Happy Days

Finally finished after about 3 years!

This quilt has been sitting, about three quarters quilted for that long. I wasn't happy with my quilting and left it. Could not stand the thought of unpicking and starting again so it sat collecting dust. My friend Kim found out and told me to GET IT FINISHED! I didn't unpick, just picked up where I left off. Most people would not notice what I was unhappy with; and the quilting is part of my learning and progression; so I look at this quilt with a GREAT BIG smile now - it's finished!

My corners are a little rounded, actually looks nice for a something different. I had trouble binding my corners and when I finished the last one I worked out how I should have done it! Isn't that often the way!
What a beautiful sunny day we have here today, and some lovely green grass!

In the pattern Anni suggested using 10 inch squares for the backing or a single fabric. This was my first pieced backing and I love it! A pieced backing makes the quilt more reversable but I also don't think all quilts are suited to having a pieced backing - some just say one fabric to me.
The pattern is 'Happy Days' by Hatched and Patched. The fabric is by Heather Bailey.

I had trouble with lighting and camera's this morning; this is why I have two pictures here.

These fabrics are Beach House by Robyn Pandolph.

There is almost a full FQ bundle (missing maybe 3?), a couple of half yards, some full yards, some yard and a halves; also a couple of yards of wide backing fabric.

Anyone interested in making an offer for part or all of these fabrics, email or leave a comment.

I originally bought them to make a couple of quilts for some people who the fabrics suited, but have gone on to choose something different since the purchase.

Amy Bradley and Paper Piecing

You'd better grab a cup or tea or coffee, this is a loooong post.

Remember this quilt???

I started it some time back with stash/scraps for my eldest son. After his recent 'I'm not a little boy anymore' revelation that ended up with some of his intended quilts being sold, I am feeling lucky that he still loves this one.

As you can see I have already done HEAPS of it! Not! Looks like I need to make a bigger effort with this quilt as my animal loving son has found a second quilt for me to make for him, ALREADY!

Kim over at Honeysuckle Cottage is going to run some Amy Bradley quilts as BOMs, mmmmm! These are so bright and cheery; and not all for kids either!

My two daughters are in love with Kitty Ballerinas.

Looks like I am about to embark on an Amy Bradley fest here; anyone care to join me???? I would love for some others to join me while I work on these quilts....nudge nudge!

Another option would be to purchase patterns and use as much of your stash as you can to make them.

While I was laid up with my fractured foot (now almost back to normal!) I started on a paper piecing project.

It's funny how things change, some time ago I started on small hexagons and lost interest. Then I started a Pies and Tarts quilt; and didn't enjoy making these either. By then I thought paper piecing wasn't for me. Sue's dvd on paper piecing came out with Australian Quilters Companion magazine a few months back and I really enjoyed watching it; but held back from paper piecing feeling fairly sure that I would start and not continue. By chance a fellow quilter sent me a link to SouthernCrossQuilters blog (she attends their monthly meetings) and the first post on their blog showed a paper peiced quilt that sucked me right in! Don't get me wrong here; so many of Sue Daley's and Robyn Falloon's paper pieced quilts have come close to tempting me, but this one just 'got me'. Kate found that the quilt pattern, Candied Hexagons by Kerry Dear, was in an out of print Quilters Companion mag. Kim found that Sue Daley is designing/making a quilt paritally based on this one; and has a starter's pack of templates and papers, which Kim is now stocking. Another turning point with paper piecing for me has been the basting. I hated basting. Now with the Sewline glue pen that Sue uses basting is much quicker and easier. Love it! Also, on Sue's blog are tutorials for all the paper peiced hexagons, which actually total more than what is in the Candied Hexagons quilt so you can pick and choose if you like! You will need to go back through her blog because there is no quick link on the sidebar, but they aren't too far back.

Have I lost you now???? Have I made sense???

Here are my blocks so far, about 15 done. I have another 10 basted up ready to stitch too. So that will make it 25 done out of approx 100 needed. Not too bad for someone who didn't paper piece! The block on the bottom left is JessieGirls; we made one block the same together one day and she really enjoyed the mum/stitching time.

A closer look at some of the blocks. nah, don't look too closely; I wouldn't get too far past the quilt police for accuracy!

Animals aren't allowed inside our house, but kids leave doors open from time to time and earlier this morning I found THESE four cats on MY Valori Wells 'Sole' quilt.

I often see photos on blogs with a cat or a dog on quilts but rarely do I see more than two at once; so before kicking them OFF and OUT I photographed them.

For no real reason their names are (left to right) Salem, Cactus, Eddie and C-Fa. LOL.

C-Fa was named by Mr Busy as he has a large C on his back and Mr Busy said 'C for cat, we'll call him C-for', which has become C-Fa.

Well I am off to do some more on Matilda Station!

A Little Cheer - part two

Part two because I couldn't load all my photos into one post for some reason....

This is Bliss by Bonnie and Camille. The 'cheater' fabric, and one of the nicest ones I have seen so far - not just rectangles or squares but lovely looking circles! I have two daughters and one has a quilt already. The other daughter sadly will be waiting a while for one because I have a number of other priorities to get through first, and her two quilts here waiting to be stitched aren't quick and easy ones. So, after consulting with her I bought 3 yards of this Bliss fabric, 3 yards of backing, some red for a frill and some binding. This SHOULD make up a quick and easy quilt for her MUCH sooner than the others on the schedule!

She is so excited!

I have trimmed and joined the top piece for this 'whole cloth' quilt; and need to prepare the backing and baste it!

Verna by Kate Spain.

A gorgeous range, love the colours and prints in this. Moda did a little 42 inch square quilt using this range and I bought a couple of kits. One kit I passed on to Kylie. She made hers up at a retreat last weekend and said I need to get mine done; so here it is. Super fast to piece, and looks gorgeous! So, thanks Kylie for the push to get this one done! I am sure it will be almost as quick to baste and quilt.

I used another green for the outer border, just to be different!

This quilt top, also completed in the past few days, is Northern Solitude by Holly Taylor made using the pattern Jellystone Park by Legacy Quilts. I bought this as a kit (minus the pattern as I already had it) from Sarah at Patchworks Plus. You may recall seeing this quilt when I started it, quite a few months back.....

Lovely colours in this. I have renamed this quilt Southern Solitude as once quilted it will be heading South, to my motherinlaw.

All three quilt tops laid out on the new loungeroom floor - making the most of the space while I can!

I have also been busily working on Matilda Station for my sisters wedding next month. The top is all appliqued and pieced, it is basted and I started to quilt it today. I have to say it is a MONSTER of a quilt and over the weekend I had two words for it.

NEVER AGAIN!

I just get tired of working on the same thing especially when it is a BIG project.

Maybe some pictures tomorrow???

This week I am going to make a start on my Christmas secret santa swap stuff, should make for a refreshing change!

A Little Cheer

From Jellywares on Marshall I ordered some of this gorgeous hot pink cotton, Jodie put in the lovely buttons - Thanks!

Also in the mail today was some Moda Basics (I love Kona Cottons but ordered the Moda so as to combine orders into one, I also had something secret to squirrel away for a secret swap....).

The Moda Basics and Kona Cottons are heaps cheaper than the print fabrics to purchase, and the book 'City Quilts' uses only these plain fabrics - making the quilts very cost effective to make! The print backing you can see here (Farmers Market by Sandi Henderson) was already here waiting to be used for something. I am hoping that you will be able to see my 'lolly' quilt for my food obsessed son very soon.....

Fat Quarters

My fat quarters from the birthday swap I am in. Love them all! I have one quilt top planned for a large portion of these FQs but haven't any plans for the rest, YET!

This was a special gift sent to me, a notebook and a journal - so pretty in Rural Jardin, love that range.....

ummm not sure which is the front of the journal!

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The FigTree baby quilt that I finished a few weeks back was FINALLY posted and has arrived while the baby is still little! Maree over at Farmyard Crafts rang this morning and was SO excited to have recieved a surprise gift in the mail for her new baby. *grin*

Lots of Mail

I recieved this lovely parcel in the mail today from my Friends in Stitching online group. There are 8 fat eights and an extra FQ; and three block patterns to choose from to use the fabric for.

The fabric is from the Aviary range is very pretty and feminine, lovely!

In my Hatched and Patched bag I have my FQs from a FQ swap that I am in.

This is only a peek as I have a few more to come.....

Home Again

I was packing the other night to go away for a wedding when Mr Busy wanted something to give a work colleague whose wife recently had their first baby. So what do you make for a baby when you are short on time? I made Kerry's sheep, a simple and great pattern. Mr Busy put the ears on it and we put Mem Fox's book 'Where is the Green Sheep' with it. A great present for twenty minutes work!

The baby was gorgeous, a week old and so tiny. The wedding was great and we had a lovely time away. The children had soccer on and stayed with my parents. The eldest went shearing for a day and now wants to quit school to go work....he is 10 so it will be a while before he is allowed to quit school to go work full time! Nice to have him keen though. Mr Busy took me to the movies and we saw 'Tomorrow, When the War Began' - I haven't read the book and really enjoyed the movie; and the outing to the movies! It was very quiet being away without the children.

We stayed at Mr Busy's cousins place and his wife recently recieved a quilt for her birthday. A lovely quilt....it's always so nice to see other people's quilts.
There was a matching cushion with it too.

It has been quite a while since I have read blogs, so please forgive me. I am so looking forward to catching up tomorrow and seeing what everyone has been up to.

Gardeners Journal Stitcheries

While I have been laid up I have been working away on my Gardeners Journal stitcheries. I haven't been able to put the blocks together yet but soon!

Pincushion and Baby Quilt

I finished Masie's Pincushion for August, my ONLY finish for that month!

It was for JessieGirls birthday last week and she loved it!

Just to update, the Dr at emergancy does have to eat his hat as there is a fracture in my foot as well as a piece of bone chipped off that is attatched to a tendon. I have another two weeks on crutches then am back to the physio.

This week I stitched the binding down on an already quilted baby quilt, such a wonderful feeling to get a quilt finished.

The quilt was made from Fig Tree Quilts charms and I did a dissapearing ninepatch.
Quilted it in the ditch then quilted some not quite circles on some of the larger squares in the quilt. Gorgeous colours.....