Happy Halloween!

We don't seem to embrace Halloween here in Australia like other parts of the world but in recent years the marketing has been getting stronger and this year I couldn't resist getting into the spirit when for the first time I saw these Jack-o-Lantern pumpkins at the supermarket.

After watching numerous Youtube videos, I went to work and was quite pleased with how "Jack" turned out.

And finally, I have a use for this Witch I made several years ago - don't you just love her lace-up boots!

I received this beautiful parcel from Nadine.  The fabrics are from Provence and were selected by Nadine whilst she was there on holidays.  There were lots of little treasures in the parcel and I felt really spoilt when I opened it - thank you Nadine.

I have a couple more photos of Quilts in the Barn to share with you but please go and click on the badge on my sidebar for much better photos of all the quilts that were displayed.  I just wanted to show this one.  Look at all the detail with the different layers of fabric to create this beautiful bird.  This level of work was indicative of almost all of the quilts displayed - amazing!

Here is Sarah Morrell, made using a pale blue background.  I am so in love with this quilt!

One for all the hexie lovers.

I have made the centre of this quilt.  It has been in the cupboard now for a couple of years and I may just have to get it out and finish it???

This is called Drayton Hall by Di Ford and I came home with the pattern for this one. 

I also came home with this chair for my sewing room - yes we went to Ikea after visiting 3 patchwork shops.  As I said in my last post, we had a very big day out.

Fabrics purchased from various shops and,

this beautiful little book.  If you love cross stitch, go have a look at Jean's, from Linen & Raspberry, latest post.  You will be in cross stitch heaven!

I have been working on Swan Lake and "Hooray for Me" I have finished the fourth border!  In saying that, I still have 44 star flowers to applique down the mitred borders once it is all joined together - won't that be fun???

Now I don't have too much to show for Clamshell Club this month but I have been working on them.  I ran out of clams so I have cut lots more and have been turning over the tops in readiness to applique down.

Here is my Buddy boy.  Just had to share this pic I took of him.

Sue-Anne xxx

Quilts in the Barn Exhibition

I left home at 6am Friday morning and after picking up Helen, Jan and Michelle, we headed down to Wonga Park, Melbourne to the Quilts in the Barn exhibition, with quilts by the Secret Sewing Sisterhood.  We arrived right on 10am after a fairly intense drive down through the hills towards Yarra Glen and Lilydale in probably some of the heaviest rain I have driven in for a while.  Let me just say that it was well and truly worth the effort.  Above is Deb's Quilt, The Poppies, designed by Di Ford.  It was magnificent!

This is Georgetown Circle by Di Ford.  This quilt is also stunning and unfortunately my photos have not done the quilts any justice.

I didn't catch the names of the above two quilts but they are the same pattern made by different quilters.  It was so interesting to see the different colourways for the same quilt and there were several examples all throughout the barn.

The famous Sarah Morrell quilt was there in all her glory and I got to see her close up!!! 

And of course I had to get my photo taken with Linda, our wonderful host, and Di Ford, the designer of all these wonderful quilts.  Can you see in the background to the right?  It's Phebe!!!!  I also got to view  her up close and personal too!!!!

Corliss from Threadbear was there with her shop and I bought the most beautiful cross stitch book.  I will have more pics for you next post.

Please go visit Linda's blog, Quilts in the Barn to see lots more photos of the quilts.  There were around 90 quilts on display and they were all amazing.  She is putting together a slide show for those of you that couldn't get there in person and hopefully, if you like what you see, you can donate something to a breast cancer charity - she will have it all explained on her blog - and it can then get added to the total of the monies raised from the Exhibition.

After Quilts in the Barn, we went shopping, of course!  More on that next post.

Sue-Anne xxx

Clamshells & Armchair Stitching

Well I am more than a couple of days late with my clamshell report.  I have had a terrible chest infection/flu and it has really knocked me about.  I thought I was really lucky to not have caught it all Winter and then bang, it arrived late with a vengeance.  I have managed to complete 3 rows for the month.  This photo was taken with my iphone and I was mucking around with an app I have for photos.

I have also been busy cutting out shells and tacking over the edges so they are ready to applique down.

I have finally started the last border of Swan Lake.  Luckily I had all my hexagons covered and I was able to just sit in my chair all day and stitch them down as I haven't been good for much else.  When I vacuumed the floors yesterday I was thinking how filthy they were, then I realised I had not done them for exactly two weeks! 

This is Irish Circles, a BOM that I am doing through Patchwork on Stonleigh, designed by Karen Cunningham.  This is the centre that goes with the two blocks I showed on my last post.  I just couldn't leave it alone!  I had a lot of trouble picking the perfect fabric to frame the circle and not being able to make a decision, I decided to just leave it and concentrate on other projects.  Of course, that didn't happen and I finally made a decision and kept stitching until it was done.  There are a lot of little appliques to go around the blue circle but I can relax now that I have that centre done.

I also made some blocks for Lizzie (see my last post), and below are some flowers that have started to bloom in my garden.  

My lilac is finally starting to have some decent sized blooms, 

My big pot of pansies that are lasting a lot longer than I thought they would,

My first rosebud for the season,

and this magnificent Iris.  The colour is a deeple purple/brown colour with a pale yellow.  I was given a few different plants from a friend that had divided hers and it has been fun to see what colours they open up to.  I have never seen this colour before.

I haven't been spending much time on the computer over the last couple of weeks but I have been reading what everyone is up to and will slowly get back to commenting when I am feeling 100%.

Is anyone going to Quilts in the Barn next weekend?  Jan, Michelle, Helen and I are going on a road trip next Friday down to Wonga Park and then onto a couple of quilt shops in Melbourne, before heading home and stopping at our favourite Chinese Restaurant for dinner on the way back.  Just click on the link to read all about Quilts in the Barn.  I am really looking forward to seeing all the wonderful quilts from Di Ford and her friends from the Secret Sewing Sisterhood.  Maybe I might see some of you there.

Also, what is going on with Blogger!!!!!  I have had to upload my photos several times.  They seem to have changed the format for uploading and won't hold them.

Now I am going to make myself some lunch and sit down and continue to watch the big race - Bathurst.  There was a huge smash this morning on the first lap where the car rolled several times and virtually disintegrated around the roll cage and it was amazing that the driver got out and walked away.  There was also a kangaroo hopping across the track in front of several V8 Supercars bearing down on him.  Thankfully he got away and hopped back over the barrier without incident.

Sue-Anne xxx

What's Been Going On This Week

I just had to share this photo of our eldest son, Christopher.  I was on Facebook the other day and clicked on him to see what he had been up to and saw this photo.  This is him playing at Falls Creek a few weeks ago.  Pretty good hey!

And of course, this is middle child Nic, getting ready to put "The Black Pearl" (his name for it, not mine), on the car trailer yesterday for 3 big days down at Winton at Performance Car Mania.  He has been working on this beast every spare minute he has had for the last couple of months in readiness for this weekend.  He put a bigger turbo in it and has had heaps of trouble - it caught on fire the other night while getting tested on the Dyno so I hope he comes back safe and sound.

And seeing as I have mentioned the two boys, I thought I had better mention our youngest, Kellie.  She has been too busy to come visit her dear old mum so here is a photo of her/ours now, cat, Milo.  Max and Milo fight over a cane basket that we keep on the pool table.  A friend of ours gave us this gorgeous basket for Milo but the only way I can get him in there is if I tempt him with food.  As you can see, Max is quite happy to sit in front and eat the food and Milo isn't game to hop out in front of Max.  It is a never ending circus in this house full of pets!

I have been doing a bit of sewing this week.  These are two blocks I have handpieced for a quilt I have started.  These are the easy ones and I am building up the courage to start the centre soon.  Will show more as I get going with it.

I have also finished border number three for Swan Lake - Yay!!!!  Above is the first three hexies I have made for border four.  The black fabric in the top right flower was given to me by Marg, isn't it gorgeous.  I still haven't got very far with the centre but at least I feel like I am on the home stretch with the borders.

Lizzie from A House in the Country needs some help to make a quilt for a special friend who is not doing too well.  Please click on the badge above and read her story.

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Sue-Anne xxx

It's Finished!

It's finally finished!!!  I have been working on this since I attended Sue's class over a week ago. 

I'm really happy with how it has turned out and even now, when I look at it, I can see areas where I could embellish just a little bit more.

We  have had some major rainfalls and flooding in our little part of the world.  We were fine here in Wodonga but my parents, who live in Benalla, were evacuated on the weekend.  Thankfully the water didn't get to their house and all is well. 

And picking my daffodils from the garden and bringing them indoors is reminding me that Spring is here and we will see some nice sunny days soon - I hope!

Sue-Anne xxx

Sue Spargo Day & Clamshells

I had the BEST day on Sunday!  It was Sue Spargo Day!

This was our project - the Greta Needle Roll.  This is a picture of Sue's.  I was blown away when I saw it in the flesh.  The detailing just doesn't show up well enough in photos.

I spent the whole day on Saturday gathering up all my requirements.  I was very worried that I didn't have enough stuff but by the end of the day, I really had to cull what I had packed, you would think I was making a queen sized quilt with the amount of fabrics I had packed.  Did I really need fat quarters of three different green wools to make two leaves???

We learnt all about embellishing our applique with different types of thread and fabrics.  I purchased these beautiful silk threads, along with some velvet ribbon and this beautiful green velvet that I am going to use on top of my wool leaves.

This is as far as I got on the day.  The flower on the right is what I would have normally done and think how clever I was to use wool with fabric.  The flower on the left is what Sue taught me with embellishing. 

I learnt how to sew seed beads and do those wonderful stamens.  I am still amazed at the difference a little embellishing can make to something and I am now looking at all my applique pieces around the house thinking if I just outlined this petal here or that leaf there, how would it look?

This is the outside of my sewing roll.  I did have another piece in the centre but late in the day I spotted this beautiful piece of linen with dogs printed all over it and just had to have it.

If you ever get the chance to go to one of Sue's classes, I thoroughly recommend it.  I received lots of individual tuition from her and she is the lovliest person.  Sue's friend, Melissa showed us how to make roving balls and helped us throughout the day too.  Her needle roll was to die for too!  Above is the label I am going to sew onto my needle roll - Sue wrote it for me!!!!

I also purchased Sue's latest book and love it.  It is jam packed with lots of projects in it and I also got it signed by her.

I was so focused in the class that I really didn't buy much fabric or take lots of photos of what other students were doing (slack of me I know) and I didn't even take photos of Sue's quilts because no photo would be able to do justice to them.  They are amazing and I have come away full of new inspiration and a mind that is switching from one idea to the next at double time!!!

Thank you Sue and Melissa for the best day!!!!

Also, the class was held at Amitie Textiles in Melbourne.  Jenny was a wonderful hostess and made us feel very very welcome and looked after us all day.  Amitie is definately going to be on my "must visit" list next time I am in Melbourne.

Today is Clamshell Day.  I have now completed 8 rows of clamshells and have nearly run out of prepped ones so it will be back to the cutting board for me.  I am really liking how it is turning out and have decided to really mix up the fabrics with some darks and brights as well as the pastels that I seemed to have prepared first.  It has been a bit hard for me to get a decent photo of the whole width.

I hope everyone has a great week and now I will be counting down the days until Sue returns to Australia in two year's time.

Sue-Anne xxx