All Stitched Up

Taking The Plunge

2011-12-02T15:18:00.001-06:00

It's back to work on Monday, back to the regular routine. I've enjoyed the time off, but admit I'm looking forward to having my income again.
Rehab went well, and I have a list of exercises I need to continue with, my doctor tells me I can get rid of the walker and progress to a cane. I'm still not totally confident or stable but time will fix that I'm sure.
I certainly haven't spent my time just sitting. I used the time and took the plunge into hand applique. Not just one but two projects.
Having spoken to Bren and getting lots of pointers I decided it was time to also take the plunge and try hand quilting. This is what's in my frame, one leaf done and lots left.

I said I'd done two hand applique projects, the second is the Henrietta BOM. I had so much fun stitching this quilt. We'll see how well this hand quilting goes, and I may surprise myself and hand quilt the BOM quilt as well.

Happy Stitching
Linda

Great Buys

2011-11-28T10:33:00.001-06:00

I couldn't let the day go without helping the economy. If you're looking for a good sale then hop on over to this website they have a great sale going on for today, 20% off everything.

I have no idea what I'll do with these lovely fat quarter bundles, but they were far too good to pass up.

Thanks for the suggestions on Jenna's quilt, I decided to go with Linda's idea of another Seminole border and then the piano keys.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Border Suggestions Please

2011-11-16T16:09:00.001-06:00

I'm stuck, I have the body of Jenna's quilt made, but it still needs to be bigger. It currently measures approx 74 inch square and I want it to be able to fit nicely on a queen sized bed. It obviously needs another border or maybe two. I have plenty of fabric to play with, I had thought of adding a nine patch border but that would make it too big and it would still end up square, which won't fit on a queen bed. I then thought of a four patch border and decided what the heck lets ask for some ideas.

These are the first two borders I've added, a plain strip with a Seminole border.

What would you suggest to make it the right size?

Happy Stitching.
Linda

For the Kids

2011-11-15T20:52:00.001-06:00

My work is holding an auction on the weekend to raise funds for the local Children's Hospital and my supervisor asked if I could help.
So this pattern came to mind straight away. One that I made a couple of years ago and I loved making.
I went through my fabric shelves and scrap bin and came up with enough for a good sized crib quilt.

I always love the way a quilt looks once it's been washed and dried.

I delivered it to work this afternoon. It was nice to get out and to catch up with the girls from work.
I've been working on the Henrietta Whiskers BOM and thoroughly
enjoying the hand applique.
I hope to get back into the sewing room tomorrow and work on Jenna's quilt, that's been sitting since well before the surgery.

Happy Stitching
Linda

While I Wait

2011-11-08T14:45:00.000-06:00

While I wait for these lovely wool's to arrive.

I've been putting the last stitch's into the applique on this.

Once the wool arrives I can do the last of the applique and get it quilted.

Until then.
Happy Stitching.
Linda

Verandah Views

2011-11-03T12:15:00.001-05:00

The blocks for this little wall hanging have kept me busy this past week.

I managed to get into the sewing room to piece the blocks together.

It took several days.

As trying to work with a walker isn't that easy.

Plus I tired easily.

As I can't stand for too long.

But after a couple of days I had it put together.

Ready for quilting.

Which I managed to do in one afternoon.

Simple cross hatch quilting and a lemon binding.

All this sitting becomes very old, very quickly, and I discovered, it doesn't matter how much you pay for your cable service, there isn't anything on TV worth watching.
I'm now working on an applique project.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Three More Finishes

2011-10-20T18:12:00.002-05:00

I managed to maneuver myself in the sewing room today to get these blocks pressed and snapped.

As I stitched them on white linen I decided the sheep needed to be a little on the black side.

I was amazed how long these blocks took to stitch up.

I'm working on another and hope to be caught up on them soon, so I can move onto something different.

Happy Stitching.

Linda

It Passed The Sleep Test

2011-10-19T11:46:00.001-05:00

I had this quilt finished several weeks ago, minus the hand stitching of the binding.

For some reason the photo's have come out "fat".

I used up some of the left over pieces for the backing.

Throw it in the washer and dryer and it came out lovely and crinkly.

It got it's first use last night, lovely and soft.

Happy Stitching.

Linda

A Little Progress

2011-10-18T11:58:00.000-05:00

Just back from my first post op check-up. Those ugly staples have been removed. Not the most pleasant experience of my life, but oh well. I have 5 weeks to get my knee to bend to at least 90 degrees otherwise it's back in and open it up again to manipulate the joint. I'll be working hard with my PT to achieve that goal. The thought of another surgery is enough to get me moving.
I've been stitching this past week and have three more embroidery blocks done, but am unable to get into the sewing room to get them pressed, so you'll have to bear with me a little longer, until I feel more stable on my feet.
I'm looking forward to the day when I can once again sleep in my bed, this sleeping in a recliner is wearing a little thin.
Hope you're all having a productive week.

Happy Stitching
Linda

Home

2011-10-09T14:45:00.003-05:00

Two days after surgery and I'm home in the comfort of my own surroundings. They tell me the surgery went very well. Replaced the knee and turned the bone so it would be straight. I now have approx 20 metal staples running down the front of my leg.
They had me up on Saturday walking and today before I came home they removed the bulky dressing and replaced it with gauze strips, and the wonderful fashion statement of white support hose.
Thank you for your kinds words of encouragement and prayers.
Now I have the long hard stretch ahead of me with physical therapy, but it won't be too long and the pain and hard work will just be a distant memory.

Happy Stitching
Linda

Ready

2011-10-05T19:19:00.001-05:00

Thank you for the lovely comments on my previous post, my apologies for not replying. I've been busy getting things ready in preparation for my surgery.
Tayla celebrated her second birthday two weeks ago. We had a great afternoon at the Oklahoma City Zoo.
I love this photo of her and her mummy.

I've managed to finish another block in the mystery quilt, and have made a start on the third.

The tree trunk took forever to get finished. The bird buttons will be stitched on once the quilting is done.

On the weekend I finished up a parcel for Jenna.

A request for an apron was the beginning of it all.

So I decided to add a fun table runner and two place mats.

The apron was extremely quick and easy to get done.

Add a couple of pot mitts.

And a trivet.

And call it finished. Love the way the center star ended up.

So with all that done I can relax and work on my hand work that I have prepared in the upcoming weeks.

Surgery is scheduled for Friday and I'm hoping I'll be home by Sunday afternoon. I make a terrible patient. Please keep the day in your thoughts and prayers for a successful outcome, I have a few challenges with extreme allergic reactions to all the medications they plan on giving me.

Happy Stitching.

Linda

Weekend Sewing

2011-09-24T12:04:00.000-05:00

When you can't be there in person, there's only one other choice. Send a gift that speaks from the heart. (Click on the photo's for an enlarged view)

This was made with the intention of giving it to a friend in person.

But life steps in and changes your plans, so that's when the postal service is your second choice.

It's reached it's new home.

Today is apron making day and finishing the binding on these and getting them washed.

Finishes Prepping and Purchases

2011-09-18T21:32:00.001-05:00

I finished this little fellow quite a while ago. I saw him on a T-Shirt and thought he'd look cute as a wall hanging in Tayla's room.

I've been stitching these little birds at work in between answering the phones.

I've got enough fabric from this quilt left over to frame the blocks for a quilt for Tayla at Grans house,

I managed to get this one finished last weekend and have the binding on ready to sew down while I'm recovering from my knee surgery.

Jenna sent me a photo of an apron she wanted, so of course every good mum needs to shop for the right pattern.

And fabric. I hope to make a start on it next weekend.

I spent yesterday getting all the little applique pieces ready for this little wall hanging. All bagged up and ready and waiting for that time sitting at home.

Mystery Quilt

2011-09-14T07:47:00.001-05:00

I'm usually not one who joins in on mystery quilts, but when I saw many of the finished blocks to this mystery I knew I had to jump in. It's designed as an applique quilt but I immediately decided it would be great in embroidery. Here's my first finished block.

There's a link on my side bar that will take you to the blog that's hosting the mystery (french) where you can see many of the finished blocks, all beautifully done. There's also photo's of past quilts that this very talented lady has designed.
It will be a blog that I'll be watching in the future for more beautiful creations that she chooses to share with everyone.
If you decide to join in I'd love to hear from you and follow your progress.

Happy Stitching
Linda

Blessings

2011-09-04T16:32:00.000-05:00

Long weekends are wonderful, that extra day seems to make such a difference to what can be achieved in the sewing room. I'm fortunate that I have a great work schedule, working four 10 hour days, which gives me a three day weekend, so this extra day is great. I'm also fortunate in that I have the opportunity to sit and stitch at my desk in between taking calls.

The embroidery on this quilt was stitched at my desk over the last few months. During the weeks before work I've been working on putting the blocks together, and yesterday I was able to finish it up and get it quilted and bound.

It's heading to a lovely lady that I've never met in person, but have had the opportunity to speak to several times through my work. Her husband and I would have lengthy chats about anything and everything when the opportunity arose. She's going through some treatments and I thought it may make those treatments a little easier.

A little reminder of the things that we treasure in life.

And to remember to count our blessings.

Follow our hearts.

And treasure new friendships that come our way.
The pattern was one that was shared last year through Australian Homespun on their website as a stitch along.

Our little Tayla Bug is not so little anymore, she'll be celebrating her 2nd birthday in three weeks time. She had some time with Gran and Pop yesterday afternoon, so I took the opportunity to snap a few photo's.

I love this first one, those beautiful blue eyes get me every time.

Always busy doing something.

You may remember I showed you these quite a long time ago.

It was time to get them finished.

The lighting is terrible but I'm sure you get the idea, a little name banner to hang over her bed at Gran's house.

And this afternoon I've started to cut into these pretties and make a start on a new quilt.

Tomorrow we plan on going to the lake for a picnic lunch, something we haven't done in a very long time.

I hope you've managed to spend time with your family on this long weekend, enjoy the extra day and remembered to count your blessing.

Happy Stitching.

Linda.

Preparing

2011-08-21T15:57:00.001-05:00

Lots of changes happening in our home, the first is that we have a new address. The unpacking is complete and it now looks like home. We got rid of the old dinosaur pc and bought 2 lap tops. I'm still getting used to the keyboard, but it's nice not having a mountain of wires and cords running along the floor. Before we moved I managed to get this quilt finished. The colour in the photo is atrocious. I think if I made it again I would make a few changes but all in all I'm happy it's finished.

There's been alot of other changes happening. I came home from work last week to discover that someone decided they needed my speciality disabled ramp more than I did, so I now have to enter the house through the garage. My first thought was I hope they dropped it and broke their foot, but realised that didn't mirror the thoughts of my Savior, so I hope they are blessed with it. I've started the process of ordering a new one, which this time will be bolted to the front steps. I managed to tear all the tendons surrounding my achilies tendon in the move so now I have my foot in one of those beautiful black boots that looks like it's come straight from the Adam's family movie. Physical therapy has started on my shoulder and now my foot.

I've spent yesterday and today tracing embroidery patterns, Verandah Views and the sweet Birdie designs in preparation for my time at home.

I can now say goodbye to my planned vacation in October to Lancaster visiting with my friend from Australia and my dear friend in Illinois, as I'm now having knee replacement surgery the first week of October so will be recouperating for approx 6-8 weeks.
I'm begining to think someone handed me a whole bucket of lemons and I have no recipe for lemonade. We've had to change our home in preparation, with walking frames, disabled hand rails etc. I've been told once this surgery is completed I'll need to go back for the other knee and a hip replacement. This is so draining both physically and emotionally, but I'm sure if I look hard enough I'll see the bright side of it, it's just a little difficult at the moment.
That's my whine for the year.

You may remember I started on the lovely roses from this pattern.

I thought it might me nice to sit and work on this while I'm home. It calls for a small amount of wool felt for the rosebud bases. Any suggestions where I might get this? One other question for those of you who have worked with wool felt. I always wash my quilts once they are finished, how will this effect the wool felt that's included in the design?
If you've made it this far thank you for being a shoulder to lean on, I appreciate it more than you'll ever know.

Happy Stitching.

Linda

Applique Pattern

2011-07-01T09:01:00.000-05:00

Several of you asked where this pattern could be found.

The pattern can be found here.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Fabric Play

2011-06-30T18:36:00.000-05:00

In between swimming, (trying to stay cool in this heat) this is the mess I've been making for the past three days in the sewing room,

I finally found the time to cut into these pretty fabrics.

Half way there.

In my down time at work, I made three of these.

Because I was fortunate to have won this beautiful pattern a few weeks ago.

Happy Stitching.

Linda

Bound and Washed

2011-06-15T12:32:00.000-05:00

I finally got the last of the binding stitched down on our quilt. It's washed and now on the bed.

I used the left over blocks and pieced the backing (above).

If we don't look too closely we can't see the faults.

It will keep us warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

I finished a commission quilt last night for one of the girls at work.

Into the washer and dryer it went this morning.

I love how it turned out, even though I'm not a big fan of names on quilts.

All the fabrics came from Hawthorne Threads. A pretty fat quarter bundle. A few nine patches were left over so I used them for the letters, hearts, stars and moons.

Add a little yardage for the borders and backing and call it completed.

I had fun playing with one of the stitches on my Janome. Shame I hadn't thought about elongating the stitch until after I was half way through it.

Leftover pieces were used to make up the binding.

Now it's time to clean up the mess I've made from the sewing room and into the living room.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Moving On

2011-06-01T15:07:00.000-05:00

Thank you for all your kind words on the horror quilt. I decided to stitch the binding on and just move on. It was never made as a show quilt, just to be put on the bed and used.
I've almost finished the quilting on this one and hope to make a start on Jenna's quilt tomorrow.

I had a wonderful email a few days ago from a long time friend in Australia, whom I haven't seen in over 12 years. She and several quilting friends will be traveling throughout the United States at the end of the year. It didn't take much convincing to get me to agree to meet up with them in this beautiful town in late October.

Now I'm just trying to convince this wonderful friend to join us on the trip.

Happy Stitching.

Linda

Back In The Sewing Room

2011-05-26T22:48:00.001-05:00

Last week I decided it was time to see if I could use my rotary cutter, and to my surprise and pleasure I discovered I could once again use it. It still takes a lot of effort and much more time, with plenty of rests in between, but I'm sure if my shoulder continues to heal the way it is, it won't be long and I'll be back to my regular pace.

With that being said I was itching to have a play with fabrics, but not yet ready to cut into these pretties.It will be a few more weeks until my shoulder and arm are strong enough to cut these up.

So I searched out the shelves and found a selection of fabrics that all went together well, and used this tutorial to whip up a lap quilt. The tops ready for the backing and quilting.

Now talking about quilting, I want to have a little rant. You may remember I showed this photo on my last post. I had sent it away to be professionally quilted. I mentioned that I had to remove the binding that had been sewn on. There were many areas where the binding only covered a few threads while in other areas the seam allowance was at least 3/4 of an inch.

I'm not going to mention the person's name who did the quilting as she refunded my money, but I do want to say how terribly disappointed I was with the quilting. The photo below is one of the corners, that will now have to go on the side of the bed that doesn't get seen. If you click on any of the photo's you'll get an enlarged view.

This is a lovely tuck on the back of the quilt.

My borders which were beautifully even and square, now look like this.

The pieced backing that took hours to put together using the left over blocks was obviously not put on the quilting machine square, and was trimmed . It now looks like I was drunk when I put it together. I know every quilt should have a little humility in it, but there's enough in this one to last until the rapture.

I can't begin to explain how sick I felt when I opened my quilt up once it was returned. I'd spent weeks working on this and was looking forward to having it take pride of place on our bed.
So what are the lessons I learnt in all of this.
1. Always ask to see the work of the quilter you have chosen.
2. Make sure He/She does not have a "Not responsible for tucks or puckers" policy.
3. If you're not in the position to see their work personally, then ask your quilting/blogging friends for referrals.
4. Ask the quilter to email photo's of detailed work.
5. Research, research, research.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Shades Of Blue

2011-05-04T14:25:00.001-05:00

As I can't get to my sewing machine, I've been busy shopping. Lots of lovely parcels have been arriving in my mail box. Pretty shades of Aqua. (If you click on the photo's, you'll get a larger view)

Turquoise and Teal.

Haven't decided about these, they may stay or they may be tossed into the "I don't go" pile.

This will be the background, a lovely soft almost ice blue.

These definitely don't go they are either too green or too purple. That's one of the hard things trying to find colors when you're shopping online.

Put them all together and I'll have a lovely array of blues for a quilt for Jenna and Max, that they were supposed to get for their wedding two years ago. I'm itching to get back into the sewing room and make a start on the blocks.

You may remember these blocks that I showed, oh so long ago.

I sent off the finished quilt to have it quilted and it arrived home last week. The binding was attached for me, but after close inspection it needed to be removed. So now it's waiting to have the binding put back on and stitched down, then it can go on our bed.

Sending this quilt off to be quilted was a huge learning experience for me. Being that I tend to be somewhat of a perfectionist, can I say choose your long arm quilter carefully. From now on Jackie will be getting my business on any of the larger quilts that I can't manage myself.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

While I Wait

2011-04-18T16:15:00.000-05:00

The stitches are out, and now it's a case of slow rehab,gently exercising the arm, without using the muscles. Not as easy as it may sound. I can look forward to another six weeks of sleeping in the recliner:(( So in between the exercising I've been exercising my credit card.

And trying to keep my hands busy with an embroidery needle and thread.

Didn't manage to get the full range of these lovelies, but this will be a good start.

Excuse the fact that these embroidered letters haven't been ironed yet. Still lots to do on them before they are finished.

I have a plain for these pretties, but that will have to wait, my doc advised me it will be at least two months before I can pick up a rotary cutter.

So lots of planning and ideas going on while I wait. I have another few orders waiting to arrive, but before I share them with you, can you share with me what is your all time favorite pattern for a quilt?
Until then,
Happy Stitching.

Linda

Over A Year In The Making

2011-04-14T06:00:00.002-05:00

I showed this little peek a few days ago, but if I'm honest I think I may have shown another peek at least a year ago.

Photo's taken from Stina's Blog, because she managed to get much better one's than I could ever get:)) Check out her blog to see it hung in her kitchen/dining room.
I found the design for this at least 18months ago and immediately knew it had to be for Stina for her birthday.

All that needed to be done to it to have it finished was to sew on the buttons for the cup cakes and to hold down the prairie points.

To think those buttons had to wait for 12 months.
Happy Belated Birthday my friend.

Happy Stitching.

Linda

Thank You

2011-04-11T06:00:00.003-05:00

Thank you for all your well wishes for a speedy recovery. They are very much appreciated. I think yesterday will be the worst day in the recovery process. If there was a tall building that I could have jumped of I think I may have considered it, once the block wore off and I'd watched the DVD that the surgeon gave me and watched him hammering screws into the bone, I realized what had been done to my body. Can we all say ouch. But enough of that, today is a much better day, the worst is behind me I'm hoping.

This pretty much sums up my activity at the pc, chicken scratch typing with one finger on my right hand, not an easy feat for an extremely left handed person, but I'm stubborn.
For those who commented on the little wall hanging that's waiting in my sewing room, it's not a Don't Look Now! pattern. It was in the new book I purchased a couple of weeks ago, Mini Quilts By Kathreen Ricketson, of Whip Up. If you do a search on her site under mini quilts you'll find the free pattern there for personal use.

Please keep the inspiration coming on your blogs, it keeps me motivated.

Happy Stitching
Linda

Waiting

2011-04-09T07:20:00.000-05:00

I spent Wednesday afternoon prepping this, ready for when my shoulder and arm are usable again.
I have it pinned to my sewing room wall, so when I feel disappointing that I can't sew, I can look at this and know I have something to look forward to once I can get back into the sewing room again.

Happy Stitching

Linda

Spring Flowers

2011-04-08T06:00:00.002-05:00

Remember this little peek. It's arrived at it's new home.

I owed Bonnie a PIF that has been very overdue, it's been sitting waiting for me to get my sewing room back again.

My new Janome made the quilting on this a breeze.
Today's surgery day, here's hoping all goes well.
Happy Stitching.

Linda

Birdie

2011-04-07T06:00:00.001-05:00

I love the look of a freshly washed and folded quilt. Especially one that has a scrappy binding.

Appliqued flowers surround by birdie fabrics by Me and My Sister.

Bigger than I first thought, but great for little girls to snuggle under.

Allie's sweet birdie embroidery just to finish things off.

Not done in redwork, but lovely lime green and hot pink.

All ready for Tayla, when she changes from a crib to a toddler bed.

Happy Stitching
Linda

Keeping Busy

2011-03-30T08:38:00.001-05:00

The sewing room have been a hive of activity as I'm trying to get as much done as I possibly can. I have shoulder surgery scheduled next week and my arm will be unusable for many weeks.
One of the girls at work did this for me for Tayla. I took it to Hobby Lobby and had it framed, love the lime green matte board. Now it's ready to hang on her wall in her room. I think she's wasting her talent working as a dispatcher. She does some amazing artwork that she refers to as doodles. I wish I could doodle like this.

I placed an order last week for a few items from Connecting Threads. I'd heard a lot of talk about their threads and decided to buy some cones of Essential Pro. So far I'm loving it and I especially love the price. While I was letting my fingers do the shopping for me, I came across this book that I've been eying off for some time now. I especially love the little quilt on the right of the cover.

Sneak Peeks of a gift that was mailed yesterday, not too much to show until it arrives at it's new home.

Another gift that's on it's way, it's been sitting and maturing here for quite some time now.

This precious bundle spent the afternoon/evening with me yesterday and will back again today for another visit while Mummy works.

These are now all stitched up into a new quilt for Tayla and it's now ready to quilt, along with a matching pillow. Today's plain is to make a start on the quilting.

It's taken almost a year to get these finished and into a quilt top. I decided it was far too big to put under a machine, even the new one, so it got sent off to the quilter last week. I changed the layout a little which meant I could have a generous king sized quilt.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

She's Just Lovely

2011-03-09T06:00:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was Gran day with Tayla. After the initial cry, because mummy left, it was play time, followed by a bath.

Sophie wanted to see what all the squealing was about. Amazing how a nice warm bath makes a little one ready for bed.

I picked up my new machine on Monday and was itching to get into the sewing room and play.

Before I could do that I needed to get myself a new chair. What a difference it makes, being comfortable and being at the right height.

Then it was time for some serious stitching. I love the dual feed, it makes piecing a dream, and the 1/4 inch foot makes a huge difference to having nice accurate seams and well measured blocks.

Only a couple of these left to do, and then I can think about putting them together.
I haven't played with any of the other features on the machine yet, I wanted to make a start on these blocks that have been sitting for almost a year. Plenty of time for checking out all the features when I actually need to use them.

Happy Stitching.
Linda.

Stacks

2011-03-03T08:01:00.000-06:00

Today was my last day off, it's back to work tomorrow. So while I wait for the machine to arrive, I spent some time in the sewing room prepping fabrics for a quilt for Tayla.
Lovely stacks of bright solids and pretty patterns, just perfect for a little girl.

All cut into little squares ready to stitch together.

Ready to surround this stack of flowers and elephants.

Speaking of stacks, while I was resizing the photo's this pair caught my eye. Sophie obviously decided lying on Abby's back would be a good spot for a nap, until I disturbed her with the camera.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Lets Talk Sewing Tables

2011-03-02T06:00:00.007-06:00

Thanks for all the feedback on the Janome 6600. It didn't take too much thinking about it to decide to buy one. I have one on order and hope to have it here within a week.
Now onto the table that sits under our machines.

I used to own one of these when I was living in Australia, and wouldn't waste the money again. I don't think there's sufficient room on or in them for a quilter. They are probably fine for the home sewer who doesn't use her machine as often as a quilter, but when it comes to quilting there isn't the space to spread out a large quilt on them.

This is pretty much what I have at the moment, an old worn out good for the dump type table. It's served me well over the years but I think it's time for an upgrade, especially as I have a husband who's more than capable of creating a good sturdy table for my new toy.

I'm wondering if a table with a sunken access for the machine to sit in is the way to go.
So here's your chance to voice your opinions, likes and dislikes about sewing tables, whether it's one you've bought or one that's been made especially for you and your machine. Even better how about sharing photo's on your blog of your tables that you use for quilting, I'd love to get ideas and I'm sure others would like to see what our blogging friends use.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Janome Lovers

2011-03-01T06:00:00.002-06:00

I'm thinking about upgrading my Janome 4800 to a 6600.

The thought of that extra room under the throat and the ability to machine quilt a little better has me seriously thinking about it.
I know many of you own this machine, so if you could take the time to tell me about the features that you love and those you don't, I'd be very appreciative.

Thanks in advance,
Happy Stitching.
Linda

Happenings Over The Last Few Months

2011-02-28T11:14:00.000-06:00

As I sat this morning I looked back on the last few months to see what's kept me busy and away from my blog, and from visiting your blogs. I had knee surgery, arthroscopic, in the hopes that it would fix the clicking, grinding and bone rubbing. It didn't, I now need knee reconstruction. While visiting the orthopedic surgeon he also told me that I need to have shoulder surgery to repair a tear.
This beautiful bag arrived from Peg a couple of months ago as part of the PIF, in the middle of a breast cancer scare. Fortunately that's all it was a scare. I did thank Peg privately, however I wanted you to be able to see her beautiful hand work. Just perfect for carrying around my stitching.

The Queensland floods hit my son's (Luke) area, so lots of phone calls to make sure he was safe and ok. Just got over that when the cyclone hit the area where my brother and his wife live.
In between all of that I did manage to find a little time to put eight of these place mats together for Jenna. Thank goodness for stitching, it has been the only thing that has kept me sane lately.

Yesterday I spent the entire day in my sewing room, I'd forgotten how much I'd missed it and how much I enjoy it. I digress I spent the day in there stitching on the last of my PIF that I owe Bonnie. Today's plan was to get it close to finished, my sewing machine has other plans. The darn thing won't switch out of bobbin winding, think it needs a trip to the shop.
Last night I started on Allie's sweet bird stichery. It will be perfect in a frame for Tayla's room.
So that's brought everyone up to speed.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

A New Beginning

2011-02-23T13:01:00.000-06:00

I sat and counted how long it's been since I last logged onto blogger and was amazed that it had been over 5 months. I've stopped wondering where the time goes, I know that life just happens and we need to make the best of what we are handed and continue on.
Hollie and Tayla moved out on the weekend and into a home of their own, with one of Hollie's friends and her little girl. I'm so happy that Hollie finally has herself in a place where she is able to stand on her own two feet and be independent, but at the same time I know I'll miss them both.

The up side is I get to have afternoons and evenings with this gorgeous bundle every Tuesday and Wednesday while Hollie works her second job.

Yesterday I spent the majority of the day rearranging the house back to the way it needs to be. A lot of that time was spent in what used to be Hollie and Tayla's room, which is now my sewing room again. It felt so good at the end of the day to be able to look through the doorway and see all my sewing things in their place. I think I stroked fabric each time I walked past the shelving.
This little sweetie (Sophie) came into our home two months ago and made herself at home straight away claiming the cough and our bed whenever the door is left open. She and Abby are the best of friends and have us in fits of laughter a great deal of the time.

I have five days off next week, so my hope is that at least some of that time will be spent in the sewing room reacquainting myself with my machine and fabric supply.
I also hope that my blogging will be a little more regular.

Happy Stitching
Linda

A New Normal

2010-09-14T22:35:00.000-05:00

It's been such a long time since I've sat and even thought about blogging. Life's very different in the All-Stitched-Up household. There's been quite a few changes. First change was this precious little bundle had to be re-homed as she decided she didn't like sharing the house with a little one, in particular little Miss Tayla, we no longer could trust her, as she had lunged at Tayla on more than one occasion without any provoking. She's gone to a wonderful home, with no children and is being spoilt rotten.

We had no intentions of replacing her, but she left such a huge void in our lives and our home, that a trip to the pound was suggested. We went with the idea of just looking as the emotions were still very raw.
And then we saw this precious face looking at us through the wire and our hearts just melted. We decided to wait a few days and think on it as we didn't want to just replace Suki.

After a couple of days thinking about it, this little sweetie came home with us and was spared the dreaded needle.
Meet Abby a Pit/boxer mix. Usually called Abby Cakes or just Abbs. She has such a sweet and gentle nature. At nine weeks old she has so much energy, usually more than I can cope with.

But is by no means a lady.

Bare toes are her favorite chew toy, along with anything that is foolishly left in her reach.
The other change is of course my new job, It's taken a lot of adjusting, not just for me but for my sweetie and of course Hollie. I love the work, but the hours aren't my first choice. 2.30 - 11.00pm, Wednesday to Sunday, doesn't leave much in the way of family time, but I'm sure we'll manage to work around it.
Little Miss Tayla turns one in a week and a half, she's toddling around the furniture and took her first unassisted steps a couple of days ago.
On the sewing front that's a big fat zero, but now that I'm finally adjusting to the work schedule, I hope that will change very quickly.
Lot's of health issues, but I won't bore you to sleep with those.

Hope to be back a lot sooner with something that has fabric involved.

Happy Stitching,
Linda

A Change Of Pace

2010-07-23T09:49:00.001-05:00

The routine around here has changed significantly. I started full time work at the beginning of the week. This is how I look when I come home.

Stephanie asked if I still had time for crafting. I'm still adjusting to full time work, but I'm hoping once my body calms down and rests adequately I'll have plenty of time for enjoying my crafting.
I work with a wonderful team of people, so I'm sure I'll thoroughly enjoy my new life choice.
Posts will probably be few and far between until I get into a routine. I am reading all your posts, but at the moment don't have the time to comment.

Tonight is going to be a great night, the first time in three days that I'll get to sit down and chat with my sweetie.
Happy Stitching
Linda

Scrap Happy Summer Challenge

2010-07-14T06:00:00.002-05:00

The weeks seem to be flying past, I don't know if it's the fact that I'm getting older or I'm just so busy I feel like I'm chasing my tail. The big plans I had for huge amounts of sewing to be done between last week and this week seem to have flown out the window.
Any way I showed a peek of this photo last week, but just to confuse you all, it's not what I worked on.

Instead I chose the one in blue, I mentioned that there are four in total, and it just so happened that the blue birds were on the top of the pile.

My first attempt at echo quilting.

This little Munchkin has been away for five days with her mummy. Home yesterday, so time for plenty of Gran cuddles and kisses.

Now to find the time to sit down and get some summer sewing done for her, she's growing so fast we can't seem to keep up with her clothing needs.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

A Day Late

2010-07-08T20:07:00.000-05:00

I'm a day late with my Scrap Happy Summer Challenge. Last week I showed you these little blocks.

I grabbed moments last week when I could and put them together. Quilting only took a couple of hours. Simple straight line quilting and then an evening to sew down the binding and it was ready to hang over the dining table.

With that one completed I decided to work on one of the pieces I had prepped. I showed this little peek a few weeks ago. There's four in all.

I chose the blue one to finish up. This seems to be another one that's taking what seems like forever to get completed.

Only a few more hours behind the machine and it should be ready for it's binding.
Stitching of any sort, along with blogging is going to slow down immensely as I've just landed myself a full time job. But I do have a week to get some things finished.
Happy Stitching.
Linda

Scrap Happy Summer Challenge

2010-06-30T10:35:00.000-05:00

Quilting and sewing are very spasmodic at the moment. So when something simple and quick catches my eye I tend to jump in with both feet. That was my reaction when I saw that Em was having a summer scrap challenge.
I showed this pile of scraps yesterday. I've had fun playing with the bright colors, quite opposite to my usual pink.

Add some white background and a little cutting and stitching and you come up with these happy little 6 inch Maverick stars.

Time doesn't seem to be my friend at the moment, what with looking for work and buying a new car, my sewing machine is feeling very neglected, but all going well I hope to have these little blocks all put together by the end of the day.
Happy Stitching.
Linda

Inspiring Mail

2010-06-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

Saturday's mail delivery brought a lovely post pack all the way from Sheri.

At the beginning of the month Sheri had a book giveaway, which was won by Lizzie.

But to my surprise and joy Sheri also gave away another four signed copies.

And I was one of the lucky four to receive a copy. Thank you so much Sheri. I plan on putting my feet up with a cuppa and having a good read.
If you come back tomorrow you can see what I've been doing with these scraps, that's part of Em's scrap challenge.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Hanging Your Smalls

2010-06-25T08:27:00.000-05:00

No I'm not talking about hanging your intimate apparel, but I did want to know how you go about hanging your small quilts. The ones that are less than 3 feet. Although I like the wire hangers, you can't always get them in every size. Plus I've been known to make up little quilts in an odd sizes, not one to follow a pattern they can end up a size that just isn't available in those little hangers. So how do you hang your mini's?

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Elephants Marching

2010-06-21T06:00:00.001-05:00

I finally managed to get Tayla's crib bumper finished and on her crib. So no more feet hanging out the side of the crib. She now has happy pink spotted elephants marching around the inside of her crib.

I couldn't resist sharing this photo with you. Fresh from the bath tub and squeaky clean.

And just so you can see I haven't been completely idle. I managed to get the first block finished for the applique bom.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

A Little Inspiration

2010-06-07T16:09:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how a little retail therapy can inspire you to create.

I took a trip to one of my favorite quilt stores on Saturday.

And came away with this collection, to use for the applique BOM.

Two blocks prepped and basted down ready for the hand applique.

Plenty of evenings ahead to get these stitched.
Tomorrow see's me at the dentist, here's hoping all goes well.

Hollie had a trip back to Cookson school for an open house and to farewell her house parents, as they head back to Illinois to live.
Tayla had a great time with one of Hollie's friends little girl, who is a month younger.

Until the blocks had contact with her.

It seems she did a bit of block swinging too.

Then decided she didn't want her new friend to leave, so hung on tight to her shorts.

She came back from the weekend with another three teeth. That's the way to do it, cut them all in one day.
Happy Stitching.
Linda

Decisions

2010-06-04T06:00:00.001-05:00

After Wednesday's post I've come to the conclusion that sitting at my machine is probably an impossibility while I'm without my sewing room. Even though I've read a lot of posts from you all, I haven't always commented, probably because my creative side seems to have left. So I've decided that the only way to keep that creativity alive is to focus on some hand work, until my sewing room is once more my own. While reading blogs I came across this wonderful BOM and decided that a little hand applique would do the trick.

So if you need a little distraction, I'd suggest you visit Erin's blog One Piece at a Time .

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Weekend Fun

2010-06-02T11:12:00.000-05:00

DH and I had a date on Saturday, a day out together. We decided to go for a drive, a little South, to a couple of areas that I hadn't seen before. Our first stop was to the Timberlake Rose Rock Museum.
They had an incredible range of rocks in the shape of roses. Apparently they form naturally in this shape.

On the way I spotted this hay baler, possibly of no interest to anyone else other than me, but having never seen one before I was fascinated.

We stopped at a local flea market and I picked up this old milk can. It's now in the process of having all the rust removed, and all going well it will be painted a nice red and sit outside. I had a great day, it was so nice, just to have time for ourselves, not something that happens too often.

Gorgeous girls continues to give us photo opportunities. She now has three teeth and sits well by herself.

Not much in the way of quilting, in fact nothing.

I can't seem to get myself motivated, so instead I took out my bead making supplies and whipped up a little necklace and bracelet for myself.

Hopefully my enthusiasm for quilting will return soon and I can get back to the many projects that are waiting for me.
Until then.
Happy Stitching.
Linda

Blogger's Quilt Festival

2010-05-21T09:52:00.000-05:00

Amy does a wonderful job of organizing and hosting the Blogger's Quilt Festival. It's that time again, where blogger's from around the globe showcase their favorite quilt.

Keep Life Simple

The pattern for this quilt was a gift from a blogging friend Melanie.
There's nothing quite like the joy of an impending birth, especially when it's your first grandchild. Working on this quilt helped the days until the birth go much faster.

Every part of making this quilt I enjoyed, from choosing the fabrics to the embroidery and the raw edge applique to the quilting and binding. Alas this quilt sits in a dark cupboard waiting to see the light of day. Not because it isn't loved, but because I couldn't do just one quilt. I think I need to suggest to her Mummy that her quilts get rotated.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Sew Mama Sew May Giveaway WINNER

2010-05-20T13:35:00.000-05:00

Well that moment you've been waiting for is here. First I want to say a huge thank you to Sew Mama Sew for another great, organized giveaway, and a big thank you to all of you for visiting. I do hope you'll come back again. I used the Random number generator to choose the numbers. Now I had decided that I'd do two drawings as number 1 never seems to get drawn. So after removing those that had no way of contacting them the lucky number 1 is Jackie.
As I promised there is a second number, and number 2 is Bren.
Bren your bag is in blue, same style.
Ladies can you send me your mailing details and I'll get your parcels in the mail next week.

This precious little bundle has a horrible chest cold and was enjoying a cuddle with her Mummy.(Don't you just love the hair style?)

Happy Stitching
Linda

Sew Mama Sew May Giveaway

2010-05-17T06:00:00.031-05:00

Today is Sew Mama Sew's May Giveaway Day. Here's what I have up for grabs. A handmade bag, covered purse size note book and a check book cover.

To be entered in the drawing leave a comment on this post only, telling me what your favorite summer past time is. Please make sure that your profile is NOT set at "No Reply", as I need a way to contact the winner. If you are set at no reply, or show up as anonymous I'm sorry but your name will not be included. Drawing will be on May 20th and is open to US residents only. Sorry about that, but overseas shipping costs are getting crazy. I comment only is required.

Good Luck.
Linda

May Giveaway Day

2010-05-13T06:00:00.014-05:00

Sew Mama Sew is doing it again. A May hand craft giveaway. I've decided to join in on the fun and give back on Monday May 17th. The items have been chosen, so if you come back on Monday you'll be able to see what's up for grabs.
If you would like to join in on the fun yourself, you'll find all the details here.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Red & White

2010-05-10T08:30:00.002-05:00

Remember this little peek from last week?

Cold, wet and dark dreary weather doesn't help with photo's. So this is the best I could do.

Another little mini ready to hang. I enjoyed the piecing process on this one, slightly different from a regular pinwheel, with less stress trying to match corners.
One more to finish, then it's on to appliqueing the bumper for Tayla's crib.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Renewed Love

2010-05-07T06:00:00.003-05:00

My machine came home a few days ago and I've reacquainted myself with her. I showed this little peek a few days ago of some prep work.

It didn't take too long for those little 2 x 3 1/2" pieces to turn into this little mini coin quilt.

I had fun with straight line quilting and had the perfect fabric for the binding.

Thanks to Stephanie for the heads up on marking our photo's to help prevent theft.
I have another mini that I'm stitching the binding down on. Hope to have that finished some time tomorrow.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

While I Wait

2010-05-04T07:44:00.000-05:00

While I'm waiting for my machine to come home, which will be today, I've been playing. A different piecing method for pinwheels.

Prepping blocks for applique.

Sorting little pieces of batiks ready to stitch together.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

While The Monster Rests

2010-04-28T14:26:00.000-05:00

Not this little monster, covered in bubbles.

But this monster. It's resting, waiting for my machine to come back from being serviced.

In fact it did come home, but only for half a day, and then went back again. It seems they bent the needle threader.

So in between being entertained my this little monster, I kept a little busy with this little hanging.

The birds just need their eyes sewn on and find a hanger and I can call it done.

She's such a poser, but who could resist that sweet face.

Today's mail brought a package from a fellow blogger. Michele sent this lovely parcel, just for answering a couple of technical questions.

Yumm chocolate, every quilters standby snack. As you can see it's been tested for flavor content, and it passed. Included in the parcel was a pattern for paper pieced "Emily's Stars" and sweet fabrics to make it up in. Thank you so much Michele.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Pretty Girls

2010-04-19T09:53:00.000-05:00

Several weeks ago I showed you this little peek. Not much to go on, but all I could show at the time.Several of you asked to see the end results of some of the dressmaking.

My very dear friend Bren has a young daughter, Charlotte, and a small grand daughter, Emerson. She loves to dress both in feminine and modest clothing, but she feels she doesn't have the skills to make them herself. So with that, I made the decision to send a couple of outfits for the girls.

A little lilac gingham top with what Bren describes as a pocket full of posies.

When I made the pink gingham dress I held it up and thought my gosh this is going to swim on this little dot of a girl, but I'm happy to see that it fits and that she can grow into the length.

Bren tells me that Emerson walked around with this little dress on saying "Pwetty.

Charlotte is an extremely tall girl for her age and very slim so finding a pattern that wouldn't look like it was swimming on her was a bit of a challenge. Bren tells me that Charlotte loves the dress and that it's a perfect fit. Phew what a relief. All the flowers around the hem of the dress I fussy cut and appliqued on, once the lower band was attached to the hemline and then added purple ric rac.

I'm happy to report that I managed to find and save all my pattern designs that I thought had been lost in that dreaded black hole and many of the photo's. Now to back them all up.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Winner

2010-04-09T11:31:00.000-05:00

Thank you for all your words of commiseration about that horrible black hole. I phoned DS (Luke, our own IT geek) in Australia the other day and he's suggested a couple of programs that are available from the Internet and the purchase of a USB Key to load all the lost files onto. So hopefully by next week we'll have everything back on the PC.
Now on to the winner of the 500 post giveaway. I had to quickly get this little item finished in time for today. So there were a couple of late night stitching sessions.

"Spring Blooms", done in pale green and lemon and natural Essex cotton/ linen.

All washed and crinkly, and ready to go to it's new owner.

Who is: Michele
Who said...
Best of luck getting out of that black hole. I'm cringing here. But will I back up my files? Probably not. Sometimes we never learn! I feel for ya though!

Michele send me your address and I'll get this in tomorrows post for you.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

500 and The Black Hole

2010-04-06T08:22:00.000-05:00

Who would have thought that I could come up with 500 posts to talk about. I always knew I could talk, but my gosh. So in celebration I have a little something that I'm in the process of completing as a thank you. A thank you for your friendship, understanding, words of encouragement and advice. We've all said it before in so many different ways, but having a blog has opened up a whole new world of quilting, stitching and friendships that otherwise may not have been possible.
How to enter, it's simple just leave a comment and you're name will go into the draw. If your set at no-reply I'm sorry but your name won't be considered. You don't need to be a follower, or post about this, in fact I'd prefer that you didn't. There aren't any extra entries for jumping through hoops, just a single comment will get your name into the hat.
Now onto the black hole. Hollie was fiddling around on the PC last night when all of a sudden the monitor went that horrible shade of black. We managed to restore the PC, only to discover this morning, that ALL the photo's have been lost along with ALL my pattern instructions and of course all the bookmarks. They've vanished into that black hole. I could have cried when I discovered this, but it's done, there's nothing that can be done about it, so it's time to move on and not get my knickers in a twist over it.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Onto Plan B

2010-03-31T11:02:00.000-05:00

I showed this layout the other day, but.......

Sometimes you need to change your plans, when......

You have points that won't play nice. I spent so many hours making sure that these blocks were trimmed correctly, only to discover that there are a number like this one. Points that aren't right in the corner. so it's on to plan B, using alternating blocks and trimming the odd ball blocks up for the backing. Which means it's been put on hold yet again until I get get to the store for more fabric.
I think I need to find something else to sew today before I loose all enthusiasm due to this monster.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Layout

2010-03-29T06:00:00.001-05:00

Saturday after I returned from the machine repair shop I finished the layout of the pinwheel blocks.

Now all I need is the time to stitch them together.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Silly Actions

2010-03-27T17:27:00.000-05:00

Can cause expensive results and a whole lot of inconvenience.

I've always serviced my own sewing machines, taking the bottom part of the machine off to clean out all the lint and fluff that builds up underneath the bobbin case and give it a good oil.

I did this, this afternoon before completing the pinwheel blocks. The bobbin winder decided it wasn't going to work. So while I was at it, I had this bright idea that I could fix it. Hmm not such a bright idea after all. While attempting to remove the top part of the machine a tiny piece fell down into the inside of the machine. My machine is now at the doctors being repaired... Thankfully I have my little Gem to go on with. I couldn't imagine going through sewing machine withdrawals.

Happy Stitching.

Linda

Mis-Calculated

2010-03-24T10:17:00.000-05:00

I said yesterday that I needed around 44 of these blocks.

Obviously my math skills are more than rusty. I re-calculated and the number is over 100. Only another 20 to make and they'll be ready to layout and start sewing the rows together.
When I started these blocks I was trimming them to size as I had each 1/2 triangle block made. I've decided it's easier to trim after the block is completed. When do you trim your blocks, once you've completed you 1/2 triangles, or once you have you block made up?

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Converting

2010-03-23T07:58:00.001-05:00

Time to take a break from dressmaking and get some quilting done. This pile has been sitting patiently in a box for well over 16 months.

I need to convert them into around 44 of these.

I remember now why they were put away. Repetitious work I find very (dare I say) boring. Here's hoping I can make a good dent in them today.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Finishes And More Peeks

2010-03-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

Quite some time ago I showed a couple of peeks, of works in progress.
Several had commented on the birds. I thoroughly enjoyed making this little hanging.

Pink and green, "someones" favorite colour combination. All ready to be mailed off to it's new owner.
Then there was this little peek. Not a lot to go on.
Now a little pouch.
Again in green and pink, ready to join the little birds on their flight.
This kept me busy today. Hopefully I'll have it finished by the end of the week, ready to mail to it's new owner.
Pretty lilac gingham kept me busy over the weekend, for a little girl. Still a little left to do to have it completed.
So as you can see plenty to keep me busy and out of mischief, and just in case you were thinking I may have been bored (not a word in my vocabulary) this little bundle keeps a smile on my face.

Happy Stitching.

Linda

Taking Life Easy

2010-03-08T09:08:00.006-06:00

I can't believe that it's been 2 weeks since my last post. I've been trying to take life easy. Doing the things that bring me joy and make me smile. I'm happy to report that I haven't had the need to use my stress relieving board.

You may remember this little peek that I showed a few posts ago.
It's grown and now completed, but alas it's still only a peek.
I love the little ribbon rose. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed silk ribbon embroidery.

I'll reveal the entire item once Stephanie finishes the string challenge.

My days have been filled this past week with dressmaking,. Trying to get a wardrobe together that's suitable for the work environment, and I must admit I've thoroughly enjoyed the change of pace.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Home Again

2010-02-25T07:15:00.004-06:00

Thank you for all your lovely well wishes and prayers. My dh decided that he couldn't wait for the cardiologist appointment and dragged me off to the ER on Tuesday afternoon. It's amazing how quickly they'll see you when you tell them you're having chest pains. I was admitted and put through a number of tests. One of which was a chemically induced stress test, which I might add is true to it's name. So after a load of tests it appears I have a lovely healthy heart, and it's been decided I have either an ulcer or suffer from stress. I thought that last one was rather funny, but not in a comical way, I could have told them I was stressed and saved ourselves thousands of dollars. So now to try and work out a way to relax my way of thinking and my lifestyle, or I could just simply print a few of these out and have them placed throughout the house.

Thank you again.

Linda

Quiet Times

2010-02-23T08:06:00.002-06:00

Things are extremely quiet in our house, although that wasn't the case over the weekend. Friday Saturday and Sunday saw me either flat on my back or propped up with severe chest pains. So while I wait for a cardiologist appointment I have this to keep my mind and my hands busy.

And this gorgeous girl to keep my heart full.
Happy Stitching.
Linda

Happy, Happy.

2010-02-16T11:34:00.005-06:00

It's such a beautiful day today, both in weather and heart. I went out this morning for an interview with the disability rehabilitation department with the hope that they would be able to help me find work. A huge yahooooooo can be heard from my house. It seems I qualify for their assistance. While I was chatting with the counselor she happened to tell me about a quilting store in the same mall as her office. I can't begin to tell you how happy I was to find a quality quilt shop just minutes from home. I don't know that Mr ASU will be as happy as me. So of course I couldn't leave empty handed. Two lovely Aussie magazines to thumb through.
A little stitchery to work on in the evenings.
And a peek at .............. on that gorgeous Essex fabric.
Happy Stitching.
Linda

Christmas Strings

2010-02-11T06:00:00.001-06:00

Do you remember this lovely bundle of Christmas goodness that I won from Jackie last year? I've been admiring it for far too long, trying to decide what to do with it.
Last year Jenna requested some Christmas cushion covers. I was very slack, and didn't get them done in time for last Christmas. I did manage to get the wall hanging done, but not sent.

I've been working on the covers feverishly these past couple of weeks. She didn't want anything with a winter or snow theme.
So I decided on the usual Christmas reindeer.
As she's a true blue Aussie, what home wouldn't be complete without six white boomers, (kangaroo's). I must admit I was disappointing that Santa's features didn't show up too well on the white background.

Of course you have to have a Santa thrown in for good measure.
In keeping with the Aussie Christmas theme, a couple of Kookaburra's sitting on fence posts.
Of course that only used a very small amount of the jelly roll. I showed you this little peek last week.
Now completed. A not too winter looking Christmas tree wall hanging.
I still have plenty left over to continue with a few more things to go with these ones. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks I'll be able to show everything finished.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Impressed

2010-02-10T08:29:00.003-06:00

There's been many discussions about customer service in the past from fellow bloggers. What do we expect when we place an order or an inquiry with a business?
I know personally that I expect my order to arrive in a timely manner and for the business or person running the business to be helpful and polite. So I suppose this all comes under the one word of quality.
I experienced this quality last week when I contacted Jackie from Canton Village Quilt Works about the Essex fabric that she stocks and color choices in the Kona cotton. Jackie spent well over half and hour on the phone going over colors with me so I could work out a color combination that would work well together. I placed my order for the Essex and within three days it was in my mail box, along with a sample of one of the colors we had discussed.
So many times we forget to sing the praises of those that do give good service, but focus only on the bad experiences we encounter. Thank you Jackie for a terrific shopping experience. If you are looking for quality customer service and beautiful fabrics to choose from, then I'd suggest you head on over to Jackie's store.
Now it would be a boring post without a photo, so here's the beautiful Essex cotton/linen fabric, now all washed and pressed and in the hoop, but you'll need to wait until Stephanie's giveaway for the String Challenge to see the finished item.

If your looking for a quality fabric to stitch or applique on then Essex is definitely it.
Now to end the post with some more good stuff, I passed my driving test yesterday, so I'm now a licensed driver, which I think scares hubby a little.
I'll be back tomorrow with some string finishes.

Happy Stitching.
Linda.

Postponed - Translation Needed

2010-02-06T11:07:00.010-06:00

Several have asked if I'm enjoying having Hollie and Tayla back home. Hollie decided to postpone her move back home. As much as I love having them both here, I think this is a good decision, especially for Hollie.
EDIT: I've just had another phone call from Hollie, she's moving back today. My plans of sitting quietly and stitching have just flown out the window.
The other thing that's been postponed is the mailing of my RAK gifts. Dh is working all weekend and I'm left with no transport to the post office, so it will need to be next weekend, weather and work allowing.

So while I still had a sewing room, this kept me busy yesterday. Just a little tease of the stripping kind. Hopefully it will be finished next week.
When I'm stripping this is the kind of mess I make.
Even bigger mess on the floor, especially when it's done using paper piecing.
These pretties arrived yesterday. I know they aren't from a new range but they will be perfect
to go with this and it's partners for
this precious bundle. (Life's tough when you have to pose for the camera).

Happy Stitching.
Linda

On a side note is there anyone who can translate a page for me from French to English?

The Stockings Were Hung

2010-02-03T06:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday's finish.

I saw this picture on Sharon's blog, and thought it would make a great combined applique and embroidery.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

The Last Hug

2010-02-02T11:56:00.004-06:00

This was the glimpse I gave you last week.
It's transformed.
I love how the two flowers stand out from the others.
A pot full of blooms.
It looks lop sided, I need to learn to straighten up the camera before I take a photo.
Just hand stitching down the hanging sleeve, then it's ready to be sent to Nan's friend, and that finishes off the Hug parcels.
I've thoroughly enjoyed making these, and will think about doing it again later in the year.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Spring Blooms In The Snow (Hug #3)

2010-02-01T06:00:00.001-06:00

Do you remember this terrible peek I gave you last week? Not much of a peek was it? I wonder if you guessed what it was going to be.
Perhaps the backing fabric will give you a clue. Beautiful poppies.
On the front deep red poppies, sitting in a milk pail.
Although you see me using a huge amount of pink, I must admit that red is my all time favorite color.
I think I'm going to have a hard time parting with this one, but that's ok. I have plans to make another one.
This one's going to Valerie's friend in Nashville.
As we are still snowed in, all the parcels will need to wait until the weekend to be mailed.
One hug left to reveal and then it's back to the PIF's and my regular stitching.

If you noticed Saturday's post I was asking for help finding linen/cotton mix fabric. Thanks to Stephanie who pointed me to Jackie, who just happens to be about the only stockist of Essex fabric in the US.
Finally I want to wish my gorgeous girl a happy 20th birthday. I'm so proud of you Hollie, you've overcome some huge obstacles, which have made you the beautiful young woman you are today.

Happy birthday sweetie, I love you. Mum xxx

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Searching For

2010-01-30T12:01:00.001-06:00

Who better to ask than quilters/stitchers. I'm looking for a nice weight cotton/linen mix that I can use as a base fabric for embroidery and a background fabric for applique. If you know where I can find this I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks
Linda

Birthday Giveaway Winner

2010-01-30T09:26:00.003-06:00

At long last the items for the giveaway are finished. But before I let you know who the winner is I thought I'd share a quick pic. The formation of icicles fascinates me. Probably because I grew up in a country that didn't experience such weather.
These are on the neighbors side of the garage.
Now on to what you were waiting for. I've been enjoying some embroidery in the evenings. A little needle case in soft pastels.
This has been a work in progress for quite some time.
So I decided it was time it was finished and enjoyed by someone else.
Add in a pincushion and you have a sewing pail, needle book and pincushion.
All ready to be sent to :
Random number chose:

Paulette

Paulette can you send me your mailing details so I can get this off to you.
Thank you everyone for joining in on my birthday celebrations.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Iced In

2010-01-29T16:09:00.004-06:00

We've been iced in with temps as low as 22F (-6) . Freezing rain, and now the snow's started and looks beautiful.

We ducked out quickly for a little shopping. The roads are a mess and there's plenty of death wish drivers, then it was back home to the warmth.
When snow or ice hits Oklahoma, the whole State shuts down. It seems they haven't heard of snowploughs.
So we hunker down and stay warm and keep our hands busy.
This is what kept my hands busy yesterday.

Prep work for the last two Raks.
A little embroidery that needs to be finished and sent to ...........
Sorry I can't spoil the surprise for the recipient.
I'll be back tomorrow with the name of the winner from my birthday giveaway and hopefully a photo of the finished items for the winner.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Hug #2

2010-01-28T06:00:00.002-06:00

I really have been having fun with these RAK items.
Hug number 2 is all ready to go to it's new home in New Zealand, to Potpourri 's friend.
I'll mail this one out next week. I think this weekend we'll be busy moving Hollie if we don't get the ice storm that's been predicted.
Oops I just realized that the lady bugs need to have their antennas stitched on.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

1st Hug Ready To Go - Bye Bye Sewing Room

2010-01-27T06:04:00.004-06:00

Do you remember this little peak from last week?
It's changed from just bits of fabric sitting on a background.
To clothes blowing in the breeze on a warm summer's day.
I love the way it's turned out and I had so much fun with the quilting.
This one will be ready to mail out to Bren's hug recipient on the weekend. I'm sure as she's the mother of six she'll relate to all the washing.
I have the second one completed and will come back and show you that one tomorrow.
Yes I'm loosing my sewing room again. We got a late night phone call, last night from Hollie, "Mum can I come home"? We're hoping we can move her back this weekend. She could use your prayers at the moment.
I hope to put the last stitches in the birthday giveaway item today.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Delayed

2010-01-25T11:51:00.001-06:00

I promised a winner today for my birthday giveaway. A winner has been chosen, but there's a delay, I'm still stitching the giveaway gift. so I'll be back soon with a photo of the completed item/s and the winners name.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Need A Hug Recipients

2010-01-21T06:00:00.001-06:00

What a great way to celebrate my birthday, giving a gift to someone else. So after reading all the suggestions of those you thought would like a hug, names have been chosen.
In no particular order:
~Bren~ said...
Potpourri said...
Valerie said...
potsandpins.com said...

I've contacted these ladies for details on their person and I'm waiting to hear back from Potpourri, if I haven't heard by next week I'll choose another lady.

I'm also trying to find Karen who signed up for my PIF. If I haven't heard from her by next week I'll do a quick post asking for one more person.

As it's my birthday and I'm in the giving spirit, I'll have a little handmade something for one of the comments left. I'll draw the winner on Monday.
Please don't blog about this, as I'd prefer it for my regular readers and followers.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Sunshine

2010-01-19T08:39:00.006-06:00

There's nothing like a bit of sunshine in the middle of winter. Especially when that sunshine is something you can work on over several days. Unfortunately I can only show you little snippets as these are gifts for unsuspecting ladies.

Time spent with my embroidery needle.
Prep work for raw edge applique.
Pastel sunshine.
Brights.
Lastly a finish, which I can show you. I fiddled around with some charm squares and osnaburg a couple of weeks ago and ended up with a new design for a bag. Still deciding if I'll turn it into a pattern.
Today's decision is whether to sit and finish the embroidery or sit behind the sewing machine.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

In Need Of A Hug ???

2010-01-13T05:30:00.003-06:00

Did the subject line get your attention? I hope so. It's not me that's in need of a hug. Following on with my post from Sunday, I mentioned that I had PIF parcels to make up and that I'd like to do some RAK (Random Acts of Kindness) parcels. Which got me thinking (I seem to be doing a lot of that lately). So I've decided to let you choose who the parcels should go to.

As I only have two PIF gifts to make, that leaves a remaining one to fill the original three. Add to that three RAK parcels and we have a total of four.

So here's how it will work.

What's required from you?
Suggest someone who you think needs or deserves a RAK, (no names at the moment) bear in mind that it will take me some time to make these up.
In the comments explain why you think your choice deserves a RAK.
Make sure you have your email set so that I can contact you.
Only one suggestion per person.
Please don't blog about this, I'd like this to be for my regular commenter's and followers.
I'll close the nominations on Wednesday next week. Once all the comments have been read, I'll choose four and let you know who they are on Thursday.
If the person you've suggested is chosen, you need to be able to provide her mailing address for the parcel to be sent.

EDIT : I'm happy to mail international.

Thank you for helping me brighten someone else's day.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Especially For Stephanie

2010-01-12T05:42:00.001-06:00

After yesterday's post, I think Stephanie was more than surprised to see my place mats and runner made up in red, black and white. So much so, that she commented on it in an email.
So this is especially for you Stephanie, just to show you that I can still work with pinks.
Forty two string blocks, completed yesterday. With the other 18 waiting to be done today.
I decided to use up some scrap batting while I was at it, so I did the quilt as you go method. I hope to make a start on putting them together today so I can have some handwork to do in the evenings.

Happy Stitching
Linda

The Year Ahead

2010-01-10T19:16:00.005-06:00

I've spent the last couple of days thinking about the year that's gone and the year that's ahead of me. Looking back I've thought about the things I would have changed. That can't be done, what's in the past stays there, but the future holds all sorts of possibilities. I'm not one to make New Year's resolution's. I think we have a hard time holding true to them come the middle of the year. I do however like to think about what I'd like to achieve in the coming year. I think Darlene said it beautifully, generosity and gratitude.

This year I've decided that I want to make a difference, not just in my own life or that of my family, but in the lives of the people around me and my blogging family.

Stephanie issued a challenge to join her in a string block/quilt, scrap busting hassle free fun time. I decided to join in, and after thinking about it more, I've decided that the majority of items that I make through her challenge will be donated to local charities, which will hopefully make a difference in someones life. I don't need to see the difference, just knowing that it will, makes my heart full.

I've also decided that once I have my PIF items finished, I'd like to work on RAK parcels. When I see a need I'd like to be able to fill that need with a gift.

These are just a couple of thoughts I've had. Thank you for allowing me to share them with you all.

Now I'll leave you with a finish for the start of the year. A couple of place mats and a runner that I whipped up this afternoon.

Happy Stitching

Linda

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T09:07:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year. Here's to a year filled with inspiration, creativity, friendship, new beginnings and great health.
Things are changing in our house. I passed the written part of my drivers license a couple of days ago and now I'm familiarizing myself with our truck and will sit the driving test at the end of the month.
Life is good for Hollie and Tayla, we've hired an attorney to gain full custody of Tayla for Hollie and she's moving into a house with a group of friends next week. Which means I can move out of the closet and move back into my sewing room again.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

In The Nick Of Time

2009-12-24T13:56:00.003-06:00

The last stitch was done on this little stocking just minutes ago. Thank you to Kaaren for the lovely design.

This is what we woke up to this morning. Beautiful snow.

Next to having all my kids here, this is my Christmas wish, a white Christmas, and it's still falling. We're under a blizzard warning, wonderful. Call me nuts, but this Aussie loves snow.

My heartfelt prayer for you is that your Christmas would be filled with the peace, love and joy of knowing that our precious Savior came to this earth over 2,000 years ago for each and every one of us.

May you be surrounded by the ones you love, and for those of us with loved ones far away, may we know that our love travels the distance to reach each heart.
Thank you for a wonderful year of friendship and stitching. Thank you for sharing with me my joys and my sorrows. I look forward to year of new beginnings and continued friendship.

Happy Christmas
Linda and Family.

Angels

2009-12-19T16:32:00.004-06:00

Angels come in different shapes and forms. Here's a shot of our resident angel, all decked out in her holiday gear, tutu and bow. Add a pretty back drop and a little fur and you have an adorable photo opportunity.
Then there's the angels we don't ever have the opportunity to have the privilege to meet in person. Carol Lee is that type of angel. She lives in Australia, I've never met her, and never had any contact with her until a couple of weeks ago, when she contacted me about the Embroidered Village Bag book. She read that I was looking for it and very kindly offered to send me her copy of the book. It arrived and it's been thumbed through, looked at and admired.

Thank you so much for your generosity Carol. I'm looking forward to making a start on it in the New Year.

Life's been quiet here, we've all had a good dose of the winter flu and it's kindly revisited me for a third round. So my head feels like a pumpkin, and my body feels like I've been flattened by a steam roller. So not too much of anything going on here, especially nothing in the crafty department.

Only a few days until Christmas is upon us. Am I ready? No, I'm not. Holidays tend to remind me of how much I miss my family, but I've decided I'm going to stop talking about it and do something about a trip home next year, before any more years pass.

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas, filled with love, joy, peace and family.

Linda

Sewing Space

2009-12-01T06:53:00.009-06:00

I was having a bit of a chat with Stephanie this morning about the size (or lack of size) of my current sewing space. I mentioned that it wasn't big enough to swing a cat in there, which happens to be one of those common Aussie sayings. So I decided I'd take a photo of my space and let you decide if you think I could successfully swing a cat in this space.

Now if you're wondering where this little space is, you'd better put any liquid refreshments down. I'd hate you to shower your pc screen with tea or coffee. The only reason I warn you is that I told Jenna on the weekend where I was sewing and I thought she was going to injure herself from the reaction I got from her.

Can you guess where it is? No, well then, I'll tell you. I've moved from a bedroom, (which is now occupied by Hollie and sweet Tayla). This new space is off the main bedroom and holds the hot water tank and is next to the laundry room,
otherwise known as a closet.
Now you may understand why Jenna thought it was so hilarious!!

I'm thinking that this is the main reason why I have no desire to sew, like I said at the beginning of the post, it's not big enough to swing a cat in there, let alone sit and stitch, but I haven't let it deter me too much. I've moved into the living room on a few occasions to do a little creating. Hollie thought it absolutely necessary to have a tutu for Tayla, so a tutu it was.

Then she asked for hair bows that could be attached to soft headbands, so hair bows it was.
The last request was for a pair of frilly knickers for Tayla, otherwise known as a diaper cover, but I think I need my beautiful model to show these off and she's sleeping at the moment. so that will have to wait for another time.

Until then,

Happy Stitching,

Linda.

P.S. For all you Bronwyn Hayes lovers, she now has a blog. You can find her here.

Out The Window

2009-11-18T09:35:00.004-06:00

Thanks for the advice on the serger, it seems that BabyLock is the favorite, so a little window shopping is in order before I make the final decision.

There's nothing sweeter than one of these smiles to start your day.

My desire to stitch seems to have flown out the window. Understandable, considering the amount of stitching/sewing I did for the lead up to the craft fair. So until it decides to return I've been keeping my hands busy with embroidery.

A little peek of something sweet for a special friend.

The first of the Christmas stitching for Jenna.

Happy Stitching,

Linda

I've tried the new blogger editor and hate it, so back to the old.

Machines?

2009-11-17T09:29:00.000-06:00

Just a very quick post today. I've had a week of coughing, the dreaded bronchitis has hit and knocked me off my feet yet again, but I wanted to ask you all about overlockers/sergers. I wanted to get myself one but, I'm not at all familiar with the brands here in the US. Any suggestions or recommendations would be appreciated.

Happy Stitching,
Linda.

Life's Good

2009-11-05T11:40:00.007-06:00

Life is definitely different now, and I'm absolutely loving having Tayla so close and watching her interact with her mummy. Hollie is back to her old self, smiling and laughing, it does my heart good to see her relax and enjoy her precious bundle.

In between bottle feeds.

Burps,

and nappy changes I've managed to squeeze in a little stitching time,

for Christmas gift giving, and precious baby's. Birdie will work perfectly with the appliqued blocks for Tayla.

I know it's mean only giving you peeks, but I don't want dd2 seeing what will be winging it's way to her house.

Thank you for all your words of encouragement and love you sent our way concerning Hollie's situation. It's always so reassuring knowing that there are friends who understand and support our choices.

Happy Stitching.

Linda

A New Week

2009-10-26T09:56:00.004-05:00

Thank you for all your wishes of success for the craft fair, please accept this as my personal thank you. I promise to get back to individual replies, starting this week. The craft fair was a success in more ways than just selling items. We learnt so many things from valuable information shared with us from other booth holders. Information that we'll use in the future. I came home from the three days to over 1,000 new blog posts in my reader, so I think I need to start the week fresh, with a clear list.

It's a new week, and in many ways a new beginning. My sweet Hollie will be moving back home this week with her precious bundle, Tayla. Without going into loads of details, she's coming home to be safe and stay alive. My heart breaks for her, but I know it's the only thing to do. This means that I'll get to spend lots of quality time with my beautiful grand daughter.

So this week will be a week filled with moving my sewing room out of the room it's in now and trying to find space for all my "stuff" elsewhere in the house, and stocking the refrigerator with Hollie food:))

Prayers for Hollie would be appreciated and cherished.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Craft Fair Time

2009-10-23T06:00:00.001-05:00

Thank you for all your congratulations on the wholesale offer and well wishes for the craft fair. Yesterday we spent the better part of the afternoon setting up the booth.
I was amazed at how long it took to get it all done.

Today is the final pricing and praying all goes well.

Freezing weather, so layers will be needed.

I probably won't have an opportunity to get back on here until after the weekend.

Until then.

Happy Stitching.

Linda

Almost Bursting

2009-10-20T07:35:00.007-05:00

I'm still running around like a chook (chicken) with it's head cut off, but in between all the busyness I've managed to do the final editing on the last of the patterns before the craft fair begins.
All the photo's are provided with permission by Nancy. She's done a fantastic job with this quilt, and somehow managed to finish it in record time. Please visit Nancy and tell her what a great job she's done on this quilt pattern.

She also comes up with terrific photo's for the cover.

It was far too good not to be on the front cover.

Thank you so much Nancy.

Set up for the craft fair is Thursday, and Mr ASU and I are doing the finishing touches on the items and booth display products.

Now to the title of the post, I'm almost bursting with excitement. I've been asked to sell my patterns wholesale to a quilt store in WA. They want to use them in a bag of the month class. This would have to be the best news I've had in a long time. So now I need to get busy and finalise the paperwork for my Federal tax number, and get the other patterns onto paper and tested.

Happy Stitching.

Linda

Quilt Books & Magazines

2009-10-17T07:45:00.005-05:00

Thank you for the offers of either finding or purchasing the Embroidered Village Bag for me. I'm constantly amazed at the generosity of bloggers, stitchers and quilters. The good news is I found the book. It was one of those light bulb moments, I know we all have them, I just seem to have them less frequently.
So I thought I'd share with you where you can buy it if you live in the US or Canada. Stonehouse Publications is based in Canada and they stock all the Australian quilting/stitching magazines, along with a wide range of books and speciality magazines. This is where I buy my quilt magazine subscriptions from. Their service is excellent and reasonably speedy.
The other place that I like to check out for books is HamiltonBook.com. Bren very kindly told me about this store quite a while ago. They carry a huge range of quilting, applique and embroidery books, along with just about every other topic, at huge discounted prices. Definitely worth a look through their selection. Unfortunately they only ship within the US.

Happy Reading.
Linda

What Customer Service?

2009-10-16T08:52:00.003-05:00

Before I begin my little rant, I wanted to thank everyone for your sweet words on my last post. Please forgive me for not replying to your comments. I'm a little snowed under with craft fair stitching. All will be back to normal in a week.

Last month Jenny showed this photo of a book/pattern and I fell in love with it. Shipping from Australia was a little high so I went on a search here in the US to find it.

I was so excited to find it at this store, so it didn't take more than a second to hit that buy now button. Now normally I wouldn't spend $30.00 on a pattern but this was just too pretty to leave sitting on a shelf. At the beginning of the week I thought it strange that it hadn't arrived yet. So two phone messages and an email were left. No response. By this time I was more than irritated, I mean she had my money and my purchase. Time to step up the complaint. I'm so pleased I chose to purchase this item through Paypal and not use my credit card. Within 4 hours this dispute was settled and I have a refund. It's amazing how I couldn't get a response from her with the phone messages and email but, using the services of Paypal got this store owners attention immediately.

My lesson in all of this, shop at stores that are known to me or recommended by friends and fellow quilters. The down side, I still don't own this beautiful pattern.

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Keeping Busy

2009-10-14T09:54:00.004-05:00

Yesterday saw this precious bundle here for a visit. Tayla is such a good baby, I don't think Hollie realises how blessed she is with her. Life is filled with eating, sleeping and growing. In-between sewing I snatched a few Gran hugs to keep me going until the next visit.
While she was here I worked on this stack.

Appliqued bibs for the craft show next week.

Only seven days left and still mountains of things to be stitched together.

Happy Stitching.

Linda

Blogger's Quilt Festival

2009-10-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

Amy is doing it again, another quilt festival. The previous one was such a huge success, and so much fun to participate in. She's asked us to showcase our favorite quilt. With the number of quilts I've made over the last few months for the craft fair, it was hard to decide. I'm really partial to Georgie the Giraffe with her cute smile and bright flowers, but as you've seen it before, I thought I'd share with you a new finish. You did get a little peek a couple of months ago. So here it is all finished, "Lady Bug Love".

I think this would be my next favorite after Georgie. I love these happy little bugs, and it's so obvious that Mr Bug has a definite crush on Miss Bug.
But you know the old saying "Two's company, Three's a crowd". I wonder if Junior Bug will get the message?

Happy Stitching.
Linda

Now Available

2009-10-10T18:34:00.004-05:00

My fourth pattern Uluru Sunset, along with,

the fifth pattern, Darling Harbour, are now both available in my Etsy Shop. A big thank you to the pattern testers who so kindly tested both these patterns.
I did say that I'd give away an Uluru Sunset pattern from this post , and the random number generator chose number 46, who is:

Winona said...
Congrats Linda and family. Nothing better than grandbabies! She looks like a cutie and her mama is beaming! Winona

Because I'm loving being a Gran I decided to give away a Darling Harbour pattern from this post, and the random number generator chose number 16, who is:

Jackie said...
This pattern is probably my favorite so far. I love the blue bag.God bless.

Ladies if you'd like to email me with your postal details, I'll get your patterns into the post for you.

Happy Stitching.

Linda

Tested

2009-10-09T07:04:00.006-05:00

A few days ago I showed you the latest pattern, Darling Harbour that was out being tested. It's always exciting to receive photo's of a pattern back from pattern testers to see how they have made it up. These two ladies certainly didn't disappoint with their versions. I appreciate the time they take to proof read and edit my patterns. I have a habit of being a little "wordy" and they graciously edit without criticism.

Mary used decorator weight fabric:“Fusion” by Kingsway Fabrics – the floral and “Farrow” by Kingsway Fabrics – the stripe . I just love how Mary's bag turned out, and it's so nice to get positive feedback about a patterns construction. Thanks so much Mary.

Back view.

Jenn used Bohemian Rhapsody" by contemporary quilt dzynes and some coordinates from her stash. Gorgeous blues and brown with a dash of green. Thanks so much Jenn, for your kind words added to the pattern.

Back view.

The pattern has been edited and is ready for printing. All that's needed is time, which I seem to be a little short on at the moment, but I do hope to have it available next week, along with Uluru Sunset.

Happy Stitching.

Linda