Christmas through the year and a couple of winter UFO's

I don't have any Christmas gifts finished this month because I felt that if I sewed I should be working on the Christmas quilt I want to give my mum on her birthday. Since I took this photo the other day I have quilted around the four appliques with gold thread and sewed in the ditch and sewed the four blocks together to make the first row. I have also glued on all but three of the 16 appliques and finished stitching 2 more. I am using cotton wadding and sewing the squares together wadding and top with a 1/4" seem that I pressed open. Once all the squares are sewn together there will be 1 1/2 inches of wadding protruding all around ready to sew on the first border.

I pulled out 2 UFO's that I started last winter. One is a fuzzy scarf that needs a fringe on the other end and one is a cable vest. I have only done the back. It is fairly tricky to get started but I need to be in the mood so the front gets finished without too many interruptions cause you have to get into the rhythm. Maybe when I finish the quilt.

Allie of Allie-oops hosts Christmas through the Year so head on over and join in.

Happy Quilting,
Val

A New Tote Bag

I was very pleased with the tote bag I designed with a bit of inspiration from a magazine. I was making it for my mum and I was going to play with needle turn applique for the petals but my freezer paper didn't turn up (and still hasn't turned up even though I was assured it would be on its way immediately). When I finally decided to do buttonhole stitch it was so close to Mothers' Day that it became a gift for that day. Luckily the visiting daughter couldn't visit til yesterday so I just got it finished in time. She made me a lovely chocolate cake for a present. My mum loved the bag.

Front. The rick rack was a gift from Michelle
and the petals were the charm squares from Suz

Back. Again the petals were the charm squares from Suz

Happy Appliquing,
Val

Tickled Pink Tuesday and Tuesday Treasures Double Up

I know, I know. It's not Tuesday here anymore but I have noticed I am not the only one a bit behind this week. Must be the Easter holidays slowing everyone down.

My Treasures this week are my Delft Blue set and my Old Country Roses mug.
As with all my teapots I adore my Delft set and think of Holland each time I use it. I bought it in Amsterdam in 2000 while on a tour of Europe.

The little mug is a design that I hadn't seen in Australia so it was a nice find in London. It was on sale in Harrods and still cost me quite a few pounds but it also is a lovely souvenir of my first trip to England.

What tickles me about them is that I bought them in their country of origin.
There might still be some treasures around if you visit Melody at The House on the Side of the Hill.
Happy Days,
Val

1 Xmas item a month

Feeling a bit lazy today so just a short post to display my newest Christmas tree decorations for the 1 Xmas Item a Month Club. This is hosted by Narelle at Nell's Notions. Why not see what others are doing and maybe join in with the linky.

Happy Crocheting,
Val

Monday's Show and Tell

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter. It is a nice time for family to get together.
This week I have chosen my front door to show. I was cleaning it the other day and it still makes me happy to look at it.
Not long after we moved here we did some renovating and the door company had some beautiful stained glass doors on display. Before we moved here I had been making things with applique Australian animals on them and thought that the designs would lend themselves well to making a stained glass window. So I drew up a design and had the door people make me a custom door. It was difficult to photograph.
We also had some inside doors made with Cooktown orchids and cockatoos but we have made more changes and they are in the garage to use again later.

 

 

 

Probably a few too many pictures, but I do love them.

And here are the cute egg cups I bought for Easter.

Sandy at Cookies and Cream Crafts hosts Monday Show and Tell. So pop over and see what others have to show and join in.

Happy Appliqueing,
Val

Giveaways - winning and entering

 I am not much into blogging about giveaways but I have started to enter lots of them now. Not that I need something else to keep me at the computer. I discovered Stray Stitches and found that Linda keeps up a list of sites that are having giveaways. I entered them all and found others to enter. I am currently in 25 giveaways!

Stray Stitches  is having a great giveaway to celebrate finishing a pesky quilt. 10 fat quarters of floral fabric. Why not pop over and enter. You have til 1st May.

I just have to include this giveaway at Little Bluebell. 21 fat quarters. Closes May 5th.

I am feeling good about giveaways because I have won two so far. One was a lovely book from Quiltjude. Thanks very much Jude. Jude is into apron making.

The second was from Suz at Patchwork n Play.  I won some lovely charm squares. Thank you Suz.

I would also like to thank my new followers for joining on.  Don't forget I love to read your comments.
I am sneeking very close to the 50 mark and will have to plan my own giveaway soon!

I suppose I need a nice picture to spice things up. I have only been working on the Christmas quilt but here is a picture of the cute tote bag my daughter made Grandma for Christmas last year.

Happy Sewing,
Val

Easter

The day has dawned just perfect here. There is no breeze, it is warm (25) and the birds are singing.

Kitty enjoys the winter sun

Speaking of birds, I have just about finished 3 little birds. I am going to make them all into brooches. Should be able to finish that this morning. I can't think of anywhere to hang the little things so the hanger comes off and a pin goes on. I made them two rows smaller than the tutorial (see right side bar) so they would be cute size. I might make some Christmas coloured ones for the Christmas tree later.

The table is set up with the owl gift boxes and chocolate rabbit penny rug as a centre piecce. My paper flowers are on the cafe table. You can just see the egg cups peeping over the top of one of the owls. It is generally a low chocolate day with mini Lindt bunnies all round from us and something small from the rest of the family.

I hope you all have a happy and peaceful Easter,
Val

Tickled Pink Tuesday and Tuesday Treasures Double Up

I have two little tea pots that I use nearly everyday. They hold two small cups or a large mug and both have removable strainers that make them easy to use. Since they are both made in Japan I have included a couple of other Japanese treasures. The little cat really tickles me.

My daughter visited Japan last year and brought me back some sencha green tea a cute little cup and some utensils. The tea tastes a bit like grass but does improve the longer it steeps. You really only want a small cup of it.

I love the little whisk but I don't have any powdered tea to whisk with it yet. I am not in any great hurry to get some because I have heard it doesn't taste very nice.

This lovely set was also a present from the same daughter. Christmas present 2008. I only use the little cups if I am having the grassy green tea.

I couldn't resist the little cat on this pot and mug. I was in Bowral on a sewing guild tour and we had to walk past the tea shop to get to the fabric shop.  Needless to say I spent my day's budget on the tea set and could only afford a few balls of alpaca wool that day. I used the wool to make the brown scarf I posted about one day. The mug is a perfect size for coffee and is delightful to drink from.

Head on over to Melody's House on the Side of the Hill to link up to other treasure posts.
Allie-oops and Polka Dots and Rick Rack will have what is Tickling them when the calender rolls over to Tuesday in their neck of the woods.

Happy Quilting,
Val

Blog Button with Code (a new clever pants post)

You can make any picture you own or draw into a blog button. The instructions at eHow are pretty good so I am not going to repeat them here but I thought a few more pictures might be helpful. You will still need to use the eHow instructions.
How do you get the URL for your image in Flickr? You will find how to do that here.
How do you get the URL for an image you have uploaded to your blog post from your computer?
Upload your image in the usual way using 'Choose file'.

Publish your post.

This is a screenshot of my image in an old post.

Click on the image and it takes you to a new page with just the image.
Notice the long address for your image in the address box.

Clicking on the image takes me to a page with just the image.

You click on the address to select it then copy it. This is what you need to paste into the code for the button so the computer knows where to find the image.
Remember that if something happens to this image or this post you have to redo the code for your button. It is the same if you move house you have to give people your new address.

My personal preference is to copy the image from someone's blog then add a link to it. That way I control the link information.

You may be wondering why eHow can't just give you some code to copy and paste. Trouble is you still have to know where to substitute your information and if they use working code you don't see the code,  you see the box you are trying to make. It is a bit tricky to share info about instructions for the computer on a computer. Instead of showing you the instructions it follows the instructions.

Hope this is useful,
Val

Sunday chat

Not much going on here today. The weather is a bit cloudy and dull but it is still quite warm 23C.
I started a bunny penny rug (and now I have to remember who makes them and look it up). My first guess was Jeanette's Place but she makes the candle mats (close).

It has taken me 15mins checking through my blog list to realize it wasn't there. Luckily she had pictures on flickr that I found when I googled penny rugs. I can't believe that I didn't even leave a comment when I downloaded Elizabeth's lovely patterns. I have now left a comment and follow her.

This just reinforces my need for two more blog lists in my side bar. I started entering some giveaways but I wanted to keep track of where I had entered so I have made a Giveaway Blog list on the bottom left side of my blog. I get some good sites off Stray Stitches. She kindly has a giveaway list near the end of each post.

The other list I have made is Blogs I find in my travels. I can't really comment on any more blogs but some are just too good to pass over or look like they might be worth a second look so they go in this list for a while to be in easy reach.

Time to get dressed and think about lunch and maybe do a bit more on my bunny rug.

Happy Sewing
Val

FNSI

I am making two little zipper pouches. I only had one suitable zipper so one is finished and the other is up to the zipper. I want to use clips to add a black twisted cord strap. I was pretty pleased with how the zipper behaved. I think I have finally got the hang of my zipper foot. The back of it always seemed to get in the way but I have worked out that it is supposed to sit over the zipper teeth as you sew very close to them. Bit like a Doh! moment but I never read the manual.

I used a pattern that I downloaded from Skip to my Lou. I couldn't find it again when I just visited their site. I had to do a google search and found it here.

I can't remember exactly where I found this tutorial but it may have been at the zipper purse queen's site, Sandra Sews

Just while I am referring to other sites I quite liked whip up. They seem to interview a lot of guest designer bloggers and there are a few nice tutorials - page link at the top. They are presently in the middle of an Aussie quilting blog tour that I am going to go back and look at.
Next week they are starting off a LucyKate book tour. If you haven't seen LucyKate's little stuffed toys you should have a look. They are really cute and she has a new book out that will be the giveaway along the book tour.

Just had to share this Noddy fabric from Old Country Stores Fabric
Here is a taste:

Happy Sewing,
Val

Easter preparation

Here are some of the flowers I have made as a table decoration for Easter.

I also printed out the owl gift boxes and I am in the process of putting them together. I will line them with pink and purple tissue paper. Links were at the bottom of Tuesday Treasures.

I found the cutest egg cups at Bed Bath and Table yesterday but they have to stay a surprise since I know at least one daughter looks at my blog.

My husband and I had a lovely lunch at Kirra Surf Club yesterday. The view is spectacular. You look over at the Gold Coast and on the deck you are almost sitting on the beach.

Happy Easter Preparation,
Val

Tickled Pink Tuesday and Tuesday Treasures Double Up

Another Tea Set Treasure today. I love this tea pot. It pours well and has an interesting shape. I made a custom fit tea cosy and matching pot mat last year. 

The cups I bought at a flea market for a few dollars. They are old enough to have been made in England. The tea pot I saw in Big W after I bought the cups and got it on special for about $10. All the later items are made in China. Just doesn't have the same class somehow.

I am Tickled Pink to have found a free Easter owl gift box to print out at Jinjerup. The button is in the left side bar of the site.  I am going to print it as soon as I get my new inks.
I have also got the paper flower itch and will be making some of these to put on stems for Easter and into kusudama balls for Christmas.

See what others have for their Tuesday Treasures over at The House on the Side Of the Hill. 
Allie-oops and Polka Dots and Rick Rack will have what is Tickling them when the calender rolls over to Tuesday in their neck of the woods.

Happy Tuseday,
Val

Monday's Show and Tell

I have been making a few more tea towels. This time with pumpkin pie and chocolate cake. I used my silicone mat. It really makes it easy to put the bits together. Here is the cake ready to put on the tea towel.

I also got Sandi's pincushion in the mail today. I looks great and it feels really nice too. All soft and blankety :)

The weather here today is perfect autumn weather. Just a few clouds gathering and a balmy breeze. There is supposed to be a storm this afternoon. A few weeks ago I took a few pictures on my walk up the road. About 500m down my street then turn right into this street and down to the creek.

Then up the hill and around the corner to the top.

This is looking back down my valley towards my house. You can't see it. It is past the white roof pretty much in the centre..

Hop on over to Cookies and Cream Craft to see what others have to show. Why not grab the Show and Tell button and join in each week.

Happy Quilting,
Val