Self...

Back again!  Gee, I stay away for a loooong time and then 2 posts in one day!!  LOL!!

Snappy Friends have a challenge this week of a Self Portrait.  Well, I am not too keen on the whole of my face BUT I think my eyes are okay, so that is what I am showing the world!!

Cheers

M x

My UFO List....

Or should the title be...

"OMG!  Where did all this come from????"

I had a bit of a clean up and made a list of the quilts I am to finish BEFORE I purchase any new material or patterns.

I am going to make a start on this list as soon as possible because it is a mighty big list.  I am actually quite excited about doing this as I finally might be able to show people what I have been doing instead of being embarrassed about the whole situation.

Here is my list....

NEEDING ONLY BORDERS, BINDING OR QUILTING....

 Flower Flannel lap quilt – border needed


 Rocket wall hanging – border needed


 Hidden Stars quilt – border needed


 Star Layer Cake quilt - binding


 Table runner – quilting


 Urban Couture Brick Charity lap quilt - quilting


 Batik Art quilt – quilting and embellishments


PIECING TO BE DONE....


 Max’s Monster Truck quilt


 Tom’s Monster Truck quilt


 Tulip quilt


 Tree of Life quilt


 Laura Gunn quilt


 Vintage Circle quilt


 Green String quilt


 My First Prairie Point quilt


 Boys Bright Charity quilt


 Tan and Aqua Bird Charity quilt

I am also in the process of doing the 'Be Attitudes' BOM quilt for the shop.  This is something that is being done as a priority as I want it finished NOW!!!  There are also the block swaps that I am doing, which are being done between all the other stuff.

Is the list big???

I THINK SO!

Cross fingers and wish me luck in my 'Journey To The End of the Quilts'!!

cheers
M x

Quilting Bee Blocks

This is a very short post to highlight a fantastic group on Flickr called the Quilting Bee Blocks.

It showcases all the different blocks that people (including me) are sewing.  These are all for different Quilting Bees that are happening all over the world.  Quilting Bees certainly bring the world alot closer.

Click on this link to see the wonderful work that others are doing....

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1049557@N21/

Happy Birthday Little Man....

It was my baby boys birthday this week.

He has turned a very big 6!!

His favourite colour is black (he says it is a colour but his older brother says it is not) but alot of the time it changes to green or blue!!   :o)

His party was a pirate theme.

(Tom is second from the right (red and black top) and his brother is on the far left)

He wanted the party after school, not on a weekend, so it was a short but sweet birthday party.  After having a treasure hunt around the property which led them to a treasure chest full of chocolate coins and party favours, they pinned the 'pirate on the map' and then had a race to see who could eat a donut off a string first (without touching with their hands).  That was hilarious and the boys really enjoyed that game.

After all the swashbuckling and playing it was time to eat the feast and enjoy the pirate ship cake.

I enjoyed making this but I ran out of time and would have loved to have decorated it more.  Ah, well, there is always next time.

So, Tom, I wish you all the very best for the year ahead.  You have grown up sooo much and I sometimes feel that I am losing my baby and gaining a big boy.  I enjoy our cuddles and how you and I seem to be in sync with each other alot of the time.  You will always be my babe no matter how old you get!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Bloggers Quilt Festival 2010

http://www.amyscreativeside.com/2010/05/bloggers-quilt-festival-spring-2010.html

(sorry, don't know how to link the button!!)

I am thrilled to be a part of Amy's Bloggers Quilt Festival this year.  I am not a very experienced quilter and I marvel at all the amazing quilts that are being showed in the festival.  Inspiring and amazing.

Even though I haven't made many quilts ~ well, I made them but haven't finished them ~ I have finished one and the quilt I am going to submit has been a big learning curve for me.

Meet my Matryoshka Quilt....

I chose this beautiful Rosalie Quinlan designed quilt as a way to beat the blues.  It was bright, fun and girly!! 

Unfortunately I sewed the blocks on three different machines and for some reason they were all different sizes.  I could have cried.  So I had to cut down the blocks, to make them all match, with some up to 1/2 an inch.  

It still looked okay though, luckily!

With the applique, I started doing it by hand but realised it would take me forever to get it done and I had a bit of a deadline because my local quilting shop asked if they could hang it in their shop for a while.  I had just bought myself a new machine so I could do machine applique (one of the three I sewed this on!) so I thought I would bite the bullet and do the other Babushkas on the machine.

I loved it!  I found the machine applique alot quicker but also I had taught myself a new skill.

So, after finishing I sent it off to the quilters - Val at Blue Gum Quilts in Murray Bridge.  I let her chose what to do and I certainly wasn't disappointed!  Absolutely beautiful.

It is still hanging in the shop - Kirkbride Quilting at Strathalbyn.  I have received many many comments about the quilt and I think it will be one that will stay with me close to my heart.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my quilt!  Please check out all the other quilts that are on show.  Truly special.  There is also a group in Flickr that is showing them all.  Just click and check them out.

cheers   :o)

Small....

I am slowly comin to terms with who I am and how I work!

This post is all about 'small'. 

Weird, I hear you say.

Well, it has occurred to me that I like 'small' in my life.  I tend to feel overwhelmed with 'big' and that is starting to become apparent in my quilting and art.

Look at where I live...

I live on 17 acres BUT I feel overwhelmed by the size of our property and don't venture out to the four corners of the place.  I do love the open spaces and would never, ever live in the city again but BIG just isn't for me either.  I know I don't have to constantly go from corner to corner of our property to appreciate it and I usually only keep to the back yard, my vegie patch and the chook shed.  These are only a smidgen of the area we have.  When we were wanting to landscape, it totally freaked me out and I literally ran indoors and hid!!  Yep, scared and overwhelmed by it all.  So, it never really got done.
I adore the Open Gardens that people have and show off but I never really understood how I felt about large gardens until I had to do one!!

Take photography for instance...

I adore macro!  If I can take a photo of something tiny, intricate and SMALL then I am one happy chappy.  I don't do vistas nor huge landscapes.  I want to get down and take the photo of the leaf, ant or the pattern in the mud!

Now, take my quilting....

I am really enjoying doing the blocks for my swaps.  I am having a bit of trouble finishing any LARGE quilt that I need to get done.  Does it intimidate me?? I don't know.  Should I just concentrate on mini quilts, or lap quilts (getting a bit too large I think) or wall hangings??  Art Quilts come to mind.

This got me thinking about all the 'SMALL' in my life.....

I have just embarked on a new creative journey...

Silver Jewellery!

I did a workshop on the weekend and ended up making a pendant and cuff bracelet.  I thoroughly enjoyed working with the small pieces.  The cutting, filing, polishing! 

I would love to incorporate the silver work (or metal work, as it can be copper etc) with art quilts and I think I can do it. 

So, the question still remains.....am I afraid of big??

Afraid? NO

Intimidated? MAYBE

Is it a problem?  NOT AT ALL

The whole process of finding out about who I am and where I am heading is part of being creative.

What do you think?? 

Did you have a turning point in your creative journey? 

A lightbulb moment?

Till the next time (and I am hoping it won't be too far away!)

Something old....

Snappy Friends has a weekly challenge and this one is 'Something Old'.

There are many things I could photograph to show this ~ our house (built in 1880), our barn, our cars, my husband ~ LOL!!!

No, I chose this photo.  It is one of my favourites. I wonder how long it was leaning on the wooden bench to get this look?....