2011 December part B

 

Less of a zombie now!

After a 24 hour flight, and fighting sleep until as long as I could, I finally gave in at 5:30 last night and went to bed. Ah, what bliss to sleep, and in my own bed :-)

I woke at 6:30 which is ridiculously early, but I had had 13 hours sleep, so I feel much more with it!

There was some very exciting post waiting for me.  a pressie from Jackie, and one from the BQL Secret Santa, both of which have been put under the tree (albeit with a bit of squishing on the way!)

Also . . .

[Hold on while we travel back in time.  One of the blogs that I follow is Block Lotto - each month, the list Mom, Sophie, introduces us to a block, usually with a colour scheme.  We can make as many or as few of these as we like, and each one that we submit a photo of counts as a ticket for the month's lotto.  I actually remembered the let Sophie know that I would be in the air when she drew the names, so if I won I wouldn't be able to acknowledge for a few days - just as well I did as I was one of the winners {VBG}]

. . . now back to the present . . . there were four squishies, each with three Scrappy Round The World blocks.

Thank you so much to Cathy Ann, Celine, Debra and Kate - lovely blocks, and I'm really looking forward to playing with the blocks and deciding how to arrange them

jet lag, and Christmas pressies and a give away

I thought I was over the jet lag after my 13 hour sleep, but the next night I slept from 9pm until 3am, and this morning I slept a bit longer - until 5:30am!  Not impressed!

I did spend some of the early morning time blog surfing - and actually looked at my blog! [I appear to have two pages titled Finished Quilts - I need to sort that out :-] Do you know that this is post # 197 - who'd thunk it? Nearly 200 posts - and 50 followers, I am really chuffed - thank you all!

The extra hours gave me a bit more sewing time too, LOL.  So as I was awake at silly o'clock yesterday I decided to sort out my Australian fabrics.  Some I plan on using in a quilt for me, but others were bought as Christmas gifts for patchwork friends and blog friends.

 As I looked at the various fabrics . . .

. . . it occurred to me that they wouldn't necessarily be of any use to anyone as a FQ - so I decided to make a few Fat Quarter bags (click for link to instructions), and then I started some more, and some more - I feel as if I am working on a production line: there are at least a dozen, if not more!

I am so pleased to have this network of bloggy friends - mostly virtual, but some I have met, some have become family (thank you Jackie for the Christmas card from the Irish Cousins!!!), some really are family (hi to my Mum and Daughter :-) but all are supportive, and funny and helped me feel grounded even while I was away and homesick - So to celebrate Christmas, New Year, 200 posts, 50 followers, a new kitchen floor being laid downstairs and anything else you fancy . . .  to everyone who read and comments on this blog, please comment here, then I'll email you for your snail mail address, as I'd love to send you an Australian Fat Quarter bag.

Merry Christmas to all (but no Christmas dinner)

Just a brief post to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and all the best for 2012.  Thanks especially to all who commented on the previous post - the bags are in their envelopes waiting for me to go to the post office, early next week.


I had an email conversation recently with the Littliest Thistle, Katy, about embroidery (have you seen the blocks she embroidered for her dad's quilt gorgeous) and mentioned that I hadn't done embroidery by hand for ages - sorry Katy I lied, look what I just found . . . my Christmas Cross stitch project

Sister In Law gave me this years and years ago, and I work on it a little bit each Christmas. When finished it will go into a house shaped frame, a bit like a dolls house

The other part of the post title may be explained by this photo of my kitchen

We planned to move the kitchen around sometime, but it would appear that NOW is the time.  Although to be fair, these is never much danger of a Christmas dinner at my house - we graze all day instead!

Merry Christmas ALL!!!!

Where did that week go?

Gosh, suddenly it's New Year's Eve eve, and I don't seem to have done much apart from veg in front of the TV, eat, and drink!

Christmas Day was very civilised: both girls slept until about 10am, and then it took longer than I expected to get from this

to this

 I had some lovely craft spoils:

 This scrummy scarf from the lovely Jackie

This craft bag and these goodies from my BQL Secret Santa - I couldn't photograph the bag to show how fab it is, but it has six pockets around the outside, and six sections on the base all for crafty bits and pieces

This goodies were a wall hanging from Jackie (Let it snow) Handmade Nation book from another BQL Secret Santa, and the fab pin cushion from the lovely Plum 

I also received this scarf from First Born Daughter - thank you Lisa, I love it!

2011 December Posting from Australia

Photos from Oz

Fabric Purchases - and I've started sewing the I spy blocks by hand!

Today we hit the shops (part 1)

Mum and I did the tourist thing today: bus to QVB, (did a bit of shopping) then walked down Pitt Street (via the mall) to Circular Quay, then got the ferry to Manly, (past the opera house and the bridge) then walked (past a few shops, into one or two) to the ocean beach where we had a paddle, and lunch. Then the ferry back, and a bit of shopping at The Rocks, then staggered back with bags and bags of shopping!

Tomorrow . . . Well sister in law has designed a patchwork crawl around the 4 patchwork shops within about 10 minutes of the house, so I guess tomorrow will be fun!!

shopping again (2)

Fabrics from Material Obsession


Fabrics from Logan's Patchworks


more from Logan's


And I got a new set of crockery.  I particularly like chunky handles as I have problems holding forks with flat handles, and I fell in love with these.  I got the knives and forks too

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ooops, I found a bead shop!

The biggest bead shop I have ever seen!

I spent an hour browsing, and hope I haven't disappointed anyone with my haul. Oh, and this little lot cost about £30, not bad eh?

a stitch in time . . .

 . . .  saves me from getting bored!


I've done a fair bit of sewing while I've been in Oz, and have just realised that I haven't shown you any:

Jackie sent me a half-made Christmas tree last year - and  I hadn't got around to finishing it.  Still not actually finished, but  lot closer ...

It may be difficult to see what it is, and what I've done, so: imagine 4 tree shapes cut out of Christmassy fabric - stitch the sides (not the base) together in pairs, RST, red to green, and turn right sides out.  Place the two units one on top of the other, and stitch from top to bottom in the centre.  You now have a tree 'book' of 4 pages.  Add decorative buttons to each page (we have scissors, gingerbread baking, skiing and baubles and snowflake themed, thank you Indi).  When I get home I can stuff each section, and sew up the base.

I have also finished the I-Spy blocks that I bought in the Blue Mountains (thanks Indi and Marley for helping arrange the blocks)

 

India did some sewing with the left over blocks 

look at these neat little stitches - not bad for a 5 year old eh?

And finally I finished the quilting on Marley's Road Map Mat - I just need to trim the threads - the *&^%$# at Bangkok confiscated my snips.  Yes they were less than 3cm blades, yes I didn't go to Bangkok as such, yes I didn't leave airside, yet I got back onto the *same* BA plane, but yes they searched my bags, and told me "No sharps" as they took them from me - grrrrrrrrrr

Post

a postcard TO Australia

Look what arrived in the post today from my lovely Lisa. Thank you sweetie x x x

Mini Christmas

Before I left Australia, we had a Mini Christmas - so I could give the kids (and Brother, and Sis in Law) their pressies while I was still there.  However, I was too busy playing with the toys to remember to take many photos.  So until I get hold of brother's photos, here are just a few - brother in his t-shirt

 

And nephew in front of the tree (He L.O.V.E.D the Road Map Mat - I can highly recommend it as a gift for a car mad 3 year old!)

But what I hadn't expected, was that I got a pressie too (Brother doesn't do Christmas, birthday, presents etc!).  Look at these yummy bits from them (actually, thank you Lise, I know you bought them!!!)

And Lise - you have a great eye for fabric - are you tempted?  Go on, I think you are - I bet Logan's or Quiltsmith do lessons! 

2011 November (2)

 

Where did the last few days go?

I'm very behind on by Blog reading list, so sorry if i haven't commented to those of you who read here and blog elsewhere, and I'm behind on my post writing too, and, if truth be known, just between us, I haven't done much sewing either.

I have been talking to people about the Fun With Fabric sessions , and have designed a poster for the 'brand' and have opened a new blog with details of the where? when? how much? info for each venue (www.FunWithFabricUK.blogspot.com)

 But I have done SOME sewing!  I have  . . .


 . . . Pieced and basted and quilted  a girly I spy quilt for a friend's great niece (someone who is doing their Christmas shopping in advance!)

. . . Told Niki  how to piece, baste and quilt a quilt for a friend who has become a big sister (at 17!)

 

. . . Progressed Heather's Black and White and Pink to just needing half the binding to be stitched on (I didn't have enough of the pink or the black for binding, so it's mostly black with random flashes of pink - the photo doesn't show it very well, but I'm really pleased with it)

. . . And there are 5 Christmas sacks just needing the Good / Naughty  thingy to be added, and then they are good to go off the UFO list!

Happy 21st Heather

 At last Heather's Black and White and Pink quilt is finished ...

 

The binding is mostly black with flashes of pink (this is the smallest flash!)

And I have hand quilted around the 'H', which could I guess could go at the top instead of the bottom!

This quilt was inspired by Deedrie's Blue Cross quilt - you can see hers [here]. 

I also managed to get the tag done for the Christmas sacks,

And I have helped Lisa proof read a 2200 word essay on "Why does Hobbes contend, “Truth is predicated of words, not things" and Explain why Mill contends “the proposition is not true because the object is placed in the class”, not forgetting Explain why Frege states, “In grasping a sense, one is not certainly assured of a Bedeutung.” . . . 

time for wine :-)

The Reds are reducing

I've managed to take a few more paniccy red projects off the list on the right, thank goodness, as it's now just 16 sleep until I go to Australia - and I have a girly weekend in Vienna to squeeze in before that too!

To into the "FINISHED" category go . . . 

. . . .An I-Spy quilt for mum's boss's new granddaughter

. . . And Christmas Sacks for one of the teachers I used to work with, and for the nephew and niece in Australia (the naughty / good is only to show the design, not to indicate the Lucy is naughty, or that Marley and Indi are good!!!)

In other news this weekend, Mum finished Lisa's VERY warm wool jumper, exactly to specifications:

• warm wool - check
• mottled wool that mustn't go stripy when knitted - check
• big neck - check
• not the big cable on the pattern, but not plain at the front - check
• long enough to cover her bum - check
• holes about 3 inches from the end of the sleeves so she can put her thumbs through - check

 I think Lisa looks rather pleased with it!

And Niki finished an I-Spy quilt for her friend Jade's new baby sister, Maisie. 

Cheesy grin, but permitted given the great job she has done (and this is the daughter who claims she DOESN'T sew!!!)