Loose change counted for Vals piggy bank challenge

Last year I linked up with Val for her PIGGY BANK challenge. Collect your change and see what you get in a year. It adds up more than you think.

We have only been putting in change when we remember. Not very often but it still adds up.

My hubby enjoyed sitting down to count it.

Total of $71.10.   Not bad at all.

I have also decided to spend it on those small scissors with a cap. I'll buy about 10-15 of them. Then I'll join the caps to the scissors, so they don't get lost, with a bead string.

Hopefully I can then sell some at our quilt show in September.

See what others will do with their change over at Vals.

http://myplvl.blogspot.com/2019/07/linky-6th-annual-piggy-bank-challenge.html

Hello from Val & Crystal.

I have had a few happy mail days that are long overdue for a THANKYOU.

I received a lovely surprise of a Xmas card, a fat quarter and postcards from Crystal.

I sent her some novelty fabrics for her alphabets or whatever she wanted to use them on.
Mind you, it was posted at Xmas time and didn't take get here until sometime in Feb. I am so slack to getting around to saying thankyou.
http://crystalscraps.blogspot.com

I received a lovely thankyou card in the mail from Val.

I enjoy reading Vals blog.

I have taken part in her eye Spy swap and can't wait to get sewing on it. I have decided what I am going to make so hopefully it won't be long away.

https://myplvl.blogspot.com

I am also saving my loose change too.
https://myplvl.blogspot.com/2018/07/6th-annual-piggy-bank-challenge-begins.html

Eye Spy so many fun fabrics

I joined in with Vals EYE SPY block swap.

I have now received 200 * 4" squares. All with a different fun pattern on them.

It will be fun to put them all into a quilt.

Have a look here to see what Val made..

https://myplvl.blogspot.com/2018/06/another-eye-spy-finish.html

Eye Spy Swap is in the mail

These are the fabrics I started with

I have joined in with Val and others for a fun swap.
There is one spot left but you will have to be quick.

http://myplvl.blogspot.com/2018/06/thank-you-for-participating.html


All my squares are cut and re stacked into 20 piles.
I have just staggered the top fabric so it looks a bit different

Can't wait to see what I start getting back

My squares are in the bag and on their way.
I wonder how long it will take to get to the USA...

VALS EYE SPY SWAP....

I'm joining in with Val and lots of other swappers...
Here are my 10 fabrics I have chosen for the Eye Spy Swap.
All I need to do this week is cut 20 of each, re stack them and get them posted.

Then..... WAIT FOR MY PARCEL TO ARRIVE with 200 different squares for me to enjoy.

Thanks Val for your trouble.

If you want to join in and get a great selection of 200 * 4" squares go and sign up over at VALS.

http://myplvl.blogspot.com/2018/05/eye-spy-swap-is-open.html

Getting ready for the show

Our local quilt group is getting ready for their show... Raffle tickets are bought. Fingers crossed for someone I know to be the winner of this lovely quilt.... Hunters star is a great pattern.

Sarah has got a special project happening but it's a secret. I am sending her some scraps to give a bit of variety. These are in the post..
http://sarahdidit.blogspot.com.au

If you are into making bags go over to Vale and have a look at the link us. It's bag week.

http://myplvl.blogspot.com.au/2017/09/tuesday-archives-171-bags.html

Happy New Year and En Provence Clue 6

After my daughter and her boyfriend and our beautiful grandsons have driven away this morning, heading home, until next time I spend New Years Eve sewing away with Bonnie Hunters Mystery Quilt part 6..... I feel so proud of myself for keeping up with each clue.... I can't wait for the final layout. It is very intriguing.
I did use this tutorial for a bit of help with these quarter square triangles. I am a visual person. There are a lot of tutorials out there. This one actually showed it in the same colour layout as Bonnies. It was easier for me to follow.
http://thecraftyquilter.com/2012/02/quarter-square-triangle-tutorial/

Celebrating NEW YEARS EVE. 

Sewing away on En Provence clue 6 and a healthy snack!!!!!!

All sewn and ready for pressing open and spinning seams

All ready for trimming

I am a sliver trimmer 

All trimmed and finished well ahead of time....

All nicely stored away for the next clue.

Make sure you go over to look here if you want to know what is happening. Over 100 people link up each week to show what they are making. Thousands are sewing along with the mystery....
http://quiltville.blogspot.com.au/2016/12/en-provence-mystery-part-6.html

Here is the link up party for clue 6 & 7 

http://quiltville.blogspot.com.au/2017/01/mystery-monday-link-up-part-6-7.html

En Provence slivers of scraps.   FEED THE BIRDS......

I have been collecting my slivers of scraps and putting them into a bird feeder. I got the idea from Val. Have a look at what Val does.....
http://myplvl.blogspot.com.au/2016/08/extra-thread-is-for-birds-part-2.html

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE I KNOW AND WHO EVER READS MY BLOG. I CAN ONLY WISH EVERYONE A VERY HAPPY AND SAFE TIME AND WISH 2017 CAN ONLY BE A BETTER YEAR THAN THIS ONE.

HAPPY SEWING EVERYONE....

Val's Quilting Studio

I've been following Val's blog for a few years now. I look forward to the link ups that she has.
It is great to grab a cuppa and sit back every week to read the blog posts that have linked up. You see so many ideas that you want to make, so many stories and so many wonderful quilts.
Over the years we have emailed quite a bit and shared a few stories.

I feel honoured to be featured on Vals blog this week.

http://myplvl.blogspot.com.au/2016/11/tuesday-archives-139-memory-quilts.html

So go on over and enjoy looking through Vals blog and hopefully link up on Tuesdays with the theme of the week.

Val's Quilting Studio

Thanks Val....

VALS MONEY BOX CHALLENGE & LINK UP

Last year I came across VALS money box savings challenge. All you needed to do was put your spare change in the money box. Don't open it until this July. Count it up and decide what you wanted to spend it on....
HERE IS THE START OF VALS SAVINGS.....
http://myplvl.blogspot.com.au/2015/07/linky-3rd-annual-piggy-bank-savings.html

Here I am now....

Show me the money

I HAVE A GRAND TOTAL, even though small, $46.25.
Considering I haven't put anything in since Christmas it's not a bad result...

Counting the money

Let's see what I can do next time......
See what others have saved...
http://myplvl.blogspot.com.au/2016/07/linky-3nd-annual-piggy-bank-savings.html

Retreat time with Kilmore Quilters.

I was lucky enough to go away with 30 great ladies from the Kilmore Quilters for 4 days on a retreat.

We went to Toolangi. The atmosphere was fantastic with lots of stories, laughter and so much work being done. The food was the best I have ever had while being away. I wanted to stay.

I have already shown some of my work that I did.

Bon bons & blankets of love.

Here are some other things I was working on.

My Bow tie Quilt that was a class Andrea showed us last year. Of course mine is a little bit different than what was shown. I am still working on it...

I also taugh a couple of ladies how to crochet the easy Pussy Cat Blanket. Here are  the girls hard at work...

ANNIKA concentrating

 Look at Annikas progress, Cathy starting out...

Liz enjoyed sitting by the fire doing her HEXIES

I managed to get my borders on my Quilters garden Quilt. It is now ready for quilting...

I am still working on my Compass Rose tablerunner and mat... That I was working on at my Phillip Island retreat... They are nearly finished.

So I am linking up with Val over at
http://myplvl.blogspot.com.au/2015/06/tuesday-archives-65-retreats.html

And the Pink Doxies
http://www.pinkdoxies.com/2015/06/pet-project-show-23-saturday-features.html

Lap quilt link ups

This week over at Vals the link up topic is LAP QUILTS.

I have done quite a few lap quilts but I came across this photo of my grandsons watching TV and ready for bed.

They were curled up under my sons quilt and crocheted blanket.

This quilt was my first curved seam quilt and it was all done by hand. I think it was my 3rd quilt I had made. I made this in the year 2000. It was for his 6th birthday.

Unfortunately you can only see the back....

They are always using my quilts and I am so happy to make them, for them to be thrown about and then washed over and over.

Well I thought I'd get out the quilt and take some photos of the front

And here is a close up of the hand quilting. It is in the ditch around all the yellow roads.

I call this quilt ROAD GAMES.

My son used it all the time with his matchbox cars as a play mat and then as a quilt to cuddle under.

Here is another post about this comforting quilt.
http://jobutterfield.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/old-quilt-new-post.html

There are many other quilts here to look at......

http://myplvl.blogspot.com.au/2014/12/tuesday-archives-40-lap-quilts.html

FATHERS DAY 2014

I had a great day on this Fathers Day. We celebrated with the son and daughter out for dinner last night at Mount Macedon hotel. We had a great time. A very noisy night.. But fun. Hahaha.

So today hubby was a bit tired. We did do a bit of shopping then home for lunch. My time to disappear into my work room and leave hubby to relax & have his own time.

So I focussed on finishing off the last of the boys 21st puzzle quilts.

Then I have joined in doing an AUSSIE HERO QUILT. 

Read about it here...http://aussieheroquilts.blogspot.com.au/p/a-brief-history.html

My guy liked TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLE so this is what I did.

He also has a laundry bay to go with it.

I am linky up with Val on her Tuesday archives. This is not a funny quilt really but I think it funny some of the requests from the AUSSIE HEROS on deployment. I hope this quilt puts smiles on a lot of peoples faces. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

Vals Quilting Studio

http://myplvl.blogspot.com.au/2014/09/tuesday-archives-27-fmq-funnest-quilt.html

Then I continued on with my block swaps for this month.

Sue is enjoying a trip away so we got our partners for this month a little early and at the same time.

This is where it all began...

http://quiltingblockswapsaustralia.blogspot.com.au

I like this idea because I spend one afternoon focussing just on them.

They are now done.

My 12" block for Traci. Traci wanted Dorothy's star done with a white background and any other
colour of choice. Mine was a nice chocolate brown.
http://www.quilterscache.com/D/DorothysStarBlock.html

Next for the day was my Paper Pieced swap for Anna. When this swap started we were partners for the first month. I am still getting the same block " Hunters Star. " but Anna has changed and now is wanting a 12" Atlantic Seas block.. http://www.quilterscache.com/images52/atlanticseastemp.gif

I think I still need a lot of work on paper piecing. My points are not matching. I hope Anna likes this block. It took me ages to do. These are shades of black and grey with a background of white.

Last thing on the list for the day was the 6" swap. Carolyn wanted any two 6" blocks done with 1930s fabrics. I'm not really sure if these are the right fabrics. I think they are. I do like these fabrics and blocks. I made a baby cot quilt with these pretty fabrics.A traditional Rail Fence and Spool block.

These are a very sweet pink so I hope that Carolyn likes them.

A CATCH UP POST

I have been out and about. Sewing and lunching. So this is a post to catch up on what I have been doing and all the link ups I should have done.

Firstly.... On Wednesday Angela had a link up of the half year mark for for RSC 14 sampler blocks. So here are mine. Take a look at what others are doing HERE at Soscrappy

Then we had FNWF over at Gone Stitchin' with CHERYLL

Well I was very busy finishing off a few things.
I had made a couple of drainage bags for CANCER patients.
The FREE pattern was from CHERYLL here

A jelly roll race cot quilt. With heart/leaves quilting and the label is on too.

Then I finished some square bags that I made from a prize of a charm square pack, HOOPLA, from VAL'S QUILTING STUDIO.

Saturday saw me starting my red scraps over at Angela's at Soscrappy making her sampler blocks.

I also did my BUBBLE TREE blocks

And I went ahead and made my paper pieced block for Kerry for this months swap over at 

PAPER PIECERS SWAP CLUB. I decided on making WILD ZINNIAS block from Quilters Cache, Quilt blocks galore. This is a great site with many blocks and in all different sizes.

Heathcote's WIP baby quilt

Part of being a member of a quilt group is to help out where & when needed.

We have our quilt show coming up at the end of the year so we are working on the raffle quilts.

We have a larger one being done and this little beauty.

A cute little baby quilt. 

The embroidered blocks were donated.

A few of the ladies pieced the blocks together.

Fun quilting with a giraffe, rabbit,whale & dolphins

Then I added a dog, cow, pig, horse & birds

 Next to come was a cat, sheep & an elephant.


 

Then to add some framing colour I did a double binding of blue and orange.

I hope the girls like what I have done. 

All that is left is to finish the binding.

This is my.    WIP WEDNESDAY project today.
I'm also linking to VALS QUILTING STUDIO for Archive Tuesday FMQ...