cute pot holder

i book-marked this you-tube tutorial quite some time ago, a couple of nights ago i sifted through my stash and found a couple of cute fat quarters and started sewing!  mine is a little smaller than the tutorial because i used 8" squares, and i decided to use 4 layers of bamboo batting/wadding (that's what i had in the house!!)

Front

Back

and a little bit of shopping...

 a pack of 20 mystery fat quarters from Fabric Love Australia, there are some really cute ones in there!

my parcel has arrived!

my selvedges fabric has arrived!  all the way from Quilt Sandwich Fabrics in the USA, Kris is lovely and i am sure that i will buy from her again

 

 

i LOVE the way those little spiders march across the selvedges!

edited to add - i should have mentioned that this fabric is from "Haunted Mansion" by Moda

A few random thoughts

my little girl is recovering well from her surgery, she is actually ahead of expectations - but i think she was sick of the camera by the time i took this photo!

i felt the need for a bit of retail therapy the other day.  aren't these shoes just toooo cute?? it is spring here and i think these are the perfect shoes to express my joy that winter is finally over (and they were less than AU$50, bargain!), i think i may need to go back and get a black pair too!

this little stack of fabrics and pattern came home with me from Ballarat Patchwork.  i am looking forward to making my "mini mice" quilt; designed by Trish Harper (no blog or website) it is just too cute for words!

Retreat photos (finally!)

This is a little wall hanging to brighten the entry room in my home, it was inspired by Crazy Mom Quilts' Ticker Tape quilt.  I had all of the little shapes pinned onto the background before i went away, but all of the applique was done on retreat (as was the binding)

Next project for retreat was to finish the binding on my "Summer Lemonade" quilt.  i am proud to report that it is all done.  It is going to hang on the wall in my laundry, which is painted a lovely bright yellow so this quilt should be perfect in there!

Here is a photo of the back, you can also see the "snake stitch" that i quilted the top with:

A close up of the front:

And i just had to do some shopping at Old Rosemont Quilts, Isabelle is kind enough to bring her shop to us every year.  She has some lovely fabrics, a few just needed to come home with me!

i also got a couple of postcards made for a swap, i think that they are bright and happy (perfect for a "summer" themed swap):

i also came home with a little pile of challenge fabrics, all different sizes and in shades of blue or green.  my challenge is to make a 8.5" QAYG block for a charity quilt and to make an "item" from the remaining fabrics (i can also add ONE plain fabric of my choosing)

Craft and Quilt Fair - Melbourne

Here are a couple of photos of the treasures that came home with me from the Craft and Quilt Fair last Sunday...

Again, my photos aren't that great.  No plans for the Bali Pops as yet but I am sure that I will find something fun to do with them!  The variegated threads are a bit of a weakness of mine, I just have to buy them and I love using them for quilting.

I also bought a gorgeous pattern and Monica Poole's new book "Quilt as You Go" (they are coming in the mail as they were all sold out) from Margaret's Fabrics

Oh and my quilting mojo seems to have returned - I have finished the quilting on my "Summer Lemonade" quilt, I just need to trim it to size and bind it. 

The cat is currently checking the quality of my workmanship

I'm a BAD blogger

I just realised how long it has been since I posted... oops!

I have been working a lot and have been away a few times so the days have just slipped away from me, sadly not much sewing has been happening around here BUT I did manage to attend the Craft and Quilt Fair in Melbourne last Sunday, I will post some photos of my goodies on the weekend.

I may even manage to do a bit of sewing this weekend.... maybe!

I've been shopping

Another cool parcel arrived from Pink Chalk in the USA last week. The first two (blue print and red paisley) are laminated cottons, they are soooo soft and feel lovely, nothing like those stiff old fashioned plastic coated fabrics.

I have plans to make a multi-tasker tote from the blue print - I'm going to combine it with a print that I found at Ballarat Patchwork a few weeks ago

My postie, my friend...

I've been shopping again, oops!

Firstly I bought this BEAUTIFUL hand made crochet bunny rug from Naomi over at Crafty Owl Naomi, she does beautiful work and it was a pleasure to buy from her. My photo doesn't do it justice, but I just had to share: And this cool parcel arrived from Fishpond. It looks a bit like cardboard shrink wrapping for books! It is the best mailing packaging that I have seen and I just had to share a photo with you...
The cardboard is waxed on the inside (protection from the wet) and there isn't any addition padding other than the cardboard BUT it is nice and stiff and protected my books beautifully.

I wish all retailers would think about how they pack items for posting and the environmental impacts that unnecessary packaging creates

"Candy Kisses" for me

On Friday another parcel arrived from the USA, it was stuffed FULL of goodies...

Can you believe that Laura from Over the Rainbow managed to stuff so many goodies into one flat rate envelope??

There was a jelly roll, a pack of charm squares, a layer cake AND the co-ordinating panel from "Candy Kisses" by Moda:

Hmmmm, time to stop buying and start sewing!!