Done and Done!!

I am determined to get through the pile of unfinished projects that is looming in the corner.

First off the list is the quilt I gave my brother for Christmas - it just needed to have the handquilting finished. Done!!



This pattern is called Mitali - designed by the very lovely Mitali, my amitie colleague. It's great for using up lots of scraps and having some fun with the perle thread.



And yesterday I finished a cushion for one of Daph's little friends. I went through a lot of changes with this design. First I found a big mark on the white fabric so had to chop it off. Then sudden inspiration hit and I added the row of bunting and another colour. It also meant the bird is standing on something which is good really!



I had extra bits appliqued on it and really wasn't happy. That's why it kept getting put back on the pile. So I simplified it and then went nuts with the quilting - and I love the finished result.



It was given to its new owner yesterday and has apparently been slept on so it is well loved already which makes me very happy!

There is more to come.......

Lazy but productive!

We had a nice lazy Saturday morning.

I made a chocolate cake with my helper.



She had the best job...



mmmm yummy!



Lucinda was as usual feeling crafty and had been asking to do an applique canvas.



She drew up a design and gathered her fabrics. I started the first stitch and off she went.



All finished...



And hanging on the wall!



I was fairly productive too. A cushion for Lucinda to give to her friend for her Birthday today.



The Birthday girl's favourite colour is blue!



And this afternoon I started to put together this which is a long overdue present for a union jack loving nephew!!



Tonight I'm quilting it and hopefully will have it all put together in the next couple of days. Love ticking things off the list!!

I heart Liberty!

And linen and Anna Maria Horner voile. And all mixed together it's beautiful!

Parterre made for my friend Michelle's Birthday in May.





And a cushion from Amy Butler's Zinnia pattern made by Michelle to match.



And best thing is I get to visit them!

Finished!

Another swap is over and done with and this one took forever! The school holidays weren't quite the ones we planned as two of the girls were sick so much of my time was spent mopping brows and cuddling a miserable four year old! In other words, not much sewing was done!

Anyway we survived and they are back at school and life has resumed it's normal busy pace. I was very lucky to squeeze in a lovely 'quilting retreat' with 15 other mad quilters on the last weekend of the holidays and it was absolute bliss. I did nothing but eat and sew and giggle for two whole days. And I didn't have to lift a finger to make my bed or cook a thing! I did achieve a fair bit but will show you that another day.

So here is the gorgeous cushion/pillow I received in the Pillow Swap.



It was made by Rebecca and I love it - thanks!!

And here is mine.



It hasn't arrived at its destination yet so I can't tell you who it is for. I hope she likes it!



I was a little ambitious time wise with this and decided to hand piece. In the end I'm glad I did as I like the way it looks but goodness it took some time.

And here is a little sneaky look at my latest pattern, the "Katy Carry All".



And yes, it decided to be very grey and raining the day I had to get the photos done, but I kind of like it as it makes the bag stand out.

The pattern will be available this week at the Amitie stand at the Melbourne Craft and Quilt Fair. And I'll make sure there is a giveaway over here as well.

I have much more to show so stay tuned and I will be back soon!

Swaps and stuff!

I think it's really time to get back to this old blog of mine. I miss blogging and I have so much to share which is what it was meant to be about after all! Life has been very different (and stressful) in the last 12 months but I feel like it's coming back to some kind of normal.

Lucky I have had my sewing! It's a great distraction and I have been consistently busy with swaps and some work for magazines and another book project (yay). A couple of patterns have also found the light of day with quite a few more coming - if only there were a few more hours in the day!

I love the swaps. I get to connect with such a great bunch of clever and funny people and I just love the challenge of making something for someone I don't know and coming up with something new. I'm a massive fan of the doll quilt swap which is just about to start again- 200 swappers this round so it's pretty popular. But recently I have done a few new ones.

The { Urban } HOME Goods - a modern swap was organised to make things we'd like for our homes. My partner Scootin' Annie had a few requests but one was irresistible to me.



She also revealed that she wanted a pouch for her DS. Done!



And you should see what I got from my partner Mari.



Isn't it all just fabulous!! That coffee cosy is just perfect!

A few posts ago I had a little giveaway to celebrate 100 posts and the very lovely and patient Jenny from ohjoh won. I finally finished her prize and was able to hand it over last week.



The design is very inspired by the amazing and beautiful work of Sue Spargo who came to Amitie last year. She is visiting again soon for any of those interested in doing one of her classes.

Jenny is a local so popped into Amitie while I was working. She has a pretty bad fabric addiction like me so it seemed ideal to meet there.



So I may be quiet here but I'm still making things. I promise to post more often and maybe I'll go back and do a retrospective to show you some of the things I have made over the past year. In the meantime I have a cushion to get onto for another swap!

Just chilling....

It's school holidays here and so far we haven't done much which is quite nice really. I realised on the weekend how relaxed I was feeling for a change which just goes to show how stressed out I have been. The weather is also cooler and a little wet which is just lovely. Perfect for pulling out those knitting and quilting projects.

Today was my dear friend Christina's Birthday so we had an afternoon tea to celebrate. A little champagne and cake is very nice on a Wednesday afternoon!



Especially if it's one of Helen's gorgeous passionfruit sponges!



Happy Birthday Christina - thanks for being a couple of weeks younger than me!!

Christina's daughter also celebrated a Birthday last week and we popped in for a bit of cake and a dance after school.

Sophia's present from her Mum and Dad this year was a bedroom makeover and the theme was red and white and a bit of High School Musical. So I made her a cushion and bought her a matching fleecy blanket for her bed.







I enjoyed wrapping the present - check out the ribbon!!



Chloe also made Sophia a 'Mixtape' full of their favourite songs so the kids had a ball in Sophia's room and gave us a few hilarious dance performances!!



You definitely needed long hair!



I also have some sneaky peeks of my latest creation for the Four Seasons Quilt Swap which is hopefully not far away from its new home.



This was a monochromatic challenge and one of my partner's choices was yellow. I had an idea floating around my mind for several months but was side tracked by the huge volume of work I had to complete in the last couple of months. By the time I got to make the quilt I actually didn't like it any more and even Chloe and her girlfriends told me they didn't get it! They are usually gushing in their opinions and they just looked confused.



So I pulled it all apart and made this one. I like it so very much more and hope that my partner does too. It will be a little later than expected but I have put in a few bits and bobs to soften the blow.



I now have to work on my Doll Quilt Swap 6 quilt and I have a really cool partner whose work I have always loved. I have another great idea for this one - hope it works out this time.

You are invited....

Well you aren't but 8 lovely young ladies are - to Chloe's 9th Birthday party. After having no idea of what I was going to do, Chloe and I came up with a few really good ideas.



All she wanted was her friends over for a few games and nachos and tacos for dinner - easy!





We're just adding in a few extras! I will give you a full debrief after the big event!!



And here is a little something I made for my brother for his birthday - again, I find it hard to know what to make or even buy for men!



I do know his wife really liked it!!

And here's what I have been spending a lot of my spare time doing.



I'm making some bits and pieces to donate to the The Toy Society and handmadehelp.

And of course, I'm working on some special new patterns which will hopefully be ready for the Stitches and Craft Show. Now THAT you definitely are invited to!!

The third is three!

My little Daphne turned three last Friday. I can't believe how quickly that has gone.



We had a party on Sunday afternoon. Nothing too much, just afternoon tea with our families and a couple of friends.

I did make a special cake though.



We all gave three cheers.



We cut the cake.



And ate it!



Happy Birthday my little girlie girl!

We have also done the yearly trip to post letters to Santa.



So now he knows what to bring!

And on the crafting front I have been mucking around with a few bits and pieces. I made this cushion for one of Chloe's girlfriends for her Birthday.



She was hoping for something made by me.



There's a few other finished things to show you but you'll have to wait for a day or so. And if you are in the UK, go and check out Issue 2 of Sew Hip magazine - I have pattern in there!