Sugarlane Quilts

Heat Bag/Spice Trivet Tutorial

2012-01-29T21:53:00.001+10:00

I had quite a few requests for instructions on how to make a spice trivet come heat bag over the last week so I thought I’d put together a tutorial for you.

I’ve tried using it for both…..and it works a treat…..talk about multi- ~~skilling~~ purpose!!!

Ok, here we go….

Firstly, cut two pieces of coordinating, cotton fabric 11 1/2 x 10 1/2 inches.

Fold and iron 1/4 inch towards wrong side of fabric on one end of long side of each piece.

With right sides together, sew both long sides and across bottom using a small stitch for added strength. Cut corners.

Turn right side out. I like to press flat here but before I do, I wriggle the fabric between my fingers close to the stitching to ease it flat…..makes ironing a flat seam much easier.

Fold in half lengthwise and iron a sharp crease.

Fold each long edge towards centre crease and iron 2 more sharp creases.

Stitch, using coordinating cotton, along creases to form channels for filling.

Fill channels with rice mixture consisting of 1/2 kg of rice (about 1 lb) mixed with a teaspoon each of cinnamon, nutmeg and ground cloves. You can sometimes find 5kg bags of rice on sale at the supermarket, so you can make it up in bulk in a large container as I have here. I just increase the amount of spices accordingly.

If you are using this as a heat bag to ease pains and ailments, you might like to add lavender or some other fragrant herb….just be careful to check whether it is safe to heat up in the microwave first!

You’ll notice I have some tools to help me with this task….a scoop and funnel are essential (I think so anyway!) and a teaspoon (or something with a thin handle) helps with poking down the funnel when it gets jammed up!

Just a hint I found from experience (yes, I did drop LOTS of rice on the floor *yikes*) I like to start in the middle channels as it gives more stability when I’m trying to fill the others, rather than starting with the outside edge ones.

How much to fill??? Well, depending on what you’re using it for….For a spice trivet, I fill it up right to the top and tap it down till it’s about 1/4 inch from the top. I pin each channel closed as I finish filling it. After filling all of them, I almost always find the rice has settled some more and I need to top it up again.

For a heat pack….because it needs to mould to the injury site, I tend to leave about 3/4 inch space so there’s room for the rice to move about a bit more.

Hand stitch the channels closed with coordinating cotton using a ladder stitch. I find this the best stitch to use as it is virtually invisible and is super strong. You can find out more about the ladder stitch here.

Tah Dahhhh…….One completed spice trivet, to keep your hot pots from marking your furniture whilst simultaneously filling the room with the lovely scent of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves…...

OR….

a heat bag…..just place in the microwave for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes (no more or it might burn you…or worse still……catch fire!!!!,….*eek*)

Then place on the offending sore spot and relax with the beautiful spicy scent. I used mine whilst penning this post as my shoulder is still a bit sore from the accident….certainly helped to loosen up those tense muscles….and hubby kept mentioning how nice the room smelt!

And….I have another finish for OPAM (you still have time to join in!!!) and my Christmas Through the Year gift box!

Hope you like my tutorial…… a simple but wonderful multi-purpose gift idea always comes in handy!

Sugary hugs

xo Wendy :O)

A big Thank you

2012-01-22T22:40:00.001+10:00

Thank you to everyone who thought of me and commented after my car accident on the weekend. If you didn’t read about it, you can find out the details here.

I feel much better than I’d been told I would…..a bit of achy pain in my lower back, but that’s probably from the seatbelt and some soreness in my arms and shoulders. Feels like I carried Jenny’s boxes from Charters Towers to her new house in Townsville! I guess that’s from clinging on to the steering wheel for dear life! But the doctor at the hospital gave me a long lasting anti inflammatory injection which hurt more than the whiplash, but certainly put paid to any referred pain from the accident.

So a heartfelt thank you to you all….I am very blessed to have such caring, bloggy friends like you.

As we were getting into my husband’s car, on our way to the hospital, just to see that everything was ok, we heard a squeal……I WAS NOT getting into the car…….and not because I was scared of another rear ender……

A green tree frog was hiding in the door frame of the car and this fella decided it was time for dinner!!!! Have you ever heard green frogs squeal???? They sound like babies crying….it’s quite sad but it happens frequently up here in the tropics…

It wasn’t huge, but enough to keep me away from the car till my hubby bravely relocated it!…..and no….I don’t know if he did get the frog or if we were in time to save it!

Sugary hugs

xo Wendy :O)

FNSI finishes and rear ends…

2012-01-21T22:50:00.001+10:00

No, not that kind of rear end!!!!!

My poor VW and I got rear ended on the way home this afternoon. We had been at quilting and decided to do a bit of shopping before going home. As there are roadworks on the highway down from our place and one lane is closed while they work on the other, there are stop/go signs…..well, I was slowing down to stop but the 4WD ute/truck behind didn’t ….let’s just say I’m thankful I was far enough away from the rather large vehicles in front of me not to be the meat in the sandwich.

But still, being hit at 60-70km/hour by a 1 tonne vehicle whilst you’re slowing down and still doing about 30kms definitely isn’t fun. I’m ok…..whiplashed but fine…..I’ve been checked over at the hospital and they say I will be very sore and sorry tomorrow and probably for the rest of the week, but the guy driving the other vehicle was fully covered by his insurance so for that I’m pleased!

However, I bet my poor VW isn’t too pleased….

My shopping??? Well, some of it flew out of the back window onto the road and most had to go into the bin as it was covered in fine glass shards and we just couldn’t risk it.

The other guy???? He’s fine…..he cut his hand from retrieving glass from the road and his poor dog that was travelling in the back learned how to fly….he’s ok though too……

His car???? Not a scratch, dent or mark. It had a full steel bull bar…..not even the number plate was marked!!!!!

My hubby pointed out that it was lucky I only took hand stitching to quilting today and not the sewing machine as it would have been in the boot!!!! Ever the optimist, my hubby!!!! Gotta love him!

And it’s true when they say most car accidents happen within 1km from home!

But on the positive side………

I had 3 finishes on my very first Friday Night Sew In that are also gifties for my Christmas Through the Year box too. (However one changed teams and became a birthday gifty for a special friend!)

I made 3 spice trivets or heat bags, whichever you prefer! I actually made them as spice trivets for my MIL as, being Italian, we often have the most amazing meals with pots of wonderful foods brought to the table to share. These spice trivets keep the heat from damaging the table and as they’re infused with nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves, you can imagine the scent that permeates the air when a hot pot sits on them!!!! mmm mmmmmmmm!!!

yummy fabric choices…..

before they’re filled…..

filling with the magic herbs and spices (LOL)…..

pinned up and ready to go….

So quick and easy…a great gift idea!

Well, I’m off to bed with the hot pack….I can feel muscles I never knew I had!

Sugary hugs

xo Wendy :O)

there’s sanity in stitching

2012-01-19T20:54:00.001+10:00

Whew, what a ride this week!….

Monday…..off to school to notify them I’m not returning to work for another 6 months minimum; washing; folding; packing suitcase with son for his ~~trip~~ 10 day holiday to Canada; contacting local university to sort out subject choices for said son (yep, he got into a double law/psychology degree); catching up with a friend for coffee; catching up with bloggy emails;cleaning; cooking dinner; sending parcels to bloggy friends; getting the mail; getting schoolwork organised for teaching stand-in; numerous phone calls, some stitching in the evening just to regain sanity!

Tuesday…..off to Townsville (an hour’s drive away) for a car service…..most of the day spent waiting…..waiting…..waiting……and more waiting… some more stitching in the evening just to maintain sanity!

Wednesday…off to Townsville again, early, to get son on the plane to Brisbane to link with the plane tomorrow to Canada; drove home to gather packing materials for school belongings; collect mail from post office; drive to school; starting packing the 20years of teaching supplies I’ve collected *eek*; physio appointment (my neck and back muscles had definitely tensed up by now!); home to cook dinner; shower and flopped into bed, exhausted by 7.30pm……need some sanity but just can’t………

Thursday…..school again; monitored the phone for text message saying son was boarding plane; professional development till 1.15; back to classroom to pack some more; bought cockroach ‘bomb’ to make school storeroom safe to store my 20-odd boxes; wheeled 5 full wheely (garbage) bins out of my classroom; went shopping for essentials – cat food, dog food, fruit, milk, loo paper (yep, that’s what it’s doing to me!); home at 7pm to heat leftovers for dinner; wash dishes; shower, blog and about to go to bed!….really needing sanity stitching!!!!!

And I wonder where the days go sometimes??!!!! Do you have that same problem????

Anyway, being without my sanity leveller is just sooo not healthy, so tomorrow night I’ve locked in my very first Friday Night Sew In. Details are on my sidebar if you haven’t heard of it before……will you come and join me????

I thought I might even tie my stitching into this…..

and kill two birds with one stone, so to speak!

(Although I thought these little birdies were going to do just that to this little bossy one the other day outside my house!!! Amazing how noisy one little cheeper can be!!!)

I think tomorrow night will be just the thing to wind down after a whirlwind of a week…..and gather my equilibrium………whaddya think?

See you tomorrow night! *wink*

Sugary hugs

XO Wendy :O)

Saw your light on…thought I’d drop in…..

2012-01-16T17:29:00.001+10:00

I know, I know. I had planned to have my binding done on Saturday, but with the inclement weather, a friend of ours had to make a very unexpected but delightful, visit. His poor ol’ plane was getting buffeted by the winds and rain and it wasn’t safe for him to continue his travels north, so he stopped over for a sleepover! He and hubby had a grand old yack til the early hours and the next day it was off to the aerodrome to wave goodbye…..

We were worried, because the clouds were thick and dark,

but he got home safely, ready for work today!

Which gave me time to make a coffee…..put on a movie (I love Mr Popper’s Penguins!!!)……

……and bind!!!… So many of you said how much you love binding…well, I’m with you…..I love to stitch it on and see it finally finished!!!!…and this is one that’s taken a while. It was started in March, 2010 at a workshop which I told you about here and here.

And finally, here she is…perty in pink…..

…even Ralph wants to get in on the act!

Number 1 down for 2012……now, to check my list and ‘delve’ for another to attack!

sugary hugs

xo Wendy :O)

Planned accomplishments…

2012-01-14T10:59:00.001+10:00

It’s been one of those weeks where planned accomplishments were few and far between! Far too many of these….

followed very quickly by these…..

but I have managed to get the binding I’d planned to finish last weekend ‘almost’ done today…..

…and yes, I went with some beautiful hot pink “Spirit by Lila Tueller for Moda” that I bought from Fee here.

Who knows, this planned accomplishment may actually become a finish by tomorrow! You’ll have to watch this space to find out!!!!

Sugary hugs

xo Wendy :O)

One leaving the nest?

2012-01-09T08:13:00.001+10:00

Quilting done…. check

Binding Next!

Another UFO on target to leave the pile this week…..

YIPPEEEEEEE!!!!

Sugary hugs

xo Wendy :O)

A brain like a sieve…

2012-01-05T15:31:00.001+10:00

Time does slip away doesn’t it??? Between my brother and his partner visiting and staying the week, and my sister in law and nephew too, I’d forgotten to tell you all about the gifts I received from Illene in Fee’s Advent Swap!!! Honestly, my mind is just like a sieve lately….does anyone else have that problem??????

Well, here are my lovely gifts…..

a beautiful Christmas tree wall hanger….don’t know if you can see but there are gorgeous little gemstones hanging within each opening,

….some handmade Christmas cards ready for next year (don’t know if I can give them away though!!!),

…some very pretty fabric and matching thread…. (mmmm….thinking about what I can make!!),

a handmade crocheted doily……(just love it Illene!),

….something I never have enough of…. handcream! In fact, I used some this afternoon whilst machine quilting….great to put on before the cotton gloves,

…the most beautiful Christmas angel, cross-stitched with multitudes of red and green beads…….just gorgeous,

….a very handy notepad made just for me!!

…and a colour wheel….something that’s been on my shopping list for a long time but one of those things you always tell yourself you’ll get “next time”!

They are all so precious and I’m so thankful to have had Illene as my partner ~~this year~~ last year!!! Illene is such a lovely lady….she even sent me a very special give that I will treasure forever….

…and I was so excited, I didn’t even iron it before I took a photo of it!!! This is a pattern, designed by Fee for Illene, called Lorraine’s Flowers. It is just so special…there are not words to describe…..but THANK YOU Illene and Fee!!!

Now, life is starting to get back to normal and hopefully that means the ol’ brainbox will sort itself out too!!!

I’ve been writing myself some lists of what I want to achieve….things like, blog more regularly, de-clutter everything around the house (not asking for much am I???) and finish at least one UFO a month. Seeing as Dawn and I had goals of finishing heaps of our outstanding ufo’s last year and neither of us really did do very well, we decided we’d keep going with our challenge this year. If you’re in the same boat, you can see what some bloggers managed to achieve here and then come join us for a year full of finishes!!!

We’ve decided that 2012 is going to be the year we will….

DELVE, NOT SHELVE!!!

yeah, I know, a little corny, but they’re the only words I could come up with that rhymed with 2012…..!

And with that thought in mind, I’m working on finishing a project I started in 2o10. I’m at the machine quilting stage so I can give you a little peek at where I’m up to…

Which reminds me….I must get back to it. My list tells me I want to have this UFO finished by the weekend!!!! I love New Year’s Resolutions (for a while anyway!).

Sugary hugs

xo Wendy :O)

A wish for us all in 2012

2012-01-01T00:49:00.001+10:00

Happy New Year!!!

May yours be prosperous, full of health and happiness, and definitely filled with quilty finishes!!!!

sugary hugs

xoxo Wendy :O)

Christmas blessings

2011-12-25T11:12:00.001+10:00

http://zoetheband.blogspot.com/2010/12/merry-christmas.html

and…..

[URL=http://www.commenthaven.com/][IMG]http://www.commenthaven.com/graphics-christmas/religious/religious_ch-2.gif[/IMG][/URL]

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff94/josephbeggs/religious-christmas-01.gif

Christmas blessings to you and yours

xo Wendy :O)

Stars of Bethlehem for very special pals

2011-12-23T14:43:00.001+10:00

Last year I took part in Chookyblue’s Christmas swap and sent this Start of Bethlehem table runner toNoemia in Portugal. The pattern, by Karen Gledhill, can be found in Creating Country Threads Christmas Special, Vol 11 No 3.

My good friend Jen and I had both loved the pattern and decided we’d make one for each other for Christmas 2011.

Here is the one that Jen made me….

with our favourite block of the lot….

and a truly personalised label…

She used gorgeous fabric she bought from Fee and very special 80 year old vintage ricrac…..I do feel very special!

And here’s the one I made Jenny….

This fabric was simply perfect with all it’s glitter and gold….just like the gifts from the wise men! I did modify the pattern slightly and instead of ricrac, I used gold ribbon and embellished it with red ‘holly berries’ (ie beads!!!) Each stitchery worked in Cottage Garden Thread….

and wrapped in love and blessings.

She also brought some other lovelies for me…..

a moda gift bag filled with …

a fat quarter bundle of ‘Tea Garden’ by Dena Fishbein for Westminster…

a very clever pair of tweezers…..(these will come in VERY handy)…

a gorgeous notepad and pencil,

some lipbalm, scissors, buttons and scissor charm,

and some yummy threads wrapped in red dotty ribbon….my favourite!

What a way to spoil a gal! Jen is one very special lady, that’s for sure!

The delivery guy made a special stop late that night to our doorstep too…..we thought we had trouble when there was bashing on the front door at 8pm but the courier was just delivering this special parcel from my brother who just thought of me when he saw it…..

I can’t imagine why????!!!! LOL

This chocolate port will certainly be put to good use over Christmas, I’d say!!!! Imagine the designs I’ll come up with!!!!!

Only two more of these left before Santa sets off on his merry way….keep safe if you’re traveling and many blessings to you and yours during Christmas.

love and sugary, sweet candy-cane hugs

xo Wendy :O)

Free design for you

2011-12-19T09:00:00.000+10:00

After the overwhelming response to my Blog Hop Party giveaway, I was torn, as I felt very grateful to have met so many new bloggers from around the world, but felt terrible that I couldn’t give each of you something special, so…………I designed this little stitchery as a gift from me to you.

Call it a Christmas gift, or a thank you gift or maybe a ‘just because’ gift, but I really think it says it all….”Friendship is a bridge between two hearts”.

Please use it freely as a stitchery, for you to make something special for yourself, or as a gift for someone else, but please remember, it’s for personal use only, not for resale or to make into something for sale or profit.

You can download your copy HERE. Make sure to click on the BLUE ‘download now’ button and wait for the “Download File Now” link to appear before you print or save your copy.

I’d love to see how you use my design so please send me a picture of anything you make using it…..I’d love to see how creative you can be….and I’ll share it on my blog! I hope you like it!

Sugary, Christmas hugs and blessings

xo Wendy :O)

and the winner is……

2011-12-18T10:25:00.001+10:00

27. mtnquiltr said...

I'm a follower too!

December 11, 2011 2:20 AM

Congratulations Sue…..you are now the proud owner of a SideWinder in my Blog Hop Party Giveaway. I’ll be sending an email to you for your address to post your parcel on the next big plane!

And thank you to everyone else for entering and joining in the fun. It’s a shame everyone can’t win but I don’t think my bank manager would be too happy with me if I sent everyone a prize! Maybe next time?! And there’s a lot planned for 2012 so keep watching this space!

Now, I’m off to finish a VIP Christmas swap.

Sugary hugs and Christmassy blessings

xo Wendy :O)

I’m a lucky girl

2011-12-17T07:37:00.001+10:00

Fee’s Advent Swap has made me feel very festive, at a time when I’ve been running around in circles, like a chook with it’s head cut off (sorry about the mental images!) You see, this year, more than any other, I thought I’d be sooooo organised, seeing as I’ve had most of the year off work, recuperating from my knee replacement surgeries but……..when do things ever go to plan?

Anyhoooo, I did a little decorating this week, and a little bit of Christmas gift buying, and now I’m into the gift making (I know, I know!!) and it’s getting there…..I DID tell you I work best under pressure, didn’t I? *cheeky grin*

Keeping true to form, I’m on Santa’s naughty list because I’ve ‘forgotten’ to show you the wonderful Advent gifts I received from Illene (well, time has slipped away, hasn’t it? *eek*)

So here we go…..last week’s gorgeous surprises……

You can read some more about them here, and have a look around at what lovelies other advent swappers have been getting too.

….and this week’s surprises are equally as delish……

Some yummy chockie Santas, (yep, I still have some in the fridge but *burp*, I can guarantee they’re scrummy!)

a gorgeous breast cancer pen with lots of ‘bling’, (a girl can NEVER have enough bling!!! LOL)

Illene’s on very talented lady….she sent me some handmade gift cards….just perfect!….

….a simply gorgeous beaded butterfly decoration (which is now hanging proudly on my Christmas tree)…..

A sign to remind me of what is important (I’ve relied on this a lot this year….as I do EVERY year when I think about it)….

…some truly yummy smellies….I just love lavender……

….and some lovely threads and ribbons….

What more could I ask for? Illene, I cannot thank you enough and even though we’ve never “met”, it’s as if you know me inside out! Thank you Illene, you’re a blessing! And Fee is too for doing such a fantastic job organising the swap *mwah*

And isn’t that one of the most wonderful things about Blogland? We ‘meet’ such wonderful people who touch our lives in so many beautiful ways, filling gaps that sometimes wouldn’t be filled, and who we wouldn’t ordinarily have the pleasure of ‘meeting’ in our ordinary day-to-day, run-of-the-mill things we do. I’ve met lots of people and made a few truly special friends *wave*,and I think that’s what is so special about our little place in the WWW. Some people hate the Web, I think it’s fantabulous….certainly changed the live of this one gal in a small town. Can’t wait for what surprises are in store, and what wonderful things are ahead of us in 2012…..

I am one lucky gal, dont’ya think!?

Sugary hugs

xo Wendy :O)

PS…Dont forget, Quilting Gallery’s Blog Hop Party….my giveaway is here…..ends tomorrow 10am AEST……don’t miss out! xxx

Giveaways, giveaways….

2011-12-16T16:06:00.001+10:00

Just wanted to share my excitement at my win from Expertise Events and Into Craft…..I received an email two days ago telling me I’d won an Ottlite Task Lamp in their December competition and it was to be posted that afternoon….I was blown away!

I’m one of those people who enter lots of things but tend to win nothing….well, maybe a couple of things….but they’re not regular, considering the number of competitions I enter!

It must have been travelling on warp speed as I went to the post office this morning and there it was…..wow, those posties must have wings on their feet at this time of year!

I can think of lots of times when this will come in handy….thanks so much Judy and Expertise….it’s a wonderful Christmas surprise!

Don’t forget the Quilting Gallery’s blog hop party, where you can be a winner as well.

I’m giving away this Sidewinder to one lucky winner who comments on this post so go back and have a read if you haven’t already, and give me your top tip you wish you’d known as a beginning quilter.

Remember, it will be drawn on Sunday 18th December (AEST), so a couple of days left to enter yet, but don’t leave it till the last minute!(Make sure you are not a no-reply blogger or I can’t contact you if you’ve won! You can check the button on my sidebar for instructions on how to do this, if you’d like.)

And don’t forget to ‘hop’ on over to the hundreds of other bloggers hosting parties this Christmas. Just click on the Blog Hop Button above to find the links to their blogs.

Now, I have some ‘secret’ stitching to do for a friend of mine!!!!

Good luck and sugary hugs

xo Wendy :O)

Rain rain come again…and a Giveaway reminder

2011-12-13T07:40:00.001+10:00

These are a reminder that rain is on the way……

my Dove Orchids always bloom just before the rain….well, usually always!!!!! What a beautiful way to tell me…

And considering today we have predicted 35 degree C. heat, I’m hoping the rain cools it down a bit…unlikely here in the tropics though…..usually it’s only a temporary fix and means more humidity…*yuk* This morning when I awoke at 5am, it was already 26 degrees C and 90 percent humidity….you could see the steam rising off the ground! My electricity bill is going to be sooooooo big this quarter!!!! I’m going to have to start selling my stash to cover it……NOT!!!! LOL

Have you been hopping around Blogland in the Quilting Gallery’s Christmas Blog Hop Party ?

Just a quick reminder, as for my giveaway at my ‘Partay-house’, you can win one of these…..

…just by leaving a comment with your favourite tip you’d wished you’d known when you started quilting/stitching/sewing, on my previous post, HERE.

I’ve noticed a few comments that are coming through as No-Reply Bloggers. If you’ve commented already and you’re not sure if you’re a No-Reply Blogger, please check!? I have the link on my sidebar explaining how to change your settings so that your comment links to an email address, otherwise I can’t reply and I can’t send you an email if you’re the lucky one drawn by Mr RNG, therefore, you can’t win!!!!

If you’re wondering why I am so rude and haven’t replied to your comment, that will be the reason why, as I always reply to every comment (even if I’m a bit slow!!!!)

If you know this is you and you’ve commented already, please drop me an email at wbert4(at)gmail(dot)com with a contact email address so I can include you in the draw….I’d hate for you to miss out! :(

So…get cracking……entries close on 18th December!

Sugary hugs

xo Wendy :O)

It’s done!!!!!! So, who’s for a Par-tay with lots of Giveaways!!!!!

2011-12-12T08:17:00.001+10:00

Slack, slack, slack…..is all I can say!!!!

I finally finished the year 7 quilt on Friday and it was my goal to post it to show you on Saturday but I got ‘stuck’ on Facebook (hee hee) and into jobs around the house that have been missing out for a couple of weeks !!!! LOL And before I knew it, it’s Monday!!!!!! These days are just spinning by!!!!

Here ‘she’ is….. completato, complété, 完成, voltooid, dovršen, completado, críochnaithe, mimlija, fullført, zakończony, завершенный, končana, cwblhau, tamamlandı….. COMPLETED!!!!!!

Can you tell I was excited to finish her off in time for her presentation to the students at their Graduation Ceremony????…and just in the nick of time too……at 1am I was putting the last of the stitches into the binding and rod pocket……..I DO work best under pressure I think!!!!!!!

My good friend Lynette was a tremendous help as she used her embroidery machine to its full potential adding a jpeg image of our school emblem into its files and letting it ‘do its thing’, quite a few times, until it was right!!!! There’s over 100,000 stitches in that centre block and I can’t thank her enough in helping me make my vision a reality….It worked beautifully!!!!!

She also helped me at this ‘fun’ stage….

…not great with my ‘dodgy’ knee and at that crucial quilting stage, she kept the motivation up with coffee and giggles and great quilting suggestions!!!! She’s a gem!!!!!

I don’t know if you noticed, but each of the blocks between the nine-patches was stitched by each year 7 student with their name and a border. We taught them how to stitch all through term 3 and 4 using Helen’s stitching tutorials from her Stitched Sundays. And I stitched all the year 7 teachers names, principal’s and deputy principal’s names too on the blocks down either side. With one block left, I machine embroidered an apple…well, you know……apple for the teacher!!!!!! ….a bit corny, but cute I thought!!!!!!

This will now hang in the new school library as a ‘memorial’ to our year 7 group from 2011 who, one day, will show their kids that they too went to our school, many years ago!!!!!

Now don’t forget to enter my giveaway in the Quilting Gallery Blog Hop Party before Dec 18 AEST…..leave a comment here for your entry to win a ‘SideWinder’ portable bobbin winder. And remember, if you become a follower, you’ll get an extra entry!!!! Make sure you visit as many of the other Blog Party People too….there’s over 200 giveaways all around the world!….woohoo!!!!!!

Sugary sweet, Christmassy Hugs

xo Wendy :O)

Blog Hop Giveaway

2011-12-10T11:22:00.001+10:00

Welcome to all our Blog Hoppers…..I’m proud to have been invited to be part of Quilting Gallery’s 4th Birthday celebrations and their Blog Hop Party this year and thanks must go to Michele for organising it. This is going to be so much fun visiting everyone and making new blog-friends :)

The Quilting Gallery site is a great starting point for new bloggers (and us oldies!!!)….it has a Quilting Bloggers Directory with more than 4,440 blogs from 71 countries. In the Quilt Shop Locator, you’ll find brick & mortar shops, online retailers, retreat facilities and long-arm quilters. In Quilter’s Market you’ll find fabulous quilting products. There’s also a world-wide geographic directory of Quilt Guilds being developed and weekly themed virtual quilt contests and swaps throughout the year as well as lots of other fun things.

So if you’ve never visited the Quilting Gallery before, I recommend a visit!

Now, we all know that when you go to a party, there are always lots of people and lots of presents…….this Blog Hop Party is the same! Woohoo!!!!!!!!…..there are over 200 party-goers you can visit from over 20 countries…..that’s one helluva party!!!!!! The link to all of the blogs you can visit is listed here..

It starts today and goes until December 17th (18th for us Aussies).

Now, for my giveaway……you just knew it was coming didn’t you!??!

I’m giving away this fantastic timesaving tool….the SideWinder. A portable bobbin winder that is a Godsend when you’re in the middle of a sewing frenzy and your bobbin runs out….you know what I’m talking about!!!!!

This beauty is the Limited Edition SideWinder…..it’s pink, to promote the awareness of Breast Cancer research, and comes with bonus scissors and a tape measure (both pink!) It takes 2 AA batteries and winds those bobbins in a whizz!

All you need to do is leave a comment telling me what is the best ‘trick’ you have learnt for sewing/stitching/quilting that you would have loved to have known as a new quilter. That will give you one chance at winning the SideWinder.

For another chance, simply become a follower and leave another comment telling me so. If you’re already a follower, you’re a gem!!!…..and you won’t be left out…..leave a comment and I’ll include a second chance for you too!

I’ll draw the winner randomly using my fave little tool…..Mr RNG….on Dec 18th at 10am AEST (I know the actual Blog Party finishes on Dec 17, USA time, but I’m usually one of those that comes early and stays till last, so I cant break that pattern, can I now!!?? LOL)

So get those entries in….good luck and let’s start hopping!

Sugary Hugs

xoxo Wendy :O)

Advent surprises and quilty progress…

2011-12-03T07:15:00.001+10:00

This year, I decided to only take part in one Christmas swap and it was Fee’s Advent one. I was lucky enough to get Illene as my swap partner and here are the gifts I received for the first 3 days of Christmas……

Day 1: a fragrant Tea Rose Sachet which smells deeeee-vine!!!!!

Day 2: yummy chocolates…..has been helping ‘no end’ get me through the year 7 quilt making process!!!!! LOL

Day 3: a wonderful diary to record my efforts next year……(and the dates I definitely mustn’t forget…like Hubby’s birthday!!!! )

Illene, it’s as if you’ve known me forever….you’re picking all the things I love!!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

And a big thank you to Fee too *mwah*!

And as for the year 7 quilt….it IS progressing…would you like to see???

There’s only two more rows to do before sashing and borders, but seeing as I managed to sew one entire row upside down (after I examined it thoroughly, wondering why the corners weren’t matching properly, a friend pointed out the names were back the front!!!!), I decided I needed a break!!!! But it is coming along nicely, and surprise, surprise, it’s just like my design!!!!!!! woohoo!!!!!

Cant wait to finish it now, but I’m off for a weekend at Airlie Beach with Hubby and we’re meeting my brother and S-I-L, both whom I haven’t seen for 4 or 5 years and going to a good friend’s 50th birthday party. I better make sure I pack my camera!

Have a wonderful weekend…. whatever you are doing, enjoy it to the full.

Sugary hugs

xo Wendy :O)

The Sum of a Quilt……

2011-12-01T11:43:00.001+10:00

These….

+ this……

+ these….

+ this…..

multiplied by this…..

divided by hope and anticipation…….

= a finished year 7 quilt by the end of next week!!!!! *eek*

sugary hugs

xo Wendy :O)

Busy, busy, busy….

2011-11-27T09:22:00.001+10:00

It has been a busy week and a half with many things happening on the homefront, and some ‘unexpected’ ones too!

I had a lovely unexpected visit from my cousin,Barb, whom I haven’t seen in about 4 years. She toddled up in her little motorhome ‘Ziggy’ on her way up to Mission Beach to visit her son, who is a skydiving instructor (!!!) and stayed for 4 wonderful days…..it went so fast and I really didn’t want her to go!!!!

My cuz is very bright and bubbly and the most positive person I know…….she inspires me no end! So sad to see her leave, but I know, seeing as she’s moving up to the tropical north, I’ll get to spend far more time with her, which will be fantastic!

I’ve been so flat out trying to get the year 7 quilt progressing as there is only a couple of weeks till school finishes for the year!!! *eek*

I’ve finished all the 9 patches and found these lovely pins worked wonders at keeping the corners just perfect!

This week is going to be full on steam ahead with putting all the blocks together and sandwiching, quilting and binding…..phew, I can feel the beads of sweat forming already!!!!!

A huge parcel arrived from Illene, my Advent Swap partner this week too….. (thanks Fee….this has been so much fun putting together the gifts….you’re a treasure!!!!! xoxoxo)

I just can’t wait until Dec 1 to start opening my pressies, one by one!!!!!

And yesterday was our Guild’s Christmas break up party…..we all went out for lunch and played lots of games with lots of prizes and lots of fun and frivolity….

The tables were set up beautifully with white linen tablecloths, a sprinkling of Christmas glitter, crackers and table decorations (which you can probably see more clearly if you click on the photo!!!).

Each member received a glass of bubbly with a special Christmas surprise….

….something small as a thank you for a wonderful year! Some of the tags were hilarious, but oh so appropriate…..

…don’t you agree??!!

We had fancy dress….

(our treasurer, Maryann, makes a lovely Christmas Angel don’t you think???),

…and Christmas swaps….here is what I made (another finish for OPAM!! tee hee)…..

an armchair ‘friend’ …. and what I received…..a gorgeous wrist pincushion….(Thanks so much Gerry!)

There were some amazing handmade goodies and we have a few items tagged that we’d all like lessons on making in weekend workshops next year!!! *hint hint* ladies!!!

I can say, with great relief, my ‘almost’ 17 year old made it home safely from Schoolies week on Thursday! I drove down to Airlie Beach and did the ‘Mum Run’ for a few boys and I was very impressed when I turned up to see them wiping benches and sweeping floors!!!!!!…..Now, just to work out how to get them to do it at home!!!! LOL

And I haven’t even touched on the fact that my other ‘unexpected’ was the purchase of a new laptop (as my other one decided it didn’t like the heat)…with a little gift to go with it….but that’s another story for next time!!!!

Now, off to hit that sewing machine….that year 7 quilt won’t wait!!!!…..What????? housework????….nah, haven’t got time for that!….as the tag on one of the wineglasses said yesterday…..

“Quilting forever, housework…..whenever” !!!!!!!

Hope you’re having a very productive and fun Sunday

sugary hugs

xo Wendy :O)

Santa post

2011-11-21T21:10:00.001+10:00

I can’t show you the package I sent to Illene today for Fee’s 2011 Advent Swap because this ‘doofus’ forgot to take a photo!!!!

I was in a bit of a hurry trying to get it all wrapped and parcelled up so that I could take it to the post office today to be on its merry way before I left for ‘work’ (I’m volunteering two days a week at Lifeline to get back into the swing of things!!) so photos were not at the forefront of the grey matter!!!

Needless to say, it looked something like this….

….well, maybe that’s a ‘slight’ exaggeration…..but it did look a little like this one….

….except plain packaging…ok…..it looks nothing like it! But hopefully Illene will take a photo when it arrives and share it with us all! LOL

My mind’s not quite with it this week as I dropped my son off at Airlie Beach for Schoolies week on Saturday. Boy, isn’t that a test of a parent’s trust!!!!! Well, so far so good, only one of the boys has been bribed into having his torso waxed and all I can say is, if that’s the worst thing they do, then we are blessed!

Needless to say, I’m not thinking exactly straight and I’m hoping for Thursday to roll around quickly so I can have him home again, safe and sound!

Sugary hugs

xo Wendy :O)

There was an old lady who…

2011-11-14T06:03:00.001+10:00

……lost her glasses?????

Yep that’s me at times…..well, maybe not the ‘old’ bit so much but…..I do feel it sometimes!!!!

But my finish this weekend was a gift for a friend’s birthday….this friend ALWAYS loses her glasses, and sometimes finds them perched atop her head!!! Ever done that before???? Me too!

So this is what I made her…..

Maybe it’ll protect them, just a little bit!

You can make your own too…..I got my pattern here….

It’s Handmade Vol 29 No 5, which features some of my most favourite designers!!!

The original design, by Yvonne Skodt, called for a flexi frame, which I couldn’t get (well I could, online, but I couldn’t wait!), so I modified it with a magnetic closure…..still works perfectly!

We’ll see how she likes it, as I give it to her today…..a little belated but you know what they say……..!!!!!!

I also finished another of my ‘Snowhearts’ blocks…

…still has the hoop marks *oops*!!!! I have one more of these to do to catch up then one block left (I think) before I can put it all together!

This week, work MUST continue on the year 7 quilt I’m working on with our students….after all, there IS only 4 weeks of school left!!!!…..*aaaarghhhhh*…..and with my baby at the doctors getting her feed dogs attended to, along with her FM stitch looked at……..I only hope my little baby is up to the test!!!!!

Have a wonderful week.

Sugary hugs

xoxo :O)

Lest we forget…

2011-11-11T11:18:00.001+10:00

http://www.countrythreads.info/X%20Stitch%20Kits.html#FLORALS

For all those gallant men and women who lost their lives for us…..

LEST WE FORGET.

In Remembrance with sugary hugs

Wendy :O) xo

Where does the time go???

2011-11-08T06:31:00.001+10:00

These past couple of weeks have just vanished, haven’t they??? Or is it just me, with a teenage son about to finish high school in two weeks????

I’ve been going through photos and trying to find just the right ones to scan into my computer for his Validictory next week and gee, reminiscing takes some time!!!! It’s hard to believe it’s been nearly 17 years since this little precious bundle was born…

…with all his feeding and growth issues…..(wasn’t he teeny tiny?? Well, I guess his being 6 weeks premature had something to do with it!!)

…and it seems like only yesterday, but he has grown in to this wonderful, caring AND towering ‘man’ who stands heads above me………

…whom I’m very proud of and love to bits! (but I still can’t believe how quickly time has passed!!!!!!…where DID it go??????)

I have been very busy, doing bits and pieces here and there….

with friend’s birthdays, and Christmas coming up, there never seems enough time to get things done!!!! (***mental note: I WILL be more organised…… next year!!! LOL)

And I’ve been working on these little treasures, trying to get them made for our year 7 Quilty Art Project with the kids at school……still trying to keep my finger on the pulse and inject a little quilty love into the next generation!!!!!

This rough design somewhat depicts what these yummy nine-patches will become…..links in the chain of friendship in the life of a year 7 child…..the plain blocks will have all their names embroidered onto them, done by each of them to be entwined in the chain with the school crest, all in the school colours of red, white and blue.

I really can’t wait to see how it turns out, but with only 4 weeks left, I really must get a wriggle on…….where DOES all the time go??????

Sugary hugs

XO Wendy :O)

You can quilt that out??????

2011-10-31T05:35:00.001+10:00

A bit of a laugh for a Monday morning to start the week!!!!!

Does any of this sound familiar?????? I know I’ve heard a few of these quilting ‘legends’ too!!!!! LOL ….. Oh to be a longarm quilter!!!!! hehehe

Grab a cuppa and enjoy, but beware…….you may spray your screen with cafe au lait !!!!! Maybe leave the coffee for after!!!!

Humorous Quilting Video set to Cathy Miller's song 'You Can Quilt That Out,' depicting the life of a longarm quilter. Video made by Mavis Rosbach, Quiltbird Studio, for "the Buzz on the Longarm Biz' class originally presented at the Georgia Quilt Show October, 2008. www.quiltbirdstudio.com www.singingquilter.com

Sugary Hugs

XO Wendy :O)

EQ7 Giveaway

2011-10-24T17:10:00.001+10:00

…over at the Pickledish Patch.

But I’d be happy if you didn’t bother…..’cause I’d like to win it!!! LOL

However, I promised Vicki I would so you better head on over here for your chance to win (or 5, if you follow Vicki’s instructions).

Good luck ….no that’s not my fingers crossed behind my back (hee hee!)….and remember it finishes this Thursday AEST, so be quick!

Sugary hugs

Wendy XO :O)

It’s a dog’s life…

2011-10-22T09:52:00.001+10:00

well, it is…..!!!!!

take a look at this lazy duo………..

only 4 weeks left of high school before it’s all over for ever and ever……until uni starts!!!!!….where did the time go??? It only seems like yesterday that I was in the same boat….not a care in the world….getting up at 7.30 to leave for school at 8…..aaaah, those were the days!!!

And next week will see us attending this……..

….clever little bunny certainly didn’t take after his Mum…..he’s being awarded a Level 2 Award, which means all A’s and B’s on his report card……imagine what that kid could do if he actually ‘studied’!?!?!?! LOL

And poor little Ralph….little did he know, that yesterday was to be a little different to the ‘normal’ day in the life of ‘dog’. Notice how ‘shaggy’ he had become in the first photo??? Well, no longer……

…what a poser!!!!! He always loves visiting his ‘groomer’ for his bi-monthly ‘do’!!! And once he’s coiffed, he forgets he’s nearly 10 and behaves like a puppy again ….

…with his favourite toy, Mr Rabbit, who he loves to give a shake…

As you can see, that poor Mr Rabbit certainly has been well and truly loved!!!!

If you’re wondering…Ralph is our little moodle, a cross between a maltese terrier and a standard poodle. Ralphy certainly took most of his good looks and charm from the maltese side (!!!) as we met one of his siblings a while back who had the stronger poodle strain and he had much longer legs and stood about hip-height!!!!…reminded me of Danny DeVito and Arnie in Twins!!!!…..Poor Ralphy’s like his human ‘parents’ (and Danny DeVito!)…..stumpy legs…. and bodies!!!!

I did actually have a finish this week too. Remember the placemats I told you about here? Well, they are finished now and ready for……?????

All yummy and done……

And I’m still making 9-patches galore for our year 7 Art project…I’m about halfway through and they’re looking scrummy too….

Definitely a work in progress……I can’t wait to add them to the children’s stitcheries!!!!

and some hand stitching too on my NPNT.

…definitely still a work in progress….a very slow one, but I’m NEARLY there!!!!!

There is a good reason why things take me so long……..I get caught up with the entertainment around here……

These little guys, not sure but I think they’re baby kingfishers, were beginning to catch their dinner. Needless to say I spent a good half hour yesterday at least watching them fly off, bring their prey back and beat it into oblivion before swallowing it down whole and doing it all over again!!! And they’re just soooo cute, don’t ya think???

Hope your weekend’s full to the brim of laziness, a little bit of entertainment and crafty fun too!!!

Sugary hugs

XO Wendy :O)

An inspirational visit to Cardwell…

2011-10-17T13:17:00.001+10:00

Eight months after Cyclone Yasi and who knew people were still going without….without their homes, without their roofs, without their gardens, without their basic craft goodies…….still!!!

It was heartbreaking to see the devastation Cyclone Yasi dished out on this beautiful little spot in the world and is still recovering from, and to hear the stories, particularly the story of one lady who had bought a new, long awaited sewing machine the week before the cyclone, only to have it washed away by the sea along with everything she owned. Despite stories such as these, there was no dwelling on losses, no dwelling on ‘what could be’, only positive and forward-thinking, resilient women, sharing what they love best…..I felt very inspired and right at home!

Keep these ladies from the Cardwell Patchwork and Quilters, and others in the surrounding districts, in your thoughts and prayers as the upcoming cyclone season approaches our shores. Also if you want to send any donations for stash to the group, let me know and I will send you a contact address. All donations, I know, will be gratefully received.

Grab a cuppa and please enjoy the scrapbook album I’ve created (using the new “My Memories” software I won from Vikki).

…that left me speechless.

VIEW SLIDE SHOW

DOWNLOAD ALL

Sugary hugs

XOX Wendy :O)

A Change in the weather.

2011-10-14T17:39:00.001+10:00

Every morning this week we’ve woken to this foggy outlook, right up until 9am….

…which means the days are stinking hot…..33 – 34 degrees celsius on average. Today was quite mild….it only got to 32 degrees and it was noticably different, believe it or not!!! I was talking with Dawn the other day and her top temperature was 17 degrees for the day in Adelaide……so hard to believe we live in the same country!!!!

The spiders have taken to getting busy during the night and had we not had the fog and mist, I probably wouldn’t have noticed this web on my windscreen wiper….

….amazing critters aren’t they!? We have one busy guy who builds his web right between the garden and the bush outside our front door….I haven’t been able to get a photo as he’s disassembled it by morning but I notice it’s rebuilt each night as I take Ralph for his last ‘pitstop’ for the night!

Well, I’m not the kinda girl to break a promise and I invited you all for scones and tea so here they are, light and fluffy, fresh from the oven……amazing what you can do with flour, butter and milk!!!…

We had to wait just a bit for them to cool before we could add the homemade strawberry jam and cream but here they are…..hope you enjoy them!!!!……(pity we didn’t have taste-vision….I don’t think licking the screen has the same effect though!! LOL)

This week, I was working on preparing a project with our year 7 students….each year the year 7’s complete a creative project to leave to the school in remembrance of them. We’ve made mosaics, painted school murals, built gardens, but this year, we’re making a quilt to hang in our new library/resource centre. The design will have a stitched block between a nine-patch, alternating on each line. The students are stitching the blocks with their names, so they will never be forgotten, in the school colours of red and blue, and the nine patches will be in varying tones of red. I’ve prepared the blocks here for stitching before I took them to school to work with the kids….need I say, they were very excited…even the boys, but you probably remember that from when I stitched with them here.

I’ve also been working on this set of placemats…..well, you can only see one, because the others have still got to be bound….but they are all quilted and ready to go!!!

This is the back of this one….each has a different backing fabric and I decided to quilt them in the ditch and then using parallel lines around the edge. I’ll have to finish them off and post them onto the ‘Sew It’s Finished” blog as they were in my list of UFO’s for the year….and it’s only taken me till October!!!! LOL Time to spare, time to spare!!!!! hehehe

Tomorrow, I’m off on a bus trip with some ladies from our quilt group to Cardwell, about 4 hours north of here. The quilting ladies from Cardwell are having a ‘Show and Tell’ so it should be loads of fun….remember they had a terrible time earlier this year with Cyclone Yasi which nearly wiped them off the planet! Well these ladies have been working like trojans, getting themselves back together to put on a ‘show’ for us so we’re off to show our support. I must remember my camera so I can share when I get home!

Hope you’ve got a wonderfully crafty weekend planned too.

Sugary hugs

XOX Wendy :O)

Jam with me?

2011-10-08T23:08:00.001+10:00

Each month, our Guild has a Block Lotto, where each of us make a 12 1/2” block (or two or three or…..more) under a theme and we put the names of the people who’ve contributed into a hat and draw one name out to win all the blocks. If we have lots, we might share them out between 2 or 3 winners ….some months it’s a block with a colour theme, some months it’s a style, this month, the theme was ‘Spring’ in bright colours with a neutral background.

I thought I’d do something different to the usual when I saw this free pattern and tutorial last week on Madame Samm’s site featuring our very own Aussie, Helen Stubbings.

So I did the usual tracing and ironing weaveline ( a lightweight, iron-on interfacing) onto the back and then took out these…(nothing flash….no specialty pencils here!)….

and got colouring using the Colourque technique Helen is famous for!

And here is what I ended up with……

And believe me….I am NO artist…..stick figures are pretty much it for me, but I was soooo happy with how it turned out….I felt like a little kid again, and now, I don’t think I want to give it away….but….I guess I can always make another, can’t I ??!?!

Last week we went for a drive to the Strawberry Farm about an hour’s drive away and got the most delectable strawberries….the smell was just…. mm mmmmmmm…not to mention the taste!

We got 5 kilos of these beauties and after eating our fill, I hulled them and sliced them and put them in the pot….

cooked them for a while with some lemon juice and sugar and it magically turned into this…..

…the most delicious strawberry jam…..now tomorrow I must make some pikelets and scones and whip some cream to have with my jam!!!

Want to join me for the perfect Sunday Devonshire Tea???

Sugary Hugs

XOX Wendy :O)

Sugar…what?????

2011-10-06T11:00:00.000+10:00

I’ve just been visiting Dawn’s blog and she’s having a little competition about how we name our blogs.

Thinking back, I know this was a big deal for me, because I wanted my blog to reflect who I was, where I was, what I was like, and ‘Wendy’s Blog'” just didn’t cut it!

Soooooo, with my thinking cap on, I thought about where I lived……I live in the Burdekin in North Queensland… a prolific sugarcane growing region in Australia, so that’s where I got the SUGAR part …..

Next, I thought, well, I live in a sort of cul-de-sac (sounds better than a dead end street, doesn’t it???!!!) and the cane grows on one side of our narrow street and there’s beautiful tall trees growing down the end so it’s a little like a lane….so obviously (now!)……there’s the LANE part…

so SUGAR + LANE plus my love of QUILTS and QUILTING gives you the name of my blog….

SUGARLANE QUILTS!

Can’t wait to hop on over and see how others came up with their blog names too…Hop on over to Dawnie’s blog and join in the fun!

sugary hugs

XO Wendy :O)

A son’s love blooms….

2011-10-05T15:28:00.001+10:00

I never thought I’d see the day but my boy, in all of his 16, nearly 17 years of wisdom, decided to turn up from his casual job with these gorgeous pink and white beauties for me….just because!!!! You’ve got to love ‘em don’t you??? He’s such a softie!

I’m truly spoilt and thought I’d just show you how much, as I played with my prize I won in Vikki’s competition. It’s the new My Memories Suite software for scrapbooking, something I haven’t done for a couple of years! I used to be sooooo into scrapping, but quilting took over….you know what I mean??!!! But honestly, this software is so easy to use and comes up with some fab results and very quickly….and I can see some great possibilities for blog headers… mmmmmmmm…. now that’s got ya thinking!!!!

Anyway, the wonderful Vikki’s got a great deal for you on her blog to get your own copy of the software…..just pop on over and you’ll be able to get a $10 discount off the full price of the My Memories suite, together with a further $10 coupon to choose digital paper pack/s of your choice.

Thanks to Vikki for my lovely prize…and thanks my darling boy for being you!!!

Sugary hugs

XO Wendy :O)

Who’d have thunk……..????

2011-10-02T10:57:00.001+10:00

Many apologies for the late posting of my competition winner!!!… my power went out yesterday afternoon and didn’t come on til late last night, when I was well and truly in the Land of Nod!

Thank you to everyone who entered my ‘belated’ 2nd Anniversary of Blogging competition….I loved reading all your comments. Seems us bloggers get our inspiration from a lot of different places but we all agree that most of our inspiration comes from each other in the blogging community…..makes ya feel good don’t it????? And for those of you who haven’t taken the plunge into creating your own blog yet, that’s a pretty good reason to start!!!! I know when I first began, I thought no-one would be remotely interested in what I had to say or what I did in my little corner of the world…..but you know what??? This is where I’ve created many lifelong friendships and learnt soooooo much! Roll on the next 10 years of blogging…..at least!!!!! LOL

Ok, onto the winner………

…..now I’m not one for mathematical equations, but being a teacher, I tend to deal with them ‘sometimes’ (LOL), and even though I know all the rules of possibilities and probabilities, my mindset tells me that in a competition, whether it be a raffle or draw or something like that, the first number and the last number rarely get picked out!!! I never want the first number or the last number in a book of tickets even though logically, I know that they’ve got just as much of a chance of getting picked out as any other number!!!! Well…… Mr Random Number Generator proved theory right again and threw my ‘logic’ out the window, and he picked the very first comment to win my Colour My World Competition??? Who’d have thunk?????

Congratulations Narelle!!!!!

Narelle has left a new comment on your post "Colour my world and yours with a competition!":

Hi Wendy, Love all those threads that you have wound and the colours look just great. The photo's are all wonderful. My inspiration on most days come from my morning cuppa and blog hopping to see all the wonderful things that other bloggers have done and then i just want to go and sew and make something beautiful. Hope that you have a great weekend.
Hugs
Narelle

Well, Narelle……I hope YOU have a great weekend or what’s left of it!!!! I’m sure you will !!!!!! And here’s your prize…..

I’ll get it out to you in the mail……………..I sure hope you like it!

And my final OPAM finish for September…..just squeeeeeeeeeeezed it in on the 30th!!!! (Had to…it was for a friend’s 50th Halloween party that night!!!! tee hee)

The front……..

………the back…………..(t’was a windy day!!!!)……….

…and I sure learnt a thing or two about free motion quilting spider webs from here…….

…after which I got pretty comfortable with Free Motion and thought I’d get inventive so I did this…..

…and with metallic thread too!!!!! It absolutely shocked me that it worked……I’ve never had much success with metallics before but this time, it worked a treat!!!!!

I had lots of fun….and I know Ralph was just ‘itching’ to try the quilt out too…..even before it was finished!!!!!

Hope you’ve had a super weekend with lots of success in the sewing room!

sugary hugs

Wendy :O) X

You’ve got to be in it to win it!

2011-09-30T16:11:00.001+10:00

Don’t forget….tomorrow I will be drawing my 2 year blogging anniversary competition at 5pm AEST.

Seeing as I’ve been buying up big on the embroidery threads in all colours of the spectrum (you can read more about that here), I thought I’d put a little surprise pack together with some lovely fabric for you as a prize!

All you need to do is write a comment, and if you’d like to follow me, that’d be wonderful too!

So don’t hesitate……entries close tomorrow 5pm AEST

(and I’ll share my latest finish with you then!!!)

sugary hugs

Wendy :O) X

Colour my world and yours with a competition!

2011-09-24T11:41:00.001+10:00

A great find on Ebay kept me busy this week organising these beauties….

I just loved sitting there in front of the tv, winding away onto thread holders….but as you can see I ran out when it came to the variegateds!!!!!

But it got me thinking……out of all of our senses, I would hate to lose my sight….because colour is such an important thing to me….beauty is everywhere around us in colour and combinations of colour…..I don’t know how I’d manage without it…

there’s colour in the garden…

….and in the world around us…on the ground…..

and in the sky…..

Colour choice needn’t be so hard if we just look to the world around us for inspiration…..I know, I’d be lost without my sight and the inspiration of colour in the world around me…..I’m very blessed where we live as we have beautiful and varied colour palettes given to us every day in nature that I draw from.

Now if you’ve made it all the way through my photos, I have a little giveaway. I just realised it’s 9 days past my 2nd blogiversary!!!! *oops* How did I miss that one!?

Anyway, to celebrate, if you just leave a comment telling me what gives you your inspiration or what sense you could not live without, you’ll go into the draw to win some colourful threads and fabric to inspire you too.

Just leave a comment, nothing tricky, and you’ll be entered into the draw where Mr Random Number Generator will help me pick a winner next Saturday AEST 5pm . Make sure you are not a No Reply Blogger though, because if you are, you will not qualify as I won’t be able to contact you. If you’re not sure, click on the link on my sidebar to show you how.

Good luck and I hope you’re blessed with a colourful world too

sugary hugs

Wendy X :O)

….and the earth moved…..again!!!

2011-09-18T16:12:00.001+10:00

…..and I didn’t even know!!!

Apparently at 2.29am this morning, we had a minor earthquake, registering 4.1 on the Richter scale, south-west of Bowen. Friends said they felt their bed move and the sound of a rumble, doors and windows rattle and dogs bark…..but me…..I slept on, oblivious to the phenomenon!!! All’s well though….no damage….and my puppy slept on, just like me!

Then this afternoon, whilst I was cooking up this beautiful score of fresh vegies which grow prolifically in our area…

…into these yummy treats… (just ignore the dirty oven door!!! *cringe*) …

another surprise awaited me in the hall…..

Yes….it is a snake…..they’re on the move now that the weather is warming up and I think I’m going to have to dispose of that welcome mat….because THEY’RE NOT welcome!!!!

Thank goodness for paint tins and mops is all I can say! Once he knew I was on the warpath, he slithered down the hallway into my DS’s room and behind the bookcase and, I don’t care what anyone says, I was not leaving it there!!!…..out came the bookcase, and I know wildlife people would be cringing but not as much as me, as I ‘gently persuaded’ him out with the mop and ‘slowed him down’ with the paint tin! I know what you’re thinking….he’s not THAT big….well, no….

…he wasn’t….but could you sleep with a snake roaming free in your house, I ask?!?!?!?!! I just hope Mumma doesn’t come looking!!! *eek*

What crafty things have I been up to???

I’ve finished the last two ‘Snowhearts” blocks and I’m waiting for the final instructions for piecing the blocks. You can still download them here if you’ve missed them, or click on the link on my sidebar.

I’m working on my Birdie Stitches and I’m up to here….

Still quite a few blocks to catch up, but I’m waiting for some DMC’s to arrive…..using six strands at a time eats them up…..although it does look great!

And do you remember this flimsy?

Well, I’ve stitched the black block in the top middle with this….

Isn’t he cute??? It’s a quilt for a friend’s 50th, and as she doesn’t blog, I’m certain to be safe to share it with you! She’s having a Halloween-themed party so what better way to remember the day?? I’m now working on the pieced backing and must hurry to sandwich and quilt it because, if you notice in the spider block, the date of her birthday is 30th September!!!!! Can you guess what I’ll be doing this week??? LOL

And I thought I’d share this yummy recipe with you.

Sooooo easy, and soooooo delish!

Pineapple Slice

1 cup desiccated coconut,

½ cup caster sugar

1 ½ cups flour

185g unsalted butter, melted

1 tspn vanilla essence

300ml thickened cream

Pineapple topping:

440g can crushed pineapple

1 cup water

1 cup caster sugar

¼ cup custard powder

Grease 19cm x 30cm lamington tin, line base and sides with greaseproof paper, extending paper 2 cm above the sides of pan.

Combine coconut, sugar and flour in large bowl. Add butter and essence. Mix to combine. Press over base.

Cook in moderate oven (180 degrees C ) for 20 mins. Cool completely.

Pineapple topping: place ingredients in saucepan. Whisk until combined. Cook, stirring over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens.

Pour mix over cooled base in pan. Spread evenly. Refrigerate until set. Beat cream in small bowl until firm peaks form. Lift slice from pan. Spread with cream. Cut into squares to serve.

I’ll need to take some with me tomorrow to our quilting guild’s special visit from Pauline Rodgers, the Gadget Queen! I’m looking forward to learning some new tricks!

take care and

Sugary hugs

X Wendy :O)

Where did it go???

2011-09-10T08:42:00.001+10:00

I keep asking myself, where oh where do the days go??? One minute it’s Monday and I’ve a list of things I want to get through during the week and I turn around and it’s Saturday morning and only half my list’s been touched!!!!! aaaarrrgghhh!!!!

If someone find’s them, can they please send me some back????….I’m running out of time to get my jobs done!!!!

I have been catching up on some reading….

and purchasing some yummies…

….but I really must get back to this…

…this….

….and this…..

…never mind the housework!!!!

But first, I must take my 16+ year old to the airport to board a plane with his school mates for their year 12 Snowies trip!

Oh to be young with ‘nare a care in the world!!!!!!

Must rush…..

sugary hugs

Wendy X :O)

Fathers’ Day Finish

2011-09-04T08:39:00.001+10:00

Today, the first Sunday in September, is the date we commemorate Fathers’ Day here in Australia. A day to celebrate our Dads, Stepdads, Grandads, Nonnos, Pa’s, Daddys, Pappys, Papas, Padres, Pops or whichever name you’d like to call your Father or significant man in your life!

I designed this “Good Things” stitchery (which, btw, you can download for free for your own use from my sidebar!) to celebrate my Father In Law, a strong Italian man who loves both his garden and his fishing (not to mention his food and wine….and family!).

Now my FIL, who is in his late 70’s, has had a stroke quite a few years ago, and his memory is not like it used to be. He is always referring to his “Brainbox” as he calls it……his diary, where he writes every little detail down in case he forgets. He brought out his little diary the other day to refer to some notes he took down about a joke he just HAD to tell me, but thought he might forget the details of….and promptly couldn’t find the notes as he’d written them on a piece of paper and stuck them randomly in the pages…..he was so relieved when he found them!!!! He even writes on backs of envelopes stapled together, and puts them ‘somewhere safe’ but forgets where he’s put them when he’s looking for them later!

So I thought I’d put my stitchery to good use and created a notebook cover for a notepad where he could jot down all his thoughts and have them all in the one place.

There’s a holder for his pen so he doesn’t lose it and the ‘button’ to close it, is even a sinker!

Inside, there’s a pocket,

and a ribbon to hold his place.

I used Alexander Henry “Caitlin Stripe” on the cover because I thought it looked just like the waves, and Henry Glass “Daisies and Dots” for the lining and pocket because, well…..they just looked like his sinkers!!!

I must give credit to Craft Passion for the notebook cover tutorial and pattern. I did make some modifications as I used a different type and size of notebook and my cover design was different but basically, it was the same.

Now, all that’s left to do is:

wrap it up and take it to its intended recipient and……
add it to my list of OPAM finishes for 2011….my first for September!

Have a wonderful Fathers’ Day wherever you are.

Sugary hugs

X Wendy :O)

Spring is springing and a Fathers’ Day Freebie

2011-09-02T11:54:00.001+10:00

I’ve been out of the sewing room for a week or so just enjoying the sunshine…..

my seeds I planted are starting to sprout and should soon be ready to go into pots of lovely parsley, dill and thyme..

my vanilla pod orchid is ‘doing its thing’,

and the time’s just perfect for my roses……

You can almost smell them, can’t you????

The bees are working busily….can you see the teeny native bees pollinating this rose?……

And the canefires continue to burn with the sweet smell of sugar permeating the air each evening……

I haven’t been completely absent from sewing though……

I’ve been working on my “Nice People, Nice Things” stitcheries….

…and I reeeeeally like this one….

….because it reminds me of my little baby/terror…(well…in doggy years, he’s probably much older than me!!!!)

And I don’t know about in your neck of the woods, but here in Australia, this Sunday is Fathers’ Day. This got me thinking about what special thing I could do for my FIL who is one special guy……he loves fishing and now the years are starting to creep up on him, he has to write everything down…..just so he doesn’t forget!!!!!

So I designed “Good Things”…….

to be combined with this….

which will make……….well, I can’t show you that, because I haven’t quite got that far……nothing like working under pressure!!!!!

But if you’d like to use my design “Good Things” to create something wonderful for your father, father in law, step father, hubby, brother…..yada, yada, yada….. you’re more than welcome to download it for yourself…. my gift to you! Just click on the button below, or on the link on my sidebar…..

….and you can work under pressure with me!!!!! LOL Nah….not really…..it only took about an hour or so to stitch up and you’ll easily have something made by Fathers’ Day! When you make something, I’d love to see it, so please send me a photo and I’ll share it on my blog!

Happy stitching and

sweet sugary hugs

X Wendy :O)

another finish and…..

2011-08-21T16:05:00.001+10:00

…..many apologies!

I have been a bit remiss about replying to all the comments I’ve been sent on my last couple of posts so I REALLY DO apologise…I think I’ve just been feeling a little burnt out lately, and I WILL get to them this week, so thank you for being patient with me !!!

I’ve taken a few days just to stop and smell the roses and I think I’m back on track and ready with my mojo to tackle the world!!!

I’ve finished my deep dish pincushion which was made using charm squares. This one is Moda’s “Fandango” by Kate Spain

I’m just loving this fabric design…it was so hard to pick which charm square I was going to use for the top…..so I might just have to make another one!!!!

Back to the roses…..spring must be just around the corner….the weather’s warming up and the garden is just bursting….and I have been enjoying taking time out in the outdoors with…..

my favourite rose,

a flowering aloe vera plant….

a healthy strawberry plant…

can you see the strawberries?…..

The bees are starting to get busy in our orange trees…

and the fragrance is just spectacular…..I only hope the oranges are as sweet as the smell!!!

Charlie’s even enjoying the warm early spring days…..

Aaaaah, just perfect to inspire me and bring back my mojo!!!!

Make sure you take time out to enjoy the beauty around you too….it’s amazing what it does for your soul!

Take care and have a wonderful week.

sugary hugs

OX Wendy :o)

What goes on at retreat……..

2011-08-16T07:53:00.001+10:00

…….stays at retreat!….Isn’t that how the story goes????

Well, that’s my excuse for not taking any photos anyway…………I got soooooooo caught up in finishing what I was doing, that all I took photos of, were my projects! (I wonder if it has anything to do with the 1am bedtimes and 6.30am starts!!!!! hehehe)

I can tell you this is how we set out with all our gear…..and this was only three out of the four ladies’ stuff…..it was a real ‘squeeze’ fitting it all in……and yes, the inside was full to overflowing too!!!!

I can tell you the food was so plentiful, I had to go home in another car so we didn’t break the suspension in the one I arrived in!!!

I can tell you the weather was cool-ish and brisk but beautiful during the day and when I went outside of the hall we were working in at night, to ring my beloved, a cheeky possum, as big as a cat, casually strolled past me, glanced back once it passed, and climbed the tree I was standing near! I can also tell you they liked dancing on the rooftops in the middle of the night!!!! *sheesh*

AndI can tell you that I DID finish most of what I set out to do…..

this flimsy of a queen-sized birthday quilt as a gift for a friend’s 50th Halloween themed party made from a Turning Twenty pattern….

if you look closely there’s a lot of Halloween themed fabrics…

and the big black block will have a huge spider appliqued onto it with the details of my friend’s birthday…..I do hope she likes it!

I can tell you I fused the pieces for this wall hanging….

…which will use free-motion quilting to bring out the design details in this Aussie scene wall hanging (I hope it works!!!! LOL)

I can tell you I finished these cute little projects…

….a journal cover and pencil case featuring this gorgeous fabric….

(Now I have somewhere to store my pigma pens and blue markers and record my quilting ideas!)

And I can tell you I started a deep dish pincushion which is still a work in progress….no photos for that either!!!!

But I can’t tell you what went on at retreat…..because we all know 'What goes on at retreat, stays at retreat!’

Sugary hugs

X Wendy :O)

Bloggy friends are the best….

2011-08-12T12:00:00.000+10:00

Well ain’t that the truth????

This treasure arrived in the post….just because…..

My gorgeous BLF (BlogLand Friend) Peg….made me these beauties and I just love ’em….Peg’s such a clever chooky, don’t ya think???

wrapped in gorgeous pinky fabric….yummeeeeeeee! The wheels are a’turning as to what I can use it for…… LOL

And another BLF , Marilyn, sent me these lovelee treats….

Aren’t they simply perfect???? I just had to try my new mousey….

Isn’t she cute???? (and after checking Marilyn’s blog…I’m wearing it the wrong way…..tha't’d be me to a ‘t’ !!! LOL) Marilyn came up ‘north’ and I was lucky enough to meet her…..she’s just beautiful..hope you can meet her one day too!

Thanks so much gals…you’re the best….BLF’s are nothing short of wonderful….Friends that love ya just because, and aren’t afraid to show it!

BLF’s sure make the best BFF’s! (Bloggy Friends Forever!)

Sugary hugs

Wendy :O) X

Have I got enough????

2011-08-11T21:24:00.001+10:00

I hate packing at the best of times but I’m terrified I’ve forgotten something for our retreat this weekend at Camp Kanga, just outside of Proserpine.

What do you think?…..

the essentials…..

chocolate, coffee and wine (and the panadol!!!)….

the tablet, to touch base with you (if I can even stop sewing for a minute over the weekend!)…

the projects to work on…..secret squirrel…..I’ll have to show you once they’ve been started/finished/both of the above!!!……

TWO sewing machines….one for me, one for a friend…..

…..and perhaps I’d better include the camera, batteries and some warm snuggly clothes (with ugg boots too)….they say it gets cold out there!!!!. Must get a pillow, my bathroom essentials and my sleeping bag. Can you think of anything I’ve missed????

We’re leaving at 9am in the morning for our 2 hour jaunt south…..4 of us in one car…..I’m soooo excited….and if you hear a low rumble, it’s probably us, the groan of the poor car under the weight of all our gear for 3 days!!!!

Hope you’ve got a fun weekend planned too!

Sugary hugs

Wendy :O)