OK about 3 weeks between posts, doing not too bad I guess! Has anyone tried the Colourque? I have had the DVD and some pencils for a few years now, and have eventually tried it. I am not an artist by any means, I can still remember my Gr.2 teacher, Mr. Morris, laughing at my attempt of a tree with a slate and pencil, so I guess that put me off from ever trying seriously. Anyway, I did like the idea of Colourque because one can trace an outline of a flower or whatever and then colour it in, so this is my first attempt, and maybe the first of many!! Other than that, I have been trying to catch up with BOM and a medallion quilt that our forum is doing this quilt, and just managed to get a birthday present done and in the mail for my lovely little DGS, who turns 1 on this Friday. This is what he looks like, with thanks to Melly & Me for the kit! I hope this post is in order,, Cheers Everyone!

OK, am just looking at the new blogger so hopefully will spur me on to make more frequent posts! In Chinese astrology, this year is the year of the water snake, well, how true that is for Bundaberg. We have had massive rain with floods in the north and east side of the town causing huge numbers to be evacuated from their homes. The Army arrived to help, so the skies were filled with all sorts of helicopters going backwards and forwards. The huge showgrounds on the south side was turned into a huge evacuation center with tents and buildings erected overnight. Both bridges to the north side were damaged so people were unable to get home to see what condition their houses were in. Mini tornadoes (uncommon in Australia) hit some of the coastal towns and tore roofs off just prior to the rain. Thank goodness the south and west sides of the town were undamaged and lots of generosity was heard of with people opening their houses for strangers, doing washing for the those evacuated,and of course there had to be one or two cases of lowlife who looted some of the damaged houses. All this occurred on the week of January 26th and onwards, we celebrate Australia Day on the 26th, so there wasn't any celebrations in Bundy this year. Just after most people had cleaned their houses we then received more torrential rain, causing more heartache. Water Snake it is!!!! Needless to say, with all the water people have had snakes coming into homes and even the aged care facilities, which caused a bit of excitement for the staff! In between all this, my own life has reached rock bottom with the death of my beloved granddaughter, Ashlee, who died on January 20. A beautiful young woman of 22yrs. I have struggled to do much of anything, but feel I am slowly getting back to normal in the last week. I have finished one ufo and have nearly completed another. This one is from last year's bom on our forum, and I called it Cadbury Snack chocolate, I think it will go to my son and dil. Before I went to NZ, I finished some quilts for my daughter's step-daughters, and one for my grandson's girlfriend. I can't seem to find a photo of the third quilt,, mmmm, will have to check that one out. Okay, that's all for now, Cheers, Cheryl

New Year

I knew it had been a few months since I last posted, but truly can't believe it is almost 1 year!!! So my new year resolution is to post at least every month..Many things have happened in the past year, I have a new grandson born March 29, I went to Tonga with a friend and had an absolute ball. I went to New Zealand and spent Christmas time and New Year with my daughter and her family, I have made a few quilts, and that is just last year!!! This year, I arrived back on Jan. 3rd and hit the floor running with work, I usually only do holiday relief, but have worked 13 days out 18, which since I am semi-retired is a terrible lot! I came home determined that I wouldn't start any sewing until my sewing room was clean and tidy and reshuffled. That all got finished this week, I moved some big furniture out and now have more room for the quilting frame, so might use that a bit more this year. I plan to finish off some UFO this year, and whilst cleaning, found some squared that I had started a few years ago, so they are now trimmed and ready to be joined. and thats about that,,, a whole year in a few paragraphs. Mmmm, just tried to load some photos, but guess I have forgotten how to do it!! Till next time, Cheryl

Getting there

I have eventually finished the Turtle Quilt, did I mention the turtle quilt before? Anyway, I was sure that all of Greg's grandchildren had a quilt, but I missed one!! Of course, she felt sad cos all her sisters had one and she didn't, so her's has been made with her likes in mind. She loves turtles, likes green and pink and likes dolphins too, so here it is,, TA DA ,,,,,

No time, no time, no time, no time

It doesn't seem long since I posted, but time has just run past me!! I have had a few things happening, but the most important was to get a quilt done for Gr.Nephew Jake, he hasn't been born yet, but his grandmother (my sister) left Australia today to get to England to be in time for his birth and to look after his sister Rosa. So yesterday, I got this finished,,, long story that I won't bore you with!!!!!

Ooops

Not sure just what I did, but somehow I have deleted quite a few comments!! This was certainly unintentional my friends so please don't think that I don't like to read your messages, quite the opposite in fact!!!
Nothing much happening here, just little bits and pieces, although I am making headway with the Turtle quilt, lol!!

Once it is finished, I will then make a start on some baby quilts again, and I thought that all the baby quilts were done!!!
Cheers till next time

January 2012

I haven't posted for awhile so I do hope you are all into 2012 and things are working well for you! Nothing much happening here, the weather has been so hot it is nearly unbearable, it has been hovering around 33-35degrees, that's centigrade these days, and the humidity has been anywhere between 50-65%, so the only cool spot has been out the back yard in Greg's "office".
I have made a few more aprons for my daughters, am still working on the 'turtle' quilt for the grandaughter who missed out on one and today I put the tablecloth in the previous post on the frame and have started quilting that.

I do hope that you are all enjoying the weather wherever you may be, from snow to cool to warm,
till next time,
Cheers
Cheryl

Few projects done

I guess most of you are still rushing closer to that time of the year, in this house, things are plodding along, we will be having an extra quiet day and then children and grandchildren arrive on the Monday, so there will be no time for posts then! First off, my warmest wishes to everyone, may you all have a lovely time with family friends or even foes!! 2012 is just around the corner, so it might be time to start thinking of those resolutions that we all love to make... I am thinking of making one resolution, and that will be that I don't buy a new magazine until I have made something out of the current one!!!! I guess I will be extra rich then!!! rofl rofl.
I have completed some things lately,

The sashiko center is going to be a tablecloth for one of my sisters, it was going to be a xmassy one, but time has ran out. The two aprons are for Kim who lives in NZ, I wonder where she got the idea of wearing aprons from?? I don't think I have ever worn one....
Till next time,
Cheers

Home again

A cruise around New Zealand is most delightful holiday that I recommend wholeheartedly, got home Saturday after a fantastic time. Read 4 books, nearly completed a Sashiko kit (thanks to Indigo Junction for getting it to me in time, met up with my daughter in Wellington and some more of NZ (I love that country, if I wasn't an Aussie, I would be a Kiwi!)
I handed the three quilts over to Kim after some of the ship's crew and customs officers wanted the bags until they found out that there were quilts in them, that's when a female officer stepped in and she wanted them!! All done in a joking manner with lots of laughter of course. Everyone loved their quilts including the 16yr old when he realised that some of the stars glowed in the dark!
Got my machines out of their holiday camp where they were pampered and oiled and adjusted (thank you Corbett & Sons for a lovely job, and have already completed block 2 of the Sentimental Journey quilt and only have 2 more blocks to catch up with the forum friends! I also want to finish the Chocolate quilt, which has 2 blocks missing and also there is one grandchild who missed out on the first round of quilts (not sure how that happened) and then of course two more baby quilts due, one of which will be my son's first child, yahoo! OK, time for some photos and then start the day going,, Cheers till next time,
Cheryl

New Zealand cruise

Well, I think I need to pack my port (luggage or suitcase to people who live outside Queensland!) soon, have a busy few days ahead of me with last minute things but feel confident that things will fall into place now. We board the ship in Brisbane on Sat morning and return a fortnight later with a few days of pure relaxing at the start and the end and lots of ports of call in between.
Anyway, have got the quilts done and am quite pleased with them, the pink and purple one is my first go at foundation piecing so am pleased with that one. The starry one is the result from a swap on the forum that I chat on..http://www.thepickledishpatch.com/OurCraftForum/ which is a lot of fun. I added a few extra borders to the starry one and think my 16yr old grandson will love it.
My machines are going in for a service while I am gone, also the laptop which needs a good clean up. OK, be happy everyone and I will post some more photos when I return. Cheers

Time, time, time!!

Time to pack for my cruise around NZ is coming very quick, I have been going hell bent for leather to finish some quilts for my daughter and two grandsons and think I might actually make it!! Will post photos when they are done, some are old tops and some are new, well, one is new!!!
I am already thinking about what will be started when I come home, and what to take with me for a bit of hand sewing. I am behind in a couple of things so hopefully I will get on to them quickly, meanwhile I have been having a whale of a time on my New Generation quilting frame and Janome 1600P machine and am itching to play with them and to see if I can really do some quilting and not the usual meandering!! Hopefully I will post before I go,
Cheers everyone
Cheryl

Brisbane Quilt Show

I went off to the Brisbane Quilt Show on Thursday, it was a long day for me, up at 4am to catch the train at 5 and home at 9.30pm. Spent some money on a kit from Fifi's Fabricology for my daughter Kim who will love it as it is all killer high heels! Had a look at some absolutely gorgeous creations, watched the lovely Michelle Hill creating magic and caught up with some friends. A good time was had, and was I tired at the end of the day? You bet!!!!
I am trying madly to get some quilts done to take to NZ in a month's time but have the awful feeling, I won't get them done in time, life just keeps getting the way, grrrrrrrrr!!
So maybe I will get out of here and get something done, every 5 minutes count!
Cheers

Lazy Saturday afternoon

Spent a lovely couple of hours yesterday at the botanical gardens with some of Greg's grandkids, thought you might like to see a photo!

Mr. Chiu's quilt

Last year when some friends and I went on a cruise to Vanuatu, we, of course, found a drapery/quilt shop, and I of course bought quite a bit. This quilt is using some of that material and started out as a few blocks to show Sue and Di how to do the 10min. block by Suzanne O'Neill, but what to do with the few blocks that were made on the day? I still have a bit of handwork to do on the white squares, maybe some frangipanies in black thread, not sure yet. Now back to the green tuelle curtains for a party.

Not yet recognised

I just realised that I didn't include the designer in my last post! Will rectify it in the next one,, strange, I really thought I had done so!

Challenge Quilt

As my friend Marg of House of Margarita blog said, we have started another quilt challenge which is SUPPOSED to take some months, I say this because we started one earlier this year which I believe was SUPPOSED to take about 9 months, but someone got carried away and did it in a week or so!!!! That's the Amish one in one of my posts. Anyway, Marg and I, and Vicki from our forum (will post the full title later), and then some other friends from the forum all joined in on the action and are now sewing or planning their little hearts away!!!!!! I gave up trying to decide about colours (I do not have the tiniest little bit of artiste in my body!!!)and charged ahead with the first block.

Time for a holiday!!!!

Well, it isn't really, I have really only started to get back into my routines after my holiday! I have even managed to finish off some UFOs!! Here's couple of them, the bright quilt was just a fun one to make, mainly because I wanted to try the 10min blocks (by Suzanne O'Neil) again and then it just grew and grew. There's a few mistakes but I am trying to be less obsessive over exact points etc, especially when I will be keeping it for the house. The second in an applique center with needle point, which I am not very good at but can see a slow improvement! I have also been practicing on my new/secondhand Janome 1600P which is on my New Generation Quilt Frame, I am finding the quilting a lot easier than on my old Happy Jack, as I can stand closer to the machine head to see what I am doing. No, its not my eyesight getting older!!! I am sure it's not, lol!
Cheers till next time

 

 

Home again part 2

I have the Picasa photo program now but am not too crash hot with it yet! See if I can add some more photos to this post,

PS. Thats Tonia on the side of the quilt!