Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Kira would look so gorgeous in this! Check out this giveaway over at Grosgain. If I don't win it, I may need to find someone who can actually sew clothes to make one for me!

Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Weekend retreat!

I'm back from my relaxing weekend on Straddie. No Straddie pics at the moment, sorry, but I forgot my camera and the friend I went with hasn't downloaded hers yet. However, I can show you these two which I have borrowed from the the Straddie Sales and Rentals website, who are the people we rented the house off. Lovely people and absolutely gorgeous house! I'm not going to tell you whichhouse it is - and the reason for that I will reveal later!

This is the back deck. It looked right onto the bay where we could sit, sip champagne and watch the dolphins swim back and forth. Several of them even jumped for us, but never when the camera was ready!!

As you can see, the deck had a lovely big table with outdoor powerpoints! This is where I sat and sewed for much of the weekend!

So what did I manage to get done in this idyllic setting? I sandwiched and quilted the Sudoku quilt and quilted the rocket quilt - which was exactly what I had wanted to get done! Please ignore the threads on this pics, I still have to finish sewing the ends in.I would love to say that I will finish these before the end of Feb, but I just don't see it happening. Looks like I'll miss out a draw entry this month, but plan to make up for it next!

Close up of one of the Sporting Sudoku blocks. I'm really impressed with how this turned out. I will admit to spending a fair amount of time staring at it, sure I have made a mistake somewhere! I just did stitch in the ditch quilting - I think it's busy enough to carry it. I did consider quilting each block seperately with it's main item (eg, tennis racket, football, golf tee) but quickly realised my skills do not stretch that far just yet!
If you've read back through my blog, you will quickly understand that I am not very adventurous with my quilting! The rocket quilt screamed out for something other than my usual stitch in the ditch, so I decided to give echo quilting a go. I also decided on some stars on the sashing. If I'd had more experience, I would have loved to have done the rockets and shooting stars in red, but knowing my limitations, I stuck with white. I'm very proud of my efforts and can see me doing more of this in the future.
And why didn't I tell you where we stayed? I thought I would set you to a bit of sleuthing! I have two prizes. The first is some scraps from my Sudoku quilt. There will also be some of the black and red fabric from the sashing The second is two pieces of fabric from a range I do not know the name of. They are very cute though!
To win you need to go to the Straddie Sales and Rentals website and using the pictures I have posted, tell me the name of the house we stayed in. Now and this is very important DO NOT post the name of the house in the comments section here! Not unless you want everyone to steal your answers! Instead, post a comment here and then send me an email with the title "Straddie giveaway" and tell me the name of the house and your blogger name so I can match the two up! I'll draw it on Friday 27th, sometime in the afternoon. My email, by the way, is kylie dot purdie at gmail dot com

Squishy mail!

Last week I received my give away prize from Angela at Quilting on the Run. She sent me a gorgeous stack of fabrics.
These two were my favourites.
I'll use the ballerinas for something for my daughter. Her daycare has asked me to make some cushion covers which is where I think the fish and a couple of others will go.

By the way, hop on over to Angela's blog, she's having a give away every month and this month is some lovely "feedsack" squares.

Thanks again Angela for your extreme generosity!

Currently reading...

The Reckoning by Shraon Penman

This is one of my favourite authors. She writes about medieval history, kings, queens, battles - it's brilliant! By far a much better history lesson than I got from any teacher!

While I was away on the weekend, I finally finished Broken Lives and also ripped through
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling. This is the book where things start to get really really serious! Off to put the last one on hold at the library today.

Give away prizes should be posted by the end of the week!

And the winners are...

Today is the big day!! Thank you all so much for participating. I have to go back and check out a few blogs from new commenters, but if I did it now, I could be here all night! So without further ado, the winners are...

Day one

Car! Who made this comment:

Car said...

I'm the nong who blogged & told everyone to come here for your months worth of giveaways... no idea where I got that from???

It's official - my poor brain is addled ;)

I'll go change my blog so none of my 3 readers come looking for more than what you originally intended on gifting!!!

Day two

Kate! With:
Kate said... Love the retro scraps and I am addicted to making bags atm so would love to win this one!

My two girls and a new puppy definitly don't go well together with my sewing resulting in little time to myself and distrated sewing opportunities.

Day three

Roseanne! Who said this:

Roseanne said...

I Love wild live in every form and flower to. I am a wild live helper with small animals. I take them in and raise them on there bottles. Then find homes in the wild live parks for them,

Day four

Austy's Mum! With this comment:

Austy's Mum said...

My favourite tradition is baking Finish Christmas biscuits - I learnt how to make them when on student exchange... 15yrs ago! Wow, I didn't realise I'd been doing them for that long. We are also like Emma and just starting to make our little rituals for Christmas as the children get older and more into it.

Day five
Mand-a-Lin Who wrote:

Mand-a-Lin said...

Oh my, really would like those charm squares so here goes. My boys at birth were.

Rohan 3.810 kg - 8lb 6oz
Jamie 4.255 kg - 9lb 6oz

Thanks for this, it was so nice to think about those baby days.

Day Six
Leah! With:

Leah said...

Oooh, nice giveaway.

As to what I don't like.... it's (gasp!) chocolate - Roseanne, I'm with you.

Actually I've figured out recently that this may be because it's lactose doesn't lke me...

And finally. Day seven

Mands! With this:

Mands said...

What a cute kit Kylie. My verification code is pardies!

I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I did! I'm off to Stradbroke Island for the weekend to recover! Sewing machine is coming with me - the kids ain't! When I get back I will hopefully have a couple of finished items to show. I'll also blog my giveaway prize from the international swap from Angela the other day. It's very nice and will not be featuring in any future giveaways! Off to let my winners know!

My 100th post give away - day 7!!

We've made it!! I've saved something really special for last. Are you ready??

But before I do... (I know, I'm a tease!) Can I just say thank you to everyone who has participated in this? I've had a great time reading all your comments and visiting new blogs. I hope you keep coming back after this, I 'd love to see you again! Please remember you can enter any of my give aways up until 10pm on Thursday night. To triple your chances of winning, simply mention my give away on your blog and then link back to here. Hope you liked something I have on offer this week.

Today I am giving away a kit called Wooly Friends by the Bee Creative Studio. I bought this many, many moons ago and yet have never had the desire to start it. Again, would much rather it go to a good home than sit another year in my cupboard!

Aren't those colours scrummy!!!

The kit has all the fabric needed to make the quilt top, which is 45x54 inches. It uses Andover Fabrics and would be perfect for a boy or girl.

Want to win this one? Leave a comment, including the word verification letters you need to publish your post!

So that is the last of my give aways! All seven will be drawn 10pm Thursday 19 February, Brisbane, Australia time . Each one will be drawn separately, so if you want a chance in each, make sure you leave a comment each day! Thanks for taking part - hope you have had a much fun as I have!

My 100th post giveaway - day 6

Still with me?? We're almost there!

Today we have 4 fat quarters of Kaffe Fasset fabrics.

I try really hard to like Kaffe Fasset designs, to rave about them like many do, but in the end I just don't like them that much. Sorry. There are bits and pieces I like, but on the whole they just don't appeal.

Want to win this one? (I know you do Kelly!) Leave a comment and tell me something that doesn't really appeal to you that everyone else seems to rave about!

My 100th post give away - day 5

Charm squares anyone??

I tend to go on charm square buying sprees and then only use a dozen of them - which leaves a lot of charm squares lying around!

The lucky winner of today's prize will receive two piles of charm squares.
The first is approx 2cm high stack of 5 inch charm squares (mixing my measurements there!). These were created from a 5 inch charm swap I'm part of when I got a little over enthusiastic in my cutting.
The second pile is approx 3cm high stack of 7 inch charms from various packs I bought from Rosemont when I lived in Canberra. I love their charm packs because I find 7 inch so much more versatile than 5 inch.

Want a chance to win today? Leave a comment telling me either:
a) the weight of one of your children in pounds and ounces and in kilograms (For what it's worth, my son was 3.38 kg which is about 7 pound 4. My daughter was 4.04 kg which is about 8pound 15.)
b.) yours or your partners height in metres and in feet. My husband is 6 foot 4 which is about 1.92 metres. Yep, he's tall!!

My 100th post give away - day 4

Happy Valentines Day!

Are you having fun yet? I hope so! On to day 4! BTW, I think I've worked out how to get my posts in order again. Will find out if it works when I hit publish!

Today we are celebrating Christmas early.


I'm not really a Christmassy craft type person, so today you have the chance to win 3 Christmas fat quarters. I'm not even really sure where I got these fabrics from, and as lovely as they are, once again they are items that will just sit in my cupboard. A sad fate for any pretty fabric I feel!

Want a chance to win these festive fabrics? Leave a comment and tell me about your favourite Christmas tradition or ritual. Want extra chances to win? Put a post on your blog and put a link back to my blog and you will get two extra chances!

Looking for the giveaway posts??

Knowing that sitting down every morning and creating a give away post was not going to happen, I created them all in one go and thought I would post one a day. Works well until I posted something else! What I didn't realise was blogger would post in the order they were created, not the order they were published! So if you are looking for the giveaway posts, they are under this and the previous one! Thanks for coming by and remember if you mention this giveaway on your blog and add a link back, you get extra entries!

Not Sure what to Say...

I've pondered for many days what, if anything, to say about the devastating fires in Victoria at the moment. I don't want to sound twee, nor do I want it to appear I don't care. I do. I lived through the Canberra firestorm in 2003, and while we never got to the point where we were told to make the final decision to stay or go, it came close. It's just every time I read someone else's post about it, they are so much more eloquent than I could ever be.

There is huge amounts the blogging community is doing to help. Things like Handmade Help, The Toy Society, The Bushfire Quit Project, Quilt Auctions and Etsy's Bushfire Appeal.

To those who are suffering through this nightmare, or have loved ones missing, lost or who have lost everything, I just want to say I am thinking of you, I am taking part in some of these appeals and I am crying daily over the devastation that has once again ravaged this country.

In the end, I think the best thing any of us can do is, as someone else said on another blog (and I promise when I find it, I will cite it!), is say I donated. - Time, money, materials, essentials. I donated.

My 100th post Give away - day 3

Today we have two pieces of fabric up for grabs.

The first is approximately one metre of fabric called Calico Critters and Hearts by Emily T for Fabrics by Spectrix (Sorry, can't find an appropriate link!) This was bought to fill an envelope coming from OS and wasn't quite what I wanted when it got here.

The second is a vintage piece of fabric that came from a pile of fabrics given to me by my grandmother in law before she passed late last year. She is the woman responsible for many gorgeous items around our house.
The fabric is about 30x100cm and features 3 panels of about 25cm2 of Australian wild flowers. Each end has a strip of three baskets full of wild flowers. I simply want this to go some where where it will be used and displayed, rather than stuck in my cupboard.

Want to win these items? Post a comment and tell me what you would use the flower fabric for.
Remember if you post about my give away on your blog you get an extra entry, post a link back to here and you get a third!

My 100th Post Give away - Day 2

Today we have a packet of retro fabric scraps and a bag pattern to give away.



Both of these items were bought as part of swaps which didn't happen for one reason or another. Neither item is really my style so is likely just to sit in my drawers and do nothing!
As far as I can see, there are 5 decent size scraps in the scrap bag.
The bag pattern is called Kindred Spirits by Apple Cottage Designs. Please note it is just the pattern, not the kit.
I know these two items don't seem to go together, but neither seemed enough on their own.
Want a chance to win these items? Leave me a comment telling me what doesn't go together in your sewing life! Don't forget to mention me on your blog to increase your chances of winning!

My 100th Post Giveaway! - Day 1

So this was the original idea. On the lead up to my 100th post, I was going to post an item every day to give away. This would cumulate in the actual give away happening on the day of my 100th post. I had it all worked out - when I had to start, when it would finish - except I can't count! What I thought was my 84 post was really my 94th post. Bugger! Anyway, I thought the idea was sound, so am going through with it despite my inept mathematical ability.

So, welcome to:

KYLIE'S STITCH 'N SEW GREAT GIVE AWAY WEEK!!!

This is how it will work.

1. Every day I will post an item to give away. If you would like a chance to win the item, post a comment under that item. Make sure you give me a way to contact you if you win.
2. Mention the give away on your blog - get two entries
3. Put a link back to my blog - three entries.
4. If you enter in more than one day and you have done steps two and three already, let me know in your comment to receive your extra chances. ie. On day one you may comment, mention it on your blog and link back to mine. This will give you three entries in the day one draw. If you enter on day two as well, make sure you say in your comment I entered day one and mentioned and linked back to you on my blog then! And I'll give you extra chances!
5. Come back every day and see what's new to give away.
6. The final give away item will be posted on Tuesday 17th February. All give aways will be drawn at 10pm on Thursday 25th February, Brisbane, Australia time.

By the way, I do send internationally, so if you are outside Oz, feel free to join in!

So the first item up for grabs is this:


These are two pieces of felt I used to make a shawl which then got donated to my mother since it was a bit heavy for Queensland. Pity because I love the feel of it!
The black is 26x 146 cm and has a lovely brown rose embroidery. The red is 39x131cm.

Want to win this, post a comment for me now telling me what you love the feel of!
If this doesn't appeal, come back tomorrow! There will be something new every day!

Sorry Jenn - Redraw

Unfortunately I have been unable to contact Jenn who was one of my giveaway winners, so I decided to redraw. On redraw the winner was number 9!

trashalou said...

Oh yes please! I would love to give those charm squares a new home :-)

I've sent off an email.

Stash Sunday - stash on it's way!

This week I thought I would post a picture of the part of my stash that is heading out the door!

The two big ones at the top are from my part in the International Stash Busting Giveaway and the smaller ones are for a charm square swap with my EB Quilter buddies.

I will however continue to build my stash. I was lucky enough to win a giveaway over at Quilting on the Run and the EB girls will each be sending me 10x 5inch eye spy fabrics! I love quilty mail!!

Want to see who else is playing Stash Sunday or want to join? Click here for a full list or to sign up!

Another swap.

A friend of mine, Kelly, over at Purple Paisley Patch is hosting a swap in honour of International Women's Day on March 8. Pop on over and have a look.

Jenn??? Hello???

Jenn, if you happen back this way can you leave a comment letting me know how I can contact you and get your prize to you?

Thanks

Busy, busy, busy!

I was determined to sew today. I managed to get everything I needed to get done before going to playgroup today, so when we got home, Kira was fed and abed, I sewed!

First I put a border on K's quilt.I was going to do star blocks, but knew if I did, it would take me way longer than I wanted. So I found this starry red fabric and I think it looks quite good! My friend Kelly pointed me in the direction of this fabric, which I have ordered for the back. Hoping it doesn't take too long to arrive because I really want to finish this one.

Second I cut and bagged all the blocks and sashing for my Sudoku quilt.
It's for the sports mad brother of the rocket quilt!

Figuring I was on a roll, I started cutting the frog nine patches.


Before cutting....And after...Sorry for the blurry picture. I didn't realise it was out of focus until I loaded them and I'm too lazy to go take another photo. 10 blocks cut, another 40 to go, then I get to sew them back together!!

In other news, I think this is my 84th post. I'm planning a bit of a give away for my 100th, so keep an eye out for that!

Currently reading...

Broken Lives by Estelle Blackburn

This is the story of Eric Edgar Cooke, the last man to be hung in Western Australia. At least one innocent man was convicted for a crime committed by Eric Edgar Cooke. If you keep following my reading, you will find a disturbing tendency towards this type of material. I find mass murderers and serial killers fascinating. Abhorrent, but fascinating!

WOW!!

135 comments? Really?? I thought it would be good if I got to 20! Thank you so much for coming by. I know on my rounds through the giveaways a few blogs got added to my bloglines. Hope some of the 135 that visited me (well, 134 really, 'cause I know Kelly visited twice:)) will be back.

So, on to the important business. The winners according to random.org are....

49, who was Jenn with this comment:

I would love either, but if forced to choose, I would take the charm squars to make a quilt for my girls :)

and

86, which was Ahfat with

Both looks good, would be happy to have either one. Thank you :)

Congratulations! I'll be contacting you ASAP so I can get your goodies off to you! Thanks for taking part!

Giveaway time!!!

Welcome to

The Great International Stash Busting Giveaway

kindly hosted by I'm a Ginger Monkey.

I know, I'm 45 minutes early, but tomorrow morning here will be manic, and the afternoon wont' be much better so I thought it was better to early than late!

This is my first ever giveaway, so I hope what I've chosen is OK. So first off, here is what I'm giving away. I have two things.


First is a three inch stack of 5 inch charm squares. These are left overs from various charm square packs I've bought. In the mix are charm squares from:

Thimbleberries - Autumn traditions
Make it you - So you, Sew fun too
Moda - Fall Back in time.

I'm sure there are a few other Moda designs in there too, but I can't find the information. I tried to find some links to pictures, but they were bought so long ago, I can't find anything!

Second item to give away is

a 22x 25cm snap lock bag of scraps. In this lot is stuff from most of my quilts, including my original sampler quilt (which I just realised I have never blogged!), Luke's frog quilt, the bag I made for Luke's teacher, the quilt I made for his other teacher when she had a baby plus a bunch of other random stuff. ( I did try and link to pictures of these projects, but blogger is being difficult! Sorry!)

So, if you would like to enter my giveaway, this is how!

1. Between now and 10pm (Australian Eastern Standard Time) on Thursday 5 Feb post a comment. Mention which item you would prefer - first drawn will get their choice, 2nd whatever is left!

2. At 10 on Thursday night I will randomly select two numbers.

3. If you are one of the winners, I will contact you and ask for your postage details.

Good luck!

By the way, if you want to enter other giveaways, the list of all participants can be found here and that's where I'm off to now to see what's on offer!

Monthly Checkup - February

Welcome to my monthly check up. yet another attempt to get myself more productive this year!

Completed projects in January - one - Luke's teacher finally got her bag! I gave it to her on the second day of school (I left it on the kitchen bench on the first!) and she loved it! So glad!

Projects started - none. Expect that to change this month!

Books read - I thought I would add this as I am doing this challenge. So this month I have read 7 books. Expect this to slow down now holidays are over!

So, current projects as listed at the side of my blog.

• Blackboard Quilts - No progress. I really should do something!

• K's Baby Quilt - This was my main project this month. I was going to border it in stars, but realistically if I do that the child will not get it before he's 21! Instead I'm going to do a red border and a spacey background. Quilting will be around the rockets and other features such as the stars. May do rockets in the starry fabric and stars in the red.
  

• Sampler Quilt -No progress!

• Luke's Frog Quilt - I've almost finished the nine patches. Hope to knock the rest off today and start cutting them up again!

Other things I really need to get onto this month are:

• G's quilt. I finally have all the photos so once I print them, I plan to go gang busters!
• M's quilt. This will need to be sent with K's quilt, so don't want to finish them too far apart
• BOM 8. It arrived in the mail the other day and I'm dying to get my hands on it!

I'm also taking part in a give away this Wednesday so check back then to see what goodies I have!

Stash Sunday

This weeks Stash Sunday is bought to you by the colour yellow!