WIP Wednesday

My main sewing goals for this year are to do blocks for a couple of bees which I have joined, and I am also planning to use this fabulous Architextures fabric in a quilt for my husband for our 20th wedding anniversary which is in March.

I only have one more shift to do at work before a much longed for 3 1/2  week break! I just have to wait for my hubby to go back to work before I can start on this quilt as I would like to keep it a surprise for him:) 

 

Linking to Work In Progress Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.
Kirsten.

Fresh Sewing Day - 1st January 2013

Just a slight variation on Fresh Sewing Day today - I am following Lynnes lead and posting a few favourites from 2012.

Firstly, my favourite quilt would definitely be my Swoon which is the largest quilt I have made so far and was an almost year long project:) 

My favourite pillow was actually made from off cuts from the geese used in the Swoon quilt and quilted in a groovy orange thread.

And my favourite "other" project was this little Kitchen Mixer using a pattern by Erin at Why Not Sew? which was also my first attempt at doing paper piecing.

Linking to Fresh Sewing day with Lynne at Lily's Quilts.

Kirsten.

The year of the Swoon...

It is hard to believe that it is the end of they year already - time really does seem to be going faster as I get older! Although I feel like 2012 was a complete blur, it is nice to look back and see that I did actually accomplish a few things. Here are the quilts and mini quilts I made during this year - many of the mini quilts were for swaps but by far my biggest project was the Swoon quilt which I can't wait to use once it gets cooler here!

And these are all of the "other " projects - bags. pillows, table runners and of course the wonderful Zakka projects!

I have a couple of things planned for next year already :

1. The Pantone color challenge - after particpating in the Tangerine Tango challenge earlier this year, I was very excited to see the color for 2013 is Emerald green which is one of my favourites. More info here:

2. I have never been in a bee block gorup before and now I have quite nervously signed up for two of them! The first is the AusMod Bee  and the other is the Simple Solids bee which should both be fun.

3. The 4th round of the DS doll quilt swap will be open for sign ups in late January 2013 here.
Wishing you all the best for the New Year!
Kirsten.

Ruby Star Wrapping: Gift card wallets.

I saw these gift cards wallets from the Ruby Star wrapping book and decided to make a couple of them to enclose some gift cards that I had purchased for Christmas presents.

Rather than using laminated  paper like in the book, I choose some masculine fabrics to make these for my brother and father - some Echo and a print from the Denyse Schmidt Aunt Edna range. They will be now able to use them afterwards to keep business or loyalty cards in.

The cards fit in perfectly - tied up with a bit of baker's twine and now they are just right for gift giving. I really need to make a whole bunch of these ready to use as last minute gift card holders next year!

Linking up to the Ruby Star Wrap-Along and with the Ruby Star Wrapping Contest at Sew Mama Sew and also to the Monday Link up with Beth at Plum and June.

 

Kirsten.

A Very Happy Mail week

It really felt like Christmas this week as I have received a number of parcels containing some very nice fabricy goodness. The first to arrive was the Modern Christmas Table runner from Carolyn! I love her take on the granny squares which I have been just slightly addicted to lately and the patchwork really shows off the pretty Christmas fabrics - my favourite is the poinsettia one with the black background which runs down the centre of the runner.

She included a stunning brass ornament from her state of Kansas and a beautiful handmade card. 

The next to arrive was a surprise gift from Karen - she made a wonderful apron from a vintage pillowcase. The kitchen themed fabric is so cute and I may even be able to get a photo of me wearing this on Christmas Day in the kitchen:)

And last but not least, were some gorgeous Liberty fabrics which I was lucky to win from Annabella recently. The "Stile"collection is based on Art Nouveau designs and the Scottish designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

These are the very first Liberty fabrics that I have seen IRL and they are just as beautiful as I had imagined - will definitely need to find a special project for them Maybe I could use them in some purses if I can work out how to do the purse frames properly - although I found a brilliant tutorial earlier today here that looked very helpful.

Kirsten.

WIP Wednesday & Sew-in Purses

Just making a couple of last minute Christmas gifts - the purse frames are done already. I had a 4 and a 6 inch sew-in frame and basically just traced around the frames and cut fabric in a curved shape to make the bottom part but they seem a little flat. 

I found it easier to put some pins through the holes in the frame to hold the top of the fabric in the right place while I stitched it all together.

I put a layer of batting between the outside and the lining, and the larger purse is big enough to hold an iphone 4 in it but I might try and make them differently next time so that they end wider at the base.

And now I just need to finish off a couple of gift card holders for my dad and brother.

Linking to Work In Progress Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

and to Fabric Tuesday at Quiltstory (button in sidebar) and to the Monday link-up at Plum and June:

Kirsten.

Tuesday At The Table

We are experiencing a hot and humid summer here in Australia and I heard on the radio earlier today that over 100 storms were expected in the coming months! During summer I try to avoid turning on the oven as it makes the house even hotter, so this Chicken Schnitzel with  salad has become a favourite of ours recently.

We used pre-bought schnitzels from the deli at the local supermarket as they only take a few minutes in the frying pan, and I cook some bacon for the salad in the same pan. The salad has Cos/Romaine lettuce, grated cheese, bacon, avocado, sliced hard boiled eggs, croutons, some home grown cherry tomatoes, and a splash of low fat Caesar salad dressing.
LOW FAT CAESAR SALAD DRESSING 1/4 cup low-fat natural yoghurt 11/2 tbs lemon juice 1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce  1/2 tsp mustard 5 anchovy fillets, drained (optional)
Whisk yoghurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, anchovies, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and mustard together until smooth.
Linking to Tuesday at the Table with Debbie at A Quilters Table. Kirsten.