The Girls

23 months, 10 weeks, gorgeousness.

Toddler Craft

Potato print Easter cards

Fabric Shopping

A bit of fabric shopping I did recently... from fabricworm.

Anna Maria Horner Voiles for little girls dresses, super soft, I wish I'd bought a bigger piece for me. I would love to make a supersoft quilt from these as well.



Kei dots in red, aqua and yellow, plus some more Anna Maria Horner for a secret project.



Alexander Henry Owls, this is a decorating weight fabric that I'm going to use to recover the laundry basket in Beth's room.



This will be the last lot of fabric I buy for a while. Need to do some saving and stash busting so any purchases will be for specific, in progress projects.

Picnic Time

OK we need to find an excuse to go for a picnic, I've finally finished the picnic blanket.

Made from a combination of old and new fabrics and layered with a piece of heavyweight fleece which I hope will keep out the damp should we picnic on damp grass. Quilted simply in the ditch and on the diagonal across each block.

I pillowcase turned the blanket rather than binding, that's not something I will be doing again as it was impossible to quilt without it bunching up and creasing but hey, it's onlt going to be laid on damp ground and have food rubbed into it so I'm going to relax about that. Anyway with the combination of fabrics it's bound to wash up wonky anyway.

Here it is. I'll try and get back with some pictures of it in use soon.



and all tied up for storing and travel

Twenty-Ten, 2010, New Year, New List

I actually started writing this post on December 31st, oops. These are the projects I would like to finish this year - eek. A couple are hangovers from last year, but many are new, and for a change this year, many are for ME.

1. 4 Pieced and Sandwiched Quilts ready for Quilting.
- Picnic Quilt (Vintage FQ swap fabrics) DONE
- Aunt Bec's Nine Patch for Beth's Bed (Pinks and Greens)
- Hungry Caterpillar for Beth ON THE MACHINE NOW
- Purple Quilt (Possible Hand Quilting Project)
2. New Quilts Planned
- Rainbow Quilts x 2
- Baby Dear Jane
- Flannel Quilts for winter snuggling on the sofa x 2 (Anna Maria Horner Fabrics)
- 3 Quilts for Gifts (one pattern purchased, nothing else so far)
- EB Newbie Quilters Round Robin to piece and complete (Fabrics all ready to go)
- Quilt for Hannah - couple of fabric options - thinking yellows, blues and pinks.
3. Other Sewing
- MIP Uptown Girl jacket for Beth
- New walls for the cubby house
- Trousers for me

Our little Hannah

Hannah Olive arrived in a hurry on the 16th of January, the last 4 weeks have passed so quickly with family visits and spending time with both of my beautiful girls that I haven't posted for far too long!

Here she is with her big sister:



She's fitting into the family beautifully, sleeping lots and much loved by all, included her big sister who keeps asking for more cuddles and has been very gentle. Luckily she's been well entertained by grandparents for the last few weeks! But life without Hannah is becoming a distant memory for all of us already.

p.s. Hannah arrived just 7 minutes after the new baby elephant at Melbourne Zoo who we went to see yesterday.

Snuggly Quilt

I made this snuggly quilt which incorporates bits of minky and chenille fabric for extra softness. It was supposed to be for snuggling on the sofa when it gets cooler but B has decided that she will sleep with it now!



I think she likes it :)

I cut the pieces so that they would fit together to make 6 inch squares, then sewed together strips of 6 inch squares and then sewed the strips together, no pattern, just laid everything out on the floor and I think it worked pretty well.

The quilting isn't great, I used boy and girl templates bought from Amitie, most of the print fabric came from Amber at Fresh Fabrics, the minky and chenille from Gail B's and the backing and binding from Amitie.

Wordless Weekend - Best Friends

EB Newbie Quilters RR Swap, last sneak peek...

Journal Cover

And one more handmade project completed

A diary cover from this tutorial for another Christmas Gift.

Christmas Table Runners

Following on from the blocks I posted earlier, here are the finished Table Runners, both to go in the post today! I really want to keep the red one, simple suits me well, will have to make myself one one day.









Sorry the pictures are a bit dark but the flashed ones just look totally washed out.

Wordless Weekend

For more Wordless Weekend snaps see Novy's Blog

There's a Blog A Long running at Car's blog in the run up to Christmas! Still haven't decided if I'm going to commit but thought I would put it out there incase anyone who hasn't already signed up is interested. Share the love around people! December starts too soon!

EB Newbie Quilters Block Swap Blocks

I've been slack in posting my sneak peaks, although my blocks have been back at Kirsty's for a while now but here are some more...













Sorry it's taken so long for me to post them, I know how exciting it is when others post pictures with your fabrics in them...

Just two more blocks to go and then we are getting the whole lot back in December to put together in time for Christmas, and this one is for me, it's mine, all mine... :)

Christmas Table Runner - Work in Progress

I decided to make some blocks using this tutorial from Elizabeth at Oh Fransson.





So far I have made 6 blocks in the red (ironed on to the interfacing) and 2 in the green (completed), so planning one all read an done red and green table runner. I love the red ones especially. Might have to make more of them.

I made a couple of changes to the technique in the tutorial, I used spray baste to stick them down before ironing, rather than touching with the iron as suggested. Mainly because my cutting space and my ironing space are in different rooms... but I think it was helpful. I also ironed my seams to one side which is much quicker that ironing them open, I did try one block with the seams ironed open and it is a little flatter, but takes ages to do, and once it's all quilted I don't think it will make enough difference to be worth it.

Here are the next batch of fabrics ready to be cut,



Anyway, at least I am doing (and blogging) something!

Beth's Big Girl Room

Beth's room is nearly finished, just one more picture to find (for the frame on the bottom right) but I know which one I am after.

So here's some pictures



The Name Letters - Wooden Letters from Spotlight, Heather Bailey Scrapbooking Paper glued on with quilt basting spray.



The Cupboard - Ikea Expedit, the top has been covered with patchwork squares of the same paper as the Name Letters and glued down with multiple coats of ModPodge (Tip, don't butt your squares up too close as they expand when wet...)
The Tree is a gorgeous wall decal that we put up a couple of months ago.





The Pictures

1. Butterfly mirrors in three sizes from Spotlight, Paper Heather Bailey Scrapbooking Paper



2. A Pretty Card



3. Wooden Butterfly Cutouts (Spotlight) covered in same paper as above



4.Belle and Boo birthday card that my parents sent me



5. Little Red Birds to match the Owl Headboard.



I'm pleased with how it's turned out and hope she will enjoy it.

EB Doll Quilt Swap 2009 - Sent

OK, and here are some pictures of the quilt I sent to Tina (Can't find your blog Tina? which is a shame because your pictures are better than mine!)







It was a fun one to make and has gone to a good home.

The Big List

Well, really this isn't the big list, it's the 'things to finish before Christmas/baby's arrival' list. The big list would have lots more long term projects and dream projects on it.





1. 3 Quilts to be quilted and bound (Purple Quilt, Aunt Bec's 9-Patch, Hungry Caterpillar)


2. Beth's cuddly quilt to be pieced (cut out and waiting for me to start sewing)


3. Table Runners x3 for Christmas Presents (Done)


4. 2x Rainbow lap quilts (pics of the fabrics to follow).


5. Applique some t-shirts for B (Done)


6. Dress from pre-shirred fabric for B (if I leave it until next Summer the fabric won't be big enough)
(update 15.11.09 - Done)

7. MIP Hats for B and for Me (the last one I made was too small :()


8. Picnic Blanket from vintage FQ's
(Done)

9. Ring Sling
(Done)

10. PIF's

11. Curtains for the Lounge (need extending)

(Done)

12. Put together EB Newbie Quilters Round Robin Block Swap Quilt

EB Doll Quilt Swap 2009 Received

Just look at the gorgeous quilt Bethan and I received from Nic in the EB Doll Quilt Swap this year.

I sent a couple of pictures of Beth's room (more to come in another post) and she has got the the colours and the style just perfect.







The pictures show it up on her wall so that you can see how well it goes in her room, but I think it will be used for dolls, I mean that's what they are really for isn't it!

Thankyou so much Nic, we love it. Check out Nic's blog for more pictures including a picture of the back and the gorgeous label she made which I forgot to take a picture of because I had put it on the wall.

I will post my sent quilt later...

New Headboard for the Big Bed

I made up a new headboard for B's big girl bed over the weekend, pleased with the results, but not pleased with my pictures!

The little owl appliques match the owls in the tree decal on the opposite wall.

Straight line quilting on alternate columns.