Finally!

I received a huge stash of gorgeous fabrics in the post from Iddy Biddy Designs. They have some amazing specials on at the moment. And each colour grouping of fat quarters was individually packaged with a little surprise in each one - sometimes a colour coordinated button, sometimes embroidery thread or a handmade yoyo! I am so impressed with the presentation. When I ordered these online, the automatically calculated postage was a bit exorbitant and then payment was through Paymate which adds a small commission - but I kind of shrugged and thought with the bargains I am getting it doesn't matter. Overall it is still cheap! But then Wendy emailed me and said to compensate for the over-charging of postage she was putting in a little extra something, which turned out to be not little at all - some gorgeous fabrics, thread, buttons, gift cards. I am really impressed with the service and presentation of Iddy Biddy Designs, a company I haven't ordered from before. I will definitely be a return customer!

The reason for this post's heading is because of the nightmare that is Australia Post! I had a card on my door when I got home from work last Thursday saying I had 2 parcels to collect from the post office on the other side of my suburb, and they would be available from 4pm that day. It was too late to go so I popped in on Saturday and they couldn't find them! They said the contractor who did their deliveries hadn't returned on Thursday afternoon so it was probably still in his van. So I left my numbers and asked them to call me on Tuesday to confirm when they came in. They hadn't called by mid afternoon so I called them, and a very rude man said they weren't there, but they had lost my numbers so I had to give them again. I waited all week and still didn't hear anything then finally called again today and I spoke to a woman who was much more polite and said they had discovered the contractor was leaving the wrong cards so it was probably at another post office. So she called my local post office (around the corner) and found out they had been sitting there all week! So I was annoyed as I could have been playing with these fabrics last weekend. And annoyed also that they were never going to call me to tell me this, so if I hadn't kept chasing it up I would never have found my packages. I was going to complain about this but you can't email a complaint to Australia Post - you have to post it to a snail mail address!

Three Doorstops

Above are the 3 doorstops finished. They were so easy and fun to make.

Below is a photo I took last night. There is a spider who makes a massive web between the orange tree and the garage every night and every day it gets ruined and he has to re-make it again. I very rarely see him - he only comes out at night. He looks very celestial, I thought. The little sparkly bits are the bugs he has caught. I don't know what kind he is.

Big Lap Dogs

Is this the biggest lap dog you have seen? Sugar and Spice both love having a nap on mine or J's lap. Sugar is very pleased with herself here. Not only is she getting a cuddle she is stopping her Daddy from putting his shoes on to go out.




Spice was jealous, so was having a sulk.


But then, Daddy moved here so they could all snuggle together.

Easter Monday

I have been making some cute doorstops today. I needed a quick and simple project. I sewed four strips from a jelly roll together and then cross cut some triangles and put them together in a pyramid.

I wasn't sure it was going to work out - I'm not much good at calculations and I made this pattern myself! So the first one was simple - I didn't add the embellishments til it was finished.

With more confidence, I made this second one, sewing on the trims before putting it altogether.

I have enough of my 4-strip piece to make a third. I think I had better invest in some kitty litter or sand though. J caught me furtively filling these with dried beans and rice from the pantry. After he stopped giving me strange looks, he made dour comments about them attracting mice. He is probably right too.

At it again

I cleared out my vegie garden today - it had become so feral I couldn't even get in there to find any vegetables! It was like a jungle! I ripped heaps of things out but saved the last of the vegies, so I am back to pickle making again today. Sigh, I thought that was over for another year. So I'm making bread and butter cucumbers, green tomato pickle and zucchini pickles. Here are some of the vegies degorging.

I haven't done much sewing this week. I was back at work after a few days off with very nasty virus, and just found it exhausting. I just wanted to sleep when I came home. In fact, I just wanted to sleep while I was at work too! But I did start quilting Lyle's Asian quilt. I am just quilting in the ditch and will probably stipple the wide border. An all over design would have looked better, but at this stage I just want to get it finished, it has been sitting around for so long. Lyle wants it finished too - this was supposed to be his birthday present not from last year, but the year before!

Yummy Patterns

I was thrilled to receive these yummy patterns in the post today, a prize from The Red Boot Quilt Company's Blog. Can't wait to make them, they look like so much fun. It was MUCH MUCH more pleasant than the car rego and insurance bills I also received today!

Another One Bites the Dust

Yay, finished another cot quilt. I might give this one to my sister who is due next month and expecting a girl. Not sure yet.

I love the backing fabric of this quilt, it is so cheerful and cute.

Finished!

Just finished sewing the binding on while watching the midday movie.

Pincushion Competition

Blueberry Lane is running a competition to win an out of print Lynette Anderson Pincushion book. You just need to pop over to her blog and Lynette's and leave a comment, and post a pic of your pincushion on your own for an extra chance.

So here are mine:


I had some scraps of Japanese fabrics at one stage so tried my hand at Sashiko quilting to make the first little one. The second one is from a Bareroots pattern. Both are a little dusty ..... I tend to stick my pins into any available surface, so you can normally find booby traps of pins in the arms of sofas, the ironing board .... anywhere but a pin cushion really.

This little beehive has never been used. It just sits on a shelf. It is a little lopsided and not very firmly stuffed. Not a very good pincushion really.

A few weeks ago a patchwork friend shared info on this Pincushion Challenge. The comp doesn't close til September, but it is certainly time to start thinking about Pincushions.

Quilting

In between naps (I have the flu) I have been quilting my cot quilt. I am just quilting in the ditch. Not sure what I am going to do with the dresden plate in the middle yet.

Dirty machine

My feed dogs have been playing up and no wonder - look how much fluff is in there! I only cleaned my sewing machine a couple months ago and I give it a quick once over every time I change the bobbin. I don't know where all this came from. It's a wonder the machine worked at all!

I have also been experimenting with baby bibs. This is my first attempt. The button and buttonhole aren't done yet.

Wednesday Afternoon

A friend recently asked me to make a cot quilt for him, for a friend of his who is expecting a baby girl this month. Here is what I have put together so far. Although it is already big enough, I think I will put a final narrow border all the way around to unite it all.

I had originally sketched up a design using the fabrics above for a cot quilt, but unfortunately the key fabric - a yellow on yellow - was out of stock so all my plans were ruined. As I need to finish a cot quilt for my friend within the next week or two, I had to come up with an alternative. But I will try to get a nice yellow to make up my design in the future.

I received this lovely boy's quilt in the mail today - I am so thrilled with it. A patchwork friend was having a clean out and selling off some samples, and I was lucky enough to buy this one for virtually nothing! Her work is so amazing!

Sunday night

I was hoping to get some time to play with fabrics this weekend, but have come down with a really nasty cold so haven't done much at all. I've been in bed most of today, which is where I still am now, but am being kept warm by Spice who is under the blankets on my feet. Sugar is nestled up with her head under my arm, snoring away loudly. I think we will all have an early night tonight. J is at the cricket tonight so we will probably all be asleep by the time he gets home.