Schnitzel & Boo Mini Quilt Swap

A couple of months ago, I signed up to join in the fun of Schnitzel & Boo's Mini Quilt Swap!  It was one of those - I have no idea what I'm doing but it sounds good - kind of deals.  Once I wrapped my head around what it involved, I knew exactly which mini quilt I wanted to make, and waited for instructions about my partner who I'd be making it for!

I was hoping to get a social media hog like myself, so I would be able to stalk his/her accounts in all forms, but alas, I only had one social media site to stalk, and even then - did not get much to go on!  The only clues I got was via my information email which stated they liked amongst other things "muted colours" and a handful of designers, including Tula Pink.  With that little snippet of insight on hand, I raided my stash.  I completely forgot I had a bundle of Acacia hidden amongst the shelves, so that was a little jackpot in itself!  This was as "muted" as my colour palette gets.  And the rest, as they say, is now history.....

 

The pattern I planned to use was perfect!  Quilt Jane's Nested Churndash is an awesome pattern, and is so super duper easy it's not even funny!  You can buy it HERE!

 

I wanted the perfect little fussy cut for the centre block, so ripped open my Foxfield charm packs and found this little bunny!  Fabulous!  And even better, both fabric lines go perfectly together!  Winning!

 

My partner also likes Low Volume prints, bonus.

 

A little Tula Prince Charming for the back, and I was done!

 

I chose a fairly simple quilting pattern - just some straight lines going around in "circles" from the centre.  I used a variegated 40wt Aurifil thread - grey #4670.

And in breaking news - I HAND SEWED A QUILT LABEL ON!!!!  Yes, I had to google how to do a blanket stitch by hand.  And yes, I had to continually watch the You Tube video as I sewed.  And no, it's not perfect!  BUT - I was quite chuffed and proud of myself.....

And on Monday, these yummy little treats were wrapped up with the little mini and sent far far away across the sea!  I am hoping and praying that my partner likes what I have done, and likes the Aussie treats I've included.

Now - on to the other exciting part of this swap.....

 

Yesterday, a package of amazing-ness was delivered to my doorstep!!!!  After I finished hyperventilating and Instagramming my excitement, I took a photo for you all!  My fabulous secret partner was Tara in Brisbane.  Now Tara has gone way beyond any of my expectations and packed a box FULL of everything quintessentially ME.  Either I sent my personal information way too in depth to the organisers, or Tara has successfully managed to stalk all of my social media and find out everything I love in life?  I'm guessing the second is more correct.....

 

A mini Swoon quilt made with Anna maria Horner prints - I die.  Uh-mazing Valori Wells fat quarters - I die again.  Mint Lindt......Stopped breathing.  AND a freakin tea cup and tea - I'm gone.  Seriously - SOOOO generous and SOOOOO nailed it.

Oh, and can't leave the back out of the limelight!  I need to get to Bunnings for some dowel - as I've found THE perfect little spot on my wall!

I feel so completely overwhelmed with Tara's generosity, and so thankful that once again, the handmade community has shown just how wonderful it is!  So - next time you see a sign up for a swap you might like to join - DO IT!  You may just make a new friend - or 10!

Sunday Stash - Incidentals.....

Some additions to the stash, I think, can just be written off as "incidentals".  Or "accidentals".  Here's a couple I think you will understand.....

I didn't plan on gaining this UH-mazing bundle of Nightshade....but hey.  I just happened to be chatting to my lurvely friend Jane - aka Quilt Jane - on FB one night, discussing her super fabulous Nested Churn Dash block.  Which lead to a discussion on Tula Pink........which lead to me saying I had been been trying to get my hands on some Nightshade.......and next thing I know - I've bought myself some!  Soooooo lucky to have such wonderful quilty friends!

And ummmmmm, this really was an accidental purchase!  I went to the sewing shop to get myself a better FMQ foot - and knowing it was the last day of the Bernina sale, I sort of started looking in all sorts of directions once I got in there.  And then sort of asked whether they had any of the extension tables.  And then bought one.

I am looking forward to many many hours of joy bonding with this perspex beauty.  And hoping it will help me gain my confidence back so I can free motion bigger quilts again!

Whilst I have your attention - Just a little reminder that the Modern Medallion Quilt Along has officially kicked off today!  Stay tuned for lots of updates on my progress, and next week will be my stop on the blog hop!  Go and check out Crystal's post today!

I'm linking up - You can too!

Sunday Stash - The Birthday Week Edition

In the ten days since my last blog post, plenty has been a happenin'!  I shall once again blame school holidays for the lack of posts - and a very eventful week.  And because it is now almost 9pm on a Sunday night, and I have a glass of wine under my belt, this will be a fast and furious post!

These beauties arrived care of The Oz Material Girls.  I DIE over Art Gallery fabrics, and these Poetica prints were a bargain at $3 a fat quarter!  And the random Wee Wander was thrown in for good measure!  I happen to think the Poetica coordinates beautifully with those SJ prints!

April is here - which means a new block for the Aurifil Designer of Month BOM.  I stalked Pat Sloan's blog for a couple of days, and when it was announced I was so excited - I'd never made a bear paw block before!  But now - yes indeedy.  I ADORE this block!

And I happen to think this may very well be one of the prettiest and divine quilts I will ever make!  Now to show some patience until May.....

I managed to whip this baby up for a friend's little man's 1st birthday.  I'm loving these keepsake cushions for gifts!!!

The fire truck is one of Quiet Play's fab paper pieced patterns and was super easy to put together!

I whipped out the trusty Aurifil to do some meandering quilting and then free motioned his name and date of birth.  LOVE!

Now - what else happened this week?  Well, I turned 39!  Wha!??!?!!?!?  Still hard to believe I only have one more year in the dirty thirties.  But that also means I have almost a year to figure out the epic way I shall celebrate turning 40!

My 39th birthday started off a little shaky after Cadyn returned home from the zoo with a dodgy and irritated eye.  Turns out the giraffe that kicked up dust in his face really did a good job.  Birthday eve was spent at the GP and then local hospital, where we were sent home and instructed to take him to the Eye & Ear Hospital in the city the following morning.  So I was woken at 6.30am on my birthday and in the car 15 minutes later for the hour drive in peak hour traffic.  FUN!!!  Turns out the giraffe's dust only irritated what seems to have been metal in his eye - and it had formed rust on his cornea!  So my poor little nine year old sat for ages whilst an eye specialist literally drilled rust from his eye.  Made for interesting viewing!  I'm happy to say after another visit on Friday - he's been given the all clear.  No more zoo visits for the holidays.....

My birthday (week) got better!  I received some gorgeous handmade mail and was extremely excited!  The gorgeous Gina from Party of Eight made me this divine pot holder and tea towel!  I'm still yet to work out how I will ever use the tea towel for fear of it getting ruined!  It is quite literally one of the most exquisite hand sewn pieces ever!  Thank you Gina xxx

Another parcel arrived, this time from my beautiful friend Gemma (Pretty Bobbins).  You've heard me rave about Gemma a million times over, and will probably do so again in coming years!  Gem made me this UH-MAZING cushion cover!!!  Our Wombat Stew gals decided we would do a secret birthday present swap this year, and this is mine!  Hoorah!  That cover was cushioned within minutes and taken over by Bella the cat.  Thank you Gem xxxx

Then, two days after my birthday, my Mum and I ventured in to the city for the Australasian Quilt Convention.  It was again held at the Old Exhibition Buildings in Carlton Gardens.  One of THE most divine buildings I've seen.  It was a great week to have my birthday and the show collide, because my darling Mummy bought me my birthday gifts whilst there!  All the pretty fabrics are care of Mum.  I also bought myself a quick curves ruler (googling myself silly at present!), some new quilting gloves and rotary blades.  A slightly funny story - I asked the lady behind the stall if the black and white was Minimalista?  She tells me no.  I buy it anyway (cos I'm freakin in love with Quilt Jane's latest quilt - which I might add has been left to me in Jane's will!).  Get it home - and whaddayouknow?  It's Minimalista!  Don't tell me I don't know which fabric I'm stalking!

And I also found these dear little deer prints, amongst others.

I would like to give you a full blog post dedicated to AQC like I did LAST YEAR, however, my phone's camera is shite, and although I took photos on my Mum's phone - they won't transfer properly!  Soooo, unless some technological miracle happens, you will just have to believe me when I say it was FABULOUS!  So much talent and inspiration.

Birthday week has just ended this evening, celebrating with my in-laws.  So I shall end my post here by saying - I thank my lucky stars each and every day for the wonderful gift of friendship I have received through my love of quilting.  I am a part of many FB groups, Flickr, Instagram and the blogging world - and have "met" so many beautiful people!  And I feel like a whole other world opened up when I discovered quilting.  So thank you from the bottom of my heart for hanging around! xxxxx

Me - 39.  Chelsea - not quite 11.  Fair to say I'm going to be living up to my name in years to come -
the Midget of the family!

I'm linking up - You can too!

2013 - The Year That Was....

In one word - exhausting.

If I were to look back at 2013, I would tell you that I got through it.  I landed on my feet - opposed to curling up in a ball.  So I guess I would call it a success?

On the creative side of life, it couldn't have been a better year!  I finished my 20th quilt for the year last weekend, and happily handed it over to my husband's cousin, for the new little man in her life - baby Archie.  And I have to say - the satisfaction that I receive when I've finished a quilt and am able to gift it to someone is unbelievably wonderful!  It adds to the enjoyment of the making.

I somehow managed to make the ever popular Swoon quilt too..... Which to my utter astonishment has had over 7500 view on Flickr after being picked up by Explore!  It seems people like a random photo with a cat!

I took my paper-piecing addiction to an all new high, by making this fairytales wall hanging....

I've made a gazillion cushions this year.  Plenty for gifts and plenty for a consignment that headed over to a homewares shop in Bali.  Happy to say they all sold!

There's been Bee Blocks.....

And assorted other projects....

And amongst all of the quilty things I've made for myself and others - I've made plenty of little people's clothing for customers (and my kids!).....

I think it's fair to say I spent a fair bit of my year behind my Bernina.

And on a personal note..... I think I've achieved a hell of a lot....

I've watched those four kiddos of mine grow like weeds.  Apparently I now have a man for a son.  My bestest friend moved back to Australia after 15 years in London, and I've been blessed to be a part of her two little girl's lives.  I've won fabric!  I bought a big kick-ass camera and am loving taking photos.  I've made cakes.  Lots of them.  I've spent countless days and nights with close friends.  I've learnt to quilt - properly!  I learnt to paper-piece, and became addicted.  I've bought a shit load of fabric.  I participated in my first ever crafty swap/secret santa.  I participated in my first ever quilt-along.  I went overseas with my husband for the first time.  I hosted my first ever blog hop.  And I survived Christmas!

I've had some pretty shitty times this year also.  I've watched my sister kick an almost 30 year habit and have been by her side to deal with the ramifications.  I've learnt more about mental illness, but feel like I will never, ever understand.  I've watched my teenage son become a man, and helped him through what could have turned out to be an absolute disastrous situation.  I've gotten along with his father - mostly.  I've seen families torn through in-fighting and poor decisions.  And I've been sadly reminded that life is too short for some, and to never, ever take the ones I love for granted.

2014 is shaping up to be a fabulous year.  Today is my tenth wedding anniversary!  In a few week's time, my youngest will be heading off to school, and for the first time in 15 years, I will have no children at home.  I am planning on working less weekends, and working more weekdays.  I am planning on diving in the deep end and pushing forward with some business dreams I have held for far too long.  But most of all - I am planning on continuing to see the great things in life and not focusing on the crappy ones!

So after that long, drawn out recap of this year - I wish you all a wonderful and happy new year!  May it be fun, filled with love and laughter.  I thank you all for coming to visit me here in my happy place, and look forward to sharing my trials and tribulations with you all again in 2014.  And a very special shout out to the wonderful group of friends I have made through quilting.  You have all become such an integral part of my daily life, and I love you dearly.

Love,

Midge

xxx

Sunday Stash - Fabric Enabling!

Earlier this year, my Tokyo Bff travelled carrying THIS HAUL for me.  It was like I had won the Lotto!  And as it happens, I've just returned last night from another visit to the Gold Coast to catch up with two of my longest and dearest friends, one of them the "Tokyo Bff".

Suzie - AKA Tokyo bff and her two gorgeous children!

Friends for 34 years!  (IG late night photo explains the graininess!)

Amongst the talking, laughing, wine drinking, swimming and being chased by toddlers - I was also handed a bag from the infamous Tomato store in Nipori Fabric Town!  Suzie is great at letting me know she just happens to have an appointment nearby so will pop in and grab me something!  The following is what she grabbed for me this time round....

A divine little fat quarter bundle of Kei.  I knew I had seen this fabric before, but couldn't work out where nor who the designer was until I posted the photo on IG.  Jeanette from Polka Dot Tea filled in the blanks for me!  They sell a few of these prints in their store!

These two gorgeous Princess border print fabrics.  They will make amazing frocks!

And a little mix of other goodies!  The trains I'd seen around also - from Cosmo Textile Co.  The ribbon print is a Kokka and is kind of like a Cotton Lawn.  Quirky Japanese cartoon prints, a fq of Princesses and Tomatoes!  A bit of everything!  I desperately want to make a visit to Nipori myself one day.  Suzie has lived there for 15 years, so it's about time I pull my finger out......

In other breaking news - I purchased fabric and waited six weeks to receive it!  Yes, true story.

When my mother in law was about to depart to the USA for a five week jaunt, Pink Castle Fabrics were having a fabulous sale, and I thought I best get on board.  So I grabbed myself the Joel Dewberry True Colours bundle along with the Word Up bundle. (And no this is not a sponsored post - I just love the damn bundle!) I'd been coveting the Word Up bundle for quite some time and when I did the math (yes, another amazing feat) and realised I could order all of this, at a discount + have it shipped to the MIL's hotel = Winning!  I just had to be patient......  And I was.  All in all I saved around $60!  The patience was worth it, because it's all just so divine!  As per usual, I have no idea what I'm going to do with it all, but I'm sure it will come to me?

And that's it folks!  I've shown great restraint fabric purchasing wise the past couple of months.  Christmas + four children = broke.

I'm linking up with Sunday Stash @ Finding Fifth!  You can too!

Sunday Stash - Sharing Shipping

One of the great things about being a part of an online community, is finding like-minded people, who you know are just as fabric obsessed as you.  After the QCA Melbourne meet up, I found some new friends within reasonable proximity to me.  And a couple of weeks ago, as I was scrolling through my FB, I saw one of those lovely ladies, Moira, was considering making a purchase from my favourite online store - The Intrepid Thread.  I knew there was a sale on, and I knew they stocked Cleo, so I mentioned to Moira that if she did in fact place an order, and needed to fill an envelope, I could throw some fabric in and split the shipping.  30 minutes later, we had a full envelope and the deal was done!  Friday morning, whilst I was at work, my Mother In Law messaged me to say a package had arrived.  I had to wait ALL day to get home and rip it open!

This is my part of the full envelope we got.....

A gorgeous fat quarter bundle of Tula Pink's Acacia in Berry.  These prints are just divine!!!  I have no idea what I'll use them for, but you can never pass up some Tula!

And four yards of Cleo.  This will make up most of the quilt backing for my Cleo quilt I've been working on.  Kind of makes sense design wise!

I've got another fabric order on its way, somewhere over the ocean.  It was another case of "fill the shipping package", and I managed it again without breaking a sweat!  Hopefully I will have that stash addition for you next Sunday!  

Do you ever share shipping with others?

I'm linking up with Sunday Stash - being hosted by Sew E.T. this week - You can too!

In Real Life

Yesterday was a big day for me.  I met quilters.  In real life.  Not through a computer screen.  True!

Some time last year, my dear friend Gemma directed me to a Facebook group called "Quilt Club Australia" aka QCA.  It has been through this group that I have had possibly 100's of my quilting questions answered.  Where I have been able to show others interested obsessed with quilting, my progress - no matter how shaky, how hilarious or how triumphant my progress may have been!  I have been cheered on, encouraged and enabled to stretch my learning and grow my ability.  I have thoroughly enjoyed every single day, being part of such a wonderful group of women and men!  And yesterday, 14 Melbourne members got together to chat, swap ideas, gain inspiration and gather knowledge.  And about an hour in to our gathering - we partook in Show and Tell.

It is with much pleasure and jaw-dropping delight that I share just SOME of the amazing quilts that were brought along......

Christine and her paper pieced dragon wall hanging.

Lisa and her Great Barrier Reef quilt - created around souvenir tea towels from her visit to the iconic Australia destination.

Jodie and her memory quilt - Jodie has only been quilting for four weeks!

Sue's amazing quilt!!!  

I loved this quilt by Carol (who is hiding behind it!).  The brilliant prints just pop with the black background.

Norma's block of the month quilt.  Lots of appliqué!

Judith's beautiful Cathedral Windows.

Ummmm......this would be me.  I think I was pointing out my dodgy appliqué on the back of my Bloom Bloom Pow quilt!  

And this lovely lady?  This is my MUM!  Meg is a prolific machine embroidery freak!
If you stick around, I will be doing a whole blog post, very soon, about my Mum and her quilts :)

Moira's gorgeous jelly roll quilt.  Love the V & Co range!

Shirley and one of her many Convergence quilts.

Sarina and one of her stunning, bright quilts!

And our hostest with the mostest - Sharryn.  Such a gorgeous Owl quilt!  Thanks so much for opening up your home to us Sharryn!

I could have put up all 50 odd photos I took from yesterday, but I would have been here for days!  As beautiful as the photos are, they really just do not capture how much love and devotion has been put in to each and every creation that was shared.

The best thing that came from yesterday?  Well, I now have real life quilty friends!  Don't get me wrong - I LOVE all of my online quilty friends!  In fact, there are a bunch out there who know more about me than you would believe.  But to actually sit with a group of women, and be able to touch and look at their quilts, and ask them questions was really great.  We also learnt more about one another, about our families and where we come from.  I guess we can now put a story to the face we see on the computer screen.

I gather you can tell it was a fabulous day?  Lots of laughs, ooh'ing and ahh'ing.  And exchanging of gifts.  I ensured my gift did not get taken from me in the hilarious "kris kringle".  Apparently licking the back of a charm pack and then rubbing it on your behind kind of puts others off wanting it??  Remember that one!

So tell me - do you gather with quilty friends?