Bloggers Quilt Festival

Amy hosts this fantastic Bloggers Quilt Festival.  I think this is a lovely way to see other quilts and visit other blogs one may usually not read....

As a new blogger and a relatively new quilter this is the first Quilt Festival I have shown a quilt on.  I hope you enjoy reading about this quilt it as much as I enjoyed making it.

I made this quilt this year.  It is a cuddle quilt for my third grandson and it is special as it is made of clothes that he wore in his first year...........

I have to say it was a bit of a nightmare to sew with the little stretchy fabrics and I had quite a bit of difficulty in matching blocks to include special pictures/clothes so they were features on the quilt.  The free motion quilting (I did a large wriggle) was difficult as the fabric is not flat and smooth.  However, it is a lovely cuddly quilt and holds such a lot of memories and special items of clothing.

I used cotton wadding and the quilt is backed and bound with flannel from the little man's wraps and sheets.

He loves it too............

Unfortunately I only recently started quilting and my first two grandchildren have not had these - but I so enjoyed making this little quilt that this years model and future grandchildren (there is one already growing for next year) will have them ...... and we are collecting T shirts for the older boys...

Thanks for popping in and reading about my quilt......

I am off now over HERE to have a look see at what other quilters are showing.

Hey, Mr Postman.............

Hey, Mr Postman, got a parcel for me......

Marina was looking for a home for her pumpkin fabric - she says she has had it sitting at her house for a while and now decided it needed a  new home............ well, I can certainly provide a loving home for stray fabric!!!

Thanks Marina....... gotta finish off some of those UFO's and Christmas things and then these pumpkins are going to get cooked...........

(PS....... I love it)

(PPS - nearly divorce talk though  "How can you get so excited about a piece of cloth??")

I went to see Eat, Love, Pray last week....

Julia Roberts' character reminded us that it was okay to have muffin tops..... (well, with her figure she could say that couldn't she???)

Yum, banana muffins...........

...... and yes, the shape is the same!!

I didn't find the movie, or the book, particularly incredible, but that Brazilian accent was to fall for......

I haven't made softies or toys but I couldn't resist Toni at Red Boots lovely pattern ...

meet Wendolynne the Witch....

she doesn't look too wicked does she?

A new project on the list for me - something for Grandiegirl.......

Thanks Toni....

 meet Billie Goat Gruff waiting to go travelling.........

Hope you all have an inspiring and fun weekend................

Working With Wool or just Goating Around???

Way back in August I wrote that I had started buying jumpers to shrink/felt, Teresa and I did a bit of a swap with our wools and Melody has been great sending me some of hers and encouraging me to try sewing with them (she has a BOM starting next year so I wanted to practice some smaller projects first ) .. I made some birdies and now ...

Thanks to Elaine for the tutoring and to Debbie and Kim for the motivation to try a project wool - taaa daaa. - I have a Penny Rug..... 

Over HERE Elaine tells us some of the history behind a Penny Rug..... interesting... 

I'm not really sure I should be getting into something else............. but..... I have.........

Now we have a little 'goat adventure' going, or is a goatalong?  This is one Elaine made previously:

and this little fellow is off to Debbie for some pampering.......

I am hoping he/she will come visit me downunder - may like to take a break during the winter and spend a bit of time enjoying the Australian summer......

Sue also has a wandering goat at her place.........

I have been looking at a few sites with wool.....
Peg has this lovely project she is working on at the moment. 
Michele has a lovely needle holder HERE - on my to do list......
Kaaren has this amazing pincushion over HERE - I'd love to do that as a round robin activity..... any takers?

.... and if you are needing some additional inspiration pop in to Sue over HERE

The last of my new Iris's has flowered...... worth waiting for... I love splashes of happy yellows......

Lots of links today - hope you are able to pop by and visit them all - they really have lots of lovely things to see......

Tuesday Treasure

This week I am sharing four of my favourite little pieces that I had from my Mum - she would have inherited them from her mum or mil - other than that I know very little about them except that I think they are so beautiful... and all so different....

This little round one is 10cm (4") high - both side aspects are the yellow rose design and the front and back have different pictures.....

This little one is also 10cm high and is more angular - an interesting shape and a little bit more cracked and weathered than the others....

This one is taller - about 12 cms (5") - I couldn't get close up without a blurry picture but the painting is so pretty and I love the blue and gold....

This one is definitely my favourite - as it has lovely little bugs - it is also 10cm and is different all the way round and has so much detail - so delicate and pretty.....

I hope you enjoy looking at these little treasures - now I'm off to Clare's to see what others are showing today.......

Stitch, stitch...............

This weekend I worked on my Stitching Around the Block , a lovely stitchery designed by Helen 

I'll be sending these off to Marina for the next round

I also finished a few more of my Ella and Skysie animal blocks - very simple stitcheries which are fun to do.....

These can be counted with Joy's Finishing Stitches.....

most of these had been started before and sat at the back of the cupboard - this has been great motivation to finish them off.

Liz reminded me about Christmas stockings and the need to keep up with grandchildren numbers....

I did these last year for the boys.....

now we have a little girl who was born in February that needs one this year.....

and next bubs will need one next year.......

I wonder how many grandparents have managed to keep up these great ideas (when there is only a few to do - only to discover there are more ahead!!)

There's also all those advent calenders I got to do...........
 and only 2 months left!!

In my garden this new Iris bloomed this weekend.......... what a lovely rich colour...

I hope you all have a lovely rich week too............

Fun at the Fair

Aaaah - don't you love it when Mr Postman brings a surprise ..........

Joy went on holiday recently and sent me a something from over the seas and far away ...............

quite unexpected.........

I've never had a ride in a London cab ...... and it had a very pretty pack on needles....

thank you so much Joy.........

Karen from Selvage Blog sent me these lovely fabrics.....

..... so delicious and they came with tea.... more delicious.......Thank you so much Karen. 

I've been stroking, and planning, and drinking tea and looking at this.....

.... my present to me from the Craft Fair ....

along with these useful bits and pieces..........

oh... and something to stroke..............

A piece of

'I have to have that even if I don't know what I will use it for'

Hubz has been making a water feature and we recently purchased some Louisiana Iris's - some of them are flowering...........

 

Such gentle prettiness..............  I hope you have lots over the weekend.....

I need to stitch my 'Stitching Around the Block'.......

and do some more of my Penny Rug for Elaine..........