Secret Sewing

Quiltaid, Brenda Ryan

Quiltaid, Natalie Bird

These two blocks are the secret sewing I was doing this month. They are part of the Quiltaid quilt. If you want to see the other ten blocks go here. I sewed them for Sarah from Quilt Fabric Delights and Janelle Wind is busy turning the twelve blocks into a quilt for Sarah. Quiltaid is for an excellent cause so make sure you go check out the Quiltaid website!

In other news, I got the back for my Tis The Season quilt pieced today! Much excitement. I was determined not to buy more fabric and it turns out the leftovers were more than I needed even. So tomorrow the plan is to stretch the quilt and start some quilting. I might just make that September 30 deadline!

Another month...

... that I have struggled to post on this blog. Just been busy? Or unproductive? Not sure what. Perhaps I am just uninspired at the moment.

Melbourne, from a bridge.

Had a great afternoon today catching up with Loz and Gail at my local shopping center food court. There's nothing like meeting up with fellow stitchers! (We're an extremely wonderful bunch of people!) I have projects on the go. Chookyblue is encouraging me to finish my "Tis The Season" quilt by the September 30 deadline. (So far it's not happening.) I have also found (whilst unpacking) a bunch of tops, along with their corresponding battings and backings that just need stretching and quilting. So I could finish something, I just haven't yet. It could happen. Stay tuned to see if I make Chookyblue crack her whip at me. (Or not.)

Rainbow

This rainbow was so brilliantly coloured I just HAD to take a photo of it. The photo is somewhat disappointing, but take my word for it, this was the biggest, brightest most irridescent rainbow I have ever seen.  Not a beautiful scene, but I was driving at the time!

We heard late last night that our fickle landlord has changed his mind and will not be selling our house. (His mind has been backwards and forwards on the issue several times over the last three weeks or so.) Apparently this is the final decision. (Uh-huh!) Part of me is outraged that he just can't make up his mind and leave it at that, and part of me is happy not to move. (After all, the sewing room is nearly finished!)

I am busy stitching here on a secret project I can't show you. (See, that's why I needed the pretty rainbow!) I am almost done and itching to get to my tts and finish it! And to get some progress on the pies and tarts happening!

We are also having an invasion from Adelaide later this week. Some of our favourite people are coming for a holiday. Can't wait!!!

Favourite Things Friday

Just went to Amanda's blog and read her ftf post. (See it here.) I know her beach and I miss it now that we have moved interstate. I thought I would post about Amanda's beach (I have photos of it!), but then I thought to post something I like here in Victoria. And here it is.

Tall Trees

Tall trees. We have trees in South Australia, but none like this. I love to drive in the Dandenong Ranges and see tall trees. (Brings to mind a Crowded House song actually!) Maybe I'll go do that right now.


Catch up with all the other FTF posts from here, on Shay's blog.

My sewing room...

 ... has been in use today. It's not completely finished, but is set up enough for me to use it. I have been working on my Tis The Season quilt top which you can look at here. My sewing room is technically the dining room in this house. It has two eating areas though and we eat in the meals area next to our kitchen which leaves the dining room free for me to use.

Of course, the photo above shows just one side of the room. The other side is in the photo below.

Yep. It's a mess! The last few things to sort out. To find a home for. On Thursday I had the great idea of dealing with 5 items each morning before I start sewing, and had I done that the pile would be much shorter than it is. As it is... Perhaps I will start tomorrow morning! 

In less than perfect news, we found out last week that our house is to be sold and we will have to move. (Whaaaaat??? I just got the sewing room set up! *sigh*) 

I won a give away!

the sweet package Marg sent me

The other day I had a dream that I had won a blog give away, so I woke up all expectant. I am an eternal pessimist (We really are happy people. We spend most of our time being right, and the rest of the time being pleasantly surprised!) and dismissed the dream as soon as I was truly conscious. Later that morning as I checked my favourite blogs, there was my name! I won two patterns in a Marg Low give away! (Check out Marg's blog and all of her pretty things here.) Today I received them, along with a couple of trinkets to use with the "Festive Trinkets" pattern. I am looking forward to using that pattern. I did a class with Marg in Adelaide last year and had a wonderful time making a bookmark for my daughter. I am planning to make Christmassy stuff in October and November, so look out for my trinkets!

two patterns, as well as the trinkets on the ribbon

In other news, I seem to be distracting myself from finishing the sewing room (Visits to Ikea... blogging... ). Must. Go. Finish.

First hexie!

I finished my first hexie from the new block of the month "This Goes With That" today. I was quite surprised when I received the BOM because the finished hexies are bigger than I had realised from seeing them on Hettie's website. (You can see a reference for size below) This one has been fussy cut. The instructions tell you not to fussy cut too many, because "less is more". I love that whole cliche thing. Cliches must have started somewhere. I wonder just who was the first person to say "less is more" and what situation was it first uttered in? (On the whole "less is more" tangent, I love the quote from the modern Sabrina: "More isn't neccessarily better Linus. Sometimes it's just more.") I started thinking about this whole cliche thing after reading Loz's latest post here. Her son has been "calling" football for the local radio station and he has been nicknamed "Captain Cliche". I think that must mean he is doing a good job because most professional sports commentators are full of cliches! Anyway, back to the hexies. I have no idea how many I "have to" make each month. I think that the idea is to be fairly flexible so that you can come up with a design and possibly even a size that suits you. (Unless I have missed something, which could well be the case!) I think that probably you are supposed to make many more than one hexie per month, so it's not like I am close to exceeding my limit or anything! I will just keep plodding along I guess! The sewing room is still in disarray, but I am inching closer to the finish! Wish me luck!

So you can judge the size. They're quite big really.

Little Birds (make me happy)

 I am still sorting through my sewing room. I emptied the last box today. I am getting pretty excited about the room and about all the projects I have started and can start! I came across this book today. It was gifted to me by the lovely Loz when I visited her in July. (I had the best time hanging out with her! She is one of my favourite people. That's the only downer about our move to Melbourne. I see some of my favourite people less now.) I love that she knew just how much I would love this book. I still claim to all and sundry that I am actually not that crazy for birds, but I must be because this book is just divine. Full of inspiration! Check out some of my favourite pages...

Love this sweetie and her shopping

A journal cover (love journal covers!). Absolutely love this applique.

Love, love, love this guy. Love also the gone over a lot lines. That's my kind of quilting!

I'm not that into the current owl craze (yeah, denial again lol) but who wouldn't love these guys? Owls with attitude!

So, will there be some birds featuring soon on my blog? Probably not (yeah, denial!) but will I be reading this book over and over? Yep. It makes me feel so happy! Hope it made you feel happy too!