So Much To Tell....

I will start with the most important bit I suppose.  We are moving back to the states.  Yes it is very sad.  I will miss all my new friends I have made here.  Especially those I have gotten to know at Handcrafters House. We will be moving to Virginia this time, hopefully to stay for quite awhile. I do love travelling and meeting new people; it is the moving part that makes me insane.  Here is a very sad picture of my sewing room:

The gorgeous piece of furniture on the left is the bottom of our new quilt box. MADE by my talented hubby. Hopefully when we find our new home (hopefully soon) it will have rooms for both of us to indulge in our favorite past times. Here is a better picture of it. I just love it!

I didn't have time to put anything in it before it was packed up. Bummer!

I did have a chance to do a bit of shopping before the packers got here. So many sales--so little time--or place to pack them.  I originally went on a mission to find some more of this:

but they were out, so I came home with this:

and these:

It took a little sadness out of the move--hee hee!!! I also brought these home with me:

Of course they all got packed away very quickly, so I worked on this:

Chocolate is good for fixing everything right? And I had to use up stuff in the pantry right?

Oh I almost forgot the cutest part--my sweet hubby gave me my Christmas present early so it could get packed away.  Is this not just the cutest little thing?

 

I love all the details; especially the little pincushion. Good thing I have pictures--at least I can look at it until I get it back in a couple months.

Fortunately I threw some of my projects into the airshipment so I will have stuff to do.  Unfortunately they accidentally put half of those projects into the sea shipment, along with all of my rulers and cutting mats.  Ahhhhhha! At least I have a pile of stitching in my suitcase. That should keep me busy along with house hunting right??

For now I will sit quietly in my hotel room reading a good book, maybe tracing some stitchery that need doing and hoping the shipment is safe and happily moving its way along to Virginia.

I am so glad I will still have all my blogging friends so far away.

And that each and everyone of you have a safe and happy holiday!!

L, A- 

Hope Everyone Has a Happy Thanksgiving Wherever You Are!

Thanksgiving is first and foremost about being thankful for what we have. It is time for friends and family to get together

AND

Secondly it is for eating until you can't move!!!!!

So count your blessings everyone and not the calories.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!

Finally a Finish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I have finished something.  My carolers can finally sing. 

And I am continuing on my merry way, working on my BOMs.  I have finished Delight on my Gail Pan Christmas Wishes:

This maybe my most favorite quilt when I am done.  Now if I ever get done....

Because I keep starting new things like this...

I would have gotten farther on this one, but naturally the piece of fabric I was going to use for the sashing was theeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssss much too short to do the vertical piece.  So now I am in hunt and decide mode. 

I will probably not get much sewing done this weekend because we have tickets to the V8 Supercar race (Australia's version of NASCAR for my American friends) on Sunday and I want to try to go see New Moon sometime on Saturday.  Go Team Edward!!!

Maybe I will get more done on Monday after a break.  Fresh view and all that.  We can only hope!!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend whatever you get up to!!!

Ripping and Tearing

I think I have been doing more seam ripping than I have sewing this week.  That and tearing my hair out!! As long as I only get the gray ones, I guess it is OK.
I have been working on trying to catch up on my Calico Cut-Ups BOM . I am threatening to turn it into a six or nine month quilt.  Some of the instructions are not real clear and some of the blocks are a wee bit daunting. I am also about to run out of one of the colors I am using, so that may sway my decision even more. We shall see--here is what I have done so far:

I also started to quilt my carolers wallhanging.  UGH!!! I just got through unpicking all that I did.  With all the little seams, it is very hard to do a nice smooth curve.  I am thinking I may have to break down and see if I can do a little hand quilting.  OH DEAR!!! And can I finish by the end of the month if I do.  Maybe a combination.  We shall see.

I also started another project--YES I AM CRAZY!!!! Well, I went to the grocery store and I saw some really yummy looking cherries--BUT--they were $30 a kilogram (2.2 pounds)--SO--I left them there. Then I came home and made this pie instead:

                                      

                                               

It will last a lot longer and won't stick to my hips, so it is probably a better pie to make anyway.  I am going to make a few more different varieties and then decide what they will become. 

So hopefully I have done enough boo boos and finished unpicking for the rest of the week (hee hee hee hee) and I will be able to get something accomplished!!!!!!

And Joy  is back from vacation!!!! Yay!!! Well, I am glad anyway--she may still want to be on vacation.  Instant whine feedback is very helpful when you are making boo boos.  So it is going to be a great week!!!

For everyone out there!!! Have a good one, A-

Happy Monday!!!!

Is that some kind of oxymoron or something? Not sure, but (knock on wood) my Monday is going pretty good.  I hope everyone had a nice weekend.  Mine was a peaceful, stay at home one.  Good for getting some sewing done. I managed to get three of my November blocks done.  It is scary--only one more month to go. I am going to have a lot of quilts to quilt at the beginning of the year.  Should I start new BOMs next year? Probably shouldn't, but probably will.

Natural Wonders

Harmony Village

Sundrop Critters

And I finished the top of my caroler wallhanging.

I didn't stop there, but those are all the photos for now.  I have started working on catching up on some of my other BOMs and I am trying to decide which Among the Gum Trees designs to start and, and, and... I think I should remove the word start from my vocabulary.  

Oh well, it is all fun--and it if isn't it goes in the UFO pile for awhile.

Have a great week everyone!!!!!

Back to Normal--Whatever That Is?

The evil inspection lady is gone!!!! YaY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Actually she is not evil, I just get all stressed before she gets here, so now I can chill. Maybe a nap is in order??????????

And the Retreat is over. It was fun, but a bit frustrating at times. I learned my lesson about "inexpensive" thread quite awhile ago, but since I have had my supplies packed since the June retreat I was still in possession of quite a few of them. I got the flu right before the last one so I couldn't go. Needless to say--thread painting was interrupted quite frequently by broken thread, broken needles, wadded up thread, cursing, etc. At one point the knob came off the side and almost an entire spool of thread started spilling out the side of my machine. I almost had a nervous breakdown. Fortunately our fearless leader operated on her and all was well. Finally I gave up and decided to work on my alternate project. That didn't work well either. I was not happy with one of the fabrics after I started putting things together. Ugh!!! So I spent quite a bit of time watching other people sew and deciding that there were quite a few new patterns that I was going to have to buy.
So, speaking of our fearless leader and very able assistant:

Michelle and Nikki from Handcrafters House

Landscapes were being created

New machines were being broken in

Tote bags were being whipped up

And hopefully--this is what my frog will look like when I get new thread and muster up the courage to keep going. This is the one that Michelle did. It is one of her original patterns from Raggedy Stitches.

That is all for now. I did manage to find some fabric that I think will work well as a background for my last couple of Harmony BOM blocks. I am going to fiddle and see how I can make it not so obvious. That I think will be todays trial. And then on to my carolers. I really need to finish them. Really I do!!! Hope you are all having a great week. Til later, A-

Must pack-----------

I should not be sitting here--I should be packing for retreat---but I had to say "Have a Great Weekend!" I am not taking the laptop--I will probably have withdrawals, but I will get a lot more sewing done if I leave it at home. I will survive right? Right!!!

So on that note--I hope everyone gets lots of sewing done and many other fun things too!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

ps-i finished my nametag--YAY!!!!!

pps-I really am going to go pack now!!!

This Month is Flying by

Well I have managed to get caught up on 4 of my many BOMs that I have started. It is only a small dent in the list, but I will not stress. It is supposed to be fun right? I should not stress right??? I still have two months left to get there right???
I will concentrate on the positive. Four is good. Here is my Harmony Village BOM: Silly me picked up all the pieces before I finished the October blocks, but I really did do them. Really--see--here they are:I have a serious background fabric issue. I don't have enough for Nov and Oct blocks and a search online reveals that is discontinued. I have found every other color available but naturally not the one I need. I will have to figure out something. But for now I am caught up. Yippee!!!!

And I finished the October block for Come Over to My House. My neighborhood has some trees.

So these two, plus the Sundrop Critters kitties and Debbie Mumm's Natural Wonders makes four. I am caught up on four!!!!!! And I must be happy with that because now I have to finish getting this pile of pieces ready to go on RETREAT this weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Hopefully it will become a cute little thread painted tree frog before the weekend is over. Or at least well on the way to becoming a cute little thread painted tree frog. I am pretty sure it will take longer than a weekend. Especially since it is chock full of techniques that I have never attempted before. It will be fun right???? Of course it will!!!!! I am so excited. I missed the one that I signed up for in June because I had the flu, so I was happy when a spot opened up in this one. It is supposed to be the most fun anyway. Halloween theme, etc. I must hurry up and make a nametag for the contest. Nothing like waiting til the last minute.

Just one thing that casts an icky shadow over it all. It is rental inspection time again. Three days after I return from a relaxing retreat. Three days after I leave the house to DH and DS for a weekend. Ugh!!! Has it been three months already. It is not fair--how is a creative soul supposed to create if they have to do housework all the time? I will do my best to put it out of my mind until Monday. I will try anyway. Very very hard!!!

Later all, A-

Check Out This Awesome Giveaway..

...at Pumpkin Patch Primitives Quilt Shoppe.

27 beautiful fat quarters. I want to win.

Sunflowers and kitties and pumpkins and and and...

You must all go look!

Flowers, More Flowers and Some Trees...

The sun has finally come out here in Perth and so we headed out to enjoy it over the weekend. I love all the wildflowers that just pop up everywhere.

Must be some quilt inspiration in there somewhere, I am sure. And so on to the sewing, there are also patches of flowers. I had a machine embroidery class yesterday morning and of course threads were breaking and needles were not cooperating, so I got very little accomplished. Lots of chatting naturally, but very little embroidery. So I came straight home and set things back up and things went much better. One day soon it will be a table runner I hope. I still have to make another one for the other end. And I was being good and multi-tasking. On the other side of the table I was busily growing trees for Harmony Village. I will get busy on the kitties after that. I have my fingers crossed and my prayers said that I will have enough background fabric to finish it. I measured when I started, but it seems to be shrinking very quickly. We shall see.

And now the oven is beeping and that means that my peanut butter cookies are ready to eat. Warm with a chunk of chocolate sticking out the top. YUM!!! Can't find Hershey's Kisses here, but I have made do with a giant block of milk chocolate. I don't think anyone will complain too much.

Happy Wednesday everyone!!!! Two more days until the weekend is here again!!!!

Falling Off the Ketchup Wagon

I have been naughty and started another little wallhanging and I haven't caught up on all my BOMs yet. But I seem to have caught the paper piecing bug. I found this little turkey buried in a pile of patterns that really, really, really need to be organized somehow. He is very tiny, so I am hunting for a 6 inch pumpkin block to combine him with to make a little wallhanging . At least that is my thought at the moment. It may change if I can't find one that will work.

I also have been busy cathcing up on my BOMs--with a few obvious breaks in between. I am totally caught up on my Debbie Mumm Natural Wonders BOM. Here is October...

And I have pulled out Harmony Village and I am not putting it away until I am caught up. Hopefully I can do that soon.

I need to figure out something to finish before the end of the month. Maybe carolers and/or turkeys--we shall see. I have another quilt basted, but am not sure how to quilt it yet. Oh well--I won't get bored. Hope everyone is having a great weekend. A-

Silent Night, Holy Night...

OK, they can't really sing yet because I haven't given them any mouths --but they will have them soon.

I need to stitch their faces and I think the man needs a nice warm scarf to protect his voice and then I just need to put it all together. I was really trying to ignore this computer until I finished it but I couldn't resist giving a little peek. Wouldn't want you all to think I wasn't doing anything. Hopefully this will be one of my finishes for October.

I also forgot to put up a picture of my October Sundrop Critters. So here kitty, kitty.

Hopefully I will have some more ketchup photos soon. I don't seem to be getting very far. Strangely I seem to be starting more things instead of ketchupping. Hmmm, I suppose I should stop stressing about it and have fun??????????????????????? But BOMs are fun. They will be even more fun when I ketchup up right??? So many projects--too much housework!!!!!!

Whales Do Not Like Their Pictures Taken

We spent an incredible Sunday afternoon whale watching off the the coast of Western Australia, but everytime the camera would flash away they would go...

...they would swim far away and then jump up and say "nyaa nyaa you can't catch me."Hopefully you will believe me when I say it was amazing, even with the overactive sea and the quick downpour. We saw quite a few swimming fairly close to the boat. They are apparently curious creatures. It is mind boggling to watch these huge creatures moving so gracefully. Do I want to go again my husband asks--ANYTIME!!!!

AND I am caught up on my Sundrop Designs kitty cat bom. Including October!!!! Yippee!!! Now on to the rest. The month is young.

Right now I am busy picking out colors for a certain Christmas caroler wallhanging pattern. I need a BOM break right. It is too cute to ignore and I love paper piecing. I am busy messing up all the work I did to organize. OH WELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy sewing --hope you are all having a WHALE of a day!!!!!! A-

Goodies and more ketchup...

So many things to catch up on. Where to begin...

The mailbox is a really good place.

First I got this new backing material from Joy with the quilting lines already stamped onto it. Must find something to use it on soon. I have quite a few tops to choose from. I will also have to muster up a little braverery--look at all those swirly lines.

And then two days later I got all this goodies from Di. she motivated us to get some Christmas projects done and then she had a giveaway. It is the first time I have ever won. I was very excited.

Isn't the pattern cute. I am going to have to dig into my scraps and get busy on this:

Even more motivation to get some more Christmas projects done ahead of time.

And I have not just been running back and forth from the mailbox. I have been working on my ketchuping. I have completed up through September on my Sundrop Critters kitties. Naturally I don't get a moment to enjoy because now the October block is here, BUT it is still October so I am OK.

Well, I think that is all for now. Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend sewing or whatever else they happen to be up to. A-

Progress Report...

I am plugging along..
I have caught up on my Debbie Mumm Natural Wonders BOM: And I have all of the houses done for Come Over to My House:There are only trees and bushes left so that should be easy right??? Right!!!!

I also got busy organizing my fabric because it was getting out of control. This is not all of it--I ran out of tubs. I seriously have an addiction. I need to do a lot more sewing and a lot less buying, but it is all so pretty!!!!!!

I even took a stab at embroidering my jeans...Now I just have to sew them back together and lose 20 pounds so that I can get into them. A bit of motivation going.

OK-so that was two BOMs caught up. How many to go!!! Not telling!! Too many to count. Almost embarrassing. I will not be bored.

Hope everyone is having a great week!!! A-