I’ll be Gnome For Christmas

Today is the release of my latest design….. PRESENTING>>>>>>>>>>> I’ll Be Gnome For Christmas A little bit of bright fun to add to your Christmas in July stitching and it’s ready for purchase now. This design just adds a sweet, yet quirky take on Christmas, bringing the garden indoors with it’s round bellied Gnoma Claus and Mushmas Trees !   A little bit of easy piecing makes this pattern look difficult (but really it’s not!), and some easy applique add the finishing Christmassy touches.  I’ve loved designing and making this quilt and I’m sure you will too. Just head over to my Craftsy shop where you can purchase your PDF pattern which you can download instantly and begin straight away.  A great little lap quilt measuring 60in x 48in (152.5cm x 122cm), you’ll have it made in no time, ready to celebrate Christmas in July. And if you purchase now, you’ll be prepared with something to do for our FNSI - Friday Night Sew In this Friday (signups tomorrow!). Have a great day and a happy Christmas in July… Sugary hugs xox  :o)      

I’ll be Gnome For Christmas

Today is the release of my latest design…..

PRESENTING>>>>>>>>>>>

I’ll Be Gnome For Christmas

A little bit of bright fun to add to your Christmas in July stitching and it’s ready for purchase now.

This design just adds a sweet, yet quirky take on Christmas, bringing the garden indoors with it’s round bellied Gnoma Claus and Mushmas Trees !   A little bit of easy piecing makes this pattern look difficult (but really it’s not!), and some easy applique add the finishing Christmassy touches.  I’ve loved designing and making this quilt and I’m sure you will too.

Just head over to my Craftsy shop where you can purchase your PDF pattern which you can download instantly and begin straight away.  A great little lap quilt measuring 60in x 48in (152.5cm x 122cm), you’ll have it made in no time, ready to celebrate Christmas in July.

And if you purchase now, you’ll be prepared with something to do for our FNSI - Friday Night Sew In this Friday (signups tomorrow!).

Have a great day and a happy Christmas in July…

Sugary hugs xox  :o)

 

 

 

It’s finally finished and release of the Gnomes..

It’s been a marathon, but the wedding quilt is finally finished!  ( it was even too big for the clothesline when it was lifted up to the highest it could go) I think it took longer to quilt than it took to cut and piece! (don’t you just love a quilt flapping in the breeze?) But I guess that’s what you get when you free motion a queen sized quilt on a domestic machine….but I do know now that if anyone says it can’t be done or it’s too hard or uses any of the other 10 000 excuses I know I’ve used in the past, it’s not true…… I have proof! (just be prepared to take the time….and allow for it in the planning *oops*) So finally a finish for July…..I was hoping for June but it just wasn’t going to happen.  At least it’s still snuggly weather and the newlyweds can enjoy it. And to celebrate….I’m going to release my “I’ll be Gnome for Christmas” lap quilt pattern on Craftsy tomorrow…….why, you might ask?  Well it is Christmas in July season, and now I’m finally finished June Wedding celebrations, I can share more with you!  Pop on over to my shop tomorrow where you can purchase the PDF pattern for instant download. While you’re contemplating that……I’m off to work on a new design….. secret squirrel stuff!  *wink* Sugar sweet hugs xox   :o)  

It’s finally finished and release of the Gnomes..

It’s been a marathon, but the wedding quilt is finally finished!  ( it was even too big for the clothesline when it was lifted up to the highest it could go)

I think it took longer to quilt than it took to cut and piece!

(don’t you just love a quilt flapping in the breeze?)

But I guess that’s what you get when you free motion a queen sized quilt on a domestic machine….but I do know now that if anyone says it can’t be done or it’s too hard or uses any of the other 10 000 excuses I know I’ve used in the past, it’s not true…… I have proof! (just be prepared to take the time….and allow for it in the planning *oops*)

So finally a finish for July…..I was hoping for June but it just wasn’t going to happen.  At least it’s still snuggly weather and the newlyweds can enjoy it.

And to celebrate….I’m going to release my “I’ll be Gnome for Christmas” lap quilt pattern on Craftsy tomorrow…….why, you might ask?  Well it is Christmas in July season, and now I’m finally finished June Wedding celebrations, I can share more with you!  Pop on over to my shop tomorrow where you can purchase the PDF pattern for instant download.

While you’re contemplating that……I’m off to work on a new design…..

secret squirrel stuff!  *wink*

Sugar sweet hugs xox   :o)

 

Ideas that make quilting a dream

It’s been a good few days (or more) since I’ve blogged, basically because I’ve been head down, backside up working away at this VERY overdue quilt…….who would have guessed the quilting would take longer than the actually process of putting the quilt together? This time, I tried spray basting the layers in the sandwich together   lightly before pinning (as was suggested in one of the Craftsy videos) and it’s made a real difference…much easier to quilt as the layers don’t shift. So I’m nearly there’…. I’ve finished crosshatching each of the coloured blocks and quilting each of the 41 large beige blocks…. and each of the 41 small beige blocks… and I’ve even got one of the three borders done too…. and seeing as it’s a 10 inch border, I’ve mirror-imaged the quilting design….more hearts and squiggles (well, it is a wedding quilt!!) After watching quite a few of my Craftsy online quilt lessons, I saw a great idea for FMQ so I thought I’d try it…..and it worked a treat!  Picked up some of this non-slip matting for $1 at the local ‘cheap’ shop and cut two squares out and voila…instant grip for quilting…..so much easier than gloves! made it a dream to quilt….so much easier. That and my frixion pen for marking my design……makes quilting a treat…..not as stressful as it used to be!  I know that some people hate them, but in our tropical weather, we don’t have the problem of the markings returning in extreme cold (unless we stick the quilts in the freezer) so once they’ve gone, they’ve gone! Well, the recipients are back from their honeymoon but it will be a week or so before they get their gift…..I’m close but not close enough, as hubby and I are going on a road trip tomorrow  for a few days….we’re off to Mt Isa.   We’ll be visiting all the fossil sites and stopping off at the little antique shops along the way, just to see another part of the beautiful world around us.   I’ll aim to post some quick blogposts of our travels along the way.  In the meantime, I have to pack…it’s an early start tomorrow so I’d better get a wriggle on. Sugary hugs xox  :o)  

Ideas that make quilting a dream

It’s been a good few days (or more) since I’ve blogged, basically because I’ve been head down, backside up working away at this VERY overdue quilt…….who would have guessed the quilting would take longer than the actually process of putting the quilt together?

This time, I tried spray basting the layers in the sandwich together   lightly before pinning (as was suggested in one of the Craftsy videos) and it’s made a real difference…much easier to quilt as the layers don’t shift.

So I’m nearly there’…. I’ve finished crosshatching each of the coloured blocks and quilting each of the 41 large beige blocks….

and each of the 41 small beige blocks…

and I’ve even got one of the three borders done too….

and seeing as it’s a 10 inch border, I’ve mirror-imaged the quilting design….more hearts and squiggles (well, it is a wedding quilt!!)

After watching quite a few of my Craftsy online quilt lessons, I saw a great idea for FMQ so I thought I’d try it…..and it worked a treat!  Picked up some of this non-slip matting for $1 at the local ‘cheap’ shop and cut two squares out and voila…instant grip for quilting…..so much easier than gloves!

made it a dream to quilt….so much easier.

That and my frixion pen for marking my design……makes quilting a treat…..not as stressful as it used to be!  I know that some people hate them, but in our tropical weather, we don’t have the problem of the markings returning in extreme cold (unless we stick the quilts in the freezer) so once they’ve gone, they’ve gone!

Well, the recipients are back from their honeymoon but it will be a week or so before they get their gift…..I’m close but not close enough, as hubby and I are going on a road trip tomorrow  for a few days….we’re off to Mt Isa.   We’ll be visiting all the fossil sites and stopping off at the little antique shops along the way, just to see another part of the beautiful world around us.   I’ll aim to post some quick blogposts of our travels along the way.  In the meantime, I have to pack…it’s an early start tomorrow so I’d better get a wriggle on.

Sugary hugs xox  :o)

 

Mixed blessings on the Wedding day

I had to utmost pleasure to witness a very close friend of mine, a teacher I team-taught with for 4 years, get married to the woman of his dreams yesterday…..it was beautiful……even better was watching a man with emotions (I’m talking, a man who has his guard up 24/7) shed a tear! none of this “he-man, manly, muscly, butch” stuff….but full-on, raw, exposed, REAL emotion…..it was beautiful. Set in a gorgeous tropical setting, it was a perfect day for the middle of winter (can you believe it?) and we even got to share the first meal with them at Watermark on the Strand.  With Marty being a HUGE Broncos fan, and Nay not knowing one end of the field from the other before she met Marty, the cake topper was the ideal choice… We enjoyed an afternoon of love, laughter and reminiscing…..the perfect combination in the most beautiful of settings…. It was an exceptionally beautiful day, all bar one thing…..I didn’t have their present ready…. I had been working on it day in-day out, trying to get it completed for the BIG day, but alas, the quilting beat me!  I still have a bit to go, but now it’s going to be their after-honeymoon gift. They assure me they don’t mind, but I have mixed emotions…wanting to complete it in time but wanting to have it ‘just perfect’ saw me not finishing it in time……. so it just means another visit real soon to these two wonderful newlyweds for their first very special delivery!  I’m sure I’ll be making a baby quilt in the near future *wink*   I’ll just have to plan my time better for that one!   May they be forever blessed. Sugary Sweet hugs xox