15 Minute Challenge

I just put the final stitch in this stitchery.  I have done a fair bit today. I have a month to go on my deadlines and I am well on the way to finishing them early.

So here goes the run down.

Wednesday: prepared appliqué shapes
Thursday: prepared more appliqué shapes
Friday: fixed the appliqué shapes, Stitchery
Saturday: Stitchery
Sunday: put all the blocks together for July finish
Monday: stitchery
Tuesday: Borders on July finish and fixed more appliqué to border, finished stitchery.

That's it for this week, we will be back into Tennis and Footy this weekend so I don't know how much stitching time I'll have.  Head on over the Kate's to see who else met the challenge.

Favourite Thing Friday

I was going over what could be my favourite thing this week and I have a couple that I thought I might write about but  I don't seem to have too much time on my hands or maybe that I am still not feeling 100% and I am not doing stuff at my normal speed and therefore don't have time, that I decided to make this weeks FTF is the fact that we have a kids free sport weekend.

My son was rostered off for footy this week and on Thursday he was asked if he minded having tennis off this week as one of the other kids parents wanted a totally free weekend next week (with tennis and footy) so I jumped at the chance, as the next free one is now taken up with a Tennis Tournament (note to self probably need to learn to say no a bit more).

So apart from the boys going to the Crows on Saturday night (which will involve a bit of transportation on my part) I have a sport free weekend meaning I can get on with a couple of projects that I haven't finished yet and the deadline is looming.   Here is a little sneak peak of one.

It looks like it is going to be a good weekend for sitting inside with a video or 2 and stitching, it has been wet most of the week and looks set to continue so I have a date with my Bernina.

So that's my favourite thing friday, head on over to Mrs P to check out everyone else's.

Free Pattern for Bella Solid Club Members

You will find a new tab above.  If you would like to download the pattern click on the Bella Solids tab, to download you will be taken to Scribd website from there you should be able to download the file.  Let me know if you have a problem I may have to change the settings.

I plan to remove the file on 17/6/2012.  So you have until to get your free pattern.  For US readers please note that a Fat 1/8th is slightly larger down under as ours are based on 25cm cuts not 1/4 yard.

Favourite Things Friday

I am being very organised this week as far as my post is concerned and have scheduled this post to come up in the morning.  I know what I have been like all week and the morning, this morning I stayed in bed till the last possible moment and got up leaving me very little time to get ready.  Luckily (not really) one or other of the kids have either been home sick with me for most of the week so I have only had to organise one child each morning and myself.  They've had more lunch orders this week than they have ever had.  However I think we are all on the mend, I only really needed one dose of cold and flu tablets today to get me through.  Now on to Favourite Things Friday.

I have been looking for a teapot for a number of years, one just right, that didn't leak everywhere when you pour it, one that was just the right size for one or two cups one that was just perfect.  When asked what I wanted for Mother's Day I told the masses that I wanted a tea pot.

A couple of weeks ago we headed to the local shopping centre and window shopped for teapots.  I found a couple of possible contenders but nothing that really excited me, but there were a few that would do and I thought would be ok.  Thursday came before Mother's Day and I knew that the purchase had not been made, so I realised that Late Night Shopping was going to be on the cards.... which I really wasn't looking forward to.

Thursday also coincided with my biannual morning tea with one of my friends.  We usually meet at a coffee shop on the eastern side of town.  There happens to be a newsagency there with a great gift section and we usually end up having a browse in there on the way home.  I was on the lookout for something for my mother-in-law (I didn't find anything for her I might add) but I did find the perfect teapot that I have been looking for for so long.  There were lots of colours to choose from and there was matching creamer and sugar sets as well as cup and saucer sets.  I did buy the creamer/sugar set but decided not to push my luck by bringing home a set of cups (I am not allowed to bring cups home because we apparently have to many... I have some stashed out in my sewing room waiting for a mass break in the kitchen).

I thought I'd leave you with a picture of my lovely Mother's Day Flowers, I decided I had better take a photo before they started to turn up their tails and die

Head on over to Mrs P to see everyone else's FTF this week.

15 Minute Challenge with Kate

I have to admit this week has been a challenge.  I was hit by a bug this week. It started with a scratchy throat for the better part of week, then on Mothers Day I thought I was getting better, headed of to Mothers Day morning tea with the neighbours and ended up talking with one of my neighbours for about 2 hours in the driveway (if talking was an Olympic Sport that woman would be a gold medalist).  It all kind of went down hill from there.

The boss is interstate for most of this week and I was supposed to work 4 days instead of 3 but I just couldn't make it yesterday.  Squid and I both had a day on the lounge watching video's yesterday... I have to admit to a bit of a nana nap during the day too.  I made it back to work today .. just... but had a bit of an early minute once all the urgent stuff was done, back again tomorrow.    Squid had another day home with Dad this time.  The good news is when there are deadlines I still had to do some stitching to keep things bubbling along,  Monday was my only day when I didn't lift a finger to stitch the only finger lifting was for the remote control.

Here is the schedule:

Tuesday: Embroidery for July Deadline
Wednesday: Embroidery for July Deadline
Thursday: quilt blocks for July Deadline finalised appliqué designs
Friday: Embroidery for July Deadline
Saturday: Bella Solids blocks
Sunday: Bella solid blocks
Monday:nothing

Tuesday: I got on a roll this tonight and tuned the blocks into a cushion.

Head on over to Kate's to see who else met the challenge this week.

Favourite Things Friday

I have never been a fan of solids, probably because when I started quilting solids meant homespun, hard cheap rubbish.  I am a textile snob after all and I like my fabric to feel soft and have nice drape.  I rarely use solids in quilts except if that quilt is going to be embroidered then I always bring out my favourite Emma Louise which comes in a multitude of colours and is lovely and fine until now.

Yesterday in the mail I received a lovely pile of fabrics from Sarah which are part of her Bella Solids Club (this is the 1/2m option there is also the choice of Fat 1/4 or Fat 1/8s.  I have to say that this month's colours really sing to me and the fabric is oh so lovely to the touch.  As part of the club you get these little card swatches so that you can take them with you and match them to your stash or when you are shopping for fabric.  I think I will punch a hole them and thread them onto one of those scrapbooking rings so they don't get lost.

Hopefully this weekend I get time to work on a project with these I have something in mind, actually I have a couple of projects in mind but I think one for the weekend will be enough.

Head on over to Mrs P to check out her Favourite Thing this week I think it is about the joys of having a toddler (or is it what goes around comes around) or is she just happy that her daughter did listen to her.

15 Minute Challenge

I'm in full design swing this past week.  I have finalised (in my head at least) 2 projects for an upcoming event.  I have lots of stitching to do in the next couple of weeks so there will be no trouble in meeting the 15 Minute challenge.

Wednesday - crochet
Thursday - finalised drawing for appliqué, finalise stitchery design
Friday - traced stitchery design and have begun stitching, it is quite big so it is going to take a while
Saturday - Stitchery - 15 minutes
Sunday - Stitchery - 1 hour
Monday - Stitchery - 1 hour
Tuesday - blocks for quilt 1 1/2 hours more stitchery tonight

Can't say that I am fond of chain stitch but it does make a lovely bold stitch statement.

Head on over to Kate's to see who else has met the challenge.

Favourite Things Friday

Yippy it is the weekend, and I can relax a bit....  hopefully it will be the kind of weather where I can just snuggle down with the heater and a couple of video's and stitch my free time away.

This post has been interrupted by kids expecting to have tea, picking up hubby from the bus and hurry up why isn't tea ready maestro has to go to Karate from hubby.   So back to the important stuff.

My favourite thing this week is this brooch which was my Nanna's, it isn't an heirloom just an old glass brooch, the pearls are actually some she glued in from an old necklace (using araldite which was her glue of choice she was a really fixer upperer and makedooer), it was her favourite brooch after all and I think she wore it out most days.

Everytime I look at it I think of her, she has been gone over 21 years (she died 3 months before my mum did) but I still remember it and her wearing it.  I have all her jewellery boxes and I have a bit of a rummage sometimes and find something to wear.

I have a long cardy and I use it to pin the front closed.

I have a stitchery to trace and some stitching to start doing, so I will catch up with everyones FTF later in the weekend have a good one and head on over to Mrs P to see what everyone else's favourite is this week.

Great Couple of Weeks

I admit it has been a bit slow on the design front lately.  Real life has been taking over a bit and I really haven't pushed it to make the time to sit down and draw and stitch my own stuff  I guess I was having a bit of a Pitty Party all on my own and thinking about just giving it all away, and go back to doing other peoples stuff.  There is a lot of work goes into making any of the designs, and the quilt in this picture probably pushed my time envelope ever so slightly and then there was the pattern writing, and for this quilt there was a lot.  Having said that I am really proud with what I achieved and I am so thankful for Sarah (Quilt Fabric Delights) for taking it on and using it in not one but 2 adverts in Homespun Magazine.

I visited Sarah a few weeks ago and I was a little scared to ask but I had to know, if anyone had bought any of the programs.  You can't believe my relief when she told me she had sold all of the initial order.   That was way beyond my expectation.  And over the last few weeks, she has ordered more sets of patterns, so I am over the moon and excited about my design future again.  I have also sold a couple of patterns from my Etsy shop to customers overseas, and that gives me a real buzz.

Quilters Harvest in Victoria are now taking names and have made their own version of my quilt, I can't wait to see what they have come up with.  The future looks bright..... I hear sleigh bells tingling....I had better get the pencil sharped it is that time in July coming up soon.

Catch Up

Mixed Media Monday has gone for another week and no mixed media to show for it :(

Got to say footy has taken over our lives both son's footy and AFL.  Next week my son's tennis starts, meaning both days of the weekend will have big holes in it but at least the Crow's play interstate, so I might be able have a couple of hours free time to just do some sewing or painting or lettering.  I'm really glad Squid isn't interested in doing anything competitive just yet.

On the lettering front, I was able to pick up my Parallel Pen which I had been struggling to find a supplier for without paying and arm and a leg for postage, from a stationer which wasn't too far from work, they had to order it in but I have it now.  This week I plan to go to an Art Supply Store and purchase some coloured markers (next thing on the list)  the last weeks lessons look amazing and I am really looking forward to getting stuck into the lessons.

I had a Eureka moment the crochet, I actually googled joining octagons so I had a clue.  I needed to use squares drrr to join them together. Here is what I have done so far.  I also got a couple of new wooden crochet hooks in the mail yesterday, I think I like them...time will tell.

Last night I went to a meeting at the school to see what is involved in enrolling Maestro into High School, all I can say is I am glad that we are happy with the school that he is Zoned to, and don't have to jump through any hoops to get him into the school he isn't zoned too.

I'm off to sewing today so should make a few inroads into some secret squirrel business that I should also be working on.