just popping in

to say hi to everyone ... it's been a few days since I came in .. I have not been sewing since I finished the little quilt .. but ... today I pulled out some fabric ready to make a couple of blocks for swaps ..

I really do enjoy making the blocks for my Quilting Block Swap - Australia and Quilt Block Swap partners ... I love the colour choices the ladies have made and when the blocks are made .. I just want to keep them for myself ... so to get around this feeling .. I make 2 .. one for my partner ... and one for me ... sooo cool ... 

Anyway ... I have not started cutting yet .. so I should get off the computer and get in front of the good ol sewing machine ....

Photos later .... bye for now ...

It is finished ...

I have finished the lovely little quilt for my darling little niece ... it is all wrapped up in pretty paper .. card attached and ready to go in the car this afternoon for our trip to the coast where they live ...

I am happy with the final result ... although now that it is finished .... I am not sure about it being for either a boy or girl ... but ... never mind .. it is what it is ...

it looks a little crunched but I took this pic before I ironed it ... and then did not take another of the neatly ironed laundered quilt ... always forget somethin .. haha ... oh well .. I should be able to get a pic of it with my niece ... if I remember to take the camera to the shower with me  ...

Baby Quilt ....

This is the baby quilt I decided to make for my great neice for her next baby ... due in a few weeks but they are having a baby shower next weekend ... and I have been invited ... and .. the easiest thing I know to do is a quilt ... mind you .. had I not been invited to the shower .. she would be getting nothing from me ... there are way too many children in this family to all get something made for them by me ... way too many .... as it is I have 23 quilts to make for my own grand children ... so this little babe is very.. very lucky to be one .. but ... there is a special connection with this particular branch of the family .... this little girl .. her grandmother was the lady who taught me to sew .. and showed me how much fun was to be had between a human and a machine ... and that precious lady passed away a little while ago from cervial cancer ... so .. yeah .. truth be known... these kids are a little special


Now ...


These are the fabrics that I started with .... I do believe a lady sent these to me in a Christmas swap a few years ago ... they are very bright and cheery ... just perfect for a baby quilt ...

The plain green (behind) will be used for alternate blocks and the second border ...

also for cornerstones on the first border

The different colours are used in the blocks for the centre of the quilt ....

This purple is for the first border and

the cornerstones for the second border

This green .. for the backing ....

Firstly I made half square triangles from the coloured fabrics

Then cut them again and made these quarter square triangles .....



Then added the green as an alternate block and came up with this ....

Then I added the purple borders with the green cornerstones ...

hmmm ... this is looking very nice indeed ....

My only concern at this point is that it is looking a wee bit 'girlie' ...

and may not be suitable if the baby is a boy ... 

But I suppose that is a problem for the parents of the baby isn't it ??? lol

Now just to make it just a little more 'girlie' ..

I have added little hearts to the purple cornerstones for the next border ... haha ....

but they are made from the same fabrics that were used in the centre blocks ... so that is ok ...

And here is the finished top .....

(the colours are much deeper and brighter than the photo shows)

Only the quilting and binding to do now .....

and that is the bit I really don't like doing ... cos if I am going to muck it up ...

this is where I will do it best ....

It is a few days later ... not that you would know about it .. cos I am still writing this without publishing it ...

but ... a few days have past and I have done the quilting .. very very basic ... nothing too flash and fancy here folks .... but it looks ok ...

I was planning on doing the binding with the purple but did not have enough ... so went back to the fabric shop to find they had none left ... how great .... so I purchased some dark green .. the same mottled pattern as the purple .... and much much darker than the green in the top ... so I am hoping it will all come together ok ... cos I am not about to make another quilt for this bub ... I have to have it finished by mid week .. so .. I really should get a wriggle on me thinks ...

Hmmmm .........

Well it would appear I really am not very good at keeping things rolling here ... haha ... I guess I just get caught up in other things happening around home that I totally forget what I say I am going to do ... (well that is my excuse this time ..... )

I have been sewing ... doing little bits and pieces of things ... nothing major .... but hopefully today I will get back to the baby quilt I am doing for my niece ... hopefully ...

I had a visit from another of my nieces yesterday ... She is getting married in October and I am making her a ring cushion .... but as her mum is out of town she asked if I would go to the florist with her to get a quote on flowers for her day .... and oh my  .. how expensive is that ... really really expensive ... she is having fresh roses ... everything is fresh .... not my personal choice ... but ... it is not my day ... and this little lady knows just what she wants .... and is going to have it come hell or high water ... she is having what she wants ... and good for her ...

Tomorrow we are going to her second florist to get a quote from them too ... then she will chose which place she will get to do it ... but off the top of my head and without even knowing where we are going tomorrow I do think she will choose the one we visited yesterday .... the lady was very professional and has a few contacts around town who can provide her with some other bits and bobs that the bride was interested in ... so ... I think she has the job ...

Today I have the machine out again ... I want to do some sewing ... but my lower back is really giving me a hard time at the moment ... and pain killers are not doing too much to help .... it has been hurting since last Thursday and if it does not fix itself up soon I will have to make a trip to see the doctor ..... but I still have a bit of time before I go doing that ...

I have a lovely chicken sandwich sitting here next to me that my darling hubby just made me ... he really is a sweetie ... so I am going to sign off now and have some lunch ..

Hopefully I will be back soon ... with some completed sewing to show off ...

Back again ...

Well … here I am .. back again …. And so soon too …. Maybe I really can do this on a regular basis …. We’ll see …. lol

My husband keeps a diary or journal as some call it … he has kept one for as long as I have known him … and long before that … I know when we packed our house up last time …. There were diaries dating back to 1975 … now that is a lot of history there … and one day … our children and grandchildren may read the lot of them .. I do know that when the kids were young he would do entries addressed to one or more of them … little personal messages just for them … these I consider very special cos he was not a ‘hands on’ sort of dad … he worked long days at hard jobs and never did have too much time for the kids … mind you … if you ask them they have no complaints … they love him unconditionally … He really is a special guy … and I have been very blessed .. and again I have gone totally off topic … just rambling I guess … maybe my blog should be called .. my ramblings .. haha … and maybe I can take a leaf out of his book and try to do an entry a day .. and really make this a recording of what my days are all about ...

In about 16 hours we will have been married 30 years …. Wow … that is a very long time … there been many ups and downs .. good and bad times … happy and sad .. busy and quiet times …. Times of plenty .. and many times of being broke .. but .. none when I ever felt unloved .. He is a good man … and a good dad … an excellent grand dad … and I know in time … he will be a fantastic great grand father … but for now … he is just the best husband and friend I could or would ever want …

He allows me just about any indulgence I can afford … and encourages me in all my endeavours … and loves me more than I deserve most days .. haha …

He lets me make a hell of a mess in the house with my quilting and stuff and really does not mind that the house might not get cleaned for a couple of weeks … and doesn’t complain too much if I get all caught up sewing or just chatting on the phone or in a chat room with my friends .. instead of cooking him a meal … he will settle for a sandwich or beans on toast … yep .. I am a lucky girl …

And I have been sewing … today I have made good progress on a little baby quilt for one of my siblings grandchildren …. Her baby is due in about 6 weeks … in fact there will be 4 babies born into the family before June … I have lost count on how many there are all together … but there really is a lot of us … I am one of 7 … and we are all married … with kids .. and many of them have had babies … and some of them have had children .. and now .. their babies are having babies … in the next few days I will try to work out how many of us there are … one of my sisters has 8 children and 14 grand kids … we have 6 children and 23 grandbabies … so yep … this is something for another day … haha …

I will be back tomorrow and will post some pics of the quilt I am making … I like it .. it is very bright and colourful … I am sure our Kayla will like it too …. She has no idea what she is having .. which is unusual these days … for some reason kids today have to know as soon as possible … I reckon it takes most of the fun out of it …

Anyway … I am really starting to babble now … I think I must be getting really tired … cos that is what I do when I am tired … babble and waffle on about absolutely nothing …. lol

So I shall say good night for now … and shall be back tomorrow …. With more ramblings I dare say …

Good night all … huge hugs … sleep tight … and sleep dreams…

March already !! Where did February go ???

Oh my ... I really am not very diligent with my blog ... I must try to do better ... 

We have moved into Toowoomba and we are temporarily staying at my sister’s place ... she and her hubby have headed north for a little work .... They have a bus which they converted into a mobile home .. Very comfortable too .. and they head off every now and then ... this time it is to a job in Townsville .... they were held up here for a little while waiting for Cyclone Yasi to finish doing her thing up that way ... and she was not very nice to many places up north .... then after she passed and they finished a few touch up jobs on the bus .. they headed off ... that was a couple of weeks ago now ... and I really miss her ... 

I have been doing no sewing to speak of .. but I have been visiting some lovely little fabric shops ... and one is for sale and going at a very very discounted price ... oh to have that discounted price cos I would buy the place ... so many lovely fabrics ... buttons .. and too many other things to describe ... let’s just say if I was there and died ... I would go out a very happy girl ... lol ... 

I have my machine set up in the lounge room .. which is really not the most ideal place .. but ... beggars can't be choosers ... I have done a couple of swap blocks .... my partners are lovely patient girls .. and I do appreciate them for that cos I was rather late with one of them ... and yesterday I got the info for my March swap partner ... So I will get onto that one in a day or two ...