Progress

One more row of blocks to go then I think I'll ditch stitch around the bullseyes.

Quilting

Block 4 Tail Feathers

Ready to Quilt

I'm hoping to put Bullseye on the doover (quilting frame) tonight. The flannel backing has been purchased

and pieced together with a piano key strip along the centre.

Labels have been stitched on the embroidery machine 

Threads still to be trimmed.  The first label photo shows the colour of the thread better.

We've been invited out for dinner tomorrow night so that gives me a bit more quilting time as I won't have to cook and we'll enjoy the night with our friends.  I love weekends.

Presents

Progress has been made on Bullseye - finished sewing the strip triangles on Saturday afternoon just before John and I went to see "Avatar" 3D (which we both enjoyed, although I had my eyes shut quite often).

Yesterday, after ironing etc, I sewed the triangles into squares and trimmed them.

The blocks are sewn together and some of the bullseyes have been machine blanket-stitched - haven't had a machine that sews blanket-stitch before and I love it.  Tonight I'm hoping to finish sewing on the bullseyes and start on the borders - narrow black/white spot border and then lime green piano keys.

Our on-line group's first swap opening for 2010 was last Friday - the theme was Leanne Beasley.  I was lucky because I received my beautiful present from Jenny when I arrived in Kingaroy.  Jenny made me a basket liner (which I've always wanted) and there was another surprise when I arrived home - Jenny had sent me a basket.

Jenny liked the design so much she made one for herself.

My other partner was Bec and I combined two Leanne Beasley patterns to make her a block keeper - "Flowers for Erica" for the stitcheries and LB's block keeper pattern from Homespun No 28.

Finished stitching Block 3 of Tail Feathers last night

These blocks are so sweet - Baby Tail Feathers is due in 7 weeks.

Holiday

I am on holidays and last night returned from a fantastic 6 day stay in Queensland with my dear friend Diann.  On Friday we travelled to Kingaroy (via visiting my brother and a couple of other stops) and spent the weekend with Helen, Jenny, Teresa and Tereasa at The Quilter's Rest.  Teresa and Tereasa have some great photos on their blogs of The Quilter's Rest and what they were making.  So relaxing to be able to sew or do whatever you feel like without having to worry about cooking, housework etc and have such a great time with friends.

Diann, Jenny and Helen concentrating on their work.  Jenny quilted 3 quilts over the weekend! I have a fun video of Jenny dancing but can't work out how to upload it to blogger without putting it on You Tube.  Diann was working out block placement for her Bear Paw Quilt, which she finished putting together on Saturday night.

She was so enthusiastic she put the borders on the quilt below.

Helen was cutting, cutting, cutting then sewing, sewing, sewing - hundreds of half-square triangles and flying geese.  Her quilt will be so pretty when it's finished - the fabrics are beautiful.

What did I sew?  I spent Friday night and all of Saturday sewing together my Girls Day Out blocks.  I've borrowed this photo from Teresa because I didn't take one of the finished quilt top.  It's now ready for the roses to be appliqued then I can think about the quilting - won't be for a little while because I have a couple of other deadlines coming up.

Monday and Tuesday Diann and I continued our own retreat and I completed the centre of Alphabet Soup - borders next and finished off with prairie points.

Managed to fit in a bit of shopping at Thread and Ginger and The Quilter's Rest.

So all up it was a fantastic holiday and I don't go back to work till next Monday.  I hope to have finished all the blocks for the bright green string-pieced quilt (Bullseye) - I'm about halfway.  The circles will be appliqued on when the quilt top is together.

Skirts

One for Jenni

and two for me

No, I'm not that skinny - I've just folded them that way to hang better on the skirt hangers.

The Hills Are Alive

For Christmas, Elizabeth bought tickets for Mum, Jenni, Jared, herself and me to go to "Singalonga Sound of Music" - we went as the Von Trapp children in the "Do Re Mi" scene - dressed in curtain material.  It was such a fun night - we were hoarse from all the singing - there's some very high notes in "Climb Every Mountain".

The movie was shown in the beautiful State Theatre -magnificent chandaliers all around the dress circle and this huge chandalier in the middle of the ceiling.

"Tail Feathers" Block 2 is finished.

The Wish Quilt

This is the last large stitchery piece in Block 1 of Bronwyn Hayes's "The Wish Quilt" - this was in Homespun magazine at the end of 2008.  It has been in the cupboard 3/4 done for many months, so I took it to work a couple of weeks ago to finish off as my lunchtime stitching.  Now this stitchery is done, I can start to piece the block together and decide on the fabrics for the appliques.

Third block in our on-line group's 12-1/2" BOM is Jacob's Ladder.

7 sleeps until I fly to Queensland to visit Diann and 8 sleeps until we meet up with Jenny, Helen, Teresa and Tereasa at Kingaroy.  Not that I'm excited ...

Tail Feathers

My "at home" stitching for the last couple of weeks:  "Tail Feathers" Block 1 by Natalie Lymer - all of the designs are so sweet and I love the variegated thread in the birds' tail feathers (dmc 4120).

This quilt is for my dear friend Sharon's first grand-baby - due in May (on my birthday).