Special Block - For a "Because We Care Quilt"

Here is my block contribution I have made for a good 'cyber' friend of mine, she has been very ill, and was operated on last Monday. Another friend is making the quilt up, from the blocks that we have all made. I just love doing 'crazy' stitching, I can't help myself... I hope she'll like it.

My Secret Santa Present has arrived...

Will, look at this wonderful lot of presents, my Secret Santa has made for me... There were 3 little parcels in the envelope, all with lovely handmade tags on them. My SS has written a lovely letter with her card, secretly telling me about herself and her family. I know she comes from Box Hill in Victoria, she is sooo secret she doesn't have a Blog!!!! We'll have to see if we can fix that little hick-up for next year! These are the lovely pressies that were in my parcel. A beautiful handmade card, a great little "Santa Broach" a soft felt bauble for my tree, a groovy purple Santa and a wonderful wall hanging.

This is a picture of the Santa wall hanging that my SS has made for me, isn't it lovely...

That's not all I have done some detective work to find out who my secret Santa is, and now I know her mane... Thank you soooo much June for my lovely surprise, I love it...

The Elves have Left the Building...

Well, I happy to say that I have finished my Christmas Bauble for the Bee Sew Whimsical Secret Santa Honeypot Swap. I'm really very relieved as I'm usually running late with these swaps, 'cause I leave everything to the last minute, but NOT this time...Heee!!! I cannot say who is going to receive my little treasure, but the Elves should have it to her (in Victoria... clue!!!) within a few days. I do hope she likes it, I have made myself one, and it is very handy to have all your needles threaded, you don't have to waste time trying to thread needles...

This is it and how it'll look hanging on ????'s Christmas Tree... If you haven't worked out what it is yet, I'll tell you. It is a Quilters/Stitcher's Threaded Needle Caddy.

Here it is opened with a large reel of thread in it...

I have also put in it some needles (threaded...) and a needle threaded (just in-case)...

Parcel in the Mail

What a wonderful surprise I received in the mail yesterday... Wow, a few weeks ago Mandy Collins asked me if I'd like another plantlet, from her Africian Violets. Of course I said Yes!!! In her parcel was no less then 7 little pups, one of which has a couple of small flowers on it already. I'm not sure what colours the others are but one has varigated leaves. I'll have to wait to see what the others are, what a wonderful surprise, thanks you so much Mandy.


Mandy also sent me two lovely, very creative ATCs. This one on the left is called "Aurora Australis" and the green one is called 'Dragonflies"


These beautiful pink flowers, are the first flowers that belong to the first pup that Mandy sent me a couple of years ago. It really is the most wonderful shade of pink I've ever seen...

Mother's Day & 60th Wedding Anniversary Quilt

I have just had a really lovely "Mother's Day" today, even though it has just been Ray & I here. First of all I had a wonderful 'virtual' breakfast from my No. 2 son, with a phone call about 9:30am to see how I liked it. My little grandson said into the phone "Happy Mother's Day Grandma" . From No. 1 son I received in the mail on Friday a voucher for as massage and a lovely card. Also a card from my twin grand-daughters. Then a phone call this arvo, to see how my day had been. Then this evening after Ray had cooked dinner for me, I received another phone call from No. 3 (step) daughter. This has prompted me to place on my Blog some photos of my Anniversary Quilt I made for my Mum & Dad....

I thought it high time I published some photos of my quilt, which I made
in 2005 for my wonderful parent's "60th Wedding Anniversary". It was their anniversary in September and I decided to make a quilt of some sort at the end of July... Not only did I 'not have much time', but I really had no idea of how to go about it. I did know I wanted to put photos on it, but then had to find them, or get my little sister to find them for me. I also knew I wanted to have some input from all the families as well. So obviously that so a bit of an ordeal as I live so far from all of them. So into the post I place the fabric and pens, for them all to do their 'Congratulating' words of love...


My sister managed to find their "Marriage Certificate" as well, so with fingers crossed, I put it through the photocopier, to print it onto the fabric... so that I could add it to the quilt as well.
Mind you my Mother astounded that we were able to find the photos and the certificate as well. She really was amazed, as to how I was able to print them onto the fabric too.





This is my families block... My boys, their wives, my step-daughter, my hubby and myself all had something to say, even my first grandson had his little hand-print put on it.




This is the middle block... and is my Mum & Dad on their wedding day. I transferred their wedding photo onto plain fabric, the when I had placed the smaller blocks around the photo, I then proceeded to embroider around the edge to embellish the photo.



This block is a photo of me & my siblings, taken on the day of Mum & Dad's 40th wedding anniversary. That makes this picture over 20 years old. I used the bubble-jet set in the process of transferring the photos onto the fabric.


My older sister wrote this story for me, she also did the drawing at the top. It is a drawing of our home on the farm, where we all grow up. I might add the house is still standing I think, but I often wonder how. I have appliqued the butterflies and have some some more embroidery on this block as well.



This is the label I printed for the back of the quilt. The drawing on this block is a second one my sister draw. It is after Dad did a few reno on the house... added bedroom (sleep-out) and a bathroom/laundry. Oh, we girls thought we were in heaven to have our own room.


I trust you have enjoyed looking at my work, and I hope all you Mothers out there, have had a day as wonderful day as I have today. Thank you Mum & Dad for my birthday, and Thank you, family for thinking of me today...

My Latest Arty Projects

What are Inchies?
These little pieces of art have been my latest project… They are 1” square and have 3 layers of fabric (top, batting & backing) just like a traditional quilt. Once you have your base piece made then off you go and put all sorts of embellishments onto them to make them quite arty. Each set consists of nine 1”squares, and can be all the same or you can make each one different but similar, if you know what I mean. How many sets are made is determined by, how many people are in the swap. This my set of Blue Inchies ...




I have been in a few swaps with others that are now hooked on making these little treasures, with a couple of different groups as well. These are some of my collection….


My display of the Blue Inchie Swap from the Australian & New Zealand Art Group. There were seven members in this swap, which meant we had to make seven sets of nine 1"squares. Our host for the swap, Katherine, added an extra one as a surprise for each of us. It's the one one the right with the touch of Orange in it. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Aus_NZartquilters/

This is my set of Red Inchies for a swap with the Fabric Arts Postcard Group. I became a little more creative when displaying these ones, as there were a lot more sets to make for this swap. The picture, top left, is how I have put them together... recycling old CDs, I have placed some of the sets onto these, but could only fit 8, so had to position the other one beside each CD. The Red colours in these are very stunning, don't you think?

http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/fiberartpostcards/

Now these ones are for a purple swap, I have sent mine away... still waiting on others to arrive before I can make a display out of them. These are like the Red ones - quite stunning... I have one extra and a couple of double ups in this set, but will only use nine in the display, as I have a couple of plain ones to put in.

These are a couple of close-ups of the purple ones... the one on the left is mine and I made the wire/bead charm on it. The one on the right is one from Donna's set, she has personalised it with my name. How cute is that???
I have one more swap that I have to get finished, very quickly, as they are due out tomorrow. I have enjoyed making these little things and have really enjoyed receiving others in the mail. Many thanks to all those who have participated in these swaps... they're great fun.

Christmas with my Grandchildren

I'd like you to met my GrandChildren:





I'd like to share this picture with all my friends, 'cause I think it is so cute and I'd like you all to meet my Grandchildren. From left to right:- we have Archie James who turns 1 tomorrow. He is the little one at the start of my Blog, who has now has his 'Clef lip and palet' opps.
Next to him is his big brother Angus John who is 34 mths old and as you can see is so caring towards his little cousins.
Then we have Laura Catherine who is the elder of the twins (by 5 minutes) and her sister Elizabeth Anne or 'Lizzie', they are 16 mths old.
I am still reliving the past fortnight, in my memories and thoughts... It really was so wonderful to have my 2 boys with their wives and families, here for Christmas. We haven't been together like that for many, many years. Now with littlies as well, it is was something very special.
They have all gone home now and the house seems so quite and empty... I'll just have to keep very bust with my sewing and crafty things...