Self Imposed Fabric Ban

Gawd, when I see fabric that I just have to have, I usually buy a metre, sometimes 2, maybe 5 metres and on occasion I have been known to buy the whole bolt. Well all these metres of must have fabrics are adding up, storage wise I am having BIG issues! So inless there are any huge pre or post Christmas sales, I am on a "Self Imposed Fabric Ban". For how long?? Yet to decide! So my last purchase, from Spotlight, 30% off Christmas prints, yummo, 9 metres for my stash, well there was 9 metres when I took this photo but I have used some now for table runners. Does that count as stash busting??

Stash Sunday ~ Week 6 ~ Reds / Burgandys

Tub 2, red and burgandy tones. Burgandy seems to be a bit of a nanna colour, butI love it with some mustard and forrest green. Sounds like a desert. Mmmm, desert!I can not believe its been a week since I last posted! So busy working, the 1.5 hour bus and train commute (one way!) is zapping all my energy, weekends are full of kids birthday parties or school Christmas Festivities and I usually spend Friday nights dashing about trying to bring some order back into the house! More effort this week I promise, lots to post, so many special parcels arrived at my place last week! XX to my quilty friends!
Some photos of the kids at the 4wd Christmas Party~

Stash Sunday ~ Week 6 ~ Neutral tubs

I am down to the tubs! These tubs sit on top of my wall unit and hold all of my smaller pieces of fabric, FQ size and under, alot of scraps, perfect for appliques. This is my neutral tub, full of beige, yellow, cream and whites.Not that exciting, sorry!!

Christmas Countdown

My List of handmade Christmas gifts to make~

Oliver teacher~ Long Table Runner
Stuart Teacher~ Long Table Runner
Cate Teacher 1, 2, 3 and 4~ Small square Christmas Table Runner
School Principal~ Square Table Runner
EB Secret Santa~ ??
Friend 1 (A)~ Xmas Fabric Bauble
Friend 2 (B)~ square table runner
Friend 3 (C)~ ??
Friend 4 (A)~ ??
Friend 5 (M)~ Long table runner
Friend 6 (H)~ Xmas Fabric Bauble

So much to do, so little time! Eeek!

I love you more than Fairy Floss

Cate said this to me yesterday, how's that for a compliment! I took her to a local school fete, Spring is here and Fete's are popping up all over the place! My friend Sarah was having a stall so we got there early to snap up some bargains, glad we did as I think her items were too cheap! This gorgeous dress only $15 and matching headband $2, bargain, and so cool and summery.

Stash Sunday ~ Week 6 ~ Spots

I love spots, I tend to collect them but don't really use them, hmmm whats with that? Must make a spotty quilt sometime soon. Or some spotty cushions. My newest spots, I bought these from Amitie, such yum colours. And a pic of Little Cat, having a nap, its warm here today so he's hanging with the kids watching Inspector Gadget, I bought some videos this morning at a fete for $1- each, no one seems to have video players anymore so lots of bargains (I bought 6!)

Hair Cut Today

Cate's been wanting a hair cut for a while now, she even took to the front with a pair of scissors at school to give herself a fringe. So off we went today, "to a ladies hairdresser because girls can't go to a man's one", lol.
Before Pics, super long~And after; complete with glitter hairspray~About 3 inches came off the ends, it's still long enough to tie it up for school and wear it in a bun for dancing, I think she wanted it shorter but baby steps for me!

Stash Sunday ~ Week 5 ~ Retro Cowboys

How cute is this retro cowboy collection I have! A perfect fabric print for a toddler boy's quilt; or a pocket patch detail on some cargo shorts or for some bunting to decorate a nursery.
Complete change of topic, but I survived my first week back at work. No time for sewing or quilting, we spent the weekend having visitors for Cate's birthday celebrations and now I am fighting off a cold so another early night. Perhaps I will have a WIP for Wednesday? I can only hope!!

EB Doll Quilt Swap

Opening Day!! My EB DQS2 was for Xena's little boy Jaedyn. My Doll Quilt is yet to arrive due to a hiccup with Australia Post, but you can see more lovely quilts swapped here, here, here and here! Special thanks to AJ and Helen for organising.

Stash Monday ~ Week 4 ~ Kokka Fabrics

Stash Sunday on a Monday this week! Kokka Fabrics, just too cute! I bought these 2 FQ from Ballarat Patchwork. Having just spent a week in Melbourne, this shop is one of the reasons why I want to just up and move to Ballarat!! A Japanese decorator type fabric, medium weight, perfect for a cushion or pencil roll or covering a notebook or making a small bag, the list is endless! Chocolate with a blue bird print, Kokka Birds and aqua blue with a white elephant, Kokka Elephant. I also bought a 20cm strip of this Robot print from Amitie.

Back from Ballarat

Well, we did technically go to Melbourne but we spent most of our time around Ballarat and in the rural areas of Vic, I just loved Ballarat, so so so nice! A great week away but a few days too long for me, living in hotel rooms and eating out for every meal, I was missing the kids and my cats by day 5. I picked up some great shopping purchases to make up for my woes! So many kids clothing boutiques, shoe shops, Pandora outlets and the fabric so yum.
Sorry about the poor quality pics. And the posting, Little Cat is laying frontwards along my lap with his head on my shoulder / neck, typing and posting one handed a tad tricky, my independent cat is glad I am home. To the fabric~
Amitie Patchwork~ buy 2 FQ get 1 free, who could resist that deal? Some Amy Butler FQ for my stash And this jumbo pile of 25cm strips hand picked by me from the shelves. No particular reason, just liked the colours and prints, they seem to go together well. And half a metre of these 2 prints, maybe a skirt for Cate?Spotlight~ Always worth a look, I got Helen some different Fat Flats in brights, and these 2 for me, not seen them before at my local, I think the red one is quite Christmassy.Ballarat Patchwork~ Lots of yummy fabrics here. I went in on a mission and went a tad nuts, the aim is to leave no room in your suitcase right? A kit for my mum (who stayed home watching the kids for us) in choc and mint colours, I also bought it in the pink colour way for me (but I think she wants to swap?)For my sister dear, a Kaffe Fassett cushion kit for Helen. Not to sure on the cushion but maybe she will just make the top as a dolls quilt? Or not. Still nice. Very Dear Jane-ish. And for a future group project, this Lime and Soda pattern and template set, 2008 was the year of Handmade and 2009 is the year of For Keeps so I will have to put some time aside to tackle curves and circles. And then, I saw a quilt. A completed quilt. In the Bento Box pattern. And it was for sale. At a great price. So I just had to buy it! Just a little pic, this deserves a post of its own, got to get a rod to hang it asap!No more fabric purchases for a while, back to Full Time work tomorrow so we shall see how much sewing time I can get in. Stash Sunday moved to Stash Monday due to long fabric post, sorry :(

Quilty Mail from AJ

AJ sent me a copy of this cute as block of the month Noah and friends. Now I can join her flickr group and start making another WIP. Thanks AJ xx

Stash Sunday ~ Week 3 ~ Japanese

Another stash Sunday, were up to week 3! A late post as we have been out all morning with Little Nippers (see post below), then entertaining guests for lunch. For Week 3, I am show casing my small collection of Japanese fabrics. I have a thing for owls and babushkas, and now I can add toadstools and mushrooms to my list!! Normally $18 a metre, I bought a metre of each print as they were reduced to $8 at my local Spotlight. I plan on using them to cover some notebooks and jar lids for my craft area.

Little Nippers

Cate and her Cali troop performed at Little Nippers today, one of our local tourism events. So hot, a stinking 30 degrees, I felt like I was going to melt! I only took a few pics, Cate in her Aestetics dress~And riding a pony!!

Winner

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12

Timestamp: 2008-10-18 14:43:46 UTC

Better late than never!! My paisley fabric winner is Bronwyn from Whippit Good. Bronwyn said "ooh I love paisley - I have a hankering to make a paisley quilt one day - love the denimy blues!" Yay for Bronwyn, can you please email me your address xx

New School Today

Off to the new school, we've gone Lutheran! The kids all together (Oliver has had a massive growth spurt these last few months, must be all the sea air)~Boys in there summer uniform (White shirts?? What were they thinking!!), Cate in her uniform (kindy and pre-primary kids wear sports clothes only) Don't recognise the garden? I borrowed the neighbours!!School BagsEmma, here are the socks! I thought they were $8 a pair, but there are only $6.Yay, I did have plans for some kid free sewing!! Or not, Bob made me go and get new tyres for the car, so I just had to go shopping while they were being fitted, then go watch the kids swimming lessons, and back to the school to collect them from class, a quick food shop, come home and put a load of washing on and then phone Helen! Sewing tomorrow, I promise!!

Quilty Mail from Cass

Cass, my wonderful friend, sent me some quilty mail today! A beautiful fabric print of Babushka Dolls or also known as Matryoshka Dolls. A super soft piece of linen that's been hand printed by Kristen Doran , thanks Cass, I love it, I am going to frame it and hang in my sewing nook!!

Stash Sunday ~ Week 2 ~ Paisley

I quite like a nice paisley print. I bought 3 metres thinking it would make a pretty binding and backing. By Anna Griffin, called Bailey. Leave a comment below if you would like to win one metre. Will draw out on Thursday xxSee what Tamara, AJ and Mary Grace have to show you!

Cleaning Frenzy

Clair got the idea from here and has passed on the inspiration, thanks Clair! Some before pics of my sewing nook And Wall Unit (what a mess!!)And some after pics of my sewing table, my sewing machine is back from a service, laptop next to it and storage tubs at the end that have all been sorted (each project in a snap lock bag ready to be worked on, I have 8 WIP!)~ My quilt that also doubles as a noticeboard~My delish display unit, sadly it's in the laundry so in less your coming over to do my washing you proberly won't see it~My Jelly Rolls, FQ Bundles, Chenille, Quilt books and patterns~Retro fabric 3+ metre lots, various craft bits~1 metre lots of fabrics~ Miss Buttons, sitting on some buttons!~So all nice and tidy, I filled half a wheely bin with rubbish and have filled a big bag with craft stuff for school. Yay, I can sew again!

Oliver's 9th Birthday

9 today, the countdown has been on for the past week "You know Monday? Well, that's my birthday". And Monday it is. Off to Sizzler to celebrate, along with his Great Nan as they are lucky enough to share their birthdays. Aunty Helen and Uncle Daz came too, with the cousins. Fave gift, Sonic Playstation game, it even came with us to the resturant.

Stash Sunday ~ Week 1 ~ Christmas

Week 1 of Stash Sunday, thanks to Tamara. I kinda have my fabric all over the house, some is even stored in the shed! I do have a sewing nook so 2 tubs fit nicely under the table there, and I have a wall unit in the laundry, and a heap of those 55L kids storage tubs on wheels in my WIR, and there's about 9 metres of wadding in the top of the boys cupboard, lol, gotta love a good stash.
Week 1, I am showcasing my Christmas Tub, Fantastico! says Dora ($6 tub from Officeworks). Christmas fabric is my absolute fave of the fabric family, I love a good Christmas print, so when I come across them I buy at least a half metre, if its a deep burgundy, forest green or mustard then I buy a metre as I use those colours so much. I also love printed motifs, I try to stay away from Snowmen as it doesn't snow here but I like a nice snowflake print. And I had a disaster one year with the glitter prints washing off so I try to avoid them too. Last Christmas I bought a jelly roll quilt kit in the Christmas Past print, it came with 3 jelly rolls! I also bought a Vintage Holiday JR and matching FQ pack, no pics as I have started cutting it and I am saving that for WIP Wednesday.And saving the best for last, this is my very fave fabric print, a deep burgundy with jingle bells. I only have a tiny piece, 12 x 16" and I am not game to cut into it yet.