New BOM from Carol Doak

Carol Doak has a new BOM!

You will need to join her yahoo group to access the files, but it looks great.

Here is one of the blocks from her previous Block Of the Months which I made in African Amafu fabrics...



I am not sure if I will have time to make the new BOM, but it looks really nice! And if you like Carol Doak's blocks (like I do) you will love it I'm sure!

How many?

Q. How many new projects can you start and never finish?


A. Too many!


Q. How many UFO's can you then dig up and start thinking about again thanks to reading quilting blogs?


A. Only one (this week!)


Q. How many fabric pieces can you get over papers while waiting at the hospital?


Only seven! :-(

But I can starting putting 20 kgs of weight on my leg so hopefully I am slowly on the mend :-)

Wordless Wednesday

In and around the house...

This is the vegie patch the day before we lost a courgette (zuchini) plant to a bird and a brocoli plant to a caterpillar...


Hold thumbs we don't have too many more casualties!

Not only is he being industrious in the garden, but DH also cleared out his closet and gave me a few shirts to 'craft' with. They sat in a pile for a few weeks (I am not as industrious as he is at the moment!).
Eventually, this shirt from our trip to Thailand...

...became these shorts for DS2

This Hawaiian shirt....

... became these slouchy summer trousers for DS1!

The boys love them and they are really quick to make. I think I spend longer hesitating than anything else. Part of it was that I wanted to get 2 pairs of shorts out of each shirt, but there really was no way!

I used to make shorts when I was at school. I know how easy they are, but somehow I couldn't get motivated until I helped out at school with the fashion show, a few weeks back. The parents helped the children make shirts out of recycled materials like old t-shirts etc. I noticed that most kids didn't have anything to wear on the bottom. There were these sample packs of fabrics donated to the school so I cut a pattern from a pair of shorts in the recycling pile. Then with the help of another Mum, who cut while I sewed we made 16 pairs of shorts in under 2 hours! Here are a few...

I have also made a few pairs of shorts out of old t-shirts, but as I don't have an overlocker, they are not as much fun to sew as shorts from shirts :-)

Back to 'real' sewing now LOL

Hearts and stars

Katie and I have met through blogging. I don't know her all that well, but when she had a little bundle of joy I just couldn't help making a little blue quilt using some orphan hearts from when I used to do the Blockbuddy Heart swap (these were made by Rochelle) and some blue star fabric. (I know Katie loves star fabric!)


I stitched in the ditch with Vicky's machine (which I am still gratefully borrowing - Thanks Vicky!!) And then I handquilted some stars in red thread on the plain squares...


I added my label and a Made in Great Britain label...


The quilt arrived this week along with 2 little bags I made for Katie's daughters and a coin purse that Katie 'bought' with fabric :-)

I 'borrowed' this photos off Katie's blog (hope you don't mind Katie!) because you just have to see how gorgeous her children are!!!

The littlest one with one of his big sisters on said quilt:


It has been lovely receiving from so many in the past, but I also enjoy being able to make something for others. Thank you for being part of my blogging world!

(My first) Wordless Wednesday

Slow & Steady wins the race

I am slowly getting all the blocks done for my Marti Mitchell Carolina Lily.

6 blocks are completely finished and 2 just need the stems and leaves sewn down. All the setting flower blocks are almost sewn together, the last 5 just need the white sewn down and their stems attached. Did I mention I found enough white to finish the last 5 small flowers! I was so happy to be so disorganised for once LOL.

Kandy has been helping me work out the fabric requirements and potential layouts in EQ6 (see this post - it's very cool!)

I was so pleased of her help as I changed the block sizes suggested in Marti's pattern.
(Because I have been sewing the blocks by hand I thought it would be more suitable to not make them as big as she suggests for the king size quilt and not as small as she suggests for the wallhanging...)

Here is one of the suggested layouts that I am pretty much going to go with...


I am scared and excited to tackle those vines, but first I have to sew all the blocks together (after I have finished them of course!)


On a commercial note ;-) I've made some more coin purses, but have not had a chance to photograph them properly so that I can list them in my Etsy shop...

Blue ones...

(Blue one on the bottom row in the middle is already sold)
(EDIT: Top left & Bottom right blue purses sold now too)

And some in yellow and orange...



I hope to list them sometime this week...

Life on the farm - Free BOM

As we live on a farm, I just had to tell you about the Happy Wren's free Block of the Month (BOM) called 'Life on the farm'.



The first block combines stitching and piecing and is called 'Hollyhocks and Pumpkins' and is available now... Hop on over, give Nichole some encouragement and bag yourselves a lovely new project to stitch and sew!!

I shall add it to my wishlist for 'some day' (that some day is when I have so much spare time and no laundry :-D)

And I'm a bit late here as she's already on the 3rd block, but Caroline also has a gorgeous stitchery BOM called 'Take time to...'. Go check it out!

Please feel free to make 2 blocks from each BOM and send me one... hee hee - well you can't blame me for trying LOL

Double Delight - Take 2

I just published the last post when I spotted some sheep on the hill so I crutched outside and hung my Double Delight on the perimeter fence. Then the sun went in, but at least it's a more interesting photo than the last 2...

Knowing me I'll keep trying :-D

Double Delight Done

Last night I sewed the last few stitches on the binding of my Double Delight. No label as yet, but perhaps when that's on I'll take some better photos. These photos are not great. The first one shows how my life has changed, The garden gate is no longer a good spot for photos because the garden is full of kids stuff! A trampoline, trikes and a jungle-gym all obtruct my view! :-)


In the second photo, my quilt holder was too impatient, it was too windy and he is only 6'4" which was not tall enough to show the top of the quilt. After a few attempts, he quit before I could sack him!!!


Anyway, it's done. I love this quilt and Bonnie named it correctly - it is a delight and even more so now that I have it done!

Wray Scarecrow Festival 2010

Today we took the boys to the Fair at Wray and had a look at some of the wonderful scarecrows made by the villagers of Wray....

This one was a partcularily beautiful textile art:


The four seasons:
The garden centre had wonderful displays:


The boys enjoyed a donkey ride:

Water, water? No only coke and lemonade at this outdoor stall!! (Or you could queue inside for half an hour. I think not!)

These little dogs were too cute! I am not really a dog person, but they were very awww...


Ice-lollies and Postman Pat...

More beautiful scare-sculptures...



The owl and the pussy-cat...


Love my boys...


I spotted this amazing conservatory in a local garden and just thought it was something that would just be awesome in ours!!! (One lottery ticket coming up!!)


I can dream (and apparently I can also stalk someone's conservatory LOL)


Next time something quilty!

Wins, Lilies, Gifts and Gabs

I am still stitching away! And this is my favourite Lily block so far. The colours appeal to me so much. The red fabric is from Elsie and the green fabric is from Siobahn:



Thank you Ladies!!

I guess that is what this post is about. Thanks. I am so very honoured to be part of such a generous and lovely community of bloggers, quilters and friends. At times I have wanted to give up this blog, I have never wanted to give up sewing, but blogging maybe. I am not sure why I blog. At first it was to record family life for us and the SA family alongside my sewing, but then I realised that my Mother never got a chance to read my blog and the sewing probably bores my brother stiff so he doesn't read it either. So then I thought I'd just blog about my sewing, and bore off the rest of them LOL, but I sew so much. Everyday! and it's not always that interesting especially if I have the odd craft market coming up or if I'm just sewing curtains or repairs or finishing something I started years ago...

I do like to record the momentus finishes and the little stitches though,


but I worry that I am just wasting blog space with it all. So I am going to have a little think about this blog and try and decide what direction it should take. Ultimately it is for me, but through it I have met some lovely people and I have enjoyed the company so much...

I have been spoilt rotten again lately by bloggers and friends!
Reds from Elsie:



Greens from Siobahn:


(these greens are from The Carolinas! So fitting for my Carolina Lily!)

And Fran:


(A green and roses too!)

Belated birthday presents from
Sonnja,:



Josie,:


My favourite chocolates and beautiful embroidery scissors too!

And Kandy!!:


Kandy made me a beautiful Log cabin kit with 12 gorgeous little logs, borders, batting, backing fabric, bobbins, thread, needles etc. Amazing!

Thank you Kandy, Josie, Sonnja, Fran, Siobahn, Elsie...
Thank you all very much.

I drew a winner yesterday for my giveaway. Guðrún from Iceland!
Well done Guðrún! I'll send you a parcel this week.


I would have blogged the winner yesterday, but I managed to overdo it in the garden and I have been feeling a bit rubbish ever since. I am taking it easy now, but feel a little shaken. I guess I was getting used to crutching around like a maniac and forgot my limits for a minute :-(

On another note:
I like this picture. It makes me think of me....

A big fat mummy and her 2 cheeky little lambs!! :-D