Sew & Sews

Butterflies....

2012-02-12T19:25:00.005+10:30

My scrappy solid quilt is finished. Each of the blocks feature left over solid triangles set in matching coloured pairs and offset at various angles. To me, they look like little butterflies.
The backing is one of those wonderful Spotlight $4/m sale finds, "Retro Active", from the Stonehill Collection by Donna Wilder for Fabric Traditions. I love how the peach, yellow and brown really co-ordinate with the colours on the front.
I've bound it in the very wonderful, Kona Aubergine which is seriously enough to make me want more purple in my life!
Quilt measures 45" x 38" and is straight line quilted parallel to each of the seams....because it looks awesome and I dislike the ditch! (a lot!)

Solid focus....

2012-02-08T18:48:00.005+10:30

I've been playing with solid fabrics lately. There are so many options but my favourite, and this is regardless of solid or print, has to be working with scraps and stash.
I had a whole bunch of solid triangle offcuts from my Swoon quilt sitting in a little plastic zip lock calling out to me every time I opened the cupboard. Given their size, I cut a whole bunch of 4 1/2" squares and matched them up into sets of four, setting the triangles into 2 of each.
I played with mixing the triangle pairs which is a pattern I've opted for in the past but the matching pairs just worked so much better. I'm loving the colours....so very pretty.Quilting has started and progress is good....!

And.....begin again...!

2012-01-31T18:11:00.003+10:30

I feel like I could write exactly the same as I wrote this time last year! We got up, we got uniforms on, lunches made, bags packed and we were out the door in enough time to snap off a 'first day back at school photo'. Mind you, I looked down at L's feet as his name was being called for his new class and saw that he had his old school shoes on. The new ones are still packed in the box. I was also standing behind him and saw that that gorgeous spiked hair he'd spent so much time on held a glob of gel right at the back of his head...nice work L! What you don't notice won't hurt you!

What a star....

2012-01-29T17:21:00.007+10:30

After a couple of marathon quilting and binding sessions, I managed to finish my Made in Cherry star quilt. Wow! This quilt turned out huge. Mine measures 84" x 84" and even with straight line quilting it felt like I was lifting a tonne or two. But I'm thrilled it's done and delighted with how it turned out and can tick that holiday project off the wish list.
We took a few days off to our shack for the last of the school holidays and these shots were taken at the old milk depot at the end of our road. I've always wanted to take a photo of a quilt here and given the enormity of this one, it was the perfect spot....even though my quilt holder upperers got a little bit tired during the procedure. It's hard to get good help these days!The fabric is Sugar Creek by DS Quilts (Australian releases) and the binding is the pink/blue/grey argyle which I love as a binding.The back features some left over blocks set in a chequerboard pattern. I had to buy some more grey for the back and ended up buying it from a different bolt so it's ever so slightly different. Given I was the one who purchased all the rest from the other bolt I'm not really in a position to complain. And as Kay always says...."we're the only one's who notice these things!".Now I'm off to iron a whole bunch of blocks that I put together whilst I was away.

Sugar Creek for Made in Cherry....

2012-01-23T11:53:00.003+10:30

I've finished my top for the Made in Cherry Quilt-Along. I've used fabrics from Denyse Schmidt's latest Australian line for Spotlight, Sugar Creek.
I purchased 14 prints when they first hit the store but have since discovered more pinks and a few more designs. Oh well, a bit of green and maroon hasn't done me any harm! I've also used a Spotlight homespun in grey as the background and I'll also use this on the back with some left over blocks.
The pattern is really easy to construct however my top turned out much bigger than the pattern's 80". I'm currently sitting at around 84" so I'm not planning any extravagant stippling on this one! I don't think my back, neck and arms (not mention my blood pressure!) could take it.
You can get all the details from Pins & Bobbins who is hosting the quilt along or download the free pattern from the Lecien site.

Peach jam....

2012-01-22T08:12:00.005+10:30

The latest in the quest to beat the birds to the peach tree! This is peach jam using Maggie Beer's recipe minus the amaretto....just who does have that lying around the pantry? Whilst the amaretto would have been divine the jam is pretty delicious without it. And seeing as it was close to midnight when I'd finished I got to taste the left overs. Cook's treat!

A bit of fandom for back to school....

2012-01-21T14:30:00.005+10:30

It's almost time to go back to school with only a week remaining. New books are being covered, lunchboxes and drink bottles checked and pencil cases are holding pretty new, sharp pencils.
These are two new pencil cases for a couple of special girls. Both feature their favourite bands. One is having a birthday and is mad keen on One Direction. The other features the Australian band, Short Stack and their logo, Maurice (the skull and cross bones).
I made R a version of the Short Stack pencil case some months back. Long story but she wanted a t-shirt to go to the concert and she wanted Maurice on it. I had carefully traced and cut one from visoflex only to have R insist that it was wrong. I'd made it in negative (white out of black) but R wanted positive (black). It wasn't a drama and I made another but I didn't want to waste this lovely Maurice so he was turned into a pencil case....much to the admiration of many of R's friends. So this is another (positive version) for one of her dearest friends who introduced her to the band in the first instance.
Linking up to Crazy Mom's last Finish it up Friday!

Banana cake.....

2012-01-17T18:08:00.005+10:30

My attempt to make something each day during my holidays has succeeded again today with a batch of banana cake. I used a Donna Hay recipe and bananas that I'd stored in the freezer. I really don't care for soft over-ripe banana, so I feel less guilty about them not being consumed straight away by chucking them in the freezer for later. You don't even have to bag them! The skin goes all brown and wrinkly but inside is wonderful banana pulp that is perfect for cakes and muffins!

Just peachy....

2012-01-16T19:27:00.010+10:30

We are blessed to have the most amazing freestone peach tree in our backyard.
Blessed because it came up wild in our yard from a seed which I transplanted about 15 years ago. I also attempted to espalier it....but didn't know what I was doing at the time and cut off several important branches in attempt to shape it. WRONG as it turned out. So, having said all of that, it's lucky to be alive!
The tree receives a good watering during winter from a diverted down pipe which makes for wonderful blossom in spring and stunning peaches in summer. But it also produces a plethora of branches which stops our clothes line rotating for about 6 moths of the year!
There are members of this clan however, that are not big fans of the peach and I generally end up giving bags of them away when they are juicy ripe. It's such a shame to see them fall and get pecked by the birds (and other creatures!) and scoured by ants. And several times I've seen the neighbour duck in embarrassment as she leans in and over the fence to pluck a treat....and I've yelled, "take it, take another, help yourself....anytime!"
So this year, I thought I'd get in early, use up some fruit before it over-ripens and make some chutney. Peach chutney is a great solution as it works well with slightly under-ripe fruit.
So this morning I was up the ladder picking a bucket of night cooled fruit. Twice as much as I needed as it turned out, so after a quick trip back to the supermarket for some ingredients, I doubled the recipe. The recipe is Stephanie Alexander's Peach Chutney from 'The Cook's Companion' (AKA Bible!).
I have to say, I'm on leave at the moment so time wasn't an issue but it took me the best part of the day. I haven't made chutney for years and never peach....so the preparation took some time.
But look at this wonderful, colourful chopped bounty.Now bubbling in all it's syrupy, foaming gorgeousness.And finally....gifts from the backyard!It's pretty yummy too....not sure how many will last the month before it's really ready to eat!

Made in Cherry....DS Quilt style....

2012-01-14T20:24:00.006+10:30

There are a plethora of quilt-along's happening at the moment. Probably something to do with the Winter months ahead on the other side of the world which makes for a very comfortable sewing season.
There's the Swoon-Along, the Sparkle Quilt-Along, the Sparkle Punch, Soltice Stars (which is based around a series of tutorials), Scrap Attack, AND Made in Cherry!
Well given my recent finishes, I'm thinking I deserve to start something new.
I've made a Swoon and as much as I'd like another, I'm not quite ready to commit just yet.
I have plenty of scraps....but....they can wait....after all, they're almost a given, there'll always be more!
Sparkle Punch is pretty gorgeous....but looks tricksy!
So I'm jumping head first into the Made in Cherry.

Made in Cherry is a pattern designed by Sarah Fielke and was designed around her new range of fabric known as St Ives. Cherry is the colour-way of the fabric. The pattern is a free download from the Lecien site but all the details are given as part of the Pins & Bobbins quilt along. Chelsea who's hosting has also worked out the block size and quantities for a smaller and larger version to the standard 80" size.
I've decided to use my stash of Spotlight sourced Sugar Creek by Denyse Schmidt quilts.I'm using 15 of the prints which will be set against a grey background. The fabric's cut and it's currently laid out on the floor with a few triangles stitched and numbered! Here's to a great weekend of stitching.

Floral Bouquet...an epic finish....

2012-01-13T18:59:00.008+10:30

Now according to my little notebook I started this quilt back in November 2010. Yikes! I recall the fabric arriving (jelly roll of Bliss by Bonnie & Camille), cutting out the components with gusto and piecing virtually all of the blocks in a weekend. And then the top stalled. The pattern is Floral Bouquet from the clever Jelly Roll Quilts book by Pam & Nicky Lintott.
Some months later, in a fit of WIP reduction, I finished the blocks and completed the top, showed it off at Show and Tell with the girls, and there that top sat in my cupboard for months.
Last year I re-measured the top and ordered the fabric for the back. By this stage the colours I wanted were no longer available in large quantities so I compromised and chose the green medallion. It arrived. I had a bit of a think about how I'd build the back and then, you guessed it, it stalled yet again.
Well fourth time lucky on an absolute mission to finish this quilt, that I must say is my absolute favourite from the book and cannot explain to myself with any reasonable excuse, why I didn't finish it! I pulled it all out, set about piecing the back, basting and quilting it all in a matter of days.
Free motion quilting was an epic adventure. This quilt measures 90" x 62". The biggest dimension I've encountered so far is 80", so that extra 10" plus 3" of backing overhang was a real test. I have to admit I got lost in the quilt on a couple of occasions and couldn't work out where I was and more to the point, how I was going to get back to where I needed to be to keep the quilting moving around to finish back at the start. But I got there in the end!
I debated long and hard with myself about binding. Primarily because I'd chosen the green medallion for the back. I was worried that the aqua and lime dot would clash too much with the green. But now that it's on, I'm really happy with it. It's quite lovely on the front and works quite well surprisingly on the back.
The biggest thrill with this finish is the fact that it's finished and what's 14 months between friends! Another spectacular Finish it up Friday that makes me smile....a lot!
Quilt specs:
Pattern: Floral Bouquet
Fabric: Bliss by Bonnie & Camille for Moda, and a Moda solid that I've forgotten the code for!
Size: 90" x 62"
Quilting: free motion by me!

The quest....

2012-01-07T09:48:00.012+10:30

As blogging quilters we are always on the hunt for photographs that will show off our quilts in the best possible light.
I stayed up late last night watching the 50 millionth re-run of 'A few good men' to finish the binding on my Nicey Jane quilt all the while thinking that I must get up early to take a shot before the thunder storms hit. It's currently 31 degrees celcius and pretty steamy....the calm before the storm.
Now this quilt measures 76" x 60" so it's reasonably big, too big at least to hang right side up on my clothes line. But I've been down this path before and thought I'd employ the newly discovered verandah porch/skirt hanger technique that I developed for my Swoon quilt. So I moved the car, swept off the spiderwebs, got the hangers, got the stool and started to rig up the quilt. But for some reason this time the hangers wouldn't grip the quilt and it kept dropping out. Hummm....everyone else is asleep, so they won't take kindly to being quilt holder-uppers.....try the swing.
The swing whilst a noble attempt chops off the top of the quilt....and I like to see ALL the quilt....! Well I can at least take a photo of my new tags while I'm here.I'll just have to settle for the clothes line then....OK for the back. Oh well, now for a shot of the the binding. "Where's the stool? Oh, out the front still."
So I take another look at the rigging and think, why not try different hangers? Doh! Success....!Now back to the binding, grab the stool, fold up quilt, try an outside shot. Too shadowy. Try for inside, move furniture, turn on light, turn off light. Of course the whole time I'm thinking, "this quilt is going to get filthy before too long...&^%^&**!"So after all that scurrying around, I managed to get a few views of the Nicey Jane quilt....and I'll go back and move the car....!
Quilt details:
Fabric: Heather Bailey Nicey Jane (pinks), yellow homespun for the back
Pattern: I'm a Ginger Monkey with 2 1/2" borders
Size: 76" x 60"
Quilting: stippled by me!
Linked up with Amanda Jean's Finish it up Friday

A nicey start to the new year....

2012-01-03T22:06:00.003+10:30

A Nicey Jane start that is!I have cut into my precious collection of Heather Bailey Nicey Jane, reacquainting myself with why I bought this fabric in the first place. It's nothing short of delightful with its mix of vintage floral illustrations with modern stripes, dots and patterns and the colour combinations leave me sighing at how gorgeous this quilt is looking. The fabric is so lovely I couldn't bear to cut it up too much and decided to use the pattern that Katy plotted recently. Out of 12 fat quarters I created 12 x 16" blocks and added a couple of 2 1/2" white and one left over fabric borders which yields a quilt top of 76x60". It's now all pin basted and ready for quilting.

Happy New Year....

2011-12-31T18:53:00.003+10:30

Happy new year to one and all. Here's to another great quilty year!

1. On the Plus Side top close up, 2. Boxing Day Bow-tie baby quilt, 3. Swoon quilt, 4. Pixel baby quilt, 5. Botany Quilt, 6. Bliss on the fence, 7. Procrastination quilt, 8. Close up of Pip Pip Hooray, 9. Stars and Stripes quilt, 10. Baby Bliss Bowtie quilt, 11. Jump to it, 12. Fairytale Quilt binding, 13. Munki Munki Network Quilt, 14. Leftover Loveliness quilt, 15. Mini scrappy bowtie quilt

Get your yoga on....

2011-12-29T19:31:00.006+10:30

It was "Amy Butler Bag Day" at Clare's today with M and Clare hitting Spotlight early for spectacular post Christmas fabric bargains for their beautiful bag creations. They were working with the Amy Butler Style Stitches bag book and I was working on a free Nigella Yoga Bag pattern which is down-loadable from the Amy Butler site. In keeping with the Amy theme, I used decorator weight Love fabric that I had in the stash. Actually, I've used this fabric three times already, once for teacher totes and then my iPad cover and the little cover for work's alternating back up drive. Funnily enough, I had originally purchased it for the teacher totes and realised I hadn't ordered enough....and then had to buy some more! Seriously, this is absolutely the last of it but I haven't wasted a scrap. I've used the last of the big bits of this colour way today....and even then I did some surreptitious joining! The fabric is the Heart range from Love, Trumpet Flowers in pink and Sunspots in grass and is perfect for the pink-sh yoga mat that will live in the bag. It's a birthday gift for my dear friend whom I do yoga with. I'll have to get one sorted for myself...won't we be the stylish two! It will certainly make up for our lack of technique as we hide down the back of the room....did I really say that!

On the plus side.....

2011-12-28T19:14:00.008+10:30

I love this time of year and having some time off work in between Christmas and New Year and catching up on some long overdue sewing. I've had this gorgeous Ruby fabric cut out for a couple of months and have been waiting patiently, finishing off a few other projects before starting this Plus Quilt that has been running around in my head for an age. So not like me to not go diving straight in! But I was very good and even though the beautiful cut pile sat and sat it meant that the other morning I could get started with the layout and top assembly. It feels like the top has only taken two days to make because the cutting took place so long ago! The other reason I'm glad I waited is that this sewing time has given me a chance to really look at each of the prints and decide what to buy for the back. I have to say, it's a hard decision as they're all so gorgeous. I'm thrilled with the pattern which I followed from this easy tutorial. It's a great way to show off a range and the Plus construction is very forgiving. The pattern calls for 20 fat quarters and I've chosen the red, green, pink and grey colours from my fat quarter bundle. Here's a shot of the back on this wonderful warm summer evening!

Boxing Day Bow-ties....

2011-12-26T20:06:00.007+10:30

I have finally finished a little baby quilt I've been working on for some time. I actually took a moment to sit quietly and hand stitch the binding after the hurley burley known as Christmas. This quilt is inspired by this one...and is the third I've made in various sizes and colours. The bow-ties are the Denyse Schmidt 'DS Quilts Collection, Picnics and Fairgrounds' offcuts from my Swoon quilt set in an assortment of solids. Because of their size I made each of the squares in the blocks 3 1/2" which is slightly bigger than earlier 2 1/2" versions. So each of these blocks finish up at around 6" finished.The binding is a newer edition of DS Quilts, Sugar Creek. Normally I wouldn't have chosen a busy patterned floral like this for a binding but I love how it features all the colours in the quilt and is a juxtaposition of solids featured in the blocks. This quilt is for my cousin's new baby daughter. I haven't seen him for years but thrilled he had a baby none the less! (Any opportunity to make a baby quilt!)

Reindeer.....

2011-12-23T07:25:00.002+10:30

As Adelaide approaches its hottest Christmas since 1987, we spent the night baking reindeer cookies. Baking on a hot night is always tricky when you've got the oven blasting out heat and the air conditioner battling against it. Oh the joy of summer!

A bit more of the festive season....

2011-12-22T19:22:00.002+10:30

Tick off another Christmas ritual....the Santa visit.
Whilst R gave up wanting to tell all to the bearded man in red, L is absolutely committed. He left his list with the man himself who has promised pretty much everything......lucky he's a very good little boy.

It's starting to feel a little like Christmas.....

2011-12-21T18:22:00.008+10:30

Life in our household has been rather hectic.
My 80 year old mum has just had a hip replacement. I quipped back in September that she was going bionic status after her second shoulder replacement....but maybe I shouldn't have said it out loud!
It's been tough. It's her third major operation in 13 months and it's taking a toll. I won't go into detail but needless to say we have been through hoops co-ordinating aged care respite following her stay in a rehabilitation hospital following the surgery. (My sister and I constantly sing, "I don't want to go to rehab....no....no....no!") However, steep learning curve for anyone my age with parents. You feel a lot like Alice in Wonderland, sent from pillar to post and learning a brand new language called 'aged care'! Mind you, after all the grief we've found a wonderful aged care home for 2 weeks of respite for mum which means that we, in the short term, know that she'll have 24 hour care, medication and equipment to help get through her day AND it's not that far away. At first, mum was frightened we were going to 'lock her up' but now she's made friends, found old ones and is going out. The hairdresser has visited and the physio came yesterday. I can't begin to tell how much of a blessing that is that we've eliminated two appointments that we would have had to have take her to during our working day. The downside is that she's forgetting to do her exercises because she's so busy! It's been a real turning point for us and maybe makes some future decision making a little easier.
But all that aside, it's been very time consuming. I've hardly blogged. I certainly haven't finished very much, much less taken photos of stuff and I'm really not that prepared for Christmas. However, life hasn't been completely devoid of creativity....here goes.....
I taught myself via YouTube how to make piping! Yes! Amazing a new skill. Who would have thought to have turned to YouTube a few years ago? But there it was, 'learn how to make piping' in all it's glory! Joe was less than impressed when I'd tune in each night on the iPad!
I had been working at mum's clearing out stuff and found some fabric that I had bought maybe 20 years ago. I almost chucked it but then realised it was a little bit 'Liberty-sh'. (And isn't it a sin to throw away any sort of fabric?) So piping was born....and pincushions for the girls followed. I've used my corners cut from binding joins and those donated from Kay to make mini maverick square pincushions measuring around 6" square finished. They're backed with an Ikea fabric from years ago.We had our Sew & Sews annual Christmas get together earlier this week. This year at a local hotel and the gift giving was rigorous and 100% creative. (Please don't laugh at the little man symbol above our heads! His presence destroyed quite a few photos as the photographer burst into giggles!)And this year the little girls joined us! Aren't they gorgeous!And whilst I've been finishing up at work.....someone at home has been cooking up a storm AND doing a splendid job. Ahhhh, yes...it is starting to feel a little like Christmas....let's hope there's more to follow!

Open to interpretation.....

2011-12-07T22:00:00.003+10:30

Me: so I'm still here with mum can you start dinner without me.
Him: what's the dressing for the rice salad?
Me: Oil, soy, garlic and I think a dash of lemon.
Him: got it.
1 hour later.
Me: What's in this salad dressing?
Him: Oil, soy, garlic and lemon.
Me: Do you mean balsamic?
Him: You said 'soy'.
Me: Yes I did.
Him: Oh....you did too!
(They do it on purpose you know!)

Exchange.....

2011-11-17T20:42:00.003+10:30

Haighs has been fabulous with her egg donations. We've had quiche, hard and soft boiled eggs for breakfast and eggs in sandwiches and salads.....and, count our lucky stars, one more each day. Joe took 1/2 doz into work the other day and in exchange he brought home something equally yellow. Sensational citrus! Gorgeous lemons that will be juiced and consumed as part of Joe's daily regime! Oh how I love a good produce swap!

Breaking records......

2011-11-12T18:10:00.009+10:30

I live in a city famous for its Christmas Pageant, it's old fashioned fantasy and has an extensive history. More to the point, it marks the arrival of Santa. I never went as a child but I participated as a teenager through school. We used to watch it in black and white on TV. So for me, the first time I ever went, I was in it! However, having children ignited the passion for attendance. This year I was lucky enough to attend as part of a corporate facility.
It certainly made up for every year this past decade and a half that I've marked out the family territory at 6am, sitting in the freezing mornings with nothing more than a folding chair, picnic rug, thermos of tea and a newspaper under the shadow of the CBD only to end up sunburnt by the end of the parade. All worth it though to see the happiness as the children draw on the road in chalk and wave back at silly clowns and of course, the big man in red! (Equally special for us as this is the route to L's school, where we seek out the longevity of his artwork as he's convinced he can still see his name and drawings on the road.)
For a few years now the organisers have attempted to come up with promotional ideas to break a Guinness Book of Records record. (What? Being one of the best and most historic street parades in the world is not good enough for them? LOL!) For a couple of years they tried the longest mexican wave....to no avail. I think it was too hard to keep it moving and count the participants. However, this year the attempt was the biggest crowd wearing red noses for 10 minutes and with a theme of 'discover the clown within' there were red noses a-plenty. We had to beat a soccer match in Portugal of 15,000. Guess what? We did it....16920! Yey! I'm one, so is R, so is L, so is J, so is S, so is L, so is A, so is little L.....and about 16,912 other Adelaideans!

Swoon...

2011-11-04T11:48:00.006+10:30

It's finished! And at 80" square, by far the biggest quilt I've ever quilted. It's so big I struggled to come up with a spot to take a full length photo but seeing as necessity is the mother of invention I'm thrilled I worked out the hanging spot from the batting under the verandah porch! I'll be using that little trick again for sure. So the quilt? I love the pattern. The blocks are large and simple to piece and their beauty appears before your eyes as the piecing comes together. I don't have any favourite blocks....they're all lovely but I do wish I'd been a little more adventurous in my fabric selections. Next time! The pattern is Swoon designed by the very clever Camille Roskelly. You can buy the pattern from the link on her blog. The fabric is Denyse Schmidt's Picnics and Fairgrounds from Spotlight in Australia and Kona Snow. And the quilting is free motion stippling by me!

Deliverance....

2011-11-02T19:34:00.003+10:30

If you've been reading my blog for a bit, you may have read about the chook that pops over the fence into our backyard and spends her day poking around and feasting on snails, dropped figs, our compost scraps and pretty much anything else that takes her fancy. When we first discovered her in our yard 18 months ago it was around Easter time, so we named her Haighs after the famous Adelaide chocolate brand that come into their own around Easter and produce lovely chocolate hen shapes (and fish, frogs, bilbys, eggs, truffles etc...). I don't think she has a name where she lives...but who would know, she doesn't say much beyond the occasional cluck. Lately she's been arriving first thing in the morning. It's rather satisfying to see her at 7.30am....kind of settles us in for the day. She also recognises our blue compost bucket and starts to chase us around the yard before it's deposited. Joe will attest to the pecking of one's foot just because he had the bucket! There was even a day when she gorged so much at our place I had to lift her up to the fence because she was too heavy to fly up to it! However, about two weeks ago we found her nestling in some plants one afternoon and making quite a ruckus. Joe was right onto it. He spotted all the signs. Yep, pretty soon we had an egg. Warm and fresh. Since then we've received a perfect dozen. (Sorry, picture shows eleven but we ate one!) They're picked fresh each day and popped into the carton. It's quite a ritual. I often wonder what her owners must be thinking about her lack of presence and/or lack of laying. My only hope is that her owners don't get onto it.....!

Out of whack....

2011-11-01T19:39:00.003+10:30

A year ago we had a fabulous Halloween party. Seriously, it was THE BEST! The house was decorated to the enth degree (well let's face it...any spider web hanging from the cornice is perfectly placed...isn't it?). The kids dressed up, the friends arrived and everyone was amazingly ghoulish... Needless to say the ghoulish revelry was enhanced by a couple of very over-priced imported pumpkins that we carved for the party. After carving, we chucked the insides into the compost...lamenting that you didn't actually get much on the inside....but I learnt, that that's the sort of pumpkin that it is. I kept some seeds but didn't hold much hope that anything would come of them....after all they're bred for one-off Halloween events and have probably been kept in a fridge for 6 months before arriving for our October. However, pretty soon the mulch we threw into the compost started to produce sprouts. I kept them going as it was summer here, and the sprouting plants were green and fresh looking. After a while we had an abundance of divine orange pumpkins. We stacked them up....you could dance around them if you were that way inclined. But alas....that was six months ago. Way too soon for October Halloween celebrations and with these imported varieties, there was no way they would last too much longer beyond the time they were actually harvested. So we picked them. We looked at them. We took photos but they soured. So we've buried them. And guess what...they're coming up again. How about Halloween in June?

Shabby makeover.....

2011-10-16T10:12:00.011+10:30

Some weeks ago I was driving down my mum's street with my mum in the car when I noticed an upturned coffee table on the side of the road. I slammed on the brakes and jumped out, exclaiming, "I'm having that!". It's amazing how much strength a woman can muster when picking up a piece of furniture at lightening speed and singlehandedly ramming it into the back seat of the car. (I would have asked mum to help but she's just had her second shoulder reconstruction!!) I was thrilled with my find and mum agreed that it was a pretty good score on the basis that she is an avid fan of anything with cabriole legs. Little did she know what I had in mind for it. (insert evil laugh here.) Joe helped me get it out of the car when I got home (see... brute strength gone now). I thought he'd have a fit particularly when we noticed candle wax on top (nahhh superficial!) and that each of the corners had been gnawed (....ohh!). Must have been something with a serious teething problem! But Joe, always the practical one thought that seeing as the legs were a bit curvy then rounded corners would work so he set about cutting them off with the jigsaw. Now I haven't yet revealed what I wanted this treasure for.....the shack! So I had no intention of restoring this little table but rather dressing it up to dress it down! After rounding the corners, Joe brought out the belt sander....a tool that scares the pants off of me because of its weight and propensity to gouge. The top looked pretty good when he'd finished particularly as I had poured boiling water to remove the last of the candle wax and that had played complete havoc with the previous stain....you'd think I hadn't studied french polishing for three years wouldn't you? I was tempted to leave the top with the wood exposed....but I didn't. I undercoated the whole lot and then popped on a coat of pale blue. But over the days I had left it to dry I began to think it was too light...almost the colour you would use for a baby's room....so I bought a can of turquoise. I should also mention that I also bought a new hand sander because my other one died, the undercoat, the pale blue paint, brushes and a couple of other implements...so I'm now looking at around $120 and was starting to grumble that I could have bought a *&^%&*$# new coffee table! I spent hours painting this table....I reckon 3-4 weekends worth, coat upon coat to achieve a beautiful smooth finish. And then this morning I 'attacked' it with the 60 grit sandpaper and knocked it all back to shabby. Taaaa daaah!I also got stuck into a couple of other pieces of shack furniture that I had bought home. Each time there was paint on the brush, I painted these two as well. They were both from Ikea and were thrown out a few years back for $5 each. (They were probably only worth $5!) I didn't take a before photo (or a during for that matter) but they were, well.....Ikea-ish plain pine. Now they're beachy. I just hope they don't get scratched in the car on the way back to the shack! Ha!

Mission accomplished....

2011-10-15T11:10:00.003+10:30

After what ended up being one of those frightful days at work when an urgent job crops up and you're the only one in the office and you end up working from whoa-to-go sorting out...I doubly couldn't wait to get home. One, for the glass of wine to calm me down and two, to finish off my last block for my Swoon quilt. There's nothing better than putting it all behind you for some creative time behind the pedal of the Bernina! So mission accomplished! The last block is finished (top left)....now onto the sashing and borders. Here is the complete set on the floor. It's already looking rather large....I can't wait for it to be all neatly sashed and better yet....quilted!

And then there was eight....

2011-10-14T07:46:00.004+10:30

I have finished my eighth Swoon block! The last two have been sitting around for weeks now whilst I've picked up other projects instead. So last night I got stuck into number eight and managed to add it to the other seven in the complete pile. Now with just one more to go and bashing out a blog post in between getting ready to go to work.....I'm wishing the day to go fast so I can finish off the last one tonight! Funny how that happens! Like the others this block features Denyse Schmidt's Picnic and Fairgrounds (Spotlight). Pattern is Swoon by Camille Roskelly.

Pixels....

2011-10-09T11:22:00.011+10:30

There are a few babies on the horizon....and I love that because it gives me a break from working on some of my other bigger works in progress in favour of smaller, quicker and experimental projects. One of the babes is definitely a boy the others are surprises so I can't get too gender specific with quilts made prior to their arrivals. This little quilt is totally inspired by this one and is an experiment in using small scraps of solid fabrics set against a solid background. It's also an experiment in arcs of straight line quilting which I've been itching to try....and now that I have, I can tick it off my list or reserve it for small projects in the future! Let's just say this kind of quilting is impressive but it is also an exercise in quilt wrangling!
T R I C K Y ! The little patches of colour were initially joined as strips and then cross cut to create strips made of smaller squares and rectangles and re-joined to create the blocks. It became quite a challenge to see how many I could create out of my solids collection (otherwise known as the scrappy little bits of fabric in the plastic bag that I couldn't bear to throw away!). I ended up with 6 blocks, 4 square-ish and 2 rectangle and I think they look like pixels! I love how each of these solid colours look so bland on their own but when they've joined a community, they just sing, even the violet! The layout evolved as I joined in the background to make the top....I say evolved because I did make some mistakes in my calculations and cutting and ended up with a sightly different placement to my original plan! But....seeing as I can't remember what that was now, we move on! The backing fabric is more of the Ikea birds from the Cecelia range, this time in the coffee colour. I think I've managed to use all the colours now. The binding is an aqua spotty negative from Spotlight. Here it is sitting on the little stool rescued from the side of the road. It's had a little aqua makeover along with some other bits of furniture but that my friends it the topic of another post.....
Quilt stats:
Measures: approx 40" x 42"
Fabric: selection of solids from Kona and Spotlight Homespun, Ikea Cecelia birds, Spotlight spotty negative in aqua
Quilted: opposing arches of straight lines, filled with arrow head points
Quilted by: me!

Aw shucks.....

2011-09-26T16:44:00.002+09:30

The very lovely Michelle sent me a photo of her beautiful little man lying on his Sherbet Pips quilt. Talk about the gift that keeps giving......!

Never work with children and animals.....

2011-09-24T16:25:00.005+09:30

It's so true especially the feathered variety! Oh what fun and frustration I've had today as I spent most of it wrangling chickens. Serious....! Let me explain. I've been absent from my blog lately as I've been on a steep learning curve with my latest modules towards my business degree. I've been learning a new language. Not a spoken language but the language of XHTML and CSS (AKA hypertext markup language and cascading style sheets). I tell you, for an old chook like me, that's a serious learning curve. My head spins to say the least. My latest assignment requires the creation of a website design around existing XHTML content. My idea incorporates a 'chicken' theme (the chook look!) and will feature a rusted corrugated iron background, old fence palings and russet coloured hens. If you're a reader of my blog you'll know about our feathered visitor from over the fence. We call her Haighs as in the chocolates, as she first started to vist a few Easters ago (she really is that old!). She's like having a pet without the responsibility....and sometimes the odd benefit or two. Right on cue she obligingly arrived this morning and I quickly grabbed the compost bucket and the camera. ....Hummm...not a performing chicken that's for sure. So I called my friend Kathryn who has three gorgeous birds. I've just returned from an afternoon crouching around her backyard pointing the Nikon this way and that. It's not easy shooting a chook....they're fickle and completely self indulgent preferring to peck and shake their bottom at you rather than posing....as if I hadn't experienced that this morning! Just as we gave up and Kathryn began to put them back in their pen, they jumped up on the old bathtub and posed in a row. I think they were smiling at me, secretly thanking me for allowing them to have a bit of a run in the backyard and urging us to look closer. Inside the bathtub was their gift....eggs galore... a dozen in fact! And now I'm home looking at the fruits of my labour, some of those shots aren't too bad....back to assignment. Thanks chooks!

Semi moment of fame....

2011-09-23T09:53:00.005+09:30

Camille Roskelly the designer of my current favourite ranges of fabric, Bliss and Ruby, and the designer of my current favourite quilt pattern, Swoon, is featuring all the Swoon blocks from her Flickr site on her most recent blog post. And guess what? I'm part of the post! How cool is that? I'm mildly chuffed. Thanks Camille.
Here's the link....my blocks are 16th from the bottom....that will force you to look at them all now, won't it!
And seeing how gorgeous everyone else's quilts are, I better get a wriggle on to finish mine....two more blocks to go!

Eighty.....

2011-09-05T20:07:00.005+09:30

My mum turned 80 yesterday. If my dad had still been with us, he would have been 80 today. Mum and Dad were just one day apart in age but they were totally in sync. I'm really sad that he's not here but I'm so happy for mum that she can now be classed as an octogenarian. Don't get me wrong, she's had a rough time of it lately having just come out of hospital ten days ago following her second shoulder reconstruction. Mind you, given a couple more complaints that she'd like righted, she could almost aim for bionic status. Needless to say, with her recent surgery and recovery, celebrations for her 80th were pretty much put on hold. So much so, it caught me completely unawares. So just last Monday, a week ago from today, I suddenly realised I didn't even have a present for her (gosh I hope she doesn't read my blog!). What do you buy for an 80 year old? I couldn't think of anything that she didn't already have or couldn't possibly use. How about a quilt? Yeh....a quilt, I can do that. So last Monday I raided the cupboard. Some time back, I had won a Moda Botany charm pack from the lovely Lorraine of Small Quilts. It's the only thing I have ever won online and Lorraine was very gracious awarding me a random prize draw even though I didn't get the answer right! My prize was divine and at the time I set about building on it, gathering 3 more charm packs and enough fabric for the backing and binding. After the recent success of my sister-in-law's charm square quilt, I thought another was in order. So each night this past week I sewed a bit at a time to ensure that it was finished in time. Monday morning, idea, Monday night, selection and join the squares into pairs and fours. Tuesday laid it out on the floor and joined strips and front. Wednesday made backing and basted. Thursday night quilted. Friday night bought chocolate solid binding (because previous selection was soooo not going to work) and attached binding. Saturday night, hand stitched binding. Sunday morning stitched on 'Little Sew & Sews' tag. Voila! Happy birthday mummy! xxx

Quilt specifications:
Fabric: front 4 charm packs of Moda Botany by Lauren & Jessi Jung, backing Botany in Coral Pink, binding chocolate solid homespun from Spotlight
Measures: 62" x 54"
Quilted: free motion by me!
For: mum

Blissful finish....

2011-08-28T18:42:00.007+09:30

I haven't posted anything quilty for ages so it's absolute bliss to have something actually finished and photographed on a beautiful 'almost end of winter' (or is that pre-Spring?) day. Mind you, the quilt photograph had to fight for space on the clothes line given this glorious weather! This quilt is for my sister in law who has recently experienced a rather nasty work place accident. I won't go into details but we had coffee yesterday and she is saying that she's 50/50...but she's also trying to be extremely positive and wishing for good health for the future. Her accident and recovery is at the opposite end of the bliss spectrum so I'm directing some positive vibes her way so her quilt will feature some of Bonnie and Camille's Bliss range. I've used 4 charm packs of 5" squares which I've had in the cupboard for ages and yielded 168 squares, in a 14 x 12 block formation. This fabric is so delightful it didn't call for any fancy piecing...just join the squares. I love it. It's simple. It works. The colours and prints are divine and the soft fabric has been a pleasure to work with. The top lay on the floor for a couple of days because I loved the look of it. I couldn't stop staring at it, marvelling at its beauty and asking everyone who walked past to agree with me that it was 'just perfectly gorgeous'...(for the record...they did...or is that household coercion?). For the back I chose solid stone colour and joined it with some left-over Bliss strips that I had from a 'yet to be revealed' jelly roll project. The quilt is stippled which is something I had got out of the habit of doing but for this size quilt, it was perfect. There were a few little hiccup sections but for the most part, the stippling process was smooth and I kept wondering why I hadn't stippled for an age. The quilt is finished with plain red binding and I think this frames the quilt perfectly, contrasting with the back and not fighting with the front.Normally I would lament giving a quilt that I love like this one away...but I know it's going to a good home and to someone who will love it like I do!
Now for the stats:
Quilt measures: 62" x 54"
Fabric: Bonnie and Camille Bliss for Moda, Spotlight solids (homespun) in stone and red
Quilting: stippled by Theresa (me!)
Gifted: to MG

Procrastination pays off....

2011-08-11T08:59:00.007+09:30

Back in early July I did everything to avoid starting a rather tough uni assignment and ended up making Red Pepper's pieced border quilt top out of my scrap strips. The assignment ended getting done but the top lay in the cupboard until the other night when I after I'd finished basting another quilt I'm working on, I had the right sized piece of batting left over for this quilt. So I basted this one too and because this one is smaller than the other one, I ended up quilting this one first. I love this little quilt. I love how the bright pinks and lime greens pop against the chilled seafoam background. I've also chosen plain and simple Kona coal for the binding as everything else I tried didn't work against the scrappy border. The Kona coal frames the whole quilt beautifully. The back is a lot of fun and features the red hippos from Ikea. The size was just right at 45" wide, so it's all one piece.Quilt stats:
Pattern - Red Pepper Pieced Scrap Border Quilt Tutorial
Size - 45" square
Fabric - scraps, Kona Seafoam, Kona Coal, Ikea Hippos in red
Quilted - straight line by me!

Red, green, blue and pink.....

2011-07-31T15:31:00.005+09:30

I took up my own challenge to make a few blocks for the Threaded Mess I-spy rainbow block drive which was a welcome distraction in between study breaks this weekend. So far, I've managed four in total. We've got the red matryoshka dolls, green hippos, blue puppies and pink pussycats. Putting the four together really gave me a feel for how lovely these little premmie quilts are going to be. I love the diamond meeting in the centre as much as the I-spy centres. I also made a few metres of rainbow coloured binding. The original fabric was an Ikea stripe and I'd had it cut for something and never used it but it will add a lovely bright touch to Natalie's little rainbow quilts.

Rainbow I spy block drive....

2011-07-30T09:12:00.007+09:30

Natalie of Threaded Mess is hosting a block drive to create quilts for her local neo-natal unit, the Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children. Now I know I'm in Adelaide, Australia and she's North Virginia in the United States but her story touched my heart. As the mother of an ex-prem, who is now a thriving 14 year old, stories like hers and the amount charity work her guild does for their NICU really hit home. I recall the hours we spent wondering what would come of our little premmie, overwhelmed with the thought of how such a little bundle of baby could ever grow up to be....well, regular sized! Whilst so many of those rollercoaster thoughts are now dim memories, Natalie's drive made me recall our journey and reminded me that our family is part of the 'premmie club' and regardless of hospital, NICU and country, every family with a premature baby goes through a very similar experience. So I'm in! Natalie's idea is to make premmie baby quilts created from rainbow blocks using the Joseph's Square in a Square 12" block by Anna Maria Horner. You can read all about the concept, guidelines and instructions on Natalie's Threaded Mess blog. I've made one block so far and they're really super quick to sew together once cut. I'm thinking they might be nice distractions in between assignment completion this weekend. The idea is to create little eye-spy centres in each of the blocks. I used this lovely little pussy cat print that I purchased from Spotlight years ago. It's perfect for a little baby. I also have some blue doggie print, so blue will be the next cab off the rank. Looking at it now I realise I should have put the centre print on the diagonal so it ultimately sits straight...oh well, learning curve! I also used Kona Woodrose and some Little House by Annette Tatum polka dots and stripes that have also been in the stash for some time....and that makes me feel good too!

Pip Pip Hooray....!

2011-07-26T17:43:00.004+09:30

I've finished a quilt! Yeh for me! Now this little quilt wasn't on my original completion wish list but even so, it's a finish and I'm thrilled. And I'm super thrilled with how it turned out too. I've used 12 divine strips from my Sherbet Pips jelly roll, concentrating on boy colours of red, aqua and grey and sashed in white. The centre of each square is a 4 patch of 2 1/2" squares, surrounded by a 1 1/2" strip of co-ordinating solid and finished with a jelly roll strip. The blocks ended up at 10 1/2 - 11". The binding is grey and white wide stripe from Spotlight which I really like. And the back is the red Denyse Schmidt Picnics and Fairgrounds argyle also from Spotlight. I also brushed off my stippling hoo-doo and that worked out beautifully without one pucker! Now to bundle it up for a special little boy.

Good intentions.....

2011-07-24T11:47:00.005+09:30

I have been enjoying having some time off work to be with the kids during school holidays. Needless to say, the weeks leading up to the break held many selfish thoughts about how much sewing I was going to get done and how many unfinished projects in the pile would move to the completed side of the ledger. Guess what? It didn't happen! Nope, not one finish! (Well not yet anyway.) You know how it goes. Drop child one off to scheduled school holiday program, come home, put on a load of washing, have a coffee, hang out washing, entertain child two, sit down at sewing machine, get up from sewing machine, make lunch, put another load of washing in, do some study, pick up child one...etc. The outcome of all this at-home busyness was a pile of starts. I now have more UFO's than you can shake a stick at! But of course, it depends on how you look at that scenario. For example. I delved back into my scrap bin and started to make confetti blocks like those featured in the new Block Party book by Alissa Haight Carlton and Kirsten Lejnieks. I've managed 12 blocks and have used a mountain of small scraps and almost all of the those tiny bits of white that I can't bear to part with. So whilst the scrap bin is looking delightfully empty, 12 blocks is not enough for a quilt, so I've shelved that idea for the moment. Then I spent two nights cutting out the fabric for 9 Swoon blocks. Swoon is a new pattern by Camille Roskelly and it's beautiful. I had to really get my head around the cutting and fabric matching but now that it's done I have a little production line happening with the blocks. I'm using the new Denyse Schmidt fabric, Picnic and Fairgrounds from Spotlight along with some solids and Kona Snow. I've made 4 so far. Again, they've been pushed to the side because yesterday afternoon I started a little baby quilt following some surprise news. I'm keeping that one under wraps for the moment but let's just hope that it becomes one of those quick turn-around, highly satisfying finishes! I hope so, I'm back to work on Tuesday and would really like to show something off after all those good intentions!

Stars and stripes....

2011-07-04T09:07:00.007+09:30

I finished the binding on my red, white and blue maverick star quilt last night just in time for July 4th. Whilst not an Australian celebration it's fitting none the less. This quilt is for L who seems to miss out on most of the quilts I make. Funny thing is he was actually due on July the 4th which made my obstetrician laugh every time he checked his notes! It took me a while to work out it was Independence Day! The quilt is made from 12" maverick star blocks in a mix of red, white and blue, measures 72" x 60" (6 blocks x 5 blocks) and is straight line quilted (the stripes!). The binding is red and white honeycomb (spotty dot from Spotlight) which I'm a bit addicted to for binding! The back uses a piece of light blue fabric that I've had stashed for ages, some left overs and a strip of pinwheels that Kay suggested I make out of the triangles cut from the stars. They worked out beautifully! Construction didn't come without it's problems....including poor measurement of the backing and not realising until after I'd taped it to the floor for basting! All is forgiven though because I just love red, white and blue. It's so crisp and clean looking.Now....back to that essay....or maybe another unfinished that needs completion!

Procrastination...

2011-07-03T17:57:00.006+09:30

I'm supposed to be writing an essay. I had every intention to work on it this weekend. After all, it's only 1500 words.....easy! But (and I really mean BUT....), I started to sort out my scrap bag yesterday and then one thing led to another and the next thing I knew I had this really nice pile of lovely colourful fabric strips. Then I got to and trimmed each of them to 1 1/2" wide and once stitched together and trimmed, I had enough little blocks to edge 41 x 3 1/2" squares in Kona Seafoam. After a bit of intensive sewing in between weekend shopping, washing, music concerts, the children's sport and a late night I managed to complete all the coloured blocks. Today I added plain blocks and before I knew it there was a little quilt top by late Sunday afternoon. The pattern is the Pieced Scrap Border Quilt from Red Pepper and measures 45" square. I'm thrilled with it and whilst I am feeling slighty guilty about the as yet not started essay I'm suppressing the guilt in the knowledge that my scrap bag is somewhat reduced!

The making of a cake.....

2011-06-19T18:46:00.012+09:30

It was L's 10th birthday party with his school friends today. He was having a laser tag party - the perfect indoor venue for a winter baby! I asked L what he'd like for a birthday cake. "A laser gun", came the reply. Now, I'm not much of an illustrator and I certainly didn't idle my time away doodling illustrations of guns like boys generally do. I was more the 'etcher of rock stars names' over my school books. And we've been so busy at work, I'd had no time to research the illustration and print it out in an enlarged photocopy format. So this morning with iPad on the table I went searching for the perfect reference image. Enlarged it as best you can with an iPad, traced a dodgy pieced paper copy and made a paper template for a rough outline on the cake. It doesn't look much in these early stages with its patched bits (see the join at the tip of laser) and quite scary with limited blobs of butter icing. It's at this stage I always lament that I've bitten off more than I can chew and started to worry that my cake was going to look more like a hair dryer than a laser gun! Onto the full set of colour icing. Still a little bland without a lot of depth. (But nice colours...make mental note for next quilt!) Add some black icing...just like eyeliner for your cake! Not finished yet. Add some trim in the form of Smarties and mini M&Ms. Mmmmm....a winner. And what did L say? "It's perfect mummy!" What's more, we walked into Zone 3 and the staff went off, took photos and loaded it up onto THEIR Facebook site. I'm mildly chuffed to say the least! (Facebook: Zone 3 Adelaide check it out!)

Ten

2011-06-14T10:09:00.004+09:30

Happy birthday L. You've been itching to turn 10 and have finally hit double digits, the big 'one-0'! You take life in your stride and work really hard with more homework than all the other grade 4's, you laugh a lot, love running outside and playing lego, your wii and DSi. Have a great year little man!

I'm going to make you a star....

2011-06-13T20:55:00.003+09:30

My red, white and blue Maverick Star quilt top is finished. Now....for the back. Kay made the wonderful suggestion of using the triangles cut from the stars to make pinwheels. A few of these will definitely be incorporated in between 10th birthday party celebrations, an extremely busy week (or two) at work, a new computer and software and some uni chapters that need finishing. Life is never dull, that's for sure!

Channelling my inner Ralph....

2011-06-09T08:52:00.005+09:30

I wasn't intending to work on a quilt like this but I was chatting to Joshua's mum about the quilt I made for him a while back (2009!) and it got me thinking about red, white and blue maverick stars again. I just love how these colours are just so classic and it's no wonder Mr Ralph Lauren sticks with them year after year. Here it is on the design floor. I've used a lot of Prints Charming that I've had in the cupboard, a heap of spots and dots in various configurations and splashes of solids. Each block measures 12" finished and I used this tutorial for the blocks (but without the wonk). It should finish up around 60 x 72.

Jumping to it....

2011-05-22T12:33:00.007+09:30

My long term Katie Jump Rope quilt is finally a finished project! I think it's been on the go for nearly two years if you count the process of purchasing the fabric. Measuring 70" x 63", made from 5" blocks featuring about 26 fabrics from the range and quilted in straight vertical lines about 3/4" apart, this quilt has lost none of the charm that I imagined it would have. It's very vintage...slightly at odds with the 'mod' back that features a range of solids in co-ordinating colours pieced together in strips. The binding is the bandana print in blue which I acquired after the top was pieced otherwise it would certainly had been included. However, using it only as binding frames the quilt beautifully. Now back to the work in progress pile!

Adding to the collection....

2011-05-21T19:08:00.004+09:30

I admit it....I'm a Denyse Schmidt fan....big time. I have two quilts in the 'works' featuring Denyse Schmidt fabrics - one Katie Jump Rope and the other Hope Valley, I've also been collecting OOP Flea Market Fancy and have a little bit of County Fair. I'm reserving judgement on her Greenfield Hill line BUT as soon as I saw her DS Quilt collection for Joanns in the US I just knew I HAD to have some. I've read some posts relating to the line coming to Spotlight in Australia but my interpretation is that it's only 11 fabrics and they'll be different to the lovely set of red, blue and green floating around US blog land. The Australian shipment was slated as May but hasn't materialised (pardon the pun) at my Spotlight stores.....much to the assistants chagrin!!! (please read as annoying/pesky customer asking wierd question) So, given my 'addiction', I've had to take advantage of a very strong AU dollar and purchase via Etsy. 21 gorgeous prints in colours and prints that are worthy of the collection!

Baby Bliss Bow-Tie.....

2011-05-18T09:18:00.008+09:30

The 'Baby Bliss Bow-Tie' quilt is finished and is even more divine than the first bow-tie mini quilt I attempted a few weeks ago. This one is slightly bigger at 32" x 36", made up of 4" blocks (8 x 9) that feature triangles cut from 2 1/2" wide strips. All of these triangles are from the off cuts from a Bliss jelly roll (Bonnie and Camille for Moda). Bliss really lends itself to cream, pink, aqua, grey and green backgrounds. I've also used white in some of the blocks and whilst Bliss is cream based, these blocks really pop and look lovely and crisp.The quilting is straight line in between each of the joins in both directions....simple! I've used a Moda plaid fabric (sorry, I've forgotten it's name after cutting off the selvedge) in grey which is a lovely choice for a neutral backing that doesn't fight with the front or the binding. The binding is a Spotlight version of honeycomb in red and white which also works well Bliss. This range was a lovely quality and I'm kicking myself for not stashing more as the red has run off the shelves at my local stores.

Wonderland delight.....

2011-05-17T08:38:00.008+09:30

After a lively conversation with M, one of R's friends, about our mutual love of pretty much anything Alice in Wonderland, particularly the completely out of our price range, Marc Jacobs ballet flats, I purchased some Alice in Wonderland fabric off eBay. The seller didn't know the source but I think it's Kokka. It doesn't have a brand but instead has the most divine selvedge with little houses depicting the colours used. So when M's 14th birthday rolled around yesterday I made her a little covered note book and a co-ordinating pencil case. The pencil case measures about 43cm across x 33cm high, large enough for a ruler and the plethora of stationery these girls have to carry around to each class. I added a gusset to the bottom to help it stand up on her desk. The note book worked out really well and I love the little ribbons that I found in my 'must keep that for something' tray. Both received seals of approval from R....in the form of 'that's sooo cute, I want one too!'.And on the floor at the moment as part of my mission to finish off UFO's, my Katie Jump Rope quilt. It too has been in the wardrobe (of shame) since January 2010! Looking at it again, I haven't lost any love for it since I decided to cut into this precious fabric....just as well! It's now basted and ready for quilting.....soon!

Belated bloggerversary....

2011-05-15T09:04:00.015+09:30

Last week I past the two year milestone of this little blog. I didn't forget, I just wasn't sure what to write. Last year I wrote about how I'm constantly inspired by my surroundings and how I see quilts everywhere. Nothing's changed! And in fact, many of these sightings are generally right under my nose, like this 'little' beauty two streets away from my home. This is a very large shed wall that is part of the Coca-Cola bottling plant in Adelaide. About 20 years ago the Thebarton Residents Association lobbied to paint a mural on the wall. It reflects the spirit of our neighboured with elements such as the large Greek community (the biggest in SA), Aboriginal housing, local schools, services and the history of the area. My friend Tara, who is a reader of this blog and now living in Portland was involved in the painting of one of the diamonds (sadly now painted over). We were very worried when the wall was barricaded a few months back, fearing it was to be demolished when the roof was pulled off but thankfully Coke kept the wall and just renovated the attached structure! I love looking at this wall because of its quilt attributes, its small diamond patchwork pieces gathered together to make one large mural. In this case many hands have combined to leave their mark on our world....often like the process of making a community quilt. It's a neighbourhood treasure and something to be admired for many years to come....again just like a quilt. My own recent finish is also a lot like the patchwork mural featuring many pieces of fabrics left over from numerous projects and formed into a network of diamonds using the string piecing method. I had actually finished this quilt top back in January 2010 and it has laid idle in the wardrobe all this time! I'm on a mission to finish up the many incomplete projects I have and to use up fabrics that have a habit of being purchased because 'I have to have them' only to store them away. So no starting anything new until then....well that's this week anyway. Let's see how many I can bowl over!
The quilt is really bright and cheery and I'll be gifting it to my mother in law who is in hospital at the moment facing a second cancer diagnoses. She is very fond of bright colours so I hope it does indeed brighten up her day. The quilt is straight line quilted which I'm a big fan of these days because of its speed and economical use of thread but it also proved the perfect quilting method for the plethora of seams found in string pieced blocks. The straight lines offset against the angles of the strings also looks really great. The back features the lime hippos from Ikea. I don't think you can get this fabric any longer. I've had mine tucked away for this quilt for a long time and also have some red hippos in the cupboard for the right project to come its way. The pink and lime backing works perfectly with the binding which is a multi striped fabric that was purchased from Spotlight. This is the same fabric that's also used in the inset border. It's one of those crisp cottons that I find myself using less of in favour of better quality cottons but I had it stashed for this quilt and thought it was a good opportunity to use it up. I had to laugh though when I noticed that Sarah Fielke (AKA Material Obsession I and II co-author) had used it as a binding in her Woodpile mini quilt in her new book 'Quilting From LittleThings' which I was lucky enough to get from the family for Mothers Day last week. Just goes to show that even great quilters use any fabric so long as it works!And if you're still reading after this long post, here is a gratuitous shot of a little project I've been working on lately. It's actually at binding stage but I think the colours are just gorgeous and I love the look of it all pinned down. It's another 4" block bow tie quilt made up the triangles left over from yet another project I've also resurrected this week. Again the triangles were cut from 2 1/2" strips, so they're pretty tiny. The fabric is Bonnie and Camille's Bliss. I still love it. Now, I'm thinking of pulling yet another UFO from the wardrobe but have to also jump over a mountain of washing first!

One person's trash.....

2011-05-04T08:50:00.010+09:30

Is another person's treasure. Some months back Joe found this little stool on the footpath during our neighbourhood's hard rubbish week. At the time it was covered in white contact. I peeled it off and found this dilapidated finish underneath. I'm in two minds what to do with it as I quite like the shabby-ness of it. Then a few weeks back I was driving along and saw this stool on the footpath, thrown out with a couple of other bits and bobs. I put the brakes on and my kids ducked down, groaning "oh...no, it's hideous!"Yeh, yeh, yeh....it's frightful and the finish was almost 3D! But the other night whilst I had the stripper and course grade steel wool out for another project, I thought I'd throw some on. It took more than a casual splash of stripper to get that coating off I can tell you that for free! I kept wishing we still had a heat gun which died a few years ago from over use! (that's another story).
However, with a bit of persistence, elbow grease and I dare say, blood, sweat and tears, I got that wretched folk art cat OFF! Look at my stool now! It's fabulous pine and oak and quite sturdy.And the two of them together.....well that's a collection in my book!

Fairytale finish....

2011-05-03T08:46:00.006+09:30

I've finished the little scrappy quilt featuring Heather Ross's Far Far Away (edition 1). It's free motion stipple quilted which I haven't done for a while so I was a little rusty. Needless to say it gave me my fair share of grief but I got there in the end! However, being baby quilt size, the quilting was done in a couple of hours with just two bobbins used in total. No wonder small quilts give so much satisfaction in between bigger projects! I've bound it in some of the Spotlight honeycomb fabric that's in store at the moment. I've chosen the orange which is a slightly burnt orange and goes quite well with the orange and peach in the FFA fabric. I'm thinking this one might go in the wash to pre-wrinkle it before hand over. I generally don't do that as I like my quilts to look new but I think this one will improve if it's softened up. To be honest, I'm not totally enamoured with this quilt. I love the stars but am a bit wrankled over the rectangle....but I also know that that's me and my penchant for symmetry.

Princess in the house....

2011-04-30T21:08:00.007+09:30

A work colleague is having his second baby and he tells me it's another little girl. That got me thinking about a little quilt which is a lovely distraction to the bigger projects that I always seem to have backed up at the 'factory'! Yesterday I pulled out some scraps that I have of Heather Ross's Far Far Away in the peach and natural colours. There was a strip of the princess and the pea and some good sized scraps of the frog prince, snails and meadow. Inspired by the world's newest princess, I spent today sewing and finished up with a fun little flimsy that features a princess panel surrounded by Far Far Away maverick stars in various sizes (4", 3" and 2 1/2" squares). The background fabric is quilter's muslin which I haven't used before but thought its lightness would work well with the FFA's double gauze weight. It's not bad and the creamy colour is perfect. I'm hoping the quilt will really soften up for a little baby.It was quite rainy weather today so I didn't attempt any washing so the top is also basted and ready to be quilted. I'll panic about preparing 'back to school' uniforms tomorrow!This little quilt measures around 36" x 44".

Holiday finishes....(for lack of a better title!)

2011-04-27T20:36:00.010+09:30

The extra long Easter and Anzac Day combined public holiday gave me a wonderful opportunity to finish up a couple of projects. We were heading down south to the shack and that gave me the drive I needed to finish a few things to hand finishing stage. The first was my Munki-Munki Network quilt. I actually had this one quilted the week before last. The quilting is horizontal lines set about 1" or 2cm apart. I met my then self imposed Sunday night quilting deadline and thought I'd give machine binding a go. However, I was really disappointed with the result, it wasn't straight and didn't stay even on both sides so I spent all day at work on Monday worrying about it, so I unpicked it that night. It left little bits of cotton everywhere....on the quilt, on the floor, on the binding....argh! Once off, I re-stitched it back onto the front side on Monday night, ready for the hand stitched finishing. I have to say, I love the look of hand stitched binding and I really love the process of sitting down and stitching it. It gives me that feeling of getting to the end and finally wrapping up the production. The binding is Sandi Henderson's from her Ginger Blossom range. And the back is pieced from a piece of pink spotty fabric picked up from Spotlight ages ago and some solids to match.During the week whilst blog hopping I spied this quilt and fell completely in love. I couldn't stop staring at it and I decided to recreate one of my own using the little triangles cut from binding and set into 2 1/2" squares of fabric in a bow tie design. Like Jolene from Blue Elephant Stitches, I've used left overs and this resulted in different coloured blocks of pink, ash, snow, white, celery, kahki and stone. The blocks are only 4" and the quilt is 28" square and quilted in straight lines either side of the seams. The binding is also scrappy and uses all the bits that get left over from bigger projects that end up being stored in zip lock plastic bags. The back is totally pieced from the scrap bag. Again, a little 'use what you have in the scrap bin' project that has resulted in something really quite delightful. I should call this one the zip lock stash bow tie quilt...but that's a bit too long for such a little quilt. I just love looking at this quilt as it reminds me of all the projects I've worked on so it may end up as a quilt for the wall to admire for a long time to come!

Our modified Grand Day Out....

2011-04-17T11:39:00.007+09:30

We had been planning our Grand Day Out to Melbourne's Australasian Quilt Convention for 8 months only to have two of our party of four unable to attend due to illness. So with just half the contingent, Clare and I headed east for what was still a fabulous day of fabric, gadgets and quilts on display.

It was a very early start, heading out of Adelaide on the 6.50am flight arriving in Melbourne at 8.30am. We lost some time due to an earlier fog that caused a backlog of planes trying to park and then a traffic jam that our shuttle bus skillfully avoided by going through the back streets behind the airport which only ended up adding about 5 extra minutes to the bus transfer. Thank goodness we weren't cabbing it....that would have been the fabric money gone right there! Pretty soon we were on the number 96 tram to the Royal Exhibition Hall with Clare and I playing, "I spy the other ladies going to AQC". We were pretty sure the ladies sitting opposite us were heading in our direction, so Clare boldly walked up to them and asked them if they were. "How did you know?", they replied. We laughed and said their sensible shoes matched ours and that could only mean careful consideration of the long hours on your feet traipsing around the stalls and exhibition. They laughed. Then Clare asked if they wanted to buy a cheap entry seeing as we had two extra pre-paid tickets that we would no longer be using. They jumped at it....more fabric money for them and some compensation for our poor sick friends in Adelaide. I did feel a bit like the bloke selling watches from the inside of his coat....but happy in the solace that these deserving quilters got a good deal! Our delays meant that we walked straight inside and avoided a queue and a bottle neck at the front of the hall but that's not to say it wasn't crowded and my trusty backpack caused just as many problems getting in and out as it did last year. I wasn't planning on going crazy with fabric purchases this year but it's great fun looking and I was on a bit of a mission for something special for Kay...which took all day before I decided! But there were a few bits that I couldn't resist and one that I can't believe landed in my hand. It was a 30cm strip of unprocurable Kerchief Girl by Kei....it was the only one and even a search of Etsy and Ebay this morning aren't returning any results. Lucky me! I'll have to send off for some of the co-ordinting honeycomb dots that I couldn't make my mind up on to add to that little prize. I also purchased some cute little Japanese fabric which at the time of purchase I was convinced it had a pair of y-front nickers on it (what does that say about me I wonder!), only to re-look at the end of the day to see it was a sneaker.... well I was up at 5am! And I also picked up a couple of fat quarter pieces of Moda's La Petite Ecole. I can't show what I purchased Kay as that's her surprise. But let me say this Kay.... I stuck to the brief!! And there was also a little something for Michelle.

We sat down around lunch time to eat our train station purchased sandwiches (which were a bit cheaper than the captive audience expensive catering at the exhibition) and listen to Judy from Punch with Judy....purveyors of all things gadgetry for quilting. I particularly wanted to listen to her talk about Kaleidoscopes....a ruler I had purchased last year and so far had little success in using beyond a nice little ruler for small cuts! Success....I get it now and learnt a few tips for the centre seams and joining. That was worth the entry fee just to sort that out! We had also visited the Scissorman for their bargain tungsten blades which are great quality and the dilemma of carrying them in our carry on....worry about that later. A quick whiz around the quilt exhibition and the day was over. I can't believe we'd done it again....a non-stop all day affair at AQC. We had just enough time to head back into town with Clare shopping for shoes and me to find a post office. I love a big City where retail shops stay open till 6pm to serve the community. It's such a blast when you come from a small City like Adelaide with post offices that close at noon on a Saturday and shops that shut bang on 5pm! Then with those tungsten blades safely out of my hand luggage and posted home we headed to Saint and Rogue in Little Collins St for a well earned glass of bubbles and dinner before returning home. Clockwork!

Getting excited now.....

2011-04-15T19:57:00.003+09:30

It's about 12 hours from now before we land in Melbourne and head towards the Exhibition Building in Carlton for the Australasian Quilt Convention. So to ease the excitement, I'm passing my Munki Munki Network quilt through the machine for a row or two of straightline quilting. Each line is around 1" apart. I measured the centre line with my hera marker but it's been eyeballed from there. Luckily, there are lots of seams that I can aim for to keep it on the straight and narrow! I'm about half way through and hoping like crazy I'll get it done by the end of the weekend....but......not holding my breath either!

14.....

2011-04-14T20:58:00.005+09:30

R turned 14 at the beginning of the week. I can't believe it. And even though she promised me last year that her 13th birthday party would be her last, she managed to wangle another one out of me! Of course, she twisted it around and said that it was because I love to organise a party! This year she chose the theme of red and white. We made lovely little invites out of cardboard swing tags and red and white fabric scraps stitched onto them and tied with red and white bakers twine. (I wish I'd got a shot!) Everyone was asked to wear red and white and they dutifully complied. Even little bro and Dad!All the food had a red and white theme....although some of my cupcake icing and sugar sprinkles turned pink. R made red velvet cup cakes and a strawberry cheesecake....delicious! We turned the green and white gazebo red with swathes of red organza and red chinese lanterns.And whilst the weather was a bit cool, the rain held off, so we fired up the chiminea to warm the cockles....and I can't say that there wasn't a bit of red wine consumed by the grown ups!

Getting on with the job....

2011-04-02T08:25:00.006+10:30

Last Thursday's 'Sew and Sews' was busy busy with Clare whipping up a quilted bag for our trip to Melbourne in two weeks for AQC. (Note the mandatory glass of red wine. That helps you get the look of extreme concentration that Clare is currently sporting!) I can't believe it's just two weeks to go when you consider we booked our airfares eight months ago!Clare is using some Amy Butler Love fabric that she scored at a bargain price at last year's event. Here's hoping there are even more fabulous finds this year! So whilst Clare was table bound, I was getting down and dirty on the floor with Clare's cat who's tail gave me a bit of grief whilst I basted my Munki Munki Network quilt. I think I'm laughing but maybe I'm telling the cat to take his tail elsewhere! (And please don't think I'm casting aspertions on the condition of Clare's floor - it was far from dirty!)I'm really pleased I managed to get this quilt to the basted stage. Not sure where I'll find the time to quilt it these next few days as Clare has inspired me to do a spot of knitting ....I guess that's what 'Sew and Sews' is for......inspiration!

Wish'n and hop'n......

2011-03-28T21:10:00.009+10:30

Quite some time ago I spent an age cutting out 5" squares of Hope Valley and Kona Ash.

Then I stitched about 95% of them together to make 1/2 square triangles. Then because I was a bit short of Kona Ash squares, about 12 I think (!), the whole lot laid idle in a plastic bag at the back of my cupboard. But with an urge to progress some of my UFO's I recently pulled out that plastic bag. And I cut those remaining grey squares and finished piecing the 1/2 square triangles. Ahh....progress. Then, a little (actually a lot) overwhelmed by the prospect of trimming and squaring each of those squares, I decided skip this part and opted to just cut off the 'ears' and started to piece them instead. I wish I hadn't been so lazy and so impatient to get started. It's not easy to line up 1/2 square triangles that haven't been trimmed and squared. But it's all too late and that's hindsight speaking, so I'm taking this project bit by bit, first of all piecing in pairs, then 4's, then 8's and now 16's and aligning as I go. My quilt top is looking OK but I know the process could have been easier and given a better result if I'd taken the time to trim. Here's to hop'n that everything lines up because this Hope Valley fabric is just gorgeous.

Eddie at the Thebby.....

2011-03-28T08:56:00.005+10:30

1999 people and I sat in awe of Pearl Jam's front man last night at a packed out Thebarton Theatre. Performing their stuff, his stuff and some other people's stuff mostly solo and with the fabulous support act, Evil Jane and St Celia as encore back up. I'm going as far as saying it was the best concert I've ever been to (sigh). Thanks for coming to our small town Mr Vedder.

My topsy turvy world.....

2011-03-20T18:18:00.006+10:30

Back in October last year we held a Halloween party and at great expense purchased two 'Halloween Pumpkins' from one of the two major supermarket chains. These pumpkins were the gorgeous orange and pumpkin shape that I'd read about on US blogs and even though they cost a fortune, and the insides were inedible, they made a huge difference to the decor.

After removing the insides for carving, the seeds and pulp were thrown into our compost....which is essentially a process of burying our scraps in a spare patch of garden bed.

After a few weeks the seeds started to sprout.

I thought the green shoots were fresh and pretty, so I didn't bother to pull them out.

Then they started to produce flowers. At the time I dismissed them as I figured for a shop bought pumpkin, obviously kept in the cooler for months on end, nothing would come of them. I really figured that any chance of reproducing fruit would have been hybridised out the plant.

Admittedly Joe was out there in the morning doing a spot of 'fertilising' transferring pollen from one flower to another.

The first fruit died off. I'd actually blogged about it, so I reckon I jinxed it.

But then, more and more fruit started to take hold along with some Jap pumpkins that are more accustomed to our climate. Before long we had pumpkins running amok in our backyard. It was spectacular!

When we got back from FNQ recently, the 'Halloween' pumpkins had started to turn orange. Now they're fully orange and they're the perfect shape. We're waiting for the stems to dry off before picking them. It's just a shame that it's months to go before Halloween celebrations and I'm sure any attempts at storing will be in vain....and certainly not for that long. We really are at the opposite end of the seasons to be ready for October and Halloween.

In the meantime, we'll have Jap pumpkins laid on for Autumn.....our Autumn.

(PS. this is my 200th post!)

Sheee's baaack!....

2011-03-19T21:22:00.004+10:30

Twelve months or so ago I posted about a hen that flew over to our house, laid a few eggs, then disappeared.

Well, she's back.....BIG TIME.

Last year she arrived around Easter time (which was a little earlier in the year) and we nick-named her 'Haighs' after the famous Adelaide chocolate brand.

Right now we have an abundance of figs dropping on the ground, so I think she started to visit for breakfast treats (going by the poo trail), then she decided to stay a little longer, peck around a bit more, found a few more treats...you know how it goes. Now she drops in for hours at a time. We go outside and ask, "Where's Haigh's"?

She's been dropping in for a few weeks now. And whilst we were away she must have had free-range (pardon the pun) of the yard. There were enough tell tale signs to confirm her presence.

My mum came over today and we were telling her about 'our chicken'. She asked about eggs.

Whilst we were shaking our heads, Joe just happened to look left....serious...and he noticed some eggs under a bush. Eight of them! We tested them all and they're perfect. All fresh and edible.

Thanks Haighs.....drop in any time! I know you want to!

Rule Brittania.....

2011-03-14T10:30:00.004+10:30

Have you ever walked past a shop window and seen something adorable and thought, "oh I could make that", only to come home and discover that your attempt was a disaster and you wished that you'd bought the thing that you saw in the window in the first place!

It happens to me all the time.

But not this time!

Yesterday R and I saw some fabulous Union Jack pillows that we both really liked. So I made some by paper piecing the blocks. I know the layout is not true to real Union Jack layout but they're pretty damn cute regardless.

So cute in fact, I made some pin cushions which really tested my paper piecing skills on tiny bits of paper and with tiny seams.

The cushions measure 28x36cm and the pin cushions 14cmx18cm.

And then there was a quilt top....

2011-03-12T09:15:00.007+10:30

A few weeks ago I was inspired by Aneela's Blocky quilt to cut up my bits of Munki Munki scraps to make similar blocks using her tutorial.

I had originally bought a 'starter' pack of assorted Munki Munki peices so I only had small bits in my collection and didn't have a great deal to work with. I felt my blocks were too small to make a quilt so hit on the idea that I should frame them.

Then I had small 5" strips of white fabric left over from framing and because I hate to waste bits of fabric I used them to join the blocks....kind of connector pieces.

I'm working with the last of my Kona Celery and have had to cut and piece carefully so as not to waste it. This was made all the more difficult when I didn't like my original layout which caused a round of unpicking and adjustments to sashing.

It's a bit scrappy....which is fine but I'm not sure about the colours in each of the blocks. It's my problem....I just can't break out of 'too much matchy matchy, needs more contrast' mode! However there's no denying, for a small pile of scraps it's grown into quite a fun quilt top which someone has already laid claim to....and that's the main thing!

FNQ....

2011-03-11T16:11:00.016+10:30

We were lucky enough to vist Far North Queensland recently, staying at Port Douglas and Trinity Beach. A very wet (200mls in 1 day wet!), hot and humid stay in a very beautiful part of Australia. Lots of swimming (doesn't matter if it's raining....except if you're trying to read a book by the side of the pool) and ice cream consumption had by all along with many new experiences including the whole family snorkelling in the Coral Sea! A great way to spend my birthday....without having to clean up after a party!(Warning photo heavy!)
Day 1....hit the pool!

Beach, Port DouglasNot our Port Douglas accommodation!

Mossman GorgeSugar Cane near Newells BeachSugar Cane Railway carriages

Barron Falls (pumping to say the least!)

Our Trinity Beach view
Joe on the hunt for exotic Queensland fruit. He got the taste for something that we had at the Sheraton on the night of my birthday and spent the rest of the time searching for it! R and Joe getting ready for the first snorkel of the day. (It's hard to smile with that thing in your mouth!)Now it's L's turn!
L inside the underwater viewing platform.
On the way to Cape Tribulation....pouring with rain! Luckily it stopped when we got there!

A solid finish.....

2011-02-20T12:49:00.012+10:30

My Solid Foundations quilt is finished! I started this quilt back in late December for my brother JP who lives interstate. I've been picking it up and putting it down so it seems like it's taken an eternity to finish but after moving the basted quilt for the sixty millionth time, I felt an urge to start quilting it late on Friday night and it is now finally done.

There are so many things I really love about this quilt.

I love the solid colour in the square block construction. Some more than others as I got a little freer with them with the more I produced. I particularly love the little strip of coloured squares and rectangles at the bottom. I really love the green Ikea bird fabric on the back. I think it was from the Cecilia range last year and I've pretty much used up all that I had in this colour bar a few left over strips cut off after quilting.I love the strip of solid squares that runs down one side and across the top of the back. A great way to incorporate the front into the back and again using up most of these colours from the stash.
I'm really loving the solid black binding and think that it frames the whole quilt really well.

And most of all, I love how all of the fabrics came from my stash. Satisfaction indeed.

Quilt statistics:

Measures - 75" x 60"

Fabric - Kona Solids, Spotlight Solids, Ikea

Quilted - free motion meander by Theresa

New pad for the iPad

2011-02-13T13:32:00.006+10:30

I made a cover for my iPad using Elizabeth Hartman's laptop sleeve tutorial and some left over decorator weight Amy Butler Love fabric.

The instructions were pretty easy to follow and I'm quite pleased at how well it turned out. Once you get your head around the way to measure I just modified the measurements to suit an iPad. I had everything in the cupboard, so my iPad's new home didn't cost me a cent!

I'm considering making smaller versions for R's iPod Touch and work's back up drives that are on constant rotation in my handbag.....the possibilities are endless!

Blowing the diet.....

2011-02-12T17:35:00.003+10:30

Not that I'd made any official pledge or anything but I had been telling myself (a lot) that I really have enough fabric and should be making better use of my stash...or at least attempted some of the projects that I'd imagined that I HAD to do which is the reason why I have so much fabric in the first place. So I sort of said "no more fabric".

But then I found some Sherbet Pips on Etsy.... I was just looking and it was the very last yummy, scrummy jelly roll! How ironic that we call the process of not purchasing fabric a 'diet' only to be tempted by a jelly roll called Sherbet Pips. Too funny.

I'd visited the fabulous Etsy store Bloomerie and they tempted me futher with a gorgeous Kokka linen with a french theme....ooh la la!

To top it all off, after a discussion with one of R's friends about our mutual love of all things 'Alice in Wonderland' I found a divine A.I.W. Japanese print on Ebay, in red no less! I couldn't resist.

Yes, my name is Theresa and ...I'm addicted to fabric.

County Fair Cushions....

2011-02-04T21:28:00.007+10:30

When I first discovered quilting and the associated world of fabric, I very quickly discovered and fell in love with the designs of the very talented Denyse Schmidt. At the time, I hadn't discovered the world of Etsy or Ebay and was buying the tail end of fabric releases via Australian sources. Whilst I firmly believe in stimulating one's own economy....I ended up paying a fortune for her fabric....only to discover that what I was buying was 'home decorator' weight of Country Fair and not quilting cotton weight. I told myself that it would be OK for a quilt because I truly loved (still do) the design and the colours. I cut it up into 2 1/2" strips ....a ....long...time....ago and then popped the cut strips neatly into the cupboard. And that's where it's stayed until last December when I hit on the great idea to make my girlfriend some cushion covers for her birthday.

The concept for the cushions is based on foundation paper pieced strip quilts using 4 blocks per cushion. My cushions will end up at 25" or 61cm.

I made extra large foundation squares out of newspaper....which I would not recommend now that I've done it. Reason: when you rip the paper off, little bits of the glued foundation pieces stay stuck and when you iron your fabric it has this 'fish and chip' smell about it. Plus you get quite a bit of ink on your fingers too!! But in newspaper's defence ...it was the only paper I had that would give me the size square I needed for my blocks, so I lived with it!
I've pieced the blocks in a diamond design and then quilted either side of the seams in straight line quilting using my walking foot. I've ended up with two matching cushion covers. I love them and wish I could keep them! However, I won't get too attached because I've got enough left over to make myself a set and I can always go and visit them at Kathryn's!

Back to the school routine....

2011-02-01T10:54:00.004+10:30

It was quite a scramble to get out of the door on time this morning. Luckily we had a bit of a practice yesterday with R returning a day earlier for year 8 orientation. (Year 8!!!!) So with the two children back today, I really had to shake myself to get moving. I'm so out of the morning groove what with not having to make a round of lunches since early December last year and with that I got used to sleeping in for 1/2 an hour longer in the morning! I guess I'll be back to the early rising and we'll all be in-sync by the end of the week!

L was happy to return. He has the same excellent teacher and is a composite 4/5 class that has delivered most of his friends but was rather confused when he lined up in the same room as last year! I can't believe he's in grade 4! Mind you, don't all grade 4 boys make funny faces when they have their photo taken?

How 'bout a kiss?

2011-01-30T19:54:00.003+10:30

A week or so ago as I was wandering the garden and happened to look up only to discover that we had miseltoe in our purple hibiscus! I was really surprised to say the least as I thought this 'pest' was confined to regional areas, and I'd certainly not ever heard of it inhabiting the Adelaide Plains. But I do understand that it continues to exist because of bird droppings carrying the seed pods.

At the time we were leaving for our shack when it was disovered and obviously, didn't do anything about it. Now we're back and it's in bloom.

I'm torn.

It's beautiful but it's a parasite. It's certainly an 'exotic pest'. And I have to say, now that I look at it, its vine structure is tangling its way around a plant that I'd really like to keep.

Looks like there's a bit of homework to be done! Or at the very least, the big clippers will be dragged out of the shed before things get too out of control!

Getting ready for back to school....

2011-01-23T15:59:00.007+10:30

Every time R saw the Michael Miller Groovy Guitar fabric in my cupboard she would comment on what a great pencil case it would make. That was just the beginning of her none too subtle campaign for a new pencil case for the new year back to school.

Now I've always been a fan of new pencil cases at the beginning of the year to go with the new pencils and new books that you try to keep neat until the gloss of the new year wears off so it didn't take too much convincing. And, given that R is happy to cover her own books and get her bag sorted for the new year it freed up a bit of time for me to make her one. Truth be told, I had actually purchased this fabric with R in mind, either to cover a music book or make a little something music related.

I used this very simple tutorial from Flossie Teacakes but adapted the measurements to make a pencil case that measures around 40cm x 30cm (16" x 12"). R's only request was for it to be able to hold her 30cm ruler.

But I know that the kids also have to house USB's and various other instruments in their pencil cases. Most purchased versions have inner (or outer) zipped pockets and I'm just not clever enough to work that out....so, I made another mini pencil case that clips inside with a key ring to hold all of those bits. The inside features a few Kona solids in co-ordinating colours pieced together. I love the little tabs at the end of the zips. They really finish off the zip and they weren't too difficult to sew.

Someone is very happy. Let's hope it doesn't end up covered with graffiti!

And on a completely different note. Look what we found in the garden. This is a pumpkin that came up after we emptied the compost bucket with the seeds from the Halloween Pumpkin that we paid a small fortune for. When the plant first sprouted I held little hope that it would ever do anything, thinking that the fruit had been hybridised out for re-growth. Well, fingers crossed we may still end up with that Halloween Pumpkin stand after all!

Take your pick.....

2011-01-21T20:50:00.006+10:30

It's true, I'm a 'Nervous Nelly'. Full on!

I basted JP's* quilt and then panicked that I would muck up the quilting because I'm not confident with my new machine...oh, I mean 'sewing computer'.

So whilst I'm on a personal drive of 'not buying fabric, using what I have and not starting anything new' bandwagon, I kind of felt that the only solution I had was to work on a practice piece before I got stuck into the 'big boy quilt'.

I dislike working on slabs of fabric that aren't ultimately useful so I opted for a baby quilt inspired by my heroes, Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr. Their blog, Craft Nectar, features a gorgeous new quilt, Big Dots, which I've adapted to a baby sized version.

I cut 36" of Kona White (44" wide) and then a range of solid circles from my scrap bags using an old CD/DVD and the lid from the coffee jar!

It's striking! What's more, the appliqued circles gave me plenty (PLENTY) of opportunity to practice threading my machine, setting a blanket stitch (didn't like) and zig zag (wished I'd written down the size settings from the start!!!). I'm surprised that with all of the solid circle colour options, I had enough thread to match. I only purchased one reel and naturally it was a purple tone....if you read my blog, you'll know I don't do a lot of purple...yet!

The back is the very last of the Ikea stripe that I've had in the cupboard. I had just enough.

The binding is Kona Celery, a favourite and, you guessed it, from the cupboard.

So even though I'm on my stash pact bandwagon, I stuck to the 'no buy' bit (from a fabric point of view) and have ended up with a lovely little baby quilt to gift. What's more, it's circles on one side and stripes on the other, so take your pick as to which is the front and which is the back.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that even though I've had a bit of a wrestle with the BSR/free motion on the machine, the quilting worked out rather well, so now it's onto the big boy quilt!

* I use initials for children in my blog for anonymity but spell out adults names. Funny thing is, my brother's name is 'JP'! Too funny!

Solid foundations.....

2011-01-09T09:54:00.006+10:30

Finally, something quilty to share! It's been so hectic around here, what with Christmas and school holidays, study and assignments and then back to work all in the blink of an eye. There just hasn't been any time to sit and sew. And more to the point, because I don't have a dedicated sewing space my lovely new Bernina has been packed away in its box awaiting my long overdue introductory lesson. Once that happens there'll be no stopping me!
This is a quilt that I've been planning for my brother who lives in Melbourne. Sorry about the photos - I either need a new camera or try not to take photos on glorious summer mornings!

When he was visiting last year he spied the green Ikea bird fabric in my stash and we got to talking about favourite colours which in his case were greens, blues and browns. It got me thinking about a quilt out of solids....and only the ones in my cupboard.

I toyed with a zillion ideas, many of which were out of solids and relied on subtle graduations of colour....which I didn't quite have and because I'm really trying not to buy anymore fabric. So in the end the 'lazy gal/square in a square' concept won out.

It was certainly an interesting experiment....I got a little freer and bolder as my desire not to waste any of the strips I'd cut grew. This yields the most interesting of blocks as bits of colour are joined to obtain the right strip length.

The blocks ended up 17" and whilst the flimsie is hanging on its side on the clothes line so as not to get dirty, it will end up around 77 x 60".
I love the little colour swatches that will run either top right or bottom left.....probably bottom left as JP is a leftie! And as always, the backs are just as interesting, particularly with the sunshine behind them to light them like stained glass.
Now to hit the floor for a bit of basting!

Goodbye 2010.....

2010-12-31T14:23:00.004+10:30

(Sunset Goolwa Beach, 30 December 2010)

As 2010 draws to a close and I reflect on this past year, I'd have to say I'm not unhappy about it ending. Sure, there were lots of highs but there were a few lows too. So I'm putting them behind me, wiping the slate clean and stepping boldly into 2011. Here's to a very happy new year and a successful creative year ahead!

Not so complicated...

2010-12-19T09:20:00.005+10:30

Around about this time of year there's plenty of cooking (and not quite cooking with royal icing making) that requires egg whites leaving a plethora of egg yolks.

I like to use these egg yolks for homemade ice cream. I call them my 'Christmas Editions' and they include Marmalade and Rum and Raisin which go really well with Christmas Pudding.

R suggested we make Lavendar ice cream. She's been keen to try this ever since we saw the movie, "It's Complicated".

I picked the last of our lavendar buds - most have dried out following our recent hot days and set to making the custard. The smell that filled the kitchen was nothing short of divine.

The custard was then strained and mixed with the egg yolk mixture and left to chill completely overnight....only because it was late and I didn't fancy staying up another two hours for it to cool and churn!

The brew churned this morning.And it's now in the freezer for the taste test after it freezes a little more. The first taste tests (ie. licking the spatula) are not too bad!

It's a scrappy Christmas.....

2010-12-16T22:47:00.008+10:30

It seems an age since my last post.

Not for a lack of activity....more a matter of secrecy.

There's been a bit of crafting that we'd love to brag about but haven't been able to share until the gifts had been gifted.

So now the great reveal.....

R and I made these lovely little purses for her friends. We had a wonderful time matching fabrics for outers, linings and tags and then matching them back to the friends. Lots of fun and most appreciated by the recipients! They're a great size for phones and iPods.

I try to make a Christmas gift for the 'Sew and Sews' out of scrappy left overs. The skinny batting off-cuts were the recycling target this year. Once trimmed from the sides of quilted quilts, I place them in a plastic tub for 'later'. They're perfect for the padding needed for covered coat hangers. And let's face it....there's nothing nicer than a lovely coat hanger for a special garment.

I used mega skinny and long strips of cotton and wool blend batting to wrap the raw wooden hangers, then threaded co-ord coloured plastic tubing onto the hook, stitched and gathered in some magnificent Amy Butler Love (decorator weight) fabric and tied a ribbon to finish and ended up with a dandy little coat hanger. Spectacular!

But that's not all I've been up to! Oh no.....the scrap challenge continues! I recently sorted my offcuts into red, green and brown fabric piles. The aim was to make little Christmas tree blocks that would then make a runner for our chiffonier. These little trees aren't appliqued...they're all stitched into a block bordered in white approximately 7.5" square.

Each of the blocks are different and all are a little quirky, alternating between red and green. Some are made from the very much loved left over triangles cut from binding and these bits ended up as wonky flying geese trees !The runner measures approximately 165mm x 53mm and is bound with a candy cane stripe binding.

Merry Scrappy Christmas....you've gotta love a left-over!

Mixing business and pleasure....

2010-12-06T15:04:00.004+10:30

I cannot believe that it has been a year since I posted this story! Nor can I believe how lucky we were to be able to do it again this year.
R and I headed off to Sydney this past weekend. Me for work, organising a client's Christmas Party and R for a glorious catch up with her 'oldest and bestest friend in the whole wide world'.
Lucky for me I also had a chance to catch up either side of the work bit and once that was out of the way, I had a whole day to spend with C and her family as well.
We had a spectacular couple of days exploring their beautiful city and acting the total tourist. We weren't short of something to do or look at that's for sure.
Saturday included browsing wonderful local stores including Papaya, Accoutrement, Camargue, Fourth Village Providore and Nordic Fusion. My tongue must have hanging out and I know my neck was sore from looking around at everything, so we headed to Coco Chocolate for a hot chocolate hit like nothing I'd ever had before. I opted for the Rose and Black Pepper (magnificent), whilst the girls chose Lavender (intoxicating in a non toxic way) and there was also a plain which is a COMPLETE understatement of what was presented!

I left R and headed off to work, meeting up again the next morning.

Sunday really made us feel like we were in Sydney. There was a ferry ride or two.

(One for the HP fans!)

Exploring the iconic Sydney Opera House with lunch at Opera Bar. Discovering the remains of historic homes set into the Rocks. Lucking in on the Sydney Theatre Company's Open Day. And generally stopping to snap the best view of their magnificent Bridge which looms large around every corner.

And in every backdrop.
And the girls can also add some quality mall shopping and baking the best chocolate cake ever (thank you Nigella!)Now it's back to reality and to try and come up with another excuse to get back there again sometime soon. Maybe the Annie Leibovitz exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art?

Bursting with pride....

2010-12-03T10:55:00.005+10:30

'Straight off the bat' from R's graduation has been L's last day of school assembly.

Each year at this assembly the school awards a select group of boys from each class with the Edmund Rice Award. Edmund Rice was the founder of the school's philosophy. The award is given to the boys who exemplify the spirit of Edmund Rice showing compassion, friendship and guidance and is the absolute pinnacle of any award the school gives out.

L was lucky enough to be nominated again this year. He also won one last year.

Last year we received a letter to our home and a request not to say anything to L. They like to keep it a surprise. Joe and I quipped a couple of weeks ago that it looked like we wouldn't be at assembly this year!

A few days ago I was in the school front office and the Receptionist asked if L had given us 'the letter'.

"What letter?", I responded.

"The one about assembly and the nomination", she said, and then did a double take as she checked her list in case she got the wrong kid, wrong parent, wrong award!

No, he was definitely on the list.

I said, without any details, "we'd be there".

So L was up there again this year. Taking it all in his stride and giving us the thumbs up at the end. (He obviously hasn't connected the fact that if your parents are at assembly it usually means you're going to win something!)

I commend the school for selecting boys on this basis because we certainly wouldn't be there for academic or sporting achievements.

And I realise that pride is one of life's 7 deadly sins, but I think that particular sin needs a bit of a rethink!

Year 7 Graduation....

2010-12-02T10:47:00.006+10:30

I've just come from R's Year 7 Graduation.

The school does a lovely job presenting the girls, thanking them for their achievements during the year and wishing them well for high school.

The highlight of the ceremony is the projection of their first year of school Reception photo as they accept their graduation certificates. I had tears in my eyes as I witnessed the 'befores' and 'afters' and how much these little girls have grown into little ladies in 8 short years. It's the same face however less rounded and certainly more mature.

So from this.....

to this....

Well done R. Let's hope high school is as rewarding as primary school has been.

Not enough quilting....

2010-11-29T09:03:00.004+10:30

...a little bit of crafting.

Life is pretty hectic at the moment. Work has exploded, I've had one interstate trip a week ago and another coming up for this weekend. It's the last week of school and with that comes the concerts and graduations.

Needless to say my new Bernina hasn't had too many outings however, I did manage to make these market bags for R's teachers. I've used Amy Butler Love in decorator weight and the pattern is Heather Bailey's market bag. I think they turned out rather well. Whilst the pattern was easy to follow it didn't come without challenges what with curves and matching up. There were a few rounds of un-do's and swear words!

I haven't made anything for L's teacher who's a man. I thought about a covered notebook but I didn't have any male fabrics. It'll be nougat for him instead!

Some days are diamonds....

2010-11-18T15:24:00.004+10:30

Completely made from scrap strips and quilted with my new Bernina Aurora 440 QE. Some days are just better than others, aren't they!
Quilt measures approx 60" square and will go to my other SIL for her birthday.

Exit stage left.....

2010-11-14T21:38:00.005+10:30

....but only having entered from stage right! Which was the order of the day at R's end of semester instrumental recital.

I can't believe a year has rolled around so fast. It only seemed a little while ago when I posted about last year's end of semester recital. And yet, here we are again but this time watching R present two instrumental performances.

The first was guitar accommpanied by her teacher Mr K. and sitting in front of the forthcoming 'Prince of Egypt' backdrop which included the hand-made 'do not touch' sign. Rustic....? Or, garage?

R only took guitar up this year so we were immensly proud of her effort.

And the second, albiet hiding behind the music stand, was solo violin which she's been playing since grade one.

This year she admitted to nervousness which she's never mentioned until now.

It didn't show. She was terrific in our eyes.

A great afternoon followed by a late lunch at the pub up the road from her school and R still hiding behind something! At least she's smiling now!

All my Christmas's...

2010-11-12T09:05:00.002+10:30

...have come at once!
But what's in there?
It's Bernina QE 440. I'm halfway through reading the instructions and have promised myself a good look through tonight. Maybe even a bit of a play.
I should be so lucky, lucky, lucky, lucky.....!

Why.....

2010-11-08T21:01:00.003+10:30

...does my brain brim over with quilt ideas? It's enough to leave you sleep deprived!
I'm in the throws of piecing an absolutely gorgeous quilt top....I mean seriously gorgeous. It's fabric that is delightful and the pattern is coming together brilliantly. And then in between all of that, I'm turning the key to the cupboard door and pulling out fabric, lining it up and taking photos!I know I look for excuses in my quilt making and whilst I could go on making lovely little girl quilts for R, I think she would eventually feel less that impressed with yet another quilt. Kind of passe about how involved quilts are to create.
My latest idea is for my 'littlest' brother who lives in Melbourne and has done for a long time. We miss him dreadfully, so when he was in Adelaide a few weekends ago and after spending a great night out at our favourite local Thai restaurant, Tongue Thai'd, followed by late night chats and mega red wine consumption, we got to the subject of favourite colours and fabric selection.
JP loved the green bird fabric from Ikea and a whole bunch of solids in grey, green, brown and muted blue. I think I might have a go at one of these or these.
Well, next at least. After the one I'm working on now, and the one I've got to quilt for someone's birthday at the end of the month and the two I have in the wardrobe......and then study starts again on Monday.....
Yeh....it's no wonder I can't sleep! But in a good way....

That sinking feeling....

2010-11-07T19:21:00.005+10:30

...really hit when I unravelled my much anticipated Jelly Roll yesterday. It wasn't the 'Bliss' I had anticipated. Oh, no....That jelly roll didn't tumble as I'd predicted. It kind of stayed 'Criovac-ed' in a state of frozen animation. I had to push and prod and pull it apart. And then the unthinkable .....a half formed 2 1/2" strip fell from the collection. I plucked it out. I held it up. It was grotesque. Off-skew and in terms of jelly roll quilt construction...unusable.

I gathered my thoughts. After all, these little wonders of superb marketing wrapped in baking terminology are created from off-cuts and ends of (or starts of) new fabric runs, so surely there are slip ups. (None of that reasoning resolves the amount of cutting I'm faced with and what the !#$ am I supposed to do if there's one short....!)

So what do you do before you frame the letter to United Notions that has just run through your head?

You count the strips.

Yes. Count them.

Because that tragic strip that has just sent your world spinning and the quilt top you were planning running down the drain, just might end up being a bonus.

A wonky bonus. But it's extra fabric nonetheless.

Who said there were no thrills and roller coaster rides when you're a quilter?

Thanks 'jelly roll machine'. Send me your wonky strips anytime you want.

Something pretty this way comes.....

2010-11-06T09:28:00.005+10:30

A scrummy jelly roll of Moda's Bliss by Bonnie & Camille ordered from the Fabric Shack along with a few other goodies thanks to the fabulous Australian/US dollar exchange rate. Now to pull that little ribbon and let those 40 pieces of fabric tumble free and a day of cutting and hopefully piecing!

I slightly under estimated.....

2010-11-04T08:52:00.008+10:30

....my children's desire to have a Halloween celebration this year!

R argued that seeing as the 31st fell on a Sunday we should have a party. Next thing, there's 20 names on a list and invitations created. It would appear that some of my professional event organising skills have rubbed off with R completely taking charge! Yay!So we got to and picked up a couple of pumpkins, handed out the invites, and set about baking.It was a fabulous party and my only regret is that next year Halloween won't be on a weekend!

R was scary phsyco doll and L was Edward Scissorhands. Looks like the Tim Burton exhibiton really left an impression on both of them!

I ended up making 4 table runners of various proportions, fabric cuts and quilting styles and all of out scrap.
Now the cauldron and spider webbing is packed away....which is a good thing because I'm a little over orange and black!

Life's lessons.....

2010-10-24T19:57:00.005+10:30

I loved it when my dad mowed the lawn.

I don't know....there's something about the smell of fresh mowed grass and bits of grass lying on the path that sends me right back to when I was little and I'm standing on the concrete at the back of my first house.

It's lovely seeing L wanting to give daddy a helping hand this afternoon.

And learning how to manouvre the mower. (Just look at that concentration and tongue placement!)Who knows, we may not have real grass or this kind of mower in the future (I'm sure that thought never even entered my dad's head as he did laps of that yard 40 (arrghemm 50) years ago!) but the time spent today can't be replaced and the lessons learnt last a lifetime!

Orange and black....

2010-10-20T08:53:00.004+10:30

Halloween is not really celebrated extensively in Australia but the commercialism has taken hold as part of the retail calendar so there is ample evidence of its existence.

A few years ago my kids begged me to carve a pumpkin so they could have a little Halloween party. We only had Jap pumpkins available so our Jack o' Lantern was little greenish and squat but they thought it impressive enough for us to do it a few times since then.

Last year Alison of Cluck Cluck Sew made a fabulous quilt and table runner for her festivities and she's pulled them out again. It got me thinking about all my black and orange fabrics so I thought I'd have a go at a little runner like hers. I'm obviously attracted to black and orange as evidenced by my scissors and glasses!

This is last night's spur of the moment, I'll give it a go. I'ved used 2 1/2" squares, cutting around 60 of each colour and all out of scrap and offcuts. I should have enough for a long table runner and a small mat for the cake stand. The kids haven't said anything about a pumpkin as yet, so we'll see if it ends up being used!

Told you so....

2010-10-14T08:46:00.005+10:30

Yes indeed. There was a quilt in that bag and bin of scraps. It's a mega scrappy paper pieced strip quilt.

It uses offcuts from backs, sides and every other time there's a bit left over that you just can't throw away. Even though my taste in fabrics has completely changed over time, I still couldn't bear to get rid of them.

I've used three different solid anchor strips - Kona celery green (centre and outer), a Moda duck egg blue and Kona coal that forms the large diamond. I'm sure it will become clearer when the top is pieced. This is it just laid out on the floor. It's funny how you look at the photo and realise that, "that block can't go there and that one shouldn't sit next to that one".

There are 36 8" blocks and I'll probably add a border or two....remembering that the goal is to not buy any new fabric and use from the scrap bin. I think I can still manage that!

The funny thing is that even though I've managed to extract this much scrap to make the blocks, the scrap bin is still pretty full! It must be air!

There's a quilt in there.....

2010-10-11T20:41:00.002+10:30

I'm pretty sure there's a quilt worth of strips in this pile. Let's just see if I'm right! The challenge is to not cut anything unless it's absolutely necessary and even then, out of scraps. Game on!

Ticked off.....

2010-10-10T12:17:00.007+10:30

No, not my demeanor.

I'm ticking off achievements as my short break during the children's school holidays draws to a close.

Yesterday was a magnificent Spring day. But instead of heading out somewhere to lap up the sunshine, I spent the day doing the washing and that included stripping the beds of all the quilts, putting them through the wash and line drying. They're now all cuddly and smell like fresh air. I opted to keep them off the beds last night as it's getting warmer...although we do have some rain forecast for later in the week, so they may make it back on the beds before too long!

I also made a new cover for the ironing board. The old one was a disaster! With all the ironing that goes with making quilt tops I burn through covers like crazy. I had read a tutorial that involved cutting off the pull cord from the old one and attaching that to the new fabric. It worked like a charm. I've used some doubled over fabric from Ikea.

In between various activities, I managed to finish quilting R's Choc Cherry Milkshake quilt and last night I finished the threads and binding. It's bound in Kona Chocolate and I really love how it frames the quilt. I still dislike the cutting of the large polka dot but overall, I'm really happy with this quilt and R loves it so that's perfect.The back is Amy Butler's honeycomb and there's a strip of coins made up from all the fabric in the quilt running down the side.Choc Cherry Milkshake is roughly square measuring 64"x66". It was a big quilt to quilt. Lots of concentration, manipulation and maneuvering in the machine. After my first session of stippling, I headed out to the hairdresser and as I was turning corners in the car I felt like I should free motion the turns a little. My brain must have been firmly in free motion gear!

It was also Joe's birthday during the week. He's a particularly difficult person to buy presents for as he tends to buy what he needs. I even asked what he wanted and didn't get a response.

However, Joe loves his coffee. So the solution? An espresso machine. He loves it.....and even though I'm not a big coffee drinker, I'm a little partial to what this machine can produce. Joe has even perfected a pretty decent Chai Latte. Yum!

The coffee, cake and culture tour....

2010-10-06T09:59:00.022+10:30

We had been planning a visit to Melbourne to see the Tim Burton exhibition which has been on tour from the MOMA. The long weekend seemed the perfect opportunity as it was also within the school holidays. What we didn't anticipate was that the AFL grand final that was a drawn game on the last weekend in September was to be replayed the weekend we were travelling to Melbourne. We're not fans of either team particularly, although Joe subscribes to the A.B.C. principle.....Anything But Collingwood which then meant we had a leaning towards the Saints for the duration. However, our support wasn't enough for the poor old Sainters.

Things started out OK, we left home only 1/2 an hour after we'd planned. Joe commented that the car was driving really well after its service. I wish he hadn't!

Three hours into the trip we pulled into the bakery at Bordertown when an alarm sounded on the dash, telling us to check the alternator. OMG! Even I know that's not good! I called our local Holden dealer and they gave us the number for the dealer in Bordertown, the Farmers Centre. What champions. They were happy to look at the car straight away. (We were thanking our lucky stars that it was a Friday and not the following public holiday Monday!) The mechanic confirmed that the alternator was putting out a massive charge to the battery....even though we had our lights on, were running the air conditioner and the iPod! We needed a new regulator and thankfully they had one in stock. If they hadn't, the alternative would have been to drive an hour and a 1/2 to the next major centre at Horsham with the dash alarm beeping the whole way and everything on!

They had it fixed in an hour which gave L the chance to have a sit on the quad bike on display which he lovingly referred to as his 'baby'!

The enforced layover in Bordertown put us about 2 hours behind schedule and this meant I didn't have a chance to pop into Ballarat Patchwork. Oh well, things could have been worse, like not even making it to Ballarat!

It also put us well behind and had us arriving in Melbourne in peak hour traffic, the night before a grand final! We made it just in time to check into our apartment 5 minutes before reception closed at 7pm. All good.

This is a section of tiled floor at the Tribeca apartments just up the road from where we stayed. It's in the old Victoria Brewery that's been converted to restaurants, shops and apartments. It reminds me of a quilt!

Our tickets to the Tim Burton exhibition were pre-paid and for a scheduled entry so we had just enough time the next morning to visit the Victoria Markets.

The first of the Melbourne coffee and cake stops! The kids got into the grand final spirit and had a Saints cup cake.

Onto the exhibition and marvel at Tim Burton's cleverness and quirkiness. L was particularly impressed with the Batmobil in the foyer.

Heading out through Federation Square and the crowd was starting to build to watch the game on the big screen.After lunch we dropped Joe off at some random hotel broadcasting the game in Richmond whilst we hit the shops on Bridge Road which I must say was a little underwhelming. I really think there are more bargains and variety to be had in the 'regular' shops rather than the so called outlet shops. But I also know that I get bored trawling through racks of disperate garments. I like a range. Give me a tidy department store with a fashion story any day!

We picked up Joe and he decided he needed a coffee. So we headed back into town for Little Cupcakes in Degraves. But alas, they are football fans and had closed up shop early. So we made our way to Laurent. Heaven in a french patisserie!

We'd actually purchased a combined gallery ticket which also gave us entry into the European Masters from the Stadel Gallery, Germany which was on at the NGV. So the plan was to head out early, morning tea at Little Cupcakes and then the gallery. I can't show you the cakes from Little Cupcakes because they put up such a fuss when I tried to take a photo. Serious dummy spit stuff. I felt like telling them to shove their cake....but the family would have been less than impressed with me. And to think, we go there every visit to Melbourne and were making a return visit seeing as they had closed the day before. Haven't they heard of negative word of mouth! I'll be thinking twice about visiting the next time!

After the exhibition and a play in the water that forms the main entrance to the NGV a tram ride down to Lygon Street for lunch at Brunettis.

Another tram ride followed out to Fitzroy for a wander down the eclectic Brunswick St and afternoon tea and a refreshing ale at Little Creatures. This is a great stop for a boutique beer, a glass of wine and reasonably priced food.It was the first day of daylight saving, so even though we'd lost an hour of our day, the day was beautiful and sunny even into the early evening so L made a shadow bird on the wall.Home again the next day. First stop Ballarat Patchwork.

Guess what?

They're not open on Monday's. The fabric gods were really conspiring against me!

Oh well.....how about some coffee and cake?

Kozzy's Quilt....

2010-10-05T09:26:00.006+10:30

Remember the little Rainbow Magic quilt that I made for our friend who lives in Surrey in the UK? At the time we didn't know the baby's gender, hence its neutrality. Nor did we have his address as we tend to email these days. It took Joe so long to get Scott's address that the quilt remained here unsent. I quipped a few weeks back that I may as well wait till the baby is born and send another that fits the gender!

As I was tidying up my fabric stash a week or so ago I found a little pink Prints Charming bird panel that I'd bought at AQC and a whole bunch of pink fabrics that I'd forgotten that I had. I started fiddling with a layout and was really tempted to cut the quilt out. It would be perfect for a little baby girl. But I'm superstitious and thought that if I cut it out, Scott and Rachel would surely have a boy.

That pile of fabric lay on the table for days as this baby grew longer and longer overdue.

Then as we were all screaming at the television in the dying moments of the AFL's drawn grand final two Saturday's ago, the phone rang. It was a very tired Scott. He and Rachel had a little girl. I fired off all the questions that you ask when a new baby is born with Scott just laughing, unable to tell me much more than her weight...."why do girls ask all those questions?", he said.

"Well, what's her name then?", I asked.

"Right now it's Kozzy. We haven't got a name for her just yet, so it's a mix of Kiwi and Ozzy." (Rachel is a New Zealander.)

So I got to use that Prints Charming bird panel and the pink fabric, along with some pastel yellow and cerise.And as I was spending quite a few hours sitting in the car on the weekend travelling to Melbourne, I got to finish the binding and embroider the panel with co-ordinating cottons. (Now that I look at the photo I can see the shape of my quilting ring!)

So baby Kozzy will be receiving two quilts very soon.

Ortho a-go-go...

2010-10-04T21:42:00.003+10:30

It's been quite a few weeks here in the orthodontic department. A few weeks back R had oral surgery to remove two teeth in preparation for banding. A week after that, spacers were inserted between her back teeth....(boy have things changed, when I got my bands on I had to have spacers between every tooth!)...and then the day before school broke up, she had her bands fitted. I think at first she was a little sad that she had only one day to show them off before the holidays but that was before the pain of newly installed bands, the aching and the ulcers really kicked in!

Her mouth is settling down and we're getting used to this little face that we'll be seeing for about two more years!

Choc Cherry Milkshake.....

2010-09-19T18:12:00.005+09:30

My kids aren't too bad when it comes to spending time in fabric stores. I think they worked out pretty quickly that it was fait accompli and they just 'had' to either put up with it or get into it!

R quickly determined that she liked any fabric that was pink and brown and constantly asked when I was going to make something with these colours. She didn't know that I'd been secretly stashing.

This is another quilt for her....lucky girl. I'm calling it the Choc Cherry Milkshake. (Mind you, having seen the peach blossom in the background, I could have called it just that!)It uses the Lemon Drops quilt pattern which is free over on Faith's site. I've added another row down the side to make it square, roughly 63" x 63" at the moment. The top features pinks, browns, Kona Snow and varying mixtures of the aforementioned colours. Looking it now I have one HUGE regret. I wish I'd used the mega polka dot as a big square and not as a border. It's really lost its impact now that it's been cut up. Oh well....that's quilting!

Blitz......

2010-09-18T21:05:00.005+09:30

The grass at the shack must be mowed before the Summer season hits otherwise there are Council fines and a risk of bushfire.

We usually employ a contractor to give the block a big mow twice a year but he's moved on.

We haven't been to the shack since Easter and it hadn't been done then. So given the rains that this Winter has delivered (albeit much needed rain to our drought stricken State) .... and recent sunshine ....when we arrived very early this morning we weren't surprised to be met by extremely long grass and weeds. Look at the mower, it's almost buried!

The plan was to get up at normal weekday time, leave home by 7.30am (well it was 8am), get to the shack, do the deed, hit the bakery and be back in town for L's swimming lesson at 1pm.

Yeh, well. That's roughly how it worked. Add in a 1/2 hour delay, pop petrol in the car, a take-away coffee stop for Joe and copious amounts of grumbling from the kids. Seriously, you'd think we'd asked them to do the mowing!

Apologies for not taking an after shot. I must have been so pumped about Joe finishing the whole block in 2 hours and me weeding the garden bed and getting back in the car on time, that I totally forgot to prime and point the camera!

But I tell you....for the rest of the day whilst the family was grumbling about how early they had to get up on a Saturday and how tired they were, I was looking for the next thing to be tidied.

Guess what it was?

My fabric cupboard.

Oh my. It was bad. There was fabric all over the place.

I pulled it all out and sorted the colours. Now it's all back in nice neat piles of story and colour.

And I learnt something about myself. I don't buy yellow or purple fabric.

Now I don't see this as a negative. No. It's an opportunity!

See you up bright and early at the fabric shops!

Farewell to the 'Finger'.....

2010-09-17T09:18:00.008+09:30

No there hasn't been a rotary cutter accident. (touch wood)

It's a farewell to one of my all time favourite bands Powderfinger, who after 20 years of touring and recording have decided to call it a day and pull up stumps as a band. Last night was the first Adelaide concert of their national Sunsets Farewell Tour. This one sold out so quickly, that another is scheduled for November. But alas, now also completely sold out. If you have tickets for November or for any of the remaining States, you won't be disappointed. The show is awesome and if you're my age...which happens to be the roughly the same as the band, you'll get the sentimentality of the backdrops....and even the Alby Mangles t-shirt worn by Jon Coghill the drummer!

Our tickets were on the flat of Memorial Drive. Being only just average height made it difficult to see a great deal clearly....but I knew every song and loved every minute. And of course, the support band JET were amazing....again daggy ol' me singing along like a teenager!

Powderfinger sure knew how to play to the audience, adding a fantastic element of surprise and popping up on a small stage at the back of the flat which meant that for the audience that were further back like me were suddenly very close. Good on ya boys! Thanks so very much.....I'll be out walking in November and might just sit on the banks of the Torrens for another listen.

(I love this shot. It's the last one on my camera - the boys say farewell. Sniff)