Bugs!

I think you will be seeing "The Bugs" in larger than life size here! This stitchery by Lynette Anderson Designs is a bit smaller than 2 cm x 9 cm. It's the January installment for the Noah's Ark block of the month and I have just made it in time. I chose not to add the year above the snails though. Because it crosses 2008 and 09 that's just too hard a decision to make.

And a tiny peak of the bug fabric I've used for this secret project for Melly & me... no guesses!

Well, the boys went back to school yesterday and today is my last day of leave. 4 weeks went so fast. Unfortunately it really has been too hot to do much sewing this week with us on our 3rd day above 40 degrees and not much of a break from the heat in sight. I have a fan set up next to the ironing board at the moment while I try and cut out some applique shapes. Can't blame me for trying...

We are off to the swimming pool for the evening as soon as the kids get back from school. Can't wait!

Tagged ... from the archives

Kathryn from Our Shabby Cottage tagged me a little while ago for my 4th photo in the 4th folder. It had me wondering a bit what it would be. Look what I found from 31 October 2005 ...

My sweet 4 year old Callum holding 6 week old Maya! It made me smile, especially since today Callum has been holding and playing with his 9 month old cousin Nate. Maya would not tolerate that now, and Callum, well he is just loves being everyones best friend.

The rules are that I need to tag 4 people to post their 4th photo in their 4th file, I can't pick so I am nominating anyone who has posted a comment in the last week and hope that 4 of you will accept the challenge! Mine was a lovely surprise x

Tick, tick, tick ...

With the butterfly quilt top finished, I have been ticking off things on the to-do list

Two trips to Ballarat Patchwork and I have picked out the fat quarters to send off to a couple of swaps. I'm up to date on my block a day for the Calendar Quilt Challenge, and I have made a bloggy gift from the Here Kitty pattern.

I've taken the sashes off the dress I made for Maya in December too. I think she will get more wear out of it without them.

All the school books and uniforms have been picked up. The school blazers are finally at the dry cleaners and the school shoes have been fitted. Not that I have managed to name and cover anything though! (hate doing that ...) The kids go back on Thursday.

No more running up and down the back street with the boys as Callum and Kane are now confidently riding their bikes. We have spent this afternoon swimming at the local pool too.

I've even managed to sneak a few minutes on this new project. And my 87 year old Grandma arrives from the UK tomorrow to spend the next 4 months in Australia! Happy Australia Day all x

Butterfly Quilt Top is finally finished!

After maybe 10 months, I've finished my version of the Butterfly Collector by Lynette Anderson Designs. I had a few moments of doubt that I had used too many fabrics and colours, but well, I like a scrappy look.

It looks a bit wonky in the pic. It's so windy and smoky outside due to a fire at Ballarat's drought affected Lake Wendouree that I pinned it onto Ayden's pinboard. The quilt is way too big for the pinboard and there are lots of pics of racing cars under the quilt top. Ahhh, teenage boys.

Hopefully I will be able to take a better pic when it is quilted and bound. I have no idea how to quilt it though!

Back from the Beach ..

Port Campbell 2009

We've been away at the beach for a few days. Oh, so ready for a bit of a holiday. Beautiful weather, lots to do, happy kids on the boogie boards. We swam, built sandcastles, searched for treasures and travelled the Great Ocean Road.

Two finishes for Friday

Ayden, Maya and I have had a fairly quiet day today with Callum and Kane off at a holiday program. I finished off two projects while they were away!


A swap gift that is off to the Netherlands. I don't think the lady knows I am sending her a bag. One of my favorite patterns, called Leannes Shopping Bag by Rosalie Quinlan Designs. It uses 2.5" and 3.5" scraps and it looks great in so many fabric combinations that I have tried.

This one was made from my stash of Hannah Bella fabric. Luckily the lady likes pink and blue.

And a secret test pattern for Melly & me. No sneak peeks on this one but this is the "very different for me" fabric that I used. I can say that Maya has disappeared with the finished item though!

I resisted ....

Rosalie Quinlan's Little Patchwork Village that I have been stitching over the last few weeks. Blocks 4- 7 roughly cut out. Getting there!

We have been pretty busy over the past few days with the kids. Yesterday was spent at the local pool, and the training wheels have been taken off Callum and Kane's bikes. We have run up and down the back street keeping Kane going but Callum was off like a shot!

Today was so hot that there wasn't much we could do outside. Callum and Kane were booked into a holiday program and were off to play indoor mini golf. So there were just Ayden and Maya at home with me. We had a few appointments but a bit of time to spare...

I couldn't believe how good I was. I resisted the bag of new fabric, all ready to make up the design that is in my head and roughly written up on paper. 18 more pinwheels are cut out and started. No more cutting out little 2 3/4" squares! The next pic of my butterfly quilt will have borders on it. Hooray.

The Big Saturday Trash and Treasure Blogmeet

Today was the perfect day in Ballarat for a Blogmeet. We were all looking forward to meeting Trash, and Jodie was an amazing organiser. It was warm and sunny, Ballarat Patchwork had doorprizes, lots of lovely ladies to meet, and Jodie had the kettle on.

I'm not sure about posting a pic of everyone, but I met and caught up with all these bloggers:
Trashy, The Quilting B, Rousabout, Sonya, Our Shabby Cottage, Annie's Flower Garden, Silly Gilly Kids, Scrapbag, Ric Rac, Thornberry, Two Cheese Please, Little Red Hen, Janey's Relaxation, Nicole M Design and Don't Look Now. What a great group of people to meet and it was so much fun!

We all met up at Ballarat Patchwork, lunch at Eureka Park and the rest of the afternoon back at Jodie's place. Apart from me having a wonderful time, and coming home with more of Jodie's scraps., the kids were very happy.

Maya played with Jodie's toys - how cute are these!

And the boys just could not leave the kitten Nate alone. I checked my camera and there are so many pic's of the kitten that the boys have taken.

What a lovely day!

Penguin love ...

Hooray, I am finally on Annual Leave! Well honestly, I still have a bit of work to do for the "real" job but we won't talk about that...


Yesterday the kids and I were off to Melbourne to see the Melbourne Aquarium and their Antarctic Penguin exhibition. I have one small girl who just loves penguins. Really loves penguins. We could hardly leave them to go and see the rest of the aquarium, and even seeing the feeding sharks and the sea turtles were nothing on those penguins.

20 second video of swimming penguins from my camera ... cute!

So not a lot of sewing has been done. I have started this sneak peek for someone who missed out on Linda's bag swap and I'll be hand quilting it tonight.

I'm also doing some test sewing for the upcoming Melly & Me book. Exciting but I'm not sharing ... it's a secret sorry!

Calendar Quilt Challenge for 2009

Rachel G at ps I quilt is hosting a Calendar Quilt Challenge. I've been thinking about doing a block a day or something like that for a while, so I have joined. It's very easy and no huge rules, just really a quilt that you work on during 2009. Visit Rachel to join.

(see that blue fabric with the little acorns on it on the left hand side of the pic? That is some of the last of this fabric, the first quilt fabric I ever bought - 4ocm of it maybe 10 years ago!)

Rachel G is sewing 1" x 10" strips together each day, and I have decided on these simple blocks. I've just cut 3" squares and added 1.5" borders (unfinished). I'm working in blues and browns but realistically I expect some other colours will creep in. I've made up 7 so for now I am ahead.

We have had a big weekend with my family all getting together for my nieces 3rd birthday. My sister has moved to a new house on 5 acres so the kids had heaps to do, and lots of my sisters friends kids to play with along with their cousins. I was worn out, never mind the kids!

Jodie has just posted about the huge Trash and Treasure blogmeet next weekend, so looking forward to that one too!

New Years Day

Happy New Year 2009!

Our New Years Day was spent at a local lake, walking distance from our house. We took a picnic lunch and the kids made boats, played in the gardens and playground, watched the wild rabbits run and fed the ducks.

Matt and I pushed swings for ages!

Later we made chocolate cake decorated with cherries, and made Kane's "Lead-Light" fish.

A good start to the year xx