the tea cup and trying to make it how it looks in my mind.

I hope you all had a good weekend!

Sewing machine cover!

2011-05-31T13:27:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

This weekend I cleaned up my sewing area a bit and wouldn’t you know it….I felt inspired to sew!

Sorry for the dodgy pictures. I bought this panel a few weeks ago on sale, it is so cute although I don’t think I would like mice to help me sew!

I have used the 2 biggest pictures and framed them with fabric out of my scrap draw. I quilted around the outlines, which unfortunately can’t really be seen in the pictures.

By the way, it is a sewing machine cover! I made it like a rectangle quilt with ribbon ties at the sides. I wanted some freedom with the sides because I usually leave the quilting table on, you can see that the bottom just flaps out at the quilting table.

I have some more little panels left, I am thinking mug rugs or pot holders….we will see!

I have also been playing with ideas for the Mug Rug Swap Adventure. My partner doesn’t know I am making it for her, and I don’t think she frequents my blog. Here is a peek at some ideas I have….

What do you think? I am leaning toward the bottom right one and hubby likes the top one.

I’m back!

2011-05-25T16:16:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I have actually been back for a couple of days now, but I have been quite sick and haven’t felt like doing much other than blog surf!

I have tried to leave comments on a few blogs and I come up as anonymous and then it still won’t go through. Has anyone else had this problem? Is it something to do with my new email address?

Anyway, I did get a tiny bit of sewing done before the sick set in.

This is Kyisha’s May block for Bee in Oz. I went with a pretty easy option but I think the effect is still good.

Here are my hexie flowers for my May partner and myself for the Inchy Flower Swap. My partners are the red ones and mine are the green, I think I will do some more vibrant flowers for my garden next month.

Thats about all the sewing I got done. Oh wait – I did get a couple of rows put together on my very patient Pure Schnibbles quilt. You can see a WIP photo of it in this post.

Hopefully I will do something exciting soon, I don’t know what though!

A forced hiatus!

2011-05-19T12:09:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

From today until about Tuesday I will be taking a break from the internet, it is a forced hiatus but I am viewing it as a time to focus on the more important things. So hopefully we will have some fun family time, some housework will get done and I certainly hope some sewing will happen too!

So I am going to ask you a favour! If you are blog surfing and happen to see that I have won some giveaway somewhere (wishful thinking I know) can you let them know I will be back next week! I will also have a new email address when I come back so any emails that get sent to my current address will be lost forever. I will update all my online accounts as soon as I am back.

But before I go I thought I would share a couple of things. On Tuesday I went to a sewing day at Christine's, which was fantastic. It was so nice to sit back for a couple of hours and relax! There where six of us there including Jane and my mum.

This is what I worked on. I haven’t touched this quilt for ages so it was nice to pull it out of the cupboard.

Jane also hand delivered some goodies I ordered from her shop.

These are so beautiful! Terrain is gorgeous and Hometown is a bit more masculine and I love the text prints. I love anything Sweetwater!

I made this little pouch for Jane. It is the first zippered pouch I have attempted so I am quite happy with it. I used the Make Life fabric range. For more pictures check out Jane’s blog, I forgot to take a photo so we can thank Jane for this picture.

I will catch up when I come back online, until then -

Bloggers Quilt Festival

2011-05-15T12:47:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I thought I might join in with the Quilt Festival this year, I have never participated before – only admired everyone else’s quilts!

So, I am going to show you another french braid quilt.

This one I made for my mother in law. Who as it so happens loves purple as much as I do! It was a real pleasure to make this quilt.

We went to the local patchwork shop and I started pulling purple fabrics off the shelves until we had a nice graduated effect. I made it in a class at a shop called A Patch of Friendship (which sadly no longer exists) using the book French Braid Quilts. It is a huge king size quilt, I doubt I will ever make another quilt quite this big.

I needed two tall fully grown men to hold her up for me!

This quilt was finished in May 2007, and professionally quilted in an all over pattern.

Thank you for checking out my quilt, click on the picture below to check out all the other quilts in the festival!

Easy Scarf Tutorial

2011-05-10T15:53:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I whipped up this little scarf and thought I would share with you how I did it. It is super easy! This is also my first tute so go easy on me!

I made it light weight because it doesn’t get freezing cold for long in my part of the world, but this could easily be made warmer with some batting or some thicker fleece for the back. It would be lovely with some soft fluffy material on the back!

You will need –

16 x 5” charm squares
Co-ordinating fabric for the back, I used ½ metre of 112cm wide soft corduroy from spotlight

Step 1. Lay your 16 squares out in a long strip, check placement for even colour spread. Sew together using ¼” seam.

Step 2. Cutting your backing fabric. From the corduroy I cut 2 strips 5” wide x width of fabric, trimmed off the selvedge’s and joined them together. I left it longer until the next step.

Step 3. Lay your backing fabric strip right side up with your pieced front right side down on top. I started at one end and pinned at each seam and then at the other end I trimmed the backing fabric to the same length.

Step 4. Sew all the way around with a ¼” seam leaving a 2.5” gap in one end. Trim off the corners.

Step 5. Turn right sides out and press lightly.

Step 6. Top stitch about 1/8” in from the edge all the way around the scarf.

Yield – a one of a kind scarf that measures approximately 73” x 4.5”.

This is so I don’t look like all the other school mums! LOL

Rainbow Braid Quilt

2011-05-07T11:46:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

Long time no chat! I guess life gets busy sometimes! My sewing machine is at the repairman's again, I am trying a new guy who seems to know what is what, so we will see!

Anyway I have a quilt to show you, it has been finished for a week but the first lot of photos were blurry due to little fingerprints on the camera lens….

This is BW’s first “big bed” quilt. (Don’t I live in paradise?)

This is the front. It is a french braid quilt with black sashing between every piece. It looks like lead light! It should have 4 braids running the length but I used the 4th across the top to make it longer, I should have made a 5th braid because doing this made it a bit narrow.

This is the back. I pieced it with the left over fabric and some bits if braid that were left.

The boys quilts on their beds and a rare glimpse of BW! I seem to have trouble getting the size of the quilts right for single beds. BW’s is really not wide enough, it could be 12” wider. TP’s is about 8” too short. But they do the job of providing warmth and that is the main thing!

Quilt Stats -

Started about 2 years ago, Finished 29th April 2011.
Size – 81” x 43”
Pattern – from the book French Braid Quilts
Quilting – by Christine

Incoming goodness and new life!

2011-04-30T12:38:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

This week has been a great week for the mail box! First up I got my mug rug from Sharon….

I really LOVE it! She used my favourite fabric range “Sunkissed” and the navy background sets it off beautifully! Sharon also made a matching needle book! This was for the Mug Rug Adventure Swap and sign ups for the next round start on Sunday. This has been so much fun I highly recommend joining in! The button is on my side bar for the link!

The next day I got some Joel Dewberry….

This is from Sew Love Fabric. It is the Aviary 2 range. I love the colours in this fabric and I plan on using for the Double Wedding Ring quilt but first I need to pick a background fabric….any suggestions?

Yesterday I had a girly day with my mum. We caught up with Jane for coffee. What a great chat we had!

Now I finally have some Sunkissed to call my very own! I bought this from Jane’s shop. And some lovely charm squares Jane threw in too!

We visited Quilt Essentials at Eatons Hill.

I couldn’t resist the Kaffe. I love the grey background. And the solid was on sale so I got what was left, only about 3m! Don’t they go together well?

Next stop was East Coast Fabric at Lawnton. They sell patchwork fabric cheap….not because it is inferior but mostly it is end of lines.

The top fabric is a panel and I am seeing a sewing machine cover! The ricrac is from the Oh Cherry Oh range by Moda.

We then went and had a little visit with Christine. If you have the chance to meet fellow bloggers go for it! It has been wonderful meeting 2 ladies who are passionate about quilting too. And being able to put faces to blogs makes it so much more friendly!

So I have done some major stash building this week, but I do have plans for most of it!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot about the new life part!

If you look closely you might be able to count 7 chickens. Hubby noticed the hen was missing and thought a snake had gotten her. Then he goes down to collect the eggs and feed the others, and there she is with 7 little chickies! They are soooo cute! How she managed to sit on 7 eggs for so long without being discovered is amazing, she obviously knows a good hiding spot!

Play time!

2011-04-25T22:19:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

It has been over a week of school holidays and public holidays here. So not a huge amount of sewing has been done but I did manage to play a bit!

This is the first stage of Big Little George, a block by Lynne at Lily’s Quilts.

This is the block fully pieced. I am halfway through quilting it but my sewing machine has started playing up again….not happy. It doesn’t seem to like free motion quilting.

So during some non-sewing time I came across a challenge by Sarah at The Last Piece, the Naked Bed Challenge! It sounds interesting but there is only a month left. I have been playing with ideas on EQ and drew up my favourite block. This is the test block on the design wall.

What do you think? I am unsure about the fabric selection, it is Make Life by Sweetwater. The block will be 16” finished. I think I have a problem with doing blocks in normal size, I seem to always make them smaller or larger!

Fortunately I have been able to borrow my mums spare sewing machine again, so I will be able to finish this quilt off….

I just picked it up from Christine, she does long arm quilting and is local which is very handy!

I hope everyone in Oz has enjoyed the loooong weekend!

Mug Rug Swap Adventure

2011-04-18T10:25:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

It is time for the reveal! Sharon has received her little gift from me so now I can show you!

Sharon likes sunsets and sunrises. Her hubby is a cowboy. Can you see my inspiration? I call it Sunset Silhouette.

A close up of the cowboy and his horse! I used raw edge appliqué for this part.

I also made Sharon a little hexie scissor keep to match.

Stats for the mug rug - I used fabric from my stash. The techniques include paper piecing, needle turn appliqué and raw edge appliqué. It is quilted with free motion quilting. Size is 4 x 8.5 inches.

Plume’s and Cars!

2011-04-12T21:03:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I have a couple of finishes to share with you. First up is a table runner.

This is from a book called “Skinny Quilts and Table Runners”. I love so many of the projects in this book! I used a Plume layer cake for the top and Kaffe for the backing and binding.

I went a bit crazy with the wonky photography! LOL

I have made a couple of cushion covers as samples for Debbie of Jump Creations (my SIL). She is planning to have a table at the North Lakes Farmers Markets this sunday, come and check it out if you are in the area!

A little birdie told me - there is a great giveaway going on over at Vreni’s blog, she has some great prizes! I would love it if you didn’t enter LOL then I might win!

We have some winners!

2011-04-10T21:20:00.001+10:00

WOW! You guys are awesome! I can’t believe the response to my little giveaway, I went from 83 followers to 113 of you lovies!

Now, I used Random number generator for this so don’t blame me for the results!

The 5 fat quarters of Melly and Me

are going to live with – 61 -

Quilting Mom said... My to do list seems to be longer than I can tackle...lol..Congratulations on 100 Posts!! Thank you for a chance in such a great giveaway!!

And the Mug Rug

is going to – 23 -

barcord said... Hi Jess, What a generous give-away. Thank you for whoever gets those beautiful fabrics and that dinkie mugrug. Love the binding on that. By your list, I can see you are going to be busy this month and onward......... :o)

YAY! I will be sending you ladies emails very soon. Congratulations!

I hope I can keep all my new followers interested with what is going on in my crafty corner of the world! Agh, the pressure! ;)

New month = new list and a 100th post = Giveaway!

2011-04-06T17:35:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

So I have started a new list again, it feels like only yesterday when I did the March list!

I have the usual suspects again this month, bees and swaps, the Schnibbles quilt hasn’t moved again, either has the Handmade stitchery.

But I have been working on the Oopsy Daisy table runner -

I have one of the stitchery panels finished. I actually could cross something off the list already – the Plume table runner is finished. I haven’t taken photos yet, so I will save that for next time.

I am questioning weather I should commit to doing the Vignette BOM. If you have seen it you will know it is a BIG commitment, about 2 years (at least). My problem is, if I loose focus it is not a design that can easily be made into a smaller quilt, each block is obviously part of something bigger.

And one of my all time favourite designs is calling me! The double wedding ring quilt along, I mean I already have the Marti Michell templates!

Anyway, it is GIVEAWAY TIME!

I had a hard time deciding what you would like to win. I have settled on 2 prizes!

I am going to share the love and giveaway 5 fat quarters of Melly and Me “Where the wind blows” fabric. It is so pretty! My favourite design is the white dandelions which is the bottom piece.

And for the 2 prize -

Is my “Scrappy raw edge Origins + selvages from my scrap bag” Mug Rug. I hope you like it! It is about 4” x 8 1/2” in size.

So all you have to do is leave a comment! If you are a follower you get to leave a 2nd comment!

I will draw two winners on the 10th of April!

The giveaway is now closed!

This post is linked to -

Tying up loose ends…

2011-04-03T15:54:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

This weekend I have been finishing up a few loose ends..

This is block 1 of the Tokyo Subway quilt, my Bee in Oz block for Shruti from February.

Here is a sneak peek of the mug rug I have made for my partner in the Mug Rug Swap Adventure. Can you guess the theme?

Dawn is doing up a “Laalaa” comfort quilt for Wendy (she is having a knee operation), and put a call out for siggy blocks. I really enjoy reading Wendy’s blog so I put my hand up to make one.

Guess what else I discovered…. My next post will be my 100th! So keep an eye out for a giveaway!

Blast from the past!

2011-03-31T13:51:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I have been busy, I just haven’t got much to show for it! I will show you soon!

So I thought I would resurrect some of my older quilts!

This is my beginner quilt. In the typical sampler block style. It is single bed size and was made at Patchaholics, Burpengary in 2003. The shop doesn’t exist anymore!
I finished quilting it in 2006, I wanted to do it myself and all that cross-hatching took forever! I still love the pansy fabric!

TP’s first “big bed” quilt. Which I seem to have forgotten to label, it was finished around June/July 2008. This is the top before quilting, it was quilted in an all over pattern by Robyn from Sunshine Quilting and bound in red.

This is a baby quilt I made from a panel in August 2008 for a friend who had her baby boy premie. I think I still have more of the duck fabric somewhere.

That will do for now, I will do another instalment soon!

Stash building!

2011-03-23T19:32:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I have been stash building this week! My mum and I went to The Quilters’ and Embroiderers’ Store on Friday. We took my youngest son who is 2 1/2, that is another story – my boys do not like shopping!

What a gorgeous shop! Next time I will not be taking children! The middle white and light grey fabrics are from the Sunkissed range, they are the only two fabrics they have at the moment, sad for me – happy for hubby….I would have gotten more! The pretty green print is from the Recipe For Friendship range by Mary Engelbreit, I am planning to make placemats with this and the matching fat 1/4!

They stock the Cosmo threads that I absolutely adore. So I stocked up ready to get started on the Vignette BOM. I matched the threads to the Make Life fabric, so I will have to adjust the numbers in the books. And I threw in a few extras – who wouldn’t!
I also got some hanky linen, I was going to use a solid white for the stitchery's background but the linen has such a beautiful texture I just couldn’t say no!

And I seem to be a winner again at the moment!

I won this fat 1/4 pack from Perri on the Vignette blog. I love this fabric, it is so sweet and pretty! I bought an extra 1 1/2 metres of the white dandelions. I am thinking of doing a grandmothers garden quilt the Marti Michell way with this fabric. What do you think?

Ps. If I take a few days to reply to your comment it is because we are going away this weekend. Yay!

Sharing the love!

2011-03-18T17:13:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

Samelia’s Mum is having a fantastic giveaway!

If you don’t check it out that is your loss….hopefully I can win if that is the case! LOL

WIP Wednesday….

2011-03-16T21:18:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I have exciting news today!

The Charm Bracelet Quilt is finished – yay! Unless you count the label, I just can’t decide what to write on it.

The front! I really turned out great, I was a bit dubious about the colours because they are not normally what I go for but they look fantastic with the Origins fabric.

The back! I love the look of a pieced back.

Waiting to be photographed….I spy a little dog LOL

Quilt stats -
Kate Conklin Designs – Charm Bracelet Quilt Pattern
Size – 50” x 61”
Fabric – Origins charm pack, Kona cotton Artichoke, Spice and Snow. Backing is Anna Griffin Elsie’s Kitchen. Binding is Hydrangea Blossom in green.
Batting – 100% cotton.

I have also started another project. It is a table runner -

It is Oopsy Daisy Table Runner, the pattern is designed by Jenny. She is having a sale at the moment so check out the Elefantz blog to get the discount code!

Linked to -

Flowers and new arrivals!

2011-03-11T16:34:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

Did the post title pique your interest? LOL

I have been working on hexie flowers for my garden and someone else’s! That is a surprise (maybe)!

One for me and two for ……..?

This is my flower garden, it is growing slowly. I think I will try to make myself at least one flower when I make my swap partners flowers each month. That way it will grow quicker!

I won this charm pack over at Samelia’s Mum’s blog. It is really pretty, kind of muted tones.

I won this Scrap Pack from Hawthorne Threads over at Angela’s blog, Cut To Pieces! Hawthorne Threads have gorgeous fabric, if you go and have look at the website check out Spring Street, I love it! Might have to get some!

As soon as I opened the package I saw some Urban Circus, so Tufted Tweets, some great boys fabric and don’t you just love those apples on the bottom piece of fabric!

A Great Giveaway!

2011-03-08T20:21:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

If you like hand-dyed fabrics and screen printed yummies you need to check this out!

My SIL Debbie is having a giveaway on her blog – Jump Creations!

You might remember this quilt -

The cars are Debbie’s printing and the border fabric is also one of Debbie’s hand-dyes!

WIP Wednesday and Janet’s quilt!

2011-03-02T19:07:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I think a new month calls for a new list!

Last months list really kept me in line! This month I feel like I need some play time LOL! That is fabric play time!

The pure quilt did not get touched last month, so it is still lording it over my design wall.

I have made some progress on the Handmade stitchery….

I am painfully slow at stitching but I do enjoy doing a bit after the littles have gone to bed.

I have also made a bit of progress on the Bracelets quilt…..

I am not loving the quilting pattern I am attempting to do. But it would take a lifetime to unpick it so I am persevering! I am about halfway through the quilting.

Now here is something I have been sitting on for a couple of weeks! Not literally, I wouldn’t dream of sitting on this quilt!

This is the quilt I made for Janet in exchange for the gorgeous work of art she made for me….You can check out a great picture of it on Janet’s blog, it shows all Janet’s glorious quilting in detail!

And I threw in a cute little pincushion too….

It is from the book “Pretty Little Pincushions” which I have borrowed from Christine. Isn’t blogger-land great!

P.S. I have added this post to…

Another Great Giveaway!

2011-03-01T21:55:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

You really need to get over to the Vignette blog and checkout this giveaway!

Or maybe not….then I might have a tiny chance of winning!

I can tell you this range is gorgeous! I have some already, but would love some more!

A great mail day!

2011-02-28T16:27:00.001+10:00

Hi guys,

I feel very spoiled today! It is not everyday that there are 4 parcels in my letterbox and 2 of them from overseas!

I have been involved in a number of swaps and now I am reaping the rewards!

I participated in Another Little Quilt Swap 5 this year, my little quilt went off to Vreni. I got this quilt today….

It came all the way from Pam in the UK. It is called “Memories Quilt” because it is made with fabric from Pam’s daughters dresses and the buttons are off a liberty bodice worn by Pam. And it is vintage, made 43 years ago! I love that it encompasses so much meaning!

I also did a little swap with Janet.

I received this piece of loveliness today. It is gorgeous! I love Janet’s work and I feel privileged to own a piece of her quilting! And a gorgeous piece of fabric was wrapped around it!
I will show you the quilt I made for Janet when it arrives at the other end.

I also tried my hand at a fabric swap through Flickr. I swapped a layer cake. I swapped a Spirit for a Plume! It is gorgeous, I love the feathers! You can see it in the first picture!

I have also started getting back blocks from the girls in the quilting bee I am in, I will show them later too!

Marti Michell Magic!

2011-02-27T12:32:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

Yesterday I did a class at Sew This and That. Each month they do a Ruler club but I had never been, it is tough doing classes with little kids so I don’t do many. But this was Hexagons…..so I had to go!

We used Marti Michell Perfect Patchwork Templates – Set G. For small hexagons plus….hummm sounded interesting to me!

(excuse the colour of the photos, I don’t what happened when I took these.)

I was blown away by what can be achieved with the right templates, careful cutting and marking, using a scant 1/4” seam and careful pressing!

Imagine sewing a Grandmothers Flower Garden quilt on the machine in only a fraction of the time it takes to paper piece it all!

Baby Blocks – I have always wanted to do one of these quilts but was put of by having to paper piece it or the other method I have seen where you cut the top of the block in two parts so that it can be pieced in rows.

These are called Inner City. It would be interesting to see a whole quilt like this.

In all honesty, I wouldn’t have bought the templates without having the class. The price of the set is prohibitive in Australia but when they are included in the cost of the class it was quite reasonable. Since using them I think they are well worth the money, but doing a class to learn how to use the templates properly is a good idea too.

To say I am impressed by the possibilities is an understatement!

Have you learnt any new techniques lately?

Quilt tops…

2011-02-23T18:58:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I hadn’t wanted to post about these until I gave them to Christine, but here goes…..

Christine gave me some fabric, shop samples I think, it is a gorgeous girly range. With the instruction to make a couple of tops.

I was going for a Stacked Coin quilt. They are BIG coins, about 11”x4”! I didn’t put a white border around the edge because I think they are plenty big enough, maybe white binding will finish them off nicely.

There sure are a lot of polka dots in this range, I had to be careful not to get a heap of dots in the one area. But I think they turned out okay.

Tomorrow they are heading back to Christine to be quilted and given to people affected by the floods for Quilts for Queensland.

I couldn’t be expected to sit on these lovelies for any longer could I?! They needed to be shared! LOL

Pantry shelf mats

2011-02-20T10:58:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I have been busily crossing things off my list. Today I want to show you my pantry. I LOVE my pantry!

We have been renovating and have put in a new kitchen and built in part of the hallway to make a walk in pantry. This is my fantasy pantry!

We painted it all with Dulux 101 which is apparently the best paint you can get. Colour is Pebble Bay.

To stop cans and what-not sticking to the shelves I made shelf mats. I used “Cherry Baby” and “Cherry Toss” by Lakehouse Drygoods for the tops and “Tapestry” in black for the backing.

The best thing about these is that I can throw them in the washing machine when they start to look grubby and then use them again…over and over!

What have you been doing this weekend?

A Giveaway!

2011-02-18T11:34:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

No it’s not me having the giveaway….

It is over at the Vignette blog! They are giving away a Stitchers Keeper by Leanne’s House.

Check it out!

Happy cars!

2011-02-11T14:26:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

My “Happy Cars” quilt is off to give some little boy a much needed quilty hug, as Christine so nicely put it!

I made the quilt top a while ago, it just needed the right opportunity to be finished and set free.

The cute little cars are screenprinted by my SIL Debbie from Jump Creations. The border fabric and the green and blue fabric on the back are also hand-dyed by Debbie too.

I really love the look of a pieced back!

My favourite colour for the car is the black one, but they look so cute all together!

Unfortunately, I cannot say that my real car is happy anymore. I crashed it this morning taking TP to school. He never got to school, we never even got out onto the road. That is the worst part, and maybe the best part, it happened in our driveway…..anyway TP and I are not hurt physically, maybe a little shook up though. But the smash repair guy thinks the car will be written off because it will cost more to fix than the car is worth. I could kick myself, where is Michael J. Fox and his time machine when I need him!

So that is what has been happening here today….the good, the bad and the ugly!

WIP Wednesday and some finishes!

2011-02-09T11:52:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I have the WIP Wednesday button on the side of my blog and had been meaning to play along every week, but things happen and other things get pushed back.

On Monday I made a list of the WIPs I want to get finished ASAP so I can start some other things!

The problem is I keep thinking of things to add to the list! The finishes so far are -

The boys ties are crossed off!

I have made 1 book bag, I may cross them off the list though. The library bag TP is using seems to be okay so hopefully I won’t have to make another bag.

Some of the other WIPs are -

This is the Pure quilt using Schnibble Plan C pattern. On my design wall, where it will stay for a bit longer!

And a tiny sneak peek if Janet’s quilt! It is coming along nicely and I might have it finished within the week!

This is what I am dying to start -

The Vignette mystery quilt. I am going to use my Make Life fat quarter pack and can’t wait to get started! I want to give it the attention it deserves so I am trying to get some more things crossed off my list first. So far it is keeping me motivated!

How are your WIP’s going? Is the list getting longer or shorter?

That’s my diet out the window!

2011-02-05T12:43:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

You may have noticed on the side of my blog a button that says “Fabric Diet”. Well I have been on it since the beginning of the year, and doing really well I might add. But things happened that are way beyond my control…..

The flooding of my local patchwork shop. Which led to this…

You can read the particulars on their website. The fabric was a fantastic price (for aussies anyway) and I felt bad buying it that cheap, although some had slight marking from dirty water and the dark fabric next to it bleeding.

Kaffe, glorious Kaffe! I could not leave it there on that shelf!

A gorgeous Mary Engelbreit panel and other assorted goodness!

And a nice stack of fatties to build my stash up! Does it need building up? I am finding I have gaps in the rainbow, here’s to filling them in!

I hope all our quilty friends in north Queensland faired okay in Cyclone Yasi. My thoughts and best wishes are with you.

Sewing kits for a cause…

2011-01-31T20:12:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

You only have a short amount of time left to do some sewing kits or even bits of a sewing kit for the New Beginnings appeal. I am sure anything will be appreciated!

I have to say I LOVE these Little Letter Needle Book envelopes. Check out Kelly’s tutorial at Em Ay Kay Ee, it is so cute and really quick to make.

Set one. The tutorial for the sewing caddy can be found here. I left out the hand embroidery because I am painfully slow and I wanted to get them done in this life time!

Set two. The scissor keep is just two 1” hexies sewn together with a bit of stuffing to fill it out, then a button on each side to pull it in. And a bit of ribbon or ric-rac sewn into one edge.

I made matching 1/2” hexie flowers to put on the front of each draw-string bag.

They went in the post today to Jenny. I hope they will bring some joy and hope to someone who needs it.

Another Little Quilt Swap 5

2011-01-26T21:02:00.001+10:00

G’day maties!

Today I decided to finish my quilt for the Swap.

I based it on a tutorial for paper pieced string quilt block. Except I made blocks much smaller, about 2 1/2 inches square instead of 12 inches.

The fabric range is “Pure” by Sweetwater, don’t you just love their fabrics! The text prints are adorable!

Anyway, I love how the brown and blue work together in this range. I’m not huge on muddy colours but I quilt like how this quilt turned out.

This is the back. Don’t know the name of this fabric but it matches so well!

Finished size is 11 1/4 x 8 3/4 inches.

A Momentous Day

2011-01-24T21:10:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

Today TP took one of those steps that really requires talking about.

He is growing up so fast, I can’t believe that he is now at school. He is wearing a uniform. He suddenly can brush his own hair because “I am a big boy now!”.

Ready to go….he helped pack his lunch box and then just wanted to get going. (He wouldn’t let me take a better photo at school, so this is it. That is BW in the shot too.)

Getting settled in. There were a few activities they could do while they waited for the day to begin.

He was complaining of a pain in the belly when we arrived, I’m pretty sure it is nerves because he said that a bit with kindy too, but I might get it checked if he keeps saying it. We don’t need him to have an ulcer before he is 10.

There were no tears! Which was fantastic. And all night he has been raving about how much he enjoyed it and loved it. I hope that feeling sticks around for a while.

I know I don’t usually go on about my family, but to me this is a really big occasion. I’ll be back in a day or two with some sewing related goodness!

Gotta get some of this!

2011-01-22T20:19:00.001+10:00

Just thought I would let you know about a fabulous giveaway!

Isn’t it lovely?! Go and enter the giveaway at Lila Tueller’s blog. If you don’t feel like it don’t worry – more chance for me to win! haha

Have you heard?

2011-01-18T12:32:00.001+10:00

About Quilts for Queensland?

You probably have but if you haven’t go on over to Retro Mummy and see what is happening!

Corie is doing a really great thing here! I believe Christine is also helping out! I have started digging around my stash seeing what I can come up with.

Oops! Forgot to give you a link to the new Flickr page Corrie has started for the quilts!

Mr Magoo has left the building!

2011-01-14T20:51:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

One of my bestest friends had her 3rd baby boy yesterday by c-section. So he was a week early and already weighed 9pd 10oz, imagine if she went overdue!

Meet Mr Magoo. A playful little monkey designed by Melly and Me.

What a poser! I used some brown fabric I had in my stash and some of my Make Life fat quarters for his tummy/ears and shorts.

A cute little softie for a cute little bubba!

I hope everyone is keeping safe and dry. Don’t forget to put some support behind the efforts I mentioned in my last post!

We are okay…

2011-01-11T22:33:00.001+10:00

Just in case anyone is wondering how my family is doing in all the flooding that is happening in Queensland.

I am watching the footage on TV right now and thinking that the pictures I am going to share are nothing, I mean they can not even come close to the tragedy that is still unfolding.

We live upstream of Caboolture, a city north of Brisbane that is experiencing flooding and evacuations. My brother has evacuated his house which is very close to the Caboolture River, so I am concerned for him and hoping he is okay.

This is looking down at our dam. The overflow is going off to the right, it is roaring like a river and about 3 feet deep.

We have had 200ml today, not to mention that yesterday we got about 200ml as well. These photos were taken during a lull in the rain. It has been really full on all day, we got woken at 5am with a massive storm and they just keep coming all morning. We have been flooded in for most of the day.

TP is running through a puddle that half an hour before covered the whole driveway and was about 8” deep.

This next photo was taken by a relative of mine and it really made it hit home to me how bad it was in our own area.

This is in the Morayfield shopping area and this building is home to my local patchwork shop, Sew This and That. I hope they got all the machines and fabric out….

I can only imagine the devastation elsewhere in the state, having 2 young sons of my own I find it really sad and heartbreaking hearing about the children that have lost their lives. I hope people take care and heed the warnings as Brisbane gets inundated over the next couple of days.

If you want to help with the Flood relief efforts fellow bloggers have come up with a couple of ways….

The Gum Tree Designers are asking for your help.

There will be many hundreds of crafters who have lost what is their joy, their hobby.

In our own small way we want to help, and we need you to come along side with us.

We want to collect, and then distribute, a 'New Beginnings' sewing kit for those who need to start over with their craft. We will be posting the kits in bulk to the various quilting groups in each town.

and

Toni from Make it Perfect is organising bloggers to have auctions and proceeds will be donated to the flood appeal.

Both of these ideas are great and I will definitely try to make a couple of sewing kits.

Lots of hugs for everyone,

And stay safe!

January Bee and Swap

2011-01-08T10:28:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I am in a Bee called “Bee in Oz”. January is Emma’s month (I can’t seem to find a blog for Emma, if you know it can you let me know?). We could do any block we wanted, using her fabrics with a splash of red.

This is my sample block. It is a Nosegay block taken from the book Material Obsession. The fabric is the Where the Wind Blows range.

This is the real block. I hope Emma likes it. I love her colours!

The other thing I am in is the Inchy Flower Swap. We actually started in December and a couple even started in November. I asked for fresh modern fabrics.

This is the first two I have received, the one on the right is my Welcome flower and the one on the left is my December flower.

This is the flower I made for my swappee for January. She requested citrus colours with a white centre. The green is a bit more citrusy in real life.

Last OPAM for 2010!

2010-12-30T12:12:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I have finished off one last thing for the year! It is actually a UFO that I started when I was pregnant with BW, that was nearly 3 years ago!

I am ashamed to say that the binding was half sewn on when it got put away and forgotten. That is sooo bad, it only took me half an hour to finish! And then I had to wash it because it smelt dusty!

It is made with flannels and has a white ribbon flange around the centre blocks. The backing is a heavy cotton fabric, the idea was to use it as a play mat on the floor. BW is now 2/12 so he doesn’t really need a play mat anymore! Maybe I should find someone to give it too, otherwise it will end up in the cupboard which seems a waste really.

OPAM stats for 2010
84 finishes
0 bed/big size quilts
4 small quilts
6 bags
a lot of smaller repetitive items for the kindy fete and teachers presents
2 baby presents

Goals for 2011
I would like to try for 10 quilts, with at least half being bigger quilts.
Use my stash as much as possible.
And definitely less small repetitive sewing, I actually dislike it! I don’t think many people enjoy sewing the same thing over and over!

Red alert! It’s a giveaway!

2010-12-19T17:19:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

Just a quick one to let you know about this great giveaway over at Retro Mummy!

It will be drawn on New years eve!

Be happy,
Jess

Playing catch up!

2010-12-18T10:18:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

This week has been crazy busy! But I got a few things done….this may have contributed to the crazy part!

Another apron, the same as the others just in green this time!

I got tired of making aprons so I made some flower brooches for the assistants and a new teacher who has only been there a month.

I have started quilting my Bracelets quilt…..

I have been playing with Emma’s fabric (January’s Bee in Oz block). I have finished it but will wait to show you until Emma has it!

I keep an eye on ebay for bargains, and couldn’t resist this layer cake!

Be happy,
Jess

Another apron done and a couple of lessons learned!

2010-12-07T20:36:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I finished apron no. 2 this afternoon…..

(Excuse the flabby arms, need to do something about that!)

This one has golden yellow cut-out kids. So cute against the navy! I have another apron ready to sew together, but I just don’t know if I want to make 3 more…what do you think? Do you have any suggestions on gifts for the assistants?

(Showing off the lining!)

Lesson 1 – Get a new chair! If you are sewing with a dining chair, like I was, chances are you are sitting too low. I have been in pain after sewing for only an hour, but I picked up an office chair with adjustable everything this morning and let me just say “Soooo much better!” why did I take the pain for so long!

Lesson 2 – Never sew tired. No I didn’t run over a finger but I did sloppy work. Fortunately you can’t see it in the photos, but I know they are there!

Lesson 3, this is more like a tip – When sewing the ends of anything narrow, the cotton webbing in this case, throw a piece of paper underneath and the machine will have no trouble pulling it through! Do you know what I mean?

When sewing the ends of the ties, my feed dogs didn’t want to pull the webbing in under the foot, so I put a piece of paper underneath the tie and then sewed the end onto the paper. Channel foundation piecing, the paper rips away and you are left with a really neat line of stitching. Yahoo!

(I remembered to put a label on this one!)

I also posted off my hexie to my swap partner. I love how it turned out, I hope she likes it too!

The colour requirement was “pastel”. I also threw in a little something extra!

Be happy,
Jess

WIP wednesday, amongst other things!

2010-12-01T12:35:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I thought I would start WIP wednesdays to keep me regular – at blogging that is! But I didn’t intend for it to be the only post I do each week….

This week I have been working on my gifts for TP’s kindy teachers, yes that is plural, if I include assistants I need to make 5! Well, I have made 1, so we can adjust that to 4!

When the fete was getting organised I heard one of the teachers say that they used to wear aprons at the last kindy she worked in. So that is what they are getting, home or kindy it doesn’t matter what they wear them for. I’m not making one for all the staff, unless they want to pay for them…cheeky or what?

TP is modelling for me so it was hard getting a full shot. I will get hubby to take a picture with me wearing the next one.

I even lined them! Aren’t the teachers lucky this year!! LOL

The apron tutorial comes from here. So I have 4 more of these babies to make in the next couple of weeks!

GOOD NEWS ALERT! I have my sewing machine back, yipee! I picked her up this morning after a 2 month stay at the mechanics.

I have also made my hexie flower for my swap partner, which I will be posting off soon, so pictures are on there way!

Be Happy,
Jess

WIP Wednesday…..a day late!

2010-11-25T14:37:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I have had a couple of computer problems which had hubby up til 1.30am last night! They are fixed now, YAY, so I am back!

You can read about why Lee started WIP Wednesday over on her blog Freshly Pieced. I am just doing a quick post this week, not a great start but the misbehaving computer played a big role in my being late.

I really wanted to show you this quilt that I have been working on, which is why I am doing my WIP post late rather than waiting until next week!

This is my Charm Bracelets quilt, pattern by Kate Conklin, just basted! Sorry about the poor quality photos, I used my mobile phone, but actually they look better than I expected!

I basted this baby at my mums, also where I work, because she has a huge table that we use for cutting out mass quantities of work related stuff but it is also great for basting large quilts.

I am waiting on some new threads to arrive so I can start quilting it. Hopefully I will have it done in a couple of weeks! Ha Ha, I wouldn’t hold my breath but I can be hopeful!

You may also notice a few changes on my blog – new header (I designed it on EQ7) and matching colours. There are also a couple of new buttons – click on them to see where they lead! The WIP wednesday button, the Inchy Flower Swap button – a swap I have joined where we swap hexie flowers, and Bee in Oz button (I also designed this one in EQ7) – a virtual quilting bee I have joined through Flickr. Next year is starting to look busy! You can also sign up for Another Little Quilt Swap 5 anytime before the due date for the pics, check it out, this is another fun swap!

Whew, I am outta breath!

Be happy,
Jess

Cake decorating!?

2010-11-20T20:50:00.001+10:00

I know, I know, cake decorating is not sewing. But I have wanted to try this out ever since I stumbled across it about 6 months ago….yes, it has taken that long!

Does it look yummy yet? Let me tell you – I think I have a sugar hang-over today, honestly I feel terrible, but that is neither here nor there. The boys loved it, all that bowl and mixer licking! I’m surprised they aren’t sick!

This is my first ever attempt at decorating a cake, and this method is super easy. I made a chocolate cake, from a new recipe which I don’t recommend as I wasn’t 100% happy with the cake, so use a recipe you have made before!

I even made chocolate ganache, which was pretty easy and super yummy!

And then I followed the tutorial over at Texas Monkey for the dressing up part, I used M&M’s and Corinthians wafer sticks. You really need to check this blog out – the cakes are gorgeous!

So, Happy Anniversary Mum and Dad!

Be happy,
Jess

Over-due finish!

2010-11-16T14:09:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I say over-due because this really should have been finished way back in April or something.

This is the cushion that was made during the workshop Kellie of Don’t Look Now fame did at Patchwork Angel early in the year.

I am keeping this for me, as a reminder not to leave things half quilted for a very long time. I can see in the middle the quilting is tight and very beginnerish, whereas the edges are more loose and relaxed but I still need a lot of practise!

Anyway, chalk it up to a OPAM finish for November!

Be happy,
Jess

A great giveaway!

2010-11-13T21:00:00.001+10:00

No not mine…. but check it out -

Over at Retro Mummy!

Wouldn’t you love to get your sticky fingers on some of this gorgeous fabric!

Be happy,
Jess

Opposites challenge quilt

2010-11-11T21:10:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

I delivered my quilt to Sew This and That today, there is no going back now. It feels weird to put myself out there with my own design, do you get what I mean?

It is called “Opposites in my backyard”. The tags for each opposing pair are removable so it is really an interactive quilt made with children in mind.

There are ‘high/low’ owls, ‘tall/short’ flowers and ‘in/out’ chickens. One of my favourite parts of the quilt is the chicken wire (not really little finger friendly).

One of the requirements of the challenge was that the fabric had to come from their shop. I used a fat quarter each of 2 coordinating Amy Butler prints for the border and put them in opposing corners.

Stats – size. 50cm x 65cm
techniques. fabric colouring, basic hand embroidery, piecing and quilting
fabrics. assorted cotton prints from Sew This and That

Be happy,
Jess

Reverse sewing….

2010-11-07T21:45:00.001+10:00

Hi all,

Just letting you know I am still around! I have been franticly working on my entry for the Sew This and That Quilt Challenge….

But don’t you hate it when this happens? Luckily I hadn’t quilted too much before I noticed – otherwise Vreni might have heard me saying naughty words all the way over in Singapore!

So out came the ‘reverse sewer’! Anyway, it is nearly finished so hopefully I can reveal all very soon!

Another major thing happening right now is our renovation. The kitchen is in, but because we are trying to do most of it ourselves it is taking time…

Here is a sneaky peek of the kitchen for you! I love the recipe book holder, it is a anniversary present from my folks, we have just passed the 10 year mark!

Have a great week and be happy,
Jess

Ps. If anyone is waiting for updates on our little goslings – unfortunately silly mama goose built her nest too low and it got flooded in all the rain we had a few weeks ago. So there will be no goslings just yet. Never mind, nature taking its course and all that, apparently she should lay more eggs early next year so we live in hope.