Dear Stella Update

Remember this?

Well for a long time she has sat and waited.  Patiently.  Understanding.  Forgiving.

Now she looks like this;

It wont be long now Dear Stella before you are finished and on my bed, keeping  me warm.

Angela Walters

I have a copy of this book and I am so glad I bought it, it was worth every cent.  She is one talented lady.  This book it full of clear instructions, hints and tips to improve your free motion quilting.  The photos are great too.

Book Review

I am a book lover.  I buy them and muse over the pages, again and again and again.  I think I am a bit of a book snob.  I get all 'thingy' about dogeared pages and tatty covers.  I know it's a sign of a book well used and sometimes loved...but I just can't get over my thing about neat and tidy and cared for.

This book would be a great resource for anyone new to quilting.  For me at the moment I am trying to improve my free motion quilting, so the chapter on that was great to read.  The more tips and hints I can get, the better.  I like to try new things and see if they work for me.

This book is well worth reading and there are 12 different quilts to make.

My Friends with Benefits gifts.

Oh how lucky am I?  I was so excited to open my parcels and see what was inside.  It was so nice to make new friends and then receive gifts from these 2 women I had never met but had become close to via email.  I really love this blogland!

This was my parcel from Lynn.  I was so spoilt!  I love the bear - he is just the cutest thing and I had to give baby bear 2 strick instructions that he was MINE and not hers, lol.

Lynn also included this tiny angel book mark  - it is just beautiful, don't think the photo really does it justice.

My gift from Laura had me amazed - her stitches were so tiny and perfect and neat!  I was a little ashamed of my cumbersome stitches on her things.  She also included a fat quarter of material - always a lovely gift and somethings for the kids.

A final thank you needs to go to Kathy for organising this swap.  I asked her when she would be running another one, she said she needed a rest first.

Modern Blocks

Do you ever see something on the internet and forget to bookmark it?  I do it all the time.  You would have thought that by now I would have learned to either add things to my favorites or at least write them down...but then I would just misplace the paper.

I was reading a blog - and I honestly have no idea what the name of it was or even how I found it, but after a painstaking search, I found the name of the book that had the photo of the block that had sparked my interest.

In particular it was this block that sparked my interest and sent me on this frantic search;



Now just to find time to make it...

Friends with Benefits

So I can finally show you all what I made for my 2 lovely partners - Lynn and Laura.  I had so much fun after stressing about what to make.  In the end I made them both journal covers, book marks, portable needle cases (with a D-ring to clip onto so they don't get lost in the bottom of craft bags...), a tea towel apron and a thread catcher.
I also made Lynn a rather large mug rug - though she might use it as something else!

In Laura's parcel I added 3 Easter Bilbies for her boys.  From all accounts they were enjoyed - as chocolate should be by little people.



I loved making 2 new friends - pity though we are too far away for coffee and cake.  I'll have to start saving for a return trip to the States to visit.  Look out girls, I'm coming to visit (in a few years).

Changing

It's funny in a way how the more I look into quilts, the more my tastes change.  Not only in fabrics but also in the style of quilt and the history of quilts too.  I'm not sure if reading the Elm Creek series has anything to do with it or not, but the book pictured above it just beautiful.

There are so many beautiful quilts in this book - the photography is delightful and the instructions are clear.

I love books that inspire me and make me feel like I can tackle any project.  This is that kind of book.  The trouble is, I don't know which one to make first nor what fabrics to use as these are not my normal colours, but the more I look at the book, the more I'm liking them.

Civil War Legacies

It's funny in a way how the more I look into quilts, the more my tastes change.  Not only in fabrics but also in the style of quilt and the history of quilts too.  I'm not sure if reading the Elm Creek series has anything to do with it or not, but the book pictured above it just beautiful.

There are so many beautiful quilts in this book - the photography is delightful and the instructions are clear.

I love books that inspire me and make me feel like I can tackle any project.  This is that kind of book.  The trouble is, I don't know which one to make first nor what fabrics to use as these are not my normal colours, but the more I look at the book, the more I'm liking them.

Gadgets

It's no secret that I love gagdets and tools.  I figure anyhting that makes my quilting and sewing experience faster and easier has to be a bonus. 

I recently came across this little gem:

There is a great tutorial here and it shows how easy it is to use and what a difference it will make to getting your binding just right.

Love it!

Mother's Day

Every year at school we have a stall where the kids can buy gifts for Mother's Day.  This is possible because of the generosity of the people who donate items.

It was in Target and found packs of 3 tea towels - they were super cute.  So I bought 2 packs and whipped up 6 aprons.

They were a smash!  Gone within minutes - phew, always a worry that people won't like the things you make.  So I promised that if they (the committee) bought more tea towels I would make them more for next year.  Best quick present - ever!