Stitches and Craft review.

I went, I saw amazing things, I met amazing people.. The day was awesome!!

My friend Jacqui from my sewing group came too and we had a great day out.

I didnt take the camera, but Jacqui took this one of me in front of my favourite quilt pattern, the Aunt Becs 9 patch... ( I look like a damn rabbit!)

I picked up a few fat quarters from the infamous amitie, A long coveted pattern from Jodie for the kinder girls, A purse frame kit from Nicole Mallalieu, Some postcards and tags from Fii, Some wool from Yarn Barn and a few beads and things...

I had some of the sewing girls around last night and I shouldve taken some pics but got sidetracked playing the wii.. I was a little bugged as the linen for the back of my quilt was all sold out and I have now decided to make a patchwork back also..

I have also been busy crocheting this lovely scarf from ravelry after seeing this one.. It isnt as bold as I had hoped, as dear hubby said, the colors look a little like vomit. (Thanks honey!)

I am feeling very poorly this afternoon, The old saying goes -'if you cant beat them join them'.. Hubby dragged me to the gym about a month ago and now I am enjoying at least 3 trips a week..( I even joined him at bootcamp for a morning- holy crap!!)

I stepped the pace up a little with his challenge of doing BodyAttack this morning.. Oh how unfit am I, I sweated so much I have had a headache all day, despite drinking so much that the toilet has been my best friend all avo..

My very first quilt top!!!

I am very pleased with myself, I have finished my very first quilt top. A dissapearing nine patch with sashes and borders in linen.. I dont mind it at all..

I am unsure wether to do the hand quilting thing in the raved about perle thread or if I should quilt it by machine? I saw one online that had waves from side to side and I thought it looked very modern and it was something I could do myself without years of practise first (Like the dreaded freehand stippling).

I will think about it, maybe I will see something on SUNDAY!!

I am sooo very looking forward to going to the stitches and craft on Sunday!. From all reports it is bigger than ben-hur. Myself and a couple of fellow crafters from the sticks are heading to the big smoke to check out the talent and I hope to put some faces to the names that I have been lurking on for some time..

I have also been rather taken with my crochet and have joined ravelry, which has only added fuel to the fire.. I have finished a scarf and am trying my damndest at a new unusual looking scarfy thing now, once again, who knows what amazing stuff I will see on SUNDAY..

Phew!

What a weekend! Our fires here are contained and there were no lost lives, how thankful we have the wonderful CFA.

My husband spent the whole day saturday putting out spot fires on his mothers property and keeping her calm. Things could have been a whole lot worse, and after the tv stations finally came back on air at 10pm, I watched in horror at the devastation that other parts of Victoria were experiencing. The terror and loss is unimaginable, I watched several hours of updates this morning and just cannot fathom what people are going through.

I have been tagged by Emma at Emmaroseart

The tag is 6x6 - the 6th photo in the 6th folder.

This is a quilt that I took a photo of at last years Stitches and Craft!, It was this one that made me fall in love with the Aunt Becs 9 patch from Amitie..

I also got tagged for the same 6x6 by Selina at Wild Things of Noosa, so I bent the rules and chose the 6th picture in my downloaded images.

This is an idea we intend to implement in our back yard.. We used to have an inground trampoline, but with the round ones taking over, we will try and do something classy like this!

Now to pass this on for some others to do the same..

http://vintagericrac.blogspot.com/

http://www.dearfii.blogspot.com/

http://noolygirl.wordpress.com/

http://blackeyedsusie.blogspot.com/

http://sillygillykids.blogspot.com/

http://thornberry.wordpress.com/

Oops, helps to press publish..

Heat, Wind and Fire!!

Oh my what a shocker of a day!
It is blowing an absolute gale and the heat!, Well it feels like I have jumped inside a furnace.
Then whilst surfing the net moments ago, I look out and see this out my office window..

We are in a new estate and there are only 3 rows of houses between us and that smoke... Open paddocks after that and the river is just off to the left, so lots of dry wood and not much water unfortunately. The helicopter is buzzing around and the sirens are very frequent. This is nothing like gippsland people are experiencing but it does get the adrenalin going.

At least with all that terrible wind, the soot wont be landing on us for the next day. I just hope they manage to get it all under control soon, There are a lot of spot fires starting up from blown embers.. Mother Nature!, it must just be PMS..

On a nicer note, my little baby started 3 year old kinder this week and he is so very proud of himself.. He wants to go every day. I didnt even have separation issues.. from him that is at least.

Till next time, Bring on the cool change!!

Controlled Chaos

Where did those 6 weeks go?? All that organising I did weeks ago and today I still find myself feeling like a mouse running in a wheel.. Will I ever find the cheese??

I am halfway through making slices and muffins for the school lunches, Have the labelling machine out ready to print and iron the new items, Lunchboxes at the ready, New shoes have been worn in and polished up again, Now today has consisted of ,what I call some serious multi-tasking!!

I have been a little preoccupied too, I have scoured the world of all the disappearing nine patch quilts and I bow down to you "oh great one" Annie, Yours is the finest of them all!!

Now I am begging of you, help me please with your expertise ( crikey that rhymes!) I am going to make one of these to practise my piecing and cutting skills before I cut into the Big one.. So tell me, (any opinions would be greatly appreciated!!)I thought I would use this stash from Provincial Patch.. Do these colors look ok?? I thought I would keep the brown in the centre, so It would end up as the small square, then alternate the red and green, keeping the blue on the corners so they stay large.. (or should I cut up a couple??) I have also realised that the brown print is the same as a red one and that could look dicky if they were beside one another..

This quilting business is a little tricky but addictive isnt it!! I havent even started yet and my mind is already thinking of others.. I think that I have crafters ADD.

See the two prints the same! the brown and red with the palm leaves.. I need to keep them way apart dont I? I actually like the plain brown for a centre.. maybe just throwing in the odd brown print.

I made a flower badge for miss P's new school bag today, that way she can see her bag hanging on the hook from a mile away..

Oh and I got this a few weeks back from the fabulous Missie Krissie.. It was delivered within 48 hours of ordering and I love it!!! Some of my sewing girlfriends suggested that I could use a little red sticky dot to hide someones name if they had been naughty!! thus threatening their status with a red sticker.. he he.. too funny

The heatwave!! and a little stitching

We arrived back from our holiday in Warrnambool yesterday and I wish we could have brought the sea breeze back with us.. We had a great time and the kids loved Lake Pertobe Playground!! especially the flying fox.

It is 46 degrees at the moment and the forecast says lots of 40+ weather yet to come.

Even the Yuccas are char grilled from the wind.

I had a little sew up this afternoon.

My youngest daughter is starting school on Monday and because she suffers anaphylaxis I need to provide the school with 2 epi-pens.

These need to be in an insulated pouch, so that was this afternoons task..

I pondered on cutting up a few stubbie holders but then after googling how hard it was to sew neoprene, I decided a new sewing machine motor wasnt worth it..

Dear hubby popped in to the local surfy/outdoors shop and came home with a piece of wetsuit foam.. A little test sew and it was just like sewing timtex stuff..

I sandwiched the foam between two pieces of fabric. and stitched it down.

Then disaster struck.................

The damn walking foot had vibrated the screw loose that tightens the needle in place, the needle fell out and on the downward stitch the shank hit the needle and broke it... I thought I had killed the poor thing.. I thought I was in big trouble..

I put in a new needle and put it all back together and it wouldnt sew, there was a funny noise that wasnt there before!! Oh dear what to do???

Then looky what I found under the bobbin case!!!!!!!!!- the middle section of the needle... Thankgod, no damage done (I hope), so whilst mid surgery, I thought a de-fluff might be in order.. and yes it was.

I turfed the walking foot back in the draw and used the standard foot, all that clicking and clunking of the walking foot was making me nervous..

A loop on the back to hang it up in the classroom

Then some tape binding on the edges..

(I really like this look, It is telling me "Make a satchel")

Pop in the all important epi-pen

And we are all set, I am pleased with that. But I still have to make some more. I am off to sewing group in a moment, so if I dont chatter too much, maybe I can whip up a couple more..

Sandcastles and Fat Quarters

We are off to the beach, yippee!!!!!!! So what am I doing this for when I am supposed to be winding down the Campervan?? Well cos I had to unload the camera before I could pack it, thats why... So here is whats been happening here over the past week.Firstly the postie delivered some seriously yummy fabric in the mail from Kelani..

Then some from the US..I am still mixing and matching, changing my mind constantly on the quilt fabrics... Maybe I need to make another quilt completely?? theres an idea.. maybe 3 or more..

Then after lurking in on a fantastic quilting lady, she mentioned a sale on here.. So I snapped up a few more bits...
I also have a new preppy in the house... So there is an art smock and a library bag needed, so into that job.. I wanted very much to do an appliqued owl , but NO she wanted them just like her big sisters... so I embroidered the Jumbo GirlPower design of her choice, all 40,000 damn stitches or something crazy.. It took about 2.5 hours, during stops for coffee, child dispute resolution and toilet stops from too much coffee..

Here is the design she picked, we changed the colors, because every cool chick needs a PINK CAT!!, I sent it over to the embroidery machine and off we went..Many stitches later.... Then whilst this baby is humming away, I was busy beside it making a big personalised pocket for the art smock...
Onto the outline, this is where things really come together, Or not... Some not so great stabilisers can certainly ruin an entire embroidery, when the outlines just do not line up, although these days that is probably quite cool..

Now we have 2 matching Library bags..

And also the neglected folding from the clothesline.. Oh well. One mans mess is another cats treasure..