Slow start but getting there at last....

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

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

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

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.