Friday 31 July 2009

I hope I'm not too late!!!

And if I am, it's my own fault, because this has been finished for a couple of days now and I have done nothing!
Finished! just needs labelling and delivering. I assure you, the picture on the actual quilt are not blurred! This is the first quilt I have tried FMQ with and I was quite happy with my effort. There are butterflies (as seen below) and stippling. Quite like stippling, I found it very therapeutic! expect to see more!

Monday 27 July 2009

Currrently Reading...

Look me in the eye by John Elder Robison John has Asperger Syndrome. However, he wasn't diagnosed until well into adulthood. Growing up he was just thought of as weird and, as he got older, dangerous. Getting a diagnoses answered a lot of his questions.

In other news, I have almost finished sewing the binding on the quilt, so there will be a crafty post soon!

Thursday 23 July 2009

Currently reading...


The End by Lemony Snicket
. Yep, another children's book! This is the last of the Series of Unfortunate Events books. An enjoyable series, but one I am not likely to re read like I have the Harry Potter books.

By the way, once I log off here and hang some washing on the line I am going to do some sewing! Look out for an actual sewing update soon.

Monday 20 July 2009

Currently reading...

The Spiderwick Chronicles - The Field Guide by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. I've been reading Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone to Luke and I have been wondering what to read him next. I'd heard of The Spiderwick Chronicles, but had never read them so I bought the first one and thought I would check it out before I read it to him. Looks like a goer!

By the way, I just did a quick count, because I read a lot of children's books! I have read 23 adult books this year. Not bad!

Tuesday 14 July 2009

Currently Reading...



My Father's Keeper: Children of Nazi Leaders--an intimate history of damage and denial by Stephan and Norbert Lebert.

Another subject that facinates me is the holocaust. I find it unimaginable what the vicitms of the Nazis went through and even more unimaginable is that you would do this to someone else for any reason at all. Often we forget these men who we (quite justifiably I feel) call monsters had families who may or may not have agreed with their parent's beliefs. Either way, what we see a man to be and what his children see him to be can often be two completely different things. As their child, how do you marry the two??

Friday 10 July 2009

Monthly Checkup - July

Thought I might as well get this updated too while my connection seems to be holding... (should have kept my mouth shut! Have had to restart twice to get this done!)

Welcome to my July check up! I'll include everything done since my last check up in April. *blush*


Completed projects April - June - none! I totally blame moving. Well that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Projects started -Again, none. See excuse for completed projects.

Books read -14. Just short of 5 a month. (Last counted Celluloid Killers)

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

  • Blackboard Quilts - No progress. Still.

  • Sampler Quilt -No progress!

  • Luke's Frog Quilt - Still cutting – bit is my next priority! He has been so patient!

  • G's quilt – quilted – needs binding and label.

  • I Spy quilt – finished – needs labelling

  • Designer Mystery Block quilt – all blocks made. Next to do sashing and complete the top.

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

  • Luke's Quilt!

Currently reading...

Finally a currently reading post with only one book! I really enjoyed The Miracle at Speedy Motors. Only problem with those books is I read them so quickly.

Onto the second last book in the Series of Unfortunate Events - The Penultimate Peril by Lemony Snicket.
Only one more after this! I wonder how it all ends???

Thursday 9 July 2009

A finish of sorts.

Today I managed to cut and sew the last of my two Designer Mystery Block of the Month! I already have the finishing kit (sent over 12 months ago with the first block) so now all I have to do is get it all together! So I thought we would go on a bit of a retrospective of each block and it's designer.

First up was Brenda Riddle's Cross Stitch.

Second was Star Struck by Sandy Gervais.

Third was Peace in Flight by Joanna Figeroa.

Four was Double Treats by Bunny Hill Designs.


Five was Peppermint Star by Vicki Bellino.

Six was Sunrise Star by Margot Languedoc.

Seven was Sawtooth Patchwork Block by Debbie Beaves.

Eight was Star Party by Bonnie Olaveson. (www.cottonway.com)

Nine was Pinwheel Wonder by Deborah Schoof. (www.deborahs-designs.com)

Ten was Steppin' Up by Camille Roskelley. (www.thimbleblossoms.com)


Eleven was Anka's Star by Heather Peterson.

Twelve was Harmony by Me and My Sister Designs.

And all twelve of them together!

I've really enjoyed doing these blocks and have learnt a heap while doing them. I loved the fact that it was the only BOM quilt I could find that was pieced and not applique. I will put it together, but given that every time I pull out the machine, Luke asks if I am working on his frog quilt I think that needs to be my next priority!

Oh, I also finished quilting my friend's daughters quilt, I only have to bind and label it. Will put the binding on and then use that as my sit on the couch at night sewing.

Monday 6 July 2009

We will now return you to your regular craft schedule...

Well it has been awhile since I sewed anything! As you can see by my side bar, my finished list is sorely lacking! I'm hoping for a better second half of the year! I have however finished something in the past few days and am hoping for another finish by the end of July – but more of that later.

My wonderful friend Emma, over at Sampaguita Quilts, was clever enough to be published in the Australian Quilters Companion. This issue to be exact.

I, in between moving and everything else going on had not got a copy. Emma had a few spare and sent me a copy which was absolutely lovely of her. Thank you Emma for doing this. You are a true gem!

This is the quilt she had published, I highly recommend her blog to you if you haven't already discovered it – she is incredibly talented.

At the end of April/ beginning of May I went to Canberra to visit my folks. While there, I had to visit some of my old haunts there – specifically Addicted to Fabric and Rosemont. I was searching for eye spy fabrics to make a quilt for my son's teacher before the end of the year. This was my haul from my Canberra trip.

Fat quarters from Addicted to Fabric and Rosemont

Link

I'm not sure whether I got these from Addicted or Rosemont! I love them either way!

I got this pack of eye spy fabric and the eye spy roll from Rosemont. They have the best charm square packs!

I also travelled to Berrima to spend the day with my sister who came down from Sydney. We checked out a few craft/ pottery/ antique stores while we were there and I picked up some gorgeous mugs and jug to go in my new kitchen. Of course, I had to visit Berrima Patchwork and was lucky enough to discover they still had panels of the Very Hungry Caterpillar fabric. I ummed and ahhed about getting this so long that most places sold out. Discovering it here I decided was fate, so I bought it along with a few other things, including a lovely seascape fat quarter

Then my husband mistakenly let me go to IKEA by myself for the first time! Every other time we have been there (and there have been a few!) he has rushed me past the fabric section. There alone, I finally got to have a look and picked up these two prints.

I think the pink will become cushions for my daughter. Not sure about the animal print, although I have a few friends expecting babies...hmmmm

More recently I have finished off the eye spy quilt for my daughter's old daycare centre. It will go on my July finished list and as soon as it is labelled it will be delivered.

As for what is going on now, as I type, sitting in my machine, most probably a 1/3 quilted, is the quilt of love for my friends daughter. We have been lucky in that it has been a while since she has been in hospital, so I figure I shouldn't tempt fate too much longer. I have decided to free motion quilt some butterflies and stippling so expect it to take a few days to do. It will, however, end up on my July finished list!

So now I am almost up to date. I will try to do an update of my projects later this week. Tomorrow I am taking 3 children (only one of which is mine!) to the movies, so don't expect it then. I won't promise anything as we all realise that would be foolish! Hopefully though I will update more regularly from here, especially if we can get a stable net connection to this machine!

Happy quilting all!

Currently reading...(and have already read again!)

Forgive me bloggers, it has been 6 weeks since my last post and I know I promised better. I sit here, very shamed faced. Today you get a double dip - an update on my reading and the crafty blog I promised last time. I do have an excuse. While we have sorted out our phone issues and my husbands computer has a stable connection, the one I use drops out frequently making posting very frustrating, but I promise to persevere today until I manage to post everything!

So to start with, this is what I have been reading!


At the moment I am reading The Miracle At Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith. This is one of the many books in the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency books. If you haven't read this series, do yourself a favour and go get it. I think however, I have managed to miss one and will need to buy the previous book, The Good Husband of Zebra Drive.


Before that I read Celluloid Serial Killers: The Real Monsters Behind the Movies by Paul B Kidd. Yet another book to feed my serial killer obsession. Paul B Kidd is an Australian authors and one of my favourites for this genre. I now want to go and rent all the movies he talked about!

The next bunch I am not sure what order I read them in so I'll just make it up!


Time and Chance by Sharon Kay Penman. The second book in her Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II trilogy. I love the way Penman writes. She truly makes history come alive. I have a friend who is an English history nut and she tells me Penman stays pretty close to the mark.


Cruel as the Grave by Sharon Kay Penman. Her second book with the fictional character of Justin de Quincy who is the Queen's man, investigating situations for her. For me, not as enjoyable as her purely historical stuff, but still a good read.


In the Winter Dark by Tim Winton. I've decided to read through Tim Winton's earlier stuff and this is the first I grabbed off the shelf. Typical Winton, dark, confronting and beautifully written.


The Grim Grotto by Lemony Snicket. Almost at the end of this series and I must admit to being interested in how it all ends!

So there is my book catch up! Next the craft one!