Celebrations.....

Our dear little Grandieboy Blair turned one this week... he celebrated by standing on his own for the first time - clever boy

what a sweet little man he is...

- and even more wonderful (for me!) he also learnt to blow his Nana kisses over the internet - 

- concentrating hard on blowing my kiss - 

... he laughs a lot too ...

Well I love to sew and I love even more to sew with friends.... so that's a good reason to celebrate too?

Chookyblue is having a weekend sewing party and we are all invited!!!

Go HERE to read up about it ....  Chooky has been making some design boards - I have been gifted these before and ended up making a few and they are so useful....  just look at her recent blog posts 

I might not be able to join in all weekend (Hubz fancies a road trip on Saturday) but I certainly will be there on Sunday.

... and another reason to celebrate....

Tuesday girls got together to sew the LAST TWO BLOCKS of our Sylvia's Bridal Sampler yesterday...

Wedding Ring 1 - 37 pieces

True Lovers Knot (20 pieces)

All 140 blocks have been completed in 11 months - it has been so fun and so motivating to sew with a couple of wonderful friends - we are so lucky to be able to get together each week (bar a few) to do this project.

Thats a total of 4515 pieces for the blocks (I may well be wrong but I'm not doing a recount!!!)  Today I am going to a UFO sewing morning at The Quilters Angel and I will take these blocks to sew on sashings - there's 4 for each block so lots of that to do!!!

And what better way to celebrate than to start a new quilt??????

This is Dutch Treat and there are a few of us sewing it - 3 here and 2 internet friends - it will be fun seeing the different colours and encouraging one another

Lyn noticed that there was a name on hers though she brought it new... it turns out we all have it in our new books.  I guess they took copies of a book when they reprinted????

I have some different coloured fabrics for the background and doing all my foreground in this very sweet blue floral Tilda fabric... it gives just the perfect look I wanted

5 of Diamonds

I most certainly struggled - never having done recessed (or reverse) applique before I am trying to get a rhythm and direction of sewing and those little corners are very hard ... but it's done!

Happy Mail ......

Last week I got a wonderful surprise parcel in the mail....

Wrapped in wonderful surprise Christmas paper (love it!)

Toni's new book Happy Quilts.... full of wonderful bright and happy quilts and matching softies...

I love her designs and have made quite a few of her quilts in the past.... now trying to make a tough decision of which to start with????  I think I'll try a softie as I haven't done one of those before...

... specially written inside and I just love the happy picture of Toni in it too...

The book was launched at the Spring Festival in Utah and has been on preorder sale for a while at several online stores.... you can read more about it on Toni's blog and there are heaps of prizes to be won....

Oh, and the reason for me getting sent a special copy by Toni.....

aren't I the luckiest to have seen the quilts before anyone else!!!  I can tell you it's jolly hard keeping secrets like that!

Righto, Gotto Go ....  the weekend looms

A most amazing weekend....

This last weekend I was very lucky to be invited to a girls time away weekend - and wow were we spoilt...

Every single meal was a gastonomic delight - I have NEVER tasted food like that....

.... just not the sort of meals you would duplicate at home

(my photography is not good - you just can't see what was there - this is chocolate desert)

... there were little personal treats all the way through the weekend....

and parcels on our beds - there is enough fabric for a quilt in there!!

... fantastic views  all day long...

... everywhere you went was something more to see...

... cutest little piglets to visit and feed....

... and activities to do....

(I'm useless at any sporting thing but it was sooooo much fun!)

 ... we even did quite a bit of stitching....

.. and coctails in the evenings....

... sitting chatting around a pit fire...

Instructions were pyjamas and tiara's as the dresscode for the weekend...

(this is not everyone - and our lovely hostess hid rather a lot!)

... a weekend to remember ....

This weekend was all expenses paid - an unexpected invitation by a special woman with a big heart that was so very much enjoyed... 

Good food, good fun, good friends and a bit of stitching.....

Righto, Gotto Go - it's not easy getting back to reality!  

More blocks and a finish....

More Sampler blocks done this week....

Sylvia's Shooting Star

Spinning Hourglass

Star of the Orient

Tennessee

I'm sure you will be relieved to know there are only 2 more blocks to make for this quilt!!!

I have done quite a bit more of adding the sashing to my blocks - but still a long way to go...

... this is how they are looking - these are not joined - just placed together to start sorting where they will go....

My eye mask is finished and ready for use.....

... It works! That wild hair of mine!!!

Righto, Gotto Go.... I've got lots to do!! I hope you find something fun to do today, tommorrow and all weekend....

... more progress....

Hubz has been away for a few days so I take advantage of that time by making up a big bowl of soup, staying in my pyjamas and stitching the days away....

Firstly I added the next border onto In My Garden....  the stitcheries are not that clear in the picture but they are very sweet 

... then I started work to catch up on The Splendid Sampler blocks....

hmmmmm

 .. that's better .... 

Hand in Hand designed by Kari Carr

Inspector Sidekick designed by Michele Foster

Derby Day designed by Pat Sloan (bonus block)

Goose on the Loose designed by Amy 

I have two more prepped up which I will take to Friday night Sew and Stitch tonight .... 

... lots of HST in today's work - rather satisfactory seeing a pile of little trimmings...

Last evening I finished off the stitching for my eye mask.... you can see the shape in the stitchery...

.. the next border of In My Garden needed lots of 1.5" x 2.5" rectangles - I chose to make them by sewing strips together and cutting them back... 

... there is some regularity in the strips but they worked out okay ..

... and that's the top finished for that quilt - I love it....  I think I will get a bit more of brown for binding?

Hubz and I have been filling spaces with some new plants... this little hibiscus decided to flower - the flower is almost as big as the plant... so pretty...

Righto, Gotto Go - I can probably finish off that eye mask this afternoon...... Hope you have a wonderful weekend....