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

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.

HAPPY EASTER, Tamborine Camp, OPAM

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.

OPAM Prize!!!

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.

Quilt Aid, Another Finish

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........

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.

WISP May Finish

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.

WISP for April

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.

Another February WISP

Today, I had a lovely day catching up with some work-friends. We had a nice lunch at a cafe near where I used to work. The cafe is right next door to Homespun and Beautiful, my local patchwork shop. The shop is beautifully decorated and it's always a delight to go and visit and see all the wonderful things Tereasa, the owner, has displayed. If you are ever in Jimboomba, it is definitely worth a visit. I was very good though and didn't buy anything this time although I am always tempted to do so!

I have finally finished my Merry & Bright table runner. I completed stitching the label and binding on Tuesday. Lately I have been stitching the labels rather than using a permanent pen. I think they look nicer but of course it means it takes longer to complete. I have been thinking I might try to make some on the computer so that I can add more information to the quilts I make for family and friends. I have some fabric sheets I bought a while ago, so will experiment with them and see how they look.

Busy Week, Family / Quilting

This week has flown but I have managed to get quite a few things done. I also caught up with my sister who I haven't seen for a few weeks. We went to the first of a concert series of 5 put on by the Logan City Council. It was called a Tribute to Frank Spencer and was really enjoyable with some comedy as well as singing thrown in. The next one in March will be a Tribute to Julie Andrews. Afterwards Sue and I went for lunch to the Coffee Club and caught up on what we have been doing since we last saw each other.

I have been busy stitching this week and have completed Block 2 of the Christmas Wish BOM by Gail Pan (see photo above). Also finished stitching Block 9 of my Sunshine Frolics quilt. The border fabrics have arrived so now I will check the blocks are square, stitch them together and put the borders on. This quilt has a scalloped edge so should be interesting as I have not done this before.

I also made good progress with my Giggle Button project. I finished the butterfly stitchery and stitched the bag pieces together so I could attach the stitchery to the bag front. Not much to go to finish it off, just add the handles, lining and buttons of course. I changed the thread colours a little bit to better match the materials I am using. I am pleased with the way it is coming together.

I added some hand quilting to my Merry and Bright table runner and machine sewed the binding today ready for hand stitching next week. Then I can add another WISP to my monthly list. The final border has been sewn onto my Mystery quilt. I was very lucky as I thought I may not have enough material but just scraped in with the tiniest bit leftover. See photos below. That's me holding the quilt up for a better view. I even combed my hair for the occasion unfortunately Chris couldn't get both the quilt and me in the photo so a headless version of me will have to do. So now all that's left for me to do, is to quilt it. Helen (Hugs from Helen) explained how she quilted hers on her blog, so this will help as I find the quilting or what design to use, is the hardest part for me. I have just set up, with Chris's help, a John Watts quilting frame, so will attempt to learn how to use it over the next few weeks, months, years and hopefully get all the quilt tops I have completed, finished. Won't that be great!!!!

Better go as I have lots more to do today. Tomorrow we are going to Warwick to see a friend race his Mustang, here's hoping it's a good day. Not too hot or raining or too many flies (Aeroguard is already packed).

First WISP for February

I have finished my first wisp for February. It is a small wallhanging I started about 12 months ago for a present and didn't get it finished in time so put it in my to do basket. It is a Bronwyn Hayes stitchery and I have done it in bluework. I am still working on my Merry and Bright runner which needs a bit of hand quilting on some of the blocks , the binding and of course a label. I have pinned the first borders on the Mystery quilt according to Helen's instructions and they are looking good but have not had a chance to sew them as today I went to the Tamborine Markets in the morning and then the whole family came over for lunch and a cooling swim as it was quite hot. It was nice to catch up and hear how school is going for the grandkids and what the big kids are up to as well.

As well as the WISP photo, I am posting a photo of my first Verandah Views Block with the second one nearly finished. I also have a photo of the fabrics I am using in my Giggle Buttons project. I am making steady progress on all my stitcheries so hopefully I will be able to keep up to date and not fall behind.

January WISP completed

Today I had a productive day of quilting and finally completed by WISP for January. I started this Coffee Mug Bag last year along with another one with a tea stitchery on it which I completed at the time and use when I go to my quilt group. This one though, sat on my cutting table for the last few months with the stitcheries done but little else. I had this idea last year that if I started a small project I would make two at the same time so I could have some gifts to give if an unexpected occasion came along. I'm not sure if that theory worked out that well but anyway it is now finished and here are the photos to prove it. Hooray!!!! I also finished off the Gail Pan Christmas BOM so also took a photo of that. I am using Robyn Pandoff fabrics called Holly Go Lightly for the borders. When Gail said she would be using red and green for the borders, I thought these fabrics from my stash would be just perfect. I have also done some work on my Summer Mystery quilt but didn't quite finish off adding the triangles to the corners of the rectangle blocks. I have also prepared the Willowberry Designs stitchery so I can stitch that at my next quilting group day. Tomorrow I have my 2 grandsons coming over for the day so it will be a day of swimming, playing games and lego building. They go back to school next week so their Mum is covering school books. I'm glad I don't have to do that anymore, I could never get that darn contact on without numerous air bubbles in it.

Above are the photos of the Coffee Mug Bag, sorry they are a bit dark.

I love how this looks already.