Machine Piecing......and a new sewing friend....

The sewing machine has been beckoning me. I love to stitch by hand, but every now and again it's nice to give the machine a 'whirl'.......

When at the Girls Day in the Country at Nundle, Mum and I both picked the same prize out of the basket, when we were drawn in the raffle.....a charm pack of Martinique fabric......Mum donated hers to me, and this is what has been happening to them........

....little brown squares onto each corner.....

....some antique white sashing.......and more little squares at each junction.......

....and voila.....the quilt that will look like this once a lot more piecing has been done........

....the pattern comes from Anni's new book, Some Kind of Wonderful......

.....and my new sewing friend helps to care for my pins....his name is Larry the Lamb, also hatched from Hatched and Patched.......I loved making him....the wool is lovely to sew with, like sewing butter..........

He is filled with silica sand, which I am told will sharpen the pins too, so watch out my 10yo son, when he tries to distract me from my sewing he could be fought off with much sharper pins now!!!!   haha....

I hope you are enjoying a pleasant weekend, enjoying some sunshine (we are cold and overcast here), and happy doing something you enjoy......

Funky Scissors and a Finish from the sewing room.....

While I was at the Sydney Craft Fair, I was treated with the joy of meeting Michelle Hill, the very talented lady who designs quilts based on her passion of all things related to William Morris.........

 .....Michelle is as beautiful on the inside as she looks on the outside......

Here is a closer look at the delightful quilt she has designed on the wall behind us.....

The 'P' in no way means that Michelle is only newly licensed!!! ....haha....that is the p for Pfaff, which is the stand hosting Michelle's visit at the fair....believe me, Michelle Hill is very well experienced at driving those Pfaff machines, and I came away tempted to upgrade!!!!....of course!!!!....lol...This is what she was sewing on at the fair to demonstrate.........

I am keen to have a go at some of these lovely projects, and you may remember a few posts back I assembled a couple of blocks ready for stitching.........well after all the tiny intricate cutting of the little pieces I had 2 numb fingers on the right hand for 2 weeks!!!!!!.....Michelle put me onto these scissors as a solution....BIG handles, weeny points..........

Aren't they weird looking?....but they are fantastic for fiddly cutting.....no more cutting RSI for me...thanks Michelle.......they are Fiskars brand...I got mine at Spotlight......

I have been busy in my absence from blogland.....busy in the sewing room....and sewing at the beach this last weekend.......ta da ......My Garden is finished.....

All machine quilted in the ditch so as not to detract from the little stitcheries.......

Now I think I might move on to a project in Anni's new book, Some Kind of Wonderful........

I hope you are enjoying some sewing time in your corner of the world........

My Craft Fair Goodies!!!!

...........The list of things I want to make just got a whole lot longer......hehe

I could have brought the whole fair home with me, I loved so much stuff!!!....lol....

But this little lot managed to fit in the suitcase and with only 1kg left on the scales at the airport, I was wiping my brow.........!!!!!....

......Sue Daley was demonstrating her English Paper Piecing, so I kind of bought ALL the things a girl needs to get started.......

 Some patterns I fell in love with, along with a lovely piece of felted wool for one of the pattern bags.

 Did I say I could have brought EVERYTHING home....well if I could have brought one stall home to live with me it would be Hatched and Patched......I wanted it all!!!!......I fell in love with some silk fabric...great texture.....what colour???....couldn't decide....bought all 3 bundles!!!!!......and a few patterns........

 These pretty fabrics I went looking for all over the fair.....they will become Leanne Beasley's Butterfly Garden....have a look at Bec's, she's responsible for this little bundle of fabrics!!!!!....her quilt inspired me to make one....and behind the fabric, 2 hand quilting thread spools....hard to get locally...

.....and a personally signed copy of this beautiful Hardanger book........a new challenge for me......have done some Hardanger years ago, and need reminding.....

I absolutely loved my few days at the Fair, and the extra socialising in between. I had been to the Fair in Brisbane before, but this one was so much bigger. I feel all inspired now...this is the best kind of retail therapy in the world for me........

So you will understand if I sign off now.....I have to get busy, busy, busy!!!!!!!    soooooo much to do...lol...

Craft Fair Fun

Whilst I have been absent for a short time from blogging, I have been having the BEST time on a little trip to our capital city of Sydney with my Mum to attend the BIG Quilt Fair there for the very first time....

OH WOW!!!!!

It is huge, and I wasn't disappointed.....such a lot of exhibitors, quilts on display, and workshops and demos to watch........

No time to waste....after our flight in the morning we were here at 1pm.....this is Mum....ready to head in......

.....and within half an hour we'd met up with this bunch of amazing bloggy friends.......

Lea, Mum, myself, Cardygirl, Chookyblue, and Sandy N...............then the shopping onslaught began  ........(piccies of purchases to come, when I finally rest from work this week to explore all the goodies!)

Every opportunity was taken to catch up with the online sewing community........here we are at a blog meet Chookyblue had arranged.....some of these faces  familiar to me and some I had the joy of meeting in person for the first time.....so lovely to put names to blogs, and also have a peek inside their bags and see what they had found to buy at the fair.......

As you know shopping is exhausting and a girl needs a girly night out every so often..........

 Meeting up for dinner........Rileys Ramblings, Heavens to Bettsy, This Old Aunt Quilts, Lyn, On My Verandah, Leah, and Chookyblue......of course they have real names but this will get you to their blogs.......

This is where we ended up....waterfront restaurant.......very special for this farm girl who rarely gets to the BIG smoke....lol......

........Here we all are......

Beautiful Darling Harbour in the background..........

......and the evening wouldn't be complete without it's fair share of laughs and silly behaviour!!!!!!!.......

.....I shall not name these normally well behaved larrikans!!!.......

.....needless to say we had a ball...(well I did anyway!!!).........

My life has definitely been enriched by making the plunge into blogging.......to meet and socialise with like-minded sewing ladies is priceless, and something that's only just begun for me..........

....more photos of the Fair and the must-have(??????) goodies that came home with me soon........

Sewing is the BEST medicine.....

The winter ills took hold of me this week, but it takes a lot to keep me from sewing....I wasn't too sick for that!!  Hehe.........Here's what I've been doing...........

My Garden by Lynette Anderson

I'm still at various stages throughout the blocks, but here's the close-ups of those I've finished so far....

These little applique and stitcheries are a sheer delight to stitch up....and I love the murky, misty colours...I think the range is Evening Mist....can you spot the cute hand painted buttons?

The lovely Peg is responsible for me embarking on this project (thanks Peg), and I know she will be surprised at my progress, but I haven't been able to put them down for long....a bit like a good book!!!....do you ever become besotted with your sewing  projects like that, or am I the only obsessive one around!!!....lol...

But wait there's more..........

My Stitch-a-long blocks for June too....I have been a busy gal since last I blogged......

I think he is the cutest Santa......

I am gearing up for a very indulgent trip to Sydney to go to the Quilt Fair at Darling Harbour (that's if the volcanic ash stays in far parts!!). This will be my first time to a Sydney Fair, having only been to a Brisbane one before....I am busy preparing a 'wish list', and, Oh Gee, A4 paper is so short isn't it????  He he....

I hope you're having a great week......

...My Kind of Wonderful....

I'm in heaven......

Look what arrived in my mailbox......

I have loved Anni's designs since as long as I've been in love with sewing and quilting and all things to do with fabric. This book is as beautiful as ever.....definitely more than a one cuppa kind of book for me!!!

I already want to make everything!!

Quilt Washing....and a Sneeky Peeky!...

I am getting very forgetful....I took these photos of my quilt washing episode last week, and totally forgot to show you.....

These 2 warm and snuggly flannel quilts live draped over my beige lounge....easy to wash.....they went into the machine on gentle and came out fresh and lovely....all ready for the 10yr old son to flop on!!!....

............the left one is a shaggy quilt.......I made these a few years ago...

I have been busy making a little dolly quilt....my first ever doll quilt......this will be travelling all the way to the USA to Bonnie as part of a swap I joined organised by Christine. I can only show you a sneeky peeky so as not to spoil Bonnie's surprise......Ta Da......

.....I hope Bonnie likes it....she tells me she likes red so I made sure there was red in it!......

As my weekend has unfolded, I have been thinking about my new bloggy friends gettting together for a fabulous fun weekend of sewing, and socialising. ....(well they told me it was a weekend of being really busy on the sewing scene, but I think they may have been a little wayward!!!...lol...)

Check out what really went on here........these girls really know how to have fun while they work......

I'd love to know how, and when you enjoy your craft....with friends, alone in front of the telly, at craft days.....let me know....

I hope you're enjoying your craft right now........

Oops!!!

Oh Dear....sorry ....forgot to put the links onto the last post.... (clearly more training required, Chooky!!  lol)

Here's where you'll find the lovely shop Homespun and Beautiful where I bought the kit.

And here's where you'll find the lovely Peg with her finished block from the quilt......but beware.....this blog is loaded with just beautiful stuff you'll want to add to your wish list!!!.....Happy in Quilting.....

Oh and for anyone who hasn't yet met Chookyblue online and are wondering who I'm talking about you can find her here. Chookyblue provided the support to get me up and blogging, and to her I owe a lot...she's amazing with her blogging....and an even more amazing person "in the real"....

Be happy.......

Just Couldn't Resist!.......

Blogging has opened up a whole new world for me, and also provided me with loads more temptations.....

I have recently admired a little quilt kit Peg has just begun, and after a lovely phone chat with Tess at Homespun and Beautiful.......

.......this arrived in the mail......

......beautifully wrapped in a fat quarter.....had to stop and wonder if it was my birthday and I'd clean forgot..lol..

and tied with ribbon....made me feel very special.....looked at it for a while over a cuppa before heading for the camera to take the important bloggy photo (still in training from Chookyblue on making sure I keep the camera handy!!!)...and then this was inside......yummy.....

 ......"My Garden" by Lynette Anderson.....and a gorgeous kit assembled by Tess herself....

....my favourite blocks......

....check out the cute buttons......

.....and pop over to Peg's blog Happy in Quilting and have a look at her completed block...just lovely...

I've been busy preparing these blocks ready for some blanket stitch. Remember the books and fabric I showed you in my last post?....well here's a start......

I hope you've had a great week, and an even better weekend planned....Our closest town, Casino NSW is having the annual BEEF WEEK this weekend. We have a family day planned, and my 10yr old son is competing in the whipcracking competition.....the day culminates in a parade of floats....should be fun....