Sharing Time

Seems like ages since I've been here ... what a week! Deadlines ... Mail ... Bugs

Bugs, seems once you get sick this year, it keeps returning for another bout. Everyone I talk to has been experiencing the same thing. You get sick, you just get over it and then either the same one or another bug grabs hold. DH has been fighting something for a couple of weeks and now my throat infection from a few weeks back is returning. Grrrrrrrr!

But enough of that, you don't need to share my bugs. I am going to share with you the high points of my week. A little while back, Fiona of Mothers' Cupboard had a sale and I found myself placing an order quick smart for ...

Fiona was also holding a giveaway and never did I imagine that I could be so lucky ... YIPEE!

Then this week when I was starting to feel yuk, this little pink parcel cheered me up toot sweet!

Thankyou so much Fiona for the chance to win this delicious jelly roll ... perfect colours for me ... and a charm pack to top it all off. More dreaming now of how to put them to good use.

Fiona is also one of the lovely Gum Tree Designers. If you haven't checked them out yet then you don't know what your missing. More goodness tomorrow with their next free Christmas design.

Deadlines ... yes. As usual finished this one Tuesday night to be delivered Wednesday morning for entering in the textile section of our local Art Exhibition. It's Deborah Baines' "Floral Fancy" found in 'Creating Country Threads'.

Couldn't help myself, I was enjoying this pattern so much. I also added some beads to the centres of three flowers and little yo-yo centres to three. I even did some hand quilting around each appliqued flower.

While not a winner on Friday night, it's a winner for me. Congratulations to the clever ladies who won placings with their entries and to the other ladies who entered.

Now it's on with the next deadline ... paperwork today and to finish off my Holiday Quilt Swap and Christmas Ornaments.

Is anyone else daunted by how quickly the end of the year is coming?

Happy Sewing and keep well.

PIF, Cutting Strips and Shopping

Firstly I'd like to thank Vivien for joining in on the PIF fun. You might like to pay her a visit and check out her lovely Christmas Quilt.

As for cutting strips, I spent yesterday doing exactly that. I finally made a start to the Log Cabin for my brother's quilt. All fabric is cut into long strips and the backing and wadding is squared and waiting. Hope I can make a start on actually sewing tomorrow.

Then I'm off for a couple days R & R ... rest and relaxation you think? ... well yes and no. I'm off with a few of the Mt. Perry Girls for a Retail Roadtrip. Or a Fabric Acquisition Road Trip ... if you take each Red letter what do they spell?

I'm one of those who refuse to allow retail to dictate when Christmas and Easter begins. I like to wait to do my Christmas shopping from the beginning of December and my Easter shopping a couple of weeks prior to Easter. However today I gave in and bought some of these .....

(sorry, having trouble uploading pics, will try later... can you guess what I bought?)

after all they are delish ... but I promise not to buy any more till April ... perhaps.

Also today I got the last ingredients for 'Red Delicious' so the next step is tracing and ironing, can't wait to get started.

Happy Quilting

Mail Brings Bag and Stash

What a wonderful day Friday was. I got to stay late at the patchwork group as DS was staying in town and didn't need a lift home. It was lovely to catch up with all the ladies and I made good progress on my PIF gifts.

Then to get home and find a parcel in my mailbox all the way from USA. I think I grinned the whole 2km to the house, quickly unpacked the car and opened my parcel.

Inside I found this wonderful and very clever bag from Nancy at "with thread in hand". It has velcro down each side and opens flat to reveal pockets on the inside. Just right for packing all the bits for a project so I can grab it and go or 'take-away' as Nancy said. The fabric is gorgeous and I just love the bag. Thankyou so much Nancy, I'm packing it with a project straight away.

She also sent some other goodies in her parcel. A sweet little keyring that has like a pillowslip back where I might pop a couple of headache tablets for emergency. A beautiful pattern and two fat quarters that will help my stash. Purple has always been a favourite of mine, how did she know? And a newspaper which is a 'guide to Missouri Specialty Shopping and Events'. It's almost cuppa time so I'll be browsing shortly.

A big thankyou to Linda also for organizing this swap. I've thoroughly enjoyed it, just waiting for my parcel to be in ????????'s safe hands.

Wednesday's mail brought me this package of three pretty blues. They'll be going into my stash.

Today I plan to finish the PIF gifts so that I can get them off in the post. Then I have a fabric postcard (In the Pink) to plan and the embroidery wall hanging to baste, quilt and bind before the end of September, not all today though. Also squeeze in end of month bookwork and the log cabin workshop with homework. Phew! I would like to work on a couple of challenge items too. Oh well, that's how it goes.

Quilting Wishes

Stash Building Part 1

A few posts ago I mentioned that I was very keen to make Bonnie's mystery quilt 'Old Tobacco Road' but I had to change plans. My stash isn't really a stash, and about the same time I signed up to do a quilt-as-you-go log cabin workshop which I need to go shopping for so perhaps another time.

So now thanks to the wonderful Jane at five minutes of fame who had a giveaway, I have some rich christmas squares to create, I'm thinking, a wall hanging. Time to get out some magazines, a cuppa and get some ideas.

Also I've been browsing ebay and found these bright, cheery squares to make an I Spy quilt but I didn't stop there. I have three more packs coming my way as well. I also won a couple of lots with half metre pieces to help start building a stash and to go towards the log cabin.

So I have plenty to get on with for the moment, especially with finishing my four WIP projects by New Years Eve. I have made a little progress with two so far.

I leave you with a photo of 'King's Ransom' in my garden.

Quilting Wishes

Time for Show and Tell

What a busy week. I've only just managed to keep up with my favourite blogs and went to bed early last night exhausted. Now the weekend is here and I have a fresh start, I'd like to share some goodies that I have either received, purchased or grown.

Firstly I received my first fabric postcard in the mail yesterday. This is the first in the swap I joined and I'm loving it. Butterflies are on my favourites list.

Next are some fabrics purchased to compliment some stash fabrics. These will go towards three different projects. They are not specifically grouped so if I don't point out which fabrics are which, then no one will be any the wiser, hey Kerry.

I've had making another kaleidoscope on my mind and when I saw this fabric I had to have it, and of course the book to go along with the project. Iwill be strong and not start this quilt until I have a couple of finishes first.

Yesterday at patchwork I took along my queen bed quilt and did some more work on it. It's so close to being finished, if I knuckle down I plan to complete the top within the next three weeks. Then I'll decide if I'll tackle the quilting myself or save some pennies and send it away to be quilted.

Lastly my pour neglected roses are real troopers. They practically grow themselves. Here is Peter Frankenfeld (pink) and Just Joey (apricot) with the most delicious scents.

Off to do some sewing now. My bag for Linda's swap is almost finished and I've cut out a little something to go with it.

Quilting Wishes

Winds of Ice

It's been a freezing week and the weather man says it's not finished yet. Today is the windiest and it feels like it's coming straight off the ice. I hate being cold and keep telling myself that this will be the last cold snap before spring. Hope I'm right.

On the craft front, I've managed to do a little sewing on my bag for the swap. Mostly I've been cutting up those fabrics from my previous post. Loving how they look and can't wait to get them sewn up.

This lovely piece of fabric is to be made into a christmas present.

And here is my first ever fabric postcard. I've been admiring everyone else's for ages and thinking about making one. A local group is holding a swap so I decided it was time to join in. It's only simple but I enjoyed it and look forward to the next one when I know the theme. The background is a piece from my dyed fabrics. Something else I would love to do more of when time permits, and the weather is warmer.

Time to head back to a warmer spot than my computer is in. It's lovely here of a morning when the sun comes through the windows, just ask my cats. But the sun has moved on and so am I.

Aren't the walking races amazing. Australia just came in 3rd and 6th. Yeah Aussie!

Quilting Wishes

Giveaways and Fabric Buys

I'm meeting wonderful new people all the time in blogland. If you visit Marit here and Candace here, you can leave a comment to take part in their giveaways.

And some pics of fat quarters I purchased recently. I'm breaking away from my earthy, pastel colours I think.

The bottom two are 30cm cuts to add to these for DH's quilt. Another on my 'to do' list with the deadline for this one now for next winter.

It's a cold, windy day today and my back is out again so I'm off to lay down on the lounge (too much sitting is no good) in front of the heater. I'm currently reading Jennifer Chiaverini's "The Master Quilter" so I'll finish that off while keeping an eye on the olympics on TV.

Quilting Wishes

Recipes and Fabric Buys

As you will see on my side bar, I've joined Another Little Quilt Swap, and already have a pattern picked out, depending if it fits with my recipients preferences.

Also, I have a pattern selected for my bag swap and have decided how I'm going about it. Here are two of the fabrics recently purchased to enhance my choice of fabrics. Hope to get started today.

A couple of ladies asked for the recipes of my wonderful daughters cooking. For the slice I usually make a triple batch and use two lamington trays.

CHOCOLATE SQUARES

1 cup SR flour, 4ozs butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 3/4 cup coconut,
1 tbsp cocoa, 1 dstsp syrup.

Melt butter, sugar and syrup in saucepan. Pour over dry ingredients and combine.

Press into tray and bake for 15 to 20 minutes in a moderate oven.

Ice as desired. I usually sprinkle with coconut but little choc bits and yum too.

MOCHA COOKIES

150g butter, 3/4 cups brown sugar, 1 egg yolk, 2tsp instant coffee granules, 1 tbsp hot water, 1 1/2 cups plain flour, 1 tbsp cocoa, dark chocolate Melts

Beat butter, sugar, egg yolk and combined coffee and water until smooth.

Stir in sifted flour and cocoa in two batches. Knead dough on floured surface until smooth.

Roll mixture into balls, place 5cm apart on tray and flatten slightly. Press 1 chocolate melt into centre of each and bake about 12 minutes in moderate oven. (She ran out of chocolate Melts and used white chocolate ones instead. Just as yum!)

Enjoy

I also bought this 300cm or 120" tape in a tin. Cute, safe and yes, I have had it out and got it back in the tin.

More fabric purchases later.

Quilting Wishes

Indoor Weather

Today's weather is as predicted by the weather guys. Freezing cold blustery winds, perfect for staying indoors all day. So it's full steam ahead with the housework with intermittent bursts of sewing to break the drudge.

Here's the fabric for my chenille bag I started at patchwork last Friday. All sewn and I just began to slice with my chenille cutter.

The two red fabrics I bought on Tuesday . . . . . just because. The black is for my single bed horse quilt but also works with the reds.

And here is my fabric ready to become a Summer Quilt for the Four Seasons Quilt Swap. I have a design in my head and sizings written down on a piece of paper so let the fun begin.

Lastly, this was my 45km (28 mile) drive to work on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday with the thickest fog on Friday.

Fabric Buys

I'm feeling a lot calmer today than when I last posted. I made it to the end of the week and finished off with a fabric purchase, that always helps. Mum and I went to the 'Sew What's Crafty Exp' in Bundaberg last night and it was delightful. However I was very restrained keeping in mind all the projects already on the go and only made one purchase.

This pack of 5 fat quarters called to me so with no project in mind I bought them. Simple as that. Now I can enjoy the search for a project that answers the fabrics.

Also here is the fabric that arrived in the mail the other day. All precut and ready to sew. The horseshoe fabric was purchased for another project so I may need to find more now. When does something become a WIP? When you acquire the fabric or when you actually begin cutting/sewing?

I have a couple of things to get done next week. Finish off a mug mat for FIL's birthday and applique some horse fabric to a white towel for my niece's birthday. Her white towel is her comforter and is looking shall we say, worse for wear. She's horse crazy so we're hoping she might just adopt the new towel.

Happy Quilting

Fabric Found

Just a quick blog before 'Home and Away' and 'It Takes Two'.

Today I managed to find and purchase enough horse shoe fabric to add the next border to my horse quilt. I was beginning to think I wouldn't find it as it was a while ago that I first purchased some. I only decided at a later date that a border of the fabric was needed.

I always seem to buy some fabric, start the quilt, see what I think it needs and then build on. One of these days I'll purchase the whole lot of fabric required to finish the whole project.

No quilting yet on the 4 and 9 patch but Friday is getting closer, unless of course I decide to add the border to the horse quilt instead. Nothing like having several projects on the go and working on which ever takes my fancy. (Please excuse the blury pic, I was in a hurry)

Sorting Scraps

I finally got to make a start on sorting out those fabric scraps. Thanks to Wanda's suggestion I gave myself a half hour which turned into almost an hour and made a good start. So far I have strips 1.5" and squares 2.5", 3.5", 4.5" and 6.5" Yesterday I purchased some small containers to fit each size and hey presto; containers of neatly cut uniform squares ready for a project.

The actual pressing and cutting was quite therapudic and the end result is very satisfying. Can't wait to get some more done. At the moment I'm busy trying to finish my kaleidoscope quilts for September 4. Thanks to the wet weather I've been kept indoors and had plenty of opportunity to work on them.

Also thanks to the wet weather, I'll have plenty of weeding in the gardens to do.
My girls have taken advantage of the cooler weather to curl up. My son left his quilt on the lounge and it didn't take them long to make a cosy spot for themselves. Fleur is on the left and Jayne on the right. Luckily they're on the back of the quilt. I read a little quote one day that said "Dogs have owners and cats have slaves". These two have got that right but I love their company.