Competitions and learning new skills..

Over at Quokka Quilts there is a Bloggers Choice Fat Quarter Bundle competition. Because it looked like fun and I always wanted to know how to make one of those picture mosaics(which is one of the requirements), I've been playing with fabric pictures from the Fat Quarter Shop site and have put together this bundle.

And in the process I updated my banner too, with all those new skills I had learnt!!


1. JuicyBlossoms-21819-Q-200, 2. Heirloom-JD52-GOLD-200, 3. OohLaLaMM-DC5200-MANG-D-200, 4. Sophie-32505-18-200, 5. PowerPop-PWJM055-AQUA-200, 6. Impressions-PWTY017_ORANG-200, 7. Mimosa-2-YELLOW%20ORANGE-200, 8. HyperrealGarden-HG-8410-200, 9. KaffeFassett-PWGP123-YELLO-200, 10. Modernology-MO-4806-200, 11. Modernology-MO-4809-200, 12. Impressions-PWTY012_GREEN-200, 13. Kona-K001-1064-200, 14. AmyButlerSolids-AB45-SLAT-200, 15. FSDesignerSolids-S46-SAFFRON-200

Ok, back to the jobs I should be doing!

Christmas Wishes

I am running a bit late (or are incredibly early!)but I hope everyone had a tremendous Christmas. Normally we travel for Christmas but this year we had to stay put because of my husband's work (but thankfully managed no call-outs on the actual day!), so it was a very relaxed day with just the kidlets, hubby and I.

Before Christmas I received these lovely ornaments in the mail...

..from the lovely Claire...


..and from the equally lovely Kay (I actually received two of these..how lucky am I??)

In our online quilting group we participate in a Secret Santa swap (think I've mentioned that before!) and this is the goodies I received..truly spoilt by Alex.

(my favourite flowers are sweetpeas, so especially love the mug)


Lots of handmade goodies - beautiful work by Alex...



(must remember to hide those chocolates.)

So as I sit typing away, I can hear the thumps on the floor of the kids playing their new Wii game, the Boxing Day Test (cricket) playing on the radio and the TV - hubby is cleaning the shed and runs in to see the highlights and I have the washing machine running hot, cleaning clothes from last weeks holiday.Don't you love Christmas Holidays?!

Hope you have a great week!

Secret Santa Gift

In typical fashion I had left my making of my online quilting groups Secret Santa gift to the last minute. So reaching for a charm pack I received for my birthday I sat down and made this cushion..basically making it up as I went.


12 charm squares for the front..

16 for the back.. and a bit of linen and lace..
My recipient prefers country colours, so I'm hoping she will like it!.

I received three quilts back from the machine quilters today so hopefully I will be back sometime soon to show you them all bound and finished! (but maybe after the Christmas craziness!!)

Hope you're having a good week!

And more ornaments...

Still more felt flying as I get a few more bits and pieces made.

I found the ribbon in Gorgeous Girl's scrapbooking supplies. What a find!

And a partridge in a pear tree...

Christmas is rapidly approaching, and as it does my "to-do" list is becoming more urgent. I am in a Christmas ornament swap and so have been playing with my felt and some Theodora Cleave buttons.

So far I have come up with this..


Hopefully it is recognisable as a pear tree??

Anyway it's been fun to have a play after a frantic week of speech days, end of year concerts, visitors and Christmas parties.

Hope you're having a good week..

A new generation quilter...

My Gorgeous Girl loves to create, so for her birthday I gave her a jelly roll of Summer House.

This is what she has created...



She has made it mainly at the sewing class she goes to at our LQS. Her lovely teacher, Leonie is able to gently nag her into more even seams..unlike her mother!

Glad to have another quilter in the family as someone has to use up all this fabric!!

Have a great week!

November's Block

As previously mentioned I am in a Quilt Bee called the Travelling Circles Bee. Part of the joy of doing bees is that you learn new techniques and challenge yourself....it's all a learning curve.

Well, the thing I learnt from this month's block is that I am NEVER going to make a whole orange peel quilt.....EVER...

Now, I really try hard for bee blocks. With my own quilts I am sometimes a bit "she'll be right" but I like my bee blocks to be as close to perfect as I can get them.

Well, here is this month's orange peel block...


It goes against the grain to send off a block where the points don't match and there are puckers..but this block was not working for me at all! And I figured if I did too much unpicking then the pieces were going to be distorted and I didn't have any extra fabric to remake it. (as they had all been supplied)

Insert big sigh here.....

But at least it is ticked off the "To- Do" list and now I can move onto the next job (and boy, are there a few!!)

Hope you're having a good week!

Travelling Circle Bee

October was my month on the Travelling Circles Bee and here are the blocks I have received so far..



Any bright sparks out there got any ideas on setting/sashing?? What colours, what styles? Any suggestions gratefully received... I originally thought I would just join them together, no sashing but with the dotty background, the dots are not going to meet up properly etc..which may drive me dotty!!
Thanks...

Rain, rain, rain

"Hmmmm..lots of rain out there"


"Anyone for some raisin toast and a bit of telly?"

There's been a LOT of rain in our region over the last couple of days. Poor farmers who should be starting their wheat harvest! Poor teachers who are trying to entertain kids inside who are restless as it's 4th term here in school.Poor mums who have an endless pile of washing (that's me! )

Maybe because of the rain here over the last couple of days we've had a "visitor" come to live in the garage.


The other news in the family is the addition of these three little ladies. Bringing our chicken flock to six!


Hope you have a great week!
(The little NOM's (yep, spelt like that)are from here.)

A quilt for Abi

I've been working on a quilt for the 2nd new niece that came into this family in the last couple of months.

This one's for Abi...

(Fabric - Sherbert Pips. I used the leftovers to make the bag for Gorgeous Girl)

Born six weeks early, Abi is going really well (and will need to be a tough little tike as she has two rambunctious older brothers!!)

I still need to lay this on a single bed and probably trim a little as it's so huge. Then I'm hoping to use the trimmed pieces in the backing somehow..just need to put my thinking cap on for that one!

Hope you have a good week

Photos from around and about.

As previously mention..somewhere, ages ago...I went with my Gorgeous Girl on a school excursion to Adelaide in late October. (quite a way away from rural NSW!)

I loved Adelaide. Every block in the CBD seems to have some kind of sculpture, so there's always something new around the corner. There are also some beautiful old buildings. Here is a couple of pictures..





On one afternoon we headed out on the tram to Glenelg to the beach. It was a gorgeous spot.


And in case you're wondering how you keep track of fifteen 11 and 12 year olds - you make them wear their bright red Conference hats. I told them that they looked like a field of mushrooms...


The kids did a great job with their presentation and had a ball going to other delegate's workshops and the dinners at night.

I unfortunately didn't get to any patchwork shops but did have fun wandering through Rundle Mall.

I was glad to get back to "my boys" and sleep in my own bed by the end of the five days though.

And just to skite, I thought I'd show you Gorgeous Girl's hat that she made for the Melbourne Cup fun at school. Made entireley from bits and pieces we had at home, she had great fun with her glue gun!


Hope to be back soon! Have a good week!

Same pattern.Two very different quilts!!

Here is my quilt, a kit purchased from Honeysuckly Cottage a long time ago.

and here is the same pattern made up in these great, wild fabrics by Julie at the quilt retreat I went to last weekend.
She's added lots of borders to make it larger.
Isn't it amazing how two so very different quilts can come from the same pattern?? Have a great week!

The last two weeks...

In my last two weeks I have..
1. Travelled to Adelaide, seen the sights, marvelled at the creativity of 11 year olds at their presentation,slept very little due to not being used to city noises any more.
2. Battled a flu
3. Did a week's household tasks in a slap dash fashion in two days.
4. Battled a flu
5. Headed off to my annual quilt weekend. Laughed, sewed, realised my fabric choice was completely wrong (will show photos later), ate too much heavenly slice.
6. Battled the flu
7. Did the paperwork for the BAS (tax)- boy I hate that job.
8. Battled the flu
9. Spent hours surrounded by samples of carpet/vinyl/laminex/tiles as I try to plan colour schemes for my hubby's new work
10. Battled the flu

Hope to be back later to show photos of lots of the above..not the flu bit obviously (and probably not the tax also), but I first must wean myself off various pharmaceutical agents and catch up on a lot of jobs.

Until then have a good week!

Birthday..and other exciting stuff...

Recently I had a birthday. I turned 37. I was very excited to turn 37 as, for some reason, I thought I was turning 38. This was until my Gorgeous Girl heard me tell Boo I was now 38 and she did the maths for me. So that was a nice surprise and I'm now all mentally prepared to turn 38 next year (unless of course I think I'm turning 39!)

We were on holidays for my birthday, so I nicely came home to lots of packages from the lovely ladies of my online quilting group. Here's a bit of what I was sent.



My lovely friend Mel outdid herself and made me a doorstop (pretty sure it's a Hatched and Patched pattern). How cute is this?..love the button flowers, and the trees on the side, etc etc.



And Gorgeous Girl made me a cushion at her class that she goes to at her local quilt shop..she didn't show me anything until she gave it to me. Just asked if she could ferret through my material and as per usual I said, "Sure! Just don't use any fabric that appears to be in a kit and don't get lost in all that stuff as I'm not coming in to find you!" (it's important to set the ground rules!) Don't you love that she's even quilted it with stars?? (now that I know she can machine quilt, she's got a lot of work to do next holidays!!)


I was also a winner of a giveaway at Narioka. I chose from her shop this gorgeous little dress. I was tempted to squish my boy into it..just because I thought he would look cute, but his father is funny about me doing stuff like that so I will save it for a niece's birthday present.


I really love that fabric!

Have a great week. I'm off to Adelaide with Gorgeous Girl on a school excursion. I'm hoping to lead a bad example and slack off and head off to quilt shops that I've never seen before. Wish me luck!

The costumes continue.....

Just quietly I am getting a little over costume making but the end is in sight, so I thought I'd show you my version of a Jewel Beetle.



To be worn by a 11 year old boy in Gorgeous Girl's class...isn't he going to be thrilled??!! *grin* Though how you make a beetle costume that looks "blokey" is (and apparently was) beyond me!! (though I doubt the teacher will make him wear the tights that my model chose to wear!)

Have a great week!

One for a wish??

My blog name is from a childhood poem my dear Mum used to say to us when we sneezed.
One for a wish
Two for a kiss
Three for a letter
Four for something better.

When I announced I was having bub no. 4, the reoccuring comment was 'Are you crazy??!!". There were very, very few comments of "Wow, that's great! You'll love it!" LOL This seemed to be especially as our Boo (no. 3 child) was just about to head off to school and people thought I should be looking forward to "freedom". I was feeling sad that my toddler looking after time was over...

So this poem popped into my head as I was thinking of a blog name, as I found "four was something better".

Bit of a stretch in thought processes, but that's how my brain works!!

Random Photos of Spring

I love Spring. My poor sad neglected garden manages to ignore my pathetic attempts and put on a show. Here are some photos...

The kids pansies..all named..for some reason...with very pansy kind of names like Yoda, and Obi-wan, Thomas and Portia (??!!)


A Euphorbia (I think) that lives in the pots out the front of our house. Hardy little souls..I like them!!


The climbing rose that ventures from the next door neighbours place. My hubby hates it as it prickles him as he mows...he prunes it severely..it climbs on back..another survivor!!

My favourite picture of all...

Kids at work! Actually Gorgeous Girl has really gotten into being a vegetable grower, which I heartily endorse as it doesn't involve an electronic screen. And hopefully we will have lots of lovely vegies in the summer. So they've been busy filling up a above ground garden bed we've bought..lots of fun in very dirty dirt! And why the pirate hat...one of life's mysteries....

Sophie's quilt finished

One finished quilt for my new niece Sophie. I put it in my daughter's room and she heavily hinted that it went rather well there, but off it goes in the post. :-) The quilting was done by Bee Creative Quilting.
Don't you love it when you actually get things finished??
Have a great week!

What do you have on your ironing board??

I have one finished Murray Cod costume! Yay!



My daughter is off to a do a play for other for kids and this is one of the costumes for a play that her class is performing.

It was an absolute shocker to sew..it has craft foam as it's "insides" which wanted to stretch and stick in the sewing machine etc etc. So this view..from a distance, is it's best side. Close up it's full of puckers etc etc.

But I kind of like his cheeky face...


(In case you're wondering how the kid wears it, their face is in the fish's mouth. I would have a munchkin demonstrate but they are all tucked up in bed.)

I'm glad to have one of these costumes ticked off the list. I have to just figure out how to make a frog head now and finish off a Jewel Beetle's legs. (Now there's a sentence I can't imagine I will ever say again!) :-)

Have a great week!

Taking ten...

Every year a local charity group, The Blue Angels, have a quilt exhibition in a local hall. Its a terrific weekend. They also have a "challenge" associated with it, and this year it was to make a 10" quilt with the theme "10", and it had to include some blue.

Made in a bit of a rush, yesterday afternoon, this was my contribution... Inspired by our recent trip to Hamilton Island,I'm not much of a pictorial quilter, I'm afraid, but it was a bit of fun to have a go.


I was pretty proud of my 3D palm leaves though!

Have a great week!

Finished Bag

Just back quickly to show you the finished bag I made for Gorgeous Girl's 11th birthday..here she is being a hand model...

Thanks to Lzi and Vanessa's help for solving my ugly stitches problem. They suggested buttons..which definitely looked better and would have looked great if I hadn't waited until 10.00pm the night before to sew them on...realising they were a little too small to cover all the stitches...hmmmm...


And here is the first block I have made for my Travelling Circles Bee. Fabrics all supplied by the wonderful, and very organised, Sarah.


And up close of a favourite circle..