Quilty Bits from the Blue Room

Valentines Day, Xmas Table Runner

2012-02-16T17:18:00.001+10:00

I hope everyone had a great Valentines Day and you had time to spend with your loved ones. The new year is just flying with the last couple of weeks being spent in helping my son pack and move to his new place.

Valentines Day 2012

Love Bug made by Jake

The flowers above are from my hubby Chris. Thank you for a wonderful surprise in a busy week. I love roses, they are my favourite flower. The love bug was made by my grandson who has been staying with us, along with his Dad, for the last 10 months. The hearts on the legs have written on them :- hugs, kisses, care, smiles. The sign reads 'Love my Family'. Love you too Jake.
Here is what I have been working on for quite a while. Just have to bury the quilting threads and it will be finished. Afraid I missed using it last year but 2012 will see it taking pride of place on my Christmas table. Will show a photo of the runner when that has been completed.

Till next time....... Happy Stitching.

Mystery BOM Sampler Quilt.

2012-02-04T21:33:00.000+10:00

Block & Border Fabrics

Last Monday, our group, The Jimboomba Quilters and Stitchers commenced sewing a mystery sampler quilt organised by one of our members Cindi. Each month we will make one block, 9 in total and hopefully finish it on our retreat in October. Over the past year we have had a few new members join who have not done much quilting before so this idea was formed to help them learn some of the quilting basics. In all, 14 people have decided to do the quilt including myself. By the fun we all had on Monday, I think it will be a great success. We were given our requirements list a few weeks ago so I chose to sort through some of my stash fabric and came up with the group above called Old Fashioned Charm. Only needed to buy the sashing fabric but am going to wait until I have a few blocks made before choosing one. The block below is the first completed.

Jacob's Ladder January Block

When I started quilting a number of years ago, most of the fabrics I chose were pastels as above but I also loved country colours containing chook and cow designs so needless to say I have plenty of these fabrics floating around. This year I am going to try to use some of these up and reduce my stash. Wish me luck.....
Till next time ........... HAPPY STITCHING.

Rod Run on Australia Day

2012-01-27T13:32:00.001+10:00

Yesterday we headed out to Laidley for an Australia Day Rod Run with The Rod Squad group. We were a bit unsure as to whether we would go or not as the previous two days it had been raining non stop. Our hot rod is a roadster so is not the best in the wet weather but the morning brought an overcast sky with no rain so we decided to head off and risk it. It turned out to be a great day with our first stop being for lunch at this sixties style cafe. Elvis was keeping guard outside. They had burgers called James Dean, J O'K, Elvis Presley to name a few and my choice was Marilyn Munroe which contained breast chicken, salad and beetroot which is a must with our Aussie burgers. Of course forgot to take a photo but it was as delicious as the French Vanilla Slice I had for dessert at the last stop on our run, Fernvale.

It has been a while since Chris and I have spent time together in the hot rod so we thoroughly enjoyed our outing. We were also able to catch up with friends and talk about all things hot rod.
Hope everyone had a 'HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY' . We are so lucky to live in this wonderful country.
Bye for now.

OPAM for 2012, Work Space, New Blocks

2012-01-22T23:17:00.001+10:00

I joined OPAM again this year as I found it does encourage me to get some projects finished each month. Sign up is on now till the end of January so pop over to Kris from Tagalong Teddies or Peg from Happy in Quilting and join up. Just click on the OPAM button in my sidebar to get to Kris's blog and read all about it.

This last week, I spent a couple of days reorganizing my quilting room as it was in a bit of a mess after Xmas. It's a bit tidier now but still more work to do till it's how I would like it. I also started to catalogue all the things I have gathered over the last few years. Quite a number of things I had forgotten I had. My whiteboard is filling up with all the things I want to do. Can I have more hours in each day please!!!!

2012 To Do List on the Whiteboard

Below are the blocks I have prepared ready for stitching. These belong to the Bluebird of Hope Quilt (part of Quilt Aid 2009) which I purchased a couple of years ago. My friend Jan from quilting bought them as well but she has been working on hers for a while now so I have to play catch up. I am going to try to complete two blocks a month so these will have to be for February as there is only 1 week left of this month.

As well, I have also made up some practise blocks for my Free Motion Quilting pledge but am still waiting for the patchwork shop to ring about my open toed foot. Hope it comes soon.
Well, it's getting late and school restarts for my grandson in the morning so will say bye for now. Happy Stitching..........

Family, Sorting out my TO DO list for 2012

2012-01-13T12:26:00.000+10:00

Since Xmas, I have been spending time with my grandsons Tom & Jake, they are now having some time with their Mum until school resumes in just over a weeks time when Jake returns to start Grade 3. Also I have had my eldest grandson, Josh, stay for a few days. He is a great boy and I really enjoyed his company. The days were hot so we enjoyed lots of swimming in the pool. He also loves to help in the kitchen and we all got to enjoy his tropical fruit salad for dessert one night. Love you Josh for wanting to spend time with your Grandma.

This week I am working on my To Do list for this year. I didn't really seem to achieve much last year so I want this year to be different. Although I do remember thinking the same thing the year before.
Top of the list is the 2012 Free Motion Challenge to help improve my confidence in this area. The button on my side-bar will get you to the site. It is well worth a look. I have ordered a free motion foot for my machine and then I will begin practising the first tutorial for January (a leaf design.). There is also a Facebook site where members who have joined can post their efforts.
I am also going to spend some time in the next couple of days tidying my quilting room as it certainly needs it. I must admit I haven't spent much time in there of late.

This arrived in my letterbox this week. I won this pattern as part of a competition I entered before Xmas. I belong to an online group called Snickerdoodle Dreams. It is a very cute pattern called Dawn by Melly & Me. Thanks to Darlene for my gift.
Well must go. Till next time.................

SSCS Gift, OPAM finish & Happy New Year.

2011-12-31T23:13:00.000+10:00

Above are the gifts I sent to Anne-Mari in Norway as part of the SSCS Swap. A snowman table runner and some other goodies which included an Anni Downs pattern, The Christmas Goose. I bought the pattern and handle from Patchwork Plus (an Aussie on-line shop with great service) in Tassie, and made up the little kit to go with it from my stash. I added some buttons , small scissors and an Australian calendar. The table runner has been added to my OPAM list for December.
In closing this post, I would like to wish everyone of my quilting friends a very HAPPY NEW YEAR and hope that 2012 will bring you health, happiness and provide you with lots of time to quilt.........
Till next year........

SSCS Swap Gift

2011-12-26T11:10:00.001+10:00

Well Christmas Day is over for another year and as well as my family gifts, I got to open my SSCS Swap present. THANK YOU Tami from the USA for my lovely bag. It has lots of pockets inside as well as one on the outside and also came with a card wallet. I didn't peek beforehand and I must say it was well worth the wait I love it especially the little tumbling blocks on the front and I can't wait to fill it with my sewing bits and pieces and take it with me when my quilt group starts back up in a couple of weeks time.

I hope everyone had a......... VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS .............and that you got to spend the day with your family as I did. Thank you to all of my blogging friends for sharing part of your life with me as I do enjoy reading about what you are doing and what you are making and I also like sharing with you what I love doing as well.
Enjoy the rest of the Xmas break...............

Getting ready for Xmas

2011-12-18T09:24:00.000+10:00

Above is the Secret Santa gift I received at my Quilt Group break-up last week. Lots of lovely Xmas themed goodies which will be put to good use on Christmas Eve when we have our family gathering. I forgot to take a photo of my gift but it was along similar lines with a Xmas mug, a mug rug, some choccies and shortbread biscuits. I'm hoping Xmas Eve will be a nice sunny day so the grand-kids and grown-ups can enjoy a swim in the pool. We have been swimming most days but I must say the water is still very cool although once the initial shock of that first dive in is over, it is quite pleasant.
I'm afraid I haven't been in my sewing room for well over a week but am hoping to do a bit of stitching next week. I have only a couple of gifts still to buy and have wrapped most of the other gifts so that part of Xmas is under control. Beside shopping this week and the usual Xmas clean-up, I took my grandson Jake to the movies. We saw Puss 'n' Boots in 3D. We both enjoyed it and ate lots of popcorn and ice-cream while we were there. This week Tom, Jake's brother is down for 3 weeks. It will be lovely to catch up with him as I haven't seen him in a while. Scott is on holidays so my Grandma duties will have a well earned break for a couple of weeks.

This is what I have been dabbling with the last couple of weeks. Hope to finally complete it this week. Been a while since I have played around with my paints but am enjoying the experience again. The worst part is cleaning the paint brushes when I'm finished. The end result will be worth it though and I guess the poor reindeer, gingerbread man and penguin would like it if I finished painting their faces.

Today we are going to my nieces for a family lunch. I have made a cheese cake to take so hope it tastes okay. Just have to whip the cream. Till next time..........

Group Break-up

2011-12-14T09:48:00.000+10:00

Just a quick post to show a photo of our group break-up on Monday. Of course I forgot to take a photo of the lovely food we had to eat or the presents all wrapped in their pretty paper waiting under the Xmas tree to be given out to some very excited ladies. So here we are after opening our presents, everyone a bit too full to move but feeling very happy and contented.
MERRY CHRISTMAS quilters and stitchers. See you in the NEW YEAR my friends.

Arrival of SSCS parcel.

2011-12-06T21:51:00.001+10:00

Today I received my SSCS parcel from Tami in the USA. I opened my ornament parcel to find not 1 but 2 ornaments inside. The green ornament is a knitted bell and the little red one has a cathedral style window on each side with a Santa face peeking out. It is beautifully made with the tiniest of stitches. Thank-you Tami, they are both lovely and will be a nice addition to my Christmas tree. I am really looking forward to opening my other parcel on Xmas morning.
The last few days I have been busy painting a Christmas Advent Calendar so hope to be back with a photo of that soon. Cheers till then .....

OPAM finishes

2011-12-01T11:58:00.001+10:00

I have made another mug rug out of Bliss fabric. Add a festive mug and they make nice Christmas presents as gifts for friends or teachers.

Yesterday I received an e-mail from my SSCS recipient in Norway. Ann-Mari has opened the Xmas ornament so I can add it to my OPAM list and show a photo.

This is a little bag I made a while ago. It's just big enough for your purse, phone and a few odds and ends we always seem to need to take with us when we pop out to the shops.

This photo shows the flap folded up. The way the bag is made creates pockets on either side. This pattern was a free one from Spotlight and is very cute and easy to make.
So that makes 3 OPAM finishes for November.

Till next time...........

Brissie Blog Meet

2011-11-28T10:43:00.001+10:00

Here we all are enjoying coffee and a chat.

Michelle of Rag Tag Stitchin' Designs and me.

Yesterday I joined some like-minded quilters at The Grandview Hotel Cleveland for a blog meet. Joy of JoyPatch and Maree of On My Verandah arranged this as a follow up to one they had earlier this year which I couldn't attend. Thank-you Joy & Maree. I had a wonderful day meeting new people and also catching up with Michelle who I knew many many years ago. We both attended a Studio Ceramics Course at TAFE back in the late eighties. Michelle and I have both moved on from our pottery obsession since then only to follow a similar one in stitching and quilting. Funny how small the world is sometimes.
This morning I have been checking out the blogs of the ladies I met. It's nice to put a face to the name.
Well, my quilting room awaits, till next time........

SSCS, Birthday Celebrations & Quilting Stuff

2011-11-20T08:28:00.001+10:00

Here's a little snowman who's looking forward to a bit of travel this week. I have finished my SSCS swap gifts and in the process of wrapping them ready to post tomorrow. I have enjoyed being in this swap and hope the recipient of my parcel will like the things I have made as much as I do. Now all that needs to happen is that it will arrive in time to be opened Christmas Day. Thanks to Chookyblue (aka The Elf) for all her time and effort in running this swap.

This is my family, taken at my son Todd's 40 th Birthday barbie last week. With my boys now both in their forties, I'm starting to feel a bit old. Need to stop the days passing so quickly. Any suggestions on how to do that? Just two of my grand-children missing from this photo. Hope to get everyone together at Xmas.

Remember I said in my last post we were going to have cake. Well here it is and it was delicious. Strawberry and cream sponge cake from the Cheesecake Shop. Well worth breaking the diet for.

We had a lovely party. Congratulations Todd.
Last week at quilting, a few of the ladies were busy trying their hand at making earrings. They ended up having a bit of a production line going making the process look very easy and this is what they ended up with.

Lots of Christmas Tree earrings in reds, multicolour and greens. They look great on and will make a lovely gift or a stocking stuffer. Well done everyone.

A few years ago, I made this for my sister's birthday. A couple of weeks ago, she asked me if there was a way she could hang it on the wall instead of using it in the centre of the table so I have added a hanging sleeve for her. I really like this pattern and would like to make another one but first I have to remember where I filed the pattern. Must do some organization in the pattern area one of these days.

Well must go...........Be back soon with more finishes I hope...........

Race Day & a Birthday

2011-11-09T11:39:00.002+10:00

Here is a photo from last weeks outing to Eagle Farm Racecourse for Melbourne Cup Day. Back row from left is Deb, my DIL, me, Todd and Scott, my sons and in the front are friends, Wayne and Michelle. We all had a great day with some of our group backing the winner of the cup but unfortunately it was not me.
My son Todd turns 40 tomorrow, the 10 th, and this was part of his celebrations although we are having a get together on Saturday so we can have cake and sing Happy Birthday. Isn't a birthday without cake, is it?

I have been busy in my sewing room with several things on the go. I am also part of Chookyblue's SSCS (Secret Santa Christmas Swap) this year and need to have my handmade gifts ready to post next week. No photos of these until they have been received by my swap recipient though.

Well , till next time.............Happy Quilting.

Another successful Camp. OPAM finishes.

2011-10-31T21:47:00.011+10:00

We had a wonderful time at the camp at Boonah on the week-end. We had lots of fun and laughter, a couple of late nights, great food and we also managed to get plenty of sewing done. I worked on my Authentic quilt blocks and finished all 40 blocks, then stitched the blocks of my Xmas runner together (photos of these in my last post) as well as finishing off my apron and place mat which has a pocket for my cutlery on it. I used the same fabric for both. I had a quilter's panel so used sections of this and blanket-stitched them to each piece. I added a pocket and lined my apron to give it a nice finish. I am standing in the middle of the photo above. Brenda on the end (right side) in my photo won the best apron prize.

Below are some of the quilts the girls from my quilting group were working on. Cindy's Secret Garden quilt. All the florals used are different. I love this quilt made with 5" squares and light colored yardage. Several girls were making this quilt.

Joy finished her candlewick quilt with borders and lace.
This Color wash quilt was coming together nicely.

Tomorrow I am off to Eagle Farm Racecourse for a Melbourne Cup Party. My second son, Todd, turns forty on the 10 th of November and he decided he would like to celebrate it with some family and friends on cup day at the races. It will be nice to be there as it is a long time since I got dressed up and attended a Melbourne Cup day. I've bought a fascinator to add to my outfit. All that's left to do is pick the winner........ any suggestions?
Cheers for now ...........Sorry I can't seem to get this to post without large spaces between the photos so this will be the last time I try as it is getting late.

Off to Boonah Camp.

2011-10-28T10:03:00.003+10:00

I'm off to camp at Boonah in a short while. The car is packed and ready to go. I am picking up two of my friends, Jan and Sue on the way. We have check in at 12.00pm and it takes under an hour to get there. A small group this time, just 12 of us going but no matter how many we have, we always have a great time. Below is my place mat for the camp. Just the binding to go, will finish it as soon as I get there. We also had to make an apron.
Below are some things I am working on. My new table runner for this Xmas and fabric I'm using in a quilt for my grandson Josh. It is called Authentic and is by Sweetwater. I just love their fabrics.

Well must rush, will blog about the camp when I get back.

A nice surprise, work in progress......

2011-10-15T09:33:00.012+10:00

How lucky am I? I won this beautiful diary by being a follower on The Quilters' & The Embroiderers' Store's new blog. Thank-you Karen. Went to check out the blog last week and there was my name along with three other winners. The diary contains some lovely photos in it so will enjoy using it very much next year.

Here is a stitchery I completed for a Xmas table runner I am making. Unfortunately, I didn't allow enough fabric around the outside and when I went to cut it out, it isn't quite big enough. I have traced another one to stitch. I guess I might be able to use this one for the label. Not happy with myself at all at the moment

I bought this small hanging in America so thought I would try to get it finished by Halloween. It goes on a stand and is part of a series done by Nancy Halvorsen. I also bought the December block as well. Haven't done any blanket stitch applique for a while so had to check out Lynette Andersen's blog for her tutorial on the way she does blanket stitch. Finally found it back in a September 2009 blog entry.
Well must close now as I am off to my quilting room to hopefully get lots of work done.

Elefantz Giveaway !!!!!

2011-10-15T08:42:00.017+10:00

Jenny of Elefantz is having a giveaway to celebrate having over 1500 followers. As well as her blog which is always an interesting read, Jenny has a monthly e-mag which you can subscribe to. It is an enjoyable magazine with a bonus of 3 or 4 new patterns by Jenny included each month. So pop over to her blog and enter to win some great prizes. Cheers for now........

Finishes for September

2011-09-29T09:56:00.006+10:00

I haven't had any finishes for quite a while so it is nice to be able to say that I have three to register for this month's OPAM. Above is the place mat I made for the quilting camp I attended at Tamborine the end of last month and below is my latest finish, a mug rug. I think it is very cute and am going to make a few more of these. They would make great gifts as well. The fabric I have used is Bliss by Bonnie & Camille.

The last finish is my Tis the Season quilt. As I was part of a stitch-a-long group for this, I am very pleased that I managed to get it completed before the due date which is tomorrow. It was lovely to be part of this group and see how different all the quilts have turned out due to different choices in fabrics used. I used Crazy 8 fabric by Sandy Gervais and decided to use the dark blue for the border instead of the red which initially I thought I would use. I am quite happy with how it looks and can't wait to see it hanging on my wall this Christmas.

So that's all for this post. Till next time Happy Stitching...........

2011-09-19T10:22:00.004+10:00

Here are a couple of photos of the runners I made at my last camp. Bought some backing for them the other day so will now be able to layer them ready for quilting. I was able to get 2 runners and 2 toppers from each one and a half yard piece. The Xmas ones are slightly different with the snowmen on the outside of one and in the centre of the other.

I have also joined Chookyblue for her Secret Santa Christmas Swap. I am going to add the logo to my side bar and start checking out some blogs of the girls who have also joined. I have been in two Christmas swaps before and have really enjoyed them although this is my first time in this one.

Well must go now as I am trying to finish quilting my Tis The Season and I need to pop in and see the girls at my quilting group today.

Back at last.......

2011-09-05T21:44:00.013+10:00

Please excuse the editing on this post as I have tried about five times to make it look better but I am facing a losing battle..........so frustrating.
Lots of things have been happening over the last couple of months. Our trip to the USA in June-July was wonderful and we had a great time. I managed to get to quite a few quilt shops as we journeyed from Los Angeles to San Francisco and then up to Sonoma where we attended our first Nascar race. We went to several hotrod shows, did lots of sight seeing and lots of shopping. We ended up bringing back some hotrod parts for our next car and I purchased plenty of quilting goodies and of course an extra suitcase to bring them home in. Below are photos of a few purchases.

Love these fabrics. Not sure as yet how I will use them.

The last weekend in August I again attended the Beaudesert Quilters Retreat. This one was entitled Masquerade and Bling. Saturday night saw me (in the middle) and my friends Liz and Chris dress-up. It's always a good night with everyone joining in the fun. Liz made her court jester outfit which looked pretty good. She won a prize for the best dress-up, second year in a row.

Below are a few photos of Saturday nights Show & Tell.

I love these quilts. They are so cute.

Here are some of the placemats that were made by the quilters who attended. The very last one is my contribution. It will be a lovely reminder for me of this great weekend. All that writing took me ages to stitch but I was very happy with the end result.

Well, had better close now. Will return soon with some photos of what I worked on at the retreat. Hopefully I am now in the quilting mode again as I have lots of things I what to do and still lots of UFO's to finish.

Until next time........Noela

Busy month : Holidays

2011-06-13T23:05:00.004+10:00

This is what I have been up to for the last few weeks. My son sold his house so it was all hands on deck to help with the packing up. With lots of offers from family, numerous boxes were packed and stored, the house and yard were cleaned and tidied and the house was ready for hand-over on time.
Scott and my grandson have moved in with us for a while, so this weekend has been spent setting up their area and finding room for all the bits and pieces they brought with them. Below are some photos of Jake with his new bike. His Dad finally put it together this morning and he has been riding it around our yard most of the day. He had a couple of spills but seems to have the hang of it now. Our old dog Cain has been enjoying running around after him.

Also, I did manage to spend an hour in my quilting room today so that I could add borders to my Tis the Season June blocks. I have traced the last three blocks so I can take them with me on holidays. We leave on Wednesday for 3 weeks in California. When we booked the trip in January, little did we know that the trip would coincide with the house sale, but luckily it has worked out perfectly. Well must close as I still have lots of packing to do and checking of my long list of things not to forget. I am taking a laptop with me so am hoping to blog about our travels while we are away. Hope it goes a lot better than tonight as I have had so much trouble with posting my photos. So bye till next time...........

Nancy's Bag, Tis the Season Blocks

2011-05-18T15:19:00.006+10:00

The above bag holds fond memories for me of my darling Mother-in-law, who passed away just before Easter this year. When we were visiting several year's ago, Nancy asked me if I could make her a bag to hang from her walker to put all her bits and pieces in, so I made her this one. She loved it so much that she asked me to make another one for her friend. A great confidence builder for a relatively new quilter at the time. Thank-you for your love, support and friendship over the years. We will miss you very much. RIP Mum.

Here are my May Blocks for Tis the Season Stitch-A-Long. Have had them finished for a while so thought I had better add a picture. I have completed the next block for June and have two more traced out ready to stitch. We are heading off to the US on the 15th of June for three weeks so need to have these done before I go.

Until next time .............

Tis the Season Blocks

2011-04-27T10:42:00.002+10:00

Below are the blocks I have done so far for the Tis the Season Stitch-A-Long. I am using a Crazy 8 Honey Roll for the block sashings and some yardage for the borders. This is how the layout of the 5 blocks is looking.
Below are blocks 4 & 5.

Blocks 1,2 &3.

Just a quick post. Cheers till next time.......

Happy Easter, Some finishes for April.

2011-04-24T19:52:00.011+10:00

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL

Hope everyone has had a lovely Easter as we have. This morning we enjoyed brunch with our family. Our grandchildren were excited that the Easter Bunny had paid them a visit and left lots of eggs in their nests.

*********************

Below are some finishes for April:
This is a wine bottle gift bag made with 2.5 by 5 inch rectangles of Bliss fabric. It's quite a bit of work so not sure I would make it for this purpose again. I have been trying to think of another use for it so if you think of one let me know. Here I have put a coloured glass bottle in it.
At the last camp I attended, many of the ladies had made these small ironing boards for use next to their sewing machines. Great for when you are doing lots of piecing with seams that need to be pressed before the next piece can be added. On the back-side I glued a small cutting mat for trimming and on the top, I used 2 layers of underlay covered with a layer of fabric. All I need now is a small iron and I'm set . I found the folding table in one of the cheap shops.

These two bags were made using a pattern I found on the net. This is quite easy to assemble and has three pockets on each side made when the handles are attached. I added a suffolk puff and button for trim to each.

Well, that's all from me. Till next time......... Happy stitching

A Few Camp Photos

2011-04-18T19:32:00.005+10:00

Last month I was lucky enough to attend two quilt camps. The first one was my quilt groups' camp at Boonah. I had a great time but was very slack with taking photos this time. I was going to take every one's projects on the Sunday before we left but we simply ran out of time. I taught a bag class on the camp and had two bags at various stages to demonstrate how to put it together. I finished one bag on camp and completed the other one after I got home. I have some finishes for April so will include the photos of the bags in that blog post. Below is a photo of everyone enjoying a meal at the camp. We seemed to do lots of eating, laughing and talking but did get quite a bit of sewing done as well. The next camp I attended was at Tamborine Mountain. The theme of the camp was Log Cabin Fever. I also had a great time as I caught up with some lovely friends from NSW's as well as the girls from the Beaudesert Quilters group. This camp goes for 4 days. Below are my friends Chris and Liz.

Here we are enjoying Happy Hour.

Along with log cabin name tags made in the shape of hearts, we were also given a log cabin chook pin cushion to take home as a reminder of the camp. All made by Sue W, the camp co-ordinator. (36 made in all). This was our table of chicks.

Below is my very first quilt which happens to be a log cabin quilt. This quilt began my journey into the wonderful world of quilting.

My friend Liz's quilt.

Chris's Log Cabin Bag. This bag would be great for a week-end away as it is huge.

Chris also won the place-mat challenge with her Cab In Fever mat. A very original concept.

Another place-mat.

Saturday night show and tell brought forth some beautiful work. These quilts being just a few of them.

In all a wonderful week-end. The next one will be in late August and I am already looking forward to it. Well must go, will be back soon with some finishes. Bye for now........

OPAM finishes for March

2011-03-31T10:02:00.005+10:00

Last day to show my 2 OPAM finishes for this month. Below is the challenge place mat I made for the Cabin Fever camp I have just attended at Tamborine Mountain. The cabin fabric I had in my stash fitted the theme so only needed to purchase fabric for the border (didn't make much of a dint in my stash though). I have a few photos to show from my March camps but will leave them for the another post.

Here is a little thread bin I made to go with my remote control holder. I do most of my stitching in the lounge and the cut threads seem to end up all over the floor so hopefully this will be an end to the problem. I love these little bins and so easy and quick to make.

Be back soon ............

It's Mad March again !!!!

2011-03-16T13:43:00.009+10:00

March is always a bit crazy around here. I have three week-ends in a row away. Last weekend we had the High Altitude Hot rod run to Toowoomba. We had a great time as usual. Due to all the flooding in January, we were not sure if it would go ahead, but luckily they got lots of last minute entries (147 in all) so the Toowoomba Hot rod club decided to go ahead with it. We went for a tour of the Cobb and Co museum on Saturday followed by games and lunch in Queens Park. Dinner and dancing at the showgrounds on Saturday night and the show and shine in the city on Sunday. As I haven't been out in the car for a while, it was nice to spend time with Chris and catch up with our rodding friends.

My friend's daughter, Holly, who won a top ten trophy with her T-bucket and me of course.

The show and Shine in Margaret St (our 1928 roadster). Below the Cobb & Co museum, well worth a look.

A few weeks ago, Helen from Hugs and Kisses asked if anyone would volunteer to stitch a block for the GREAT AUSSIE SPIRIT flood and cyclone relief efforts. These blocks are to be made into a quilt and then it will be raffled to help add funds for this worthy cause. I was sent this lawnmower block and the thread to stitch it with. I added some red fabric from my stash to be used around the block. I am looking forward to seeing the finished quilt when Fiona from bubz.rugz puts it together. She sent me an e-mail when my block arrived and now has over half the blocks so hopefully it won't be too long.

Well that's it from me for now. This week-end is my quilting groups camp at Boonah so more photos when I return from that. See you soon.........

Some blocks finished & a welcome visit

2011-02-20T20:28:00.012+10:00

Here is my grandson, Tom. He was down for the week-end visiting his Dad so he came over to see us and have a swim. His hair is getting quite long but he is not keen on getting it cut just yet. We were so happy to have him visit as we haven't seen him since the beginning of January.

A Friendship Star : Block 1

I follow a blog called Piece n Quilt. Natalia Bonner is a long-arm quilter and also a designer of beautiful quilts. She has designed a free BOM which started on 9th February. The logo is below. If you are interested, check out her blog, I really love her designs.

The following 2 blocks are from the Layer Cake Quilt A-long. Am so far behind with these blocks. I have blocks 3-7 to do with another block due tomorrow. I have found it difficult to choose fabrics as the layer cake I chose, Basic Grey's Fruitcake has lots of similar patterns. Today, I have sorted out some layer cakes for each block so now all I have to do is make them up.
Block 8 above and Block 2 below. Sorry Block 8 is a bit blurry.

This is block 5 of my Gardeners Journal Quilt. Just 4 blocks to go now before I can put the top together. Quite a bit of stitching still to go though. I am glad I joined this Stitch-A-Long group as it has meant I will eventually get this quilt made which I may not have done without the encouragement of so many lovely ladies.

Well, it is getting late and my stitching is waiting for me, so cheers for now ............

A Finish for OPAM, Gardeners Journal Block

2011-02-01T11:28:00.004+10:00

This is a travel diary cover I made for my sister who is going on a wonderful overseas trip in April. Might buy some more fabric to make myself one as we are traveling to the USA in June and I always like to keep a diary as I tend to forget little details over time and it is good to be able to relive your trip by reading what you have written every now and again.

Below is my next Gardeners Journal Block. Have now completed 4 blocks with 6 to go.

Well back to more stitching. Until next time.......

Quiet Australia Day, Getting back on track.

2011-01-27T09:44:00.004+10:00

Yesterday was Australia Day, a day when we celebrate our beautiful country and our way of life. We had a very quiet one with a swim and a B-B-Q lunch with my eldest son and grandson. Lamb , steak and salad was on the menu followed by watermelon for dessert. Trying to be a bit more healthy this year, but will have to see how long that lasts.
January has passed very quickly with lots of time spent with grandchildren and very little sewing done. Got Jake, settled into school this week so hope now I can get back into my quilting room a bit more often and actually finish some things off.
I have joined OPAM again this year in the hope it will encourage me to finish the numerous UFO's I have in my cupboards. Kris from Tagalong Teddies and Peg from Happy in Quilting are again running it. I have added the button to my side bar and put my finishes list there as well.
Well, off to put another Gardeners Journal block together and trace out some more stitcheries. Still have quite a few of them to go. Will have a few photos of things I'm working on in my next post.
Until then, take care all..........

Happy New Year , Birthday Fat 1/4 Swap

2011-01-01T21:05:00.003+10:00

Well, here we are : January 1, 2011. I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year and have all made your New Year resolutions. My wish for my family this year is that any problems they have been facing will be resolved so they can move forward with their lives. Only time will tell but I think 2011 will be a better one for them. As for me I want to catch up on all the things I didn't get done last year. I have a list of UFO's that is quite long so I guess that is where I will have to start.
This year I joined Maree's Birthday Fat 1/4 Swap. The idea of the swap was that we were to send 2 fat quarters as each member of the group had their birthday. Below are the fat 1/4's that I received from Jenny, Christine, Barb and Natalie. Some extras goodies were also sent with the fabric. They included a Christmas ornament, a fabric tissue holder, some buttons and a pattern. Ladies, thank-you so much for these lovely gifts and thank-you to Maree for organizing it.
I already have a some ideas for using the fabrics so am looking forward to seeing what I can come up with.
Well, till next time............

It's Christmas !!!!!

2010-12-23T08:12:00.006+10:00

Well, it's taken me long enough but I think at last I am getting the Christmas spirit. The tree is up and decorated, the cards have been sent and the presents are wrapped. Just the last minute shop for food, a quick house clean, then some preparation and I'm there. Our Christmas morning will be quiet but will give Chris and I some time to sleep in then enjoy a leisurely breakfast together to celebrate our birthdays before the family arrives mid afternoon. I love the fact that we share our birthday and this year it is Chris's 60 th, he hates fuss so no party, although it has always been hard to organize anything near Xmas anyway, every one's so busy at this time of year.

Before I go, must show you what I sent for Maree's Christmas Swap. Three of these I can add to my OPAM list for December.

Something for Xmas : An apron, a Christmas tree plate, a beaded Christmas tree ornament which I made, some choccies.

Something smelly: Lavender hand cream, exfoliating gloves.

Something to read : Tea or coffee, some chocolate and magazine.

Something Handmade : A handbag and notebook wallet.

Something for the craft room : 2 Fat quarters, scissors, buttons, Stitchery, DMC thread.

I really enjoyed doing this swap. I loved making the bag and wallet and I intend to make some more of these as gifts as they are quite quick to sew once the cutting out is done.

I was in a birthday fat quarter swap organised by Maree also and so I have 3 parcels that have arrived for that but I am going to wait to open them on my birthday.
Well, must go, to everyone who has taken the time to read my blog, I would like to...........

WISH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

I hope you will call in again next year. Until then it's bye for now. Noela

Snakes, storms and quilting....

2010-12-16T10:16:00.008+10:00

An interesting thing happened to me yesterday as I went to feed my chickens. Opened the back shed and a red-bellied black snake slithered away from the door. Probably only about 3 feet but it got my heart racing. Needless to say I quickly shut the shed. Rang the snake catcher man and he came and caught it for me. I certainly got quite a fright. I know they are around but always imagine they are in someone else's yard not yours. Am going to buy a pair of wellington boots to wear in the yard in future and get some for the grand-kids as well. Scary..........
While waiting for the snake catcher, we had a bad storm and lost power for 8 hours so I think I have had enough excitement for this week, do you agree?

Earlier this year, I joined Maree's Xmas Swap and received the name of the person who I was to send my parcels to. Below are the wrapped parcels I sent last week. It is good to know the parcel arrived safely and Vanessa enjoyed receiving her gifts.

I also received my parcel and even though I promised myself I wouldn't open it until Christmas, I gave in after a couple of days. So here are my gifts sent by Marlene. Thank you so much, they are all lovely. I am looking forward to putting my table runner on the table Christmas morning. Included, something to read, something smelly, something handmade, something for Christmas and something for the craft room.

I will show you the gifts I sent next post.

Below is the label I stitched for the baby quilt my quilting group gave to the minister and his wife for their new baby due to be born very soon. We have been meeting at the church hall since our group was formed over 3 years ago so have got to know Dan, the minister, quite well. 13 of our members made a block each, Cindie put it together and quilted the top and Jan added the binding. We presented the quilt on our break-up day last week. They already have 2 little boys and as we didn't know if baby is a boy or girl, we included both blue and pink in the design. Safe arrival Baby Talbot.........hope you like your quilt.

Well must go now as I am going over to my son's to help him get the house ready for sale. 2011 will bring a few changes but hopefully they will be for the better.

Thanks for reading my blog, I will try to blog a bit more often next year. Have a great day, until next time...........

OPAM Finish, Love is Block

2010-11-30T21:58:00.013+10:00

Just a quick post to show my OPAM finish for November and also Block 20 (above) for Love is. Only 4 more blocks to go now. Am working on Block 21 and have just printed Block 22 today, so some catching up to do. Where has November gone???? Only 2 presents bought for Christmas and no preparations in the pipeline for Christmas Day, so I will have to get a move on. Tomorrow, I am heading to the shops to hopefully get most of the shopping done. Only time will tell if that plan is successful or not.

I have been working on a variety of stitching things this month but some are for presents so I can't show them as yet. I can show you my finished dilly bag though, which I was going to make on camp but simply didn't have time. I got to use up some of the chicken fabric which I have had in my stash for a many years. I'm pleased with how the bag turned out and just how quickly it came together.

One of the girls from our group has made several for her family and friends and is going to fill them with goodies and nicknack's for Christmas which is a great idea. Must keep that in mind for next year.

Well must go and write a list for tomorrow. Till next time...........

Boonah Quilting Retreat

2010-11-08T14:52:00.006+10:00

Above is a photo of our group taken on the verandah of our accommodation at ' The Outlook' Boonah. Two of our members who couldn't come for the weekend joined us on Saturday for morning tea and lunch.

We hold our Quilt Retreat twice a year in March and Oct/Nov. We arrived early Friday morning and returned home Sunday before dinner. All who attended had a great time as usual, enjoying each others company and sharing our knowledge and skills with those who needed it. Sewing, stitching, quilting, talking, laughing, staying up late and of course lots and lots of eating which included our Happy Hour each night was the order of the day.

We each had to make a place mat to take along so that we could use it to brighten our table on camp. Below are some of the one's made by myself, Jan, Nancy, Clare and Viv. Will show some more next time.

Below is what I did at camp. I started a Stack & Slash Quilt which several others in the group made also. Cindy, who joined our group early this year, kindly taught this to us. I used aqua and brown colours and am using a star fabric, used in the blocks, for the second border. I didn't have enough of any of the browns to use for the first border so couldn't do any more until I buy some. I also did Block 19 of my Love is..... quilt and the first block of the Layer Cake Quilt Along. I am using a layer cake called 'Fruitcake' by Basic Grey which is a Xmas line. I also started a bag using the two leftover blocks from the stack & slash quilt and will add a photo when I complete it.

Well that is all for today. Hope to post again soon. This weekend we are off to a Hot rod Camp at Yamba so my quilting will be on hold until after that. Our little yellow Model A roadster has been cleaned and polished ready for its journey. Have a great week everyone..........

Blush Quilt Top, Love is.... Blocks

2010-10-16T11:50:00.008+10:00

Above is the finished top of my Jelly Roll Stitch A-long Quilt. I am so pleased with how it looks. I was a bit worried that it was going to be too pink after I added the sashing, but, with the final dark borders on, the pink was toned down a bit. What do you think? Anyway my hubby who is a man of few words, said, and I quote "That looks really good, you are a clever girl" so I have to be happy with that especially the girl part.

Here are the next 4 blocks of my Love is... quilt. Only 6 more blocks to go. I have the first 4 rows together so not much work at the end when its time to finish it. Blocks 15 and 16 in the first photo and Blocks 17 and 18 in the next.

I have finished the second block for a Gardeners Journal and have the stitchery done for two more blocks. It was slow going with this house block as there was lots of straight line back stitching.

To finish, thought I would add photos of my 2 youngest grandsons taken when I went with my son to Gayndah to see Tom and pick up Jake who had been staying there during the school holidays. I haven't seen Tom in a while and he has his hair much longer than he usually does so he looked quite different. It was lovely to see him and I got the biggest hug and kiss. I miss him lots.

We took the boys to Maryborough to see a movie and have McDonalds (at Tom's request as they don't have any fast food places in Gayndah). Then we stayed the night in a motel. Here is a photo of his brother Jake pretending he was going to go to sleep early. The boys had a great time and so did Dad and Grandma.
Well that is all from me. Am off to the Craft Show in Brisbane this week so excited about that. Bye for now.......

Blog Buttons.

2010-10-03T19:36:00.012+10:00

Have added two new buttons to my side bar. The first one is a Layer Cake Quilt-Along similar to the Jelly Roll one I did earlier. It is again run by Konda from Moose on the Porch Quilts and starts on 2 November. Blocks will be made available every two weeks and will be by a different designer each time. Pop over to the blog to see what materials you will need to have by November or to read more about it if you think you might be interested. It is a good way of learning how to use the different pre-cuts that are on the market today.

The next button is for Simply Christmas where Kerryanne of Shabby Arts Boutique hopes to encourage us into putting handmade and hand-baked back into our Christmas giving. This will run from the beginning of October until Christmas. Pop over to her blog and check it out. Kerryanne has also provided lists that can be printed out to help you get organised and will have a give-away each week. The gift for the first week is a hand painted Christmas folder with the organisational lists already in it.

OH DEAR, so much for not joining anymore things........

More Tamborine camp photos, OPAM finish

2010-09-22T17:32:00.010+10:00

Above is the place mat I made for the camp and is my OPAM finish for this month. Below are a couple of photos of the tables with the place mats being used. They made our meal times quite festive.

Below are photos of some of the quilts the ladies brought along for show and tell. The first two were part of a previous challenge where participants were given 2 mens shirts and were asked to make a quilt out of them adding 1 or 2 extra fabrics supplied by them. The results are quite amazing when you think what the ladies started with.

This quilt was made using scraps from the quilters stash.
Lovely rain here at present so hoping I might get some UFO's finished as well as a tidy up of my quilting room. My grandparent duties are not required on this lot of school holidays as my grandson is up north visiting his mother and brother for the 2 weeks. I hope they are all having a wonderful time together.

Great Weekend !!!!!

2010-09-01T09:21:00.011+10:00

The Red Hatters Retreat last weekend was enjoyed by all who attended. We spent the 4 days sewing, sharing quilting tips and knowledge, talking, laughing and of course eating lots of yummy food. With all the meals prepared by Nick, our chef, we could concentrate and enjoy spending uninterrupted time at our sewing machines. I managed to get a few things done as well as gather lots of wonderful ideas that I hope to make in the near future.
Here is the table runner top I made using a Patisserie charm pack.

Above is my Pinwheel quilt that I added sashing to and then the border and below is my Jelly Roll quilt. This photo is before I attached the sashing and final borders so will update a photo next time.
On Saturday night for dinner, we all dressed up in red and purple. Some of the outfits were very funny. It always amazes me the ideas some of the girls come up with. In the second photo I am in the middle with my friends Liz and Chris. Liz won best outfit of the night. She is the one on the left of the photo.

The challenge we had to make for the camp was a place mat (to be used at camp) in the colours of red/purple (if over 50) and mauve/pink (if under 50) so I combined all colours in my effort. Bronwyn Hayes stitcheries got quite a workout in lots of the place mat designs. I somehow deleted the photo of my place-mat so will add that to next post as well. Here are a few examples of other peoples work.

My friends Chris's above and Liz below.

Teresa's, very cute. The lady has been painted using acrylic paint, the lettering is stitched.

Not sure who did this one.

Sue's place mat. Sue was one of the ladies on the committee who organised the camp. They all did a great job.

Well, will add a few more photos in the next post of our show and tell session. Some truly beautiful quilts have been made by the ladies. Having a few problems loading the photos so won't try my luck with anymore just at present. Till next time........

Tamborine Quilt Camp

2010-08-25T20:16:00.002+10:00

Tomorrow I am heading up to Tamborine Mountain for a 4 day quilt camp with the Beaudesert Quilters group. This is my third camp with them and I just love it. They are a great group of ladies and the weekend is always filled with fun and friendship. The theme for this camp is Red Hatters Retreat. I have been busy the last few days preparing things to take. As a challenge for the camp, I had to make a place mat using the camp's theme. I have stitched some Bronwyn Hayes ladies for mine and used red/purple (for over 50) and pink/mauve (for under 50) fabrics to accentuate the theme colours. I must say it is very, very bright. Will post photos when I return home. Well must go and finish packing.

Sorry I haven't been blogging much lately but have had a few on-going family issues which have had to take precedence over other things. Hopefully things will settle down soon.

Progressing slowly

2010-08-12T12:53:00.007+10:00

I haven't been doing too much lately. Time is passing much too quickly. Here is another block in the Love is series. Still got a couple more to go to catch up but will get there eventually.

My Gardeners Journal blocks are going slowly but have managed to get the stitchery finished on these two blocks. I was extremely pleased when I finished the house as it took a very long time to complete. Have the next 2 blocks ready to stitch although they will not take as long I hope.

Here is my big boy's rug. Scott was a bit upset that he missed out when his two boys got there's so I made this version for him. Instead of making it square, I purchased 2 metres each of the blue and grey polar fleece to make his rug a bit longer.

It is certainly breezy here today after a couple of days rain. A nice day to catch up with some stitching I think. Hope you are having a good day too. Till next time.......

Another finish for OPAM

2010-07-29T20:47:00.005+10:00

One more cuddle quilt done. This time for my daughter Kym. Her favourite colour is purple so backed hers with that. She loved it when I gave it to her on the weekend. Four quilts done this month, an all time record.

Below is Block 11 of the Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt Along. Only one block to go next week. Can't wait to see how we are going to finish it off.

Well must go as hubby is waiting to look on the computer before he goes to bed. I've been on much too long, I think........ See ya......

Catching Up

2010-07-20T10:08:00.005+10:00

Yesterday I spent some time catching up on my blocks. Did some more work on my Gardeners Journal blocks but still have a bit of stitching to go before I can make up the blocks and add the photos to the Stitch-a-long blog. Sorry Chookyblue.........

I also completed my Love is block 12 and was able to finish joining the first three rows together. I like the way this is coming together, half way there now. I love the feel of French General fabrics and they are lovely to sew with as well.

I also completed my Jelly Roll block in time for the next one to be available today. This one is mainly reds and pinks as I am running out of the dark colours. Below is the photo, tell me what you think...........

Well just a short post today. Am on a mission to tidy up my computer room. It has all the kitchen stuff in it that I haven't been able to find a home for. Put a bit more shelving in here on the weekend so hopefully it will be tidy by days end.

Grandson's Visit, a Party & Another 3 Cuddle Quilts completed !!!!

2010-07-19T09:34:00.009+10:00

Well it has been a busy few weeks. My grandson was down from Gayndah to visit his Dad on the school holidays so tried to spend some special time with him. I miss him a lot since he moved away. He seems to have grown so much taller even though it is only a few months since I last saw him. He loved the cuddle rug I made him as you can see in one of the pictures below. I managed to finish another one for his brother Jake as well. So there would be no arguments over them, I made them in their favourite colours. Like most siblings, they are very good at both wanting the same thing at the same time so it is good if you can overcome the problem before it arises. While Tom was visiting, his Dad had his 40 th birthday party so there was lots to do and prepare for that. It was a great night enjoyed by everyone and a great way to celebrate another milestone in my son's life. My daughter-in-law Deb put a photo poster together of Scott's 40 years. It is amazing how much we have all changed over that time especially the hairstyle and colour changes that I have had over the years. My grandson Josh asked his Mum who the person was in the photo with his Dad and Uncle Scott. Of course, it was a much younger and slimmer me with long blond hair.

Since the party, I have made 2 more of those cuddle quilts with another 2 to go. The pink and blue one is for me and the red star and black one is for Josh which I finished for his 13 th birthday yesterday. They are so warm across your knees on these chilly nights and so quick to make.

Tom above and Jake below.

Now I must get back to my quilting and stitching. Am way behind with everything. Till next time..........

Another OPAM finish !!!!!!

2010-06-30T10:57:00.007+10:00

Just a quick post as time is just flying by in this household. Scott's 40 th birthday is next week and with trying to help him get the house in order and trying to finish a couple of quick quilts for his 2 boys, life is a bit hectic at present. Tom will be down next week for his Dad's birthday and I wanted to make him a warm quilt to take back with him. Of course, I made him a quilt when he was younger but haven't got around to making his brother Jake one as yet so I decided to make them both a no sew cuddle quilt. Jake (6) has been asking me of late when I am going to make him a quilt and thought I might have the time to make him one while he was at his Mum's for the school holidays because I didn't have to look after him. Funny how kids minds work sometimes. The quilt is made using fleece material and is just a matter of laying a square top and backing piece together, removing selvages, then cutting a 5" square from each corner and cutting 1" by 5" strips along all sides then knotting them together. I have finished Tom's, he loves green so used green/brown camouflage fleece with a brown back. It feels so warm and cuddly especially with the weather so cold at present. Hope he likes it. Jake has the same fabric except in his favourite colour, blue. Hope to finish Jake's by tomorrow. These quilts are great and I am thinking I might have to make a few more. I got the seal of approval from my cat Oscar as I had big trouble removing him from the middle when I was trying to turn the quilt to cut the sides. Maybe I need to make a smaller version for him but then he probably wouldn't want to sit on it if he was allowed to. A big thank you to Cyndie from our quilt group for bringing hers in to show us. Quite a few ladies from our group have made them for their grandchildren as well.

Cheers for now......

Blocks, Stitching and A Day Out

2010-06-25T19:59:00.007+10:00

Not too much done in the quilting department this week. My quilting group had our third birthday so we headed off to the coast on Monday to visit a quilt shop and also have a celebratory lunch. We had a great day and I managed to find some In The Pink fabric by Buggy Barn that I have been collecting to use in my Breast of Friends quilt (Homespun magazine last year) when I get around to making it.
I have been working on my stitcheries for The Gardeners Journal Stitch-a-long. Doing 2 blocks this month to try to catch up. Still have a bit to do before next week.
Block 11 of Love is......

Block 9 of my Jelly Roll Sampler. Am starting to run short of the dark colours so am glad we only have 3 more blocks to go.

I have been busy of late helping my eldest son tidy his house as he turns 40 on the 6 th of July and is having a small party to celebrate. This week I decided to clean out my grandson Jake's room. He has this hanging on his door, a birth sampler I stitched for him after he was born. I brought it home to give it a bit of a wash and iron. It's hard to believe that he will be seven at the end of the year. Perhaps its time I made him a new hanger for his door as he has well and truly outgrown this one. He keeps asking me for a quilt so will have to put that on the agenda as well.

Well, hubby wants to use the computer and is hovering in the background so I will say goodbye for now.....

Day out at Wintersun, Blocks 7/8 Jelly Roll Quilt

2010-06-13T10:40:00.006+10:00

I have caught up with my Jelly Roll Quilt Along blocks. Here is Block 8 (first one) and Block 7. I am really loving these blocks and am very happy with how they look. Can't wait to see it together.

We set off yesterday morning early to travel to the coast about an hour away to go to Wintersun. It was pretty chilly with our first frost of winter still visible on the ground. Wintersun has been on each year at Coolangatta for the last 13 years but sadly this year will be the last as it is going to move to northern NSW next year. It is a car show where the cars are parked in the streets which are closed to traffic. It has a rock and roll theme with bands dotted throughout the area and rock and roll groups dancing to the music. A short parade of vehicles and trucks carrying the groups is held during the morning. Below are some photos of the day. The number of people was amazing and by lunch time, you could hardly move.

Izzy Dye and band performing on the stage.

Parade float.
Of course forgot to take photos of the group floats which were very colourful.

Above is a car my hubby liked. I asked him if he would like to restore it? No, he said, just like it the way it is. He still surprises me sometimes. Not my cup of tea though.

Lots of different cars to look at.

The crowds in the main street. Another car my hubby liked.

We liked this one. Chris is looking to get another car to work on soon. This is a 34 Ford Tudor. Has more room than the roadster which we are looking for although I still like the Ford Victoria model, it just depends what is available when we go to buy one.

Well must go now as I want to repot some plants and Chris has just come back from the shops with the potting mix. Still cool today and a bit overcast so really don't feel like going outside. Good day to stitch.

Finish at last.......

2010-06-07T19:50:00.004+10:00

I haven't had a finish in a long time so it was nice to complete one on the week-end. Lately, I have had lots of family issues happening which have had to take priority over my beloved hobby. Hopefully as time goes on, things will begin to settle down and I will again have the time to teach myself to use my quilter and finish some tops. In the meantime, I have been working on smaller projects which I have found on the net. I've managed to keep up with making the blocks and doing the stitcheries on most of these. Below is Block 10 of Love is ....... next one due out on the 10 th June so completed just in time.

I am still working on the Gardeners Journal Stitch-A-long blocks as I find I enjoy doing these whilst watching tele at night. I love doing stitcheries and seem to always gravitate to patterns that contain them. The remote control holder is my finish. I used a Joy Patch pattern which uses some honey roll strips. The fabric is called Essence by Sandy Gervais. I love the pattern and it was quite quick to do once completing the stitchery.

I took it to my quilting group today to show them and forgot to iron it again before I took the photo so sorry for the creases.

I bought the Essence panel that goes with the honey roll so am going to make some place mats with that and the rest of the roll. Place mats cut out, now all I need is more time to sew them. Well that's all from me for now. Hope to see you visiting again soon. Leave a comment if you have time, I love reading them.

Stitch-A-Long, Jelly Roll Block, Love is

2010-05-22T11:57:00.006+10:00

I have joined the Gardeners Journal Stitch-A-L0ng. I have had the book and the materials for several years and when I came across the site by chance a while ago, I decided it might be a way of getting this started. Due to my kitchen, I am running a little late so have only completed my first block this week (should have been done by end of April). Lots of little pieces to cut out which was time consuming but as I have now done this, construction of the later blocks should not take so long.

Block 9 of Love is......

Here are two photos of my next block for the Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt Along. With this block, we had to make the two and a half inch centre square a feature. I found this little bird lurking on one of my strips so thought he would enjoy being the centre of attention. I think he looks quite at home, don't you?

I love doing these blocks. The fabric is Blush by Basic Grey.

Well, must go, till next time, take care........

New kitchen but little sewing....

2010-05-13T09:46:00.005+10:00

I finally got back to doing some quilting. One good thing about having a room in the shed is that once I leave the house, I can't see the mess so I can sew without feeling too guilty. Since the kitchen has been completed, I have not had too many spare minutes but decided yesterday, after a stress full day, I needed a break, so this is what I got up to.

Sorted out where my blocks would go for the Pinwheel Quilt Along. Put sashing between 2 rows.

Finished Block 8 of Love is.... and joined the first 2 rows together.

Worked on the next block for the Jelly Roll Quilt Along. Here is the previous block which I completed a couple of weeks ago but haven't had time to post photo.

And below are the photos of my new kitchen. Still needs flooring replaced but painting has been done just a few fiddly bits to do around the cornice. I am very happy with how it looks but am sick of unpacking boxes and working out where everything should go. Have managed to throw some things out but still have 3 more boxes to unpack. Then the rest of the house needs a good clean as there seems to be a layer of dust everywhere.

Today I am looking forward to seeing one of my grandsons. He lives about 5 hours away but is coming for a 4 day visit with his Dad. We are going to Dreamworld tomorrow as a treat. Can't wait to give him a big hug as I miss him a lot. Well best go and get back into those boxes. Till next time........... Take care.

Last 4 Pinwheel Blocks

2010-04-26T10:53:00.008+10:00

I have spent a busy week packing up my kitchen. Tomorrow, out with my 20 year old one and in with the new one. I am getting excited now as I will have new appliances including a dishwasher which I haven't had in this house before. Of course, learning how to use them all seems like a daunting task. The worst part will be putting all the stuff I have just taken out, back. I am determined not to keep things I don't use anymore and have thrown out a few things already. Only the food in the pantry to go now and some tiles to pull up off the floor. I only have a small house so it seems like every room except the bathroom and toilet has kitchen stuff in it. One good thing is that I will need to be home for most of the week so I am hoping I can get a bit of quilting done as I won't be able to do much in the house.
I have managed to get the last 4 blocks of the Pinwheel Sampler Quilt done. The last 2 blocks were ones that we had to pick ourselves. Rachael from ps i quilt gave us several we could choose from so I chose to make one called Rangers Pride. I am really happy with the block and found it easy to do. I must admit that I am more comfortable with making pinwheel blocks now. Need to make another quilt so I can make okay blocks from the start. Might wait a while for that though as I have lots on the go.

Rangers Pride blocks above and below.

I think my favourite blocks might be the two above.

This is Block 7 of my Love is stitcheries. Block 8 will be ready to download today so at least I am keeping up with this BOM.

Well must go now, the pantry awaits.........

More Pinwheel Blocks, Jelly Roll Block 4

2010-04-16T20:47:00.004+10:00

This week has been a very busy. We have been in the planning stage for a new kitchen for quite a while but as usual, unexpected things happen which delay the best made plans. Well finally, it is all happening and in two to three weeks time, our old kitchen will be replaced by a new one. Of course between now and then I have to empty every cupboard which I am not looking forward to. Guess it will give me a chance to have a good clean-out even though the new one will have more cupboard space.
With this in mind, I have tried to spend a little time in my quilting room today and so I managed to get the next four blocks done for the Pinwheel Sampler Quilt along. Only 4 blocks to go now. Have cut out 13 and 14 with the block instructions for the last two expected this week or early next week so need to get a move on to keep up and not fall behind. Blocks 9 & 10.

Below are blocks 11 and 12.

Sorry this photo is a bit dark and doesn't show the lighter coloured fabric very well.

Below is block number 4 in my Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt Along. The block instructions were to use darks for the outer pieces and lights for the centre. As this jelly roll does not have a lot of darks in it, I decided to go with these. I think the block turned out quite well. I am really enjoying doing these blocks.

Well that is all for tonight. Will take some photos of the old kitchen and then post the new one when it is finished. Hope all goes well without too many problems.

Playing Catch-up!!!

2010-04-06T20:57:00.004+10:00

I have been trying to play catch-up on all my BOM's over the last couple of days. The above photos are of Block 4 from the pinwheel Quilt. I have Blocks 5 and 6 cut out and half stitched but still have to sew them all together. So 4 blocks to go with Block 7 due out anytime. I love the pinwheel blocks but am finding them challenging.

The photos below are of Block 4 and 5 of Love is and Block 3 of the Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt. I am really happy with the Blush fabrics that I am using for this project and can't wait for the next block. Everyone who is doing this quilt is adding their blocks to a Flicker group and it is amazing how different they all look. If you get a chance go over and check them out.

I have also put up a picture of the quilt top I made while on camp. I love the fabrics in this also. Not sure whether to use this as a single quilt or as someone suggested at my quilting group, a tablecloth. Usually when I put a new tablecloth on the table, we promptly spill something on it so this may not be such a good idea.

Well just a quick post tonight. Hopefully I will be back soon with more finishes.

HAPPY EASTER, Tamborine Camp, OPAM

2010-04-02T11:00:00.011+10:00

Photos above : Raffle prizes , examples of Sue's Amish blocks that decorated the room.

What a wonderful camp at Tamborine Mountain put on by the Beaudesert Quilters. I had a great time. Met up with some girls from NSW who had been there last time. They are all such fun that the 4 days just few by. Below is the place-mat I made for the Place-mat Challenge. There were some great designs and of course I forgot to take a picture of the winner. We used our mat at meal-times and were given a coaster to bring home. I was lucky enough to get one that matched by mat. The co-ordinator, Sue, made about 40 small dolls and we each got one of those as well. They are so cute and made perfectly. Sue also made all the name tags using different blocks in each. We had to unravel the pieced cube to see if we had won a fat quarter which I did. I was also lucky enough to win one of the raffle prizes which was a cylinder fan/heater. The fan had its own cover made with Amish Retreat written on it. All the other prizes were presented in there own little bags as well as can be seen by the photo above. I managed to finish off a quilt top . The quilt is called Beach Days and is in muted blues, tans and white. Will show you next time as I forgot to take a photo.

I am so behind in all my blocks that I am hoping I will be able to catch up over Easter. I would like to wish all my blogging friends a very HAPPY EASTER. It is an extremely happy one for me as this afternoon, I will see my grandson Tom for the first time in a while. His Dad is on his way back from picking him up. He is spending Easter here so we will be having a family get-together tomorrow to celebrate.

Oh by the way, the place-mat is an OPAM finish. Will add to April list as I forgot to add it for March.

Hotrod Weekend & Boonah Retreat

2010-03-22T11:12:00.007+10:00

I have been quite busy of late with the last two weekends away. I also have a quilting camp on this weekend at Tamborine Mountain while my hubby goes to Tasmania for his niece's wedding so in all March is just flying by for us.
Photo below shows preparations for my placemat for the Beaudesert Quilters Amish Retreat - 25th-28th March.
The quilt camp with my quilting group this past weekend, was most enjoyable. I didn't take anything big to do, just decided as life has been a bit hectic of late, I would try to catch up on some bits and pieces that I am falling behind with. I managed to finish 2 more blocks for the Pinwheel Quilt Along and Block 2 of the Jelly Roll Sampler. I also had to make the challenge project for the camp next weekend. This time it is a placemat to be used at camp. The theme for the camp is Amish based so I have made my placemat using a block pattern called Amish Boxes. I have used tone on tone fabrics in black and blue and am quite pleased with the result. Of course, I left my black cotton at home and so it still has to be quilted and have the binding attached. I did a few other prep things for more pinwheel blocks and stitcheries but will show them later when they are finished. Usually when I go away for camp I have everything cut out ready to go but this was not the case this year so that means by the time I sorted out colours etc, it took a lot longer to get things done. I also helped a couple of other people along the way so by the end of the weekend, I felt I had accomplished quite a bit even though I don't seem to have much to show for it.

Above Pinwheel Blocks.
Below Jelly Roll Sampler Block 2.

The photos below are of our trip to Toowoomba for the High Altitude Rod Run weekend. We always have a great time catching up with our friends and joining in the activities that the Toowoomba hotrodders arrange for the weekend. This time I was asked to ride in our friend's son's car as he had to have a licensed driver with him. He doesn't have his P plates yet but even when he does get them, because the rod has a V8 motor in it, he will have to be accompanied by a fully licensed driver. A bit of a downer for a 17 year old but for safety reasons and with so many of our young people getting killed in road accidents, it probably isn't a bad thing. The car is called a Rat rod and is very basic inside, quite low to the ground and tends to bottom out when you go over bumps in the road. Quite an experience and made me appreciate our roadster which is the yellow one ( it's not quite as bright as it looks in this photo) in the other photo.

On Thursday, we also celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. Where have those years gone?

Second post in two days ...........WOW!!

2010-03-09T20:10:00.005+10:00

This is just a short post to show my final block of the Bunny Hill BOM from last year. It is the December block. I have 2 charm packs in blue which I am going to cut in 2 1/2 inch squares to sash the blocks. Not sure what I will do after that to finish it, will wait and see what it looks like then decide. Need to purchase blue buttons as well to add to the blocks so a bit of a way to go yet.
I managed to finish my Jelly Roll Sampler block today as well which was no mean feat as I was looking after my grandson who was sick and couldn't go to school. Anyway back to the block. I love the way it turned out. I am using Blush fabric by Basic Grey. Now just have to add the photo to the Flicker group.

I also had time to cut out my next blocks for the Pinwheel Sampler but just couldn't get to stitch them. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

Love Is Blocks, Pinwheel Sampler Blocks

2010-03-07T20:19:00.010+10:00

Sorry I haven't posted for a while but I've had a few family issues happening. They are still ongoing but last week I found time to get out in my quilting room again and play with some fabrics. Quilting is so relaxing and helps take your mind off things for a while which is just what I needed.
I was able to complete the next block of the Love Is series of stitcheries. The fabric used is Rouenneries and is a beautiful fabric to work with. Block 4 makes up the first row so have stitched the blocks together to get an idea of what it will look like. The next one is available on the 10th of March. They are very quick and easy to complete. I must admit redwork stitchery is one of my favourite things.

I have also finally finished my first 4 pinwheel blocks. I am using Cotton Blossoms fabric by Bonnie and Camille. I had it set aside for another project but as I had some extra pieces of fabric in this range, thought I would use it so I could keep the same secondary fabric for the first 2 blocks. I am quite pleased how they turned out although, I would still like my joins to be better. Maybe by the end of the quilt they will be...... I can always hope. Below are the four blocks :-

Have just printed out the next block pattern so will try and get a start on the next 2 blocks tomorrow. Choosing the fabrics to use in each block is often the hardest part I think. I have to be careful that I don't keep using the same colours.

Another OPAM Finish, Pinwheel Sampler

2010-02-22T20:07:00.005+10:00

Here is my second OPAM finish for February. It is another Xmas wall hanging. I have had the stitchery done for quite a while and didn't know how to finish it until I saw a hanging in a Country Threads magazine and adapted it to fit my stitchery. The red Xmas fabric I had in my stash and when I saw the yellow fabric, it all fell into place. I tried to get red star buttons but couldn't find any so looked through my red button jar and came up with these. I am really happy with how it turned out. I have decided that I am going to try and make one Xmas thing each month so by the end of the year, I will have either lots of new decorations for my house or some nice gifts to give away. That sounds like a plan. Hope I can keep to it. I guess time will tell.

PS I Quilt has the first block of her pinwheel sampler quilt up on her website. If you would like to check it out, click on the button on my sidebar.

OPAM Finish, 'Love Is' blocks

2010-02-16T20:29:00.008+10:00

MY OPAM finish is my machine mat which I have been working on for some time. I had it almost finished last week but when putting the binding on, I realised I had one of the stitcheries upside down. What a job to fix it, lots of reverse sewing and unpicking but it had to be done otherwise I would see it everytime I used my machine. I sometimes wish I was not so particular about finishing everything off so it won't come apart easily. I'm sure I could have made another mat in the time it took me to unpick it.

Blocks 1-3 Love Is BOM from Paula of Pacific Patchwork.

I must say I am a sucker for redwork and just couldn't resist starting the free BOM called Love Is. The button is on my sidebar. I am using Rouenneries fabric which I purchased from my local quilt shop, Homespun and Beautiful. 2 Stitcheries are provided each month on the 10th and 25th with a total of 24 in all. They are really quick to do and look great, do you agree? I am making my sashing 2 inches to make the quilt a little larger and may add an extra border as well.

A Finish, Something New, Projects on the Go

2010-01-22T19:03:00.018+10:00

This project has been sitting unfinished since before Christmas. I really started it a couple of years ago but had put it aside and forgotten about it until looking through my cupboard and there it was. I had to change the year to 2oo9 and I still didn't get it completed. So it is now on my wall near the dining room table until the end of January so I don't feel so guilty about not finishing such a small project in time for Xmas. My first finish for OPAM.

The stitchery above is one I am working on and when completed will be incorporated into a shoulder bag. It is a Hugs & Kisses pattern which I purchased long ago. It will be a gift for a very old friend I have known since primary school. I have painted part of the stitchery using my folk art paints and have added fabric medium so that the colour will be permanent.

The patisserie layer cake, a lovely gift, will be used to make a Pin Wheel Sampler quilt that Rachel will be starting on PS I Quilt shortly. The button and link can be found on my sidebar. A layer cake, 3 yds of co-ordinating plain fabric, backing and binding is all that is needed.

And finally, my new Brother machine which I needed to buy as my old faithful machine, sadly, could not be repaired and had to go to machine heaven where-ever that is. I have had it a number of years and it has been most reliable so I decided to stick with the same brand so I could use all the clip-on feet from my old one including the walking and quarter inch foot. I have found that when the Bernina is on the quilting machine if I don't have another machine to use, I can't do any machine sewing on other projects. Once I start a quilt top, I really don't want to take the machine on and off. Just thought I would let you know that I am still practising and improving slowly I hope. Am going to try out the speed control and maybe the pattern device on the week-end. Wish me luck, I may need it.

Next Tuesday is AUSTRALIA DAY here in AUSTRALIA. Hope all my AUSSIE friends have a great day.

Time to Begin ..........

2010-01-06T21:18:00.012+10:00

Here it is the 6th of January already and I have passed my 1st year blogversary by 3 days. It has been such a big learning curve but I have enjoyed every minute of it. I love visiting other quilter's blogs and have found my fellow quilters to be a very generous and helpful lot. If you want to know how to do something, usually you can find another quilter has done a tutorial on it and it is on the net somewhere, just have to search. I have learnt so much, enjoyed being in swaps, loved gathering lots of free patterns and managed to complete 1 BOM and have 2 others almost completed.

This year there are more BOM's on offer. Bunny Hill is doing one called Snowbound, Jenny's of Elephantz is called Bouquet, Cheryl of Willowberry Designs has one called Under the Sea and Flirting with Flowers is by Vicki of Tozz' Corner. Check out the buttons on my sidebar for the links.

Kris from Tagalong Teddies along with Peg of Happy in Quilting is going to host OPAM again this year. This was such a great encouragement to me last year to get some of my UFO's finished, that I am going to join again this year and hopefully keep the momentum going. As I look at other blogs tonight, I can see that most of my blogging friends are already showing completed projects for this year so I have decided it is time to leave the holiday mode behind and take up my needle and thread and begin for 2010.

Happy New Year !!!!!!!

2009-12-31T13:17:00.005+10:00

Just a quick post to say a hello to all my blogging friends. I can't believe it will be 2010 tomorrow. Time for New Year resolutions. Wonder how many I will keep this year? My record in previous years leaves a bit to be desired so I think I will have to work a bit harder to change this. We had a lovely family Christmas Day and birthday celebration and I hope you did too.

Been very quiet in the quilting department of late but yesterday, Chris and I tried to work out how to use my quilting machine. Watched the DVD about half a dozen times, put my machine on the frame, ready to go and did some adjustments to the roller heights. Am going to have to practise a lot before I am game to try one of my quilt tops of which there are many. Anyway, it was a good start. Saturday is the next step, attaching fabric to the rollers. Will keep you posted.

Anyway, it's time to wish you a very HAPPY NEW YEAR and to say be safe until I catch up with you in the land of blogging next year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!!!

2009-12-24T09:07:00.004+10:00

Well here it is at last, Christmas Eve. One more sleep till the big guy in the Santa suit arrives. The presents are wrapped and ready to be make there way to our son, Scott's house across the highway where we will have Christmas lunch. He is having the big family gathering this year. I just have to make my coleslaw and curry dip to take so not much preparation to do. Christmas tea will be spent here with Todd(son No 2) & family and my daughter, Kym. We are going to have some seafood and nibblies and spend the rest of the time in the pool I imagine. Should be a lovely day all round.

Today is the start of my husbands Christmas break so he is busy in the yard giving it a tidy up while I am in here playing with the computer. Chris and I are both looking forward to Christmas Day tomorrow as not only do we get to spend it with our family but also we both celebrate our birthdays which makes it extra special.

In closing this post, I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and hope that you all have a wonderful time sharing the day with your loved ones : family and friends.........

Xmas Break-up.....

2009-12-15T09:42:00.007+10:00

Yesterday was my Quilt Group's Christmas break-up luncheon. Of course, I forgot to take my camera so no piccies. We had a lovely day. We meet at a local church and even though it was very hot, with the fans running flat out, the room was quite cool. Lots of yummy stuff to eat, salads, ham, chicken, prawns, quiche and of course pavlova, cheesecake tarts and home-make ice-cream made by my friend Nancy. Mustn't forget Jan's lovely homemade nibblies beforehand and Viv's punch. By home-time we were all feeling pretty full.
As part of our Xmas festivities, we all brought a small gift along to swap. The photo below is my swap gift which I made last week-end. I got the pattern for the journal from Moda Bakeshop but used some of my Aviary 2" strips instead of 1&1/2" strips used in the tutorial. It was quite easy and quick to make. Looks very neat inside as it is lined. Will definitely be making more of these as they make a lovely gift.
I was so pleased Norma received my Secret Santa gift as yesterday was her first day back after an operation. She has been quilting for many years and so I hope she enjoys recording her quilting journey in her new journal.
Well still not finished the Christmas cards or wrapping the presents or the decorating so best be off as I can't see the elves doing it for me. Till next time........

Time slipping away : Here comes CHRISTMAS!!!!!

2009-12-05T11:10:00.009+10:00

Here are my three grandsons : Josh, Jake & Tom with Grandma. My granddaughter was MIA when this photo was taken.

Well I seem to be going round in circles. I am so unorganised this year, gift shopping not finished (hardly even started), cards not written and no thoughts of decorating but time just keeps passing, more quickly with each day. One BIG sigh or maybe two. It may have something to do with my turning 60 on Christmas Day but I think I am cool with that as it is only a number. The kids talked me into having a small luncheon at the RSL club last Saturday, just family & a few old friends. It is always too hard to have something nearer the day as most people have other Christmas festivities to attend. I had a great day and was glad my arm was twisted to have it as my friend of 50 years was there and others I hadn't seen in a while. Chris, my hubby, celebrates his birthday on the same day but his 60th isn't until next year. He doesn't like parties for himself so unsure what will happen when it comes round, perhaps a surprise or maybe not.

The photo below is of my newest finish. A very small container to sit next to the sewing machine so when I cut my threads they have somewhere to go and not on the floor. I found the pattern on the net. It is called a friendship bag and also has a tutorial to go with it. PS I Quilt is the name of the blog. I have the link in my blog list on my sidebar if you are interested in having a look. I'm thinking of making some in xmas fabric and filling them with wrapped sweets as little gifts. The bag also has handles on it if you wish but in this case I left them off.

The following photos are of the stitcheries I am trying to finish that will go on my machine cover and my machine mat. Both projects are waiting for this to be finished before I can proceed. I have been doing it for ages but there is a lot of stitching so I can't be too hard on myself. Leaves and some small flowers to go.

Machine cover and tape border stitcheries below. The same material will be used for the mat and cover as used in the thread catcher. Debbie Mumm fabric, not sure of the name but have had it for years. The pattern is by Bareroots.

I have a couple of other things I'm working on but can't show pictures just yet. Someone might be looking. Well that's about it for today. See you next time.................

Giveaway at Sugar Spun Quilts

2009-11-27T11:41:00.004+10:00

Head on over to this blog, Sugar Spun Quilts. Vicki is giving away lots of prizes, 5 in all to celebrate her 405th blog post. Make Life Sweet jelly roll, 3 lots of fat quarters & charm squares plus yardage make up the giveaways. Drawn on 5th December. I would love to win the Sweetwater jelly roll. I have some of their Authentic fabric line and it is just lovely. Just click on Sugar Spun Quilts and the link should take you to the website. Have fun and good luck if you enter.........

At last. a finish...

2009-11-25T09:44:00.006+10:00

Here is my Verandah Views hanging finished. I am really pleased with how it looks. Thank-you to Cheryl from Willowberry Designs for this wonderful BOM design given freely on her blog . I have had many friends comment on how lovely the stitchery designs are. I used Aviary fabric from one of my favourite fabric designers 'Three Sisters' and I think it compliments the stitcheries perfectly. I will have to find a special place to hang this.

I have also finished Block 11 of A Tisket A Tasket from Bunny Hill. Only one more to go. Below is a stained glass block that I completed a few weeks ago. I forgot to take a photo but was able to get one last week at quilting group. Everyone at my group did one and they will be put into a quilt by one of our members, Robyn who taught us how to do the stained glass technique. Not sure at this stage what will be done with the quilt but a decision will be made when it is complete. My block is of Sturt's Desert Pea. Each block is of an Australian native flower. They should look lovely together. This block was quite a challenge as it had many little pieces. Sorry about the block looking creased, should have pressed it before taking the photo.

Well, must get back to it as I have lots of things on the go at present. See you next time........

My quilting room

2009-11-18T09:12:00.006+10:00

Here are photos of my quilting room. It is almost a year since half the garage was transformed and I transferred all my quilty bits from the house to my new blue room (hence the name for my blog was born). What a marathon that was. It was hard to believe all the things I had accumulated since quilting became my passion but it did give me a chance to discover things I had forgotten I had bought and tucked away for when I had time to do them. Of course, even in retirement, there is still never enough time.

This is my John Watts quilter which I have been looking at and pondering over for almost a year. I have about 6 quilt tops to finish but keep putting it off. I am going to have to bite the bullet soon and just use it for the purpose intended and not as a storage area for unfinished projects.

Oh how I love my new Bernina. Had it for a while before I used it, how silly was that. I just love the needle down function, blanket stitch and the fact that I can sew at half speed which makes it so much easier when you are stitching fiddley things like quarter inch bias tape.

I have been busy working on my projects but haven't got much to show at present. As you can see in the photo above, I am quilting my Verandah Views quilt and just have to add the binding to that. If you read my previous post, I went with the red border for A Christmas Wish and it is in the handquilting stage.

The computer is doing funny things so will close this now so I don't lose this post but be back soon with more finishes, I hope. Cheers for now...........

What to Do?

2009-11-07T18:46:00.007+10:00

I can't believe I haven't blogged for so long. Time just seems to be slipping away as we get closer to December. Need to start Christmas shopping soon as usually by this time of the year, I have most of it done. Trying to think of what to buy is the hardest thing for me this year, I don't know why, just seem to be out of ideas. Hopefully, I will get inspiration soon.......

I've been working on A Christmas Wish BOM by Gail Pan this past week. Have finally stitched all the 2&1/2 inch squares around the blocks and am about to add my last border. I have 2 choices of material, either a red floral or a plainer green stripe, both already used in the quilt. I thought I would go with the red and bind with the green but now, I'm not sure. Laying it out on the bed makes me think the red is just too much and when asked, my hubby said he thinks so to. 'Too busy' were his exact words. Below are the photos I took of the top laid out on both fabrics. I think I'm leaning towards the green. Watch for an update or if you have an opinion, leave a comment which will be most welcome.

Here is my Bunny Hill finish for October just in time for November's to arrive. Halloween seems to be catching on here more every year. My grandson Josh had a couple of friends over to his place and by the looks of the photos (sorry I don't have any) had a pretty scarey time. I could only recognize him by his red hair stitcking out from his mask. Good costume Josh.

This photo is of my grand-daughter having her first driving lesson with my son. She drove up from the Gold Coast. It took me back to when my boys first started to drive. Not a pleasant experience for me as I was quite nervous sitting beside them. Luckily we all survived, me especially. When it came the time for my daughter to get her licence, she opted for an automatic one and I had a manual car so no lessons from me. Phew!!!!!

Well, that is all from me this time. Great to see the rain here in Queensland, just need a bit more. bye for now..........

Back Home from Quilt Camp

2009-10-28T22:39:00.007+10:00

We had a great time on our weekend at Boonah, a rural area about an hour away from home. We stayed at a place called The Outlook which has a lovely big room where we can set up our machines and just sew. Even though we did our own cooking, we still had plenty of time to devote to our projects as we were only rostered on to prepare one meal and cleaning up afterwards was a combined effort and completed in no time.
As you can see by the photos below, I managed to get a fair bit done amid all the eating, laughing, talking and joke telling. My daughter's quilt top now has the borders on it with of course, the quilting still to come. I am quite happy with how it turned out as it is the first time I have made a quilt without using some sort of pattern so it was a bit of trial and error at times. My Verandah Views wall hanging is ready to quilt and I also got a fair bit of A Christmas Wish stitched together but forgot to take a photo so next time I am in my quilting room, I will take one.

Kym's Quilt - Sophistikitties.
Verandah Views.
By the time I got home, I was pretty tired but I just love going, it is such a fun weekend. Our next one is in March, I'm planning already.........

Getting ready for Boonah Camp / Oscar

2009-10-19T20:13:00.004+10:00

This little fellow is my cat Oscar. He is usually perched on my knee helping me with my stitching but last night he decided he was just tooooo tired to help so he sat on the arm of the chair, covered his eyes and slept. I must say, I got a lot more stitching done then I usually do. We inherited him as a kitten after some kind soul threw him out of their car as they were driving along the highway and he just happened to sail over my son's car bonnet. He luckily survived his ordeal and has turned out to be lovely natured puss.

I am getting quite excited as this week-end is our quilting camp at Boonah, the second for the year. Eleven of us will head off on Friday morning for the 3 day camp. I have a few things on the go so will just take them along to try and finish some off. I have completed the stitchery on my Mistletoe Madness quilt top so hope to get this basted together ready to begin hand quilting when I get back. I also have more borders to go on Kym's quilt, A Christmas Wish quilt and my Beach Days quilt (photos in previous posts) so am sure this will be enough to keep me busy. I always think I will get such a lot done but we usually do more talking and laughing than anything else so in the long run, we all come home feeling great and that's really what matters.

OPAM Prize!!!

2009-10-07T09:17:00.003+10:00

Yesterday, I received the above parcel in the post from Kris of Tagalong Teddies. My name was picked as the winner for the September draw. How exciting!!!!!! I had had a very busy weekend looking after my darling energetic grandsons and so this was just the pick-me-up I needed. The picture above is what I received. A pattern by Candlelght Creations, a notepad, a sharpie pen and an angel wooden tag . Thanks Kris and May Britt for organizing this. It has definitely helped me in trying to decrease my long list of wisps. Still have a long way to go though, just have to stop starting new projects if that's possible.

Slow start but getting there at last....

2009-09-30T17:16:00.009+10:00

Well finally I have some enthusiasm back and have been working on several projects at the same time. Below is my Giggle Button Project for August. Stitching all done, just need to decide how to finish it off. May just go with what Sonya did and add a felt backing. Of course haven't the right colour in my stash so may require a trip to my local quilt shop. Used Derwent pencils to colour the flowers and leaves and waterproofed them with fabric medium.
Finished off my last block for A Christmas Wish. Have cut out the small squares for the sashing and have been trying to work out where they need to go. This is always a task that takes me such a long time. Does everyone else have this same problem? Luckily, I could purchase, from Honeysuckle Cottage, some more Holly Go Lightly fabric so I can add the final border and binding using the same fabric as in the rest of the quilt. It was on special too so how good was that? Below is the middle section of my Beach Days quilt. I started this on the Tamborine Quilt Camp after I had finished the Mistletoe Madness quilt top. Only managed to get a few of the rows completed at camp. This quilt has borders on either side of the middle panel so shouldn't take too long to complete. The pattern is by Camille Roskelly of ThimbleBlossoms and is called Mama's Boy. I am going to make mine a little bigger than the pattern, so hopefully I will have enough fabric. I really love these fabrics as they remind me of summer and the beach.

I've also been stitching the holly & berries as well as Merry Christmas in each of the borders of Mistletoe Madness. I'm then going to quilt it with perle cotton. That may take a while but I do enjoy hand quilting.

Of course, the 9th Bunny Hill block is completed as well. Just in time for the next one. I did have a photo but accidentally deleted it when I tried to move it up, so will add it to my next post. Bye for now.........

Quilt Photos

2009-09-24T09:25:00.006+10:00

I had forgotten that I said I would post some photos of the quilts the ladies at the Tamborine Quilt Camp brought for show and tell so here are a few. The above quilt is the one that one first prize for the Think Pink Challenge. Some very talented girls in this group........

The quilt above is one started at the camp. Don't you just love the red,white and black theme.

Below an Oriental themed one. This quilter also had another one which was amazing but my photo wasn't very good as the oriental fabrics were very dark.

This was absolutely fantastic, so life like.

Challenge quilt using three colours.

One can only aspire to quilt like this..... one day in the not too distant future, I hope.

Time for Action!!! Check out Among the Gum Trees

2009-09-17T15:39:00.008+10:00

I haven't done much in the last two weeks and I feel like I need to get back into my quilting room and start getting some of my WISPs completed. After the Tamborine quilt camp, I have been at a standstill and have found it hard to get myself motivated. I have been helping a little with my grandsons, mainly school picking up duties but that is not really a good enough excuse so maybe tomorrow will be the day for action (let's hope so).

This morning, I went to my local quilt shop Homespun & Beautiful and had a lesson on Needleturn Applique given by Helen who is just wonderful at it and not a bad teacher either. Check out her beautiful quilt on her blog (need to go back to July blog entry) which she won first prize for at the Mt Gravatt Show. After a bit of tuition and plenty of helpful tips, I feel quite confident that I will be able to manage the needleturn Quilt Aid blocks that I have been putting off doing. A big 'THANKYOU' Helen. I so enjoyed the morning.

Please check out my sidebar and click on Among the Gum Trees button. It should take you to their blog. Nine designers who have combined to provide free patterns for everyone to download starting with Christmas ones. Read all about it and when the free patterns start. They are also giving away prizes, just have to visit their blogs and leave a comment.

Well, just a short blog this time. Hopefully I will be back soon with photos of works in progress.

Great Weekend; Great Camp

2009-09-02T19:36:00.009+10:00

I had a wonderful time at the Beaudesert Quilters 'Think Pink Cancer Awareness Camp' last weekend. From the moment I walked through the door it was lots of fun. Pink everywhere as you can see by the photos below. Everyone was given a material name tag to wear, mine had a pink cupcake and bright pink ric rac on it. Most of the ladies wore something pink in keeping with the theme.

The photo above is of our High Tea table on Saturday afternoon. Lots of goodies to eat in all shades of pink.

The photo below is of the challenge items everyone made. The requirements for this challenge were very easy as you only had to have pink in whatever you made. The items were varied : quilts, bags, dolls, clothing including a child's dress and matching bag and a decorated bra, a hat, a quilted cutting mat bag, a scarf, embroidered pin cushion, place mats and table toppers. There were 3 prizes. These were given to a quilt, the quilted cutting mat bag and an absolutely beautiful pincushion.

This was the raffle table. 4 pink bags containing prizes. Also guess how many buttons in the bottle, all pink of course. I was way out. In the end when counted there were over 1500 buttons in that jar. Who would have thought that?

Here are the pink raffle bags and the dining tables with there pretty pink place mats, each had a paper heart with our names on with a different quilting quote on each and of course 2 dollies keeping a watch over the proceedings. It was lovely as we got to take the placemats home with us as a reminder.

I managed to get a lot of sewing done in between eating and making new friends. The quilt top below is called Mistletoe Maddess and is made using Mistletoe Manor fabric range by 3 Sisters one of my favourites. The centre is made using charm squares and the outer triangle are made by making 2 squares and cutting them to make 4 triangles. Quite easy really. I have to add some stitching to the cream border namely Merry Christmas on each side and some holly and berries in each corner, then it will be ready to baste and quilt.

I also picked up lots of tips with everyone sharing quilt block designs they were working on and quick ways of doing things which included how to make hexagon blocks by using template plastic instead of paper, quick material scrap bins and lots more. I can't wait to go again. I have a few more piccies to show but will leave them till next time.

Camp : Here I Come!!!

2009-08-25T09:36:00.005+10:00

Well, here I am getting ready for my quilting camp at Tamborine Mountain starting on Thursday. Where did last week go? I had intended to be sooooo organised for this camp but here I am at the last minute trying to get everything done. Still need to finish cutting out the quilt tops I intend to take to sew (nearly there) and still stitching a table runner which I may not finish in time (for the challenge project). I have the pink bag I made but thought this might fit the theme a bit better. The picture above is the place mat I have completed to match the cup, saucer and plate which I will use for our High Tea on Saturday afternoon. I have had the light pink material used for the background for about 30 odd years. I used to make fabric picture frames for gifts way back when and I bought the fabric for that. Little did I know that I would use it again so many years later and that it would match the tea set perfectly. Luckily I was a bit of a fabric junkie back then although not quite as bad as I am now. I am starting to get quite excited about the camp now and am looking forward to a few days of uninterrupted sewing. Hoping I can get at least one quilt top done and pick up some helpful tips from other quilters along the way. The camp has lots of things happening over the 4 days so if I want a break from the machine there will be other things to see and do. Well, must get going or I'll never get finished. Will take lots of photos to show when I get back. Cheers for now..........

Ekka Trip & BOM's Nearly There!

2009-08-15T19:49:00.008+10:00

Above Verandah Views. Below A Christmas Wish with 1 block to go. The red fabric on top is for the last block.

Block 8 completed.

Here are a couple of photos of A Christmas Wish BOM and Verandah Views BOM. I have the sashing on all the blocks and are up to date. Only 1 more month of blocks then borders and they will be finished. Looking really good even if I do say so myself. I have used Aviary material for VV's and Holly Go Lightly for A Christmas Wish. It will be lovely to see these when they are completed.

Here is Jake in the animal nursery with a calf who looks like he's trying to get away from him. This was taken yesterday when I went with my son and grandsons to the Brisbane Ekka. We went in by train which worked out quite well. The boys started eating the minute we hit the station with Jake tucking into a chocolate chip cookie purchased from the vending machine. We all had a great day enjoying a variety of foods including a dagwood dog and a strawberry icecream which are usual Ekka fare. The boys had some rides including the chairlift which is to be dismantled later this year due to the area being redeveloped. They played some games and won the usual stuffed toys. They checked out the animal nursery and of course bought some sample bags to take home. As everyone was quite tired by days end, we decided to forgo the fireworks and head on home before dark. Boy, did I sleep well last night with no waking up till morning.

Here we are at the train. Oh, I really hate photos. I looked tired even before we got there!

Below, the boys on their way to sideshow alley.

Tomorrow, Chris is off to the Nostalgic Drags at Willowbank and I am going to have a quilting day. Need to get my projects for the quilting camp ready as only 2 weeks to go............

And still more BOM finishes

2009-08-10T09:27:00.005+10:00

Well here I am again with 2 more block finishes. Block 8 of Verandah Views and Block 8 of A Tisket A Tasket. Just have to add borders to Verandah Views Blocks 7 and 8 and will be up to date with both these ones. The stitching on Block 8 A Christmas Wish is also nearly completed and then I will be really up to date with these three BOM's.

Last week my Giggle Button Club pattern and buttons arrived and it is a very pretty stitchery. This time Sonya included a transfer of the pattern so it was great to be able to use that instead of having to trace the pattern onto my fabric. I have used my Derwent pencils to colour some of the flowers and sealed them with some fabric medium. It is already to stitch but I must admit, I still haven't got around to stitching the needlecase one I received in June so a bit of work to do there.

I also started to stitch the borders on Kym's quilt and had put the first one on when my machine decided to play up. When I turned it on to do the second side, it decided to start on its own and stitch really fast. Before I could quickly turn it off, the needle had broken. I gave it a good clean but it still did the same thing afterwards so I will have to take it to be looked at. Luckily I have another machine, a Bernina, but have not used it much as I tend to stick with my old familiar one so will have to get out my book and do a bit of practise as I have the 'Think Pink' camp coming up in a few weeks and plan to do a fair bit of machine work while I am there.

Anyway must go now as my hubby has the day off today (for show day holiday here in Brisbane) and he and I are going to spend some time together by going out for lunch. Our first date for a while. How exciting!!!!!!!

Catching Up Slowly!

2009-08-04T09:41:00.005+10:00

Above are 2 more blocks of my BOM's finished. A Christmas Wish Block 7 and Verandah Views Block 7. I have almost completed Block 8 of VV as well. I am slowly catching up but still have a way to go. While watching TV the other night, my hubby asked me if I was back to doing the ordinary stuff now? It made me have a bit of a laugh as most nights when I look over at him he is sitting beside me having a snooze so I guess he does take notice of what I am doing sometimes. I suppose I was a bit stressed when I was trying to get Deb's quilt done and he is just happy to have things (me in particular) back to normal till the next time.

Yesterday was my group day. A wonderful day as always catching up with some lovely ladies who have become great friends. We are all working on a Stained Glass window block to put into a quilt. The blocks all contain Australian native flowers. My block is Sturt's Desert Pea. I have traced the design on my background and now have to add the fabric, then the black bias. Robyn, one of our ladies, has done a class so is helping us through the ins and outs of how to apply the bias tape to the block. We are all enjoying learning this new technique.

I was lucky enough to win a pattern from Gail Pan on her blog last week. It arrived in the post yesterday. The pattern is called Buttons and Bows. How exciting is that? Thanks Gail.......

Stitching Catch-up!

2009-07-28T18:07:00.005+10:00

I haven't had a chance to do much else over the past few weeks but now I have finished Deb's quilt, I am trying to catch up on all my stitching BOM's before the August ones pop up on my computer. Below are the first two completed. Blocks 6 & 7 of A Tisket A Tasket, free block of the month from Bunny Hill. Block 7 had a flag with the 4th on it celebrating America's 4th of July so I decided to leave this off, although I have been thinking that as July is a big birthday month for my family( 3 birthdays- son, grandson,daughter-in-law), that maybe I might put family on the block somewhere and make my block a celebrate family one.

Now off to stitch Verandah Views and Gail Pans A Christmas Wish July blocks.

Swap Parcel Arrives / Family Memories

2009-07-26T12:12:00.006+10:00

My Paper Bag Swap parcel arrived on Thursday. I just love the bag my swap partner Shiree from New Zealand made for me. It will be great to take to group with some stitching in. The parcel also contained some chocolates, soap and bath crystals. Thank-you Shiree. Here is the bag, isn't it lovely!!!!!

Well, it has been a very busy week with me trying to finish the quilt I was making for my DIL's 40th birthday. I came very close to completing it but not quite, just needed to add a few more buttons near the photos and handstitching of about 6 butterflies on the central panel. I was a bit stressed to say the least. I would have finished but cooking lasagne, mini quiches and making my curry dip took priority on Saturday. Needless to say no-one really noticed the missing buttons or the unquilted butterflies, so all I need is another hour (if I can get the quilt back from Deb) and it will be complete. Deb really loved the quilt and says she can't wait to show her Mum who lives in NSW so that's what making quilts is all about isn't it?

The card below was made by my friend, Nancy. I asked her if she could make one for me in black, red and white and add a butterfly on the front. I couldn't believe it when she gave me the card as I hadn't shown her the material I was using for the quilt. It matched perfectly. Thank-you so much, Nancy.

Deb with her quilt. Happy 40th.

My Paper Bag Swap Piccies

2009-07-14T19:09:00.012+10:00

Here is my parcel last week, ready to go to the post office and be sent to Shiree in New Zealand for the Paper Bag Swap. I had some lovely materials to work with and was happy with how it turned out.
Shiree has now received the parcel and opened it so I am able to show you what I sent. Below is a photo of the front of the bag I made for my swap gift.

The next picture is of the back of the bag. It is quite big so hopefully Shiree will be able to put lots of supplies in it when she goes shopping for those quilting essentials that we quilters all need to have.

I have loved being part of this swap and must again say a big THANK-YOU to Maree for organizing it.
I am eagerly watching the post box for my swap to arrive and will post piccies when it does.

Paper Bag Swap Finish

2009-07-05T10:08:00.003+10:00

This week I finished my paper bag swap project. I posted the parcel to New Zealand on Friday so now just have to hope it arrives at it's destination next week in time for the finish date of the 13th July. I have enjoyed doing this swap and am anxious to see what my swap partner thinks when she gets to open it. I didn't have much left over from the materials sent as I used all the ricrac, buttons, ribbon and nearly all of the fat quarters, only a couple of off-cuts left. Above is a sneak peek of the stitchery part. Can't give too much away.

Guess what I've been up to!!

2009-07-01T20:23:00.002+10:00

Besides working on my Paper bag swap which should be finished by tomorrow, I have been trying to plan a small memory quilt for my daughter-in-law Deb. She is having her 40th birthday towards the end of July. I know, I know, should have started it months ago. I managed to get my son to finally sort out some photos but as Deb always disappears when the camera comes out, it wasn't so easy for him. Below is what I printed out the other night. I wanted them to be black and white as the quilt will be black, white and red but the older photos didn't come out very well, kinda wishy washy, so went with plan B and printed coloured ones. Hope it will look okay. I guess time will tell.

New Xmas BOM from HugsnKisses

2009-06-26T10:59:00.010+10:00

Isn't this the cutest Xmas hanging. Go and visit Helen's blog and enter to have a chance to win a set of these patterns. It is a seven month BOM.

WOW! 3rd blog in 3 days, must be some sort of record.

Quilt Aid, Another Finish

2009-06-25T19:35:00.007+10:00

On Monday, I received my first Quilt Aid block. It is the one by designer Majella Rush from Kookaburra Cottage. As I haven't done much needleturn applique, the first two blocks I purchased are blanket stitch applique ones. I will have to practice my needleturn before I start on the other blocks. The fabrics are very pretty so can't wait to see the block made up.

Today I finished a small bag I have been working on for a while. It is made out of Lakehouse charm squares which I bought several months ago. I have a pink challenge for the camp I am attending in August so thought this fabric might be okay to use. The rules state you need to make something (your choice) pink. I will try to make something else as well but if I don't have time then at least I have this to take. The bag takes only 16 charm squares which are laid out on the diagonal. I quilted it using Perle 8 thread and luckily found the pink buttons at my local quilt shop...... Homespun and Beautiful.

A Blog Catch-up........

2009-06-23T19:10:00.008+10:00

Here I am at last. Where has time gone, you ask?............. Quilting, stitching, painting, babysitting (although my grandsons would not like me using the word baby), a little housework , some plant repotting and that's about it!! Whew ....... I feel tired just reading that.

I have finally finished my Punch Needle Holder. My first WISP for June. I am quite pleased with it as I really like doing punch needle. Have one of Rosalie Quinlan's designs from a Stitchers Dream Day Out I went to in Toowoomba a couple of years ago, so will have to find the pattern and maybe use it for my next project .

The first photo above is of the Verandah Views Blocks, 4, 5 & 6, to which I have added the sashings. The next photo is of the 6 blocks I have done so far. I am using 3 Sisters Aviary fabric. The blocks are arranged where they will sit in the finished hanging.
On the stitching front, I have been busy working on my Paper Bag Swap. Almost finished the stitcheries then all I need to do is put it together. Have already cut out the pieces so am hoping to have it finished and posted by next week. I have enjoyed reading some of the other blog updates on the Paper Bag Swap site and would like to thank Maree for hosting the swap.
On the babysitting front, I had the boys over whilst their parents had a well earned break at the movies and my grandson Thomas stayed with me on Saturday while his brother was at a football carnival. Tom gets a bit bored if it is a long day at footy and Grandma seemed like a better alternative. We played lots of board and computer games, as well spending time in the yard in between downpours. He enjoyed helping me pot some cacti I had been given and eating most of the food in the pantry so in all, we had a great day together. They grow so fast so its good when you can spend time with them and all those extra hugs you get can't be too bad either.

Parcel Arrives !!!!!

2009-06-10T20:10:00.007+10:00

I have been stalking the letter box for the last couple of days waiting for my Paper Bag swap parcel to arrive from New Zealand. Well today, it did just that and I couldn't wait to open it. I was not sure what I would make with the materials until I received them. They are just lovely and I straight away thought they would look nice made into a ................. Will just have to wait until it is delivered to my swap partner to see how it turns out and I can share a photo.

The above photos are of the next blocks in the Verandah Views BOM and A Christmas Wish by Gail Pan. Both Block 6. I managed to get them done quite quickly and am now working on block 6 of a Tisket a Tasket.

Last week our quilt group went on an outing to Cleveland to visit some quilt shops as well as having lunch on the waterfront. It was the second anniversary of the group I am in and we wanted to mark the occasion by doing something together. I was very lucky as I had run out of the purple material I am using for Kym's quilt and didn't have enough for the last border. I was going to use some black I had in my stash but found the very same purple material whilst we were at one of the shops. How good was that!!! Now I can finish the quilt as I had originally planned.

Paper Bag Swap

2009-06-02T09:57:00.006+10:00

Yesterday, I posted my parcel to New Zealand for the Paper Bag Swap. Above is a photo of what I sent minus the chocy bar which was added just before posting. Looking forward to receiving mine so I can get started.

In the mean time, I am working on a few projects including a bag which I might use as my challenge project for a camp I am attending at the end of August at Tamborine Mountain put on by The Beaudesert Quilters. The theme for this camp is 'Think Pink Cancer Awareness Retreat' and the challenge project they have set is an item you have created that must fit the theme of the camp which is pink. I have a couple of other ideas so am going to see what I can get done before then. I am a little nervous about attending this camp as I feel I am a bit of a novice but am sure I will learn heaps of things over the course of the weekend which will make it enjoyable and rewarding. Just have to come up with something to wear on Saturday night for the dress-up dinner. 'Think Pink'

WISP May Finish

2009-05-24T19:33:00.008+10:00

Here is my Giggle Club Project for April. I have been working on it for quite a while and finally put the finishing touches to it today. I had originally thought I would put it in a frame but didn't have one big enough to suit so changed my mind and made a hanging. I added ric rac to it and offset the stitchery which I think looks nice. Will have to add a photo to the Giggle Button Club site and see what other people have done with their project. That is the good thing about the club, you can make the stitchery into whatever you want eg: a bag, cushion or something else of your choosing.
Below is Block 5 of A Christmas Wish BOM from Gail Pan. I had this one completed just after my last post but hadn't got around to adding it to my blog until now. I know....... I can be a bit slack at times. Already half way there with only 4 blocks to go. Each time I do a block, I think it is my favourite. I wonder if anyone feels the same?
It has been a bit slow going just lately. I haven't been able to get into my quilting room without keeping a watchful eye on the glass doors. My dog, Cain, a staffy, has decided that when I go out there, it's the signal for him to get out of the back yard by digging a hole under the side fence. He has become quite adept at it and all of a sudden he is looking at me through those damn doors. We decided to put a piece of pipe on his collar to stop him but he keeps trying and sometimes still gets through. How he can work his way through such a small hole is beyond me. So we are trying to work out how to stop him without pulling down the old fence and putting up a new one ( Hubby's brain is working overtime so he doesn't have to add that job to his list). Any ideas ???? I'm just worried he may get knocked as he doesn't have much road sense.

Footy Star

2009-05-16T12:48:00.002+10:00

This is my grandson Jake at footy last Sunday. He plays in the under sixes and looks quite cute in his uniform.

Progress at last!!

2009-05-15T22:55:00.007+10:00

Today I managed to get into my quilting room for a few hours. I worked on my Giggle Button project so need to quilt it tomorrow (if time permits) and then add binding. I added some ric rac to it and am quite pleased with how is has turned out. Will post a photo soon, I hope. I also completed the middle section of my daughter's quilt. The purple colour in the photo above isn't very good, I'm afraid. I really want to get this finished soon as I have quite a few tops to quilt and once I complete this one, I will try to get most of them quilted before I start any other big projects (I know, I know, famous last words).

I have caught up on my BOM's. Verandah Views and Bunny Hill completed with just a few more lasy daisy leaves to go on A Christmas Wish. This is my favourite block for VV so far, I just love chooks although my girls aren't laying any eggs at the moment.

If you check out my side bar you will see a button for a Paper Bag Swap. Check it out, you can still join in until end of May. This is the first swap I have joined so I am looking forward to it.

Happy Mothers Day / April BOM's completed

2009-05-09T21:16:00.010+10:00

Tomorrow is Mother's Day and we are going to see my youngest grandson play footy. He plays in the under sixes. All the family are coming to the game and then we are going for morning tea. Not sure where we will have it but surprises are always good aren't they : just like the flowers above which my hubby gave me today when he arrived home from work. Love you Chris.

'HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO EVERYONE'

Verandah Views Block 4 Bunny Hill Block 4

A Christmas Wish Block 4

At last I have finished block 4 for Bunny Hill, Gail Pan's Christmas Wish and Verandah Views. Going away at Easter certainly put me behind but HOORAY, they are done. Of course, today, I prepared all of the blocks for May but am hoping to get them done much faster.

I worked on Kym's quilt today and did a bit of unpicking as I am not happy with how it looks. Will have a bit more of a play around with the blocks tomorrow if I get time. I am also almost finished my Giggle Button project. I was going to put it in a frame but didn't have a frame big enough so am going to make a wall hanging out of it instead.

Well this has been quite a long post so I had better close until next time..............

Quilt Aid 2009, Group Visit

2009-05-06T17:08:00.007+10:00

A few months ago on some of the designers blogs, they showed sneak peeks of a block that they were designing for a charity project. This project is to start around June. If you wish to read about it and see the blocks that the designers have created go the logo on my sidebar. They look great and all my favourite designers are there as well.
Today, members of the Jimboomba Quilters and Stitchers went to a Retirement Village in Durack to show some of our quilts and other handcrafts, that have been made by our members, to a group of Legacy ladies who reside there. We talked about our group and what we had brought along to show them. The ladies were very interested in how the quilts were constructed and how we went about making them eg did we stitch by hand or machine?, did we quilt them on a domestic machine? We gave them a general idea of what was required as we also took along some quilts in various stages of construction and I think everyone got an understanding of what is involved in making a quilt. The ladies seemed to enjoy the morning as much as we did. It's surprising how many things you have to 'show and tell' when you look around the walls of your home.

Just Us Quilters

2009-05-01T11:55:00.004+10:00

Today while blog browsing, I came across a site with only quilting blogs on it. If you would like to have a look, click on the button on my side bar. Only managed to check out a few blogs but found Joypatch from Queensland on it so have added my name to the list as well.

Still stitching my bom's. Working on Verandah Views and Bunny Hill at present. Today I printed out Block 5 of Verandah Views and also Shabby Roses Block 3 which I haven't started as yet. Have also completed the centre block of Kym's quilt, 3 more nine patch to go then put it together. Will add some photos next post. Hopefully off to the quilt show tomorrow and we will also be celebrating my grandson's 7th birthday.

'HAPPY BIRTHDAY THOMAS'

Shabby Roses BOM

2009-04-29T20:08:00.003+10:00

Jenny at Elefantz has designed a BOM called Shabby Roses. You can access her blog by clicking on her name or the Shabby Roses BOM button on my sidebar. She has already posted the first two patterns and will post the next one, BOM number 3, on the 1st May. Jenny is also having a give-away to celebrate so go across to her blog and enter. The first two blocks are very pretty and are a combination of stitchery and blanket stitch applique.

WISP for April

2009-04-27T16:06:00.004+10:00

At last I have finished a wisp for this month. Since I returned home from Goulburn, I don't seem to have achieved much. I've done the dreaded washing, some of the mountain of ironing awaiting me and a small bit of housework but have still only managed a minimal amount of quilting with the rest of my time. I think my management skills are sadly lacking. Not sure what to do about this!!!

The photo above is my only finish for quite a while. It is a small wall-hanging for my quilting/sewing room. I finally completed the binding at my quilting group today but will have to wait to hang it as I don't have the right size wall-hanger. Hoping I might get to the quilt show in Brisbane this week where I should be able to buy one. Am trying to catch up on my various BOM's for April and my Giggle Button Club project.

Home from Goulburn

2009-04-18T16:59:00.005+10:00

Homeward bound. One of many food and fuel stops. 34 Chevie on the left, 2 Model A's in the middle and a 36 Ford Coupe on the right.

Good-bye to Goulburn's mascot!

We arrived back home late Tuesday. The trip down and back was incident free except for our mate who, on the way back, after checking the water level in the radiator, accidentally left the cap off. Luckily we noticed the water pouring from his car at the first petrol stop so after he purchased a new radiator cap (couldn't find the old one) and filled the radiator with water, all went well. We had a lovely week away and enjoyed the Nationals very much. Plenty of cars to see and activities to attend. The Saturday night cruise through the centre of town was very popular with many locals lining the streets even though it was a bit wet. In all, the weather was pretty good with the Sunday Show and Shine at the showgrounds being quite hot and sunny. We encountered a fair bit of rain on the way home and had to zip our removable windows in to keep dry. The next Nationals are in Western Australia but I think it will be too far for us to go for only a few days.

Since I have been back, I have only managed a short session in my quilting room. I am suffering from withdrawal symptoms big time. I have been able to trace out all the BOM's for April but have not managed to start stitching as yet. Today was family day with both the boys and their families coming over for a barby. It was lovely to catch up with them and see our grand-children again. Todd brought our dog Cain back looking much slimmer so I will have to try not to overfeed him. I think he enjoyed his visit with Brodie, Todd's dog, as they get on quite well. Tomorrow is Chris's last day of his holiday before going back to work so we will just take it easy and have a quiet day, maybe some stitching might be in order as the V8's are racing in New Zealand and Chris will be in front of the TV I'm sure.