Check it out...

I had a lovely email the other day from Yvonne asking me if I would mind if she shared one of my tutorials on her blog. Yvonne has just recently started this blog and has links to allsorts of craft tutorials on the net so what are you waiting for Go check it out... http://thesemagicalyears.blogspot.com/2010/01/hat-pincushion.html

I have had a wonderful week, DH's sister came for a few days with her 4 children, sure it was all go with 11 of us in the house(just as well we are blessed with a big house!)but it was also heaps of fun and lots of laughter! We ended up with 17 people in our house at one stage! Tomorrow we are heading down to Foxton beach where DH has booked us a lovely bach by the sea, I can't wait I have already packed the essentials, some good books and some stitcheries! I'll pack my clothes soon Lol! We are so blessed to have some wonderful friends coming to house sit, milk and look after all our animals it is nice to know everything will be in good hands while we are gone:oD

TTFN

A special day...

Today is a very special day...today we celebrate my daughters 15th birthday! So big hugs to you my beautiful girl!  Thanks for the last 15 years, for your smiles and your laughter, for you thoughtfulness, for just being you and for making our lives so much fun!  We Love you so much...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RUTH!   

OK enough with the soppy stuff! It is now time to share my latest finish...

Poppy came over to check it out, I think she was eyeing it up for a saddle blanket!

I love this quilt, it is made from the Harvest Home range of fabrics, they are just beautiful!

The quilting was done by Bev Smart. So that's two finishes so far this month!

Best Intentions...

Well I had the best of intentions to post photo's of my latest finish today but the weather is just not co-operating argh! It is supposed to be summer here in New Zealand and for the last 2 days it has been a mite chilly and the wind is horrendous, hence no photo:o(( Instead I thought I would post another clue to the pattern I'm designing... for those of you that aren't sure what I'm talking about please refer to this post...

http://michellespatch.blogspot.com/2009/11/sneak-peak.html

A little more background information... I started this quilt/wallhanging for myself and when I showed it to Claire @ Cinnamon Lodge(my favourite local patchwork shop) she suggested I make it into a pattern and she will sell it in her shop, so I jumped in with both feet and said "YES"  Now comes all the hard work, I am very diligently keeping notes of my progress for the dreaded 'writing of the instructions' the part everyone seems to dread;o)

So if you are interested in winning a pattern, keep an eye out for clues and the person who has the closest guess will win not only the pattern but something extra as well(not sure what yet tho, but will keep an eye out for something special) So without further ado here's the next clue...

You think you know?  Shh don't say anything just yet, it might me what you think and then again it might not!

Smocked dress...

Today I thought I would show you all this gorgeous little dress...

This little dress was made by my mother in 1967 while attending Stratford High School and she was in Form 3. My Nana(Mum's Mum) had it stored away somewhere safe for many many years! When I came along my Mum had asked for it but it was well hidden away in that safe place! Lol But before my Nana died, she found it, it was still in perfect condition too! The dress is made out of the softest lawn and is entirely hand stitched, the stitches are so small and even! She got a 1st in class for best finished garment! And now it has pride of place in my bedroom, Thanks Mum! I shall treasure it always!

Next post another finish...

My first finish...

This has got to be my oldest UFO, or should I say was my oldest UFO, and my first finish for the OPAM challenge!

I had intended to have it completed for my Dad for Christmas but he didn't come down for Christmas this year and in all the busyness of the season it went on the back burner until...  Dad rang last weekend and said they would be here in a week, so my sewing room was a buzz with activity. As a few of you know my DH bought me a Juki and a swiftquilter frame last Christmas and up until now I had only had practice tops on the frame. I had to overcome my fear and just go ahead and quilt a real quilt. Once I worked out why it kept catching(the feed dogs had jambed and hadn't gone down properly argh!) I was away!  It's far from perfect, but I am quite pleased with my first effort:oD  And Dad loved it!!!

A fresh start...

Do you remember the feeling of starting a new school year, when you sit down with your new books, you open to that first page, that nice fresh crisp first white page... well that is how I feel about my blog this year! Last year I decided to do something fancy with my blog layout, and while I liked it, it just had a too busy cluttered feel to it, so I've decided to go simple.  I am still working on a new header so keep a look out for that sometime soon.

I have also decided to join OPAM 2010, I have many projects I want to finish(as we all do) and I figured if I finish one a month I should work my way through my UFO's by the end of the year.  I will no doubt start a few new UFO's and that's OK, but I'm going to try to finish more than I start!  It's also great to know many of you will be joining right along side me!

A Giveaway...

I have been very fortunate to met Rebecca through blogging, she is a wonderful person so go on over and visit Bec here... http://homesteadquilting.blogspot.com/2010/01/i-find-it-hard-to-believe-that-i-have.html? and enter in her generous giveaway!