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!

Label done.. and posted....

I had a chat to young Beau the other night..... he was entranced

... and I sewed a label on his quilt (I had a little boy quilt ready made just in case)

... I'm sure he will like baby elephants...

... everyone likes baby elephants don't they? ....

... and a menagerie of animals on the back .....

... just a cot size quilt to keep him snug during these winter months....

Righto, Gotto Go..... outside in the sun is just too lovely .. warmer out than in at the moment....

Great news......

You will be amazed at my cleverness today..... ok not my cleverness but I am very proud

Please meet Beau ... our newest grandson born yesterday ....

8lbs 14 oz so not a lightie....  all well and born after lunch and home by dinner....

Righto, Gotto Go.....  isn't he GORGEOUS???? 

Christmas is coming.....

I have posted off a couple of secret parcels.......

these are for Chookyblue's SSCS swap and my parcels are off overseas... and another small one is staying local....

I started making my grandchildren their own personal stockings a few years ago .... this one was needed quickly to post off over seas so I based it on a ready printed panel....

.... she is lucky and has two sides to her stocking.... and it's big enough for her to use as a sleeping bag!

the pictures have been diddled up with quilting and buttons, bells and fuzzy noses and fluffy hat wool...

I received these lovely bauble buttons in a parcel a few years ago... absolutely perfect for this project

sparkly, jingly ausi animals....

.... I just had to add this cute little 'hand made' hand charm....

lots of quilting in a glitter thread....  you can't see it in the pictures very much but the stocking sparkles nicely...

.. so much sewing to get done ... I have moved into the dining area to sit under the aircon....

Hubz laughs at my 'princess and the pea' throne.... I need the height when I'm quilting or my shoulders hurt... however this bunch of cushions does squish down a fair bit!!!!!

Very busy trying to get all sorts of secret stitching done.... I am so grateful for these little balls of energy drink.....

Righto, gotta go... back to work 

FNWF and other things....

I was pretty exhausted after waiting for little baby to arrive on Friday ..... 

Astrid Sophie is her name.... ( I think she was doing a little smile especially for me!)

... and she and her mum are home now.... all is good...

... we had a lovely sunset whilst we toasted her arrival...

... and in the evening for FNWF (thanks Dory aka Cheryl aka Chez for having us)  I finished off the last stitches on this Michelle Ridgeway alphabet letter for a friend with an upcoming birthday ....

... and sewed a button on this Christmas postcard which is going to Brazil....

The next morning I checked my hoya plant....and its lovely honey drops...

... this plant just fascinates me... and this little spider was enjoying the honey I think....

... and we enjoyed the galah's over for breakfast....

... young widget came to stay... he also enjoyed his breakfast! ....

... today I wanted to change my rotary blade.... (all that trimming of HST's)....

... I had never noticed the warning signs before.... anyone use goggles when they are cutting?????

our hobby seems to be getting more and more dangerous..... 

Righto, Gotto Go.... a bit of danger risk taking to do.... hmmmmm

Very happy .....

Hubz and I met our new granddaughter last evening.... just one hour old.... how sweet she is.... and wide awake for having gone through all that struggling to get out and meet us!

This is Maddy's little sister and they live in the UK and so again I am incredibly grateful for modern technology....

This is the cot quilt I will be sending over for her (label still to be made) 

(I have shown it before... it has been waiting for a special princess to own it!)

I traced designs from the fabric range onto the top of the quilt and hand stitched these....

...and appliqued the words on the bottom... just soft quilting so it is snuggly and soft

.. the backing is some lovely vintage hollyhobby girl sheeting that I found...

Maddy wanted a sister more than anything.... see how utterly delighted she is....

.... another princess.... and I still tear up with joy....

Righto, Gotto Go.....