Giveaway

It is giveaway time! While sorting fabric on the weekend I realised I had 2 of these layer cakes so I thought I would give one away. It is Happy Campers by American Jane for Moda, and will also include 3 of my patterns that you can use a layer cake to make.

The rules are simple - leave a comment by Sunday night Western Australian time and I will randomly choose a winner. Open to everyone wherever you are.

Now I am heading back to the couch near the fire to sew bindings on these cot quilts and talk to Evie while she plays.

The Process Pledge

I have been planning on making a wallhanging/quilt for my Dad for at least a year. I have some ideas. I have some fabric, but I haven't been able to commit enough to start to cut and sew.

So I am taking the process pledge. I am not giving myself a timeline and there will be no pressure. I am just going to see what evolves.

I come from a farm in the wheatbelt where Dad has lived his entire life (in the same farm in the same house). I really love aerial pictures of the paddocks and so does Dad. We live under a flight path and I know Dad can pick the wheat bin near our house from a plane. So this is my idea - a quilt based on looking down on the farm.

In these bundles of hand dyed fabrics.

Sewing and Cooking

A small version of my Through the Square Window quilt pattern using Hunky Dory from Moda.
Love this fabric. It is girly without being too girly. In my shop.

I have some plans for this long weekend. It is Chris' birthday today and mine yesterday. Each year I find some outrageously chocolatey desert and make it for us. This year it is the Chocolate Mousse Cake from the last Donna Hay Magazine. Umm 400g of good chocolate in the mousse. If you don't hear from me for a while I'll just be lying down recovering.

Tomorrow I amd planning on making the Massaman Curry form Thai Food. A seriously delicious curry.

In Progress

Trimming half square triangles.
Cutting and sewing strips.

Little lamb girls.

Scenes from Sunday

A scarf for Amelia.
Sometimes the girls like to wear completely different clothes, sometimes they like to wear exactly the same thing and sometimes they like to wear 'same same, but different'.

Boots for everyone.

Crazy carrots.

Markets

I've never wanted to be psyhic, but it would be quite useful before markets. Sometimes I can sell out of hippos quickly and other times I won't sell one, but I sell lots of dogs. It is one month until Upmarket so I am trying to be a bit more organised this time. So elephants are being sewn.

I am taking some small quilts this time. I figure if I am going to sell them it will be in the middle of winter.

This is the quilt on out bed at the moment. It shows my favorite part of quilting - the texture after you finish a quilt and wash it.

There was a great moon the other night looking over the valley. I love being up high and seeing the clouds and fog.

Scarves and Lemon Cake

The girls have been bugging me for a scarf. This was very quick and easy. The second one is now on the needles. Details here.
We are getting lots of lemons off the tree at the moment. I made a lemon cake yesterday which disappeared very quickly. I love a cake which doesn't need icing as you can eat as soon as it has cooled. Measurements are all estimates as usual with my cooking.

Lemon Cake

125g butter
finely grated lemon rind from a lemon or two
1 cup caster sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups SR flour
2/3 cup milk

Topping
Lemon juice from 2 lemons
1/4 cup sugar

Beat butter, rind and sugar. Mix in the eggs then the flour and then the milk.
Bake at 180 degrees for about 40 minutes.
Mix the topping ingredients together and pour over the top.
Leave to cool for about 20 minutes in the tin and then remove from the in and cool on a wire rack.

Nest Quilt

It was just a little windy here yesterday which made taking photos of this quilt top was a little tricky. It was made using fabrics called Nest from Moda. This one has been cut out waiting to be sewn for quite some time, but I as unsure what I was going to do with the squares. I started with quite a differern layout, but yesterday it turned into this. Still thinking about how to quilt it - probably lots of straight lines as it is quite large.

What I'm Working On

A scarf for Grace.
A quilt....

...or two.

Some reading. I've finished Jasper Jones (which I recommend), half way through The Behaviour of Moths and Slow Food Nation will be next.

Blogger's Quilt Festival

I am joining in the Amy's Blogger's Quilt Festival.

I made this quilt for Eva just before she was born. It is just simple patchwork and appliques circles. I think I was in a bit of a rush. It is far from perfect, lots of wrinkles, but I love it and so does Eva.

Destash

Not much crafting this week and honestly I'm having trouble finding the sewing machine, pins, scissors under all the mess so a clean up is in order. It is time to let go of some fabric (I can't believe I am saying that). I am listing it on Etsy here. Hopefully actual craft in my next post.

Shopping at Stitches and Craft

Being surrounded by amazing people and there amazing things meant I wasn't coming home from Stitches empty handed.
Felt and magazines from Winterwood.
Books from Can Do Books and Pear Tree Yarns (the lovelist yarns and the loveliest ladies). Amitie, Kelani and and some Perle cotton to match.

Ink and Spindle, Kristen Doran, Yardage, Pippijoe and Nikki bagmaker extraordinaire who has promised to make me love interfacing.

This cute little monster from Jodie sums everything up pretty well.

Stitches and Craft Photos

We made it back from Melbourne last night. So today it is all about washing, food shopping, cooking and lego. So I will leave you with some of the photos I can find (I'm sure there were more, but they seem to have mysteriously disappeared).
Kristen Doran

Yardage Design

Ric Rac

Winterwood

Edwina Bolger

Ink and Spindle

Blue Ginger Designs

It was like a 5 day Stitch-n-Bitch. I nearly managed to finish a sock until a small needle bending accident. Now I am waiting not so patiently for some more needles.

Fat Quarter Shop

Days 3 of Stitches and Craft was fantastic! It was great to meet so many people 'in real life'. Talking, knitting and lost of craft - it doesn't even seem a bit like work.

I'm just a little bit excited today. My patterns are now available in the US at The Fat Quarter Shop! After all the parcels I have received from there it was nice to send one in the other direction.

Stitches and Craft Day 1

I'm back at my sister's house (with my very very cute nephew) after day 1 of the Stitches and Craft Show. It is great to catch up with so many people today. Somehow we didn't manage to bring a working camera with us so I only have a photo of my stand from my phone. So if you want to see more come down in the next 4 days and see for yourself and come and say hi!

Stitches and Craft

Eeek! The Stitches and Craft Show is just days away. There has been much panic around here and a few sleepless nights, but I think I am nearly ready or as ready as I am going to get. My softie samples are finished and the softie patterns and quilt patterns are all folded.

Wool is tagged and sorted.
And I made a simple denim skirt and finished it with some mostly I&S fabrics.

Now I am starting to get excited. I think Jodie has already said it - the best bit is seeing and meeting people which is a weird thing for me really. I am good at being crafty by myself at home, not so good with lots of other people. But I discovered in Sydney I LOVE being with lots of other crafty people. Mr Banshee will be around too. Do you think he would let me spend a week in the home of football without him?? So I am making him help when I feel the need to flit about and have a look. So if you see me come and say hi.