Where have you been?

Oh that’s right, it was me who was missing…

I’ve been retreating….. each year I organize a Quilters Retreat with 26 or so wonderfully creative women.  This year was no exception.  We arrived in dribs and drabs on Friday afternoon/night and after settling ourselves into our sleeping quarters and setting up our sewing areas we proceeded to get reacquainted with those we haven’t seen since Retreat 2008.  Some new faces this year and some who missed previous years joined us again in ‘09.

Lets see what antics we got up to.

This peacock as too fast for me to catch clearly, he came with a mate, as in a friend-mate, not a partner-mate.  I thought they were looking for Helen, she has peacocks….. apparently these ones were not familiar to her?

Gail and Rens Noleen and Robyn

Julie M

 Sandra

Tracy, Sue & Gem

Jill & Jodie

  Susan & Cara

 Sanchia & Lyn

Helen & Bev

Debbie & Noleen

Ann

Linda

Robin

Natalie & Tania

Gail’s last meal….she managed to bring a tummy bug with her, so kept fairly quiet during the weekend, although managed to get a reasonable amount of work done just the same.

Meal times were a hoot, chatting and laughing their way  through each meal.

Debbie with Ann, lady in waiting!

Margaret gets reacquainted with her work.

 

Look at all those happy faces…….

                       

             

A small sample of what we worked on.

This is what I worked on, just the blocks mind, it was Monday at home before I got to place them, and there they stay.

Is it any wonder I am still recovering?

Thanks for visiting…..

My week in review…..

Another week has whizzed by and what do I have to show for it?

The beginning of the week had me dusting furiously, I was disgusted with the depth of our dust, it was time to act…. after dusting and vacuuming, I felt virtuous enough to spend the rest of the week stitching.

Tisket a Tasket block 9 is now complete.

Breast of Friends Block 14 is too.

Hot Buddies are filled with wheat and lavender, ready to be stroked and to comfort those you need them.

The top is together for Gail Pan’s, Christmas Wish BOM. Since this photograph it is now sandwiched and waiting for quilting inspiration to strike.

Susan's Companion – Blue Willow Designs

This was last nights project. I bought the pattern as a kit at last weeks Quilt/craft Show and was determined it would be made before another day passed.

Quilted Card Wallet

This is what I fooled around with today. The pattern is a freebie, since making one I can see how to alter the design to fit my needs.

Roly-Nesters

Oh and I fooled around with this too. Another freebie from Studio Kat Designs Once again having made this one, I have now begun a much larger bag that I will add straps to the end to make opening and closing the zip much easier.

A truly lovely Saturday!

Thanks for visiting…..

Too late for flaunting.....

I tried to update my blog on Saturday, but for some reason it wouldn't load.... lets see if I remember what I was 'rabbiting' on about....

ah that's right

My first attempt at Colourque as demonstrated by Helen Stubbings in the recent Quilters Companion, the one with the DVD.

As I only had a set of el-cheapo pencils, my colour choices were limited. I was still happy with the results, and look forward to giving the new set of Derwents I purchased late last week a try very soon.

Then I think I mentioned these Hot Buddies

The front is flannel and the back a lovely chocolate coloured Minkie fabric, so nice to stroke, Jordan tells me!

Last but not least......Appliquéd tea-towels.

These are a combination of woven and waffle weave tea-towels, and now look quite special with a yummy cup cake appliquéd to them.

Think that was about it. Although now I am able to mention that I went to the Brisbane Quilt and Craft Show Sunday, with my friends Margaret and Helen. We had a lovely day browsing the many and varied stalls, and checked out the spectacular quilts on display.

I came home very inspired, very tired, and extremely broke! All in all a perfect day!

thanks for visiting...

There's a hole in my drawers.....

Well my fat 1/4 drawer that is! 

My local patchwork club Vision, has a Charity Project that is to give Quilted Placemats to the clients of "Meals on Wheels" as a Christmas gift.  We have been provided with the batting and given a size to work with.  I had a brain wave when I saw a freebie pattern for Candy Cane Placemats.  So I dived into one of my drawers of fat 1/4's and began cutting them up into 21/2" strips. 

I did a quilt as you go method when stitching the strips together, then I trimmed and bagged the front to another fat 1/4.

 

 All that remains is to hand stitch the turning opening closed then I plan to top stitch about 3/8" inside the edge.  While the individual fat 1/4's were what I would consider 'uglies' they have come together really well, and I am very pleased with the resulting 15 Placemats!

Little bit of flaunting......

I've been back at work for a week, and thankfully it was a reasonably stress free one to begin the last term of the school year..... only 9 more weeks to go!

My first weekend home from Emerald Beach turned out to be a very sad..... Zelda our Bourke's Parrot died. I was surprised at how attached I had become to the little stray bird that 'walked' into our yard just a few months ago.  Jordan was heart broken, we had a little burial ceremony, I found an embroidered doiley that I had picked up at an Op Shop tucked away for future use and thought that it was the prefect size to wrap up a special little bird for burial.

Zelda is now resting in our garden complete with a cross made from drift wood Jordan found on the beach and a weathered shell to decorate the grave site.

We are all missing little Zelda!

On a happier note, I have finished my Friendship Bag Swap and it is ready to be posted.  I do hope my swap partner likes it.

The bag pattern came from the latest edition of a US magazine Quilts and More a Better Homes & Gardens Publication.  I stumbled upon this magazine while on holidays in the middle of last year, it is a really good mag and has some fantastic patterns with clear and easy to follow instructions. It is published quarterly and not widely available, but I asked my local news agent to order it in for me, so now I can look forward to it 4 times a year.

I have also finished my swap Mini Quilt for Alison C It is packaged and ready for posting.  Lets see if I can give a peek in this post and not give it away totally...although she is away at a stitching retreat and may not have the time to blog browse before she receives it in the mail???

Wow, that's an interesting technique......?

My last bit of flaunting is the finished stitchery from last months Homespun Mag, The Hat Shop.

I plan on framing this stitchery, I have had an empty frame sitting on a coffee table in the family room for months, I bought it because I loved the frame.....so it will be empty no more!

Thanks for visiting...

 

My holiday is over......

What a lovely holiday I have had.  A pleasant week at home to do whatever needed to be done......and 4 nights away to do absolutely nothing, at Emerald Beach.

This was the view from the lounge room. The house had a balcony across the front.  The lounge room, dining room and main bedroom has this spectacular view.

Jordan, his friend Cohen and Greg pose for the camera on the balcony.

Our plan was to have no plans.  Each morning we woke without an alarm, and had a leisurely breakfast looking over the ocean.

The we headed to the beach, a very short stroll down the hill.  While the boys fossic on the beach looking for interesting driftwood, shells and rocks, as only boys can, Greg and I introduced Georgie to the joys of beach walking.

Looks as if they have sand in their pants??

It was Georgie's first trip to the beach and she wasn't all that fussed on the water, but chasing a ball was something else.

 

This wasn't something we expected to see at the beach.  The kangaroo was in the little creek that ran into the ocean.  A very different sight for us, that's for sure.

The view to our place from the beach.

We walked for hours and each headland held another fantastic view, and more camera fodder

This is the view of Coffs Harbour from Mutton Bird Island.

More beautiful ocean views.

Yet another brush with the wildlife.

This is how I spent many hours, I took my magnifying light and set myself up in a great position, and stitched away 'till my hearts content!

No cooking, no cleaning, no washing or ironing, my idea of a perfect holiday!

Thanks for visiting.....

Week one of the holidays already gone....

It has been a wonderful week, full of interesting activities. 

• Visiting with friends, Marg and Ann
• Shopping for beautiful fabric
• Spending time with my sister and niece
• Working on The Double Irish Chain Quilt top
• Grocery Shopping
• Dress shopping with Leah
• A stitching day with my friend Gail
• Lots if resting with Jordan as we both recuperate from the last term at work and school

These are two patterns I won the week before in a guessing competition on this blog the task was to guess how many baby bunnies in the newest litter of Cathy's mummy bunny.  She gave a hint that it was a large litter and I guessed 10.....and won my choice of two of her fabulous designs.

Block Number 8 in Tisket a Tasket BOM from Bunny Hill Designs

Block Number 8 in Christmas Wishes BOM from Gail Pan

There is just one to go in this BOM and it is time to put the top together.

Today was a day of block preparation and discovering a new tool to make embroidery and applique even easier.

I bought a Sulky Iron-on Transfer Pen and it has very quickly become my very favourite tool.  This pen came from Catherine's Place and it arrived today, while my friend Gail was visiting we put it through it's paces.

I have to say we were both very impressed with it's efficiency.  I scanned the design I wanted to transfer, then printed it using mirror image.  I traced over the design and then put it onto my fabric and pressed it with a hot, dry iron.

Here are the results.....

 

I ironed on the stitching design then arranged the applique fabrics around them.

The traced design

The design ironed onto the fabric

Sorry if the photographs are a little blurry.

Now I am off to begin stitching these prepared blocks.... We are going to Emerald Beach next week for 4 nights so I plan on getting some handwork done while we all relax!

Take care and thanks for visiting

Dust Storm......

It's been an awful day here in my neck of the woods.  I woke this morning to strong westerly winds, by about mid morning the sun had been blotted out and the atmosphere was orange.  The morning progressed and so did the arrival of more dust..... I have a clothes line full of clothes that will need re-washing....yuck!

As soon as I realized what was happening I locked up the house and put on the air-con to try to keep as much of the dust from settling on every horizontal surface in my house.

Not sure I was quick enough however, a gritty red haze can be seen in rooms of the house closed up last.

Rather than deal with that little issue, I chose to work on the borders of my Double Irish Chain quilt.  I did lots of unpicking and fiddling to get the border looking just how I wanted it.

78.5" x 58.5"

I had already taken out a row from the length to have the 4 patch blocks finishing on each of the four corners.  As there wasn't  a lot of fabric to play with I unpicked those blocks to use in the borders.

At one point I packed up all the fabric and the quilt thinking I would put it aside and work on something else, but the next thing I know my mind was working overtime and I could see exactly what I wanted to achieve with the borders, and the fabric I had on hand.

There will be sufficient blue and red fabric to use for the binding and hopefully that should bring it all together nicely.

Thanks for visiting.

Double Irish Chain update (2)

The large blocks are very quick to make, chain pieced and chain pressed......

 

I may remove the last row, the block count or row count needs to be an odd number to give the look I prefer and adding another row would make the top too long and narrow I think, I'm open to suggestions, so please tell me what you think.

I won't decide until the rows are together.  Now it's time to work on something else to recharge my batteries.......

Thanks for visiting...

Double Irish Chain progress report

Last night I cut lots of strips, stitched them together and then cross cut those strips.

This morning I stitched those strips together and made 10 1/2" blocks.

Now I've had lunch, it is time to cut more strips, stitch those together, then cross cut those. I plan on having 40 blocks completed by the end of the day....let's see how I go.

Thanks for visiting....