Frivolous Friday ~ Sweet Things...

I popped into Ballarat Patchwork yesterday lunchtime, thinking I might work on a sort of a keepsake keeper in Christmas colours and I grabbed a couple of fat quarters. Well, I changed my mind a bit and made this little pocket. I did the stitchery last night and quilted it all in dmc thread and finished most of it off at lunchtime. And a pic of it opened up with some bits and pieces in the pocket.

Oh, so nice to do a quick little project! And I won something today - I'm not sure what yet :) but Jo Jo was running a giveaway and I won the second prize. Jo has such lovely things on her blog that I can't wait. Thanks Jo!

Matt's a finalist in the Business category for the local Environment Awards. The presentation is on tomorrow night. Wish him luck! I know he is my husband but he works so hard xx Maybe he will even let me take a pic of him all dressed up...

I just love this pic that 5 year old Kane has drawn. It is a very unique tiger with birthday candles on its back. The kids have been watching the doco "Tigers, Spies in the Jungle".

Have a great weekend!

Lucky, lucky, lucky!

Look, my mini quilt has arrived! Hooray. Val from Dotty Cookie has made the sweetest mini quilt and somehow managed to use one of my all time favorite fabrics from the Bed of Roses range. It arrived so quickly from the UK, and Val had also added all these ribbons and buttons and fabric. I have to say that I have plans for some of those buttons already.. maybe a pic tomorrow if all goes well.
And here is a close up of the detail. Thank you Val, you have certainly made me feel like a lucky swapee today!

Show and Tell Tuesday ~ Redwork Stitchery

I'm sorry for a bit of a break in the Show and Tell Tuesday quilts. Today I am showing you what I am working on in the evenings in front of the tv, when the kids are asleep. So far this stitchery has taken me 4 evenings to stitch. I'm really enjoying sewing it, and it's the 5 block from the book Sunshine in my Pocket, by Bronwyn Hayes at Red Brolly. So whimsical and sweet!

Work is madness at the moment with World Environment Day on the 5 June. I am coordinating events throughout Australia plus one in New Zealand for corporate supporters. I have so many great crafty ideas going though my head though.... so many ideas...

Thank you for the very nice comments about the bag in my last post too. Yes, it is one of my designs that I am working on. And this is my 50th post! Thank you everyone who has commented and read my blog. You have made me really feel like part of a great crafty community. A giveaway soon.

Back to work, but hopefully some lovely things to show you soon x Rachel

Sunday and away!

Happy Sunday! Here's a bit of a sneak peek of the bag design I am working on. It's got some side pockets that are hard to see and a bit of stitching detail. Soon to have a fabric flower and a matching wallet. Well, soonish. (nice pic on the ironing board)

I have to apologise for the title of my last post. I had "cutting matt" instead of mat, and Matt said that it looked like he was in danger... I'm sure that no quilter would use their rotary cutter like that :)

And I know it's not excitingly crafty, but I thought my family in the UK might like to see this moth. Matt bought back a caterpillar from the nursery a while ago. We could hardly believe it when we found it had already turned into a moth - its a Coprosma Hawk Moth apparently. On the kitchen windowsill there is another sort of cocoon, so we will be watching that one too. Matt tooks some great pic's with my little camera - I didn't know it could do all of that. Yes, and Maya got to set it free.

I popped over to Jodie at Ric Rac's today on some secret business and saw the quilt that Monda Loves .. sent and her new toy, and all Jodie's craftiness. Oh, I could spend the week rummaging through Jodie's sewing room, Thanks Jodie!

Rainbow Cows and Cutting Matts

Have a peek at the Rainbow Cows from Lynette Andersons block of the month. Don't they look sweet. I'm not sure really how I managed to get these done. I thought they had no chance during May with all the deadlines but here they are.

This is what is on my cutting matt for the weekend - fingers crossed! I've had in my mind exactly what I would like to do with this fabric, but haven't been keen to start it until the mini quilts were finished and a few other little things. Hopefully in the next couple of days these will be a bag and a wallet or purse ready to be photographed to send to a magazine. Just love this new Aunty Cookie fabric! I was really brave this week and emailed Shannon from Aunty Cookie and asked if she could create a blog banner for me - and she said yes! Hooray hooray hooray.

It's been a bit of a funny week with a bad headache holding me back for a few days. Yesterday I made 24 blindfolds for work. What a laugh! There is a team building workshop on for our regional managers next week in New South Wales, with rope, blindfolds, big sheets of paper, video cameras, etc, outdoors and no alcohol. Ummm, will be thinking of them...

Look at this guilty little monkey. 11.20 pm and Maya had snuck up while I was working in the office (well, reading blogs..) and thought she might have a go at the sewing machine. Split level house photo opportunity.

Have a great weekend all! x Rachel

Show and Tell Tuesday ~ Callum's Zoo Quilt

For Show and Tell Tuesday this week it's Callum's quilt, made for him when he was 4. I just love this as a little boys quilt, and it was made from the Hatched and Patched pattern "Harry's Zoo". He still sleeps with it ontop of his doona on his bed each night, but I really do need to make him a bigger quilt. Have a look at the second photo as all the work the machine quilter put in. Every animal has been given detail, right down to scales on the crocodile.

And speaking of Callum, see his extra big gappy smile! The second front tooth came out Sunday night and well, accidentally was flushed down the toilet before Callum had realised it had fallen out. (In some tissue he had used to stop it bleeding ... walnuts in the carrot cake..) An apolgetic letter was written to the tooth fairy and all ended well.

We are off to parent teacher interviews for Callum and Kane this afternoon. Oh, I know they look like good little monkeys, but Callum is the youngest in his class of grade 2's and is more than happy to be led into any trouble going, anything for a laugh. And Kane. What can I say. He is little, has an attitude and he is the smartest kid that I have ever met. Wish us luck....

EDIT: We went and we were amazed! Apparently our children are little angels in class and make their teachers smile and both doing very well. You could have knocked Matt and I over with a feather

Sneaking, sneaking....

I hope I am not giving too much away, but here are a couple of sneak peeks of Lucy's Mini Quilt. All I need to do is finish sewing on the binding and stitching around the label - then its done... Hooray! Actually I have enjoyed making these mini quilts. They were fun to make and I used scraps so they were practically free. They made me think, do maths and resist making them into cushions so I didn't have to do the binding. And I like the (almost) finished results. I hope Lucy and Val do too!

It's been so cold here, around 8 degrees, so a good chance to do a bit of sewing. I managed to finish off these bunny bags for a gift. I used a simple stitches pattern by Hatched and Patched, just so cute.

I've pinned all the curves on my Lime and Soda quilt and sewn a few blocks. If I want to use my pins again I am going to have to get stitching. What a challenge there!

Well, Matt is another year older and for the next 2 months the same age as me. Ahhhh younger men.... I hope you all had a wonderful weekend x Rachel

How many quilts have I made?

I've been asked a few times how many quilts I have made. To be honest I wasn't sure so I dragged them out and off beds and from the spots that I stash them and counted them up. There are 22 in this pile! I should have placed a small child next to the stack to give a bit of persective. I know there have been more that I have given away as baby gifts and some that I have sold on ebay - ones that I have made just to make them or use up some fabric that has been sitting in the stash for just too long.

I don't think of myself as a "quilter". Mostly I make quilts to do something with the emboderies I like to do in the evenings to wind down. With all the kids and work .... I really need to wind down. The quilts that are pieced I have made because I love the fabric and I wanted some in my collection. Maybe I should join a quilt group and confess to being one...

Its been only baby quilts or the first couple that I made have been hand quilted. Now I send all of the quilts off to be machine quilted because then I am happy to use them and wash them and not be too precious. With the amount of stitchery and applique in them, most need to be custom quilted too.

There are 3 quilts on the go at the moment. Leanne's House Ruth's Quilt, half pieced next to the sewing machine, the Lime and Soda quilt I started at Ballarat Patchwork last weekend, and my terrible confession ... the Seedpackets quilt by Bronwyn Hayes at Red Brolly that I did the stitcheries for maybe 2 years ago and I haven't put the borders on because I am going to use my left overs from the Ruth's Quilt and until that is finished I don't want to put into the scraps.

So there are a few more quilts left for show and tell. No sneak peek of Lucy's yet because it is still sitting at the dining table surround by auditioning fabric and a calculator.

Have a great weekend all! It's Matt's birthday tomorrow x Rachel

Show and Tell Tuesday ~ Light of the Moon Quilt

It's Show and Tell Tuesday again! This week the quilt on show is one from a pattern designed by Leanne Beasley at Leanne's House called Light of the Moon. A really quick quilt that can be pieced together in a day or so and it shows off some lovely large pieces of fabric. It was nice to drag this one out for a pic.

And here are Callum and Kane again. Last night we did a quick trip to a local lake to do a few last minute publicitity shots for a program for work. I thought this one was cute for a blog pic!

Okay, pretend I have my work hat on, and if you are an Australian School with an environmental project that could use some volunteer hands to provide assistance, visit Green Schools Connect to apply. Please note that I don't select the schools who are successful.

I am still stitching Lucy's mini quilt. Maybe a sneak peek of that next post....

Treasures xx

Handmade gifts and treasures from kids... Happy Mothers Day 2008 xx

Class and Catch up at Ballarat Patchwork

Today was the day! After the kids swimming lessons it was toss them out at the back gate and roar off to Ballarat Patchwork to make it in time for the "Lime and Soda" quilt class. Hours at the patchwork shop to cut out fabric, arrange it, chat to some lovely ladies and sew a bit too! A few little extra's came home with me too... You can get the idea of home my quilt will look from the quick pic of the layout board.

(pic borrowed from Flowergarden)

And look who caught up with me at the shop. It's Jodie from Ric Rac, Emma from Ballarat Patchwork and Scrapbag, me and Annie from Flowergarden. I saw Jodies salvedge scarf in the flesh and had a look at the mini quilts for Lucy's swap - ohhhhhh very jealous of Lucy's wall. So much excitement for one day!

Back to stitching Lucy's mini quilt. Have a great weekend!

Sneak Pink Peek ~ Can there be too much!

Oh, maybe I shouldn't be showing you this... but I got out Val's mini quilt to have a look at and put the binding on, when I thought why not! Since I don't have a lot of autumn colours I thought I had better go with the pink fabric, Val's second choice. It's now, well, very PINK. I do get carried away. So I stitched a couple more butterflies and stitched those on too.

Here just a little sneak pink peek...

Show and Tell Tuesday ~ Maya's First Birthday Quilt

For Show and Tell today I have Maya's quilt that I made for her first birthday. I had bought the kit for the quilt on ebay when I was pregnant and was happily buying a secret stash of things for a girl.. well when you have three boys, who could have blamed me! I added a few fabrics from the stash to brighten it up, and had to give the little girl a dress with spots on too (just love spotty fabric). The pattern is called "Me and Ted" by the Chookshed Pattern Co. And yes, it was a rush to make it for her first birthday and get it back from the quilters in time.

I've been off to Ballarat Patchwork again this lunchtime, but I had a reason (excuse?). I'm doing the Lime and Soda quilt class this weekend and this is my stash for the quilt, plus a couple from my collection. Hopefully you will see the finished quilt in a show and tell coming soon.

And how about a visit to Lisa at Periwinkle Park. Her little boy is collecting stamps and looking for bloggers to send a postcard to 3 year old Milo. I've had a quick rummage through the recycling box so there will be a few Australian ones on the way.

Well, Maya has been busy while I have been typing and has pulled all the stickers off the fat quarters and has stuck them on her nose like a koala. Kids!

Blessings and Gifts..

Another busy weekend has nearly gone. On Saturday Nate had his traditional Laos blessing that was to be performed within his first month, so off to Geelong we went. Because of the three sessions of swimming lessons we missed the actual blessing where the the Buddhist monk preforming the ceremony, but we caught up with family and admired Nate's jewellery and Tiahni's traditional string tied around her wrists. xxxx Doesn't Nate look sweet!

And here are the chicken pin cushions and pins all wrapped up in ribbon ready for the Mothers Day stall at the kids junior school. Ummm, hope that there are a few sewing mums there. As you can see I am missing the gift wrapping gene, and that are kitchen renovations are still not complete...
This is my little something from me, for Carol who won the bear pack giveaway. I've made Carol this needlecase with a stitchery bird on the front adapted from a stitchery design by Bronwyn Hayes of Red Brolly, and some fabric designed by Emma from her Sweet Daze range for Max New. The back is a log cabin block from my scraps and inside there is a row of little pockets and the felt for the pins and needles and things. The pack will be off to Canada tomorrow!

On the dining table are the cut out blocks ready to be pieced for Val at Dottycookies mini quilt. I am so in awe of the beautiful mini quilts I have already seen on Lucy's wall!

I hope your weekend was full of fun things and your team won as well!

Hug a Duck-a-Ling

This is what had kept me smiling today. (I have a major project to finalise at work today.) When I dragged 5 year old Kane out of bed this morning, I found this little parcel at the end. He told me that all the bears were keeping the duck-a-ling all safe in there.

As soon as Maya and I walked into the house for my half day working from home with a helper. the phone rang, and this little monkey ate my lunch. A chocolate chip muffin to inspire me!
She is hugging a chicken until the chocolate rush sets in.

Well, its back to work I go!