Keira's new tablecloth

Keira spends a lot of time drawing/crafting/playdoughing/playing at the dining table....I am forever putting new tablecloths on and today laid down 2 or so metres of Grandmother's Flower Garden PVC....I can wipe it down or chuck it in the machine...I like that!



I just got out my pinking shears rather than sew the edges and we'll see how we go....I even think hubby will be happy as there isn't much overhang so Finn can't try to drag it off with him!



It also made a nice background for some new quilting templates that are going up in the store today....I must say I've been having a play around with them and the fluoro is great as you can spot it a mile away if your craft room is looking....ahem...shall we say a little untidy!!!!



I was asked last night to clean it up so retro daddy could work in there.....oops. Winner of the giveaway to be drawn and announced tonight..I have so many entries (thank you) that I need to put them in excel and then draw a winner! oh and I'm helping out with another giveaway here , another lovely catholic mummy who blogs and crafts!

another dress for Sunday

As you know I love to make new dresses for keira to wear to church on a sunday .......she's off enjoying a movie with her daddy courtesy of his work and loves her new dress. Hopefully it will be clean enough to wear tonight to church!



I love this fabric but it sold it out within a few days at spotlight, but thankfully their 'shop at home' came to my rescue and found me 4m at Lidcombe store which is a long way from home...



and it matched keira's new little hair tie perfectly...it's the Clover large flower yo-yo (I hope to stock some in my store soon as spotlight has been sold out for ages) and if you use a really light fabric it puffs up gorgeously!


I hope to make more for my market stall...in 2 weeks! And don't forget to enter my giveaway which closes tonight! New giveaway starting tomorrow too.....so much fabric, so much to share!

and more grandmother's flower garden

beautiful jelly rolls.......



layer cakes



and pvc coated fabric which is so gorgeously soft, it feels like regular fabric and is super soft which is great for sewing.



You don't need to use your walking foot but you can if you want to and there are so many great projects like ballet, sport or library bags, smocks, bibs, raincoats, hats, placemats, tableclothes and other homewares!

doily deliciousness

OK I'm a magazine junkie at the best of times but at Christmas I just go nuts...thankfully my sister works in the industry again and keeps my habit manageable. AWW latest issue has dear little doily dollies



doily hanging decorations



re-usable frilly wrapping......



What great ideas and keira is raring to go, so we're off to the craft store for supplies this morning!

good mail!

I love mail...especially when it's swaps and giveaways. First up is the lovely rainbow swap parcel I received from silly gilly.....a super cute retro softies pattern, journal book and rainbow cover, rainbow yarn, binding in rainbow colours, skittles and I wish I could show you the m&m's and lifesavers that also came with it but they were quickly taken by keira yesterday! thank you for spoiling me, everything will be put to good use...



don't you love a little handwritten note tucked inside the gorgeous journal cover. Thank you for spoiling me!



and on sunday I was lucky to receive a giveaway from Katia.....now Katia is a lovely russian girl living in sydney with her helicopter pilot hubby (now doesn't that sound like an exciting occupation)! She does amazing embroidery and sewing and just check out her etsy store....she amazed us on Sunday with her lovely stitching and she has such attention to detail. Wow, I'm looking forward to having some of her sweet things at my Allie's Attic stall in December.....



So thank you Katia for the lovely giveaway! I'm going to make a little bag for my mum (the french teacher with a love affair of everything parisian) and pop the notebook in for her. Unfortunately she will be in hospital again as her cancer has come back again. I guess when they give you the all clear it's not for long but we're all keeping positive and she is amazingly brave!

Flea Market Fancy giveaway

No I'm not giving away my very small but precious stash of flea market fancy but there is a giveaway here



so after you've entered and blogged my giveaway go and enter the flea market fancy and then give me the prize if you win....no, I'm just kidding but I thought I'd try!

Cotton Time Christmas Issue

The Japanese do cute so well.....and the Christmas issue of Cotton Time is one of my favourite magazines! I treasure all of my Cotton Time's...this issue is 98 pages packed full of ideas and inspiration for presents and decorations...



and is this wreath not the cutest little Christmas wreath you've ever seen


cute notebook and accessories



SOLD OUT

grandmother's flower garden giveaway

look what arrived on my doorstep this afternoon! It's been a little bit of a wait as apparently the first shipment sold out before they could fill my order but I don't mind waiting when fabric is this lovely! Perfect for quilters and sewers....



It will be up in my store tonight once the little people are asleep but how about a giveaway? ALL CLOSED THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Keira is already a fan as you can see.....and don't forget that I still have the PVC and precuts coming too NEXT WEEK!!!!!!!!! oooohhhh what to make, what to make!

Just a little note that your comment won't appear straight away as my blog is set for me to approve them first, but don't fret it will appear! thanks!!!!

white pants wins!

Andi and her white pants win the most embarrassing giveaway! I hope it wasn't too painful sharing your story Andi.....and a fat quarter to all the funny entries I mentioned here. I'll get in touch with you for your address details!

Another great Sunday Craft Day

phew another Sunday Craft Day done and dusted...it was hot up there in the hall but we survived! Here is our youngest crafter, kitty, such a little cutie and we're so glad Ingrid could join us.... here is sheridan grabbing a cuddle of kitty!


we also had Cass, Sheridan, Sophie, Fran, Fiona, Claire, Amelia, Marina, Katia, Bianca and of course me!


We had some excitement when Fiona's old singer started smoking and needed to be taken outside to cool off.....I think someone will be getting a new machine for christmas!


all in all a good day. Retro Daddy survived the heat with 2 babies and I managed 8 yo yo t-shirts and a little bit of knitting. Thank you to everyone who joined us....next year I won't be organising the craft room as I have a couple of projects on the go but I know I leave it in capable hands !!!! And thank you Ingrid for my swap goodies....I love a good swap!

and another quilt top

I quickly turned a Botany charm pack into a quick quilt top on friday night...this is not my usual colour palette as you can see but I really like it! Just like Hunky Dory this range isn't due out till March either and they have been hot little sellers so I might sell more charm square packs next year! I was hoping to quilt this today at our sunday craft day but it's going to be a scorcher here at 41 degrees


and to tell you the truth I have so much to take to the hall that adding my machine and paraphanalia just wasn't going to happen! So I've packed yo-yo makers, scraps and some cotton knitting and we just might need an ice-cream run after lunch with all this heat!

I can't pick a winner!

oh....my....goodness!!!! I have been crying with laughter as we tried to pick a winner of the most embarrassing giveaway! The delay in announcing a winner is because I just can't decide......here are the memorable ones....

thimbleanna and her 'mom' in the toilet cubicles, andi (I won't embarrass her again but it involves white pants), the 'mom', the pastor and her kids who told him she's back from a break (because they were getting on her nerves!), a spoonful of sugar and her pooey nappy bag at the TARGET returns counter instead of the goods to be returned, karen and the bra attached to her dressing gown like a tail in front of visitors, the lovely pregnant lady squeezing past the PA's desk and letting off at the same time and the whole office finding out about it or the new mum answering the door with her boobie still on show....oh no and wait there was the lady with visitors whose daughter came out with kotex pads attached to her head, elbows and knees! oh dear..I really can't pick a winner....what's your favourite...read through them and tell me!!!! I'll be sending a fat quarter to each of my runners up but I'm really stumped!



I'm also really hot today so thought I'd share my pool with you as keira and I are about to venture in for a cool off while the babies nap!

another day, another quilt top

The pile of quilts needing to be finished is growing...here is last week's offering, Love by Amy Butler with a patterned white fabric that just seemed a perfect match. Love the colours in this one.....


and last night I made this one out of Hunky Dory charm squares...the colours are so sweet and lovely and the fabric range isn't due out till next march so I am loving that I have it in the store now!


I was raring to quilt it until I realised I was out of cream thread so it's back to spotlight for more thread. And I think I'll need to start buying it wholesale as free motion eats it all up!! I've lost count of how much I'm going through.......

what's up pussycat...

whoah ohhhh ohhhhh ohoh...you can't help but sing it when you see 20 little pussycat's...and oh such cute ones! Last night was keira's first ballet concert.....


she had a ball and danced perfectly...


unfortunately for mummy, miss tillie went into major meltdown before the show started and I had to watch from the monitor in the dressing room


but I'm a mummy helper tonight and hope to watch from the wings

birdy quilt

I'm still practising my free motion quilting.......I started this on thursday with the lovely Feathered Friends range by Wendy Slotboom. One big square in the centre surrounded by 12 x 6 inch squares and white homespun all around. I don't want to spend too long on my quilt tops while I'm still learning...



I just love the look and feel of the quilting on the white homespun.....



but I think I should have chosen a patterned fabric for the back while I'm learning...but since this is going to be hung in the twin's room I'm not too fussed.



Now all I need to do is find the perfect fabric for binding in my stash and finish it off once dance concerts are behind us!



And to those readers who want to free motion just go for it...I'm totally self taught with some help from blog tutorials and you tube videos!

AND DON'T FORGET TO GET YOUR ENTRY IN THE MOST EMBARRASSING GIVEAWAY...EXTENDED UNTIL TOMORROW NIGHT AS WE'RE BUSY WITH DANCE CONCERTS FOR THE NEXT 2 NIGHTS!!!!!

melbourne wrap up

phew...I'm tired but I'm back! what a whirlwind visit to melbourne. Up at 3.30am with the babies (they obviously didn't get the memo that the alarms would be set for 4am), on the plane by 6 and at the quilt market by 8am! What a day....I hope someone else took more photos than I did.....this is all I have of the actual market!



Here is the lovely Kellie of Don't Look Now and Jan of Sewjourn......what lovely ladies! I'm looking forward to booking Kellie to come up and do a workshop for me next year (do I have any takers to a weekend workshop in Sydney...I'm sure I do). Secretly it's so I can learn all the tricks from her and make something beautiful...



So I ordered lots and lots of super cute fabrics, jelly rolls, pvc and layer cakes all in grandmothers flower garden, oodles of cute japanese iron on patches, new fabric brands to discover, lots of new russian doll fabrics (yay), an old little red riding hood favourite re-released, cute gadgets, gorgeous quilt batting so I can ditch the spotlight stuff I've been using, quilters muslin.....I could go on........



There were some very funny moments...like sitting in on classes where clearly I was the wrong demographic (i.e. when the whole room oohs and ahhs over a goat applique and asian batiks). I got to meet lots of ladies (men are in the minority at these events) and have a laugh with them (plenty of coffee breaks). I spent the day with my lovely sister in law Julie as well as Kerri and the afternoon with the hilarious Jodie and Annie (these ladies are so sweet and funny)...oh I just met so many nice people...my new BFF's!!!!



I am loving my free rosalie quinlan pencil roll kit and pvc to play with (woohoo)...she is such a lovely lady that Rosalie.....and gave a great little talk...my favourite class in fact! Not a goat or rooster applique in sight.....



and here are the gorgeous charm square packs that came home with me for the store today.............all in all a successful market. Next year we've decided to stay on and make a weekend of it....



and hopefully tiger woods won't be there at the same time so we can actually get some accommodation and a people mover from the airport!!!!!!!!! More photos here and I'll get some links of the actual show when I find them from people who took them!

murphy's law

I should have known.....the one and only time I plan a day trip to melbourne......one of my darlings has to come down with a fever, rash and projectile vomiting bug! Poor Finnie...when he gets sick he really gets sick!



Retro daddy insists he will be fine with it all tomorrow but I'm hoping for a speedy recovery......I'm spending the day with this lovely lady and have packed the essentials....credit card, book (what a shame I can't knit onboard), lollies, snacks and camera! I'm set.....

cute buttons

A trip to spotlight is never a budget outing for me.....and look at the cute buttons that came home with me today (amongst other things)!



the label said made in thailand but they are definitely japanese cute!

happiness is a new hydrangea.....

yes, a new hydrangea...and especially at half price while I was doing the groceries this morning! I have a few planted in the garden but there is always room for one more at our house....



I just can't say no to pretty hydrangeas! Happiness is also retro daddy coming home tomorrow after a week away for work....it's been busy busy without him!

fairy tale + free motion

I looooove fairy tale fabrics and I'm learning to love free motion quilting. I'm definitely a beginner and sometimes get myself stuck in a corner or move too fast taking my stitch with me but thankfully keira doesn't have a critical eye!!!!! And practise makes perfect so I just need to practise!



I made this quilt top a few years ago and it has been sitting patiently just waiting for me to finish it off!



I also made the top before I got too precious about my older fairy tale fabrics....I find it very hard to cut into them at the moment!

little mummy

Keira loves to call herself little mummy and is becoming very protective of little tillie. She has no trouble pulling or twirling Finn's hair to make him cry but loves her little tillie and wouldn't do that to her!



here they are wearing little outfits made by mummy over the weekend. Tillie has a little liberty dress that I finished with some vintage lace from that garage sale and keira is wearing a little skirt I made from new fabrics in the store!