LATE

To those few who entered my giveaway I am sorry I am late in doing the draw. I unexpectedly spent the whole weekend on the golf course-and with the sun shining I have to admit it was great to be outside getting exercise and with good company.
I have to admit that I have not been in the sewing room for over a week so better change that this week or that stash will never reduce!
With the help of my neighbour we have drawn out two names of the winners and they are
Maria from  Life on the Block
Cardygirl from Cardygirl

I have sent you both an email for your address so will post the books soon. Hope you enjoy them.

Hello February.

Well I have been away for quite awhile-the longer you are away from blogging the harder it is to start again. I read my list of blogs daily and comment when I think appropriate and although I haven't blogged there are still people who are visiting my blog every day-amazing.
It is hard to believe that January has already been and gone-my intention was of course to recommence blogging at the beginning of the year-ha,ha!!
It has been said 'whatever you do on New Year's Day is what you will do for the rest of the year'.

If that is the case then my year will on the golf course (already coming true!!) and of course quilting-although I don't want to repeat having a needle stab me in the finger-lesson to self, 'disengage machine before fiddling with bobbin'!!.

After owning my longarm for over a year it was finally time to quilt. I had tried and tried to start but could never get the tension right, then I found the Gennie Bobbin Washers and hey presto even tension.
It was however rather difficult to accomplish the task when I had a little helper. Every time I go to the machine Maisy thinks she needs to come as well, however she thinks she should be 'on the quilt'!! This was just a scrap quilt I had made and will keep it as 'my first longarm quilted quilt'. I just stitched in the ditch on every seam-and ran off track most of the time- then read that this is the hardest quilting to start with!1 Should have read that before starting but was pleased to have one under my belt. And where is the quilted now-claimed by Fat Cat-aka Bella

I was very excited to win a giveaway on Kathy's blog -Tamarack Shack. Kathy is a longarm quilter who lives in Canada and does the most amazing work, it is definitely worth visiting to see what she does. Kathy also snow dyes her fabric and I was lucky enough to win some along with a Canadian Quilting Magazine that featured an article about this.It is so interesting to read quilt magazines from other countries and view the quilting styles and colour themes they have.

 

 Sorry Picassa is playing fun with the photos and won't let me crop them. this is the fabric that found it's way to my house-isn't it wonderful. Looking down on it to take the photo it reminds me of a map of the world-don't want to cut it up so think I will incorporate it into a backing.

So what other quilting have I been doing-little things really. A few baby quilts that I forgot to photograph before gifting but I can say they were well received. Christmas placemats for the children next door and a few random blocks to try techniques.

I have joined in the Swoon craze but have only made one block so far but loving it. It is a 24 inch block and the original pattern has nine blocks so makes a big quilt.

Two fat quarters and white Kona from my stash-may add borders and just make this into a little quilt or maybe a cushion cover.

Have also started the Free Motion Quilting Challenge over at Sew Cal Gal. It is free to follow and there is one guest tutorial each month-the first was Frances Moore and she showed how to do Vines and Leaves which I had an attempted at-not perfect but at least it's not just stippling-

This month Diane Gaudynski has posted a tutorial on "Echo Feather Plumes' which I have not yet attempted but will definitely do so.

If you have got this far in your reading, well done! over the Christmas period I somehow ended up receiving an extra two copies of this book-it has some great ideas for using colourful scraps.

So I am going to have a giveaway. If you would like to receive a copy of this book just leave a comment. You do not have to become a follower, please do not post about this on you blog-I would rather send a copy to someone who visits because they want to see what is happening not just for the giveaway. I will draw two names out on Saturday 11th Feb.
Thanks for stopping by.

Merry Christmas.

To all my blogging friends and your families may you have a very Merry Christmas all health and happiness throughout 2012.
Thank you to everyone who has continued to visit despite my total lack of posting in the last few months. I will be back very soon.

CHECKING IN.

Yes I am still here and checking in with you all, and in two days time I will be checking in with my suitcase and boarding a plane (or several by the time I get there) heading for Italy, and Dubai then a few days in Auckland to catch up with family before heading down south here again. One whole month away from work is so exciting-it is a while since I have had that long off and are so looking forward to it.

This is where I will be spending my first week doing a cooking course in Tuscany before meeting up with my sister and family in Florence for another week in a villa in the country. We then head for Rome for a few days before we part company again. Fun, fun, fun ahead.

To all of you who commented after my last post I thank you and apologise for not answering you individually . Things have improved a little but will never go away completely. The issue is work related so I am sure you will understand my situation.

So what has been happening in the sewing room - the pinwheel quilt is done-

I used a pattern from Moda Bakeshop and I did prairie Points for the first time. I do like this little quilt and how it turned out.The photo does not really so it justice and the very faded out areas are more prominent than look here.
Then I caught up with some of the blocks for the Bee Balm I am a member of-

 

These are Kates blocks and although the blocks looked they would be difficult to make they went together very easily.

Beebee sent the background fabrics and asked for pink hearts in any design we chose. Beebee is a member of a couple of groups and is gathering an amazing variety of blocks that are going to make a stunning quilt.

This is my next project that is ready to have the binding sewn down and then it is finished-made from the stash although you can't see a dent in it at all. As you can see I have a thing about pinwheels at the moment and as I have four staff members pregnant at he moment they will find good homes.

I quilted this one with hearts with a swirl. I traced the hearts out on paper and then free motioned quilted them. Am pleased with how they turned out.

Well that was a quick visit and I may not be back for another month. Thank you all for continuing to visit. Have been enjoying all the projects out in blogland even though I haven't been that productive myself. Keep up the wonderful inspiration.

ENFORCED SILENCE

It has been a long while since I was here and still people keep visiting so thank you.
I have had to take a self imposed break, and am still a little weary about what I post here. A complaint was made against me about an innocent internet post made by a family member,(thankfully not the blogging world) that has led to alot of stress and unsettled times. As a blog is public reading material I will now need to be careful about what I write for awhile.
On the quilting front there has only been a little of that happening - couldn't concentrate on that but getting back into it again.

These pinwheels have become a little quilt that is having the binding sewn on today. I discovered a quick way of making pinwheels (most of you probably know this but for those who don't) at the Missouri Quilt company.
You cut your squares and place them right sides together. then sew a quarter inch seam around all sides. Line up your ruler and cut on both diagonals and voila 4 HST and no ruling lines.

The other project I have been working on is from this book which has great patterns in it for jelly rolls

I chose to make this one first and used a Balipops jelly roll I'd had for some time and Kona Ash-

You really have to concentrate on the placement of the blocks but it will look great. Just now having trouble getting a border fabric to match.

And here are some more of my African blocks-
From Melina in France

Maisie approving Kate's block from Australia and wonderfully hand stitched.

Hopefully back later with more.
We are having the most glorious winter sunshine this weekend-yesterday on the golf course and today maybe the garden Hope you are all having a great weekend.
Thanks for visiting.

I Know!!!

I know I planned a better blogging schedule but it hasn't happened yet.
I'm off to Brisbane tomorrow for a week to attend a conference and to catch up with family and friends. Will share a couple of pictures of wonderful blocks I have received-
From Lizzie-

Isn't this wonderful?
And two from Beebee-

I am loving this global swap.
Will post when I am back from my short break.

RETURNING

...to blog posting. I have been so slack with posting and no real excuses-I have still been visiting your blogs and enjoying the eye candy and people have still been visiting here. To everyone who keeps visiting thank you so much - sorry there has not been alot to look at.
So better routine needed with blog posting on my part!! Mind you Blogger is driving me nuts with posting photos in the right place!!!
Following the Christchurch earthquake our local quilting shop Kitz and Things send out an email saying they were going to make up packs with 9 fat quarters  for the top and some backing fabric and a pattern if quilters were willing to make them up providing the batting and binding-their aim was to complete 200. So how could you not participate.        

This was one set of fabrics                          

                                                        

.and this is what it ended up as.                                                                             

 I had a little helper while I was trying to quilt this one. She really is a sewing room kitten.

 

This is the other set of fabrics-Halloween theme that I made up with the pattern they gave us and I really like how it turned out.

The quilts have been delivered to the shop and I am sure are now on their way to Christchurch. I hope they bring some small comfort to someone who has been through the awful experience of the earthquake.

March was my month for the Bee Balm I participate in-12 quilters around the globe who each have a month to choose a block. I chose a Double Ohio Star- a block I had never made but got the idea for a quilt from the book Material Obsession 2. A few years ago I joined site where I received fat quarters of African fabric each month and those fabrics have traveled with me as I moved houses and until now I have not had the inspiration to showcase them. I have traveled to Africa twice and fell in love with the joyful colourful people and decided to get my fellow bloggers to help me put this quilt together. I sent out the centre image, the black fabric and the star fabric asking everyone to add one colour from their stash and therefore making them all different.

These are the blocks I made before I sent other African ladies off  around the globe. I loooove how these turned out and can't wait to receive the rest of the family back.

One of them arrived yesterday from Western Australia- thanks so much Sue. I just love her and she is as perfect as I had envisaged -

I think Sue has used fabric she has dyed herself-what a brilliant match. Sue spoilt me with a piece of dyed fabric and the most gorgeous handmade card-

Thank you so much Sue.

I know one other lady has been finished and I will show her when she arrives-looking forward to her homecoming Lizzie.

So there has been some sewing going on here and there is another quilt in the making that I will show soon.

Hope you are all well and enjoying stitching.