Why, it's a Horse of course!

No, this isn't a mug shot either, it's just a purple hobby horse lining up for her first photo shoot before being given away.
Isn't she just so cheeky? Perfect for my neice for her 1st birthday. Just need to add the stick with wheels on it and she can ride to Banbury Cross and back again! :)

The pattern for the horse has come from a local designer, Couzart Creations. I had a lot of fun making the horse. Maybe there's another one waiting to come out of the cupboard one day....??

Flowers are blooming....

very nicely on this particular quilt. A quilt which just didn't keep me inspired. It was an UFO for a very long time (about 10 years). Last week, with a deadline looming because I had entered it into a quilt show - I finished it Drum roll please for the great unveiling...
Here is a detail of the quilting from the back of the quilt.....

And another photo showing some applique and quilting details...

I feel so relieved to have completed this quilt. In my mind I can now move onto other things!

And... some late breaking news - I have won a first prize at the Ballan Quilt Show for my domestic machine piecing and quilting. More to come in the next post! Soooo excited...... :)

Where's the Bolly???

Who remembers Patsy always asking Edina for it in the Absolutely Fabulous TV series? I sure do and guess what I'm holding in the photo? BOLLINGER - real, live simply divine proper French Champagne. What an absolute treat! The reason for the celebration was my MIL 70th birthday lunch and so my SIL decided we needed a treat too! Fabulous! Just what was needed for lunch - vbg.
And.... I still managed to get the borders on the quilt top, below after everyone went home later that afternoon. This was a fantastic pattern, which I tried for a friend. An excellent Stashbuster, as out of 5.5m required for the top, I only had to buy 1 - and I have all the backing and binding fabrics from stash as well as wadding and quilting thread! It was clearly meant to be! Very happy.....

Enjoy, life is good.... :)

Isn't it wonderful when.....

everything works the way it is supposed to? Tonight, I sat down at the PC, it is no longer having hissy fits, the camera cable was in the right spot and hubby has just made me a cafe latte - mmmm..... perfect!

While I have been away from the PC this past month, I have not been idle. Here are some snapshots of what I have been working on lately...

Chenille Cushions

Blue & White Toile Cross Stitch, which is currently being framed.

And there is some other stuff, but that needs to wait until the big group reveal, otherwise I would be letting the cat out of the bag - and we don't want that now, do we? :)

New Years' Resolutions...

Almost 3 months has passed since I last wrote on this blog! What happened to the time? I think it got swallowed up in the comings and goings of family life. While I have been on holidays, it has given me time to think, clean up with spiders webs gathering in the corners and organise my sewing space a bit better. In the process, I have rejoined the Stashbuster UFO Challenge again, with the same resolution as last year, to complete as many UFOs as I can.

However, I am not going to complete all of them this year, they currently stand at 38, but I aim to have 20 finished before NYE 2011. 13 of the 20 are ready for quilting with tops, backs and wadding ready to go.

I have made a list for January - if it goes into February, it doesn't matter. This list has 5 things on it; 3 x UFOs and 2 x other. A bite sized chunk of projects, with interest and variety to keep my mojo in top motivational order :)

Oh, and while there are no photos in this post, I promise that there will be in the next one. That's all for now, the roast dinner is nearly ready for serving....... mmmmmmm, yummmm

UFO #40 is a buggy affair...

... along with some Turtles and Paw Prints too. This is a very bright quilt. Not my usual type of colour scheme, but the Mum that it's for is a very 'colourful' person, that is, she loves colour and lots of it.
Made with an Irish Chain Pattern and some interesting fabrics, both the front and the back of the quilt look pretty good. I quilted it with an all over open stipple with a variegated thread as I knew that cross-hatch would look terrible on the back becasue it wouldn't line up with the blocks.
The quilt front (above) and the quilt back (below).Now that's 4 down and 36 to go on my UFO list! LOL!

UFO #35 - I have not been idle.......!

Ta Da.... here is another completed UFO. Yes, a baby quilt, just like the others. My gorgeous little neice now has her quilt. She has only been waiting since her arrival some 6 months ago! I am very happy with the results. It was made from half of a jelly roll, a Kaffe Fasset print and a mint leaf print. I used the "wallpaper stripes" pattern from the book "Quilt Road" by Kaffe Fasset for the centre section of the quilt.

UFO #9 is a done deal!

A short post today to let you know that another one bites the dust! Well, not literally, but at least it's a fully finished "done done" quilt. This is another baby quilt, made quite simply with Chenille Squares and 1/4 square triangles.
This first photo shows a detail of the blocks and the quilting, the second photo shows the whole quilt. This quilt was another of my own design. Who said things had to be complicated? :)

This is such a soft and cuddly quilt. I just love it! I hope the new Mum does too....

UFO #34 is off the list!

Ta Da....... Here it is! My very first UFO finish of the year, as listed in the pile of projects way back in late Dec '08. This is a cot/baby quilt, completed just yesterday for a friend whose baby was born in February. It is now a "done-deal" and packaged up ready to give away. Unfortunately the photo doesn't show the lovely variegated thread that I used for the quilting and the rose design that is all over it, but no matter, it's the overall effect that counts. And the fact that I have completed one project in the list of many. Now let's see, what will come up next on the list.......... I wonder...........

My Loyal Subjects...

Well, it arrived, and then left in a great hurry, my reign as UFO Queen on Stashbusters. While I have managed to begin and finish a few projects this year, I haven't actually completed an UFO that I listed at the start of they year. For this I had the dubious honour of being Queen of UFOs for one week. This experience has humbled me and made have to confess to a fellow Stashbuster that I have waaaayyy to many projects on the go. Hopefully I will have some photos in a few days of two completed quilts, that is "done-done" with labels and binding........

So, to my loyal subjects, from your humble queen, may your quilting projects become usable quilted objects....... :)