Sunday Stash & Dash - The "I have a tax return and I aint afraid to spend it" Edition!

In what will now be known as "the best fabric delivery week ever", I had two of the best fabric deliveries ever!  Let me get straight to the point.....

Exhibit A - When Julie at The Intrepid Thread sends me an email to say she has stacked her sale section AND halved her international shipping for a week - who am I to argue????  I hot-footed it over there and filled that shopping cart like there was no tomorrow.  I think I showed considerable restraint - you know, given I'm on a fabric ban and all Oh, who am I kidding - I may be going to Tokyo, but there is still fabric to be purchased before then.....

So, what's in there?  Well, I got the Cotton + Steel canvas I needed (and it's already cut up and half made in to a bag), then there's a few new Far Far Away prints to go with all the old school HR I have.  And the rest of this bundle is from the amaze-balls clearance section.  Some fab stash stackers in there.  I never seem to have enough yellow and orange, so I made a point of throwing them in the cart.  Oh, and the Emmy Grace prints - perfection.

Now just because I believe in sharing the love, I'm happy to tell you that Julie has decided to keep her international shipping reduced!  Check it out:

"Due to the overwhelming reception that you gave our shipping discount sale we have decided to change our shipping prices for the foreseeable future, things could change if the prices go up again but for now.... In the US Shipping is never more than $5 no matter how much you buy and free over $90. International shipping is half price if you spend over $70. Here is the breakdown:

YARDAGE SHIPPING VIA USPS TO USA/CANADA/EVERYWHERE ELSE

Up to $10 quilting weight fabric, First Class Mail is $3.75 / $12.95 / $14.95

$10 - $70 Priority Flat Rate Envelope $5 / $19.95 / $23.95

$70 - $90 Priority Flat Rate Envelope $5/$9.98/$11.98

$90 and up 2 Priority Flat Rate Envelopes or Priority Medium Flat Rate Box $0 / $20 / $30"

Ps. This is NOT a sponsored post!  Although I'm beginning to think I should hit Julie up! Hahahah.  Seriously, head over there and get you some goodness!

Exhibit B - I'm going to call this one an experiment.  You see, Quilt Jane lovingly shared a link on FB a couple of weeks ago to a website called Massdrop.  My inquisitive self got the better of me, and I clicked on said link and somehow or another managed to then click on BUY.  Oops.  Turns out I bought myself these two fabulous Alison Glass bundles!  If you haven't seen or heard of Massdrop before, go give it a looksy.  The shipping is ridiculously cheap to Australia.  I have no idea what I'll use these beauties for, but I'm sure I'll work it out!

Ok.  Bed time.  I hope you've all had a lovely week, and have an even better one ahead of you!

I'm linking up - You can too!

T.G.I.F.F. - Wonky Star Cot Quilt

The Purple, Silver and Green quilt has been finished!  I shared with you on Wednesday that I had a few concerns about this one, but all concerns were squashed as this beauty came together.  I saw the intended recipient yesterday - who is due to give birth any day now - so it gave me a push (pardon the pun!) to finish it up.  I completed the quilt top yesterday, and managed to baste, quilt and bind it today!  Finishing up at 5pm.......right on cue for the rain to begin!  So without further ado, here it is - being photographed wonky style on the decking, out of the rain!

 

When deciding which pattern I would use, all I knew was that it had to be gender neutral, and I wanted to incorporate stars.  I went to my trusty Wombat Stew gals and asked for ideas (because my brain was mush and lacking any!), and the lovely Lara suggested the Reverse Hopscotch, which funnily enough is by the designer at V & Co!  I jumped at the idea and went ahead and bought the pattern HERE.  Unfortunately, although Vanessa has based the Reverse Hopscotch on this pattern, it took a bit of mathematics for me to figure it out!  Not only for making the blocks, but also for making the cot size version.  Remarkably - I did not fail!  It's basically a 9 patch block mixed with a wonky star block.  Easy peasy.

 

The fabrics are a custom bundle put together by Julie at The Intrepid Thread.  The request for green, purple and silver threw me a bit - but Julie made it work!  There are a few prints from the V & Co "Simply Style" range.  And lots of other gorgeous lines mixed in.

 

I think the stars would have stood out much more with a different colour to silver!

 

I used this gorgeous grey chevron print from Spotlight to back it.  Love it.

 

 

Very simple straight line quilting, echoing the inside of each star, and then on both sides of each 5" square.  I used Aurifil 50wt #2024 white for the stars and Aurifil 50wt #2605 silver/grey everywhere else.  I've also started lengthening my straight stitch to 3.0 when quilting, and am loving the look of it.  A couple of ladies at our quilt gathering on Sunday asked me why Aurifil was so special?  Well, I like how shiny and smooth it is.  The colour range is spectacular and best of all - my sewing machine LOVES it!  If you haven't tried it, you should.

And that's a wrap!  Would you believe that is quilt number 14 for 2013?  CRAZY!!!!!  I love this quilting thing......

I'm linking up with T.G.I.F.F. being hosted by Pippa's Patch - You can too!

Sunday Stash - In Pictures

I shared with you last week how I was spending some of my tax return.  Well, the UPS and postman both came to the party during the past week, and my stash got a ridiculous boost in numbers.  I'm now on a fabric fast.  For a long short time anyway....

The Intrepid Thread never fails to excite me! 

Some Sarah Jane deliciousness from Fabric.com

I finally bought some Ghastlies after months of procrastinating.

Nordika......yum yum.

Waterfront park......sigh.

Interesting colour combo for a cot quilt.

David Butler Parson Gray fabric for a boy's quilt.

Heather Ross......these prints are seriously divine.

Randomness.......two are for binding for quilts in the making, the fairy tales for my Chloe and I just like the bugs, pinwheels and zig-zags!

Soooooooo.........what do you think?  Did I spend my money wisely?

I'm linking up with Sunday Stash being hosted by Fabric Mutt this week - You can too!

Sunday Stash - The "I got my tax return" Edition!

I'm very happy to be hosting Sunday Stash today, thanks Fiona for leaving it in my sometimes incapable hands!

Until I started quilting, I looked at fabric purchases a completely different way.  I would choose entire fabric collections, yards of each print, and then make little dresses and outfits from them.  NOW, I look at my purchases from a different perspective.  Fat quarter bundles have become a staple in my fabric diet, because I have come to appreciate just how far one fat quarter will go when it comes to quilting!  Give me a whole bundle of fat quarters and well, the options are huge!

Today I'm sharing with you (some of) what's on its way to me.  You see, I got my tax return a few weeks ago, and I also got paid for my Flying By The Seat Of My Pants quilt, which a lovely customer bought from me!  Sooooo, after much window shopping (read: online fabric shopping), I finally decided on a couple of purchases.

There are sooo many beautiful fabrics being brought out every. single. day.  And it makes it increasingly difficult for me to decided how I am going to spend my money!  Given that the Australian dollar is not as strong as it used to be, I have to really think long and hard about said purchases, because it's not as cheap!  I have email subscriptions to quite a number of online fabric stores, namely The Intrepid Thread, Fabric.com, Westwood Acres, Pink Castle Fabrics and Hawthorne Threads (the list is huge, but these are my favourites).  Being kept up to date with these stores means I'm more likely to know when they are having sales or specials - and that makes me a very happy fabric loving girl!

So how does one choose?  Well, I think about any upcoming projects I need fabric for and I also look through the Sales sections to see which past collections I have drooled over may be up for grabs!  There are also times when I NEED to purchase fabric that I just HAVE to have!

Have I dragged this out long enough?  Want to see what I have coming?  OK, here goes:

Nordika in Frost Valley

Waterfront Park in Breeze

World Tour

Briar Rose - I bought a few of the prints from the range, including this one!

Custom Bundle - Julie from The Intrepid Thread is incredibly helpful and put this bundle together for me after a special colour request from a friend for a quilt.  They are mostly made up of a range by V and Co.

I also grabbed a bunch of gorgeous prints that were in the sales section of The Intrepid Thread.  Half yards of gorgeousness that I know will come in handy!  I will be sure to show you all of this loveliness when in lands here in person!

I may have made another late night order from another online store, but that will have to wait for another edition of Sunday Stash!

So - have you made any purchases this week?  Want to show us your stash, delve in to the depths of your fabric and notions?  Go on - I dare you!  Linky below!

An InLinkz Link-up

Collaborate For A Cause 2013 - A Handmade Love Fest!

A few weeks ago, I shared a work in progress with you all, and mentioned Collaborate For A Cause.  Well, the time is almost here for the biggest Facebook auction of the year to start!  If you haven't heard of C4AC before, then here's a very quick intro - The wonderful Jen Kennedy from Ainslee Fox Handmade started it three years ago, pulling together the handmade community, to collaborate with one another and raise money for charity!  Last year over $40,000 was raised!  You can learn more about C4AC HERE.

Tonight, I'm sharing with you my finished collaboration with Danielle over at Cottonberry Kids!

 

I had never actually heard of Cottonberry before, but put my hand up looking for someone to collaborate with, and Danielle was brave enough to approach me (I don't know about you, but approaching people I don't know is hard, for fear of rejection!) and of course I said a big YES!  We got to brainstorming about what we wanted to create, and a few days later I received The Intrepid Thread newsletter via email and the Riley Blake "Hipster" range jumped out at me!  I messaged Danielle and suggested the range - and it all went from there!  Julie from The Intrepid Thread kindly gave us a discount on the fabric when she found out it was for charity - so thanks Julie!!!

For my half of the collaboration I used THIS pattern/tutorial for a little pinwheel doll's quilt.  I made a few little changes, just by adding extra borders, and the finished size is 19.5".  And the backing fabric is a gorgeous Riley Blake polka dot in the same bold colours!

I sent the little quilt over to Danielle, and she did a fabulous job photographing it - especially considering the horrible weather she had to deal with!  Her beautiful doll - named Rylee-Kate - is so utterly divine and just screams Happiness!

Our collaboration is raising money for Red Kite - a national cancer charity that offers support to children, young people and their families while they undergo their cancer journey.

If you love Rylee-Kate, her quilt and little pillow, you can bid on them from the 26th of July, at 8pm HERE.  The auction finishes on the 28th of July at 8pm.  There are HUNDREDS of collaborations in the album - and they are all absolutely, positively AMAZING!  You NEED to check it out, and you NEED to tell everyone you know about it!  There is something there for everyone - and it's a great time to grab some awesome handmade goods to put aside for Christmas!

So go on - what are you waiting for?


PS - Last chance to enter my GIVEAWAY tonight! Free fabric anyone? xx

T.G.I.F.F. - The One Where My Swoon Gets Sent Packing.....

Remember this photo from Wednesday?

Well, it now has a beautiful pieced backing to go with it.....

When I bought the yardage for this backing - from The Intrepid Thread - I was not really sold on the print.  I mean, there are sooooo many divine prints in the Notting Hill range, but all of my first choices (yes, you can have more than one first choice!) were too low in stock and would not be able to accommodate this 90" beauty!  So the lovely Julie said "this is it".  And that's what I got.

BUT - now that it's made up - I LOVE IT!!!!

I had to use my brain and lack of mathematical skills to come up with the pieced section.  Lucky for me I'd only just read THIS blog post by Christa Quilts, in which she talks about how she works out her pieced backs.  Although I knew that's how it would be done, it was very helpful in this process.  I used my own technological know how to work mine out.....

Old school.....

So that's it my friends!  My beautiful Swoon quilt is finished!  Well, sort of.  This will be the first quilt that I will not be quilting myself.  And although I am VERY excited about sending it off to Jeanette to be quilted on her long arm, I am just a tad bit disappointed that I won't be doing it myself.  And on that note - I best go and spend another hour or two looking through designs and trying to come to some sort of decision about HOW I want it to be quilted!!!  Aghhhhhhh!!!!!!

I'm linking up with T.G.I.F.F. being hosted by the lurvely Molli Sparkles today!  You can too!

Now.......what to do with ALL those Notting Hill leftovers and scraps?

Fab Friday Giveaway Winner!

Hello hello!  Remember that fab giveaway I posted about on Friday?  Well - we have a winner!

Glimma can be found with lots of other yummy fabrics at The Intrepid Thread!

Congratulations to #68 - Sowing Stitches!  

And here's a sneak peek for all of you following my Bloom Bloom Pow progress!

Half a bloom!

I will have a FULL update for you all on Wednesday - when it will hopefully all be pieced together!

That's all folks!  A quick post is a good post yes?

Have a fabulous week! xxx

Sunday Stash #13 - Got to be in it to win it.

In what may just be a minor miracle, this is the only new addition to my stash this week.  Lucky for me it didn't cost a thing!  Yep, I won a fabulous giveaway over at Sew What Sherlock!  It was sponsored by the lovely Julie over at The Intrepid Thread.......who also just happens to be behind the giveaway I'm having at present - you can enter HERE.

I did a quick post yesterday and mentioned that I have had a good run of little wins from giveaways - something that has literally never happened to me.  So I'm going with that saying -

"You've got to be in it to win it!"



Gorgeous FQ bundle of Urban Mod.  I LOVE Art Gallery fabrics, so this has been stashed away with lots of company.

That's all folks!  I'm linking up with Sunday Stash over at Finding Fifth.  You can too!



Friday Fun Day Giveaway!

A couple of years ago, I made the decision to start making beautiful kid's clothes to sell.  I researched for what seemed like forever to find the most unique and delicious fabrics.  In the end, I chose Valori Well's Wrenly range.  And I made my first fabric order with Julie from The Intrepid Thread.  Since then, I have ordered wayyyy more yards of fabric than I care to tally.  And Julie has always been extremely helpful and quick to reply to my queries.

Why am I telling you this?  Well, a few weeks ago, Julie posted on FB that she was looking for a host for her fabric giveaway.  I couldn't answer quickly enough (literally, I was third in line I think) and was beyond thrilled when she emailed me to ask if I was still interested?  Ummmmm - yehhhhhhhh!!!!!

Needless to say, I am SOOOO very excited to be able to bring you this fabulous giveaway!  I couldn't decide which colourway to choose, so threw it open for discussion with some online friends.

Glimma by Lotta Jansdotter

And here it is!  A beautiful fat quarter bundle of six prints from the Glimma range.  I wish I could enter, but alas, that would be cheating!

All you have to do is go and check out Julie's SHOP and leave me a comment under this post, telling me which fabric from her "coming soon" ranges you love the best!

In the words of one very famous Australian - "Do yourself a favour" - get yourself some fabric goodness from The Intrepid Thread!

** Giveaway open worldwide and winner will be chosen on Monday 29th April.  If you are a "no reply blogger" please make sure to leave your email address in your comment.

W.I.P. Wednesday - Another Debut!

Now that I'm a Quilter, I have been learning about all of these wonderful linked up bloggy posts!  And today's is brought to you by Freshly Pieced!

This past week has been fabulous sewing wise.  I finished up all of my custom orders for Ms Midge, so was able to find a couple of things to sew for Christmas, which I will share here on Friday - cos they're finished!  But what surprised me most was my strange gravitation towards a project I started a couple of months ago, and had shelved in the "too hard shelf".

I made a rag quilt for my eldest daughter earlier this year, and ever since, my youngest son (8) has been asking me when he's getting a quilt.  So I did quite a bit of homework trying to find the perfect fabric prints and was wrapt when I found the Quilt Blocks range from Moda.  I also added some grey chevron - because I just loved them.  I emailed Julie at The Intrepid Thread and asked her to put a bundle together for me, and she very helpfully took a photo for me and emailed it back to see if I liked it!  Which is extremely helpful when she is on the other side of the world!

When it arrived, I found a pattern I liked that didn't look too hard (and I can't find now!), started following it, and then veered off track quite quickly!  Seems I am not one to follow patterns so well.....

I cut lots of rectangles out, not really knowing how I would piece it all together, and then as I started to piece it, worked out what I thought would look good.  I asked for a bit of advice from my quilting friend Gemma, and got some great tips.  Then shelved it.

When I finished my first real quilt the other week, I guess it gave me the confidence required to start this project up again.  So when I took it off the shelf on Saturday, I gave it a red hot crack, and actually finished the top!  Gained some more advice and tips from Gemma, and stunned myself when I actually unpicked a whole row because it just didn't look right.  So. Unlike. Me.

I also decided that I would switch the direction of the quilt.  That is, have the rows going long ways opposed to cross ways.  Mainly because it would have ended up being a bloody king size quilt - and that is so not happening!!!  But then I added the white strips to the top and bottom and it's sort of almost square now - so I guess the recipient can work out which way he likes it best?

I have now ordered a yard of the darkest blue print to make the binding, and am going to use quite a bit of all the leftover rectangle and strips to do something tricky with the back!

I just have to get through the whole basting stage, quilting stage and binding stage - and will have another quilt!  Yay me!

So - whatcha think???

Reality Cheque and Other Random Crap

Reality is hitting here.  We REALLY have bought a house.  Shit.  We have a mortgage.  Shit.  Don't mistake my cursing for regret - I am VERY excited.  But I am also VERY scared!  Yesterday I posted a very big pile of papers off to the conveyancer, after signing my life away - a million times.  Enclosed was also a VERY hefty cheque - for stamp duty - BOOOOO!  And today, two VERY big envelopes arrived from the bank.  More signing required it seems.

Today's school newsletter announced that I am retiring from the uniform shop!  Made me laugh.  Also received a letter from the kid's new school welcoming them.  Reality...again.

I have started doing what I do best.......shopping.  I made a very quick one hour trip to Spotlight on Monday, I only needed one metre of fabric.  I ended up in the homewares section and came home with half a dozen cushions, bath mats and curtains.  Whoops.

I also purchased some amazing fabric online last week, (on sale - thanks to The Intrepid Thread) as I am planning how to decorate the girl's bedrooms.  Andrew has suggested perhaps I have been watching too many episodes of "The Block"?  I haven't given him the real story - I've been spending too much time on Pinterest.  God I love that search button and the gasp of air that leaves me as I have a whole screen full of divine decorating ideas in the specified colours!  Bless the creators of Pinterest....

The other thing I have found myself doing, much more often than I used to, is taking photos of random things of interest.  If I find it somewhat amusing/disturbing or just plain wrong, I whip out my iPhone and file it away for future reference.  And You are the lucky ones that get to share them with me!

This text message came through last week in relation to my eldest son's basketball game.  I pee'd my pants laughing at the voicemail's text version of events.  Mostly because the club he is playing for is sometimes lovingly referred to as "Bosnia" instead of its correct suburban name.  Trailer Park Jets seemed quite fitting.....

I was strolling through Target yesterday and was deeply distressed by the sight of these revolting jumpers.  Not only are they in bizarre colours and prints, they are also knitted AND in the "groovy" section of the menswear department.  As I stood readying myself to capture this image, I was even more disturbed that a middle aged woman stopped to lovingly feel them and consider purchasing.  Shame.

Up until a couple of years ago, when Masterchef hit our screens, I had no idea what an actual proper macaroon was.  All I recalled were the coconut macaroon biscuits that were in The Woman's Weekly recipe books of the 80's.  It seems they're all the rage these days?  I took Ms Chloe for morning tea at the shops today and had my first ever macaroon.  Mine was the Lemon Tart version on the right.  Chloe's was the ghastly BubbleGum on the left.  I wasn't overly thrilled.  I need a chef.

This little beauty is the latest creation at Ms Midge.  I did a pattern review for The Oz Material Girls, which you can find HERE.  They are the prettiest ruffle skirts ever!

Finally - I am off to the Gold Coast in precisely EIGHT MORE SLEEPS!  Not that I'm counting.  I will be gone for three whole nights - CHILD FREE!  Not that I'm excited.  I will be spending the entire time with lifelong friends, and will be going to our 25 year primary school reunion!  I am so very excited but have one very big concern

WHAT THE HELL AM I GOING TO WEAR????
HELP

Weekend's End

 We have had a HUGE weekend here!  Cadyn has been sick for a few days, so in between doctor visits and cleaning up vomit, we've fit a fair bit in.  I worked yesterday then enjoyed a fabulous evening with friends to celebrate a 40th birthday.  And today started with Cadyn's first footy game of the year, a Purple Day Fundraiser at a friend's home where this gorgeous dress was auctioned off

Then, straight from the fundraiser to my gorgeous workmate's 40th birthday celebrations......which we could only stay at for 40 minutes before heading off to look at a house.   Yes, you heard correctly.  We went and looked at a house for sale......

You see, things are looking up in the world!  After ten years of just cruising by and making ends meet, we are finally getting somewhere in the finance department, and are coming to the point where we can start to realistically dream of buying our own house!  So today's journey was to a five bedroom house with a pool.  Kids were pumped.  But after wandering around the property (which was clearly owned by a family of smoking, over-excited decorators) we figured there was just too much to do.  Too much that we didn't rate.  But it was a good experience.  Tiny steps.....

The other thing that was exciting this weekend, was getting my hand on these beautiful prints

One of my gorgeous girlfriends has just started sewing again, for the first time since high school, and a few weeks ago she asked me where I buy my fabrics from.  I mentioned a few sites overseas she may be interested in, and a week or so later she told me she was placing an order - "Did I want anything?" Ummmmmmm - YEH!!  So these darling prints were delivered to her on Friday.  I have some more prints in the range arriving soon, from my lovely friend Jewel at The Intrepid Thread.  You should go and check out Jewel's gorgeous new website!

So now it's time to pack of our over-tired children - who clearly do not deal so well with SUPER late nights - and then I'm going to sit on the lounge and watch some tv.  Lovely.

What did your weekend treat you to?