A FINISH AND SOME GIFTS

I have just finished a sew a long on Craft Lovers blog and Decided to make my blocks into this table runner. I think it will come to live in one of my daughters homes as its not really me colour scheme.

I am making Xmas placemats ( will show them when I have finished them) for my youngest daughter as it is her turn to host our Xmas lunch this year and I had some fabric left over. I have made so far 18 coasters and I will be giving them to the St John volunteers of TTgully division at their Xmas dinner as I will be attending it with my DH who is a member. I hope they will like my little gift.

Last year the Quilters Guild of SA issued each member who attended the Xmas breakup with a fat quarter and challenged us to create  something with it. I have made a table centre and fussy cut the snowman print and turned them on point so where ever you view it a snowman is watching you. I also added some snowflake stitcheries and I am pleased with the result. Our Xmas breakup for 2011 is this Thursday and it will be interesting to see what other quilters have made.

Bye for now as I still have 14 more placemats to finish. Jude

A SHORT BREAK

Hi all, Sorry for not posting for so long but I have been very busy. I flew to Sydney to visit my eldest daughter and family and then came home did the washing and went to Stansbury with my middle daughter and her family. We do this every year and it is a great time to relax and recharge ready for Xmas.

 Here are Emma and I trying to cool off in the ocean at Stansbury on the Yorke Peninsular last week.
We had some hot days in the high 30s and some very windy days and a bit of rain thrown in for good luck. We built sand castles, dug holes to sit in, walked for miles finding sea shells and had a great relaxing time. Emma was digging in the sand and was very surprised when she pulled up her spade and it had a sweet little crab on it. One of its brothers bit me on the back of the thigh and for little crabs they certainly can give you a nip.

This is a close up of Emma`s crab. She was so excited and had to run and show Mum her catch of the day. Home again now and must get down to it and sew all my Xmas gifts. Bye for now Jude

HOW MY BLOG NAME CAME TO BE

Hello to everyone and thanks to Dawn for initiating this post on how we name our blogs.
I have sewed for a number of years and then quilting found me and now I am totally addicted.Then Dawn said "Lets set up a blog for you", I didnt know what that was goin to start.Dawn showed me how to set up and operate my blog and said think what I wanted to call it. All sorts of ideas flittered through my head but didnt seem right, then I remembered what my DH had said to some visitors. At that time I did not have a sewing room and my projects and fabrics would be carefully placed around my home for my convenience meaning that most surfaces had some sewing item on them. With nowhere to sit without dislodging  my works my DH said, " just push it onto the floor thats just Judes stuff that she is working on. It stuck in my mind and was just perfect to use as my blog name.
PS I now have a very large sewing room to keep my STUFF in but some still manages to creep out into the family areas, you just cant trust some projects to stay put now can you.
I hope you enjoyed reading about my blog name. now off to read some others.
cheers Jude

MY NEW QUILT AND A GIFT

I cant believe how many UFOs I am completeing plus all of my other sewing commitments.
Here are two more to share with you

I started this replica of a postage stamp quilt about 3 years ago and recently found it in the cupboard and decided it deserved to be completed. It is constructed using assorted scraps cut into 21/2inch squares. There are 30 blocks consisting of 49 of the squares plus double sashing all around, so it is a very large quilt. I origanally wanted it for our caravan, but now its finished and I like it on my bed. Even my DH agrees that it looks right there and brightens the room. I found a vintage sheet at an op shop for just $2.00 and I have used it on the back along with a panel of the 2 1/2 inch squares, sorry forgot to take a photo and my dear friend Dawn quilted it for me on her quilting machine as I could never had done it on my domestic machine.

At Xmas I gave my 3 daughters a flannel quilt as their gift and my SIL Richard asked where was his soft, cuddly quilt. I found another UFO in the cupboard that I had started at least 8 years ago and put aside as I didnt like it. I pulled it apart and remade it using the 16 patch blocks with solid blocks and left overs for the border. I didnt have enough fabric for the back so I sewed more squares and sewed them with the little bit of fabric I had left and was very pleased with how it turned out. Richard now has a two sided quilt and I am pleased with its rebirth. This is the back on first and below is the front.

The front has turned out quite nice and I am glad that it is finally finished. Richard will get it in November along with hes sons and daughters quilt. their birthdays are all within 7 days of each other so we can all celebrate together when we go on holiday at the beach.
Bye for now Jude

A GIFT AND A UFO

My DH`s Aunt Margaret with her new quilt that we gave to her on moving to Adelaide to live.

This finally finished UFO was one that was on the net as a sew a long, and I liked it as it looks crisp and clean with the white fabric and was the first quilt I have done using all white borders.I gave Margaret the choice of this one or the one from my previous post and she liked both but settled on this as it suited her bedroom colours.
I am off to Sydney next week to visit my DD and family as I miss them since they moved, and as it is school holidays over there I get to spend more time with my 2 little GD`s.
Now off to do my next UFO and will blog again when I get home.
 Cheers Jude.

ANOTHER UFO COMPLETED

I have finished another UFO and I quilted it on my domestic machine and did scrolly things on the border. I still need more practice but am pleased with what I have done. I found another 2 UFOs in the cupboard and have added them to my list to finish by the end of the year. I only have to finish the  hand sewing on my next quilt and thats another one to my total for this year. My DH said to me the other day what about your AFO?...I looked at him blankly and asked what he meant and he replied..ANTICIPATED FINISHED OBJECTS, I guess he has seen the long list of things i wish to do before my eyesight fails and I cant sew anymore. I didnt realise he was that interested in what I was creating. Well cheers for now Jude. 

TWO MORE GIFTS FINISHED

I have been busy completing UFOs, sewing birthday and Xmas gifts and doing some secret Santa challenges. I had made this year the one to do those UFOs and have surprised myself by completing so many. My friend Dawn from AS SWEET AS CINNAMON has helped by machine quilting the quilts at a very reasonable price. I have two sitting in the sewing room that Dawn has quilted over the past two weeks waiting for me to finish the binding and one more ready to take to her next week that has been in my cupboard for about three years. Then I will see how many more there are hiding around in the house. Do your quilts hide from you like mine do? Well their time is up, so look out quilts I will find you.

This is a note book I have done for my little neighbor next door for her 6th birthday and we went over and had songs and cake for afternoon tea.

This quilt that was hiding from me for so long is a birthday gift for my eldest grandson Charlie. He will be 5yo in November the day after his sister Emma turns 3yo and they both will get their first quilt from Nan. I showed Emma`s in my last post. Time to go now to seek out those othr quilts.
cheers Jude.