6" & 12" Block swap & Santa Sack Swap

I have been working on my Santa Sack Swap and have finished a special gift BUT haha I cannot show you. It is a surprise gift. We know the swap partners but we can't give away the surprise of what we are making for their gifts. For that they have to wait until Xmas.....

Here is a sneak peak... Can you guess what it is ?????.

Then I had to get finished 2 * 6" double pinwheel blocks made for Shannon in the USA.

We are swap partners this month in the http://6inchblockswapsaustralia.blogspot.com.au 

Shannon wanted Kaffe Fasset fabric. This was well and truly out of my comfort zone. I went shopping and bought some fabric. It's not something I had at home. There it sat for 2 weeks. Soldier on and do it... So that's what I did..... Here they are......

And during the week I received my 12" Maple Leaf block from Anna. We had been partners in January in the Paper pieced Swap so it was good to have contact again. All Anna had to do was make 1 * 12" block. To my surprise she made 3  blocks, added in a 6" block too. But wait, there's more.. A cute little coaster in the shape of a Maple Leaf. It is so cute. I am already using it.

So go and have a look at all these swaps HERE

More pixelations

When I arrived at my LQG on Wednesday 3 more quilts had been finished. This was a great workshop and some beautiful quilts were made.

MORE XMAS CARDS MADE

I had a great weekend away with my daughter making Xmas cards. We made about 30 cards over 2 days. We had a lot of laughs....

We are away at her cabin with the heater on, the fridge stocked and DVDs playing.

Here are the cards I made......

MY XMAS IN JULY PRESENT IS OPEN

I just got home from being away with my daughter. We had a great time making so many Xmas cards. More about that in my next post. This post is about the great presents I just got to open. I was super excited to be able to rip them apart. I had these presents sitting there, for what felt like forever, and now such joy.

These are now a pile of papers and beautiful gifts.

TREE....  Xmas tree bells in a frame

SNOWMAN.... Mat and gorgeous door hanger. Isn't he so cute

HEARTS..... 3 Felt Holly Heart hangers for decoration

CHOCOLATE.... Yummy Lindt

DECORATIONS...... 2 Glitter snowflake hangers

Thank you so much Roz from A Touch of Heart

Here they are.....

Cheryll over at Gone Stitchin' organises the most amazing swaps. Have a look at http://christmasinjulyswap.blogspot.com.au to see what everyone else got.

Thankyou once again.....

Here are the gifts I sent to my partner Sharon at http://lilabellelane.blogspot.com.au

XMAS STOCKING

XMAS TREE

CANDLE & MAT

because Sharon is learning to crochet I added a few little crafty things too... I didn't get a group photo of these together so here is a photo of the ones I still have here.

XMAS CARDS in JULY

  Today is SCRAP HAPPY SATURDAY over at ANGELA's. I am away with my daughter and not my sewing. We are making XMAS CARDS. 

Here is a photo with all our supplies, the mess we make and the cards we have made so far. Pinterest is getting a workout and we have heaps more ideas to do. 

You can see a 9 patch quilt to the left. This was the first quilt my daughter made when she was 16. She is now 28 and it still gets used. She machine pieced, hand appliqued and hand quilted it. Well done to Kristy. The other quilt Kristy and I both designed and I made it up for her first baby. My little grandson Nicholas. These get well used up at the cabin.

Adorable baby boy

A very good friend of mine had some good news on Tuesday 22-7-2014

Her niece had a beautiful baby boy, named HUGO.

Born at 6pm and weighed 3.45 kg.

So of course she needs a quilt.

Here is Hugo

And here is his quilt with a matching cushion

this is my daughter holding up the quilt.

STORY OF THE HONOUR QUILT

HOW IT BEGAN.....

There is a member of Kilmore Quilters who has done a lot of research into her family history. She has decided to honour her family members and others that are some of the lost souls remembered from WW1 on the honour wall in Kilmore. 

She has designed or chosen already made blocks, stitched them and embroidered their names on her blocks. I am not adding the names. Our quilts will be displayed on ANZAC DAY next year for the RSL's celebration of the 100 years...

It is an emotional journey for her and there are about 30 members making their own quilts. 48 * 6.5" blocks for us to put together any way we want to.

Liz over at http://thevillagequilters.blogspot.com.au writes what we are told about each person every month when she does her blocks.




I am trying to catch up with the Honour blocks being done at Kilmore Quilters group.

Here are last months blocks done ready for me to start on next months.

I don't like being behind so it feels really good to be close to on top of it.

7C.... ALBERT EDWARD KNIGHT

4A.... WILLIAM BROWN

6B.... JAMES NOBLE ROBINSON

This one didn't quite measure up so I added a border all the way around. Now it fits.....

2F...  JOHN CLIFFORD BOWERS

I must have been losing concentration because I did it again.

Another border needed.

I think it is time to pack away before I keep making more silly mistakes.

Have a look at the page HONOUR QUILT 2014 by clicking on the tab at the top of this page. It tells you about the people that Maree has chosen to do a block for that were in the war.

My blog turned 1 today

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY to me

Well this time 12 months ago I entered into an unknown world called blog land.

This was my FIRST POST and boy have I learnt a lot.

I have stayed up late lots of nights reading and looking at other blogs. I have linked up with regular groups about lots of different things. I have participated in lots of swaps, enjoyed heaps of tutorials but most of all the support I have been given is amazing.

Thankyou everyone for your support, help & friendship.

Keep those comments coming. I love them.

I did get to the Lincraft sale and boy did I shop...

Bolts were piled up on the counter. Then I emptied bolt after bolt.

57 metres of white and cream tone on tones came home with me.

No excuses now. My machine will be sewing.

I wore myself out, they are still in the boot of the car. I'll unpack tomorrow.

Slow stitching / knitting Sunday

This Sunday I worked on a few projects and linked up with Kathy at
http://kathysquilts.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/slow-stitching-sunday.html

First up was some much needed paperwork for the accountants visit this week. Something we have to do but not much fun. So then to relax........

Some secret hand stitching with a button 

and bindings...

I have done a lot of machine & hand stitching this week so I wanted a break while I watched t.v. tonight. On to some knitting..... I was inspired by reading Sheila's blog
http://sewcookandtravel.blogspot.com.au/2014/07/2014-rsc-july-red-week-3.html

Each month she does a different colour dish cloth. I found some cotton knitting thread and off I went.

Thanks for your tips Sheila.

Scrappy blue day with a touch of RED

It's SCRAP HAPPY SATURDAY progress time.
I try to keep up with Angela over at Soscrappy and follow and make all the blocks she puts up in her RSC 14 SAMPLER.      WONKY GOOSE STAR BLOCK in scrappy reds.

I have done this months block for my 12" block swap partner Anna.

She wanted this BEARS PAW pattern

 Then I managed to get done my May-June blocks for Kilmore Quilters Honour Quilt.
I still have to do another 4 blocks to catch up.
I am doing mine in scrappy blues.

The names for these blocks are...

1C... Thomas De Courcy Meade.       6C...  Edward John Rule

3D...  Charles Wyndham Thomas.    5F...   William Bernard Bierne

Have a look at the page HONOUR QUILT 2014 by clicking on the tab at the top of this page. It tells you about the people that Maree has chosen to do a block for that were in the war.

FNSI REPORT

I joined in with Wendy and lots of others for FNSI over at Sugarlane Quilts.

Yesterday, I had a friend over doing a little sewing. We talked and talked.

I finished off another square bag.

Then I did a little bit of secret sewing.

(Which I can't show you)

The afternoon came and went, Hubbies home, inside to cook dinner and back outside for some more sewing.

Now for the NEARLY INSANE blocks.

No. 3

No. 31

No. 48

Oops I cut this one wrong so I just added a new top & bottom. One day I might redo it.

No. 90

Snowing , the postie & FNSI

Well, yesterday was so cold, I spent the day with my daughter.

We had a lot of laughs.

Then it was so trying to snow. Light sleet fell.

This photo isn't as good as the real thing but was exciting for us.

Then the postie arrived.

I received my parcel from an elf

My XMAS IN JULY package.

Look HERE to see what it is about.

How am I going to let it sit there until the 25th.  Mmmmm

Thankyou elf.

There was also my parcel from my Paper Piece swap partner over at Sue's group

My Hunters Star 12" block in green & white from Kerry. Thankyou.

Have a look at Quilters Cache for heaps of free quilt block patterns.

Quilt blocks galore

Just getting set up for today & tonight and linking up with SUGARLANE QUILTS and enjoying the Friday Night Sew In with Wendy & anyone else who wants to join in

PIXELATION IS DONE

I have been working on a pixelation quilt using a photo of my son.

There is approx.4500 1/2" pieces of fabric in it.

I have quilted in zigzag down both directions. Wow. It forms STARS on the back. Another way my son is shining through.

You can really see his eyes.

To see more about it go HERE, HERE , HERE & HERE FOR THE START

I am sewing the binding while watching Bonnie Hunters QUILT CAM

Go over and sew while watching Bonnie sew at home. She talks about her own quilts and things she does every day.

What a sewing day or 2

I had fallen behind with doing my NEARLY INSANE BLOCKS. I was not at the last Kilmore Quilters meeting so I didn't do my blocks. I work a lot better with deadlines. Well, it's that time again and our meeting is tomorrow night. So I had a lot of sewing to do. I made it.. All 8 blocks are complete and up to date. Yes, that's them done for May & June. 

UNTIL TOMORROW WHEN I GET 4 MORE TO DO FOR JULY.

NO.. 8

NO.. 59

NO.. 72

NO.. 91

NO..  15

NO..  21

NO..  73

NO..  98