Julia's Place

Happy Australia Day...our sunburnt country.

2012-01-26T09:12:00.000+08:00

Today the 26th January is our national Australia Day.
We are having a heatwave...a whole week or more of very high temperatures...very much a sunburnt country,

Here you can read about our HistoryWe are having a very warm day of 41 degrees Celsius today so I think there will be a lot of barbecues getting fired up here today.
There's nothing like a barbie, it doesn't matter if you have just eaten, the smell of a neighbours barbecue, just makes you want to have one too.

I'd like to share a couple of Aussie things with you...

These are my Dh's great books of poems by two very famous Aussies and illustrated by another famous Aussie Pro Hart..

Here's a little piece from another great Aussie poem written by Dorothea Mackellar

MY COUNTRY
I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of drought and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror
The wide brown land for me!

Proud to be Australian..

From my heart...♥

Calico Garden...preparing the plot.

2012-01-25T16:01:00.001+08:00

It's too hot to garden outside...we're having a heatwave!

...so I have set up my garden plot inside.
I thought if I set up the blocks already made, back up on a design wall, I would see them as I walk into the sewing room and inspire me to get back to my Calico Garden quilt..
It's such a pretty quilt...loved it when I first saw it..now I'd really like to work on it again and have it ready to hand-quilt during the winter months..

I bought these gorgeous Moda Old Fashioned Calicoes a couple of weeks ago...small prints, lovely little flowers to fussy cut. ..perfect for this quilt.

Boy's it's hot outside...stay cool or warm where ever you are....♥

Around the Rose Garden...Zillion Pieces..

2012-01-21T06:53:00.001+08:00

I thought I'd call this "Around the Rose Garden"...

I must say, I'm glad I stuck to all rose fabrics...still scrappy but oh so pretty...
I decided not to make it square as first intended, because I'll use it as a lap quilt...for me!
It measures 72" x 60"..

I have this lovely rose border fabric, and deciding whether to add this as a border or not...I think it should work in nicely adding a lovely rose framed finish..

Thank you Lois for the inspiration....

Have a lovely weekend.....♥

Moving on...Projects for 2012...

2012-01-16T10:01:00.000+08:00

Might be a bit ambitious, but this is what I'd like to work on this year...

I bought this pattern "Under the Southern Stars" by Sue Daley...paper pieced, will be a great one to take out to patchwork gatherings, and keep my hands busy in the evening....It's available from Busy Fingers Patchwork...oh and looking at my tiny Tumbler quilt here, reminds me I'd like to make another big tumbler quilt..

Of course, I have to make "Baskets for Betsy", by Carol Hopkins in my favourite Civil War repro fabrics...I have had this pattern for a couple of years now, every time I come across it in my sewing room I admire it, and perhaps this year I will make a start on it..Pop on over and check out all Carol's gorgeous CW patterns.

Calico Garden, another design I fell in love with a couple of years ago...gorgeous applique and nine patch piecing....the original quilt is owned by the Shelburne Museum, in Vermont

I did make a start on this one, but put it away for some time to work on other things...time to get back on track and work on it a bit more..

As I said , maybe a bit ambitious to even dream of attempting all this in 2012..and finish off a couple of UFO's....but I can dream...
Have a great day...♥

A Zillion Pieces...and sad post

2012-01-15T15:11:00.001+08:00

Plodding along, adding to my Zillion pieces quilt....

Snatching a few moments here and there when I can...

I have never mentioned this before on my blog as I have wanted to keep it a happy place for me...my little space to come to, to get lost in, sharing my work and visiting my favourites blogs...

I have anguished so much whether to post about this..

Part of me has been wanting to say this and get it out in the open, and part of me thought it best if I just kept it to myself.

I don't want it to sound like a poor me, pity party... this has to be the most difficult time of my life, but I think it's time to bring more awareness to the cause...in the hope they find a cure. So many are suffering this terrible disease.

I am a full time caregiver to my DH, who is on a very difficult journey of Dementia / Alzheimer's, I find it so hard to even say those words, but it is what it is.

Family are wonderful especially my DD Linda, who is my rock , my angel, nothing is too much trouble for her, when it comes to helping us..

There's a link on my sidebar if anyone would like to help fight this ..Many Aussie celebrities are backing the fight to make awareness..

Going no comments...

A Zillion Pieces...

2012-01-13T12:49:00.000+08:00

Imagine doing these trips around the world quilt blocks the way they did years ago...tiny square by square..

What a difference strip piecing has made for tiny pieces like these.. makes it so easy, fun and quick...
I'm just running up a few blocks at a time, and playing with the setting....

...seeing where I might need to add more blue, or more red.

I think it's going to be a very pretty quilt, a bit different to the civil war quilts that I have working on lately...love roses too!

From my diary...Don't forget to smile, it's the key that fits the lock of every one's heart....♥

Proud Nana...

2012-01-11T16:35:00.002+08:00

We had a lovely visit with family this afternoon..
Those of you that have been following my blog for some time, might remember these photos of my beautiful granddaughter Melissa when in Peru.

She took off in March of 2007 for a couple of years to see the world,
Mel is such a free spirit, loves people and animals...not sure in what order!
She loves deep sea diving and worked for a couple of years in north Queensland taking people down for dives, the big turtles used to come to her and she thus earned the name of 'The Turtle Lady'.
Mel did some great dives in the waters of the Mediterranean....and visited Malta where we came from.
She started her adventure off in Melbourne to visit her mum for a week before setting off for Mexico with a girlfriend, they spent a month there and then went on to Peru.
They went to Colca Canyon and saw Condors, the largest flying bird in the world, and then up 4000 metres to do the Inca trail..

Well this beautiful free spirit of ours surprised us all by getting engaged on Christmas day to her long time boyfriend...we are so happy for them both. She had gone back to school to become a primary school teacher, just 6 months left to her graduation...and now at 28 years old, I think getting ready to settle down and maybe ( smile) start a family soon.

Not knowing what to give her as an engagement present I asked her what quilt she liked and Mel picked my repro tumbler quilt..." I really love this one Nana" she said. so I quickly with great pleasure added a label and presented it to her with love from Nana and Grandad...

I can see a wedding quilt being made very soon......♥

Stash/ Scrap Busting...

2012-01-11T08:02:00.003+08:00

Need to bust some stash / scraps...I will try real hard this year to bust some stash / scraps, see how well I go at making quilts / projects from what I have in my stash...
Jodi of Pleasant Home is hosting a 2012 Sew Scraps Along...pop on over and see some amazing scrappy projects, tips on how to organize your scaps...gosh, now that's something I know I need help with.!

There's a few scrappy quilts on my list, that would be great for stash / scrap busting...like...Logcabin, Courthouse Steps, just to name two..

Yesterday I played a bit with a Scrappy Trip Around the World...I was inspired by my friend Lois's quilt (below) to use up some scraps and see what I finish up with.

Try as I might I just could not just add any fabric to my blocks...I've seen some beautiful scrappy TAW quilts using all sorts of fabric, but no not me... I started off with rose fabrics and felt I needed to stick with rose fabrics...I really need to break out and let go of wanting every thing to match and be of the same theme fabrics...so I had to also cut into some yardage, but it's still what I had on hand...

Lois (no blog) has made three of these picnic scrappy Trip Around the World quilts for family. she used a special sort of fabric for the backing so that the quilt could be laid out on grass and not have the grass stick to the backing...sorry Lois, I've forgotten again what the name of the fabric is, she said it worked a treat.

I really enjoyed making these four blocks...fun to do and was really surprised how quick they are to piece...

OK off to make some more blocks..

Have a great day..♥

Twice as Nice, scraps...

2012-01-07T08:00:00.001+08:00

Playing with the Twice as Nice scraps, I managed to piece together three blocks so far....

Try as I might I just could not get the pinwheels to go all the same way, but that's OK, it will still make a nice table runner..hey, they are scraps after all!

I'll just manage to get these other two blocks from the scraps, then perhaps a border should finish the runner off nicely...as the pattern is called that'll be "Twice as Nice" all from the one lot of left over scraps...♥

Janet of Quiltsalott tested some pens like these just a few posts ago...so of course I just had to try them. Spent ages online looking for a place that shipped to Australia...finally on Ebay UK I found some, ordered them and look what they sent me...wrong pens..arghhh!

I ordered the fine point...even the invoice had fine point on it, but apparently someone there picked up the wrong packet of Broad felt tips..and shipped it. I must add though in their defence, the shipping was just 6 days...and that after a couple of emails they kindly offered to send out the right size pens..

Off to start a busy day...Hope yours is a good one...♥

Saying from my diary..Life is like a taxi, the meter just keeps ticking whether you are getting somewhere or just standing still........how true... ♥

Then There Were 12.....plus ..Twice as Nice..

2012-01-03T15:01:00.001+08:00

Two more Kaffe houses added to the estate..

These are so fiddly to do...who would think it would be soooo messy to piece two little blocks!

Yesterday was a great productive day...I managed to get all the Twice as Nice blocks pieced and together.
It's quite big, had trouble fitting the whole quilt top in the photo...now to border or not border...I'm thinking it doesn't really need a border...do you think!

Doesn't the 3D effect look great...so easy to do and really quick...

More scraps....This cute block is a bonus from the left over cut offs....I really like this one the best, I may have enough scraps to make a table runner or small topper.
That motley grey / black spotted fabric I have used in so many of my quilts...I just love it, so glad I bought what was on the bolt during a sale last year...
Great tip...if you find a great background fabric that will suit just about all fabrics and designs...buy the whole bolt!

I used this Easy Angle ruler to trim back the scraps for the Bonus Pinwheel block...♥

Edit...blogger wins. I give up, doesn't matter what I do, my header will not change...I even tried changing templates 3 times, spent way too much time on it, when I could be sewing!...♥

Back to Kaffe

2012-01-01T15:54:00.001+08:00

We've just had a lovely lunch with DS#1 chef Joe and family...with every one's busy lifestyle and a quite a few kilometres apart, it's hard to catch up very often, so times like these are very special.
I can't show you, but I received some lovely framed photos of the Grandkids 21st birthday photos, gosh they sure grow up way too fast. I think DH and I are the smallest in our family..and that wouldn't be too hard to beat!...

On to quilty news...I thought I'd start the New Year with Kaffe...I'd really like to get on and do a few more houses, perhaps enough for a wall hanging...see how I go ....♥

Blogger is not being very nice lately...see my header..all of a sudden it's shrunk!

Doesn't matter what I do, I can't fix it...it's either too big and blurry or it shrinks to this size..

Help!...does anyone know how to fix it please..I don't like it like this..

Thank you.....♥

Happy New Year...

2011-12-31T14:37:00.000+08:00

May 2012 be healthy, happy and all you wish it to be....

2011...brought so many natural disasters all around the world....we were glued to the TV praying and sending good thoughts to all those that went through such terrible suffering....

May 2012 be safe and blessed for you all....

New Quilt...New fabrics..EDIT.

2011-12-29T12:36:00.001+08:00

Just for fun...

...With fabric from my stash...I thought, I'd have a play with this design off You Tube...don't you just love You Tube, so much to look at, get inspired by and try. Not sure if I should set the blocks on point, which will mean I'll have to do setting tri's as well or...

...on the straight....looks a lot nicer in person. Multi coloured dots on black, and a mottly grey with black dots and that feedsack fabric I bought on sale recently....This is Called "Twice as Nice" on You Tube..

Edit...doesn't this block look nice.. from the leftovers of the above blocks...Love Pinwheels...I think I like this block better..Next quilt!......♥

Mail today was this lovely parcel of fabrics I bought off Green Fairy Quilts, great buys and a complimentary pen.

Moda French General and Old fashioned Calicoes...yep repros again...can't help it!

Summer's here..a scorching 39+ Celsius today....♥

Wash Day....

2011-12-27T13:48:00.000+08:00

That's it...next washing machine I buy HAS to be a big one...

...this DWR quilt just would not fit in my washing machine..so off in the car I went to DS's #2 to wash this in his BIG machine...back home to hang on my line to dry.

I made this quilt nearly 10 years ago for our 40th wedding anniversary...yes we coming up for another big O anniversary next year!

♥♥♥♥♥♥

Chef Joe..son #1 has been too busy to blog for a while....but now there's a great recipe for Pannetone French Bread on his blog....sounds really yummo..pop on over, tell him I sent you.....♥

Santa's Been....

2011-12-26T07:34:00.001+08:00

I was so excited to open my SSCS yesterday....Pia in Denmark has been a secret swap partner for me before, I just knew my secret gift would be something very special..

I love it so much Pia...thank you, thank you...I don't think anything could have been more perfect for me than this beautiful doll quilt. The repro fabrics are beautiful...I see a few there that I have and are favourites of mine.

Beautifully made from your heart...I will treasure this forever.

I hope you don't mind Pia, but I'd like to share what you wrote to me...it's so special!

Pia wrote...

.....Recently I got Kathleen Tracy's book "Remembering Adelia - Quilts Inspired by Her Diary" and the first thought that crossed my mind was "Julia would love this book".

The second was "I want to make all of those little quilts".

When I learned that you were to be my swap partner for SSCS 2011 I decided to make the first one for you.

It's called Prairie Points Doll Quilt...

♥♥♥♥

These are my, oh so cute, tree ornaments from Pia....Mr and Mrs Claus..

I hope everyone has had a lovely Christmas....Blessings..♥

Enjoy...

2011-12-25T08:47:00.001+08:00

This to me, sums up the past year and the new one to come...what will it bring!

May you all have a wonderful and blessed Christmas....♥

Season Greetings...

2011-12-22T14:44:00.000+08:00

From my family to yours....have a wonderful, blessed Christmas...and a Happy and safe New Year.

May next year be all you want it to be....blessed with good health and happiness

I'm hoping to have some quiet time to sit and sew, reflect on this past year, and count my blessings for dear family and friends that have been here for me this past year.....♥

Japanese Twister..

2011-12-18T08:02:00.007+08:00

After seeing so many Twisters out there in blogland, and after finding a great tut on Linda, Quilts in the Barn blog... I just had to do one...

I really wanted to use up some of my scraps....so I searched through my scraps and found enough Japanese fabrics left over from a quilt I did a few years ago...Here you can see my Japanese quilt..

Then I needed some background fabric...I was thinking Indigo, but I didn't have enough, then I thought Orange..yes, Orange and the Japanese blue fabrics go well together.

So, I pieced the squares together and started cutting and sewing the pinwheels together. Can you see what happened...I started out with 49" pieced blocks and border to end up with 29" of a row of pieced blocks...

Well, I just had to keep going with it now...it will be a lovely table topper for someone..

To frame the twister pinwheels I added 1" sashing..

The fabric left after I finished cutting out the pinwheels looked like swiss cheese, I trimmed back the pieces to 4 1/2' then cut them across the diagonal into half square triangles and added them to the outside, I think Orange binding will add a nice finishing touch..

Ok, I satisfied myself by doing the twister, but I don't think I would do another just now...♥

9 Sleeps to Christmas..

2011-12-16T08:25:00.000+08:00

Counting down...just 9 sleeps to go..so much to do....

I love this vintage picture....little ones must be getting very excited now...I know my big kids are!

I had a lovely Christmas wind up party last night with my embroidery friends, this is the one gathering of the year that Dh's are also invited, it's nice to get together like this and finish off the year with, laughter, fun, great company and yummy lovely food...

No sewing done, so I'll leave you today with a collage of just some of my Silk Ribbon Embroidery, projects our little group did together...

Have a great day...♥

Surprise...look who's here!

2011-12-13T12:38:00.001+08:00

This morning I popped down to my local p/work group...
OMG...what a lovely surprise...Dear Tomi is here!!

Just a few posts back I showed a quilt that we made Tomi because she was turning 88 and was not well.
We wanted to cheer her up and to let her know we were thinking of her...well that quilt must have worked it's magic, the Dr gave Tomi the all clear to fly down under to visit us...Here's Lois giving Tomi a hug...it's so good to see her!
Tomi will be here for three months so we'll have lots of time to catch up....♥

Laura, one of my quilting friends made this gorgeous quilt...isn't it so vibrant and colourful. Laura has a knack of making lovely scrap quilts out of her stash...I love this one...♥

Then on the way home I went shopping...I had a $5 discount voucher, so I thought I would spend it before it expires. I picked up this top feedsack fabric for just $4 a metre...so what's a girl to do but buy what's left on the roll...great backing fabric too..what a bargain.

The other fabric was also on sale for $4 a metre...another great backing fabric...but guess what, in all the excitement of the day, I forgot to use my $5 discount voucher, not much but a discount is a discount ...well I'll just have to go shopping again!

Until next time...take care..♥

Yo-Yo Cushion...

2011-12-11T12:49:00.001+08:00

It's so hot outside , great day to stay in and sew....though I did get to wash my red Zoom Zoom, and do 2 loads of washing this morning, then came inside to finish off my very 1930's yo-yo cushion..

Doesn't the red gingham frill really add to the '30's look...I'm loving this, I think I may add a bit more red in my kitchen / meals area..
Great tip...round off the corners when making cushions, makes adding frills or piping easier....♥

This is what I bought with my gift certificate that I won for my "Dinner is Served " quilt recently.

I haven't had time to check it out yet, so I really can't comment on it just yet.

Oh, and I've been shopping...a little fabric therapy is what I needed today!

Hope your having an awesome weekend...only 14 days here to Christmas, but who's counting...are you ready?

♥♥♥♥♥♥

Advent Calendar Tut....revisited

2011-12-08T07:03:00.000+08:00

I've had a few emails asking about this advent calendar....it may be a bit late for this year, but I thought I would post the tutorial again. If your feeling like something different to do, you could easily whip this up in a couple of days .
I have made so many of these for presents or just lovely to make for yourself...little ones love them and look forward to seeing what little treats are in the pockets each day of Advent....

First you need to make a pattern for the tree...
I'm hoping you can print this pattern out from here, so that you can draw up your pattern...if not, let me know and I will email you a PDF file to print out......you may even be able to follow this as it is here...as you can see here, it's just a pyramid shape of 3" squares... the hearts are just big enough to fit on each sq..

With your paper pattern, cut out a front and a back, also batting the same size..

I like to use a plain background fabric so that the red and green hearts stand out..

With your long ruler and your choice of making tool ...mark in the squares as shown in the pattern..remember to have the squares in a building brick format....except for the last row and the trunk, where the centre Sq's line up .... refer to pattern.

Layer and sandwich the front, back and batting......pin well to hold in place....

and machine stitch down the lines through all three layers...

It should finish up stitched like this...

Cut enough 2" binding to go around the tree and stitch in place...you can just nick the corner, or cut your binding on the bias...I just cut mine straight...Turn binding to the back and hand stitch down..

With the heart shape template , cut 25 hearts in Christmas fabric and 25 in backing fabric ..

Place a backing fabric and Christmas fabric heart right side together ...machine stitch around leaving a little opening at one side to turn through to the right side...press hearts.

Applique the 25 hearts to the tree on each sq...leave the top of hearts free for little hands to reach in for a little treat..

All you need to do now is trim the tree...you can add bells, bows, little charms, braid, you can get stick on numbers for the days from scrap book suppliers...the choice is yours....

Oh, nearly forgot...attach a hanging ribbon or ring at the top of the tree at the back .....Enjoy!

I would love to give credit to someone for this pattern...but I have had this pattern for so long, I don't even remember where I got it from...If anyone knows or has seen it around somewhere else please let me know!
Enjoy.....♥

Counting down to the special day....18 days!

2011-12-07T07:22:00.000+08:00

After yesterday's Christmas gathering...I'm feeling a lot more Christmasy!...
I think it's time to get out the Christmas quilts, and get festive...you have seen these before,

The Christmas bells are my favourite..........................................a great Advent Calendar quilt..

Christmas Toy Story quilt....and..

....fond memories of a very special time in Singapore some years ago with friends....waving to you Margaret.

I carried this Singapore Sling cocktail glass back in my hand luggage....the little snowman was also filled with the famous Singapore Sling on that Christmas day dinner table..

Until next time...have a lovely day...♥

This and That...

2011-12-06T18:06:00.001+08:00

With Christmas fast approaching, my local quilt group is winding down for the year...
This morning we gathered for a lovely Christmas breakfast, lots of chatter and laughter.
The food was so yummy, there were the traditional eggs done in all sorts of ways, with bacon etc....but I had a Pancake stack with maple syrup, berries and ice cream...OK I know...straight to the hips they went...but it's nearly Christmas!
Some of the girls exchanged cards and Dear Glyns made everyone a gorgeous tree ornament...

This is as much of the table I could get in this photo...everyone's smiling, holding up their tree ornament... the girls are used to me now with my camera...

This is the other end of the table, great bunch of girls. Some of us have been together...hmmm I think about 11-12 years sharing our life's ups and downs...

Here's Desa on the left with me...love you girls...♥

On to quilty news....I started making yo- yo's just because I felt like doing something different.
I was going to make them into a doll quilt, but thought I might make them into a cushion instead, here I've sewn them onto a tiny blue dot backing fabric..

...I'm thinking perhaps the yo-yo's in a circle, and a frill around the cushion to finish it off..

I've had a lovely day...hope your day was great too.....♥

I Got Mail ....on a Sunday!

2011-12-04T14:54:00.000+08:00

Well it's a good thing I had to go outside through the front door this morning...look what I found, all the way from Denmark. The courier didn't even bother to ring the door bell, that makes me so cross!...
What a wonderful surprise....who would have guessed...

....I would be so lucky to have Pia again as my partner....waving to Pia who was also my partner in another swap....for the life of me, I can't find the post about that swap on blogger. As you can see, I have opened my little parcels, one of some oh so yummy Danish chocolates and one had these so cute little beaded Mr and Mrs Santa Clause..

Pia what amazing beading you did on them, so much work, I have never seen anything like them...I love them. I haven't got the tree out yet, but they will be so special on the tree this year...thank you so much, I will treasure them.
Oh, I can't wait for Christmas morning now....
What a great way to end the weekend...out to lunch with DD and DS today...and a lovely surprise parcel...how great was that!

Hope your having an awesome weekend too....♥

Beaded Baubles...

2011-12-03T07:21:00.000+08:00

I haven't done much sewing this week..all I've done is quilt and finish off the two Warm Wishes quilts...

So I thought this might be a good time to post my beaded bauble Tut again...can you believe it's only a few weeks...or counting in days it's only 22 days here to Christmas!

I made quite a few of these last year for myself and friends and they were a big hit.

Here's a link to some lovely ladies near Staffordshire England that saw my tut and had a group bauble beading day...pop on over and get inspired by their gorgeous beaded baubles

This is a very simple one to follow....

They are so easy to make, once you start you'll want to make them in all different colours...it's a great way to spend a relaxing afternoon....

They just drape over the bauble, therefore can be changed and placed on different coloured baubles for different effects..

There must be lots of ideas for the beaded baubles, but here I will try to explain how I do mine.
Once you get the basic idea, you can change the layout and the beads to suit yourself.
For this bauble ...
You will need :
Christmas tree bauble.
Size 11 gold seed beads.
Gold Bugle beads
Size 11 green accent seed beads.
Gold flower beads.
Gold teardrop beads.
Beading thread.
Size 10 Milliner's (straw) needle...or beading needle

Thread the needle with a long thread..I cut mine about three metres, it's better than ending off and starting a new piece of thread on all the time, but be very careful when pulling thread through so that it doesn't knot up..

Row 1: String 36 of the gold seed beads, take them down the thread leaving a 3 inch tail, then tie the thread securely together to form a circle... run the short end of thread back through the circle of beads and cut off.

Row 2: Thread on three gold beads, miss two beads in the circle, then take the needle and thread through the next bead and pick up three more beads...Continue in this way to the end of the circle forming 12 loops.

Row 3: Take the needle through to the second bead of row 2 and pick up two gold, one green and two gold beads (5 beads ), and then take needle and thread through to the next second of the three beads from the previous row...continue in this way until you have completed the circle of row 3.
At the end of each row, I like to do a locking knot to keep beads in place and stop them from coming loose as I work the next round.
Pull thread taught and Make a loop with thread in between the last two beads slip needle through loop and carefully pull to secure.

Row 4: Take the needle through to the third (green) bead of row 3 and pick up three gold, one green and three gold beads (7 beads ), and then take needle and thread through to the next third of the five beads from the previous row...continue in this way until you have completed the circle of row 4.
Do a locking knot

Row 5:Take the needle through to the fourth (green) bead of row 4 and pick up four gold, one green and four gold beads (9 beads ), and then take needle and thread through to the next fourth of the seven beads from the previous row...continue in this way until you have completed the circle of row 5.
Locking knot.

Row 6:Take the needle through to the fifth (green) bead of row 5 and pick up one gold bead, one gold bugle bead, one gold bead, one green bead, one gold bead, than another gold bugle bead and one gold bead...refer to picture above.
Take these through the green bead of the previous row and continue in the way until you have completed row 6.
Locking knot

Row 7: Take the needle through to the (green) bead of row 6 and pick up one gold bead, one gold bugle bead, one gold bead, one green bead, one gold bead, than another gold bugle bead and one gold bead...refer to picture above.
Take these through the green bead of the previous row and continue in the way until you have completed row 7.
Locking knot

Row 8 & 9: Same as row 6 & 7.

Row 10:
Take the needle through to the (green) bead of row 8 and pick up eleven gold seed beads,

NOTE: ( you can put a green bead in the middle of these 11 if you like, it does make it easier to see the middle bead then).

Take thread through to the next green bead of previous row, and continue around the circle until completed.
Do a double locking knot

Drops: Take thread to centre of the eleven beads ( sixth bead) from previous row and string on six gold beads, one flower bead, six gold beads, one flower bead, six gold beads, one gold teardrop bead, then one gold bead....bypass this last gold bead and take thread up through the teardrop and the rest of this group of beads to form the drop, then take the thread through the the remaining five beads over to the next green bead of previous row and continue making drops the same length or alternate the lengths like I have, if you like....refer to picture.
To end off, just take thread along through some beads and do a locking knot, then take thread through some more beads, do a locking knot and run thread through more beads and cut off.

I hope you can understand my tutorial... you still have time to make some beaded baubles before Christmas.. enjoy....have fun! ....♥

My Quilt won 2nd place.....Pipped at the Post!

2011-11-29T08:06:00.000+08:00

Thank you so much everyone that voted for my "Dinner is Served" quilt..

It was so close, down to the very last few minutes..."Morning Coffee" took first place.

I have won a gift certificate to spend at Guidelines for Quilting...so I purchased a great tool that attaches to my rulers for non slip accurate cutting of tri's...etc..

Off to start my day, so busy today...Hope you have an awesome day...♥

I would love your vote....

2011-11-27T07:02:00.002+08:00

Just for fun, I entered my "Dinner is Served" table topper that I made for my son in this weeks Quilt Gallery contest themed..Items for the Kitchen

I would be thrilled to bits to win something from the States...I'm a bit embarrassed to ask, but if you think it's worthy of a prize I would be honoured to have your vote..here's a link to vote.. so many lovely items to see...scroll down to view all.

Thank you...have a wonderful quilty weekend.....♥

New Raw Edge Quilt...

2011-11-24T07:04:00.002+08:00

Thought I would try making a raw edge quilt...and use up some stash...

I found this lovely raw edge quilt on Cluck Cluck Sew's blog....the technique really appealed to me, I thought this would be a lovely quick way to do circles...yes another circle quilt!...

I've had my Go cutter for a year now and hardly used it at all, so I thought this would be great to use the circle die cutter to cut the circles with...too easy...out it came, cut a few circles, just enough to see how it was going to look..

First off, I pieced these together, but I'm thinking....hmmm too small...shall I carry on , or make them bigger. I'm thinking it's going to take a lot of circles this size to make a decent size quilt...

...So back to the cutting table and follow the pattern as given in the tutorial, see what that size would be like...yes, I really think this is the way to go.

Bigger blocks, just means I'll have to cut them all by hand now...that's Ok

I'm doing these in '30's fabrics...from my stash, just another way to use up old stash....and make room for some new stash..... did I say that... a girls got to have some fun!

It's going to be a hot one today...37 degrees Celsius...a quick trip to the shops and back under the air-con to sew.

To all my US blogging friends...Happy Thanksgiving...

Have a great day...♥

Bottle Top Decorations...

2011-11-23T08:08:00.001+08:00

With Christmas fast approaching I thought I might post these again..
A patchwork friend was asking me about them just yesterday....

I have posted these before but, I thought some of you may not have seen them ...they are so easy to do and with a little help, great project for kids to do...
Christmas is not too far away, and a great time now to start making presents and decorations..

Bottle Top Christmas Decorations.....Requirements:
Plastic milk or juice bottle tops with O-ring seal (washed and dried)
Small pieces of plain fabric (3 ½ inches square) or 14 count Aida cloth for cross-stitch
Or Fussy cut Christmas fabric
Threads, ribbons, beads, charms any bits and pieces to embellish the decorations
Thin card to back decoration
Braid to go around the outside of decoration
Narrow ribbon to hang decoration
Clear quick drying craft glue.
General hand sewing requirements
A little time and imagination.

Embroider or cross-stitch your design onto the centre of your fabric piece. (Keep the design small so it will fit on the bottle top)
Embellish the design with tiny seed beads, metallic threads, ribbon bows, glitter fabric paint or anything you like.
Place the embroidered design over the bottle top, then place the O ring seal over the top.
Push the seal down as far as it will go to hold the embroidered fabric in place.
Smooth out any wrinkles.
Trim away the excess fabric.
Cut a cover for the back out of the card by tracing around the top and glue to the back.
Starting at the top, glue braid around the outside of the top to cover the plastic ring.
At the top where the braid joins, glue a piece of narrow ribbon long enough to hang the decoration.

Add a little bow to cover the braid and ribbon ends.

Let the glue dry overnight

The decoration is now ready to hang on the tree.

Looks great on door knobs as a decorator piece....

Have fun.....enjoy!

This and That...

2011-11-22T07:50:00.000+08:00

At first I thought I would not go on with these granny squares, but DD loves them...loves how bright they are, so out they came again and after a few evenings of crochet this is how much it's grown.
Orange is her favourite colour...looking at it here, I can see why... the orange really stands out....
♥♥♥♥♥♥

Do you ever feel like your drowning in scraps...this is just a smidgen of my scraps...they're breeding I'm sure.

No matter how much you try to use them up there's always more... in a bag somewhere..in a tin...shoved in a drawer.

I started making yo-yo's..another granny flower quilt...another Dresden plate quilt...anything to use up the scraps.

How do you use up your scraps...I would love to know.

Patchwork day today....get to drive my little red car, sun's shinning, promises to be a beautiful day

I hope you have a beautiful day too....♥

Zoom..Zoom..my new car!

2011-11-20T15:02:00.000+08:00

Zoom..Zoom, red goes faster they say...and boy will I have to be careful in this little red number...she's so smooth and gorgeous to drive.

..it's a new Mazda Neo 3. The kids are calling it "Mum's Old Age Life Crisis" car...that's fine with me!

This is my Chrissy present to me...Santa was very generous this year...

Zoom..Zoom....♥

SSCS 2011...ready to go...

2011-11-20T11:11:00.000+08:00

All wrapped and ready to go across the big pond tomorrow....

Thanks Chooky, this has been fun...can't wait to receive mine.

I'm like a big kid again hanging out for Christmas...I guess there a bit of a kid in all of us.

Hope your all having a great day....♥

2 Warm Wishes flimsies...

2011-11-17T07:48:00.001+08:00

Not a very productive week.....

...but I did manage to get the borders on the Warm Wishes quilt tops. This first one I just added a narrow dark brown border, I felt that was all it needed it, it's a bit bigger than the second one below.

This one second one, which seems to be the favourite, has a narrow blue border then a wider bright pink border...sets the top off beautifully and really adds a lovely finish.

Ok, now to get some wadding / batting and get these two lovelies quilted ...oh and not forgetting my Kandy Kisses quilt top either, that also needs quilting.

I've really loved working on these three quilts, now to find what's next on the list that seems to be growing by the week...I just have to see a quilt, fall in love with it, get inspired and on the list it goes...keeps me out of trouble!

Have a lovely day....♥

Warm Wishes...#2...

2011-11-14T07:48:00.000+08:00

I just love this pattern...

...really it doesn't get much easier than this, so quick and easy to piece quilt design.

I put this together just yesterday in a few hours, the fabric is all from my stash...I'll just add another couple of rows a border and quilt....too easy!

Look at the difference from this one and the first one on a previous post... can you imagine this in Kaffe fabrics, what about the Kaffe houses I'm still working on...or an I spy quilt for a little one....the inspiration /choice is endlesss...

I hope you had a lovely quilty weekend...♥

Baby Ripples!!

2011-11-13T10:01:00.000+08:00

Look what I found among all the wool DD gave me...

Hmmm...I wounder who it was going to be for, someone in particular or to be put away for some time later.

It's so pretty...I think I'll finish it and put it away for the future..perhaps a little great grand baby one day...smile..you just never know!

By Needle and Hook..

2011-11-11T07:42:00.000+08:00

I think I have the Warm Wishes quilt top big enough now for a lovely cuddle quilt for someone who may need one..

It's such a lovely pattern to piece up, strip pieced in no time.....imagine the lovely colour combination one could put together, I'm already thinking of a shades of blue quilt. I have fabric left over from the blue and white quilt I made a few months ago....hmm, now should I add borders..!

Perhaps the dark brown border to frame it and I still have quite a bit of the floral fabric left, an outer border in that...I sure must have loved that floral fabric at that time that I bought it...there's even enough for the backing.....

♥♥♥♥♥

Dd gave me a whole lot of wool she had bought to do some crochet, she loved to crochet, below is the queen size bed blanket she crocheted...but unfortunately she is having trouble with arthritic hands now.

There was so much wool, some I gave to the Good Sammy's and with some I thought I would crochet up some Granny Squares, something else to pass TV time in the evening. Linda loves bright colours, so I think she might like these made up into a nice size lap rug...

As they say "Time flies when your having fun"...Another week gone already....

Have a lovely quilty weekend...♥

Warm Wishes...quick and easy..

2011-11-08T08:03:00.002+08:00

I thought I would do something quick and easy while I also work on my Calico Garden quilt...something I could get lost with in my sewing room...and not think too much about, just two blocks that end up with this lovely 3D effect....

I'm using fabric from my stash..fabric I've had for a while that I don't think I would use for myself these days...amazing how our tastes in fabric and design change over time. I think this will be a lovely donation quilt for someone in need of comforting..

Dear blogging friend Paula of Born2quilt sent me the link...she has just finished one for her friend.... pop on over and have a look... just beautiful!

Warm Wishes

Warm Wishes was first introduced in 2000 as the quilt for Project Linus Make-a-Blanket Day. Numerous Warm Wishes quilts have been distributed to children in need of comfort. Strip piecing helps the quilt go together in no time....it's great to piece together, so quick and easy.

I can see myself making more of these, a great way to use up stash that may have been hanging around for far too long...make room for some new stash..!

Have a lovely quilty day.....♥.

Hugs Julia

Finished...isn't she lovely!

2011-11-06T07:37:00.000+08:00

All finished...I'm so happy with how it's turned out...

I had a bit of trouble deciding where to take a photo of the quilt ....but what a contrast it makes in front of my DJ quilt...at least this one did not take 3 years to make.

On our bed...I think I may need to make pillow shams now to match....will think about that.

The centre medallion piece is really the hero of the quilt, could not have had a better centre piece than this...

The blue binding was the nicest finishing touch...That's it, I'm sure you must be tired of seeing this quilt...thank you everyone for the lovely comments on my quilt....now what..!....

.♥♥♥♥♥♥.

I think I'd like to get back to working on my Calico Garden quilt..

I started this last year...put it aside for other things, you know how it is, but I think I'm all enthused about it again and ready to do a bit more applique...these little blocks are only 3 ". I think this quilt will be in pretty and soft repros...

It was my grand daughter 23rd birthday yesterday....23 already, how did that happen...we off to celebrate with the family.

Have a lovely Sunday.....♥

Drunkards Path...almost finished..

2011-11-01T07:46:00.000+08:00

Do you love to hand-quilt...Caron Mosey is celebrating hand-quilting, who doesn't love a hand quilted quilt!
So comforting and homely, hours upon hours spent hand quilting with love for someone special or a snuggle comfort quilt for yourself......pop on over and check out all the links to beautiful hand-quilted quilts on show ....♥

It's been a lot of work...but I'm on the home run now...just hand-quilting the areas where the sections have been joined together..

I have really enjoyed piecing this by hand...just to get lost in the process and not think about a thing has been a great way to relax, and forget about everything going on in this busy busy everyday life ..

Round and round I went, hand-quilting the circles, revisiting each piece of fabric and thinking I should get more of this one or that one...some I just love, and some not so much, but I'm glad they found a home here, making up this a truly scrappy quilt, where I have used up lots of small pieces that would have likely been otherwise moved to the bin...

It went together like a dream, the Quilt-as-you-go.. (tutorial link under my header ) was a great way for this quilt, made it much more manageable to handle quilting all those circles....everything just met up and matched perfectly...no particular plan, just worked out and around from the centre medallion piece...

It's quite big, measuring 62" x 62"...all that's left to do now is the binding. I had thought of a scrappy binding, but now seeing it to this stage...I'm thinking it's scrappy enough, a plain one colour binding will be the best way to go and pull it all together.....

Have a great quilty day...♥

Amy's Blogger Quilt Festival ...Fall 2011..

2011-10-29T07:45:00.001+08:00

It's that time of the year again...lots of fun quilts on show.

Check out Amy's Blogger Quilt Festival ...Fall 2011.....This is my entry..Harlequin Picnic Quilt...

Lots of happy colours, for lots of happy picnic times with family...

Made from my scraps...hand pieced, machine quilted..

Thanks for popping by....♥

Quilt for Tomi...this and that..

2011-10-26T07:52:00.000+08:00

It was a wonderful day yesterday at my local P/work group, " The Pelican Quilters "....
Tomi a dear delightful tiny lady.has been coming out to Australia for I forget how many years now, she loves to quilt, ...saying she is amazing is an understatement, those who know her would agree to that!
Here she is last year having a great time cutting and getting ready to start on a new quilt..... This lovely photo taken of Tomi and I, is to show you how tiny Tomi is...I'm JUST scraping five feet tall...
Each year Tomi came to Australia in our summer, sometimes staying just a couple of months, at one time stayed on an extended visa for a whole year.
She stayed with friends, Tomi loves to visit our fabric shops, Lois and girls of our Patchwork would pick her up, bring her to our meetings and take her to quilt fabric shops to get her fix of fabric retail therapy.
Eight years ago, Tomi set out to make 80 quilts to hold an exhibition in Japan to celebrate her 80th birthday, and this she did with 80 plus a few more to spare.
The exhibition was a great success, from it Tomi went on to teach quilting to the ladies in her local area...the ladies there loved her quilts....I wish I had half of Tomi's energy!
One of our girls recently received an email from her saying she was unwell..."her body is broken " is how Tomi now 88, put it in her email...and doubts if she'll ever get to come out to Australia again...

So the girls decided to make Tomi a quilt to cheer her up...what better a quilt than an Australiana quilt!

The girls searched their stash and came up with gorgeous Aussie fabrics, Tomi loved going down to the beach to do her Tai Chi exercises every morning...so Sue one of the girls took photos of our beautiful beach and a gorgeous sunset and printed them out onto fabric...credit goes to Glynis for the quilting...beautiful!

I just know Tomi is going to be surprised and thrilled to bits , may be even shed a tear when this quilt arrives in her rmailboox...

Hope your feeling much better now Tomi...we are all thinking of you...♥

How lovely is this scrappy picnic quilt going to be!...

Dear quilting friend Lois ran this quilt top up since our last meeting...made all from scraps out of her stash..

The way Lois described how it was put together was so easy..I think I'll have to give this a go and use up some stash scraps...

Half way through the week already...hope your having a lovely quilty week...♥

Kandy Kisses Top...yum!

2011-10-23T08:32:00.001+08:00

It's a top already...

...now that didn't take too long to put together at all...I really had fun doing this top....picking out the fabrics, the piecing went together like a dream.

It was like building bricks on the diagonal. I don't think it really needs a border...do you think?

It's quite big at 50" x 68"...I'm thinking a scrappy binding will really be a nice finishing touch...

♥♥♥♥♥

While I'm in the building, construction mood I think I might get out to the building site ( more like a demolition site at the moment ) again and construct some more Kaffe houses..

While web surfing I came across these gorgeous tiny Kaffe houses...

Really tiny is the word here...at 2 1/8" blocks...are you game to give them a go..perhaps a border of Kaffe houses...

You can find a free PDF link here...Kaffe Houses..

Hope your having a great weekend......♥

Kandy Kisses..

2011-10-21T13:09:00.001+08:00

Loving this...it's going to be a great colourful fun quilt, but....

...I think I'll name it.."Kandy Kisses"...instead of it's original name..I like that better!

I'm just about to turn the corner now, making it just this wide, being one Kiss less than the original, but perhaps I'll make it a little longer...I like a longer quilt for snuggling under.

Friday already..it's beautiful warm and sunny outside...can't believe it's forcast to rain over the weekend.

Hope you all have a great weekend...♥

Something New...and DP's

2011-10-19T15:17:00.000+08:00

Just felt like doing something new and different..

Seeing I have lots of '30's fabrics I thought this pattern called X-rated by Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. would be perfect,

Love piecing this, so easy and quick...this is the bigger version..

After I started this, I saw that there is also a smaller version...just gorgeous, I think I may have to make that one up too!

♥♥♥♥♥♥

Blogger doesn't want to play today, I was also trying to load a pic of my DP's, but it won't let me...arghh!

Why is it that I'm finding it really hard to get on and finish that last section of DP's...can't give up on it now....so close to a finish!

Off to do a bit more seeing blogger is not playing fair today!.

Hope your having a better time on blogger....♥

...and the winner is...

2011-10-17T18:58:00.001+08:00

....Linda.....of Flourishing Palms...number 34, picked by Random Number Generator.

Congratulations Linda. please email me you home mailing address and the blocks will be on their way!

Result: 34

Thank you all for taking the time to leave lovely comments, it's been lovely meeting you all from all parts of the world....now onto the next 6 years.

I hope you pop over from time to time and say Hi!

In friendship.....happy quilting!....♥

Christmas Quilts eye candy..

2011-10-14T07:22:00.001+08:00

I don't have anything new or a lot to post about today, because I'm busy at the moment working on my 2011 Secret Santa Christmas Swap...shh!

I thought you might like to see a few of my Christmas quilts that are are folded away in a suit case, soon to be brought out for the festive season...

Pop over to my previous post and check out my giveaway...to celebrate 6 years of blogging...

Enjoy....♥

My Blogoversary Giveaway..and I missed it!

2011-10-10T12:40:00.001+08:00

Remember these..Aunt Millie blocks in Kaffe...I thought these might be a great giveaway for my 6th Blogoversary...

I know I'll never finish this quilt, seems a shame for these beautiful blocks to be tucked away in the closet.

I needle turned hand appliqued these in Kaffe fabrics onto a lovely tiny pale blue dot fabric...would be lovely as a small wall-hanging or four gorgeous cushions..16" blocksCan't believe I've been blogging for 6 years...1323 posts (chatterbox)...919,749 visits...really!.... it's been an amazing journey...

Teena in Toronto wished me a Happy Blogoversary in her comment. a couple of days ago, it didn't click straight away then...but checking this morning I see it was just 3 days ago on the 7th...

Thank you all so much for following me, the friendships made, swaps, fun and happy times and just being here in cyber-land...

You have no idea how much blogging has helped me get through some incredibly tough times...times I don't talk about on my blog....just being able to come here and lose myself in my blog, blog surf, get inspired by the wonderful work out there..

Who would think that I can travel the world through a little box plugged into the wall and never leave home..

No special hoops to jump through, just leave a comment...one entry per person. I will draw a winner next Monday evening 6 pm my time..

Good Luck.....♥

Edit...please help!....Tried to add numbers to the comments, but they ended up on my blog posts instead ...

Still Under Construction...

2011-10-09T17:32:00.000+08:00

Construction of the Kaffe houses in under way again.....two more built today.

Looking lovely, happy and bright... these houses are a delight to make, and using up the small Kaffe scraps is a bonus.

If you received a pattern from me and have started your own little village, I would love to have some feedback on how you found the pattern and what fabric are you using...wouldn't these also look lovely in Batiks!

Hope your having a lovely weekend....♥

New Online Shop...website..

2011-10-09T11:04:00.001+08:00

I'd like to introduce you to a dear friends new online shop...

If you love batiks, you'll love these batiks..Barb a dear quilting friend has a beautiful selection of batiks, books, jellyrolls, and will look after you with great service.

Please pop over and see the beautiful selection Barb has listed so far...I'm sure there will be much more to come....♥

DP's Update..one section to go!!

2011-10-06T08:23:00.000+08:00

One section to go...yay!!

It's so big and a bit awkward to photo at this stage...but you can see how it's going to look. This is what I've been doing in the evening..keeping my hands busy, hand-quilting!
I kept the circle theme going through out the quilting..

From another angle...the light is shining through the glass doors. Just need to get that last section done, then I'll be joining up the sections soon...can't wait! ....♥

Just arrived some gorgeous new fabric all the way from Ireland in just a week...can you believe that !...how's that for such great service from Puddle Crafts ..

I'm not sure what I'll make with these yet...something cute, pretty for a little girl over the road...

Have a great day...sun is shining outside, great garden day..♥

8 Kaffe Schoolhouses..and a pattern..

2011-10-04T08:48:00.002+08:00

Eight houses now...and still building....hardly a dent made in the Kaffe scraps, so I'll just keep on building the houses and see how many I can make...

Very messy..but really great to do, I have been cleaning up as I make each house, or I wouldn't be able to see the floor for all the mess!

I've had a few emails inquiring about the pattern...so I tweeked the pattern a bit to make it easier to put together, if you would like the pattern in PDF form, just leave me a comment..

This is how the foundation paper pattern will look...makes a 5 1/2 x 6 inch block..just print if off and reverse it if you want the houses facing the same way as mine..

..here's a photo of the sections and how I put them together....too easy!..(my son's favourite saying).

In friendship...♥

Springtime...garden time and another three houses!

2011-10-03T07:37:00.001+08:00

I love spring...love the sun,sitting on the front verandah, warming up after a long what seemed like the coldest winter ever!

I quickly whipped up another three house and then went outside to enjoy the garden...

The garden is coming to life...roses are blooming...my "Peace Rose" has the biggest blooms ever this year..

The little Lobelia's self seeded from last year...Nemisea's also self seeded popping up in a riot of yellows and oranges...just beautiful!

I had enough Lobelia's to transplant out for a lovely blue / purple border all around the garden..

A new week beginning...hope it's a good one for you...enjoy...♥

Sidetracked...Kaffe houses..

2011-10-01T08:04:00.000+08:00

What do you do when life gives you scraps...make a quilt!

I'm building houses...Kaffe houses!
While trying to clean up my sewing room...I wondered what to do with this tub of Kaffe scraps...It seemed a waste not to use up this tub of Kaffe scraps..a dear email friend sent me a photo of a quilt with Kaffe houses in it....light bulb moment....make some Kaffe house with the scraps.
They get easier and easier to make with each one, as I build them in these bright happy colours... take up very little fabric to make.....and all the little bits and pieces can be used up in these..

Two houses built...I don't know how many I'll make...maybe a little wall quilt, or a table runner / topper.

I'll just keep going till ~~I've had~~ I have enough..

Have a lovely weekend....♥

DP's Update..and New Books..

2011-09-29T08:09:00.000+08:00

Still hand-quilting my Drunkards Path quilt...

This is the 8th section...one more to go after this one ...then I can join the sections together with my Quilt-As-You -Go method....I'm really really keen to get this quilt done..
There's a link to a tutorial under my header if your intested to see how I do my QAYG..

                                                          Three new books on order ....

This one has just arrived....beautiful little book, full of hexagon projects...bags, purses, pouches, mini quilt, table mats...just lovely, great gift ideas...♥

Still waiting on these two books...can't wait for them to arrive.

I saw this book and the one below advertised in a magazine....fell in love with the cover quilts, so what's a girls to do but buy them..!
I have a nice stash of 1930's fabrics...love the vintage look if these two quilt as they are on the cover with the cream background fabric...with a crisp white background fabric, they would look lovely and fresh ..

Circles again.......seems to be my life in circles... trying to tell me something..!

The dilemma now will be what to start on next....the Blessings quilt or one of these...I'll wait and see what else is inside these two books..

In friendship...happy stitching...♥

Finished...what's next??

2011-09-25T08:12:00.000+08:00

Little Red Schoolhouse quilt all finished...

...it was a delight working on this little quilt. I hand-quilted in the sashing and borders, the doors and windows and around the schoolhouses...I think I'll let it sit here on the doll's pram for a while, till I find a nice place to hang it..
My next quilt!

I bought a new Aussie quilt magazine yesterday and with it came a free quilt magazine....inside the free mag I came across this beautiful quilt...love at first sight!

Yes, this is the style of quilt that I love...I have lots of repros and a background fabric...ready to go!

This quilt is by a very talented Aussie quilter Robyn Falloon.

It does look a little like my Drunkards Path medallion...or maybe even a Dresden plate block..but different...you know what I mean!

I'm so excited...just need to find the time now to make a start on it...

Happy stitching....♥

Built Six Schoolhouses....

2011-09-23T13:41:00.000+08:00

The builder been very busy, but....

...did manage to build another two schoolhouses, making it six all up.

I'm thinking this size will make a nice little wall-hanging. I joined the schoolhouses with a one inch cream sashing and a one and a half inch border also in the cream.

These little schoolhouses really do need to be hand-quilted, that will finish them off nicely adding a lovely old vintage charm to them

Then I think a red binding will tie it all together...

It's a beautiful day outside..so I'm off to spend some time in the garden..

Have a lovely weekend.....♥

Harlequin Finished...and new toy!

2011-09-18T11:26:00.001+08:00

Harlequin topper finished...

...and doesn't it look lovely on the outdoor table.
I was going to do a scrappy binding, but as I already had this binding left over from the Pies and Turnovers quilt made up, it tied in just nicely with the colours, so why not use it!...

Meet my new toy...an Asus eeePad Transformer...got to keep up with the times and the kids...not that I'm very tech savvy, but I'll give it a go. It can be used with a keypad like a note book ....or...

the screen detaches off from the docking station, and it can be used as a touch screen tablet...how cool is that!

Now to learn how it works...wish me luck!

What happened to spring...cold and wet today after a thunder storm last night that woke me up..

Hope it's nice where you are...♥

Just a Few More...that's it, I promise!

2011-09-17T08:32:00.001+08:00

Remember the wait I had for these blue fabrics...

...thought they were never going to get here...so many lovely bloggers offered to send me some blue fabrics.
This one is for my long time best friends 70th birthday...coming up in the new year, had to get this one done and ready...just to have it ready before the busy Christmas season hits!...machine quilted.

This DWR was made nearly 10 years ago now for our 40th anniversary....gosh the next big anniversary is fast approaching....custom quilted.

My Grandma's Vintage Garden.....just been washed and drying on the outdoor table here....hand pieced and quilted...a ribbon winner.

This one is called Caramel Cream...was pieced from Moda's Quilting for a Cause...this special comfort quilt was given to my DD's best friend who was going through a tough time with breast cancer, sadly she is still fighting that battle..always in my prayers and thoughts ...machine quilted.

A couple of my first quilts that are loved and used all the time...especially during the cold winter months..machine quilted.

Tumblers...just had to do these..in repros and machine quilted.

Bought some Kaffe fabrics....as lovely as they are, I'm more drawn to repros...but I do love these pinwheels and they were fun to make in this quilt ....machine quilted.

Well, how bright is this quilt...Pies and Turnovers...my DD loves Orange...she loves it...hand-pieced pies, machine quilted.

I have lots of Rose fabrics and always wanted to make a braid quilt...loved making this quilt...this one I gave to a dear special niece...machine pieced and quilted.

Ah, yes, this friendship swap siggie quilt was fun to do.....Ladies I will most likely never meet, but each block / name is special in it's own right...thank you ladies!...

Thank you for letting me indulge.. look back and reminisce about my quilts and what they mean to me...some are made for a reason, some just because I felt like it to make them...

Have a wonderful weekend....♥

Old Favourites..photos

2011-09-16T08:49:00.000+08:00

Haven't done anything new...so I thought it would be nice to revisit old favourites..

Aunt Maggie's Tulips...hand-quilted...won a blue ribbon.

Carnival Pinwheels...machine quilted

Confetti...love how colourful this is in 1930's repros...great girls quilt...machine-quilted

Civil War Quilt...custom longarm quilted.

Dresdens and Dollies..all hand-quilted, so soft ...love this quilt!

My Dear Jane..my 3 year labour of love...all hand pieced and quilted...won Retaining the Tradition ribbon

Images from Japan....hand-quilted..another ribbon winner.

...and Spools ..hand pieced... machine quilted

Lovely to look back on these quilts and enjoy them over again...I hope your inspired by these..

Have a wonderful weekend...Today, I'm off to see one our local quilting groups fund raiser Exhibition..

Harlequin Topper Update...

2011-09-10T08:14:00.000+08:00

I'm loving this Harlequin topper.....I can just see this on our outdoor table when family come over for our summer get togethers.....

This has been so much fun putting it together...I decided to applique the hexies to a black with white spot border...love it...makes the colourful hexies pop!

Two sides done...two to go!

Have a wonderful weekend....♥

RAOK...Thrilled to Bits!

2011-09-09T08:03:00.000+08:00

Dh went out to get the mail and came back with a parcel in his hand....I'm thinking...I didn't buy anything lately...must be a mistake...can't be for me!.....

...but it was!

OMG, what a wonderful surprise arrived in the mail from Vivian of Quilts and a Mug....Thank you so much Vivian for your kind and generous RAOK.

Beautiful repro fabrics.....you know how much I love repro fabrics, a gorgeous pink needlecase and a lovely card, with beautiful kind words that touched my heart...really made my day!

I love all the fabrics...there's only one that I already had..These are perfect and will go in my Drunkards Path quilt, and such a sweet needle case..I will treasure it

A smile and a little wave to Alison of Cardygirl.....you know why, thank you!

Off to use my new fabrics...Wishing you all a wonderful day, maybe with a little surprise too!...♥

Building in Progress...

2011-09-05T14:46:00.000+08:00

A new week beginning, and plans to get lots done, so here's hoping I don't have too many distractions...if only there were more hours in the day!
My little schoolhouses are coming together beautifully...the builder decided not to ~~give up~~ go on strike after all!
With each one, it gets easier, three built today, so it shouldn't take too long before I have a nice little wall hanging to shown them off.....

"Harlequin" seems to be the perfect name for this quilt...don't you think?

Just piecing together a few in the evening, and hopefully I'll soon have a nice table topper for my outdoor table...

Happy stitching...in friendship...♥

Retro Hexies and Building Schoolhouses ..

2011-09-01T10:56:00.000+08:00

At last, I've made a start at building my Schoolhouses...

...a very slow start it was too....not sure about this one...boy, I had forgotten how fiddly foundation piecing can be. It would have helped if the pattern was the right way, no mention on the pattern to reverse it for foundation piecing, but then again I should have known better...grrr!!
I'm thinking maybe nine schoolhouses...that is if the builder doesn't go on strike...we'll see!...

My GO die cutter has been sitting on the floor near my machine...every time I see it, it's like it's saying "when are you going to play with me"... so I thought it was about time I played a bit with my GO die cutter, I really haven't put it to any use since buying it months ago...so out came some scraps.

I thought hexagons would be a great way to go with these scraps, with some black diamonds to make them pop...

I'm American piecing these by hand....thinking a Table Runner may be nice..

It's so nice outside, I think I might take a break out in the garden...

Take care....Have a lovely weekend...♥

New project..Little Red Schoolhouses

2011-08-27T09:10:00.000+08:00

I said to myself I wouldn't start something new, but....

...I'm getting a bit tired of just hand quilting the DP's...so this is my next project!

Too cute...not sure how big I'll make this Little Red Schoolhouse quilt, perhaps a nice size wall hanging would be nice....we'll see!

My thoughts go out to those in the path of Hurricane Irene bearing down on the East coast of the States..

Take care, Stay safe ... prayers that everyone will come through this safely....♥

DP's Update..and a finish!

2011-08-23T08:07:00.000+08:00

A little update on my Drunkards Path quilt....I so love it, it's coming along nicely!

I'm onto hand-quilting the sixth section now, just three more sections to piece together, hand-quilt and then join the sections together in my Q-A-Y-G method...can't wait to get to that stage.!..

Finished my little mini doll bow tie quilt..I can't get over how bright that cheddar is!

Have a nice day, I'm hoping to get to my local patchwork group sewing day today..

Till next time...take care..♥

Bowties...borders or binding!!

2011-08-19T07:50:00.000+08:00

Tossing up whether to add these borders or just binding...

Sorry this is sideways...blogger does this at times...

I'm leaning more to just the binding...these are little 3 inch blocks, so this little mini measures just 9 x 12 inches....very cute, I really would not have been able to work on a big quilt with this Cheddar, as lovely as it is, but it's too bright for me!.... ♥

Just an update note on my Drunkards Path, Q-A-Y-G project...it's coming along beautifully...slow, but I'm loving it...just three more sections to hand-quilt..!

Have a lovely weekend...♥

Not Another Scarf...you say!

2011-08-17T09:05:00.000+08:00

I know...more scarfs...great gifts!

Couldn't help myself...I came across these yarns at such a bargain price. How come these are only half the price I paid for the last lot.....don't you hate that!!

These are different brands, but very much the same sort of yarn, just a little more open weave.

In case your interested, these are Panda "Sashay"...and the red one is Sullivans "Elicia"

They knit up so quickly and make great gifts..

Have a lovely day...♥

P.S. Love this Blogger New Editor ...

Testing Blogger New Editor...

2011-08-13T08:52:00.020+08:00

Do you use Bloggers New Editor?...

...I'm just testing it here, to see if I like it....has more features, lets me choose to upload more than one picture at a time, no more accidently adding two of the same pics...more fonts, sizes, undo and redo...might take a bit of getting used to, but I like it so far...

Above is my 1930's Hexagon Grandma's Garden table topper...all hand-quilted...and still to be used...I love this topper!....

Hexagon Table Topper, done in a workshop with dear quilting friend Robin (no blog)...

Have a lovely weekend....♥

Phew...Finished!!..another Funky scarf!

2011-08-12T07:22:00.002+08:00

Boy, that was a lot of quilting...I only did a big meandering design, but it took a lot of work...a whole 2 1/2 metres long..

It does look lovely though....I gave it to DS #2 on Wednesday evening, when he came over for dinner to celebrate his birthday....he turned 47...my baby's 47 !

No matter how old they get...you don't stop worrying about them do you....and the baby will always still be your baby!....shhh, don't tell him I said that....♥

Then after dinner, with the dishes cleaned up, I started on another Funky scarf...this one's for my DD who loves ORANGE...remember the Pies and Turnovers ORANGE quilt that was for her. I must add, orange does suit her and she looks lovely with some orange accessories...it only took me 2 hours that evening to do this much, I then finished it off the next morning.....

Well, another week nearly over already....until next time Happy stitching..♥

Cutting and Sewing DP's...

2011-08-09T08:16:00.004+08:00

Haven't really done much ...finished that Funky scarf from my previous post....not sure if I'll wear it, a bit too frilly for me, perhaps one of my girls might like it!.. Yesterday I received a parcel full of lovely CW fabrics from Paula a dear email / blogging friend in the states...beautiful gorgeous fabrics, some I had never seen before...

I spent a lovely time last night cutting and checking out all the beautiful fabrics for my Drunkards Path quilt...Paula said some fabrics are quite old and most likely not available anymore, so that makes them very special for me to have in my quilt...

Thank you so much Paula....♥

I just had to pass on this link to Supergoof ...an amazing lady who does the most beautiful quilts...you will be amazed at the size of the quilts and the beautiful work...a HUGE tiny tumbler quilt...you really need to go and check the link out for yourself...

Have a nice day...♥

Funky Knitting and a New Tool..

2011-08-07T08:56:00.009+08:00

We have a craft show running over the weekend....and I did my usual by going twice...can't help myself!

DH and I went up by train on Friday and again on Saturday....good thing he actually enjoys these craft show... saves me feeling guilty leaving him at home every time..
This show is more for the local vendors and a few of the interstate vendors that come over every year....lots of knitting supplies, I bought some new yarn..."Funky Yarn"..isn't that a great name for this yarn!

The yarn looks like ribbon, it's a bit hard to explain how it knits up....but when you start to knit it up and tease out the ribbon as you go it fans out like a ruffle...how funky is that!

I just about knitted up the whole ball last night...also....

...I bought this new tool...."Clearly Perfect Angles" ...no more marking lines for half square triangles...here's a link to how it works...it says it will save time and have perfect half square triangles...

What I REALLY would have liked to take home with me is this...
...the Sweet Sixteen, Handi Quilter...maybe next year if I save my pennies!

I hope your having a great weekend...♥

Op Shop Bag...gorgeous!

2011-08-04T08:42:00.004+08:00

Isn't this a gorgeous bag...My DD found it at the Good Sammy shop!
Yesterday, my DD was out looking for a bag to wear to a 1930's Flapper party tomorrow night, she has the Flapper dress, long black gloves, long cigarette holder, feather head piece, long pearls...looks stunning!...
Her son is turning 30..... Grandson 30!..my goodness where have the years gone!

Well, she saw this bag and thought I might like it for the frame, but there's no way I could pull this bag apart. it's just so gorgeous....the beaded flowers, and the elegant shape is just beautiful...I may even use it myself to go shopping...nothing wrong with a bit of bling !
Can you see the price tag, just $4.99.......

Speaking about bags...pop on over to Mary's and see the lovely bag Mary made...I love it!
We have a craft show this weekend, I think I'll be on the lookout for some laminate fabric..

Happy Stitching....♥

Garage Sale Buys....

2011-08-01T13:11:00.005+08:00

It has been very wet and stormy here the last few days...lovely weather for ducks or staying indoors sewing, but... ...what's a girl to do when one hears about a garage sale happening down the road with fabrics for sale....so yesterday morning, in the stormy wet weather a buying I went.
What a great garage sale...look at this lot, a whole BOM kits of "Camelot", I have seen these blocks around in blogland...Shirley, waving to you...look!

What a shame the person who started on this, gave up on it after only one block....I wonder why!

Maybe it was not her thing, or had put it away then lost interest in it...I'm not sure about the colours of this block, but for the cost of just a few dollars, I could not resist buying the kits...

Some bundles of repros, a couple of Moda charm packs..you may even be able to see the price on the charm pack...bargain!

...and some backing fabrics....how could I resist not buying these ....♥

I sandwiched DS's table topper this morning...now off to quilt it....it's so big, it's not going to be easy going under my machine..

Till next time...take care...♥

Busy Busy Sewing...

2011-07-30T14:32:00.004+08:00

Slowly Slowly...my Drunkard's Path block sections are getting pieced and hand-quilted... Five sections to go....I'm just doing a few hours at a time on this, it's slowly growing and I'm really enjoying working on it.....in the meantime, I'm also working on DS's table topper...

Here's me thinking I would be able to make this topper up with the fabrics I had leftover from DS #1's runners (..a few posts back), but of course that never works out does it......you always need more!

I ran out of the black spotty sashing fabric, so as I was unable to find anymore, I had to compromise and work in some plain black fabric...I don't think it will look out of place...a few rows top and bottom to make it look like it was meant to be!..It's going to be big....2.5 metres x 1.5 metres, this will fit a big 8 seater outdoor setting table...

What a bargain find at our local craft shop....they were having 40% off fabrics today, so I popped over there and found this backing fabric for a bargain price of $3 a metre...very bright, but I think it's suits this festive topper perfectly...

Lovely sewing weather today...wet and windy outside.

Enjoy your weekend...♥

B-B-Q Anyone!....

2011-07-26T08:02:00.004+08:00

DS #2 has just finished building a B-B-Q...a Brazilian B-B-Q at that...

It looks so good, the meat is marinated and cooked on big sword like Skewers over hot coals, we tasted some on Sunday...yummo!

It was such a miserable wet and dark day yesterday...I felt like sewing something bright and fun...so as I had so much of this food fabric left, I thought I would run up an outdoor table cloth for him....I think it looks very festive and fun.

I just love this pattern, so easy and quick to piece together....

Come on summer!!....♥

A Finish.. &.. My Doll Quilts...

2011-07-23T08:08:00.006+08:00

Saturday here already!!... My, how time flies when your having fun...quilting that is!
I have been a busy girl quilting my CW blocks quilt...
I decided to stop at these blocks and get it finished. I would have loved to hand-quilt it, but there's just so many hours in a day, so I cross quilted through the dark brown of the Alabama setting blocks and free motion meander quilted the rest.....I love it!

It's been a fun project to do and I would like to thank Barbara Brackman for taking the time to write about the history of each block and the Civil War...I have looked forward to each block as it came online every Sunday here down under...it's been a lovely journey and I have my beautiful quilt to look back on it...Thank you Barbara ..

I would also like to thank Joanne of Thread head for the inspiration to use her idea of the Alabama setting blocks...which I think really made this quilt as beautiful as it is...Thank you Joanna....
BTW...the quilt measure 68" x 53"....a generous lap size, and I had that lovely CW backing fabric in my stash which was just perfect for this quilt...♥

My little Doll Quilt collection.....so far!
Apple cores, Drunkards Path, Logcabin, Cake Stands, Tiny Thimbles, pinwheels..and Bowties in the making...

I'm off to enjoy the weekend...hope you have a lovely weekend too!....♥

CW Blocks 28 & 29....quilt top

2011-07-17T16:07:00.003+08:00

CW blocks #28 . Next Door Neighbour & #29. Railroad Crossing..
Well these are the last two CW blocks that I'm doing...

I've decided to stop at these two blocks, with the alternate Alabama blocks I have a lovely lap size quilt...I feel it's time to move onto other stuff that I want to do, so I'll add a border and call this a top...this measures a lovely 64" x 48". Sorry about the angle of this photo, I had trouble fitting it all in ....♥

These bow ties were inspired by Bonnie's leaders and enders project...

..Very tiny at 3"... I'm not sure if I could do a whole big quilt in Cheddar....too bright, just not me!

I'm thinking I'll do a few more in cheddar and these can be a lovely little doll quilt to add to my collection of doll quilts. Still very tempted to do a bow tie quilt though, just with bigger blocks..

We've had a lovely sunny two days...hope your having a lovely weekend! ....♥

Slow Going...very slow!

2011-07-15T08:47:00.005+08:00

This photo was a bit awkward to take, had to stand on the spare bed, nearly fell off, so I hope you can see it OK... Haven't really got much to show for this week's sewing....but seeing as my DP's are all hand-pieced and I'm hand-quilting this quilt as I go, I guess this is not bad going so far..
I have another section ready to add on to the medallion piece and another section ready to be sandwiched for hand-quilting ...Phew!
As much as I didn't want to...I think I need to start something new, just to have something nice and different to work on occasionally.
I've always wanted to do a Bowtie quilt and as Bonnie of Quiltville has started a leaders and enders 3" Bowtie blocks project ....I'm thinking of joining in and using up some more scraps.... isn't it amazing how many more scraps comes off scraps that your trying to use up, it's like they have babies!.........♥

Needed some retail therapy, so I've been shopping on Ebay for more CW fabrics for my DP's quilt..how's this for a great mix, some I may have already but that's Ok they will get used up...

Wet and wild outside today..perfect to stay in and stitch...

Until next time...Take care ...♥

Quilt-As-You-Go,,,,DP's

2011-07-09T12:41:00.006+08:00

Well, now that I have the centre medallion and one section of DP's together and hand-quilted, I thought I would share how I am going to put this DP quilt together in my way of the QAYG method...of course there are several ways of doing this, but I think this will work the best for me on this quilt... With each section hand-quilted....press and lay flat on cutting mat....fold back under the backing fabric , so as not to accidentally cut it....

..... we only want to trim back the top and batting at this stage... make sure you measure carefully and just trim back the top and cut away the excess batting....

...at this stage I now have the backing still folded back, and also the top folded back, pin in place to hold out of the way.... I now need to trim back an extra 1/4 inch of the batting only, so that this batting section will butt up to the next sections batting when trimmed back...are you still with me?...........

This is how each section should look after all the trimming has been done...

I have the top trimmed to size with a 1/4 " seam allowance..

The batting underneath is a 1/4 " smaller all around than the top...we don't need the seam allowance on the batting....

The backing is left for now until later when it is trimmed back after two sections have been machined together..

Here I have added a 1/4" peeper border to the top only.before I join this medallion to another section that I have hand-quilted and ready to be joined on....

I prepared this second section the same way as the first, trimming back the same as before...I have trimmed back the top and batting, leaving the backing till later...

With right sides together, mark the centre of each piece...fold back the backing fabrics on both pieces....pin in place making sure to line up the centres and the edges....machine stitch a scant 1/4" seam....

The front should look like this...backing fabric folded back, a beautiful stitched seam in the front tops..

Turn work to the back...cut away ONE side only of the backing fabric just to meet the stitched seam...

You can if you like slip stitch the butted batting together, but I find I don't need to here, it's very narrow and sitting lovely and flat...it's not going to move, the hand-quilting comes right up to it..

Trim away the remaining side of backing fabric to 1inch....

Fold back a 1/2" of this 1" strip and slip stitch in place...

Press seam flat...ta dah....beautiful!!

I will go on and join each piece as I go in this way...joining another DP piece to the other side of the medallion, and then after I have three more sections of DP's joined together, they will get joined on top of that

I hope It's clear and easy to understand....enjoy...♥

What to do??....

2011-07-04T12:47:00.005+08:00

Decisions, decisions... Can't decide whether to make the DP's length 3 blocks long top and bottom or...

Four blocks long top and bottom...I'm doing this as a Q-A-Y-G, so to go on with the hand-quilting, I have to make up my mind now!
The medallion measure 24" sq...and each of the DP's measure 8"...so it's either make each next section 24"sq as well or go longer to 24" x 32"....

I really don't want too big a quilt, but will it be balanced enough with the shorter DP's length...or should I go for the longer length..!!

I guess I don't need to go the 4 blocks wide, three blocks each side would make it a nice size lap quilt...I don't really like a sq quilt, so I guess in a way, I have answered my own question..arh!

Confused...I am!!....♥

Blissfully Hand-Quilting...

2011-06-30T08:32:00.003+08:00

There's nothing more blissful on a miserable cold, wet day,than sitting by the fire, under a warm quilt, hand-quilting another quilt....oh some chocolate and a mug of coffee! That's just what I did all day on Tuesday...and it looks like I may be doing the same today.
Another wet and wild day is forecast for today....boy, did it ever come down on Tuesday...our back yard lit up by the lightning looked like a swimming pool...

I don't think it shows up too well but I have done quite a bit of quilting on this medallion....all the outer circle is done, the star is quilted, half of the crescent shapes around the star are done and the inner background is quilted...I'm just trying to decide what to quilt in the outer corners of the background...a click on the pic may show it up better..
It's a toss up between taking the easy way , and just doing a cross-hatch which I think would suit the design or something more fancy...
I really love how the medallion goes so well in keeping with the circles of the DP's....

Have a great day everyone...♥

New Marking Pens...

2011-06-28T08:14:00.003+08:00

It's pouring with rain outside...we woke to thunder and lightning...as scary as it is, we sure need the rain, the perfect weather to be inside huddled under a cosy quilt!

I'm having a lovely time hand-quilting my DP's medallion piece....of all the quilts I've made..(and there's been quite a few)..the hand-quilted ones are my favourites...so homely, soft and cuddly!

I'm testing out these new marking pens I bought at the last big craft show....above you may be able to see the marks I made in the right hand corner...a click on the pic may bring it up bigger.
Below is after I ran a hot iron over the marks..ta- dah...all gone!
Well so far I love these pens, but of course, I don't know how they are going to be in the long term...will the marks come back, and how is it going to effect the fabric...I guess only time will tell...
The pens are Pilot ball..Frixion..

BTW...the new batting I'm working with is a dream to hand-quilt with....love it.....needles beautifully.
Must go, it's getting pretty rough out there...I hear the thunder again!...♥

Catching Up...

2011-06-26T15:11:00.003+08:00

I've done it again...fallen behind on my CW blocks... Tried to catch up today, but too many distractions, all I had time to do was this, # 24 Ladies Aid Album....but to my defence, I have been on a ruthless cleaning and clearing out stuff stint.
Two bags later for the Good Sammy shop, lovely tidy drawers, lots more hanging space...yay!
Also an added bonus, I found a long lost gold and amethyst ring that DH bought me for my birthday some years ago...double yay!....♥

I'm getting the DP's centre medallion piece ready for hand-quilting...I'm thinking I'll do the quilt in sections as the Q-A-Y-G method...that will be so much easier on my old hands.

Has anyone used this batting...this is the first time that I'll use it.

It feels so lovely and soft, if it lives up to it's promise....it should be a lovely cuddly soft quilt.

Weekend nearly gone already...hope it's been a good one for you...happy stitching...♥

Inspiring Eye Candy..

2011-06-22T08:40:00.003+08:00

I had a lovely morning at my local patchwork group yesterday....and when Penny laid out her beautiful Christmas quilt on the floor, I just had to take this photo...
Just look at all that beautiful intricate work...Log cabins with appliqued scrolls through them...Compass blocks big and small, with fine points on them...just beautiful and the colours...amazing!
Penny is hand-quilting this quilt...she said it was a bit of a struggle working on this quilt...but I must say, I'm glad she kept going with it...it was all worth it!

Here's Desa. laying out her blocks for observation...what a great scrap quilt this one is...Desa said she'll add a red border and red corner stones with a sand coloured sashing..

I always think it's a great idea that before you start to piece them together... to lay out your blocks on the floor or design wall and take a photo of them....put them up on your computer and see where you might need to make changes to the layout...it's amazing how much more you seem to see in that perspective..
Have a great day...♥

DP centre...this is it!

2011-06-19T10:49:00.007+08:00

In keeping with the circle theme...I decided to stay with the original pattern by Judy Newman and added the ring of tri's to the centre medallion...now perhaps just a narrow sashing to frame the centre piece.
The medallion centre piece is inspired by a quilt pattern called Museum Medallion by Judy Newman....Judy's design is based on a beautiful quilt made in the early 1800's and exhibited in a London Museum.

I must admit it really did need this extra bit...I thought without it, it just didn't look finished.
That means the quilt will end up being bigger than I would have liked, but I can see it's going to be lovely...scrappy, colourful and gorgeous!

Many thanks to a dear friend ( you know who you are ♥)..who inspired me to go with this medallion.
Wish I had some backing fabric now, so I can get to and start the hand-quilting on this medallion.....oh dear, will just have to go shopping tomorrow!

Happy stitching...♥

DP's update...auditioning medallion piece..

2011-06-17T08:19:00.005+08:00

Hmmm...not sure if I like this.. those top blocks are not how they will be pieced together!

I think it needs more on the centre medallion, of course I still need to make lots more DP blocks...this centre piece measures 16" sq...I could go bigger to 24"and add more to it, but that means a bigger quilt to balance it it out....The medallion centre piece is inspired by a quilt pattern called Museum Medallion by Judy Newman....Judy's design is based on a beautiful quilt made in the early 1800's and exhibited in a London Museum.

I was thinking I would hand-quilt it in the Quilt-as -you go method...one section at a time.

Must think about this one a bit more..♥

Hexie Dilly Bag...in case you were wondering!

2011-06-12T14:02:00.002+08:00

I think it's cute...the B&W dot fabric was the perfect back ground fabric choice!Teddy bear Thomas thinks so too...seeing that scarf on Thomas, I'm thinking , now why didn't I wear one today too...it's been so cold the last few days...

Hope your having a nice day...♥

A bit of this & that..

2011-06-12T08:47:00.004+08:00

Had a lovely day yesterday.... ...after popping out to get some shopping, bought a new Doona cover..it really was time for a new one!...

Can you believe it, I bought a blue Doona cover, a dusky blue..... now it must have been that Blue & White quilt that had something to do with my choice, but I really like this one...it picks up the little bit of blue in the wallpaper frieze, makes a nice change!Some lunch...Then in the afternoon, I pieced together some of the Drunkards Path blocks...I'm seeing a lot of pink here. I think I'll have to add some more colours, but I'm loving it so far....

....and this is what I've done with the little leftover hexies. I've appliqued them onto a black with white dot background...joined it up into a circle...I think you might be able to guess now what it's going to be. All being well, I hope to have this finished today..

It's cold outside, it should warm up a little....if not, it'll be a good day for a bit more sewing inside.
Have a lovely day...♥

Playing with Wool....repurpose

2011-06-09T13:14:00.007+08:00

I just could not bring myself to give this old cardy of my Dh's to the good sammy bin..

Hmm...gosh, I must have knitted DH this zip up cardy about 35 years ago...and I think it's at least 25-28 years since he last wore it, so I decided to recycle , re -purpose it... All though it looks a bit pink here...it's more of a dusty mushroom colour.
There are some beautiful yarns out now, but for me it's just something about this wool of that time, this was an Aussie Patons ® wool and mohair mix .. Check out their web page...lots of lovely free patterns..
This cardy has been washed and washed so many times...it's still like new, lovely and soft, no moth holes....just imagine how much I can get out from this unravelling..a scarf, a beanie, even perhaps a pair of socks for me..etc..
For now, I just unravelled a sleeve and a front to get started...I'm thinking a scarf like this multi-coloured one I crochet last year..
I love that scarf ...I have worn it so many times, receiving many lovely comments on it. Now that I've made a start on a scarf ..it's so easy, shouldn't take too long to crochet up....you can purchase the pattern here....

I'm off to crochet...have a lovely day...♥

Playing with fabric / ideas...

2011-06-06T13:54:00.005+08:00

I have been playing with fabric..
...sewing some little leftover hexies together to make something that I saw a couple weeks ago at the Cancer Morning Tea fundraiser....hi Helen C, you will know what this is going to be....a few more rows and I'll put it together....♥

...and something I've been wanting to do for some time...

I'm hand-piecing the curves on these Drunkards Path blocks...just a lovely and easy project to do and makes a great portable take out sewing project for gatherings with friends....

I'll just keep piecing these till I decide what I want to do...either team them up with a centre medallion or just a whole quilt of DP's.....decisions, decisions..!

Looking forward to a day with friends tomorrow...hope your day is all you want it to be..

Take care....♥

CW Blocks / Quilt update...

2011-06-04T20:16:00.000+08:00

Had a lovely day of sewing today...

Pieced a few more of the Alabama Variation blocks..... and with the last lot of blocks that I had caught up with, added some of them to the quilt and came up with this...

Can't wait to see what the next block will be....

Hope your having fun with some stitching....till next time, take care....♥

Whew...caught up, CW blocks..

2011-06-04T08:07:00.000+08:00

Been on a roll...Sewing machine humming away all day...feels so good to be caught up with my CW blocks, at last.. CW block # 20..New England.

CW block # 19 Missouri Star...

CW block # 18 Union Square..

CW block # 17 Comfort Quilt..

CW block #16 White House..

Have a lovely weekend.....♥

It's a Scarf....& something new!

2011-06-02T08:08:00.007+08:00

I've run out of that pretty wool, so my crochet is going to be a scarf...which is just fine with me.
I really don't want to buy another skein...and in all honesty, I think I would use a scarf more than I would a shawl....just not me!
I'll be able to pop this under a nice jacket / top to keep the wind off my neck...♥

I forgot to share this purchase with you from the last big craft show in May....I have not had a really good play with it yet.... so I can't give a review on it...

I was intrigued by a quilt the Thimble Lady Liuxin Newman, had up on her stall's wall...I watched her do a little magic square, but as always, she makes it look so easy, I knew by the time I got home I would have forgotten how she did it....

Here's a link I found with a little bit of info....you need to watch it all to see how she does it..

I have said this before, but I'm so behind on my CW blocks...may be today I'll catch up a bit...

Have a great day doing whatever you love to do.....♥

This and That...

2011-05-30T11:48:00.009+08:00

It's finished... I'm really happy with how it's come together and finished up...wow, I think, that is the quickest quilt I've ever made so far..now to pack it away until I need to gift it.....♥

I fell in love with this beautiful shawl, that I saw on here...love the colours, and to think I even had a skein of this very same wool...so I played....

I don't think I'll have enough for a shawl....but that's OK, perhaps a scarf will be just enough for me.. ...and I played some more..

This is wool left over from the crochet African Flower knee rug I recently finished.... it's 8 ply, a bit thicker than I'd like really.. but it would be nice and warm...

Elizabeth Cat has a lovely easy to follow tut on how this is made here....

Nothing much done today...too busy running around on errands ...OK, time to get some work done now. I'm so behind on my CW blocks...♥

Happy stitching...