Fourth finish for July Challenge.

Here is finish number 4 for the July Challenge! I do love strippy quilts and this one is quick and easy. This is the third version I have made in this pattern. The first one is a shabby chic, this was the second one started (but the last one finished) and the other one was the voilets quilt for my Aunt's 60th in January.

Only trouble is that I couldn't get the stripes all running the same way...oh well it's only for me as the greens match my walls and carpet and I guess you know I love roses and couldn't resist these large full blown pink ones and of course you can see the reproduction fabrics.

Below is Jill's lovely oriental quilt, this was her very first quilt!! She has done a wonderful job as she has never done a class. She is nearly finished her second quilt and it's even better and has a small square irish chain setting so she has done very well considering she is self taught. It has been quilted with Clamflower and has variegated signature thread on the back. The only problem is black picks up EVERY little bit of fluff and thread!!

Kaye's cute little chenille quilt has Rhapsody quilted on it. I loved the backing on this quilt it reminded me of the old eiderdowns we use to have when young. I think it's from the Sanctuary range and I am tempted to buy some and just quilt it.

And finally last but not least my lovely reproduction fat 1/8 swap is home! Some gorgeous fabrics and only a couple I already had, not bad out of 42.

Happy Birthday Jodie!

Vic Quilters Showcase 2008

Woohooo!!!! My lovely customer Brenda's (pictured above)quilt won a Highly Commended in the Traditional two person category at the Vic Quilters Showcase so as the quilter I win a ribbon too! I am very lucky that she chose me to quilt such an impressive quilt of her own design. Her quilt was inspired by a trip to Egypt. Thanks Brenda! You can see some close ups of the quilting here.

I had planned to go on Friday but after a phone call Wednesday night from Brenda to say the quilt had won an award I had a hurriedly rearranged schedule so I could attend the awards presentations on Thursday.


I didn't come home empty handed but I was fairly restrained....apart from a committment for a 12 month block of the month from Threadbear in Castlemaine who stock a vast range of gorgeous reproduction fabrics. I got two patterns, one from Quilters Barn plus Julie Wallace's no 3 patchwork book. The BOM from Threadbear plus a cute little "muffin cake" of fabrics, brown repro's for my Dear Jane. The aqua spots and retro's plus the pinwheel and chinese coin pattern are from Amitie.

This week has been busy!!!

Not enough hours in the day! The countdown in on until my son's wedding on Daydream Island on September 10th. Not enough time to get all the quilts done I a) need to get done and out of the way and b) need to get done to get some money in to help pay for the trip/holiday/wedding outfit....etc etc.

Head on over to my old friend Glenice's blog for yet another generous giveaway, she is celebrating her 300th post!

This week I did manage to finish the lovely Rachel's gorgeous quilts. I wanted to keep this one!!!Rachel's version of Lime and Soda with "Bubbles" quilted on it.

I was very lucky and Rachel and I did some bartering and I ended up with five new Melly and Me patterns.......Mrs Perkins, Fido, 1941, Elly and Phoebe. I can't wait to make them all up. If I am lucky enough to get some more quilts from Rachel I might get a book next time!

Rachel's lovely stitchery quilt has "Heartstrings" quilted on it. A very appropriate pattern for this quilt.

I also have Charlie's fabrics all ready to go but haven't yet done her organizer, so I have to get organized!

I did start to put some of Lissa's and my tumbler blocks together. I have done 8 rows of 20 across and it doesn't even look like I made a dent in our tumblers!!! As Lissa keeps telling me I think this is going to be a humungous quilt. It isn't turning out quite as I had imagined as there are a lot more lights than I thought I would have preferred some more mediums used as lights.

Number three finish for July Challenge.

I am counting this as my number 3 finish in Peg's challenge. I finally finished piecing my Bendigo siggie quilt top! This was what I did with the 6.5" oriental blocks with 6.5" signature block from the Scquilter's Retreat in Bendigo last year. Now I just have to piece all the plain signature blocks together to form the backing!

Can anyone see their fabric?? I plan to do an edge to edge pattern on this one (one day) of an oriental dragon in gold metallic thread.

Bits and Pieces

This week I finished another of Julie's lovely stitchery quilts. This one was from Bronwyn Hayes Flowerbed. A very pretty quilt that Julie has been waiting a long time for. The first photo has been taken to show the quilt in it's true form. The following photos have been taken to highlight the quilting.




It is quilted with freehand flowers leaves and vines in the frames/sashings, lots of SID around the stitchery freehand feathers in the borders and plain triangles.






A section of the back, Julie likes to choose a plain backing to show the quilting the backing is pink.

Brrrr....it's cold!!!

I got up this morning, got some wood from the back verandah to stoke up the fire and everything was as usual. Yes it was cold but not as cold as Sunday (?) morning.

After a while something caught my attention out of the window.

It wasn't as dark as the photo looks it would have been between 7.30-8am.nd it kept going.......and got heavier. I looked out of my bedroom window......

Hmm....looks pretty. I went onto the front verandah and saw this......

And this....

Then I had to go down the driveway (?) to the back paddock to give the horses some hay....

When I got down the back ....

It was even colder!

Cinnamon wasn't silly she'd had enough of the snow and stayed in the shed until I took her hay in to her....unlike silly Mick who stayed out in it.

So then it was time to head back up the hill to the house....

Hurry up it's cold out here!

Hope you're happy Sharon, lots of Saffron photos!

Up the back steps and home!

Gee I am glad I finished this on Sunday night, it certainly came in handy!

Southern Cross Quilters repro swap

Here are my 1800's repro's that I am swapping in the Scquilters swap.




I have included fat eighths from these ranges- Dargate Violet and Chocolate, Colonies Purple 2, Colonies Pink and Blue 2 and 3, Charleston III and IV, Lancaster County II, York County, Old Sturbridge Village Blues 2
I still have one or two sets of five fat eighths (metric size 10"x 22") if anyone is interested in swapping?

Friday

I have finished another quilt to replace Coco's quilt. This time I used Strawberry Lemonade jelly roll and charm squares. It is a very easy simple quilt and it's for a beginners class I am doing at Bacchus Marsh in August. I won't have time to quilt it as I have too much work on but I am counting it as another one off my challenge as my challenge was to try to finish 5 whether it was totally or just tops. I HAVE to get some of these WIPS and quilts sitting there waiting to be started with fabric allocated out of the way. So that's two down and three to go.

Here it is on my friend Sharon's spare bed it's turned out quite a good size a bit bigger than Coco's quilt as Sweet Baby Jane from memory only had 32 charms so I made it 5x6 blocks this one had 39 so I made it 5x7 blocks.

I was home late last night after a lovely day at Sharon's sewing with Sharon and Kelly- being Kelly AND Sharon's quilt fairy- thanks for the name Kel. I spotted something hanging halfway out of the letterbox (I have a roadside mail box not at the house being in a rural area) and guess what it was.......

Jodie's lovely orphan blocks. I can just see something for Miss Coco and Miss Isabella in these cute blocks, maybe a dolly quilt each.

And what's that up the back.......

One of Jodies bird in a gocco cage how spoilt!!! Isn't he just so cute? He came with his stitched wing french knot eye and satin stitched beak. Thanks again Jodie!

Here are Lissa's tumblers all cut out and ready to send.

Here are mine....all ready to sew.....I have made a start! (see Julie's gorgeous Bronwyn Hayes stitchery quilt on the machine)

And this is what I have been doing in my spare time (???) knitting a cable beanie!

Some Eyecandy

First of all go and have a look at my friend Kerry's gorgeous new pattern.... she is giving one away if you can come up with a suitable name.

There are so many talented and creative people out in blogland, it's just amazing. The thing I find most pleasing to me are there are so many younger crafters out there......yay!! A few of them I have already discussed here but there is one I have been visiting lately that I just love. Kellie does some gorgeous quilts has lovely lovely quilting and I really love the way she puts colour together.....do yourself a favour and go and have a look at her blog........http://dontlooknow.typepad.com/

Ice Cream Social Frock Giveaway!!!!

Do you have a little princess in your life? Then she deserves this! Mind you she has to be little 2-4 years old. It's just devine!

Ice Cream Social Frock Giveaway!!!!

Another Giveaway!

Head on over to Helen's blog http://helenstubbings.blogspot.com/2008/06/calendar-girls.html
she is having a giveaway for some AQS calendars.