Lookie ... See .....

What the postie did bring for me … it is my MugRug from Dorian … Yay !!!! Doin’ the Happy Dance !!!! 

My little package was mailed out of Canada on June 1 … and inside the package was … my MugRug … a gorgeous piece of fabric and a sweet little card inside its own little envelope … and on that envelope was my name and address …. And .. on the outside of the package was all the usual things …. Stamps … international / customs declaration .. name … and oh my .. the wrong address …

I have no idea how long my lovely package was at the wrong address for .. and I don’t know why the person who lives there opened it … by accident or on purpose .. it matters not … because .....

Here in Australia .. you are allowed to open any mail with your address on it … whether it belongs to you or not .. if it has your address on it .. it belongs to you … now … I am sooo  grateful that Dorian wrote the address on the sweet little envelope … and I am soooo grateful to the person who did open my package (for whatever reason) was an honest person and that they gave it back to the postie to bring here where it belongs … home at last … yay !!!!
Now my little MugRug is very very special … not only because it had an incredible journey to get here but also because it is actually reversible .. I got a 2 for 1 … wooohoooo!!!!!
Oh … I guess I should put in a pic or two to show just how gorgeous this MugRug is ..

This is the topside .. isn’t it gorgeous … precious little darlings looking out to sea … and the sweet little card .. and the beautiful fabric … yeah it is only a wee peek of that .. sorry …

This is the backside ... with all the good bits that go with being at the beach ...



 

And … I also should write a little thankyou card

to the lovely honest person at number 56 …

Thank you Dorian … I just love my MugRug …

Katie's quilt ..

This is the quilt I made for our darling Katherine when she married my son, Levi  … I have finally got the binding and label done on it … and I am quite embarrassed to say they were married in September 2009 .. the quilt was actually done but for those bits on her wedding day ... so I have been very very slack …. But it is done now …. And I guess that is something ..

The centre block I purchased .. it was made by a lady named Lee in 1999 … she stitched that into the block … the needle work on this block is amazing .. the stitches so very very very tiny … I would not be able to ever do work like it … my hands and eyes just would not allow it .. and I was really lucky to get it at a bargain price too …

I wanted to make this as special as I could for my darling daughter in law … her mum had passed away the November before they married .. I wanted to include her Mum in the quilt somehow .. so I had my son email me a photo of Margaret .. and I printed it onto fabric and included it into a crazy patch block …..

My own wedding dress was included in this quilt …. I figured no one would want to wear it … from the early 80’s … it is oh so dated … haha … so most of both the sleeves is in this quilt … the little bride and groom block .. her dress is made from my dress … and the dark red colour .. very similar to what katie wore …

I loved making this for her … and she just loves it … I am pleased it is finished .. and I do know Katie is too … she has waited a long time to have her quilt complete …

here are some close ups of the other blocks ...

and here is a pic of the ring cushion i made for her too ... (almost forgot it!!)

and a photo of the beautiful bride ...

Lists ... we all need them ...

OK ... I thought I should do a ToDo list ... more to keep me on track than anything else really ... I find it so easy to get distracted and start more new projects ... which end up become more UFO's ... so ... hopefully with my ToDo Page I shall stay on top of things ... note I did say Hopefully...

I have been kept busy making swap blocks and mug rugs for swaps … and I guess without these I would be doing a fair bit more making quilts ... or so hubby would have me think ... but I know without the commitment of doing swaps I possibly would not get to close to the sewing machine .. I would make it as far as the computer and here I would stay ...


That said ... I do think I may have to cut back a little on the swaps tho … maybe … but as for which ones ... I really have no idea cos I love doing them all ... so for now ... I guess they will all have to stay ...



I have another project that I would love to have quilted by the end of this month ... but ...



I am doubtful if I will get it done ... my beautiful Brother Innovis 400 is at the doctors ... it got itself very very sick the other week ... and I managed to take it to Brisbane last Friday ... where I found out its problem was not terminal … phew!!! ... and that it would cost hopefully less than $100 to have it back up and running properly ... and I am hoping that the lovely man fixing it will have it all done by this Friday when we go back to Brisbane for my hubby to see the eye specialist again ... and then my lovely machine can come home ..



I do have its little 'brother' here ... the BC2500 ... which is a wonderful machine too ... and I have in the past quilted the same size tops on it ... but ... gee ... I am a bit older now .. and the joints pull up just that little bit quicker too ... and I don’t think it was ever really meant for that sort of work (and I don’t think I was either for that matter LOL) ... it is very lightweight and I truly have to chase it all over the table when I use it to quilt ... cos the smallest amount of pushing and it just gives in and goes with the flow ... haha ... I do like it tho and it is keeping me out of trouble at the present time … I am getting my swaps done … blocks and mug rugs …

this coat hanger cover

 i have had sitting in a box for about 4 years ...
now finished … yay!!

  my block lotto group ... Christmas in July …

 "Summer" themed MugRug swap …

 a 12 inch block swap …

 6 inch block swap …

 Mosaic Colour Play block swap …

 a 12 inch block swap …

back again ...

And so soon too ..

It really is very unusual for me to be blogging again so soon  .. but I received a package from

a lovely friend in North Carolina yesterday and would like to share with you all what I received

Here they are ... 2 of the most gorgeous log-cabin blocks and the teeniest little key charm ... so lovely ... now these blocks are soooo great ... the larger is 6 inches and the weenie one is 3 inches small ...

can you see the little charm there under the blocks .. I tried to get a separate photo of it ..

but it was way too little ... thank you so much Blondie ... I really love these ...

Now this got me thinking about how I could be making some teeny weeny log-cabin blocks with all my scraps .... but I then realised that my scraps were all way too big for these … so .. I went scrounging through all the bits I had previously thrown into my rubbish bin and found so much fabric that I could use in these wee ones ... and ... oh my .. how very wasteful I am ... so much fabric just getting tossed to the tip .... shameful really .. especially when these gorgeous little blocks can be made ..

So I printed off a 3 inch log-cabin foundation paper pieced pattern and proceeded to sew my little bits of scraps into a beautiful block .. and oh my … how lovely it turned out …

I took it to show my Hubby … who was very impressed … so much so that he suggested I should make all different ones … but .. I want to make these …. Oh he said … so the others are all too hard … haha ... that man has lived with me for over 30 years and knows just what buttons to push … so I took up his challenge .. and made 2 others …. A little teenie weenie dimensional pinwheel and a grandmothers fan …. These were the 2 particular blocks he told me would be almost impossible for me to make that small …. HA!!! … I proved him wrong … and I am very pleased I did .. cos now I have these lovely little blocks to add to an ever growing collection of quilt blocks …

I know that they are a bit rough around the edges ... but they were fun to make .. and I think as I continue to make this little beauties .. I will only get better at them ... but ... I really want to make some more of the log-cabin ones before I venture off making others ... I shall not be listening to that man .. he causes me to take up things I really have not got time for .. haha ..

2 months on ...

Oh my goodness …  it is 2 months since my last entry …
good thing I was going to keep this up to date hey??

In my defense I have been busy ….

 I have been doing some sewing … and I will show you …

Here are a couple of pics of stuff I have been doing ..

this is my first attempt at strip piecing ...
these placemats and coasters turned out really well ...

and I am thinking I want to make more of these ..
maybe for Christmas pressies ..

Mug Rugs for a friend of mine in Brisbane ...

This Mug Rug was made for a special friend in the US ...

And a couple more MugRugs that I made for no reason at all ...

I have also started a couple of quilt tops too ... but would prefer not to put up photos of them until I have finished them ... I hope that will be sooner rather than later but with me ..

who knows when that will happen ...

I have also been doing some block swaps too ... which accounts for some of my time ... but not much ... gee .. I really need to start being more productive ...

I will be back ... promise

wow ..

The year is flying by ... so fast I can hardly keep up .... here it is Easter and I have done nothing really ... well none of the things that I had planned to do this year ...

We have moved tho ... into our own place .. even if it is rented it is ours ... and it does feel good to have my own room to sew in at last ... one with a door which i can close cos the mess is too much to look at .. haha .. it was tidy the other day .... but that was before I started sewing in there ... now there are tubs of fabric out on the floor ... patterns strewn all over the place ... cotton and bobbins out ... oh what fun ... I just love my room ...

I also have my laptop in here too ... which is great cos the desk is in the lounge room and it should stay relatively tidy if i am in here and not out there ... what can I say .. I am a messy messy person .... and .. I hate cleaning ... so ... a door is the perfect solution ...

I have been trying to make a couple of placemats for a raffle ... and sadly am not getting too far with them .. I do need to have them finished by the end of the long weekend ... so that does give me a couple more days .. and maybe I will get them done .... I do hope so ..

And then I have some swap blocks to do ... for both my swapping groups ... and ... also another little thing I have committed to is making some mug rugs for a sweet lady for her to raffle off .. the funds go to cancer so as I am a cancer survivor .. I am only to willing to help out there ... and those I do have a little while to get done ...

But the calendar is filling up fast ... and I have at least 5 quilts to make this year ... lets see if I can do it ...

just popping in

to say hi to everyone ... it's been a few days since I came in .. I have not been sewing since I finished the little quilt .. but ... today I pulled out some fabric ready to make a couple of blocks for swaps ..

I really do enjoy making the blocks for my Quilting Block Swap - Australia and Quilt Block Swap partners ... I love the colour choices the ladies have made and when the blocks are made .. I just want to keep them for myself ... so to get around this feeling .. I make 2 .. one for my partner ... and one for me ... sooo cool ... 

Anyway ... I have not started cutting yet .. so I should get off the computer and get in front of the good ol sewing machine ....

Photos later .... bye for now ...

It is finished ...

I have finished the lovely little quilt for my darling little niece ... it is all wrapped up in pretty paper .. card attached and ready to go in the car this afternoon for our trip to the coast where they live ...

I am happy with the final result ... although now that it is finished .... I am not sure about it being for either a boy or girl ... but ... never mind .. it is what it is ...

it looks a little crunched but I took this pic before I ironed it ... and then did not take another of the neatly ironed laundered quilt ... always forget somethin .. haha ... oh well .. I should be able to get a pic of it with my niece ... if I remember to take the camera to the shower with me  ...

Baby Quilt ....

This is the baby quilt I decided to make for my great neice for her next baby ... due in a few weeks but they are having a baby shower next weekend ... and I have been invited ... and .. the easiest thing I know to do is a quilt ... mind you .. had I not been invited to the shower .. she would be getting nothing from me ... there are way too many children in this family to all get something made for them by me ... way too many .... as it is I have 23 quilts to make for my own grand children ... so this little babe is very.. very lucky to be one .. but ... there is a special connection with this particular branch of the family .... this little girl .. her grandmother was the lady who taught me to sew .. and showed me how much fun was to be had between a human and a machine ... and that precious lady passed away a little while ago from cervial cancer ... so .. yeah .. truth be known... these kids are a little special


Now ...


These are the fabrics that I started with .... I do believe a lady sent these to me in a Christmas swap a few years ago ... they are very bright and cheery ... just perfect for a baby quilt ...

The plain green (behind) will be used for alternate blocks and the second border ...

also for cornerstones on the first border

The different colours are used in the blocks for the centre of the quilt ....

This purple is for the first border and

the cornerstones for the second border

This green .. for the backing ....

Firstly I made half square triangles from the coloured fabrics

Then cut them again and made these quarter square triangles .....



Then added the green as an alternate block and came up with this ....

Then I added the purple borders with the green cornerstones ...

hmmm ... this is looking very nice indeed ....

My only concern at this point is that it is looking a wee bit 'girlie' ...

and may not be suitable if the baby is a boy ... 

But I suppose that is a problem for the parents of the baby isn't it ??? lol

Now just to make it just a little more 'girlie' ..

I have added little hearts to the purple cornerstones for the next border ... haha ....

but they are made from the same fabrics that were used in the centre blocks ... so that is ok ...

And here is the finished top .....

(the colours are much deeper and brighter than the photo shows)

Only the quilting and binding to do now .....

and that is the bit I really don't like doing ... cos if I am going to muck it up ...

this is where I will do it best ....

It is a few days later ... not that you would know about it .. cos I am still writing this without publishing it ...

but ... a few days have past and I have done the quilting .. very very basic ... nothing too flash and fancy here folks .... but it looks ok ...

I was planning on doing the binding with the purple but did not have enough ... so went back to the fabric shop to find they had none left ... how great .... so I purchased some dark green .. the same mottled pattern as the purple .... and much much darker than the green in the top ... so I am hoping it will all come together ok ... cos I am not about to make another quilt for this bub ... I have to have it finished by mid week .. so .. I really should get a wriggle on me thinks ...

Hmmmm .........

Well it would appear I really am not very good at keeping things rolling here ... haha ... I guess I just get caught up in other things happening around home that I totally forget what I say I am going to do ... (well that is my excuse this time ..... )

I have been sewing ... doing little bits and pieces of things ... nothing major .... but hopefully today I will get back to the baby quilt I am doing for my niece ... hopefully ...

I had a visit from another of my nieces yesterday ... She is getting married in October and I am making her a ring cushion .... but as her mum is out of town she asked if I would go to the florist with her to get a quote on flowers for her day .... and oh my  .. how expensive is that ... really really expensive ... she is having fresh roses ... everything is fresh .... not my personal choice ... but ... it is not my day ... and this little lady knows just what she wants .... and is going to have it come hell or high water ... she is having what she wants ... and good for her ...

Tomorrow we are going to her second florist to get a quote from them too ... then she will chose which place she will get to do it ... but off the top of my head and without even knowing where we are going tomorrow I do think she will choose the one we visited yesterday .... the lady was very professional and has a few contacts around town who can provide her with some other bits and bobs that the bride was interested in ... so ... I think she has the job ...

Today I have the machine out again ... I want to do some sewing ... but my lower back is really giving me a hard time at the moment ... and pain killers are not doing too much to help .... it has been hurting since last Thursday and if it does not fix itself up soon I will have to make a trip to see the doctor ..... but I still have a bit of time before I go doing that ...

I have a lovely chicken sandwich sitting here next to me that my darling hubby just made me ... he really is a sweetie ... so I am going to sign off now and have some lunch ..

Hopefully I will be back soon ... with some completed sewing to show off ...

Back again ...

Well … here I am .. back again …. And so soon too …. Maybe I really can do this on a regular basis …. We’ll see …. lol

My husband keeps a diary or journal as some call it … he has kept one for as long as I have known him … and long before that … I know when we packed our house up last time …. There were diaries dating back to 1975 … now that is a lot of history there … and one day … our children and grandchildren may read the lot of them .. I do know that when the kids were young he would do entries addressed to one or more of them … little personal messages just for them … these I consider very special cos he was not a ‘hands on’ sort of dad … he worked long days at hard jobs and never did have too much time for the kids … mind you … if you ask them they have no complaints … they love him unconditionally … He really is a special guy … and I have been very blessed .. and again I have gone totally off topic … just rambling I guess … maybe my blog should be called .. my ramblings .. haha … and maybe I can take a leaf out of his book and try to do an entry a day .. and really make this a recording of what my days are all about ...

In about 16 hours we will have been married 30 years …. Wow … that is a very long time … there been many ups and downs .. good and bad times … happy and sad .. busy and quiet times …. Times of plenty .. and many times of being broke .. but .. none when I ever felt unloved .. He is a good man … and a good dad … an excellent grand dad … and I know in time … he will be a fantastic great grand father … but for now … he is just the best husband and friend I could or would ever want …

He allows me just about any indulgence I can afford … and encourages me in all my endeavours … and loves me more than I deserve most days .. haha …

He lets me make a hell of a mess in the house with my quilting and stuff and really does not mind that the house might not get cleaned for a couple of weeks … and doesn’t complain too much if I get all caught up sewing or just chatting on the phone or in a chat room with my friends .. instead of cooking him a meal … he will settle for a sandwich or beans on toast … yep .. I am a lucky girl …

And I have been sewing … today I have made good progress on a little baby quilt for one of my siblings grandchildren …. Her baby is due in about 6 weeks … in fact there will be 4 babies born into the family before June … I have lost count on how many there are all together … but there really is a lot of us … I am one of 7 … and we are all married … with kids .. and many of them have had babies … and some of them have had children .. and now .. their babies are having babies … in the next few days I will try to work out how many of us there are … one of my sisters has 8 children and 14 grand kids … we have 6 children and 23 grandbabies … so yep … this is something for another day … haha …

I will be back tomorrow and will post some pics of the quilt I am making … I like it .. it is very bright and colourful … I am sure our Kayla will like it too …. She has no idea what she is having .. which is unusual these days … for some reason kids today have to know as soon as possible … I reckon it takes most of the fun out of it …

Anyway … I am really starting to babble now … I think I must be getting really tired … cos that is what I do when I am tired … babble and waffle on about absolutely nothing …. lol

So I shall say good night for now … and shall be back tomorrow …. With more ramblings I dare say …

Good night all … huge hugs … sleep tight … and sleep dreams…

March already !! Where did February go ???

Oh my ... I really am not very diligent with my blog ... I must try to do better ... 

We have moved into Toowoomba and we are temporarily staying at my sister’s place ... she and her hubby have headed north for a little work .... They have a bus which they converted into a mobile home .. Very comfortable too .. and they head off every now and then ... this time it is to a job in Townsville .... they were held up here for a little while waiting for Cyclone Yasi to finish doing her thing up that way ... and she was not very nice to many places up north .... then after she passed and they finished a few touch up jobs on the bus .. they headed off ... that was a couple of weeks ago now ... and I really miss her ... 

I have been doing no sewing to speak of .. but I have been visiting some lovely little fabric shops ... and one is for sale and going at a very very discounted price ... oh to have that discounted price cos I would buy the place ... so many lovely fabrics ... buttons .. and too many other things to describe ... let’s just say if I was there and died ... I would go out a very happy girl ... lol ... 

I have my machine set up in the lounge room .. which is really not the most ideal place .. but ... beggars can't be choosers ... I have done a couple of swap blocks .... my partners are lovely patient girls .. and I do appreciate them for that cos I was rather late with one of them ... and yesterday I got the info for my March swap partner ... So I will get onto that one in a day or two ...

Enough with the rain !!!!!

Well ... I am of the opinion that we have had enough rain ... enough to last a long while ... and so have my kids ...

you can see where the water was at their front door .... another inch and it would have been inside .... they didn't sleep at all .. however the water did start to drop at midnight ...

this is the front yard ... you can see the kids sandpit is an island ... the box is about 15inches high ... to give you some idea of how deep the water is ...

the backyard is higher ground ... however if she wants to hang the wash out .. she will get her feet pretty wet ... haha ...

this is looking out the side of the house ... the treeline is where the creek normally runs .... if it has any water in it .. which is not too often ... this year it has been full to this extent twice ... which is ... two times too many ....

I am just relieved that the sun is out and the water is falling ... here anyway ... not too sure about the rest of the country ... but we certainly have had our fair share of the wet stuff ...

I am on my own at present ... Marcos is off again harvesting ... finally got him out of here on Monday ... the roads were all closed and still are ... so Greg (his boss) could not get thru to pick Marcos up ...  and Greg was so desperate to get away that he sent a helicopter to get Marcos .... now my darling will think he is very special ... and really he is ... and i know i will hear about this episode for years to come ...

The harvest has been very poor so far this year ... on account of the rains ... the plants themselves are plentiful and very good ... it is just been impossible to get harvesters in to get the crops off ... the guys normally leave in early November and are home mid December ... all done ... but this year ... they left in mid October and ... have been back and forward since ... and they have never been away this late in the year ... but there are crops still in the ground down south .... so that is where they have gone ... and hopefully ... Greg will get some work done .. he has a young family ... 5 little ones and a very lovely wife ... and they all depend heavily on the income from the harvest each year to carry them thru ... not the way I would personally choose to live my life but it works for them and that is all that matters ...

But really ... I would not be a farmer for quids .... the man on the land truly does it tough .... they get little reward for their efforts ... and get even less thanks for it from the wider community ... I really admire the men and woman who spend their lives growing food for the country ... they are a very special breed of people and like everything else in this world are becoming more and more scarce as time goes by ...

I should also post that all went well with my operation …. The surgeon was very happy with what she saw when I was opened up …. No evidence of any cancer … and she got everything out that needed to be removed … I was very sore but very very pleased with her news …

I now just have to recover … which I am told could take anywhere from 3 to 6 months … but … for now I am going one day at a time …. I am walking very well now .. and can get in and out of bed without a drama … also I can get into the bath and out of it .. which was a bit of a problem when I first came home … but with Marcos gone I am finding I can do a lot more than I thought I was capable of … the kids were looking out for me … but they have enough dramas going on at their place .. they really don’t need to be worrying about me …

But all in all … I am doing real well … still can’t sit at the sewing machine or computer for any great length of time .. but little by little I am getting more and more done …

In next to no time I will be as fit as a fiddle ...

Time is getting away on me !!!

I am busy busy busy ..... and am NOT sewing ... I am trying to get my house tidied up ... sorting more than cleaning .. cos I hate cleaning and will avoid it at any cost .. lol

I have what is left of today and tomorrow to get organised for my trip to hospital ... I do hate going there but this is one of those 'have no choice' things .... It is an op that can't be avoided ... well that is not really true .. I could choose not to have it but that would only lead to further problems down the road .. so ... this Tuesday we head into Toowoomba and spend the night in accommodations and then at 06:45 I check into the surgical ward .... then onto theatre and then back to the ward .. hopefully ... they may send me to the ICU ... but no one knows just yet if that is going to happen or not ... depends on what they do to me and how I respond to what they do ....

Apparently my body does not play nice when under an anaesthetic … they tell me I stop breathing and cause the doctors no end of concern … heeheee … I just want to make sure they earn their pay for the day … lol

I am well past expecting to have a good bill of health … so whatever they find ..  as long as I walk out of the hospital at the end of it all .. with a fair bill of health  .. it will be worth the op and the 6 weeks ‘resting’ afterwards .. even tho we will be in the throws of moving house in the new year … ahhh …. Never a dull moment in the life and times of this old girl …

The one good thing about having this op so close to Christmas is … I am not doing anything for Christmas day … apart from sitting at my son and darling daughter in laws and having a wonderful day with their children ….

If I am not back in before hand … have a wonderful Christmas and may your homes be filled with much love .. laughter .. and peace …..

Hugest of hugs …

December .... Wow !!!!

Where did the year go ???

Here we are ... at the end of another year ... at the end of another decade ... or was that last year ?? oh who cares ???     all I know is ... Christmas is upon me again .... and I am totally unprepared ... but that is really nothing new ... lol ... I am never prepared and this year I doubt if I will get there ...

Over the next few days I will be making some FibreArt PostCards for Christmas .... and getting them in the mail before it is too late ...

and maybe ... just maybe I will get to town and get some things for the children before it is too late ....

But you know?? ...... Whether I am ready for it or not ........... Christmas IS going to happen !!!...