Mug Rug received!

just a quick one to show a picture of my mug rug - it was sent all the way to Lynne in Maryland USA and arrived safe and sound!

apologies for crappy picture - my phone is not so good at taking pictures in unnatural light i have discovered!

pugs and kisses
crafty
xx

Good news - my first PIF project received!

just remporting that my first Pay it forward package was recieved by Sue!!
she has blogged about it here

i made here a Christmas table runner out of blocks that i had received in the swap.  i wanted to do this because Sue is the person that runs Quilting block swaps Australia....and it was that group that really got me going with quilting, blogging and chatting with all you lovely ladies!  anyhoo, i wanted to show my appreciation, so i am glad that she liked it!

gotta keep working on my other two PIF projects though!
pugs and kisses
crafty
xx

FNSI report! and a puglet smile

hi all!
hope you had a good friday night and got some craftyness done

this is what i did...

after the puglet settled - quite quickly actually - whew! - i got out my hand stitching to keep working on my butterfly garden quilt - i am quite addicted at the moment!

my hubby's football team was on the telly - the adelaide crows - so we watched that.  but they got THUMPED by 103 points....hubby unimpressed and went to bed early!

i finished this small block, but it has 4 small squares in the centre then with the long pieces, so took me a while to get it all correct....

shown here is the block, and my newest 'invention'!  i bought an ironing board cover and cut it up so that i had a flat piece to put on my stable table with my travel iron!  now i can iron my piecing and attach fusible web etc all from the comfort of my lounge room!  no more lugging out the big ironing board each time

and to finish, the first photo of my puglet smiling!  i finally caught one...

much love, smiles, pugs and kisses
crafty

FNSI TONIGHT!!!

wow - i lost track of time
Friday night sew in is tonight!!!
sign up at Handmade by Heidi asap!
have fun
crafty
xx

handstitching project back on track

hello!
i have been working hard on my machine piecing projects out in my sewing space in the back shed when i have time - but i have been wanting to get something on the go for the evening times. puglet is now going down at the same time as the little human in the evenings and then waking for feeds later - so i have a bit of down time

i rediscovered my love for this project in the last few days and really want to keep it moving. i looked back through the blog and found my last post about it over a year ago! crikey.

here are some pictures of what i have achieved in the last few days.  my aim is to piece the entire quilt by hand.  it is a good project for this because it is made of small blocks joined into larger ones, joined into the quilt

i just love the colours and the scrappy look of it.  this is what the finished thing should look like!

ive finished the top 2 large squares only!  gotta keep stitching :)

here is a sneak peek of something i made for a PIF person :) in the mail in the next couple of days - number 1 finished!

on the kids front, everything is going really well. puglet is starting to settle into a kind of pattern, so things a bit more predictable during the day now. she is a really placid baby, which is great for the energy of the little human!

much love pugs and kisses
crafty

positive feedback from the harshest critic!

hi all!
good news! mum loved her pin cushion!

as i mentioned the other day, she can be a harsh critic of crafting pursuits!  but she was impressed that i had met her need of not stabbing herself with pins in the leg by putting some card in the bottom :)

i also got to work on my blocks for this months Christmas Block swap. my partner Robyn requested christmas trees in either applique or patchwork.  i wasnt sure the look she was going for, so i made two.  here are sneak peeks....

this is some more work on my pay it forward project....can't give away too much :)

here is my next big project i need to get a move on with - this is my mother-in-laws 60th birthday quilt.  it has pictures from all the grandkids on it.  here are the first bits of it

her birthday isn't until novemeber, but i know that that time will fly!  will show you more as it grows :)

pugs and kisses
crafty
xx

bits and pieces

hi!
ive enjoyed a quick fly around some of my fave blogs just now - and people have been doing some really lovely things! i love the soft colours that people seem to be using at the moment - just beautiful!

well, here are the things that i have been working on....

this is a (dodgy) sneak peek photo of my Christmas in July Mug Rug Swap that we ran through the Christmas Block Swap.

the back...

the front....

just have to get some little pressies to put in and then send it off to my partner.

next is my finished cat in the hat quilt top!  im really happy with it - the colours are great, and i like the way the four patches make a pattern diagonally.  i am about to start work on the back - my dad has written out the story of cat in the hat on fabric for me (he has neat handwriting!) and i am going to cut it up and piece it into the back.

and my final creation is a pin cushion for my mum.  she is a bit 'anti-craft' in that she thinks it is all a bit much (why would you cut up fabric just to sew it together again?.....and how many quilts does a person need anyway?).  i gave her a pin cushion that i had made, but didn't have a use for and she said that she didn't want it because pins always go through pin cushions and prick her leg when she mends in front of the telly (her extent of craft work!).

so this one has a piece of cardboard sewn into the bottom piece of fabric, and then is stuffed with polyfill.  i am going to see her on tuesday and will give it to her then - so i will let you know her thoughts :)

and to finish with - a piccie of the little human enjoying a day at the zoo - its always great when the get to interact with the animals!

much love and kisses
crafty

xx

I know it is wet and the sun is not sunny....

but we can have lots of good fun that is funny!!!

yep, that's right, ive ben hard at work on the little human's Cat in the Hat quilt!
The piecing is done, just have to add the borders....

also been working on my Pay It Forward projects (the deadline for which is coming up fast! eeep!) but i can't give away too much, because it is a surprise!

Been using the jelly roll I bought - Lovely from the moda line......and it is indeed lovely!  i think i will make a few more of the gifts with it!

pugs and kisses!
crafty
xx

lucky lucky me!

hi!
while i was in hospital with the puglet, it was my 32nd birthday! my in laws know my love of craft and said that they would take me and let me loose in a craft shop! yay!

so i chose Hetties Patch because i hadn't been there before - and it was fantastic!!!!  SO.....MUCH....FABRIC! so hard to choose.

but choose i did - this is a Sherbet Pips Jelly Roll - been dreaming of what to make Puglet with this while up at night feeding her

and this awesome Dr Seuss Cat in the Hat fabric pack to make a quilt for the little human - he loves Cat in the Hat (and then something went BUMP! how that BUMP made us JUMP!)

can't wait to make it!

speaking of the kids, here is a recent photo of the little human at the very cool adventure playground out Noarlunga way - this is him on the 'jungle drums' - man he loves to make noise!  such a good day

and this is my little puglet - she is much more awake and alert now - 5 weeks old already!  what a cutie (if i do say so myself!)

much love, pugs and kisses
crafty
xx

Toy Society drop two and three

Hi!

DROP TWO
a while a go i was lucky enough to win a make your own stupid sock creatures box kit from Homespun.
very cool, because not something i would have bought myself - but a good thing to try!

so anyhoo, this is the finished product!  I named him Stripy

he is a bit too fragile for my kids or for their mates, so thought Stripy would be a good Toy Society drop.  This is him packaged up and ready to go

and as per my Toy Society project mentioned earlier, I am only dropping around our local council area of Playford.  Here is Stripy ready to be found and loved!

DROP THREE
ages and ages ago, i started making Hilda the Hippo of Melly and Me.  yesterday, i finally finished her!   here she is in all her glory!

and again, i thought she would make a good Toy Society drop - something a bit different.  I couldn't find a clear bag big enough to fit her - so this is her ready to go!

and because it was a bit rainy out here yesterday, i had to find somewhere undercover for her, seeing as she was unprotected!  so this is her out the front of the local swimming pool.

hopefully, they both find good homes and someone to love them!

hope you have had a fun crafty few days too
many pugs and kisses
crafty
xx