This is going to be a very

happy,jumping up & down,skipping on the spot

Favourite Things Friday today.....

On Saturday I am off to the beautiful Carrickalinga for 3 days of

(as MayBritt says)

Vitamin Q....

stitching,quilting,laughing & of course eating.....

I will be joined in this venture by

 Lynne (no blog),Kay (no blog),Lorraine(no blog)

& of course

Ausrose....

I am sure that as usual we will have a fantastic time.......

am SOOOOOOOO looking forward to this

as well as the fact that I have 9 days off work

am planning to get some sewing done fingers crossed .....

So as usual hop on over to Shays blog to catch up on everyones FTF...

Hope you all have a great weekend I know I will ......

Favourite thing Friday on Sunday !!!

I am claiming a letoff for missing Fridays posting as it has been a busy week ....
For my Favourite thing this week I would like to introduce you to....

The newest member of our family weighing in at 8lbs 10oz Seth Gardner.....


Isn't he just so gorgeous...(or am I a biased Nanna)

Please head on over to Shays place to check out all the other Friday posters...

Favourite Friday Fabric

I can't believe it's been 2 months since I posted !! no excuse really just life intruding I guess plus a lack of sewing mo-jo so nothing really to show ...
But I decided to get a post in with the lovely Shay for FTF....

I really shouldn't be allowed to surf late at night.... I tend to go to online fabric shops & I have a strange illness which means I have no self control after 10pm !!!...
So these lovely fabrics arrived at my door today from the lovely Jodie at Fort Worth Fabrics...I had heard that her service is second to none & that certainly is true ...
I was quoted postage & had accepted that was the amount,when the money was taken out of my bank it was a bit less than I had calculated on the exchange rate ...
when it arrived today the postage had been reduced by nearly $20 ...
as there is nothing on the package I wouldn't of had any idea,Jodie could of kept it & I would of been none the wiser So thanks Jodie....
Can I say I have had this happen to me...
I paid $10 postage on an item once when it arrived the postage was $2:50 with no refund needless to say I haven't ordered from them again...


I intend to make a "Big Boy" quilt for the new arrival in no hurry so will just sit on this till I find a pattern I want to use





Just slotted this tasty package in as my Easter gift to myself ...
As I don't eat chocolate this is the next best thing !!



Last but not least a different style swaddler, modelled again by teddy.





So this week my FTF is fabric ...very basic for a quilter I know but always yummy when it arrives..
Hope everyone has a very stitchy weekend ....I'm off to stroke my new collection of yumminess :)

Favourite Things Friday

This week I am going to be a bit self-indulgent with my Favourite thing

It is a picture I received from my daughter Whitney last week .....a scan photo in fact of my very first Grandchild...







Doesn't he look lovely ...ok I know that I am biased....my first reaction was how detailed the scans are nowadays...my second was how much he looks like Whitney when she was born...same nose & cheeks !! so I have included her first baby picture so you can see for yourselves....





Wonder if he will be born with his own mohawk !!

So once again thanks to Shay for hosting this FTF...head on over to her blog to check out everyones FTF posts....

Favourite Things Friday...

Hi everyone I've made it back for this weeks fTF...was a close thing as the main modem decided that it had lived long enough this week & fell off the twig...

I decided this weeks theme (oh how posh) is Tradition & how to start one..
As most of you "oldie readers" will know my baby daughter is having her own baby ...for new readers its ok My "Baby" is 24 & amazingly enough for a radical thinking,metal listening,tattooist is ...*gasp shock horror* married ..LOL..so this week I got out the shawl that my mother knitted for me when I was pregnant with Whitney, it has washed up beautifully ...I packed it into a box along with her pram blanket that was also used for her sister & 4 of my mums Great grandchildren since & it is on it's way to the depths of Wales to wrap the latest generation in ...I am hoping that when it is finished being used for her children it will be packed away for her Grandchildren ...How lovely would that be ...Imagine the next 4 or 5 generations being wrapped in Nanny Joyces knitting it would make her so proud...





Also tucked in the box a little quilt for his cot ...retro colours for his retro loving mumma....it was hard to get a true colour pic as the yellow is really more of a mustard...




& lastly the latest member to arrive at my house a truely gorgeous birthday present from one of my Quilting Buddies, Lorraine..every year she does what she calls her "Footy Quilt" done whilst watching her various children (she has 4) doing their Football & Netball..this appliqued heart quilt was a surprise to us all when the blocks appeared at our Weekend Away ...Lorraine doesnt "do" blue ...but on my birthday she said "when I have finished quilting it, it's yours"....so it arrived with her today ..It went straight onto the bed





So that's my lot today I'm off to Mrs Pajamas site to check out all the other FTF participents blogs to see what they have picked ...go on over yourselves & check it out
Have a great week everyone Happy Stitching xxx

Favourite Things Friday

So another week over & here we are again Friday!! Like the redoutable Mrs Pajamas I am still on holidays but back on monday for me ....I did manage to get 3 blocks of my Farmers Wife quilt done ...well you could say 5 'cos I had to completely redo blocks 1&2 as they were not the right size..lesson learned on how to not hold the pencil when drawing around the templates & yes a little bit out does make a difference over small pieces !!!.....but am very happy with them so far....as you can tell I started out with some of the easier blocks the next I am working on has teeny triangles !! so far so good....














Had a lovely Farmers Wife get-together with Mrs P & Granny Loz....so much yakking & eating & sewing that I forgot to take any pics!!

I had great plans of how much sewing I was going to get done but "best laid plans " etc etc...shoulder pain held me up a bit but I did manage to get the binding sewn down on the baby quilt from last fridays post also finished off a table topper but will keep that pic for next week incase I don't get anything done !!! (although if you look at the last pic you will get a sneaky preview )
I have throughly enjoyed the Tennis will be sad when it's over .....
..
Well I'mm off to enjoy what's left of my hols Hoping everyone has a great weekend 7 Happy stitching

Favourite things Friday

After a whole year of looking at the lovely Shays weekly

"Favourite Things Friday"

posts I decided this year to jump on board

it will at least mean that I have to post once a week !!

So for my first FTF post for 2012

my favourite thing today is sewing binding on a baby quilt

whilst watching the Tennis.....

interestingly enough I wouldn't mind betting that next Fridays post

might just include a mention of Tennis too....

So thanks to Shay for hosting this fun activity

I have started my Farmers Wife Quilt 2 blocks sewn today.

I am now on holidays for a week plenty of Tennis & sewing to be done...

what more could you want

So the journey begins......

Yes I have got caught up in the madness that is



The Farmers Wife Quilt

The first 4 blocks are cut ready to sew

Joining me on this journey are

Ausrose,

Granny Loz,,

Quilting in my pajamas

& a few other non blog ladies...


I am hand piecing most of this

madness or not ???

well we will see ......

SSCS

Wow I was really spoilt by my SSCS partner the lovely Loulee of Manxgirl


Loulee & I are old friends having been blog friends & exchanging fabric etc quite a few times


Can you see that super cute bunting I'm wondering where the best place for that will be ..would love to hang it from the shelves in my new kitchen...what do you think...cute or what??
I'm going to use the journal to document my progress & fabric choices for my Farmers Wife Quilt that I am starting next year..





Just love the bag the strap is long enough for it to be worn across my body which is needed at the moment as with my sore sholders I can't hang a bag from them.





Love it all Loulee thankyou so much XXXXX

Wishing all my Blogfriends a Good New Years Eve & a Happy Healthy 20012...I'll be working so no partying for me but please feel free to have a drink & dance for me ...

SSCS

Was so excited last week when I arrived home from work to find a parcel on the table......as soon as I saw the post mark - the Isle of Man - I knew that it was from Loulee...




I was allowed to open 2 of the parcels one had these 2 beautiful baubles and also this fantastic wall hanging





So the other parcels are waiting to go under the tree ( when I put it up) to be opened on Xmas day ....when I get back from work...yes working Xmas day I actually volunteered as we do nothing on that day ...Boxing day is our busy day and the other lady who was meant to be working wanted to spend the day with her granddaughter....


Things have been very busy here as I have finally had my new kitchen installed I have been waiting for years !! the pic below is what I have been living with...... it is the original kitchen from when the house was built in the early 70's and for the last 12 years I had only half of it..





In this pic you can see in the corner the wallpaper we "inherited" when we brought the house...yes it was stunning especially combined with the dark green cabinets and the mustard tops ....





So quite a few thousand dollars later we now have this .....





We blocked in both the windows which allowed me to move the fridge to the other wall & the oven/hob to the end wall which gave me all the bench space on the side wall ....
I love love love my new kitchen and am still surprised when I walk in the door and see it.....I don't even mind cleaning it LOL at least it looks clean not like the old one which never did no matter how much I tried...

3rd time lucky !!!

Tried to post this earlier but blogger ate it!!
Also had pics from m y stitching weekend in Port Pirie with Gail Pan & Natalie Ross had a great time lovely to see Gail again & to meet Natalie...will try to post pics of that later will just be happy to get this one up ..

Spent last weekend looking at this view hard life isnt it




Val managed to finish a Hexagon swap quilt ....




Lorraine finished her "Seven sisters" quilt this is a twin to the one that I adopted not long ago as she didn't like the colours of it




Her "football quilt" each season she has a project she can hand sew at the matches & practice...



Her Log Cabin quilt

First Baby picture

Just received this on e-mail from my daughter in Wales first picture of my grandchild ....12 weeks old ...





Managed to get some time in the sewing room ....I had brought a pattern from Lisa at U-Handbag & also some bag frames ...I call this my Mary Poppins bag :).....





Only 2 weeks now till Loz & I go on our road trip to Port Pirie for a stitching weekend with Gail Pan & Natalie Ross....looking forward to a weekend full of laughter & stitching ....

It's my 3 day weekend off although I have to go to a funeral with my daughter tomorrow ...a friend of hers died aged 29 of a heart attack after having indigestion for 3 weeks ....so sad for his wife & family ....

Having a new kitchen installed on Nov 21st so shopping on Saturday for some kitchen stuff including a new fridge as I found out after changing my layout that we can't change the door around !!...also looking for tiles etc etc...will certainly post before & after pics of that...

hoping to get some stitching done inbetween all this activity .....

Rugby on Sunday keeping all things crossed for The Wallabies against the All Blacks !!!

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend
Hugs Claire

Its that time of year again....

Yes....It's

Chookyblue's Secret Santa Christmas Swap ...

I have been in this swap twice & always had fun

I missed it last year as I was busy overseas but this year I'm excited to be back in

I have been having a good look at my swappies blog going to be very interesting picking things for her...

This is a quilt made by one of my quilting group,Lorraine, (no blog) the pattern is Floribunda by Erin Russek of One Piece at a Time blog and was a free BOM she had last year .There is another free BOM this year a very generous blogger.

Some not very exciting HsT they are going to be turned into hourglass blocks for a Gail Pan pattern

A non-quilty pic ...we had a big family BBq recently & it was my job to take a Pav, this is a 12 egg white base with a Lemon Curd filling (home made)& cream decoration, it all disappeared in record time.

And now some progress on my Gail Pan Berries & Bluebirds.
All the blocks are preped & waiting for their applique.

News on the family front I am going to be a Nanna in April,Whitney & Nathan are expecting their first baby & everyone is very happy for them .

Well I am off to watch the Rugby then the Football & do some stitching.

Hope everyone has a great weekend xxx

Holiday news

Had a really lovely family holiday on the Gold Coast.....
My niece her fiance & son are over from the UK.....
so we went up to Queensland & my nephew & his family drove down from Emerald....
there were 14 of us all up.....
stayed at a place in Southport called Treasure Island.....was great for the kids plenty for them to do on site we went to Sea World & also had a nice day on Surfers beach...
managed to do a bit of stitching on my Berries & Bluebirds applique..but generally was just a chilled out relaxed time...
hoping to get into my sewing room tomorrow I need some more B&B blocks sewn ready to applique....
On a very exciting note....went Kitchen shopping today looks as if it's getting a bit closer..:)

Etc etc etc ...

So I have been a really good girl no sewing taking things easy here at home

( due to Bursitis in my right sholder)

no major housework (thanks hubby)

so sad about that !!......

& after 8 weeks the result is ........

da da

Drumroll please

Bursitis in my left sholder as well as my right !!!!

So I am now sewing again only in short bursts

but this is medically necessary

( to stop me going stark raving mad !!)....

& I have just booked to go to

A weekend in creative company

with Gail Pan & Natalie Ross

at Country HArt in Port Pirie ....

I am going with the gorgeous & funny Granny Loz....

should be a real hoot.....

so no pics Im afraid ....

hopefully next time as I have sewed my Dresden plates together

& would of had the borders on if I could count !!

So I will leave you with a couple of random pics

First, my eldest daughter has a "Family leg"

It has a heart on it & a pair of scissors with a ribbon which is for me

her latest is for her Dad

their connection has always been with music

(she gets his music collection in the will)

so she had a spare moment the other day

& decided to tattoo this on her leg for him

Not everyones idea of a childs appreciation

but thats her thing after all :)

(lyrics from a Faith No More song)

This is my one :)

Next up is Youngest daughter

on her first day at her new job

she was working with me in the kitchen at the Hospital

but thanks to a couple of really nasty people her time there was not the happiest

But she has had the last laugh & got herself a receptionist
job which she loves ,so a much happier person all around...

Edited: yet again blogger is deciding on its own spacing !! Sorry about that....

BIG SIGH....

So on Saturday it will be a month since I have touched my machine & I have been able to do very little hand sewing (only 4 leaves on my B&B Applique)....

The cause of this is a nasty case of Bursitis in my right sholder & a possible tendon problem ...I'm not complaining .... in the scheme of things it's not a lot to deal with but it is VERY frustrating !! I have spent a lot of time tidying up my sewing room, having a bit of a clean out so when I am able to sew all will be ready....

So no pics of my projects but I can show you something very special

I have adopted an unwanted Quilt Top....

Can you believe that after all this work my lovely friend Lorraine (no blog) didn't like it !!! it was going in the cupboard!!...
She is currently making another one same design different material ...I have offered to adopt that one as well if it's also un-wanted as it's being made with Kansas Troubles my fav of all time ...
So I'm off to Blog hop saving up ideas for when I can sew ....Hopefully very soon...

Have a lovely weekend & Happy sewing...

Giveaway result

The Giveaway was won by Khris
I am deciding what to make for her lurking on her blog to try & get an idea :)
Had some interesting ideas for the sashing from OS so think I will be incorporating some into the finished quilt.....
Might be a couple of weeks as I have a bad sholder & have been banned from sewing !! YES thats right haven't touched my machine for 3 weeks now !!! really bad withdrawal symptoms here....hence no nice pics for this post ....Hope to have some soon
Have a great weekend everyone...
Happy Stitching
(for some :( ....)

Give Away Time......

Well its been a while yet again !! & I just realised that I have passed 200 posts by 6 so I will have a give away.... I have NO idea what as I just thought about it!! but I will think of something yummy plus this way I can tailor it to the winner :)


So the Dresden plates are all finished & ready to put together so comments please on your choice of setting
"To Sash or Not to Sash... that is the question"

This might not be the final choice for the sashing material.... I have a few different ones that I can use...


Or without ...I also have quarter blocks that I will use in the corners




Here is my latest finish
"Cherries & Chocolate'
I first saw this pattern on MayBritts blog...I think the pattern is called Bread & Butter & was a free one on the net...my layout is a bit different as I didnt read all the instructions before I started putting it together !! but I am still very happy with it ...the material is "More Pink & Chocolate"...






My lovely longarmer " House of Valerie" did her usual beautiful work on it.... a vine of heart shaped leaves most appropriate as it has gone to the Uk to live with my beautiful cousin Tonya who is fighting Ovarian cancer for the second time...I know that Val quilted many good wishes & love into it & did it VERY quickly for me so it could be sent off...





I have a fair bit of this material left ..it was a fat quarter bundle so am planning to make a quilt for me with the leftovers...

So get your comments in with your choice of sashing for teh Dresden plates & I'll draw it in a weeks time


Have a happy stitching week....

Back again...

So apologies for tardiness of blog posts

but sometimes I don't have anything to say!!....
I know that those who know me are now rolling on the floor laughing

but it does happen..
So kicking off todays missive

we have the wonderful news

the Dresden plates are all finished & ready to put together

I haven't any pics yet I'll save them for the next post.
So I now need another machine sewing project,

after a visit to the lovely Granny Loz

& a look at her Civil War quilt

I fell in love

(with the quilt not Loz although she is lovely )

so after a lot of drooling by me Loz loaned me the book.
I must admit that if I hadn't seen Loz's quilt

the pic on the front would not of inspired me to make it.

When we went to Carrickalinga for our girly stitchery weekend
I managed to find the material for it.
The first three were brought at Tricia's (no website)

for SA quilters/ Adelaide people she is opposite Castle Plaza South road.

We then called in at Patch-work online

which is at McLaren Flat & met the lovely Nicole.

This is mainly an on-line business
but if you let Nicole know when you are going past you can go visit.
I had looked on the website & picked out a Layer cake

of Barbara Brackmans Civil War fabric

but when I got to see it in person I wasn't too keen

on some of the colours

the blue in *real life* was more of a teal

so I ended up with some

Blackbird design Antique Fair much more to my taste.

A while ago I saw this book on the lovely

Leannes blog .

It instantly became a *must have*

This is my favourite bag in the book.

My BFF ausrose

is having a giveaway on her blog

so hop on over & leave a comment

Val is hosting a fund raiser for a programme she works for

It's to raise funds for a programme

which offers exercise & information

for women with Breast Cancer

so for Sa girls come along if you can

Shop, Sit, Sew and Soup Day
Location: Salisbury East Neighbourhood Ctr,

28 Smith Road, Salisbury East,

S Australia
Time: ‎10:00AM Saturday, June 25th



So back soon with some Dresden Plate love .

I am really happy with how these have turned out

but I will be wanting some input to the next stage....

Not sure why blogger is spacing this all different but it won't talk to me tonight :(

I'm Back

Well again life got in the way

but I have at least got some stitching done over the last few weeks..



I had a lovely Easter break
I was meant to work the weekend

but decided to take it off
Ausrose & I went to the Barossa Valley on the Sat morning

to visit with the lovely

Granny Loz & her beautiful sidekick Rose...

We had a trip out to a local Craft Fair

I managed to find a lady selling fabric

& she had some Kansas Troubles

so a few fat quarters came home to live with their relatives

in my KT basket where they have fitted in so well

& are quite at home awaiting my next KT project...

After returning to Chez Loz

we got down to some serious stitching

We went to a show in the evening at a local winery great show good company

Before taking off for the weekend

I made an Easter present for my Great Niece

we take it easy on the chocolate

so I made a paper mache nest with a couple of birds

They were sitting on some little chokky eggs

I have also finally finished my "Gathering Garden" by Kim Diehl
It's now waiting to be sandwiched & quilted..

Plus 3 Dresden plates are now appliqued with 6 to go...






Ausrose & I are off for a stitching day tomorrow with the very talented

Tazzie

It will be our first "real life" get together

Funny how you can "know" someone when you have never ever met them !!

I can't wait
I am sure we are going to have a great time

Hope everyone has a good weekend

I'll be working but hoping to get some stitching done.....