Merry Chistmas and Xmas Swap Gift

I know it is a few days late but I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and I hope you all had a wonderful day with family and friends. This is a photo of our tree at 6.00am on christmas morning before the kids attacked it. We enjoyed a lovely quiet day at home with a hot christmas lunch with my mum and dad. We celebrated our big family christmas with my family yesterday when 13 people descended on our new property. We had the most faboulous time eating and drinking way too much, lots of laughs and happy times - just the way it should be. Today we are all exhausted and are spending the day in front of the TV watching the cricket. I am also planning to get into the sewing room and do some sorting and organising for the year ahead.

These are the lovely gifts that I received in our on-line stitching group xmas swap. The lovely Teresa was my swap partner and she made a sewing companion and writing set complete with paper and envelopes. Thank you Teresa I love them.

I made gifts for Sarah but unfortunately I forgot to take photos so if you hop over to her blog to see what I made.

Kylie xxx

Time Flies

It seems like only yesterday that my DS was starting school.

Now 7 years later he is attending is Yr6 formal - where did that time go. He seems so grown up now (it won't be long and he will be taller than me!!) and I am oh so proud of him.

Kylie xxx

A Little Bit of Shopping

I have been very naughty lately and have been buying up on some fabric and books.

I have fallen in love with this range of fabric "Spirit" by Lila Tuellar.

These two books are fabulous and I have picked out quilts to make from both with the fabrics I have purchased. I am going to make a quilt from Simplify with the Spirit jelly roll

and ....

I have purchased some Punctuation by American Jane to make this quilt from the Schnibbles book.

Some Fandango and Bella Basics. I am thinking of making this quilt.

Hope you all get to do some stitching this weekend.

Chat soon

Kylie xxx

Xmas Stitching

I have been busy over the last few days doing some xmas stitching.

A Xmas Journal so I can start to organise myself for xmas.

My FIS xmas gift is finished, wrapped and ready to send.

Teacher gifts for my daughter's teachers - a mug bag each - one with a matching tissue packet holder and the other with a matching covered notebook. Inside the bags are blue mugs with matching blue spoons. Just love this fabric - I think the range is called Boutique. Leah and I are going to make some homemade rocky road to go inside as well.

I am off tomorrow to do some xmas shopping so I had better start making some notes in my journal.

Kylie xxx

Anyone Interested?

Whilst cleaning out my sewing room I came across this full set of patterns for Leanne Beasley's first BOM. If anyone would be interested in purchasing this set from me, please send me an email.

Kylie xxx

This and That

Life has been fairly hectic here lately but I have managed to do something. Recently I was involved in a Paper Bag Swap with an on-line stitching group. Each person in the swap was given a swap partner and you then sent that person two fat quarters, some embellishments, a stitchery which was optional and of course some chocolate. As I was busy moving, my lovely swap partner Vicki agreed on a later finishing date so last week I finished and posted this to her. It is a 9 1/2 inch blockkeeper and a little covered notebook. I enjoyed making this blockkeeper and even made one for myself.

I also finished another tablerunner. This is a pattern from the Moda Bakeshop blog and made with Lumiere De Noel by French General. (Can you see the boxes in the background that still need unpacking - mmm maybe one day I will get to them - I am sooo over unpacking at the moment).


I just love this red print fabric.

I also found some time to make Fee's

fruit cake which was delicious.

I have also been getting my new sewing room into some order. I purchased these bookshelves from Go-Lo. They were nice and cheap, easy to put together and fit perfectly into the limited space that I have. I have had lots of fun organising the shelves and can now move around in the sewing room without falling over everything. Now I just need to find some time to actually do some more stitching. Fingers xxx it may happen this weekend.

Chat soon

Kylie xxxx

Settling In

All the boxes are just about unpacked, the sewing room is very close to being organised and life at Oakland is now starting to settle down into a lovely routine.

Graeme and the kids have been busy planting the vege garden

Our gorgeous girl Pixie is now a new Mum ....

... to four gorgeous kittens - three white and one black and white one. They are so very cute and getting lots of love and attention from Leah.

Graeme and the kids also discovered that we have fish in our dam.

I have been stitching but they are all secret stitching so no photos to share just yet. I am really loving having my own sewing room and am enjoying getting things organised and am full of motivation. The last few months have been very stressful but now that we are here and settled we could not be happier - even our old dog who is 14 has had a new lease of life.

Chat soon

Kylie xxx

Finally Found It

We have finally moved into our new house and after unpacking many boxes and searching high and low I have finally found the USB cord for my camera and can now share some photos with you.

On the weekend I celebrated a birthday. I am part of a Fat Quarter birthday group with a lovely bunch of ladies. On your birthday you receive two fat quarters from everyone in the group.

These are the fat quarters that I have received so far. This year I have had a thing for red so I requested red and white fat quarters so I can make myself a red and white quilt. All these fat quarters are just gorgeous and even though there are a lot of different shades of red I think most of them will go together. Thank you so much ladies. It has been such a delight opening all the parcels over the last few days and has made my birthday last just a little bit longer.

I am also part of the Friends in Stitching blog group and on your birthday you receive fat eights of fabric and a block pattern to make a small quilt. I received these lovely Rural Jardin fabrics (one of my most favourite ranges). I can't wait to sit down and work out what I am going to make.

Our Friends in Stitching group recently did a Paper Bag Swap. Everyone was given a partner and you had to send that person two fat quarters, some embellishments and chocolate. Your partner then made something from what you sent them and then posted it back to you. These are the lovely gifts that Tereasa made for me. A sewing bag, sewing pouch to hold some scissors and needles and a cute little tissue packet holder. Thank you so much Teresa they are just gorgeous.

I finally have my sewing room in some sort of order and have today starting sewing again. I have really missed stitching whilst we moved so am enjoying getting back into it. Hopefully I will have some project photos to show you soon.

Catch you later

Kylie xxx

Sanity Sewing

Last weekend I headed off on another quilting retreat at Middlebrook Station. I had the best time and it was great to take a break from the stresses of packing and getting ready to move. The girls that I go with are just the best and we had a great time - thanks girls for a fantastic weekend.

This little number is a kit that I got from Bec. This quilt was so easy and quick to make and I just love the Verna range. Lovely and bright and fresh. I have just ordered some yardage to make another one using the Bliss range.

I also got this top made for my sister in law for her birthday next year. Also very quick and easy.

Amongst all the packing and stressing over the move I have been trying to do at least a little bit of sewing to keep me from going crazy.

These are journal and notebook covers that I have made from leftover fabrics from other projects. Cheap, quick and easy and will be put into my pressie stash.

Two more mug bags - one for my husband for fathers day and the other for my Aunt for her birthday (which was in June - best I get that to her very very soon).

I have also been doing some secret squirrel sewing for a couple of swaps that I am involved with but of course I cannot show them yet.

My next post will be from our new house so until then ...

Happy Stitching

Kylie xxxx

Yes It Has Been A While

But I do have an excuse.

In just over a week this will be our new home. 40 acres 15 minutes for town - Bliss.

I have been madly packing and have to say I am soooo over it.

I have done a little stitching and have been on a retreat which was fantastic but more on that in the next post.

Kylie xxx

More Show and Tell and a visit with a Friend

Last Friday I headed up to Nundle to meet up with Bec and her lovely children. We met up at Cottage on the Hill and had a lovely visit with Kerry. I did not purchase much here, just some FQs for the Nundle Fat Quarter Birthday swap and some silk thread and needles to have a go at needleturn applique (trying to be strong). After visiting Kerry with headed back into town to the Nundle Wool Mill. It was here that I decided that it was time to try my hand at crocheting. I have been admiring some of the lovely projects that people have been doing and decided it was time to give it a go. I purchased a book, some seconds wool and a hook. After the wool mill we decided to go to the park and have a picnic lunch so the kids could have a run around. We sat on rugs in the park for nearly two hours chatting and looking through quilting books. It was a lovely afternoon and we definiately have to do it again soon.

I have since had a crocheting lesson with my Mum (who tells me I am just as frustrating to teach as an adult as I was as a child lol). She is left handed and I am right handed so it was very interesting to say the least but I am now starting to get the hang of it and hope to start on something fun soon.

Aren't we all just gorgeous !!!! And don't you just love that quilt behind us. You have probably worked out by now that Rural Jardin is my fav fabric range at the moment and this quilt that Kerry has designed behind us is just gorgeous.

FINALLY I have finished this block for the Gardeners Journal quilt that I am doing with the Stitch A Long blog. There is an unbelievable amount of work in the house stitchery and I thought I was never ever going to finish it but I did and here it is.

Another Skinny Verna tablerunner for my side table.

Well I must be off to take DS to soccer training and get the dinner on for DH who is off to work tonight.

Hope all you Mums out there are surviving the school holidays - don't you just love them lol!!!

Chat soon

Kylie xxxxx

Rural Jardin

In my last post you will see that I purchased some yardage of Rural Jardin to go with a jelly roll that I had purchased while I was on holidays at South West Rocks earlier on in the year. Well this is what I have made from it so far (I did need to buy a couple of metres of homespun as well and have ordered some backing for the coin quilt from the Fat Quarter Shop) and I still have heaps of fabric left over. I am totally amazed at how far it has gone.

A Coin Quilt

A Bag (I used a pattern from the Moda Bake Shop)

Journal cover (also a pattern from the Moda Bake Shop)

A table runner using just the blues from the jelly roll (I have adapted the Skinny Verna tablerunner pattern from the Moda Bakeshop website)

Another tablerunner using the leftover reds from the jelly roll

I am going to use the rest of the fabric to experiment with a few more journal covers as gifts for xmas and maybe a couple more runners if there is enough left over.

I can now add these to my OPAM finishes for July.

Kylie xxxx

Lots of Show and Tell Part 2

Finally I have finished my Fat Quarter Shop 2009 Mystery Block of the Month. I think it took just as much time to make all the sashing strips and stars as it did to make the individual blocks but I am sooo happy with how it has all come together. I absolutely love the fabrics (Glace) and star blocks are my all time favourite. I am now going to bundle it up to send to the Quilters Coop at Cowra to be quilted.

Last Tuesday I headed down to Singleton to the movies to see Sex in the City 2 The Movie. I ended up going on my own as my girlfriend had to cancel at the last minute with sick kids. I felt like a bit of a nigel sitting there on my own but there were a few others doing the same thing so it was not so bad. I really enjoyed the movie - lots of laughs - but have to admit that it was not as good as the first movie. After the movie was finished I headed to Busy Needles for a little fabric therapy. They always have a large range of the latest Moda fabrics so I was able to pick up some yardage of Rural Jardin (just love this range) to make a mug bag (yes another one) for my Aunt for her birthday as well as fabric to make a bag and coin quilt using a jelly roll that I purchased from South West Rocks a few months ago.
I am going to use the blue and pink fabric to make the mug bag and the other two pieces will be used to make the bag.

I am now off to make some invitation for DD's 9th birthday next Saturday.
Hope you all enjoyed your long weekend.

Chat soon
Kylie xxxx

Lots to Show and Tell Part 1

I cannot believe that it has been over a month since my last post. Where has the time gone???? I have been busy though.

I made a skinny verna tablerunner for my kitchen dresser. I got this pattern from the Moda Bakeshop Website and it is sooo each to make. This was my first attempt at sewing the binding on completely by machine and I think there is some room for improvement but overall I am really happy with it.

Some friends of ours from Adelaide had a baby girl last week so I whipped up this cute bag from fabrics in my stash. I got the pattern from a Quilts & More magazine. Very each to make.
I also have finished the first two blocks of my Gardeners Journal quilt.

I also decided to rearrange my sewing area as I was sick of having no room and just one big mess everywhere. This area is located at one end of our main lounge room. As we also have a TV room where the kids always watch TV I have claimed this room for myself. At the other end of the room are two lounges and the TV. I can close this room off from the rest of the house which is lovely and quiet and warm and cosy in winter.

I tidied everything up and added another tressle table to use as my cutting table.

Please check out my next post to see what else I have been up to.

Chat Soon

Kylie xxxxx