Moving in....

All last week, I slowly and methodically moved things back into my sewing room. Furniture first, then Stakka Drawers, then other stuffs as I found places for it. :)
We have angled the 4 lights, but adjustments may occur as I start using the areas and change my mind. I have a free standing Arial Ott-Lite as well, so it can always fill in if I need more light.


This is the wall to the right of the door, which is in the corner on this wall to the right of this pic. This is my cutting out table. I do hope to replace it with a slightly larger table one day, but as yet, I haven't found one that meets all requirements. This one is an old Teacher's Desk which I waxed many years ago.
The bookcase is on the next wall. It stocks completed toppers on the bottom shelf, electrical gadgets, paints and pencils, pens, glue, catalogues, etc. My ipod and speakers sit on top.

 This is the next wall (with the previous mentioned bookcase). I have this table coming out from the window with my back to the wall, which will be my design wall. You can just see a glimpse of a large basket with some of my WIPS trying to hide in the bottom right corner. :) I have another crate plus a big zip quilt carry bag with more. Some of them used to be UFOs, but I've decided I am not having UFOs any more, just WIPS!

This table runs along the window, butting against the previous one. All my threads are in the 2 smaller drawer stacks and fabric in the larger one. I want better quality drawers for my threads, so that is on my  
 "to get"  list.
The Stakka drawers underneath the table contain part of my fabric stash. You may have noticed my cutting table had Stakka drawers, too. Yes, they also contain fabric, as do the 9 under the other table. :)

This is the 4th wall (the one the door opens against). Here, I have a slightly larger bookcase with pretty boxes of ribbons, buttons, velvet, habby things etc, etc, etc.
Behind the door, I have several hooks from which hang skirt hangers holding large ziplock bags with various things like iron on interfacing, avalon, tivek, fast to fuse etc. It's a system that works well for me.

A close-up of 9 of my Stakka drawers under one table. I have 26 FULL drawers in total, but it isn't nearly enough! Currently, I have the lounge piled high with more fabric that is still homeless. I also have a dining table loaded with odds and ends that are yet to be sorted as well as 8 cardboard boxes of (mainly) fabrics for garment construction, a box of backing fabric, and another 5 boxes with more odds and ends for fibre art. I have no idea where it will all go. I certainly don't want it coming into my nice, neat, spacious room!  LOL

I have yet to decorate the walls with wall hangings etc, but that will have to wait until I have sorted out my lounge room and dining room. ;)

What's your sewing area like? Care to post some photos on your blog? If you do, leave a comment here with a link and I'll mention you in a post. I'd love to see what you do with your area and how you organise things.


                                  

Ready to Move In!

My sewing room is finished! Yay \o/

New paint on the walls ( do you like the aqua blue?), ceiling given a coat of white to freshen it up......

and a new light fitting with 4 lights that I can angle so that light is directed exactly where I need it. :) I'll adjust them once the furniture is in.

We did an undercoat of white on the walls first, to block out the previous colour, but to also see what I thought of white. Sorry all you white voters, but it really didn't do anything for me, with that carpet. It just looked blah.
While we were making changes, we also put in a double power point, so now I have one for my power board and one for "other" use.
I wish I was putting new white furniture in, but I'll have to make do with my old stuff, as it's still in fairly good condition. It's a light beech laminate, so will still tie in nicely.

Stay tuned for progress as I move things back in. I'm taking my time with that, because I want everything to have a place. Nothing goes in until it does! (We'll see how long that lasts! LOL)

Variety is the spice of quilting!

There's nothing like a little variety in a girl's life! And this gal likes colour and more colour and different projects! 

These are the projects I'm currently working on, and I don't mean shoved away working on, I mean there right out on the table and ALL worked on over the week!

My HAD9P quilt. (Half A*sed lol)
It's a variation of a Disappearing 9 Patch but with one cut, not two (hence the HA).
 I've used charm packs of Chicopee by Denyse Schmidt with some extra red leaf outline from the range.
Borders (from the range) are still to be added.

This top is complete.
It is a mix of single squares, 4 patch and 9 patch squares and all fabrics are from my stash.
It is just waiting to be sandwiched and quilted.

Drunkards Path Blocks in batiks.
I need to decide layout.

Some gorgeous fabrics I bought from Kate Quilts.
It is from Surface Art Fabric, plus some Kona solids. (Love those Kona solids!)
I have started putting pieces together, so this has progressed further than the photo.
This is my first real venture into "modern" quilts and I am designing it myself.

A rather blurry image of a block - one of 12 - from a precut pack.
I have bought fabric to do borders and I'm currently sewing the first border.
Fabric is "Knock Knock" by Henry Glass
For some reason, it reminds me of my Grandmother's kitchen in the late 50s/early 60s.
It makes my heart sing!

Do you have several projects on the go at the same time? Or do you complete things before starting another?

Want to see what others are doing? There's heaps over at Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday!

Cheers,

Tajine Cooking

In January, when Peter's of Kensington were having their annual sale, I spied this gorgeous blue Emile Henry Tagine (Tajine) at such a ridiculously low price, I grabbed it!
BEST decision I've made in a long while. :)

It cooks food so beautifully. Better than a casserole. Better than a slow cooker.

I also bought this book from Peter's, but it is available from Bookdepository dot com for about $14. Such delicious recipes! My mouth waters just reading the recipes and looking at the pictures. 

I am slowly working my way through the recipes.

This is the first dish I cooked - Lamb tagine with prunes, apricots and honey. 

Chicken tagine with Preserved Lemon and Olives

And tonights dish of Beef tagine with beetroot and oranges.

I think my favourite so far, is the Lamb with apricots and prunes. :)

I am also experimenting by using the tagine to cook other, more European in style, casserole dishes.

Do you have a favourite cooking utensil or a style of cooking? Do tell us about it. :)

Winners :)

The first winner of my little giveaway (see post below) is:

 Retired Dairy Queen!    for her comment  "My goodness Time goes by so very quickly 
I seem to remember when No. 1 came along"      on the 17th March post "It's been THAT Long?" ...............
Send me an email, Dairy Queen, with your snail mail addy, and I will pop a little something in the mail next week.

The second winner has been drawn from the post "R & R: Reclaiming and Redecorating"..........
and the random number selector says  #7 which is Soozii who said Why not pale aqua on the red glow wall and the rest white to reflect the white. That would give you a nice accent wall but still give plenty of light (and walls to hang stuff on ... lol)

The third winner is #4 ...... Robyn G .... for her comment Lindi, I remember way back then too!
I started my blog in Nov of that same year and you were one of the very first to visit me and make me welcome :)  Happy Anniversary!!    on the post "Happy Birthday To My Blog (Almost!)"

The 4th winner is #3, commenting on the post "Beautiful Building Block Quilts" is......Catsmum ...with her comment:  haven't bought a quilt book in ages - this might need to be the one


And the final Winner, the BIG winner, on the post "Here we go, at last!" is .......................Random number selector chooses #1 ... Sally Westcott! 

Congratulations, Sally!

I still need a snail mail addy from Robyn G, then I can post a little something out to you, too. :)

Thanks for playing everyone!
Hugz

Here we go, at last!

Things have been rather chaotic here, and unfortunately, my blog was waaay down on the list.

SO....back to celebrating my blogaversary and actually doing the giveaway.

Here's what's happening:
                               
                                    Rather than one big giveaway, I'm doing several small ones, PLUS a slightly larger one, so more chances to get something. :). I have assembled a few nice FQs as well as some other little treats to pop in the post to my winners. .... ONE winner from the comments on EACH of this year's previous posts, then ONE (slightly bigger pressie) winner from this post. You can enter as many times as you like and if you win, you will still be eligible for other draws, if you have left comments.

I think that's pretty fair.  :)

I will begin drawing names for the previous posts, tonight, (after Mrs Brown's Boys!) and the winner from THIS post will be drawn on Sunday night (Australia time).

Beautiful Building Block Quilts

Available from Book Depository, Amazon, or Lisa's website: Dyedheaven.com

Woohoo! My copy of Lisa Walton's new book arrived today from The Book Depository! I have been excitedly awaiting this since I pre-ordered last year, because I just knew it would be good. Lisa is such a wonderful and giving teacher, I figured the book would have to be worth the money.

And it doesn't disappoint! I can see me getting a lot of value out of it.

 Lisa not only has plenty of fun and fantastic quilt projects for you to follow, she also encourages you to play and experiment yourself. She leads you through enough theory to help you gain the confidence to go for it!

Her instructions are clear and easy to follow, with extra tips thrown in. Any level of quilter could follow them, and make these wonderful quilts, and progress to their own designs.

If you want to break away from traditional patterns but don't know where to start, this book is for you.
If you have reached a standstill in your creative journey, this book is for you, too.

Now, I just have to get my sewing room painted so I can play!

*****

btw, don't forget my blogaversary is coming up. ALL comments on this year's posts will go in the draw!

More details to come. :)

Happy B'day to my blog! (Almost)

On the 8th of April 2007, it was Easter, and I started this blog. Six years ago!

In that time, I have written 300 posts. (This is no. 301). Nowhere near as many as some bloggers, but still, that's almost 1 post per week.

I think that calls for a celebration! :)

So, in the next week, I'll be deciding what I will do. A giveaway seems in order, after all, everyone loves a giveaway!

I'll do some thinking over the weekend, and sometime next week, I'll tell you what I have in mind.

Stay Tuned!

Oh, and leave a comment on a recent post.......you never know......    ;)

R & R: Reclaiming and Redecorating!

For the last 12 months, I have been evicted from my sewing room and all my stuff piled into the dining room, due to first my Son and family moving back from Tasmania and living here for 9 months, then my Daughter and family moving in for 3 months.
Now, finally, the room is empty! Yippee!
But I'm not moving in YET.
First, we are going to paint. :)
The room was a mid blue colour before I claimed it, and was just too overwhelming, so I painted it with some left over paint from our family room - a nice neutral shade (and I'm not normally a neutral gal, but this one is lovely). However, in the lower light room, it looked dingy, so I did a spongey wash kind of overpaint with white, that made it look very soft eggshelly. It's a nice effect.
But I'm tired of that! lol

We are doing a white coat first then doing the real paint job. But what colour? I've had lots of advice to go with white for the light, and I was seriously thinking to do that. But seeing the white go on the walls, it just says blah to me. I normally love white rooms, but their clarity is enhanced by the decor. This room is not really going to have "decor". Just work tables, bookcases and boxes!
My current thinking is to do a pale pale pale aqua blue -mixing blue for serenity and yellow for creativity!

What do you think? Stick with white for the light? or go the aqua? or something else?

You can vote over on the sidebar. If you choose other, I would love to know what colour you think, so please leave a comment. :)

This is the room ready for painting. It is a room in the middle of the house and looks out into the family room. I have a skylight to allow more light into the room. The red 'glow' on the wall is where a bed has been. The red flannelette sheets left a memory behind. :)

***

It's been THAT long?

It's been a long time since I've posted anything here. Facebook has made it so easy to communicate across the miles, with so many of my friends. Pictures are easier to share, conversations can be short, sweet and frequent, no word verifiation! (which, unfortunately, I have had to put back on due to being "found" recently by spammers) and easier access from my phone.

In the four and a half months since the last post, I have finished only one quilt, although I have started several projects.

This is a play quilt for Master M to drag around and put inside his tepee:



Under the Sea

   ......................

The munchkins have grown (my how they have grown!) Miss A is now 2 and Master M is well on the way towards 3. I'm still loving them to bits. :)

 

 

Pattern Giveaway

Giveaways, don't you just love them? Lynda at Patchwork Promises is giving away 3 copies of her latest quilt pattern. I want to win this one, but I'm generous enough to share the fun. After all, there are 3 to be given away. If you get there in time, you might also be able to enter her giveaway for one of her bag patterns. I have already made the bag and it's a great number! Very versatile and the instructions are easy to follow. I actually wrote about my bag recently, so scroll down my blog and check out what I did.

Tuesday's Treasure

I don't often get to participate in Melody's Tuesday Treasures, but every so often I am in a position to do so.
This week, my selected treasure is my beautiful daughter, Larissa.




My firstborn.....

As a child enjoying a holiday at Hawks Nest.....she was a fashion stylist even then :)

As a caring teenager......

As a wife in love....

As a loving mother....

I have watched her grow...from a beautiful and cute baby, to a fun and caring child and teenager, then to a woman in love and now a loving mother. We celebrated many landmarks together, including her wedding, then 2 years later the birth of her son.
She has been daughter, friend and provider of my first grandchild. :)

Now, she is preparing for her next big venture.... She and her little family are moving.....not just to a new house, or even a new town. They are moving overseas - to Mauritius! Her husband has been offered an opportunity to partner in a business there. An opportunity to good to refuse. :)

I fully support their decision to venture out and wish them lots of wonderful experiences and opportunity. But it's hard. Very hard. I am going to miss her (and my Grandson - that goes without saying!) so very very much.

Things for the little ones

My two adorable Grandchildren are growing - oh so quickly! Too quickly. :)



Master M helping Pa. He'd water all day if you let him.



Miss M has a turn. Don't you love those boots? I bought them for her when she was only 4 weeks old. They are still a little big, but she loves clomping around in them.

Of course, with 2 gorgeous littlies to spoil, what's a Nana to do? Why make things for them, of course!

A Dinosaur quilt for Master M for his big bed.

 

 

A pillowcase to match - side A

Side B

A little quilt for Miss M's dolls

A new skirt for Miss M

A Doll's quilt for a little girl in Austria. (Her Mum lived with us for 5 months as an exchange student back in 1998 and we have kept in touch)

 



They both love the things I make for them and show so much delight getting them, it's easy to keep making things for them. :)

What do you do to "spoil" the littlies in your life?

Pattern Testing

The lovely Lynda at Patchwork Promises asked me to trial a new bag pattern she has designed.
Seeing as how much I love making bags, how could I resist?

It is called The Lorraine Tote Bag and will be on sale soon, once editing and printing is complete. :)

A hunt through my stash of fabric resulted in some fun, bright lovelies being chosen, then I was off cutting and sewing!

Here is the end result. I am very, very happy with it! The pattern was easy to follow and accurate, it didn't take long to do (I worked on it whenever I had a chance over one weekend) and what delights me even more, is that I can easily make those little changes that I tend to do whenever I make a bag from a pattern. You know the ones..... add extra pockets, piece the outer fabrics, add little touches to make it "mine".   ;)
Because I was testing a pattern, I made this one exactly as the pattern stated. There are 2 options; one with handles attached directly to the bag and no handle hardware, and the version I chose, with handle hardware. It is a really lovely, functional bag without any added extras. The only extra was my button on the flap -  in this case, I used a large flat 4 hole button (black) and glued a bright aqua blue button (I cut off the shank and filed it) onto the centre.




Finished bag - posing could have been better....it isn't lopsided as this photo suggests. :)



Bag showing the base, which is quilted - I used black thread so it dosn't show up here.

Interior - I like light colours inside my bags so that I can find things easier and contrast pockets so that I see them straight away. lol

I am keeping this bag for myself! Of all the bags I have made (quite a few), none have been for me! Finally, I have one! lol

I'm thinking this bag deserves a matching make-up purse, so that just might be next. :)