aNoTHeR GiVeaWaY!!!!!!!

You are probably wondering what my mother's toilet floor tiles have to do with a giveaway right?!

WELL

it's a long story but the other night at the [Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild] Sit and Sew Evening i was talking to a couple of girls about how everytime i go to the toilet at mum's i sit and stare at the floor trying to figure out what the pattern is in the tiles and it just can't figure it out!!!!!!!!!! It's literally driving me insane!!!! Sooooo the lovely [Rachel] suggested that she would totally be willing to stare at it too and try and figure out the pattern for some kind of giveaway and TA-DA here we are hehe.

So all you need to do it stare at this photo for a good long while and tell me what the repeat pattern is - if there is one! I am convinced it's a non-repeating pattern but at the same time i didn't think that was possible for floor tiles seeing as they are laid in squares - there must be a pattern of some sort right????

So what are you going to win? I am making a zipper pouch especially for the winner - i haven't yet but i have the design in my head. It involves a few hexies, some red lines and a cute little charm hanging from the zipper...it's gunna be great - you'll just need to take my word for it :)

Rules:

comment below to enter

if there is no repeat pattern, noone wins, so i urge you to find it so i can sleep better at night!

the competition will stay open until someone figures it out

first person to figure it our wins

Finally!! ...a home for my plastic bags!

I have been talking about making myself a grocery bag dispenser since...well forever really hehe and today i finally bit the bullet and sat myself down and this is what i came up with...

YAY!!!! I used this [tutorial] from [Saidos da Concha] and changed the sizing to make it a fair amount smaller. I don't like to keep too many grocery bags lying around so whatever doesn't fit into here isn't allowed to stay hehe. I used all sorts of scraps from my scrap pile and love the way it turned out...

...so what household item is next on my list?!...

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a tissue box cover...maybe even two!

Sew Sew Sew!

Last night i went to another Sit and Sew Evening for the [Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild] which was again held at my local quilt store - [GJ's Discount Fabrics]. I packed Giselle [did i mention that my new borrowed machine has officially been named Giselle?!] into the car along with a lot of bee block fabric and headed on down for an evening of productive sewing...

i managed to get quite a lot done, starting with these Japanese + and x blocks for [Danielle] of the [Sew Australia] Bee. I made them using this tutorial from [Badskirt Amy]. Aren't they just awesome! Another quilt on my to do list.

Then i got to sewing these Dresden blocks for [Erin] for the [Aqua and Red Block Bee]. These were quite easy seeing as Erin kindly did all the cutting for us! I managed to half finish both and made the final touches at home this morning.

After that i moved onto some work on this month's [Teeny Weeny PP Bee] blocks as well and finished off this butterfly using this [pattern] for [Fran].

Then i woke up this morning and i was feeling in a particularly productive mood so i, of course, went straight to the sewing studio before i lost my sewing mojo...

  

I made this block for [Lynne] also for the [Aqua and Red Block Bee]. I made one block for Lynne last week but she sent so much fabric so i thought i'd make her two - i used this [tutorial] from [patchwork squared].

And then i made this [Aqua and Red Block Bee] August Block for [Dawn].

I am very proud that i was able to achieve so much - and the sewing for the day isn't over yet! I just went to the post box to discover fabric for 2 more bee blocks + i have a placemat to start on too!

The big ReVeaL!!!!!!!

 Okay so i know you are all wondering what went from this...

to this....

...you guessed your little hearts out! But there can be only one winner....the mystery item is....

a ToTe BaG!!!

Which means our winner is....

Quilt Jane!!!!

Congratulations Jane!

The pattern i used for this bag is the [241 Tote Pattern] from [Noodlehead] and it's a great bag - lots of pockets and storage space - perfect for me to take it to work on the train to carry my lunch, sewing and other valuables.

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I did change a few little things - for example, the centre panel has batting instead of interfacing to give it more of a quilted look and i added a little wooden buckle on the strap to give it a bit of spunk! I also did some things in a different order to the pattern because i personally found it a little easier that way :)

The 241 tote is a great pattern - with all the pieces lining up perfectly [which doesn't always happen!]. The instructions were clear and easy to follow with lots of pictures too. All in all, the bag was super fun to make!

Thank you all for playing along!

See the Bombers Fly Up Up...

Last Saturday night Heidi and i headed to the 'G' to watch the bombers vs. the blues with Pa...

We started the night, as usual, with some bomber inspired face painting...

...spent an exorbitant amount of money on a very small amount of horrible food [hehe]...

...and found our way to our seats to watch the game...

Heidi was super excited because we were sitting right behind the Bomber's interchange bench so she got to see her favourite players - Brent Stanton, Zaharakis and David Hill all coming off for a rest. She spent most of the night calling out to them [even though they couldn't hear her!!]

Shannon [hubby] and Brookie were also at the same game but were sitting in with the Bomber's Cheer squad so we went for a quick walk to see them at half time before watching the bombers crash and burn :(

Even though the Bombers lost, it was still a great night!

Flickry Inspiration...

1. DQS11- Mini Red Cross Quilt Top 2. IMG_9176-1 3. Inspiration Wire 4. sweet pickins. 5. Postage Stamp 6. Red and Aqua House Doll Quilt 7. wooden fruit + beer crates 8. Japanese + and X Quilt 9. Single Girl quilt

Mystery item almost complete...

...just to tease you :P it wont be finished for another two days...but i'm nearly there!

Hexies done....now what next?

Okay so i have finished joining together all those hexies and more for my secret project so make sure you check it out on this [post] to guess what i'm making and win some fabric goodness!

I have been avoiding posting since announcing the giveaway for two reasons...

1. i was scared that i might accidentally let the answer it slip!

2. i have been working around the clock to get the hexies done so have not much else to blog about hehe

Now that those hexies are done, i need a new hexie train travel project and this is what i am going to be working on next...

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one of these GoRGeoUsLy inventive travelling hexie making kits! This one is from [Strawberrylicious] and it's just adorable!

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i might alter mine a little to make room for my glue basting pen and possibly a few more hexies than what this little kit allows but the concept is just fantastic don't you think?!?! I have a fair amount of sherbet pips left too so i think i will be using it for this project. I could wait for my little apples jelly roll to arrive...but i just can't wait to get started!!!!

What am i?! Guessing Game GiVeaWaY!!!

Above is my new project for me...it's totally hexilicious but did you expect anything else?! 

So the aim of the game is...you guess what i am making and you win some DS Picnic and Fairgrounds goodness!

The way it works is you should become a follower of my blog and then leave a comment on this post with your guess and the winner will be announced once the project is complete....which will hopefully be in one week [by the end of next weekend] so it allows me enough time to piece together all those 1.5 inch hexies!

The only clues you get are that it's practical and it's not a quilt :)

Rules = you must be a follower, you must love fabric hehe, first person to guess correctly is the winner!

Happy guessing!!!

Sew splendid!

Today [Sally] came over for our own chocolate and sewing day to try and cheer me up after my horrible, horrible....HoRRiBLe month hehe. It definitely worked [i knew it would of course, no one know how to cheer me up just like Sal!] and i managed to get a couple of things moving....

Shawn aka [creativeinspiraciones] has been very patiently waiting for her June placemat for the [Free Motion Placemat Swap] and i have nearly finished it - i can't show you the whole thing because i want it to be a surprise but i loooooove it!

i contacted Shawn to let her know that i had been under a lot of pressure and she so graciously agreed that i could be late...and then the 'hit by a car' thing happened and i haven't been able to FMQ all that well because it had been hurting my shoulder but today was great and the plan was to get it all done and in the mail tomorrow morning.....until i ran out of orange thread!!!! ARGH!!!! Sorry Shawn, just one more day, i promise! P.S. Do you like my third ever attempt at FMQ?!?!?! I think i'm pretty brilliant hehe.

I even managed to complete [Lynne's] block for the [Aqua and Red Block Bee] using this [Greek Cross tutorial]. I love this block and have definitely added it to the 'must make' list!

AND i finished off this glasses case for myself to stop my glasses getting scratched - i used my collection of Denyse Schmidt's Picnic and Fairgrounds and just love it!

By the way did i mention i managed to achieve all of this while looking after the two kids and all that entails?! Not bad huh?! Now i'm off to a lovely night out with my hubby before rolling into work with a hangover tommorrow hehe.

Happy Mail to Spice Up My Kitchen!!!

i am totally spoilt!!!! Today i received this amazing package from [Jill] with my items for the [Spicing Up The Kitchen Swap] and i was sooooo excited when i opened it up to see all of this kitcheny goodness!!!

i received this gorgeous mug rug - i looove crosses so it's totally me and that backing fabric is to die for! Instead of using it as a mug rug, i have already turned it into my new mouse pad for my computer and i love looking at it every time i come to do some typing!

These two hot pads - just what i needed! I have been using folded tea towels to retrieve items from the oven ever since we moved [i chucked my old, ruined hot pads vowing to make myself some new ones after the move...HAHA!]

AND this completely and utterly awesome tea cozy which is a lovely large size and fits my bigger teapot. I can't wait to bring it out when i next have the girls over for afternoon tea!

Thanks so much [Jill] for sending me such a lovely and well thought out package. I just adore it!

An Elegant Affair...

On Friday night it was my Sister-in-Law's Debutante Ball. My husband and son were in Adelaide watching the football so it was just Heidi and I attending as well as Pa and Rachelle's Aunty and Uncle.

We went out and bought Heidi a new dress, cardi, necklace, shoes and stockings (meanwhile i had to source my top from the Op Shop to save money!) to make her feel like a princess for the night...

 Heidi and I spent a good hour or two getting ourselves all 'pretty' for the event. Heidi even got to have nail polish and eye shadow! She was very excited.

We had lots of fun dancing the night away on the dance floor together and Heidi just adored Aunty Shell's beautiful puffy dress.

Rachelle was by far the most beautiful debutante of the night with the most stunning dress (i'm not biased at all!)

All in all it was a great night and Heidi lasted all the way till we left at 11:30pm (did i mention that she had been up since 6am) with only one tanty which was just amazing!

Thanks for a great night Aunty Shell!!!

Ten Kisses...

So here they are, the first 10 fans for my Gypsy Kisses Quilt! They are so easy to make - these ones were all made in one day in between kinder meetings, afternoon naps, housework and a trip to the movies!

I printed off another 20 foundation piecing templates yesterday so hopefully i can get them done by the weekend :)

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Also, for any one intersted, there is a brand new swap that has just commenced signups called [For the Love of Solids]. For this swap you send your partner a minimum of two items - one big item and one small. Your big item can be something like a table runner, set of placemats, pillow cover, tote bag, mini-quilt, sewing machine cover, craft apron, etc. This item must be homemade and made strictly from solids. The second item you will send will be considerably smaller and does not need to be handmade. It could be a scrap pack of solids, a hoop, mug rug, fabric bucket, pincushion, bunting, etc.

Sign-ups are open until they reach 100 participants and mailing deadline is September 15th.

Goodie Bag Swap: Sent and Received

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A little while ago now i participated in the [Goodie Bag Swap] and haven't yet made this post because i wanted to wait until my partner received her bag, which was a drama because for some reason it came back to me first! ARGH! I think it's because the bag knew that secretly i wanted to keep it for myself hehe.

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So the above red and white spotty dotty bag [and goodies!] was received by Kelly of [A Plain Path]. I loved "stalking' Kelly and finding out all about her family as well as her crafty adventures!

In return i received this bag from Greta of [Because i Sew So]...

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...and i just LOVE it! The fabrics and colours are totally me, nice bright and cheery and she totally spoilt me with fabric goodness - i was simply AMAZED by the amount of fabric she squeezed into one zippy lock bag!

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AND not to mention this GORGEOUS hexie glasses case [just what i needed!!]...

Thank you so much Greta, you're a SuperStar*

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Quilting on a budget...

Okay so i have come to terms with the fact that i won't be quilting any of my tops anytime soon. No my machine is not broken, yes i do know how. To be honest - i can't afford, and wont be able to afford, fabric for my quilt backs, let alone batting, for at least another 2-3 months. The reality in my world is that we are not well off, and it's a struggle everyday, but we're doing okay :) god will only give you what you can handle. I am rich in so many other ways, i have beautiful children, a wonderful husband and family and a roof over my head - what more could a girl want. I am also glad that i am able to teach my children the value of money and the fact that the amount of money you have does not define the person you are. And most importantly, ther is always someone worse off than yourself!

So i have decided to focus on my next quilt top instead...

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It's Gypsy Kisses by Pickledish from the book [Material Obsession Two]. The great thing about this quilt is that i have A LOT of scraps therefore no money need be spent there, I already purchased the blue Betty Dear fabric for the centers a ages ago and it will take me so long that i need not worry about quilting it for quite a while!!! I really love the above version by [Mary @ Molly Flanders] as the colour choices are a little more like the scraps in my bin compared to the ones in the book [shown below]...

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i think i will also be giving the little pieced side strips a miss too when making up my quilt. i would love to figure out a way to keep the edges curvy, without squaring it off like above also...but that will come later.

So the plan is to go to work early tomorrow and photocopy the paper piecing template to my heart's content :) it really is a great book - i also have plans to make the Stashbuster Quilt [shown below] once i'm finished with Gypsy Kisses...

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Another project in the works is this milkmaid skit which i have been meaning to make for my daughter for quite a while from this [tutorial]:

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i purchase a fair amount of this print in the Picnic and Fairgrounds Line from Denyse Schmidt...

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...because my daughter just adored it and i have been promising her that i will turn it into a pretty skirt for her!

so in summary...

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