Monday, December 30, 2013

Some Things to Follow

For the 52 Week Word Photo Challenge:



  1. The word for the week will be posted on Monday evenings (AEST NOT AEDT - I live in Queensland after all, we don't agree with daylight saving, even though it makes little difference!)
  2. The Linky for that week will be up on the following Sunday evening at 6.00pm (AEST!) for you to add your blog and show your photo, with a few words if you like to
  3. You could do more than  one photo if you like, for words that have multiple meanings!
  4. The 52 weeks will start on Monday 6th January 2014 and go through to the Sunday 4th January 2015. (Unfortunately the weeks do not coincide with the dates)
  5. Some weeks, I might ask someone else to put a word up - wouldn't that be fun?

It doesn't matter where in the world you live, just join in and have some fun with me.

Well I can't think of any more things to follow, so I hope you will all enjoy this as much as I will!



Sunday, December 29, 2013

A 52 Week Word Photo Challenge

You know how people do these 52 week challenges on line, where they put up their photographs each week and say a few words about them?

Well, I might just like to host one of them, if anyone will join me.

Mine would be a bit different though, because each week I would give you a word for you to take your photograph of your understanding of that word.  Does that make sense?? I do hope it does!

Please let me know if you are interested in this challenge, before the new year starts. I'm madly writing the words down, which I will give you on the Monday evening (Australian time) and then you would need to show your photographs on the following Sunday evening (Australian Time).

I would put a linky up for challenge doers each Sunday.

Now how does that sound to you all? Please join me, I would love it if you did, and one photograph each week should be easy and fun.

So like I said previously, please leave me a comment  if you're going to join in.


Thursday, December 19, 2013

From My House To Yours




Our very best wishes to all of our on line and not on line friends, for Christmas, and we hope that you all have a wonderful New Year!

We willl see you back here in a few weeks time, it is time to break for the festive season.



Saturday, December 14, 2013

Saturdays Scraps


Remember this cute little house quilt I showed you Here  ?  Well, today I have been madly sewing the parts to finish it! You can see the vertical strip row to the right, and each strip is around 6 1/2" wide, the quilt needed it!


So I am sewing strips together, and blocks



more strips and squares


Star blocks


little square blocks


some post and rail blocks


and tons and tons of scraps to cut apart and make 6 1/2" strips from.


Nothing done on the little girl quilt


For something a little different, this star was sent to me by a lady named Ank, from the Netherlands, to go on my star quilt.  It is beautiful as she has done it all by hand.

Okay, that's it for now, it is time for you to add your lovely scrappy stuff, so here goes:




Thursday, December 12, 2013

Another look at the Garden

I know I posted pictures of the frangipanis previously, here, but I thought you might like to see how they are going, and the others that have flowered.


Here is the Double White - you can see the 10 petals even though the flower is so small still.  This plant is growing in a pot and this is the first time it has flowered, so the flowers should get much bigger as the years go by. It is a real curiosity this one!


Here is the pink that I showed you before it flowered, and I said we didn't know what colour it is. Well, it's pink! Very pretty  though I haven't smelt any perfume from it yet.


Well, here is the golden/pinky one, flowering non stop - the flowers have faded to a different colour and the spider on the leaf is enjoying himself! So cute!


And here is our Darwin Pink - very faded, but still beautiful.

Hope you enjoyed that catch up!


Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Down Under Doll Quilt Swap 4 for 2013

I received my little quilt from my partner yesterday.

It is gorgeous:


Leanne, from New South Wales, also sent me a cute little notebook and pen, and also some sticky spots to place on the back of templates to keep them still whilst cutting.


This is a close up of the front - isn't the pattern unusual? 


 and here is the back, an over sized in brights also! I am very happy with it, and it is already hanging on my sewing room wall.


#reverb13 Day 11: Boldly go

What challenges lie ahead in 2014? How might you meet them boldly?


Well, this may sound awfully trite, but the challenge that will be greatest on my books, will be to finish up using all my scraps.  Being the mad quilter, I must use everything I have before I buy anymore (except for the odd one or two solids, of course). 

I will face this challenge head on, with rotary cutter in hand, and the sewing machine on standby.

I must apologise for not doing all the reverb13 questions, as some of them I am answering in private. But there are those I will share.



Saturday, December 7, 2013

Saturdays Scraps

Hi everyone, glad to see you back!

I need some help from you all today, I have no photographs of what I have been sewing - to tell you the truth, I haven't sewn much but that is no excuse!! I do have a horrid picture of my sewing room - out of focus and blurry - it was meant to show you what a mess I am in!

But never mind - everything will work out!

So here is your chance to shine this week - get those thumbnails in and show me up!

PLEASE


Friday, December 6, 2013

Doll Quilters Monthly

This week I sent off my first little quilt with the Doll Quilts monthly Group.  It was the December quilt and left last Tuesday for England, hurrying to Margaret, who is giving it to her friend's daughter, Lilly.

The month was to make a quilt for, or with, children.  So I am hoping that Lilly likes what I have done for her:


You didn't really think I would show you the quilt did you??
So hopefully it will reach it's destination by Christmas!

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Reverb 13 Day !

So here we are at the end of another year.

As said on Kat's site :
Reverb is a reflective writing challenge held in December every year. It provides a sacred space for participants to celebrate the successes and honour the challenges of the year that’s passing, as well as plant the seeds for a rich and rewarding new year.

Reverb was started by Gwen Bell in 2009 as a writing challenge for bloggers to consider the reverberations they sent out into the universe. Gwen passed the challenge on to individuals to host in 2011 and a number of bloggers around the world have since taken up the baton. This makes for a pretty exciting and festive time, and it’s not unusual for bloggers to participate in multiple Reverbs at once!

The question for today is - "How do you feel, on this first day, in your mind? In your body? In your heart? In your soul?"

Well today is the first day of Summer here in Queensland, Australia.  Summer is the month I have always loved,time on the beach with the hot sun beating into you, laughter and fun and extended family time.

Though as I age, I am finding the heat a little too hot and the days a little too long. The extended family have all gone on the four winds and what is left is the remains of what was, but we try to carry on the tradition, if just a little slower.

Enough waxing lyrical, though truthful. 

I am tired and glad the new year is almost here. I wish for more time with family and friends. and  more time to just  be me.

If you would like to join in with us, fell free to drop by Kat's blog, "I Saw You Dancing" and just sign up.



Saturday, November 30, 2013

Saturdays Scraps

Hi everyone, glad to see you back!

Did you see the gorgeous quilts from last week, that Jean from Selep Imaging joined in with? They were simply beautiful!

We could all do that too, you know. We just have to believe we can, and we will!

Well I have had a busy week, what with learning html(!!) and sewing, the week just flew by!

I have begun tying my quilt, I'm about 20% through it now - boy, it does take some time (and it gets VERY boring!)...




Today I started sewing up all those millions of half square triangles that I have in a container ( we all have them, don't we? Can't throw them out, but don't know what to do with them?)
Mine are about to become the next round of the next medallion quilt ( which may have changed since last week - why can't i just start one thing and finish it??)


So here are a few of the triangles, only a small amount - I still  have half a million more to sew - it takes forever, along with some more bits and bobs:


I was thinking of using this star for a centre, what do you think about that?  It's a Malka Dubrawsky collection of  prints  - by Moda of course! We DON'T go there, do we? Anyhow I want to use them up, so this seemed a good way to do just that!


So please let me know what you think of that little bit as well, won't you?

So join in below, and let's see what you are doing at the moment. 







The Buttons are Done!!

Well boy, have I been working to teach myself some html!

You'll notice on my sidebar, I have placed my blog button, and contact pages that you are welcome to follow also!

Because I don't really know what I am doing, please let me know if you have any problems with these buttons, they work for me, but goodness knows what will happen for anyone else! The web may be full of surprises!

Got to rush now, have to get Saturdays Scraps ready for you.


Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Playing in Photoshop

I did a little bit of playing in Photoshop this evening - and I made my signature!

Here 'tis:

I might need to make it a little larger:

How's that?

I think I'm just so smart now - I just have to settle down and learn how to add icons to the sidebars, to direct you all to my Pinterest etc.

I'm getting so clever, aren't I??

Just because!!!

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Frangipanis

I just couldn't wait to show you these beautiful Frangipani flowers that are blooming right now in our garden! The first one up is a "Darwin Pink", if I remember rightly ;


Isn't it a pretty colour?


My favourite red one - name unknown

These next ones were given to me last Summer by a friend, so neither she nor myself know what they will be when they flower! She gave me five cuttings, the others haven't flowered yet.

This first one is fabulous though:


Gorgeous large flowers with the most beautiful perfume!


Here's the same flower with the ruler ( well it's not my fault if it's crooked!), to show you the size - it's around 3" across!



This is another of the gifted ones, just budding now, so we are waiting with interest to see what it becomes!



Last but nor least, is my "double". It did develop one flower and the wind and rain broke it off(yes, I know I should have taken a picture on the day, but of course, I didn't).
This frangipani has 10 petals on each flower instead of the usual five.  It is supposed to have a lovely perfume also, but we'll have to wait for the next flower buds to open now.

We haven't had any flowers, or even buds, yet on the Darwin Yellow, the Evergreen White or the regular white, so I'm hoping they will follow come true Summer.

So that's that.   Aren't you ever so glad I showed you?

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Saturdays Scraps Continued on Sunday

Told you I might be back today!

Finished the table runner today, and also have almost finished the single sized quilt backed with an old flannelette sheet.

Some pics for you:


The new table runner turned out pretty good, even though Alan thinks "It's bright!!"


Here is the quilt backed by the flannelette sheet - you can see the sheet hanging over at the top.
I started by joining the two together on three sides, right sides facing .  I then turned them to the correct side  then I turned under the fourth side and sewed it right around all four sides 1/4" from the edge.

I'm thinking that I may simply tie this one, as there is no batting between the two sides there's not much to quilt!!

So I've been a busy little bee today, and tonight I'm going to veg out and watch some television.  See you later!

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Saturdays Scraps

Hi everyone, great to have you back here!

Boy, did we cop a storm this afternoon! Thunder and lightening, with some large hail, a bit of heavy rain, and then Huey got bored and went on his merry way!!

Here's some hail:


 2 of the hail stones in Alan's hand - they're about golf ball size!


A few of the stones on the front lawn - we really needed some rain, so we are lucky we got some!!

I have been sorting out my pieces of batting, trying to put together enough for at least one of my scrap quilts! It's just not happening yet, but I did have enough to do a little teddy bear bed quilt:


Miss Teddy's sleepy! Her quilt is made from scraps ( well it is Saturdays Scraps you know!) of batiks, along with scraps of batting.


Here she is, sound asleep 


I started a new table runner from tons of strips I found in my scrap basket, along with a long piece of batting.

I'm going to use a flannelette sheet alone as a backing for one of my big quilts ( less batting to find!!). So I may even have a Sunday Scraps yet - drop in and see tomorrow!

Join in and show us your scrappy goodies for today:



Saturday, November 9, 2013

Saturdays Scraps

Welcome back for another week of scrappy goodies!

Haven't had the opportunity to do much sewing this week - have been hand sewing some Green Tea and Sweet Beans blocks, and doing s bit of work on my swap blocks with Australia Quilt Swap Blocks.  I've also  been busy with Doll Quilts, as they are due soon as well!

So one day through the week, I collected all the scrappy tops that I have ready to be backed and bound - I was surprised at just how many there are!



There are 5 small quilts hanging on this clothe hanger, all waiting patiently


This is one from the previous photo that I haven't shown you before
 the centre fabric in each block is a real favourite of mine, so I decided on a bird quilt with it! I love how it turned out!


4 large quilts - single, double and queen sized ones here!


I still love this tumbler quilt to pieces!


And this blocks one, which was the beginning of the scrap bin clear out!

So this week I have decided to visit all the second hand stores in my area, looking for old sheets to back the quilts with - batting will probably be old blankets - I love being frugal!!


Poor little Priscilla had such a busy day today!~


So did our Tommy boy - isn't he just so regal!!?

So join in below  if you have some scrappy fun to share, won't you?