Keiko Goke!

The mailman came yesterday - I have been waiting patiently. These gorgeous fabrics are by Keiko Goke - a nice little collection - enjoy!

Maybe the scissors will start into them tomorrow - too gorgeous to touch!

Laughing All the Way!

Isn't it just a beautiful time of year - I'm here really enjoying myself - giggling all the while! Carols have been softly playing, how come? My desk is a mess and lo and behold under that mess there is a musical Christmas card and the last bit of mess must have just laid enough weight to trigger the music - oh, maybe the medication is starting to affect me and do you know what? - I am just going to enjoy it!

Now isn't this the most gorgeous bag you have ever seen? From my SSCS partner Maria of Momaquilt in Denmark - damn! my highlighter won't work! - I'll keep trying. Anyhow I just think this is the dinkiest bag I have ever received, and see the two littlies, I think this girl is just so talented - wow! perfection! Love it - thank you so much, Maria.

Yesterday was just so lovely and I'm sure we all receive special little presents - well, I am an avid reader, as are we all in this house, and I just cannot wait to find out what this little gem is all about - so I hope you are all enjoying a great Festive Season and resting up today, I'm off to play!

"Just Relax - It Will Be Christmas Anyway!"

I've had this parcel of happiness for a few days now - today, such fun to open - a gorgeous heart for the tree, a pressie for Sunday and a Danish chocolate to enjoy now ... like one? ... oh, you would, mine is nougat and sea salt, a wonderful combination. Bless you and thank you,Maria!

The words above are just so appropriate - just wait until I tell you! And the Perle stitching I love so much - my goodness, so even too - fabric by our own Lynette Anderson. I must now wait until Sunday to open the biggie, I just know it will be gorgeous. What can one say - thank you for sharing your happiness with me Maria. Thank you, too, Donna for all your organization, just wonderful!

I have had so many wonderful friends who have helped and comforted me for a couple of years now, and it thrilled me to give this special piece of artwork to a special friend. It is an art form called pyrography, woodburning done by Spencer James from the small town of Toodyay, north/east of us - I wish you could all enjoy the beauty of this blue wren in her home!

I've been meaning to tell you about this erasable pen, available just about everywhere, newsagents and food stores too - wonderful for marking fabric and iron away - I've tested it and am very happy and feeling and confident with it, but I'll be pleased to hear stories to the contrary if there are any. Now, the soap - just fabulous I was happily drawing away on fabric with what I thought was the pen above - oh, no, it was ordinary Biro. Panic, panic try everything, and this little beauty got me out of trouble - over here, I bought it at Howard's Storage, the best little saviour one could have - please have it on hand if you can.Now, I'll try to be brief - thank you all the prayers and good wishes since my car accident early November - no relief from pain has been forthcoming after over 7 weeks - the outcome is the sternal fracture is overlapping the fractured fragments and bony union, so I am now on morphine patches and waiting to see a cardio thoracic surgeon 8 January- until then I'll try to be good and try not to whinge too much, says she with gritted teeth and real tears, not crocodile tears as we say here!

I have lots of stitching to prepare to keep me in handwork if and when the time comes - meanwhile I'll raise a glass of champagne to absent friends, now that will make me feel a whole lot better - 'til next time

Scrap Quilts = Mess!

Everything is buzzing! Such a busy time of year - oh, yes, I still have things to do. Meanwhile, I have decided to stick with my x and + blocks, at least one each day, come hell or high water, lol! Julie will be happy to hear this and so will Cathy. I think I'm on the right track, maybe one black cross to each three or four blocks of other colours.

My Madonna Lily in the tele/computer room never ceases to bloom - I love the flowers saying hello to me as I walk into the room. The mess is saying 'please, tidy me!' so lots to do there. Also I'm still having quite a bit of trouble with Blogger, which takes up precious time. Blogs I Follow need to have several removed, anyone who has any hints to pass on, please do!

Just a little sneak-peek - yes, Mary, I'm slowly getting there. I guess we are all having busy days, I went to Garden City shopping yesterday, fighting rain, storms and the crowds, sosd no stitching llast night!
Just a little to do on the binding now, maybe a little hand quilting and trhen it will bee on the big silver bird!Below - here she is my Bluebell - a zoom-soom Mazda3. A very nice car to drive, so let's hope she keeps me and all safe!

Last night my twin grandchildren went on a river cruise to see out the end of Year 10 at school. I think most of you know I have twins and both my daughters have twins - all boys and girls - so here's the 15 year olds. I can hear you saying 'Oh my gosh!'

So gorgeous and I'm so proud of them!

This was the third attempt at shopping for Ayesha's dress - of course she wanted black and to wear very, very high heels - I must say I had more to say than my two bobs worth. I think Angela and I did very well to win that battle. Ayesha does have curly hair, but Angela, a former hairdresser, did spend more than two hours on it with the curling tongs. Oh, I do hope they had a fun evening!

Lazy day here today, and now I'm off to buy ingredients for a Christmas cake, some of which I will take to our Christmas Party at my local RPWG. Ta-ta for now!

Oh, Oh, Oh Beautiful Day!

What a beautiful day we have here, more like spring than summer - not too hot and beautiful breezes!

My daughters and I spent the morning sitting outdoors with Heidi and Byron having fun chatting about our Christmas Day itinerary and planning our menu. We are doing an Aussie Christmas, the morning at the beach and then Reef and Beef for Mains and Marshmallow Pavlova for Sweets - sound good?

Hmmm, Blogger is hopping all about the place - never mind! I have dragged out two cross stitch decorations done many years ago - how wonderful they don't fade! Both are of very vintagey Santas.

This little dolly I can't keep, though I would love to - I didn't make her either! - fancy knitting such a wincey hat, cardy and stockings. I did leave some of her sisters behind and I think I just might have to adopt another two or three! Hope you are all having a lovely weekend - I have some quilting to do and then just one more, maybe two, more pressies to make!
Hugs - Lurline♥

My Liberty Quilt!

 

Oh, so beautiful! Girlfriends and I celebrated our Christmas Lunch yesterday and just look at the beautiful quilt they have made for me. It all started earlier in the year when I was trying to plod along with Liberty Lawn prints trying to make this beautiful log cabin and pinwheel design by Miss Print - thank you so much Kaye. Lots of little pinwheels and narrows strips,goodness knows how many different prints - well, Girlfriends! took over for me and it is now finished except for the binding and I will show lots more pics then - aren't my friends just the best and I will treasure this quilt forever!

Here's the Girls - top/left Jan, just looking like she has puckered up, lol! Gwen with the face of an angel, and our dear Shari of Mummsyblossom's World. Below starting from the left - Robin who has put sooo much work into the organization, a wonderful friend. Then we have Moi!, then Barb, being silly, I know but I just love it, I knew she was up to some nonsense - Barb quilted my quilt and we are all so lucky to have Barb with us - a great organizer, too and sort of Mother Hen to all of us, and I mean that in the nicest way!

This is my pressie from Secret Santa - just gorgeous, English bone china and a very large size cup - I'm a coffee drinker, so it will have to be a coffee cup - I will feel sooo posh!
I'm battling away with new computer and seem to be getting there though very time consuming, let's hope all the pennies drop soon - for now Happy Day!

Hello, Hello!

Let's hope I can talk to all you, Dear Friends! Yes, it has been a long time - lots of things have been happening and I am now being challenged with a new computer who knows lots of different things to what I do, so I will try to post while I can - please let me, lol!

 

Oh, I know seems like the text is centred, too - never mind! Now to what'sbeen happening - I went to a retreat at Toodyay last weekend, still a bit sore and sorry for myself, but it was really lovely and I did get some sewing done. Lovely company, hospitality comfort and food, couldn't be better!

The block above is one of the two blocks I have done -what a Dummy, it has been the only pic I could resize and that took me ages to jag - it is a 16" block using templates by Sue Ross. It is quite intricate and requires a little patience, but I am really happy with it.

Of course like everyone else, I am busy finishing Christmas pressies -  a lot of fun, just wish I wasn't so pressed for time! My New Years resolutions will be a veeery long list for 2012. I'm so looking forward to moving forward and hopefully enjoying every little thing - I must have been a very wicked girl in my previous life!

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend - stitching, enjoying festivities! I will show you my new car soon - lots of good fun buying new things, but very time-consuming!

WIP - Thank You Sarah!

Perhaps a brave step, but I am enjoying it! This is a small quilt designed by Sarah Fielke and shown in her book Quilting from little things ... This book has quite a few great projects, so all in all a good investment! The eagle has been pressed over freezer paper and is ready for stitching tonight. Then to quilt - will it be by machine or Perle 8 by hand - we'll see how we go for time. I really do like the pieced background - gives me itchy fingers to do more!

I haven't managed to get much sewing done this week - even though I have no car now, I have still managed a couple of days out - just lovely! These gorgeous blooms, Angel Face, have been picked now and adorn my tidy bedroom - oh, what a mess it was! - not only does it smell gorgeous, it is just lovely to be greeted by pretty roses, too. Happy day everyone, I hope to get back into some sewing again tomorrow!

Blogger Likes Me Again!

Bad luck seems to be following me, so even being able to have a little chat is welcome and makes my day brighter. I have been unable to post for over a week and then all of a sudden late yesterday everything came good - fingers crossed it is onwards and upwards from here on in!
I had finished another circle Monday evening and was happily driving to Mandurah to do a little shopping on Tuesday when BANG! - my car crashed into another - now I'm a very sad little black duck as I have a fractured sternum. Lots of bad pain and a hospital stay and I am still here and very grateful about that. So let's think about pretty quilts and fabrics - it really does ease the pain a little.

Gorgeous fabric - what for? - oh, I don't know, but I love it! I bought the bundle of fat quarters from my LPS Calico & Ivy and it is from the Rowan group by Melissa White - really exciting prints and colours!

I still have Chrissie presents to make - this little quilt From Little Things ... by Sarah Fielke teases me with its quirkiness - oh, yes let's enjoy a little bit of frivolity. It will be nice to have something prepared to while away time with a bit of applique and big-stitch quilting - I can rotary cut a little, can I machine sew? - we'll find out this afternoon.
I'm so sorry I haven't posted Giveaways, etc - I was going to pick up some packaging when I got to the post office - didn't make it sadly!

Happy stitching!

New Fabrics!

Now you can see what I have done with my two Keiko Goke fabrics, did I tell you I have ordered more, I'm smitten? - kinda cute, huh! The start of an Album Block quilt - could be? And I think the time has come ... I am starting to fall in love ... with my new Janome, whew! thank goodness. While I have been ratting around in my cupboards (again), I have come across the start of a Stars and Sprigs quilt - sadly it will never be, but I really can't leave this sitting in a cupboard - let's see what I can make with perhaps one more applique block!

While I've been in 'My Studio', my David has been dead-heading the roses. Good Boy - he's 37 years old now, one of my twins - just home for R&R! I owe lots to this great guy - keeps my gardens looking lovely!

I've said this before and I'll say it again - when I am finished here, I'm off to cut some Kaffe scraps for a VIP, oh, you know who you are, lol!

Oh, also - must pop over the road to get something nice for dinner - and also, tidy up the mess on my cutting table - I can't see the wood for the trees and really don't function too well under those conditions! Happy weekend everyone!

My Giveaway Winners!

Here we are - congratulations to the following two girls - Celia from Quilting By Celia and Kerry from A Little Stitching . Celia has won the Owl Kit and Kerry The Sherbet Pips! Thank you to all who have entered - I have spent a lot of time browsing new blogs and making new friends, just lovely - I wish I could have given you all prizes, lol!
There's been a few things going on and as you can see a little retail therapy, too. Another gorgeous book by Suzuko Koseki and two great fabrics by Keiko Goke which I love! Cathy from Cabbage Quilts led me astray and I just had to try - oh, yes I love! And, oh - the white background fabric, just gorgeous with cute little dragonflys, I would have bought metres if there had been more on the bolt. Top r/h corner - just a little sneak peek!
Happy day everyone - I think I am off to one very untidy studio!

Still Going Around in Circles!

Goodness me - I really enjoy stitching these circles - lovely applique which I love! I didn't realize I had now finished four - the top right just this afternoon. I have broken away from The Circle Game - a bit typical of me with BOM's - I have convinced myself I just don't have the staying power - says she - wait until we see what 2012 brings! With this particular circle, I work on two rounds of fabrics and place the templates on top - it works for me and it is nice to veg out on when chatting at my sewing groups. How many more will I do?

My new funky journal/to-do book - I lost the last one in the big black hole I have in my life! This one is a recipe book and the same size - gorgeous guys, so I'm happy.

Thank you everyone who has popped in for the Giveaway I posted yesterday - lovely to check out new blogs and lots of oldies, too - please keep any Comments to previous blog otherwise they will get lost in 'the big black hole', too! Happy day and as dear Don Lane would have said, 'I love your smiling faces'!