Hello! Once again I have been a remiss blogger - my last post was in June?! Really?!? Time does fly....
But, all of a sudden I have lots I want to post about, and my home internet has suddenly died. Which means I can write posts on my computer at work, but cannot upload any photos. And I have so many photos to share, and currently no way to upload them until I can get my home internet fixed - hopefully soon.
I have been a busy little bee these past couple of months - some quilt classes and workshops, an amazing weekend retreat with art quilter extraordinaire Helen Godden, an extra long weekend spent in Canberra which I had never visited before, and some craftiness to share....
Hopefully I will see you all again very soon - photos in tow!
T xxx
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
a gorgeous surprise.....
My lovely friend Sue brought me these beautiful flowers on Friday - "just because", she said.
I think it is "just because" she is a truly wonderful, kind and thoughtful friend, and I am very lucky....
I think it is "just because" she is a truly wonderful, kind and thoughtful friend, and I am very lucky....
sooooo cute.....
I really adore these photos. Just as well he had been groomed by his "canine stylist" (my sister) recently; he was suffering from a rather severe case of bedhead prior to having his photoshoot (yes, that is one naughty (and very cute!) little doggie who sneaked into my bed one morning.....)
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m.i.a.
Yep, I seem to have been missing in action. Not really sure why, only that sometimes life kind of just.... happens. A few things have been worked on -
the cushion for my niece now finished (and she loved it) -
a few more of the windmill blocks -
a new scrap quilt in pinks and greens, just cut into simple squares -
the centre medallion block for the Round Robin challenge -
and some more of my crochet blanket -
the cushion for my niece now finished (and she loved it) -
a few more of the windmill blocks -
a new scrap quilt in pinks and greens, just cut into simple squares -
the centre medallion block for the Round Robin challenge -
and some more of my crochet blanket -
I have also been working on an Irish Chain style of quilt, done in mostly William Morris fabrics. Looking forward to posting piccies of that soon.
Monday, March 5, 2012
monday musings.....
You may know, if you have read older posts on my blog, that I had a part time job at one of my local quilt shops, one of the two in my town. Sadly, the shop has now closed down, closing it's doors for the last time yesterday. I am happy to have my weekends free again, but I will also miss the fun I had with my wonderful co-workers, the lovely customers, and of course playing with all the beautiful, colourful, much coveted fabrics that I loved each week!
Strangely, although I still work 3.5 days at my office job, I feel like I am actually on holidays - suddenly it seems as though I have so much free time. The reality is that I will need to try and pick up some extra hours somewhere but in the meantime, I mean to enjoy my weekends. Free weekends = lots of sewing time = a very excited Tania!
And Ollie is very excited to have his Mum home on weekends too, instead of being left at home on his own.
So, where to start with my sewing?? There is SOOOO much I want to do, but for the moment my priorities are my Round Robin centre medallion block, and my niece's birthday quilt - her 'Americana' quilt. Watch this space for some new sewing soon!
Strangely, although I still work 3.5 days at my office job, I feel like I am actually on holidays - suddenly it seems as though I have so much free time. The reality is that I will need to try and pick up some extra hours somewhere but in the meantime, I mean to enjoy my weekends. Free weekends = lots of sewing time = a very excited Tania!
And Ollie is very excited to have his Mum home on weekends too, instead of being left at home on his own.
So, where to start with my sewing?? There is SOOOO much I want to do, but for the moment my priorities are my Round Robin centre medallion block, and my niece's birthday quilt - her 'Americana' quilt. Watch this space for some new sewing soon!
a bit of kaffe love
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
happy Ollie-versary!
This weekend just past was our first Ollie-versary. This gorgeous little guy came to live with me one year ago - and what a wonderful year it has been. He is the perfect little companion - so affectionate, so cute and just such a well behaved, gentle little doggie!
I do just so adore my little Ollie-bear!
Monday, February 20, 2012
sewing for gifts.....
a certain special someone in my life has a birthday coming up very soon, so a little gift sewing is in order.
Ssshhhh, don't tell........
Monday, February 6, 2012
a farmer's wife, sort of..... and other sewing projects
Finally, I have got back to some sewing. As I am determined to get quite a lot done this year with my quilting, I am trying to 'start as I mean to go on' - to make the time and just do it!
This year's sewing journey has begun by revisiting my French Braid quilt. I had four braids completed, and another two partly done. Turns out I had cut enough pieces to do almost 9 braids, so I got stuck in, cut a few extra, and finished all nine of them.
These will get temporarily put aside now, as I am in a quandary as to what I am going to use for the sashing. I think I'll need to take it to the quilt shop and try a few things out.
I also started a gift for a friend. So far I have this -
These blocks are from a fabric panel from the 'Full Circle' range by Kathy Schmitz. It was quite difficult trying to get it to square up as the printing of each square was quite uneven. Anyway, it's on the list to finish in the next week.
Although the plan for this year is to work on my "12 in '12" list i.e. not start anything new that isn't already ON the list, I have for quite a while wanted to do the Farmer's Wife quilt which has of course been so popular in the blogosphere, so in January I started the blocks for that - although I am sort of doing my own version of it. So, a farmer's wife, sort of. For quick and easy cutting, I have matched up many of the blocks in 'A Farmer's Wife' to blocks in '501 Rotary Cut Quilt Blocks' by Judy Hopkins. For those that are not an exact match, I have found blocks that are very similar, often almost the same.
My progress so far -
Most of the fabrics are 'Maison de Garance' by French General, with a couple of other coordinating fabrics added in. I must admit I am really loving how the blocks are turning out. I want it to be a quilt for the cold weather, and the warm reds and browns are perfect. I am thinking that I may sash it in dark brown, particularly so that the blocks really stand out, but I will see when the time comes.
Another quick project was these placemats for one of my family, made particularly to coordinate with some new furniture they have bought. The fabric is 'Metro Goes Au Naturale' by, I think, Benartex, and the brown colour is from the 'Morris Workshop' range from a couple of years ago. The colours matched perfectly, and they were much appreciated by the recipient. (The colour of the photo looks a bit odd, but was taken at night.)
This weekend I am planning to start a quilt for my niece's birthday in March. A bit of a challenge, as she has drawn me a rough sketch and it has lots of borders to try and fit.... It is going to be in red, white and blue and she described it to me as an 'American style quilt', so the obvious choice is stars and stripes. Hopefully there will be photos to come soon!
This year's sewing journey has begun by revisiting my French Braid quilt. I had four braids completed, and another two partly done. Turns out I had cut enough pieces to do almost 9 braids, so I got stuck in, cut a few extra, and finished all nine of them.
These will get temporarily put aside now, as I am in a quandary as to what I am going to use for the sashing. I think I'll need to take it to the quilt shop and try a few things out.
I also started a gift for a friend. So far I have this -
These blocks are from a fabric panel from the 'Full Circle' range by Kathy Schmitz. It was quite difficult trying to get it to square up as the printing of each square was quite uneven. Anyway, it's on the list to finish in the next week.
Although the plan for this year is to work on my "12 in '12" list i.e. not start anything new that isn't already ON the list, I have for quite a while wanted to do the Farmer's Wife quilt which has of course been so popular in the blogosphere, so in January I started the blocks for that - although I am sort of doing my own version of it. So, a farmer's wife, sort of. For quick and easy cutting, I have matched up many of the blocks in 'A Farmer's Wife' to blocks in '501 Rotary Cut Quilt Blocks' by Judy Hopkins. For those that are not an exact match, I have found blocks that are very similar, often almost the same.
My progress so far -
Most of the fabrics are 'Maison de Garance' by French General, with a couple of other coordinating fabrics added in. I must admit I am really loving how the blocks are turning out. I want it to be a quilt for the cold weather, and the warm reds and browns are perfect. I am thinking that I may sash it in dark brown, particularly so that the blocks really stand out, but I will see when the time comes.
Another quick project was these placemats for one of my family, made particularly to coordinate with some new furniture they have bought. The fabric is 'Metro Goes Au Naturale' by, I think, Benartex, and the brown colour is from the 'Morris Workshop' range from a couple of years ago. The colours matched perfectly, and they were much appreciated by the recipient. (The colour of the photo looks a bit odd, but was taken at night.)
This weekend I am planning to start a quilt for my niece's birthday in March. A bit of a challenge, as she has drawn me a rough sketch and it has lots of borders to try and fit.... It is going to be in red, white and blue and she described it to me as an 'American style quilt', so the obvious choice is stars and stripes. Hopefully there will be photos to come soon!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
where does the time go?!?
Firstly, a belated Happy New Year!! I hope it is a wonderful year for you all.
Doesn't the time just seem to be flying by again! One of my personal challenges/goals for this year is to build some routines into my days so that things - such as my blog - don't get left behind. Hopefully my neglected little blog will get a lot more attention from now on!
On the subject of goals, have you read the book 'The Happiness Project' by Gretchen Rubin? I read this for a second time over the holidays. I love this book; obviously it is about Gretchen working on her own level of happiness, and I love the way she listed her resolutions/goals which she believed would create a happier life, and then broke each one down into smaller steps to achieve them. It's something I am trying to do myself more often so that some aspects of life (even the enjoyable ones sometimes!) don't seem so overwhelming.
Gretchen has a great blog, and you can sign up to do your own 'Happiness Project' for the year, if you are so inclined. I have signed up, as I have some very definite goals that I want to achieve for this year. Nothing the least bit lofty mind you; just homey, crafty, health and financial goals - just kind of going back to basics in a lot of things and building routines and plans into my everyday life, and just being a LOT more organised and focused.
I guess I feel like I just didn't achieve very much last year. In fact, I felt like I achieved very little at all, and I don't want to finish 2012 with the same feelings of discontent and disappointment, and such an overwhelming feeling of being disorganised with so many things.
So, onward and upward!
Firstly, just a quick Christmas run down. Here is Ollie with a pressie he got from his 'aunty' & 'canine stylist' (my sister) - a box full of yummy doggy treats. Lucky Ollie. His 'mum' was very remiss and didn't get him anything (except lots of kisses and cuddles of course; he is a very cuddly little doggie)!
I received some beautiful gifts, and it was 'Cath Kidston' time again - see my previous post here. This time, a Cath Kidston purse which I love from my gorgeous niece, some really pretty CK soaps from her boyfriend, and some CK mugs from a friend.
I also received, among other things, some cute tartan slippers (have always had a thing for tartan and all things Scottish), some movie tickets, yummy chocolates, a cute little Christmas wreath made by my niece, a diary, and some money to buy - you guessed it - fabric! Lucky Tania too!!
I also did make some Christmas gifts which were given away to friends, but in the Christmas rush neglected to take any photos, although my gift to Ms Kylie, a cushion cover, is here.
Now, onto 2012. You may recall my list below, and my plan to complete "12 in '12".
:: Machine pieced sampler quilt - to be quilted and bound
:: Hand pieced sampler quilt - to be quilted and bound
:: 'Persian Tiles' quilt - to be quilted and bound
:: A quilt for my niece's birthday in March - not yet started
:: A quilt for my nephew's birthday in May - not yet started
:: Finishing my 'French Braid' quilt - currently a WIP
:: 'Pinwheel' sampler quilt - a 2012 challenge
:: 'BBQ' quilt - a 2012 challenge
:: Round Robin - a 2012 challenge/quilt-along
:: Irish Chain quilt - currently a UFO
:: my Lori Smith applique - currently a WIP
:: Lumiere de Noel charm square quilt - not yet started
I might tweak this list yet - my 'Persian Tiles' quilt is not really a priority at the moment - but the goal remains to complete 12 quilts in 2012. Pushing it? Possibly; but even half that many would be more than I completed last year! Still, it is a goal I would love to achieve and I will be doing my best to rise to the challenge!
In my next post, sewing so far for 2012.
Love
Ollie & T xxx
Doesn't the time just seem to be flying by again! One of my personal challenges/goals for this year is to build some routines into my days so that things - such as my blog - don't get left behind. Hopefully my neglected little blog will get a lot more attention from now on!
On the subject of goals, have you read the book 'The Happiness Project' by Gretchen Rubin? I read this for a second time over the holidays. I love this book; obviously it is about Gretchen working on her own level of happiness, and I love the way she listed her resolutions/goals which she believed would create a happier life, and then broke each one down into smaller steps to achieve them. It's something I am trying to do myself more often so that some aspects of life (even the enjoyable ones sometimes!) don't seem so overwhelming.
Gretchen has a great blog, and you can sign up to do your own 'Happiness Project' for the year, if you are so inclined. I have signed up, as I have some very definite goals that I want to achieve for this year. Nothing the least bit lofty mind you; just homey, crafty, health and financial goals - just kind of going back to basics in a lot of things and building routines and plans into my everyday life, and just being a LOT more organised and focused.
I guess I feel like I just didn't achieve very much last year. In fact, I felt like I achieved very little at all, and I don't want to finish 2012 with the same feelings of discontent and disappointment, and such an overwhelming feeling of being disorganised with so many things.
So, onward and upward!
Firstly, just a quick Christmas run down. Here is Ollie with a pressie he got from his 'aunty' & 'canine stylist' (my sister) - a box full of yummy doggy treats. Lucky Ollie. His 'mum' was very remiss and didn't get him anything (except lots of kisses and cuddles of course; he is a very cuddly little doggie)!
I received some beautiful gifts, and it was 'Cath Kidston' time again - see my previous post here. This time, a Cath Kidston purse which I love from my gorgeous niece, some really pretty CK soaps from her boyfriend, and some CK mugs from a friend.
I also received, among other things, some cute tartan slippers (have always had a thing for tartan and all things Scottish), some movie tickets, yummy chocolates, a cute little Christmas wreath made by my niece, a diary, and some money to buy - you guessed it - fabric! Lucky Tania too!!
I also did make some Christmas gifts which were given away to friends, but in the Christmas rush neglected to take any photos, although my gift to Ms Kylie, a cushion cover, is here.
Now, onto 2012. You may recall my list below, and my plan to complete "12 in '12".
:: Machine pieced sampler quilt - to be quilted and bound
:: Hand pieced sampler quilt - to be quilted and bound
:: 'Persian Tiles' quilt - to be quilted and bound
:: A quilt for my niece's birthday in March - not yet started
:: A quilt for my nephew's birthday in May - not yet started
:: Finishing my 'French Braid' quilt - currently a WIP
:: 'Pinwheel' sampler quilt - a 2012 challenge
:: 'BBQ' quilt - a 2012 challenge
:: Round Robin - a 2012 challenge/quilt-along
:: Irish Chain quilt - currently a UFO
:: my Lori Smith applique - currently a WIP
:: Lumiere de Noel charm square quilt - not yet started
I might tweak this list yet - my 'Persian Tiles' quilt is not really a priority at the moment - but the goal remains to complete 12 quilts in 2012. Pushing it? Possibly; but even half that many would be more than I completed last year! Still, it is a goal I would love to achieve and I will be doing my best to rise to the challenge!
In my next post, sewing so far for 2012.
Love
Ollie & T xxx
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