Baby Season

It seems to be baby season here !!!! My daughter is due to have her daughter "Madeline" in April and my friend at work will get her grand daughter towards the end of this week so now I am rushing to get this baby blanket that I started for her finished. I knit powder puff and ostrich wool together and make patchwork squares. It ends up really really plush. I back it in plush polar fleece so it is super cosy. Hopefully I will get it finished tomorrow night and show you the finished product then.

Have a great Wednesday

HUGS

Long Weekend Antics

I hope that those of you who live in Australia have had a fantastic long weekend. Hubby and I have managed to get a few jobs around the garden completed. I have also managed to get some preserving done and also some stitching. I have also managed to make a start on a few UFO's which are now a small step closer to being finished.

I have decided to do Gail Pan's BOM "A Christmas Wish" and have done a pastel version (above) and also a traditional version (below)

I have also cut out the next 7 months worth so hopefully I will have less chance of falling behind :))

I can't wait to see what Gail has planned for February.

My valentine package is almost ready to send to Shannon. I hope she likes everything that I have chosen. Shannon is a lovely lady and has a gorgeous web site and blog spot. She adores pink !!!!!

My mission this week is to begin Helen's Great Summer Holiday Mystery quilt blocks. I am already behind on this one but will hopefully catch up in the next week or two.

Have a great week !!


HUGS

Hearts & Jam

Great combination - Hearts & Jam but that has been the focus of my past couple of days. Besides working I have been busy trying to make the most of our apricot crop. Tonight I made Apricot and Pineapple Jam. Here it is bottled.

I have promised the girls at work a bottle as it is an old recipe apparently? So I hope it tastes as good as it smelt. I am not a great fan of apricot jams but I will try some on toast in the morning before I take it to work.


I have also been shopping for Heart themed items for The Vintage Heart Swap as well as making a couple of Heart items for my partner Shannon. Below is a little peek at one of the gifts I have made for her - I can't show too much as she may peek :))






This swap is a lot of fun and I can't wait to pack everything up and send off to Shann.



I hope you are all having a lovely week.

Gardening & Sewing

Today was a glorious day - I was in the office all day but managed to spend a bit of time outisde this afternoon watering my vegie patch and a little weeding.

I have also picked a few apricots tonight - YUM !!

I planted a few seedlings in the vegie patch yesterday some broccoli, cabbages and spring onions which look dwarfed amongst the silverbeet, rhubarb, tomatoes and raspberries.

But hopefully they will survive and grow well. Along with thousands of other people we are doing our very best to try and grow somethings ourselves and to recycle and re-use as much as possible. I started off some compost yesterday and Rod (hubby) has promised to build me some new raised beds over the next few weeks because he starts holidays on Friday. We also have 6 hens coming to live with us on the weekend so we need to build them some accomodation this week.

I received my partner for Dolly's Vintage Heart Swap and I have had a ball checking out her blog, ebay auctions and web site. Shannon is my partner and she is a very talented artist. I think I have decided what to make and send her and have been shopping for lots of goodies. I am going to start the bag to contain all of the goodies tonight.

Thanks for the kind words about my angel story blocks. I am afraid that I can't take the credit for the fabric choices as I purchased the full kit from Honeysuckle Cottage. I saw the fully made quilt at the Quilted Crow's Christmas gathering and fell in love with it.

It is going to be 32 degrees here tomorrow so I am off to water all of the pot plants.

HUGS,

My Weekend

Here are 3 of my angel story blocks that I have completed. I am working on another at the moment. I have almost finished the binding on my butterfly quilt and have started a project for "Dolly's" My Vintage Heart Swap.



I have worked all day today but managed to plant out 8 containers tonight with Mint, Basil, Chives, Coriander & Lettuce. I have promised myself that I will try to get 1 job done in the garden each day after work whilst the weather is half decent.

Here are my new pots.

You can see in the background that it is very dry here at Brighton. Most of our gardens are mulched so have survived okay but the lawns are dead. Can you see my favourite garden ornament? My concrete kangaroo?

I am taking Amy (10 Year Old) & Kaitlin (14) to the market in the morning to look fo treasure and then off to work for 4 hours. My older daughter - Sam and her 1 year old Thomas are then coming up for the afternoon so tomorrow will be a No Sew Day but hopefully if the sun shines we will have some ripe apricots to pick in the orchard.

I hope you are all having a fantastic weekend and are all sewing your little hearts out.

Ramblings

I am pleased to report that I did in fact find the binding for the butterfly quilt and I have sewn it on to the front and have hand stitched the back of 2 sides - Just 2 sides to go and a label and it is finished.

I have finished 3 of my angel story blocks which I will photograph and post this week. I have also finished my little christmas stitchery wallhanging and have almost finished a little bag with a stitchery on front. So I am getting there - slowly but surely.

My oldest and youngest daughters with their cousin have spent the evening making "banana" things to use up some banana's. The house smells divine and I have been told that I have to take samples to work tomorrow in my lunch. I have been shown banana muffins, banana spice cake and also a banana cake. They have done a wonderful job - Sam is 19 and Amy is 9.

Toby has settled in well and has slept on my bed both nights without wanting to get off which I think is pretty good for a 7 week old puppy. His toilet training is also going well with only 1 little accident which I blame myself for. He is the sweetest little fellow and seems to have a gentle little soul.

Anyway Iam off to get some beauty sleep (I need heaps) and will hopefully be able to pick up the needle and thread again after work tomorrow.

Have a great day tomorrow everyone and thanks so much for all of your comments - I am having a ball looking at all of your blogs.

Fiona

Meet Our New Family Member - Toby

Here is our new family member Toby who came to live with us today. He is a Maltese X Shitzu. The girls are on school holidays until the 11th February so they have plenty of time to get him settled in. Isn't he cute?

Fiona

Where has all the Sunshine Gone?

Golly it is all getting a tad boring - the weather I mean. I went back to work yesterday and I felt sure that would fix the bad weather problem here in Tassie but it didn't - Today is still very bleak. I am about to break out the Janome and get to work on some UFO sewing in front of the heater. (Madness in the middle of summer, I know)

Shamefully I must admit whilst chatting with my dear friend "Shorty" on the phone this morning, I realised that I have yet to bind a quilt I made for middle daughter Kaitlin 3 years ago. I have had it quilted and put it in the cupboard and forgot about it. I have attached a pic of it unbound. This quilt is today's mission if I can just remember where I put the binding fabric that I saved for it.

I have enjoyed reading all of your lovely comments and welcomes - I feel so comfortable here thanks to you all.

If any of you are romantics at heart pop on over to Dolly's and join her "My Vintage Heart Swap". The more the merrier.

Have a great weekend wherever you are !!

Fiona

Thanks for the Warm Welcome

Thanks so much to all of you for your warm welcome and especially to Jo - You have made my entry into blogland a smooth and comfortable one. I am really looking forward to making new friends and finding some local stitching friends.

I thought I would post a picture of my White Chocolate and Raspberry Tiramisu that I made for our New Years Eve BBQ. I have just had another small bowl (Yeah right !) before I start the post Christmas diet on Monday.

I am looking after my grandson (1 year old) tonight so no stitching for me but I will make amends tomorrow !!!!!

Hey Jan I did giggle when you said about being brave displayiong my UFO's - That was just a very small selection LOL....... I have lots but 2009 is the year of FO - Finished Objects - Hopefully....... I intend to be very well organised for next christmas and as you can see from the previous pics I have a head start with some stitcheries.

Until next time. See Ya

Happy New Year !!

Happy New Year !! I have spent some time today digging out a few recent additions to my UFO box. They are pictured above. I seem to have no problem with the stitching and hand work but just lack the time and motivation to finish each project. I hope to get them finished in the next week or two.
I have also today started off 3 blocks of My Angel Story Quilt :- Hettie At The Hat Shop, Millicent the Magnificent Mum & Becky The Bookworm. I hope to have the applique and stitching done on these 3 blocks by the end of the weekend....... fingers crossed.

I am back to work tomorrow so we are having a movie afternoon - Catch you in the next day or two....

FEE (aka Fiona)