Just made it!!

Yay! Finished this so I could squeeze it into my March list of finishes!!It is the Breast of Friends Block number 10, by Lynette Anderson.

I know most of my finishes this month are just blocks and not bigger projects, but listing them like this helps with the motivation!

I'll be back into the chocolate quilt next!! ED's birthday is approaching!

Happy sewing everyone!

Catalicious with a dog and a horse thrown in...

Here is Brutus in Month 1 of Bronwyn Hayes' Catalicious Quilt. He's rather cute don't you think. As you can see I'm all sorted with my thoughts of combining these blocks with the Kiwiquilts In the Pink hexagon quilt. I did reduce Brutus so he would fit the hexagaon but I could have reduced him just a little more.The finished size of the hexagon is 8 inches...a bit of a squeeze for a chubby contented cat!  I also think In the Pink Catalicious is a bit of a mouthful so it's now my hexagaon cat quilt. Whew. Lots easier to type too!

Here is Brutus with one of his adjoining blocks. I think its gonna be kinda cool!!

I have just spent the weekend away on a Sisters Weekend. My sister and I met halfway at Auckland where our SIL lives. It was supposed to be a no-male zone but we did have the company of my 5 year old nephew who was happy to put up with us darting around the place. Neither of them are sewers or stitchers (sigh!) so I didn't get to explore any new haunts but I did get some handsewing done while we sat and chatted. So we browsed the shops, went out for lunch, had a bbq cookup for tea, went ten pin bowling and had a lovely time! On the way down I had called in at my ED's for a night. Neat to catch up with her and I also got a horse riding lesson while I was there. A bonus.The photo shows  my ED hosing
the horse down for me..the photo doesn't show it so well but he was HUGE. It was a long way to the ground!!


I got home to find my little grandson (my YD's dog) had missed his Gan-ma terribly! I couldn't resist taking these photos of him in my weekend bag!!


Next time you go away Gan-ma...I'm coming too....

....You can come too if you want....

A long post!! But I've caught you up with all the latest news!!

Caught up!

I'm feeling really pleased with myself as I have caught up with the Tozz's Corner Flirting with Flowers BOM!! I can't believe it!! I'm happy with how both of these have turned out and am looking forward to next month's block. I just love the combination of needleturn and stitchery so these really suit me down to the ground...and, so far... I'm using bits and pieces from my stash SO that's another bonus!!

You cant see very well in the photo but when doing the purple flowers block  I couldn't decide whether to use a light purple thread, or dark purple thread for the stitched wavey lines so, for the top pairs of squiggles I used one thread of each!?! In real life it gives a bit of movement, maybe a bit like a variegated thread (but not as consistent!). For the lower waves I just used the darker purple.

What is it with pets and quilts....?

The chocolate quilt for my ED has been progressing nicely; I am at the stage of sewing all the blocks together to form the top. It took me quite a while to arrange them to my satisfaction on the spare bed BUT DO YOU THINK THESE TWO CARE!!!!!?

I had been so careful to shut the door when I wasn't near but popping off to make a coffee was my downfall!!
I'm really liking the combination of chocolatey-rich browns with the pinks.
 
  At times I stress about what colours go where and if this colour should really be used and so on (ie have I got too many different shades of pink here?!) but then I was looking at some roses I cut for the table the other day. I had flowers from lots of different plants and realised it was quite a mish-mash of colours, lots of different shades of pink and the odd red and it didn't matter at all!! They looked great! (And smelt lovely too!) So maybe I need to lighten up a bit in my colour arranging and not worry so much!! The photo doesn't illustrate what I mean very well but I hope you see what I'm trying to say.

Show and Tell

 I thought I could share a photo of a small wallhanging I finished this time last year. My Aunty was turning 70 and as she is still an avid and regular horse-rider I decided she needed an appropriately themed gift.

The trees down the sides represent the the forest she rides in and the text says "A woman's place....is on her horse".
The silhouette on the horse is actually a photo of me on my fellow which my YD helped me to photo-shop.
I was really pleased with it and ..guess what... she loves it!!

Breast of Friends

Another block finished!! This was fun to do....

A little progress....and a new arrival...

The big news first of all...another mouth to feed!! Look what I discovered under the clucky chook today...
 I wondered if something had happened because instead of growling (or chirping shrilly) at me, mother hen was pleasantly chirping and clucking!!
There's still 4 unhatched eggs under her, but as long as this one is female (and not another rooster) I don't mind!!

 I have made a start on my "In the Pink Catalicious" quilt...I have traced Brutus the Cat onto quilters muslin so that's ready to stitch and I have made my first In The Pink hexagon...so far so good...I think I will enjoy this project - it will be fun gathering bits of fabrics and lace!!

Chocolate and raspberries

Yum!! I am drooling!!

What a nice combination...a pity this chocolate fabric isn't edible!!

I'm busy cutting this chocolate fabric
into a delicious quilt for my ED.
Doesn't look much at the moment though......

PS Those raspberries are meant to be that
colour - sweet and delicious too!

A little flirting.....

I thought I could share one of January's completions!!.. This is a glimpse of the January Flirting with Flowers free BOM that Vicki of Tozz's Corner is doing this year...


Cute huh!!
She is also having a giveaway this week to celebrate 2 years of blogging so head over there to check her site out. (Vicki has posted the next 2 months for this bom but I have got behind already...)

What was I thinking?!

What was I thinking!!!!! Starting up a blog when I KNEW Febuary was going to be a busy one?? I am now the proud mother-in-law to the lovely girl who has just married our son!!
It was great to have all the family at home again and we all enjoyed the social activity that goes with weddings! Extremely proud parents indeed! Our household is back to normal now and I even had the chance to get my horse in and have a ride this morning :-)
Barely relevant to quilting you say.... but I have discovered that riding time is often great reflection time...not when we are hard out in 'training mode' (when I'm doing my best to keep upright, flex this way, flex that, get a decent rhythm, etc etc and a whole lot more I don't understand!!) but the walks to and from our riding spot give me an ideal opportunity to let my mind wander.
Today I was thinking of ALL the projects I have earmarked that I want to do...and Oh Dear the list was too long!!
HOWEVER, while on horseback, I realised that I could combine several of my ideas and maybe kill 2 birds with one stone...so I have invented the "In the Pink Catalicious Hexagon Quilt"!!! I aim to do the Red Brolly Catalicious stitcheries and insert them into the kiwiquilts "in the pink hexagon quilt" ... I have it all sorted out in my head ... I'm off to sort some fabrics and see if this idea will work!... watch this space...