FNWF ... even though it was ADWF (all day with friends)......

.... it all started with our monthly gathering at The Quilters Angel.... for serious stitching....

I took carrot cake ..........

... and collected a layer cake of "Papillon" which I scored on a weekend special from The Quilters Angel.... it's worth keeping an eye out on both their blog and facebook page for these.....

It's gorgeous...........

 Here are some of the girls hard at work.....

(Marion had been racing around all morning and was having a late lunch)

... and here's Kris and I hard at work.....

(took me all day to stuff that giant pink pincushion) 

 Kris brought me a lovely surprise... this month I was one of the OPAM winners and the prize was this lovely book full of inspiration....  look at the detail in this quilt on the cover ....

Robyn Ginn is a local quilter/artist and I have long admired her work... here is an example from the back cover.... 

... then I had to go off to the post office to post a parcel since it was somebodies birthday

.... and exhausted as I was I did sit and do a few stitches last night in front of the TV.... 

I finished all that grey blue steam and started on the gold teapot....

Then I had the most wonderful surprise...... I discovered it's a holiday on Monday.... I get Hubz to play with for an extra day....

Righto, Gotto Go... I'm off to see if I can find the white cricket pants...... hmmmmm

Footy Stuff.....

So... I tend to use the term 'footy stuff' rather generically.....

As you may know (or may not know) I am not a born and bred Ausi.... so I had to learn about 'footy' stuff  ....

My introduction to Australia 11 years ago was in Victoria where 'Ausi rules' is a most important aspect of culture..... I just wasn't going to fit in anywhere unless I had a local team -  so I quickly decided I needed to support a team....... 

Not knowing anything about the game I obviously did a whole load of research and chose "Hawthorne" ... since at that time it was the team with a load of good looking young men....

 - I stated to my work colleagues "I root for Hawthorne" only to be taken aside gently and told that in Australia you don't 'root' the football team - your 'barrack' your team... rooting over here is entirely a different thing......

then I moved to South Australia only to be told it is quite acceptable to root the whole team.....

(no suitable picture found)

Most confusing... so I do understand that people may not understand when I refer to 'footy 

stuff"....

I did find a pictoral explanation (I always find it much easier to have pictures - don't you?)

Then we moved to Queensland where there is more of the rugby type of footy

- so again I had to unlearn and relearn - 

Picture highly beefed up blokes.....  loads of testosterone, hormones, steroids, protein drinks, and whatever else.....

even if I'm not a footy fan I can still have my favourites?

add extra shoulder padding, and tight shirts and pants.... so this part is quite fun to watch....

there are rituals

- no I don't know what they are trying to say here - 

then add a ball... not a round ball... an oval sortof ball....

and add sweat, and thumping, and rolling in the dirt ...........

there is a multiple of games that fit into my interpretation of 'footy stuff'.... for those who need finer definition... there is 

• AFL - or Ausi rules ( they cut their sleeves off and it really is quite complimentary)
• Football... or Soccer.... - this is a bit different.. they have round balls...
• Rugby League..... sort of football, sort of rugby 
• Rugby Union ... coming from Africa.. this is a real mans game.... (usually the players have fantastic legs and wear very short shorts... most complimentary)

.. and actually I played this game once....

 I have proof....front page of the national newspaper....

oh golly.... my legs were great in those days!

now can you see why I am obsessed with this game... it ruined my reputation for ever

It is also important to dress appropriately when supporting such sports

the more sillier you can look the more supportive you are.....

Personally I go for cricket.... also a ball sport.... but less beafed up - more the lean athletic types .... and they wear white..... VERY complimentary over tight butts...

I think you will agree.....

alright... just one more view.....

Ashes in on soon... we might need another post to explain the Ashes.. and cricket....

* disclaimer.... any genuine footy fans are requested not to take offense.. this is simply my view....

Righto, Gotto Go..... in true blue fashion I don't want to talk about last nights game!

after all this is a crafty blog......

A fun day.....

I worked on a couple more of my sampler blocks this morning....  trying to keep going whilst the motivation is hot hot hot for them...... I am enjoying these Paris Flea Market fabrics more and more - I guess I really am a lacy pretty pretty kind of girl ...

Then I went off to Toowoomba's huge big Agricultural event "Farmfest" .... land of big trucks, big dust, big mud and all sorts of other big farming thingies.....

Hubz wasn't working there today but I caught up with someone special....

Narelle was down to look at all the big farming thingies with her husband... so she dumped him with the dogs (literally - can you believe that????) and we went and put our feet up and had a cuppa coffee then a wander and lots of lovely chit chat... 

You can tell in this picture I am a lacy, pretty, pretty kinda girl can't you.... we both are.....

Tonight we both can stitch whilst our relevant Hubz's are watching the most important State of Origin footy stuff game 

I am going to continue with playing with these 1/2" hexies....

I am was neither a hexie maker nor a hand quilter but these are really quite fun

 Righto, Gotto Go... footy plus cold weather means some lovely seafood laksa is required....

A new project.....

I have never done a sampler quilt .....

Sue has done some lovely ones and is doing another at the moment using a jelly roll....

.. and she introduced me to this fun book of quilts....

I got a lovely jelly roll with a bit of extra metreage on a trip to Quilters Angel .....

Paris Flea Market

I don't have the fancy ruler so I adapted my little one.... fiddle fiddle .... I still had trouble with it so Hubz put arrows to help me... I'm such a dork when it comes to that side of things!

... anyway it works fine and I made a bunch of HST's (that's Half Square Triangles - not Hormone Steroid Therapy {which could be an answer for a number of issues!})

Being rather fond of mini bunting I nearly stopped here....

Putting the blocks together gave me a chance to use by double barrelled pins (maybe I do need HST - that's Hormone Steroid Therapy)

I only recently met these pins - they do hold the fabric in two places and is a bit firmer... can sew over them to - just go slowly so the needle slides over the pin - not flat foot like you have had too much HST ....

Pretty soon I had a pretty block....

(my corners are not perfect but they are a lot better than they used to be - that was before HST and double barrelled pins)

... and then another pretty block.....

Oh my goodness - these are such pretty fabrics

Over the weekends while watching TV - well not watching since a lot of it was footy stuff - some of them having had a bit of HST too - I sewed up this little picture - already printed on lovely linen ....

It was in a gift and I don't know who it is by or where it came from but it's lovely .... I think it will be something lovely later..... but I don't know what .....

Righto, Gotto Go... more HST - I'll leave it to you which one I mean...

Pushing uphill.....

I love my scrap metal dung beetle - he is just awesome 

I made a ball of scrap binding... sitting on a 6 1/2" ruler... 

... is it for playing?...

.... is it for amusing the birds? ....

... or pretending to be a winter flower?....

.... or a wannabe cake? ......

... or a ball of #@*% ....

Righto, Gotto Go... you will just have to wait and see......

.... take a guess .....