Lucky Me and More of Nature

What a wonderful surprise email I received the other day from Willow Valley Store. I was one of the lucky winners of Catherine's new patterns and they arrived in the mail last Friday. They are just gorgeous and I don't know which one to do first.

Here are some more photos that I was unable to upload the other day.

I also noticed a lot of red happening in my garden.

If you haven't entered in my 100th post giveaway yet you still have till the 30th Nov my time. Please leave your entry comment on this post.

Quilting Wishes

What's Your Name

I saw this on Gina's blog and thought it looked like fun!

1. ROCK STAR NAME - Mitzi Triton
2. GANGSTA NAME - Rum & Raison Thong (Flip Flops)
3. NATIVE AMERICAN NAME - Blue Cat
4. SUPERHERO NAME - Purple Bailey's
5. NASCAR NAME - George Edward
6. STRIPPER NAME - Charlie Fudge
7. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME - Bryce Brisbane
8. SPY NAME - Autumn Rose
9. CARTOON NAME - Strawberry Shorts
10. HIPPIE NAME - Sausage Blue Gum

How did I come up with these names? Well the guidelines are
1. first pet name / current car
2. favourite ice cream flavour / favourite type of shoe
3. favourite colour / favourite animal
4. second favourite colour / favourite drink
5. first names of your grandfathers
6. favourite perfume or scent/ favourite candy
7. 5th Grade teacher's last name/ City that starts withthe same first letter
8. favourite season/ favourite flower
9. favourite fruit / an article of clothing you are wearing now
10. what you ate for breakfast / favourite tree

Sewing and Nature

Well I had the most lovely day yesterday when my best friend and her beautiful daugther came for a sewing day. Sometimes you just need these days, no planning, it just happens. I finished my November Postcard but photos of that when it has arrived. Then made a good start on another Christmas Table Topper ... see previous post for similar item and giveaway. As DH and DS are out all day, I get another sewing day. The dishes are done, the house is tidy, so I have the whole day ahead of me. What a wonderful feeling.


I can breath again now, my ALQS2 has arrived safetly to the home of Barb. It's always worrying, waiting for them to make their journey far across the seas. Thanks to Kate for organising, it must be such a mammoth task keeping it all running as smoothly as possible.



When the October issue of AP&Q arrived I had a quick thumb through and as soon as I saw this little quilt I thought it would be perfect for my parnter. It was designed by Ruth Buchanan to celebrate Australia's floral emblem the wattle and has lovely yellow Suffolk Puffs. I exchanged the yellow for a burgundy to suit my partners preferences and now I'd like to make another for myself with the yellow this time. Another project for my 'wish list'.



My thoughts have been with those families who have suffered much damage from the raging storms this past week. While we still wait for some good rain to fill the dams and creeks and freshen the grass, we don't want the destructive winds. Nature can be harsh but it can also be beautiful.

I truly admire the photography of some of the girls' blogs I visit and attempt to be better with my own pictures but I have a long way to go. Yesterday afternoon I noticed this view through my kitchen window so grabbed the camera and ran up the back. This is to the South West of us.



This was taken earlier in the week looking to the North East.


My computer is on a 'go slow' this morning so I'll show more photos next post. Time to get sewing.

Quilting Wishes

I'm Back With a Giveaway and Show & Tell

I didn't mean for me to take this long in getting back, but that's how life goes. Since my 100th post I've enjoyed our quilt retreat, met some deadlines, been to town, busy at work, another day in town and attended our local races yesterday, plus all the usual stuff.

So without further waffle ~ I'm having a giveaway to celebrate my first 100 posts!

Just leave a comment on this post and I'll pop your name in the hat to win this Christmas Table Topper (28" square) or one very similar. I'll ask DD to draw a name from the hat on November 30.

Before I could enjoy our retreat, I needed to finish my quilt for ALQS2 but I will wait to show a picture till after I know it has been received.

The Christmas Topper was my project for the retreat and I finished hand sewing the binding at home this week.

This is my table at one of the tidier moments.

I also managed to make another Quilters Mug Bag for a gift. It just needs the top binding hand stitched and a draw cord. See here for the finished drawn effect.

We had five very industrious ladies who spent a wonderful weekend sewing, chatting, relaxing and enjoying the good company.

I've still managed to read some blogs and make progess on my #1 item for Finn's Challenge. I might only manage this one, but that's better than still being on the WIP list.

The heat today is something shocking, fingers cross for some good drenching rain tonight.

I feel like there's something else I wanted to share but can't remember now, so there could be another post following soon. I'm off to prepare some hand applique for my November postcard.

Quilting Wishes

Swap Mail and Giveaway

Yippee, my little quilt for ALQS2 arrived in the mail today.

It's gorgeous and I love, love, love it. Alicia from lucysquilts has done such a wonderful job on this little beauty. The colours work so well together and the pinwheels are 3D, how clever!

I'm not the best photographer . . . the sun was going down . . . and everything is sooooo dry, my lawn crackles when you walk on it. The first photo is taken on the lawn, it really is brown. The lumpy looking photo is taken on a bale of mulch hay. I need to get that on the garden as soon as possible.

Thankyou to Kate for organising, this is my first time with ALQS and I've enjoyed it heaps.

I can just hear the rain starting on the roof now, so fingers crossed.

I also noticed when I went to post that this is my 100th.

So .... Yes .... I will be having a giveaway ... pop back when I post next to find out more about it. I'm off to a quilting retreat this weekend so I probably won't be posting till after then, hopefully with lots of pics.

(This is the 3rd time I've edited this post, I can't keep the line spacings where I want them.)

Quilting Wishes

Time for a Change

Bear with me. I feel like a bloggy change and not sure what I want so this could be a work in progress or a disaster where I revert back to what I started with.

The frogs are croaking loudly tonight so I hope they know what they're croaking about, we could sure do with some rain. It's been a long time between drinks for the ground.

I should be sewing but my attention span is so short that I'll probably muck it up. So a good nights sleep and a fresh start in the morning will be the best approach.

Quilting Wishes