What's wrong with this picture??

Note to self: In future please make sure the fabric is not folded underneath before you start cutting ..... thank you.

Please tell me that I'm not the only one that has done something as silly as this??

You live and you learn! I ended up buying another panel because I thought it was cute,  so I have a few blocks free if I make any more mistakes learning experiences.

QAYG: Part 4

It's been a while since I've posted about my progress on my "Quilt As You Go" project. I've been a little slower than I'd hoped ... but here are a couple of new blocks .....

All of them together ...

This quilt is going to be 16 blocks (4 x 4) and I was thinking that maybe it needed a little more white. So I made this block .....

I was thinking  that every 2nd block would have a solid colour border followed by a white one. The picture below doesn't really show what I mean (because I've only made one block to try it). I love the look of this quilt and these blocks.

What do you think? White or no white??

Circle of Geese

When I saw this great tutorial for a circular flying geese block I bookmarked it right away and knew it was a block I really wanted to make. So when I recently saw Jessica's mug rug I couldn't put it off any longer.

This ...

Became this ...

x4 became this (approx 12") ......

I love the look of this block, but after making just one of them I can't see myself having the patience to make a whole quilt out of this block anytime soon .... Now I've just got to decide what I am going to make out of this one .... a potholder perhaps?!?


P.S. Hubby came home safely late Sunday evening after a very long drive ... glad to have him home :)

Meet The Family: Part 2

My hubby and the camera are still flooded in - so today I am going to share with you the other half of my family...

I have seen lots of pictures in blog land where man's best friend tries out the newly completed quilt .... this DOES NOT and WILL NOT EVER happen in my home.....

Don't get me wrong, I love my 2 beautiful dogs but they are not lap dogs!!

This is Uzi (and no we didn't name him). He is a 9 year old German Shepherd that we rescued when he was 2. He had previously been a working security dog, but his owner injured his back and could no longer work Uzi and so he was just left out in the back yard with no attention. He is protective of us and our home but has a such a sweet nature and is very friendly to anyone that we invite into our home. Uzi is obedient and easygoing and usually wants nothing more than a cuddle, a walk and some tasty food. He does a great impersonation of a floor rug don't you think?

Here he is doing some training in his younger days ....

This is Bella ....

..... our one year old Belgian Shepherd (Malinois). This girl is a sweetheart deep down (sometimes really deep down :) She has real attitude and loves to tease Uzi whenever she gets the chance.

In the 1st 6 months of her puppyhood she put a hole in nearly every article of clothing that I owned. She would get excited and jump up and her sharp baby teeth would catch in whatever I was wearing. I am happy to say that she no longer puts holes in my clothes. Luckily puppies grow up in more ways than one!!!

She has such a high drive, loves to play and can be very obedient when a tasty treat, toy or a cuddle is on offer.

They make me smile :)

Flooding

My husband is in Moomba (approx 7 hours drive away). On this map red means roads closed due to flooding .... I suppose it means he isn't coming home today :(

What is with this weather?? It is supposed to be Spring!! It was 30 degrees (86 degrees fahrenheit) on Sunday and today it is currently 9 degrees (48 degrees fahrenheit) and really windy and rainy ... crazy!!

Anyone own a helicopter (or maybe a boat) I can borrow??

Our Beach Friend

My husband is away on a business trip and took the camera with him, so I can't show you the blocks that I'm currently working on. He was meant to return today or tomorrow but the surrounding roads are closed due to flooding so I'm not quite sure when he will be home. At least he's taken the 4WD so he should be able to get home once the flooding subsides a bit.

I may have mentioned it before ..... quilting may be my thing, but 4WDing is definately my husband's thing. He loves working on his 4WD with one of his mates and we enjoy going for drives together on a Saturday when we can. A short while back we went on a day trip 4WDing in some amazing sand dunes and we came across this fella .

Nap time .....

A stretch and a scratch ....

On the move .....

We kept our distance and just enjoyed him from afar.

**************************************************************************

And this is what I'm hoping to work on this weekend.

I'll have more to show when the camera (and my dear husband of course) gets home.

Dandelion Windows

My Dandelion Windows quilt top is finished YAY! .... and I love it!! So girly and so Aussie with the Parrots. The pattern I used is Dandelion Windows by Kate Conklin. I had enough fabric to make more windows so I made it 4X4 instead of 3X4 and I have a few left for a pieced back too.

I loved Kate's version so much, I also used Saffron Craig's Field's Range of fabrics. I think the Parrots are my favourite, but I also love the squiggly flowers .... in fact I love them all!

Can you see the sparkle in the window frames?

Thoroughly Spoilt

This past week I've been thoroughly spoilt!!

I was given "Style Stitches" by Amy Butler from my wonderful parents for my birthday. I can't wait to make some of the bags ...

.My Nana gave me a bit of money which I put towards this Bliss layer cake .....

One of my sisters Rebecca sent me this cute pink journal - the leather is so soft and aren't those little black dress cards so adorable ....

My husband suffered a trip to a quilting shop with me so I could pick up some of these Kaffe Fassett prints ......

Don't they look good with my other Kaffe prints?

I find quilts only made from Kaffe prints can sometimes be a bit too overwhelming for me, but for this quilt I am planning on there being a fair amount of neutral fabric too. I was thinking maybe this quilt pattern by Material Obsession - still deciding....

I also got some makeup from another sister Kelly and some chocolate and I'm so excited that my husband has organised for me to take a trip to Sydney in a few weeks to visit 3 of my sisters and to do some quilting with Kate ... YAY!!

I told you, thoroughly spoilt and very blessed!!

I Heart Long Weekends

This past week has been busy but lovely. I was down in Adelaide for work meetings at the end of last week, but also had a nice time with family doing some shopping and just hanging out :)

Then on Saturday my husband and I enjoyed a 4WD trek with friends in the Flinder's Ranges - a couple of hours away from my home. Really fun!!

These hills felt much steeper than they look!

Getting muddy .....

Look at those clouds ....

I love this old hollowed out tree ....

Can you spot the roos?

We enjoyed our Sunday with my Mother-in-law and then travelled back home on Monday (public holiday) through the beautiful Clare Valley. I didn't take any photos ... but think blue skies, gently rolling hills with lots of green grass and pretty purple flowers, fields of bright yellow canola, and cute little towns and markets - so adorable!

Talking about scenery .... and because this is supposed to be a quilting blog .....

... a quilted card. Because I've been out galavanting, these cards are all the sewing I have been doing lately. Fun to use up scraps and to make some small pieced blocks.

Finally, I have not been able to contact one of the giveaway winners, (not for lack of trying), so I have decided to draw another winner. So once again I have gone to the trusty random number generator and come up with ............

Comment number 7

Congratulations Jessica from Scrappy n' Happy!!

Please drop me an email with your postal address and I'll send it to you ASAP.

Happy Birthday!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATE!!!

I hope you are having a wonderful day XOXO

My First Quilt Top

I've really struggled trying to get good photos outdoors recently (I am no photographer at the best of times).

Either too overcast ....

... or too windy

But they give you some idea of the first quilt top that I ever made - around one year ago. The main fabric is Soiree by Lila Tueller and was made from my first jelly roll. It's not perfect, not all the seams line up precisely, but I'm pretty happy with it. I think it'll look pretty around the house during spring/summer even if it's too hot to actually snuggle under. I think it's time it got quilted - any suggestions on how to quilt it??