Let's Get Acquainted Blog Hop

I have joined in the Let's Get Acquainted blog hop being hosted by Beth at Plum and June. It includes those of us with newer blogs (started in the past year or so) and each week there will be posts by the participating bloggers on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There are some great tutorials being posted as well.This is a list of the scheduled post so far:


May

May 22
    Kelsey from Kelsey Sews

    Erin from Billy Button Designs

May 24

    Nik from Bold Goods

    Alyssa from Pile O Fabric

May 29
    Heidi from Fabric Mutt

    Amy from Amy's Crafty Shenanigans

    
May 31
    Jodi from Tickle and Hide

    Jennie from Porch Swing Quilts

    
June


June 5   
    Cinzia from Deux Petites Souris

    Kristy from Quiet Play

June 7
    Taryn from From Pixels to Patchwork

    Em from Sewing by Moonlight

June 12
    Kelly from Jeliquilts 

    Yzo from Chez Roo

June 14

    Debbie from A Quilter's Table

    Sarah from Silly Banana Sewing

June 19

    Jennifer from Sewlandia

    Nicole from Mama Love Quilts

June 21

    Suzanne from SuzClaas

    Mina from Kindaquilty

June 26

    Svetlana from Sotak Handmade

    Beth from Plum and June

June 28

    Julie from Jolie Maxtin

    Lori from Adventures in Fabric

July

July 3

    Di from Willowbeck Designs

    Libby from Miss Beau Jangles
    Jennifer from Knotted Thread  

July 5

    Sarah from Sarah Lou

    Catherine from Knotted Cotton

July 10

    Jenelle from Echinops and Aster

    Julie from Bedsheet in the Kitchen

July 12

    Rebecca from Sew Festive Handmade

    Marti from 52 Quilts in 52 Weeks

July 17

    Katie from Kati's Quilting

    Claire from Sewing over Pins
    Caroline from Quilting in the Cold

July 19

    Jamie from Sweet Baby Jamie

    Janine from Rainbow Hare Quilts

July 24

    Colby from Sew Quilt Explore

    Fiona from  Celtic Thistle

July 26

    Mary from Spoolhardy Girl

    Fiona from Finding Fifth

July 31

    Audrey from Hot Pink Quilts

    Michelle Renee from Quilt Matters

August

Aug 2

    Jennifer from GH Quilting
    Danny from MommyFor Reals

Aug 7
     Liz from What I Did on My Summer Vacation
     Susan from Canadian Abroad

Aug 9
     Kirsten from Gemini Stitches 
     Stephanie from Sewing by Stephanie

Aug 14
      Sarah from Sarah Sews Quilting Blog
      January from Sew Sew Go

Aug 16
       Alison from Little Bunny Quilts
       Cathy from Blueberry Patch

Aug 21
        Marta from From Marta with Love
        Marion from My Quilt Diet

Aug 23
       Sunni from Love Affair With My Brother
       Ginny from Fish Creek Studio

Aug 28
        Lucy from Charm About You
        Ella from throw a wench in the works

Aug 30
       Elaine from Dashasel Sews
       Jess from The Elven Garden

September


Sep 4
       Deborah from Simply Miss Luella
       Lorelei from Midnight Maker

Sep 6
       Tessa from The Sewing Chick
       Bethany from Make Me A Quilt

Sep 11
        Anne from SpringLeaf Studios
        May from Confessions of a Fabraholic

Sep 13
         Julie from That's Sew Julie

Sep 18
       Lina from Smultronbo's Pieceful Sense and Nonsense
       Chase from 1/4" mark

Sep 20
        Jen from Closet Quilter
        Anna from Pink Padme

Sep 25
        Amanda from Material Girl Quilts
        Amanda from Fabric Engineer

The themes of the hop are Novelty fabrics and Color so each blog will have some projects made using them. I really love elephants so my post is going to include something made form these very cute Daiwabo elephant fabircs.

So please come and visit as we get to know each other:) 

Kirsten.

WIP Wednesday

I have the week off work next week so have plans to do lots and lots of sewing. I owe my mum a mothers day present, and also my sister-in-law a birthday present from earlier this month - I figure that I was early last year so I can be a little late this year:)

These are the fabrics I have selected to make another bag using the 241 bag pattern by Anna at Noodlehead - some Echo and a linen/cotton blend that I found at Spotlight today, and a cross-hatch remnant that will be good for the lining.

(Note: For those in Australia , Spotlight has a great range of linen/cotten blends in for winter in lots of lovely colours - $12.99/m. It is similar to the Lara linen they had last year and will be very 

handy for the Zakka style projects.)

I made a couple of 241 bags last year and I really love the size and shape of them.The pattern is very easy to follow too.

I have also bought another bag pattern from Anna - the Go Anywhere bag, and I think I may make one using the Navy Echo as well.
Linking to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.
Kirsten.

DS mini quilt swap - received!

I got home yesterday afternoon form work and found a package waiting on the doorstep.And inside was my mini quilt from Ingrid (Eqbreiza) .

As all of us particpating in the swap have probably realized by now, Leona sneakily paired us up with each other - so I made a quilt for Ingrid, and she made this one for me:)

She included some colourful threads, pretty fabric, a notebook and a wonderful magazine which is one I have not seen before. (note to self: remember to do this for future swaps!!)
Thank you so much Ingrid for the lovely mini quilt, and also to Leona for organising the swap. 
Kirsten.

SMS Giveaway Winner!!

It was a bit of a crazy week trying to visit as many Bloggers Quilt Festival entries as possible. 

And I was so touched by the wonderful comments left both on my BQF Plus quilt entry as well as for the SMS giveaway.

I have consulted Mr Random org and the winner of the Scrappy Swoon pillow is comment number 21 which belongs to Wendi  :

21 

Wendi

Beautiful Pillow/cushion cover!
My favorite things to sew are quilts. I am a bit slow, so I don't get many done in a years time, but I enjoy each step of the process. : )

Thank you for the chance to win your beautiful pillow cover.

MAY 22, 2012 11:24 AM 

I have emailed Wendi to let her know and as soon as I receive her postal address, I can send the pillow cover to her.Thank you all so much for entering and leaving so many lovely comments, and I apologise if I did not get back to everyone.

 Kirsten.

Zakka style quilt

This weeks Zakka project was the Block Quilt, which is a lovely simple patchwork design.

After using some of the blue Denyse Schmidt fabrics recently for a mini quilt swap, I decided to use some of them again as they look so fresh with the white sashing. 

I quilted it in straight lines along the rows of blocks.

And backed it in a blue print that I think was just right for this quilt which finished at 45 x 60"..

This is going to be given to a lovely lady at my work who is expecting her first baby at the end of the year - not sure if she is having a boy or a girl but the quilt will be fine either way.
Linking to LR stitched and to Fabric Tuesday at Quiltstory.
Kirsten.

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day -Winner announed!

NOTE: GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED AT 287 COMMENTS- WINNER ANNOUNCED SHORTLY.

Hi and welcome if you are visiting for the first time! For the Sew Mama Sew giveaway day week I am offering a pillow/cushion cover I made a few weeks ago using some HST scraps from my yet to be finished Swoon quilt.

I used fabrics from Denyse Schmidts "Daisy Mae" range from both here in Australia and the US releases to make this 20" pillow cover.

And quilted it in a groovy orange thread...........

I am more than happy to post internationally too, so please leave a comment below. If you like, please tell me what is your favourite thing to sew, stitch or make?

This competition closes at 5pm on May 25th PST which according to the time converter is 10 am Saturday 26th May here in Australia.

05:00:00 p.m. Friday May 25, 2012 in US/Pacific converts to
10:00:00 a.m. Saturday May 26, 2012 in Australia/NSW

The winner will be drawn randomly and contacted via email so if you think you may be a "no-reply" blogger then please leave an email address in your comment so that I can get in touch with you. Good luck!
Note: This giveaway is just for the pillow cover, not the insert - but it is a standard 20 inch size. And usually I try to reply to comments but it gets a bit crazy with the Giveaway Days so I may not get back to everyone, but please know that I read an appreciate all of your comments.

NOTE: GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED AT 287 COMMENTS- WINNER ANNOUNCED SHORTLY.

I have consulted Mr Random org and the winner of the Scrappy Swoon pillow is comment number 21 which belongs to Wendi  :

21 

 Wendi

Beautiful Pillow/cushion cover!
My favorite things to sew are quilts. I am a bit slow, so I don't get many done in a years time, but I enjoy each step of the process. : )

Thank you for the chance to win your beautiful pillow cover.

MAY 22, 2012 11:24 AM 

I have emailed Wendi to let her know and as soon as I receive her postal address, I can send the pillow cover to her.Thank you all so much for entering and leaving so many lovely comments, and I apologise if I did not get back to everyone.

Kirsten.

A winner!

Well, I feel like I am one too as I made it to the end of the 12 km walk yesterday:) The charity walk was in aid of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter which is used for aero medical transport  of patients from car accidents, urgent patient transfers to major hospitals and other emergencies

The walk itself was amazing - such beautiful views along the spectacular coastline of Northern NSW. Some of the going was a bit rough and we all thought of the brave people who had decided to run the entire 35 km route from Ballina to Byron Bay. 

The end was in sight as we reached the top of this hill, as we could see Lennox Headland in front of us. But going up that last bit was the toughest part of all!

Anyway, now that the walk is done (although I think I will be feeling the effects of it for a few more days at least!) , I have used the Random Number generator to pick a winner of my blogiversary giveaway.......

And the winner is comment # 24 which belongs to Amy! Congratulations Amy, and I will be in touch via email to  get our postal address so that I can send out the book to you.
Thank you everyone for all of the lovely wishes on my blogiversary too.

PS. So if you missed out on the book giveaway, I'll be back tomorrow with something else for the Sew mama Sew giveaway day!

Kirsten.

Zakka Style - Cloud (and Leafy) mug rug

After my not so neat attempt at needle turn applique, I decided to start again and do the cloud using fusible webbing, ala Quilt Dad which I liked much better.

I used perle threads in a few shades of blue for the stitching of the "rain".

I didn't have any light blue linen so bought some pure linen which as you can see, crushes badly! 

I had some of the grey dot fabric so used it for the binding on the cloud mug rug, and a pretty green for the leaf one.
Linking to LR stitched, to Fabric Tuesday at Quiltstory, and to Little Quilt Monday at Pieceful LIfe with Elizabeth.

Kirsten.

Bloggers Quilt Festival - DS Plus quilt

Hi, and welcome if you are visiting from the Bloggers Quilt Fesitval! I have chosen my Denyse Schmidt "Plus" quilt that I made last year for this BQF.

After collecting a virtual rainbow of the newly released Australian and US Denyse Schmidt fabrics last year from Picnic and Fairgrounds, Salty Aire, and Winding Roads,

I decided to make the Plus quilt using a mix of fabrics from the ranges and arranged them in a kind of colour gradient pattern which I really love........

There are about 55 different fabrics making up the Plusses, which are a combination of rectangles and squares.

I just echo quilted it across the rows on the long side of the rectangles...... 

And bound it in a pretty blue print that seemed to go with a lot of the fabrics. It measures

 61  x  74 " .

Thank you so much to Amy for hosting the BQF so that we can share and enjoy so many lovely quilts from all over the world on one place.

Kirsten.

It's my blogiversary!

COMMENTS CLOSED - WINNER ANNOUNCED SHORTLY!!


Exactly one year ago today I started this blog - I had been thinking about if for a while but was quite nervous about actually posting! My first post was for a mini quilt as part of the Bloggers quilt festival. I was also participating in my first flickr swap and a month long stitching event where I was in the progress of making a quilt which I gave to my father for his 70th birthday last year. Since then I have "met" so many lovely and inspiring fellow crafters from all over the world, been involved in quite a few more swaps and even written a couple of tutorials. I really appreciate everyone who takes the time to visit and see what I am up to,  and I love reading all of your comments !

So to celebrate, I am giving away a signed copy of the "Pieces Of Me" book which was written and photographed by a friend of mine here in Australia, Janelle Wind.  I first met Janelle through scrapbooking, and it was after seeing all of her beautiful stitching and sewing that I began quilting a few years ago.

There are so many wonderful projects in this book, and I have sewn a few of them already - including a patchwork Tote bag..............

as well as numerous ipod/iphone pouches.

I am more than happy to post internationally too, so please leave a comment below. The winner will be drawn randomly and contacted via email so if you think you may be a "no-reply" blogger then please leave an email address in your comment so that I can get in touch with you. I am doing a 12 km beach walk or charity on Sunday, so if I am still alive after that, I will draw a winner then. Good luck! 


COMMENTS CLOSED - WINNER ANNOUNCED SHORTLY!!
Kirsten.

WIP - Zakka sew along : Cloud mug rug.

I am still zakka-ing along. and this week we are up to making the Cloud Mug rugs. I haven't done needle turn applique before so I think my cloud is not as curvy as it should be!

Not sure if I will leave it there or take it off and just use some fusible webbing to attach it like I have done with this leaf.

It is from the Nesting boxes pattern in the back of the book. Much happier with this:)
Linking to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.
Kirsten.




. 

One thing one week challenge (13)

I needed to make something for a gift so I used some pretty pink Denyse Schmidt fabrics to make up another of Ayumi's wonderful fabric baskets..

 I cut my squares at 2 1/2 inches so the basket comes out a little larger and taller than the original pattern.

 Perfect to fit lots of goodies in.....

Linking to Amys One thing One week challenge (13) and Fabric Tuesday at Quiltstory (buttons in left sidebar).
Kirsten.

Zakka sew along - Itty Bitty Teeny Tiny Magnets

I managed to get a bit of time this afternoon to make these magnets. I thought after last weeks fun and games with the pencil pouch that the Zakka projects couldn't get any trickier but these were even more fiddly!!  .

The blocks themselves were easy enough to make as the directions in the book are very clear  - I used a tip from here to make the 9-patches,  I would have liked to have taken the time to quilt these by hand - maybe next time:)  Anyway, they are kind of cute and colourful for putting on the fridge.......
Linking to LR stitched.
And thank you to everyone for their very kind words on the HST mini quilt tutorial!

Kirsten.

Ireland hopping

Hi everyone, I am doing a guest post on Sarah @ Fairyface designs blog today as part of her {Sew} Get Started tutorials. Sarah kindly invited me to do a tutorial to make a mini quilt using half square triangles.

I was just doing a little bit of research on Cork which is where Sarah lives, and found that in the next county to where she lives, there is a place called Lismore. I live in another city named Lismore, in NSW, Australia which was possibly named after the Lismore in Ireland as it has fairly similar scenery. Lismore (Ireland) and Lismore (Australia) are twin cities

I really want to travel to Ireland one day but for now this is as close as I can get to being there. So please pop on over to Sarahs to see the tutorial.

If you have come here from Fairy Face designs to have a look round, thanks for stopping by. 

PS: I have used fabrics from Denyse Schmidts' "Daisy Mae" range.
Linking to LIttle Quilt Monday at Pieceful LIfe.
Kirsten.