A very busy weekend event

I've had a lovely time up at the Gold Coast at the Tweed Quilt and Craft Fair. My Shiralee Stitches stall was abuzz with interested fabric lovers. It's always a joy to be amongst customers, some I know and others I have the opportunity to meet. 

Not the best photo.....only had the phone and the lighting from this angle wasn't ideal, but you get the idea 

I am feeling very relieved that I've actually managed to create a post after such a long absence! To explain my blogging break is quite complicated but I am back....woohoo......and with Chooky's help I endeavour to stay on task.

Visit to the red centre

Sandy

My first custom made quilt is delivered .......

I was asked at my first market stall with my new shop if I'd make a quilt for a local lady...........well, it was a tricky process to gather through questioning just what would appeal to her, and I even visited her house to look at the bedroom setting............she wanted a rose in the centre and the colour needed to match her paintwork..........here 'tis..........

 

A lovely colourwash effect........

........the new owner was "thrilled to bits" with the result and I was so pleased with her and her husbands response...........

I am working overtime getting ready for our towns Qouta run Craft and Quilt Fair where I will have my stall.

There is heaps to do..........

I need to thank my newly acquired conscience for reminding me to make a post. Without the prompting I find getting to the computer is usually last on the list of things to do, and it really shouldn't be...........So thanks for keeping me on track Chooky.......you're the best.........do you do other things too like wash dishes via cyberspace, or even sew down bindngs??????.......could do with those things too.......lol..........

I'll be back soon...........maybe I'll beat the conscience reminder next time..........

If you're anywhere near Casino on Saturday pop into the Community Centre for the Craft Fair..........

Fabric and patterns..... beautiful creations

Check out the first range of fabric for Shiralee Stitches shop!!! It's Sue Daleys latest called Twig and Grace. Just so exciting...... I keep pinching myself!!!

......and when you combine the fabric with what jumped out of this boxful straight from the U.S..............

You get something like this!!!!!!! Of course still a work in progress. 

If you would like to buy your very own copy of the book with the ruler, and maybe a fabric pack to go with it in these lovely fabrics just leave me a comment. 

I hope this post works..... First time from the iPhone thanks to instructions from my birdy friends whom I would link to if I knew how!!!!! Obviously I need more lessons!!!!!!     But please go check out Chookyblues blog as she had bought the book and been playing already........and see who has been playing with her..... Bird on the Border, lucky her.........

New and Exciting times............

The plan has been in the developmental stage for some time now and finally I can announce that Shiralee Stitches is up and running as a small supplier of patchwork fabrics, patterns and kits, as well as related supplies (the ones I love the most.....tried and tested).

I had my little launch at our local Beef Week here in Casino, NSW. It was a huge success and I have been enjoying my Tuesdays with many ladies joining classes at our local hall since then.

 The girls that know me will see that the bear quilt and those to the right on stage aren't mine, they belonged to another stall.

 Mum..........my hired help!!!!.......She was amazing.......

 So that was my opening stall.

I have been flat out making samples etc, etc and life has been very busy but I am enjoying doing what I love and so it seems like pure pleasure everyday.

Stuff in boxes arrives everyday and I really need to start showing you all the goodies. My good friend, Chookyblue is currently busy in her Chook Shed with this little Bird playing with one of the patterns I have just received in a boxful from the U.S. No doubt she will show it off very soon. I am sure she is "Angling"for a win with this design!!!!!......lol........

More on all this soon.........

Trying to catch up!!!

Oh dear, life is just so busy. I am embarking on a new adventure in my life and am totally consumed. I have decided it's time to leave the Primary classroom and create my own classes for adults.......what will you teach you ask???????.......well sewing of course!!!!!!! It is all very exciting and all a bit daunting too. I have been in the school education system all my life and now am entering the business world.....yeeks, so much to get your head around.......ABNs, insurance, business registration, a name for myself......etc, etc.......well I seem to identify with Shiralee Stitches now (Shiralee is the name of our beef cattle property here at the Clarence River), so I am now Shiralee Stitches in business name too. As well as lessons I hope to sell some specialist tools, and also some fabrics. I may even try my hand at putting a few designs down on paper....more on that later.......But. needless to say whilst my head has been in a spin, there have been deadlines to meet and I need to catch up.

My dear friend here has just emailed a friendly reminder about the nine patch swap......oops.......she will be surprised when I post the belated March ones AND the April ones too..........hehe.......

I picked up these fabrics from Kerry in Nundle recently, she has beautiful reproduction fabrics....

So March and April ticked off the list............

I hope you are enjoying great health and finding time to sew......

A lovely Weekend at Girls Day in the Country

By now you will have seen lots of photos of our weekend away recently at the lovely town of Nundle, NSW to visit the annual Girls Day in the Country hosted by the ever-lovely Kerry Swain.

This year Sue Daley was the guest tutor inspiring us with all her English Paper Piecing.

But the weekend is even more than the Saturday event in the hall.........all weekend it is an opportunity to catch up with friends, share sewing projects, gossip, laughs, meals together, etc with our friends and bloggers. Words cannot describe how lovely it is to spend the weekend in the company of such wonderful ladies all with a common interest in sewing patchwork and quilting. Some ladies travel great distances to attend.

Here are a few photos.......

 Shopping at Kerry's Cottage on the Hill..........a real treat........

 Show and Tell on the lawn with drinkies of course.....

 Dinners out.......

 Extra special friends.......

 .....more show and tell...............

 Our cabin foursome........we had a ball.........

The annual bloggers photo......it is wonderful to have so many friends from the bloggy world all together enjoying each others company.........

Many thanks to Kerry for all the organising........more photos of Saturday to follow soon........and thanks to the special lady who first introduced me to blogging and took me under her wing (literally!!!....lol...) and introduced me around on my first GDITC a couple of years ago.........it was great to see you again......and this year another little birdie found a special place in my heart too, as we shared our cabin together and got to know each other heaps more...........talk about laugh all the time!!!.....it was fantastic...........

I hope you are all having a lovely Easter, mine has been quiet, just lovely.........I will share some sewing when I get behind the camera and take a few piccies...........

A rush to the finish line......

Oh boy, I am a slack blogger, so long between posts. There is a reason and all will be revealed soon, but for now I have been sewing helter skelter to finish 2 projects by the end of the month.....just made it!!!!.....whew!!!!

Firstly a lovely bag by our favourite Natalie Bird of The Birdhouse. This one is being made by stitchers far and wide across the globe as part of the Stitch-a-long.

 It was originally designed with a stitchery in the centre, but i preferred the applique off the quilt in the same book.....Red Home is the book's name.

The back....I love this soft delicate pattern on the fabric. French General fabrics.....yummy.....

And the next thing I needed to meet the deadline for, a pile of 9 patch blocks for Trish's nine patch swap.......all in reproduction fabrics, which I cannot buy locally so our dear friend Kerry from Nundle's Cottage on the Hill came to the rescue.....she is such a sweetie and actually cut these at about after 10 at night for me .....thankyou and big hugs Kerry. I love the green, it will really brighten up the stack when we get the mix back........

....so I am in a state of relief now.....off to our local craft day today.......very wet here...........I hope you all get a chance to do a little on your craft today.......

First Project Finished for 2013....woohoo...

Wow, only early in the year and I have finished something, yes FINISHED!!!!.....This is only due to the inspiration and driving force of my fellow stitchers of Chookyblues Stitch-a-long which I am happy to be a part of again this year.

During the month of January our task was to make a little thread catcher from Natalie Birds book Red Home.......here are mine, I made 2....too cute!!!!

The house fabric is a fat qtr I picked up whilst on holiday in Tasmania as a souvenir, so to speak, as it reminded me of the countryside there, so I am happy to have made it into something I will use in my sewing space all the time.........

Now I plan to have a little snooze from bloggyland as I spend some quality time with the family before work looms again.......we plan some beach visits, some serious shopping (for the 16yr old daughter!!!), and time with friends having BBQS etc.........not sure if too much sewing will be achieved during this time,  so you had better keep the needles busy for me!!!!.....I am sure that there are lots of my bloggy sewing buddies out there always set ready to help out when asked to sew!!!.....lol......

I hope you are all enjoying the fresh start of a new year and keeping to those New Years Resolutions!!

Santa Came..........and I finished a quilt.........

Well, my friends, we had a lovely Christmas Day and it seems in blogland that many others did too. That Santa man seems to always please, especially when a certain little Chookyblue has a hand in the organising!!!!. Again this year I joined in the Secret Santa Christmas Swap hosted by my dear friend, Chookyblue. This year I posted to Portugal, and my parcel arrived from Belgium..........

Of course I left my main present till Christmas Day, as the rules say you must..............this is what I had tucked away in my parcel......

 ......a gorgeous wallhanging.............

 ....cute little Christmas children, gorgeous satin binding, and all hand quilted.......just stunning.....

Big hugs and thanks to Martine.......I love it..........But wait there's more...........

 ............a lot of other lovelies too.......the cutest reindeer, lovely ribbon, some syrup, sweet to try soon, and missing from the piccie because they were too yummy to wait for the camera to take a photo, were a box of Belgium Guylian chocolates......YUMMY...........I was totally spoilt........

......and huge thanks to Martine, and to Chookyblue, our secret santa elf..........

.......and now for a BIG "Ta-Da" moment.........for ages now I have been plodding away on my Some Kind OF Wonderful quilt, designed by my all time favourite lady, Anni Downs. I say plodding, because I needleturned the appliques and it was very time consuming, but well worth it........

I have finally completed the quilting, trying to create something close to the flowers and vines quilted on Anni's original........no special machines here, just the trusty Pfaff, and some staying power!!!

Well here'tis.........a couple of different photos, weather changed and I couldn't decide which one showed it off best, so you're getting both!!!.......this one looks all quilty with the light on it........

 ......and this one better for the appliques.........

 .....of course you want to check out the quilting more closely.....don't you????

I am so pleased to be able to report this quilt as finished......it was being completed as part of a Stitch-a-long group, headed by Chookyblue, and the deadline has come and gone......but only just!!

Now with the start of a New Year about to begin, I must go and seek out some new project to keep the little fingers busy.......don't worry, that job won't be hard, there's plenty to choose from!!!!.....Haha.....

I do hope you are all enjoying the Christmas/New Year season doing things you love with the people closest to your heart.........................