Sew, unpick & then make it anew!

A pretty quiet weekend here...cut out a skirt...tried to make a bib...busy rebirthing my last instalment of my BOM...felt it looked a little "flat" & lacking interest in comparison to the other blocks...it was fully done & then I changed the bias circles for ricrac...still not happy so I unpicked the whole thing(!)...spent LOTS of time playing...but I finally decided to go with a traditional block...all of the other blocks are traditional ones made with flair using pretty contemporary fabrics from Material Obsession. 

Dresden Plates have always been a favourite of mine...and I thought the sawtooth tips reflected the triangles used in the other circular blocks...I was going to segment the "spokes", but it looked too busy....I am still deciding if the centre fabric is the "right" one.What do you think? I even got around to laying all the blocks out on the floor...it has been a challenge at times, but I love the way that making it has given me the confidence to say...that block is nice, but not me, and change it to a block I prefer. Fun, fun, fun! Just some applique to do on some sashing strips & then for the final construction phase...so many strips...but it will look great! MO are about to do this BOM again...better be quick to get in this time!

DD has been working away steadily on her purchases at Darling Harbour. She has just finished her scarf...from Prints Charming...looks great...and is now trimming a pashmina with Liberty.

Frosty here this morning...

Cardygirl xx

Anniversary surprise!

Thanks for all your lovely comments over the past week. There have been lots of celebrations & lots of fun. Darling Harbour & the craft Show were inspirational...lots of ideas...lots of gorgeous fabrics...so many projects mentally started...so lovely to meet some old friends & connect with new ones. A fortunate week.

So here we go...a winner for the giveaway...some little treats from my lovely week...hexies of a few sizes...some tools to make it all easier...24 treasured Liberty lawns from my collection (bought after I married my dear husband 24 yrs ago..and very cherished) for you to make some charm hexies...some hexies from my collection...and just a couple of little treasures too!

And the random winner, picked from a bowl by my dear daughter...

Sandy! Yay!

Thankyou all for "listening" to my ramblings...our community is a special one...

Cardygirl xx

Linen & Liberty

Patchwork began for me in the mid 1980's (as you would have seen from my first quilts!)...the ranges of fabric just weren't around like they are now. So my first few quilts had Liberty lawns in them...a sampler, a heart applique & my firstborn's cot quilt. Treasures. I have moved them many times & care for them lovingly...some are probably unavailable now. At the Darling Harbour Quilt show I purchased some lovely loosely woven linen from Patchwork on Central Park...I had seen it made into a scarf on their blog...with torn Liberty strips (from my stash) as trim...the edges are frayed & you wash & tumbledry it to give it that soft, worn look...nice! It was a bit scary doing the washer/dryer bit, but it looks great!

I have been putting together charm hexies at a great pace...this great box from Big W is keeping it all in order...but tonight I ran out of my glue pen...seriously going into withdrawals!!!!!! Hope the refills arrive in the mail tomorrow....just need to breathe slowly...in...out...relax! I am loving the hexagon bag by Brigitte Giblin...that will have to be on the agenda! Tomorrow night I will draw my giveaway...good luck!

Cardygirl xx

Darling Harbour Fun Part 2

So much fun...so much inspiration...need more money & time!

We shopped...we talked...we kept going back to our favourites...amitie...Patchwork on Central Park...Craft Queen...Kelani (stunning stuff)...and Material Obsession.

Material Obsession...always a favourite...great to catch up with Kathy & her fabulous team...Kate, Sarah & the other helpful friendly ladies there. Great to see the Sue Ross BOM completed...admire & resist the urge to sign up for another BOM...but succumb to oh so many gorgeous fabrics...and come home with a happy head brimming with ideas...even for personalising my last block of the BOM!

DD bought some great fabrics from Kelani for a dress...love that trim!

She is off to Rome & Paris with her band late in the year, so we found great fabric for a scarf at amitie...Paris & music notes...perfect! The spot is a fine cord...snuggly!

I bought this funky spot from Kelani to do a Barcelona skirt...I just need to stop sleeping really!

This one just "spoke" to me...oh dear!

Last night I just sat & played with hexies...I have done a couple of flowers but I think I will go with a scrappy charm look...what do you think?

Sadly I cannot post pics of the quilts (as per Quilters Guild photographic policy), but look in the backgrounds of my pics from yesterday for some glimpses or pop over to Jean who has a great collage. Don't forget about my giveaway!

Cardygirl xx

Darling Harbour Fun Part 1(plus a treat!)

Well, we did it! Lea, my DD & I all headed off to Sydney  yesterday to attend the Quilt Show & SHOP!

We live about 3hrs from Sydney, so were planning to head off bright & early. You need a little background to understand the humour of our start....I am ALWAYS punctual (annoyingly so) & ALWAYS organised. Wash the hair the night before, pack my handbag, lay out my clothes, make a list, do some research...really annoying I know! Dear Lea is more of a seat of her pants kind of girl....usually a bit late, forgets things, improvises her schedule, forgets the turn offs en route...and we LOVE her for it! So yesterday must have been opposite day. Lea was SIX minutes early, I slept in (eeek!)...I was on the hop! But we were on our way!Seeing the Harbour & Bridge never fail to thrill you!

Fortunately we had a great trip into Sydney & arrived at opening time...the crowds were quite manageable & we were able to have a good look around & even get some personal advice on making clamshells from Sue Daley. And that inspired me...I have been enjoying making hexagons...and I had an enjoyable day at the Quilt Show...I should share all this good feeling as it is also my wedding anniversary....and my 200th blog... so why not have a little giveaway...hmmmm...oh, why not! So leave me a comment about my day at the show, about my ramblings generally or anything else you want to say & I will give away a little treat on the morning of the 25th...also the anniversary of our moving to this town nineteen years ago!

So, back to the Show...there was a girl there with a much admired Study Hall skirt...but sadly I was not able to catch up with Robyn, Christine, or Sandra....busy schedules & coordinating long distance travel made it tricky...but I met Janice & Anita (old buddy from Nundle!)...so great to really meet them at last...and funny how it seems you have known them forever! Hopefully next year we will be able to coordinate our visits a little better! It is amazing how we do recognise each other! I seem to be doing the weird eye thing in my pic with Janice!

So here is some eye candy....I was a VERY NAUGHTY girl & came home with oodles of fabric....and a head full of ideas...oh why do I have to work tomorrow?????

We even managed to deliver a quilt on the way home! Tomorrow I will show some quilts & other interesting pics....

Cardygirl xx

Fun project bag!

A belated birthday gift for my dear stitching buddy, Lea. I have had fun making it & I know she will love it...

lots of fun American Jane fabrics...I do seem to have a couple or more hanging around! It is such a cute project bag...designed by Natalie Ross..."All my favorite things". Vintage button courtesy of my Mum.

Sydney Craft & Quilt Show is currently on at Darling Harbour...hope we find time to get there!

Coming up to a milestone blog...what could it be?

Cardygirl xx

Philosophizing...

Hmmm...some blocks that we create really make us pause & contemplate...why do we do this?

For several months now I have been making a BOM with Material Obsession. Designed by Sue Ross, it has been an interesting lesson in colour & technique. Some blocks have been technically challenging...no quick whip it together & on to the next project...no sirree!

As we do, I was 2 blocks behind, so a long weekend ( full up with a cold...great!) was a perfect time to catch up....Friday night tracing templates...Saturday all systems go! But...so many set in corners...a bit of reverse stitching...a surprise & very welcome visit from some friends...a bit more reverse stitching & Sunday it was done...huge sigh of relief...I tamed the beast! Not altogether perfection, but I can live with it. I think patchwork can either make you patient or unleash your inner banshee...fortunately this time the patient unpicker was on duty...the other one is a bit scary!

Looking at it reminded me that I had done this block before...as a novice in the 1980's...a hand pieced sampler...and it was a beast then too!I like the fresh fun look of the new version...puts the "fashionable" mauve & blue (what was I thinking???) to shame...oh how our tastes change!

How are all you BOM participants going...are you on or off the wagon? Banshee or calm stitching goddess?

Cardygirl xx

A touch of spring...

Every now & then you make something that you absolutely, wholeheartedly adore. At our retreat last weekend I started the Knot Garden quilt from Kaffe Fassett's Country Garden book. I finished the top yesterday.

And I love it's spring like freshness...

It is tricky finding shops around me that sell KF fabrics, but thanks to Cathy I was able to find a kit at Tennessee Quilts(thankfully just before the dollar fell!), and I have really enjoyed making it too.

Hope you like it too!

Cardygirl xx

Finally heading home.

Here is the last instalment about our FUN weekend at Mt Tenandra. Sadly all good things must FINISH, and after more FRANTIC sewing we headed home...both FATIGUED & mentally reFRESHED. FOND FAREWELLS & promises to FIND time to do it all again next year. Here are some sights FROM our journey home... sunflowers...

Birds made from corrugated iron...

birds of the FEATHERED kind...

and a pair of birds doing FUNNY things with Jupiter!

 Amazing FIELDS of cotton

And I have been working on my project from the weekend...

nearly done! Thanks for the fun & inspiration Chooky, Peg, Dale, Kerry, Jules, Nicole, Eleanore & Fairygirl!

Cardygirl xx

FAR away FUN goes on...

What a great weekend....FABRIC surrounded us...but as the evening wore on we had to resort to sewing by FLOODLIGHT!

Chookyblue was sewing with chenille...you know that meant FLUFF swirling everywhere...

sewers in FLANNELETTE pyjamas seemed to be the rule for most...

they even became the new FASHION for walkers! FUNNY!

A FEW FIZZY drinks and the night was FILLED with the sounds of FAUX ABBA singing & songs from my Ipod...A blast from the past! How FUNNY to see everybody singing along with "Girls on the Avenue"...oh we felt young again! LOL! A FINE time was had by all...except for the FEAR created when a grouchy Yowie FRIGHTENED the late crew! Lucky FAIRYGIRL was safely asleep!

We woke to our FINAL day...finished quilts ready to be FILMED...

Lea's second African quilt...

beautiful repro 9 patch...

sweet chenille...

DD's FIRST quilt top...

We all felt so proud of her!

Final pics & the trip home still to come!

Cardygirl xx

So much FUN!

Wow! What a weekend!

Our retreat weekend was definitely FANTASTIC...we had lots of FUN...and I am feeling FATIGUED.

Some bloggers headed off from our FAR FLUNG homes on FRIDAY...

we braved rain & FAR FROM IDEAL dirt roads to FIND our way to a place about FOUR hours from my home.

FAR away Mt Tenandra was the destination...a FABULOUS old home now used as a B & B.

FOUR pairs of FRIENDS plus one met there for lots of FRIVOLITY

Time to sit, FIND out more about each other...FLAP our gums (cheeky!)...

eat FAR too much FLAVORSOME FOOD...

celebrate special days in FINE style...

 then try to redeem ourselves by going for a FITNESS walk ..

.it was oh so FLAT!

Saw some FURRY friends...

then with FUZZY heads, we stitched for hours...some FORTUNATE, FAST souls even FINISHED a FIRST project! FANTASTIC! Then off to bed, dreaming of FRESH days sewing ahead!

Enough for today...visit Peg & Chookyblue for more FUN pics...more from me tomorrow!

Cardygirl xx

First macaron

DD loves to cook & recently bought a lovely cookbook "Macaron".

Here is her first one...vanilla & rose...too yummy for words!

Cardygirl xx

Definitely not cuckoo!

Blogging has introduced me to so many good people...a common interest often leads to a sharing of ourselves that is really rewarding. One blog that continues to draw me back to my roots as an embroiderer is Broderie...Liz's work is inspirational & reminds me of the pleasure of creating with threads & linens. Oh, if only there were more hours in a day to create! Pop by & visit her as there are always beautiful works to be seen. She kindly sent me a few things to help inspire me...how gorgeous are these designs?

And the prettiest card...she said I was not cuckoo though!

Cardygirl xx