WOW - what a great Craft & Quilt Fair day I had!

Woke up with a start this morning, looked at the watch, and jumped out of bed, thinking I had only 30 minutes to get dressed and get myself to the Derwent Entertainment Centre in time to meet Suzanne!  Whew, then realised it was only 8.15 am!

We got there in good time and our first pit-stop was a decent cuppa!  Our noses followed the aroma!  Then a quick shuffle on to where the workshops were being held - OK, too early.  No problem, we moved over to the quilt display area.  Gosh, there are so many amazing quilts on display, you struggle to take in what you see.  So many hand-quilted quilts of excellent standard, it just blew us away!  Magnificent work done by these people!

Shoot over to get to our first workshop, followed by the second one.  Met up with two other HQ quilters, MJ and Carol.  Carol stayed with Suzanne and I.  From the workshops we moved to complete our tour of the quilts.  Then we stopped off for a bite to eat - and met up with MJ again!  Finished our lunch and started our stall tour.

We stopped at each quilt fabric and sewing machine stall - and bypassed the other craft stalls such as beading, paper craft, scrapbooking, dolls and knitting.

My first purchase was this jelly roll and pattern.

This roll above will be turned into this quilt below.

Then followed this Ginger Jar and Kimono patterns:

I just could not pass this sashiko piece by:

And then these bright and proud chooks (I know, I have a thing for chickens!!)

Damn, he looks so proud of himself, strutting about and puffing himself up!

And later some jellyroll rulers, etc.  Put together, my purchases looked like this:

Left there just after 3.30 pm.  Could go back again tomorrow!!  Anybody want to lend me their credit card, please?

Oh well, with all my new goodies, it just means that I have a lot more sewing to do now - and new techniques to learn, such as sashiko, amongst others.

Where does one go to renew your lease on life?  I need a longer one - concerned I may run out of time to complete everything I still want to do!!

Warm regards 

 

Lightbox duty

Hello

Had an odd day today - got plenty done and at least time did not fly!  And that was such a goooood feeling, you know what I mean?

Got up once MDH left for work this morning; pushed my dog off the bed (he gets let in in the morning and his treat is to snuggle up to his Mummy or The Dad, depending on who is up to let him in), and got going.

Washing was already going by the time I was fully awake and since I knew that we would have a visitor for the evening, I had to do the wifely thing and clean the visible dust and dirt.  I was striving to get all the homework down so that I can get started with the lightbox that I had borrowed from work (with permission!).  By eleven I had all the washing up for drying (and keeping an eye on the forecast rain), dusted, vacuumed, swept, put away dry washing and got the lightbox set up and plugged in.  I finished my BOM chook and then decided to do the hens as well.  There was one heck of a lot of tracing to do with this pattern!  Almost one metre of paper later, the hens were all done and here is the proof!  I felt so fulfilled and satisfied.  I wanted to do the other pattern I had but need about another meter of tracing paper (hopefully I can get some on Sunday morning).  Would like to get that done as well since I have the lightbox.

Will show you when I have the other pattern traced out as well!

Warm regards

 

Flippant Friday

Gosh, what a busy and rushed week it has been!

Work tempo was off the charts; tension was sky-high and the mood was blue.  Rabbits - must be because of the rabbits.  Why rabbits?  What have rabbits got to do with things? Nooooo idea, but I'm blaming rabbits - and sticking to my story.

Have been trying desperately to use the work's lightbox to trace my chooks in preparation for applique but ..... to my utter dismay ....... the lightbox remains stashed away under my desk.  No time.  Hopefully, with fingers X-ed, I may be able to do that when I finish off today and before I go home.  I do not really want to take the box home - just in case!  (I mean, I may become so attached to this useful quilting tool, I may not want to bring it back again LOL)

Got a number of very good and interesting books through the week and look forward to when I can start working on something described in them.  My dear friend, Saddle, is a great source of knowledge (and inspiration) and I will be knocking on her door for plenty of advice when I get around to doing it!  She is a great quilt artist and can do fabulous things with fabric - go check out her interesting collection : Sally's Stuff

I have now put myself on a strict QBD (quilt budget diet) as well.  Quilting can be very, very, very bad for the health of my budget - especially if I have not yet won the Lotto!  Until I have finished my current quilt, Mum's Mother of Mine wall quilt, my first BOM (All Cooped Up) - the chook in block called Hit the Hay (top left block) -

All Cooped Up BOM

and at least one other pattern (yip, another lot of chooks [or chicks??]!!) - Hens on Heels

Hens on Heels

I am not allowed to buy anything new for myself!  Oh, No, woe is me!!

I am also keen on doing something with pumpkins (looooooooove beautiful round yellow-green-tan pumpkins) and have a number of ideas floating around BUT I must heed my budget diet restrictions!

I have also yet to start my Teddy wall quilt, the Goldfinch (same link as Hens on Heels), towards the end of May I have another BOM starting, and then there are two or three others on my 'To Do' list.  It is just that when you look through magazines and on the web, your eyes always catch something you are NOT supposed to see and ta-dah, you end up in my position!!!  Four months ago I had NO idea what a stash was and now I have run out of space with my two drawers (OK, they are not that large drawers anyway).

Excuse me, who got me hooked onto quilting?  SADDLE!!!!  MJ!!!!! 
BUT, I sure do love this hobby!

Going to try and do more autumn leaf applique this weekend (hopefully finish it) - that may lift the guilt feelings I currently have. 

Damn  Rabbits!!!

Warm regards