Mmmmm....Spaghetti!

Well it is  really "Spaghetti Junction" that I am working on today but this gorgeous fabric reminded me of a rich, red tomato sauce just right for topping off a bowl of spagetti....Mmmmmm!

I love days like today. It is fairly warm at 31*C but there is a fresh breeze cooling it down and I opened all the windows in my creation station and set to creating.  A good day to start cutting out my blocks for Spaghetti Junction (a February Goal).

Fabrics ready......

Pattern ready.......lets go!

Of course, I have to change things a little if I wanted to make a really big quilt. I was using a layer cake for this projects, which required 81 10" squares  (Damn, I only have 42).  How about I use the layer cake to construct block A and the rich tomatoey fabric to construct block B. So you can see where this is heading, instead of just cutting out the fabric to sew at a later date......I just have to see how it is going to look.....

It is just as well I did this because when it came to joining these two blocks, I realised they did not match up size wise! Measured another layer cake piece and discovered that instead of them being 10"x10", as it says on the packaging, they were 10"x9 3/4".  WHY??? Now I have to adjust the whole pattern.

Here are the two joined together......and then another set back.  I realise I don't have enough of the black spaghetti fabric to make the really big quilt.  I will have to see if it is still available at the shop where I bought it before I can continue.  For now I am planning on making the lap size quilt.

So my lovely Saturday has been spent (between visits from the family and plays/walks with the furbabies)  constructing phase 1 of all block A's.

 

January Wrap Up and February Goal

JANUARY WRAP UP

Quilty

1.  Get "Blue Hydrangea" flimsy sent off for quilting
      I didn't achieve this goal because when I got everything out to sandwich, the backing wasn't
      right so I had to go and look for some more backing which I found on Wednesday.

  2   Finish building rows for "Rusty's Quilt"
     TICK.  Did so well here that building rows ended up finishing up to flimsy stage.

 3.  Finish piecing "My Garden"
     I did finish this but have decided to do some reverse sewing on this one as I am not happy
     with the  set out of the blocks.

  
4.  Complete block 3 and 4 of "Betsy's Closet"
      TICK.  I had a suprise with this one because I thought I had to do block 3 and 4 but it turns out I
      completed block 4 and 5. Three was already done.

Non Quilty
1.  Lose 2kg this month 
     I thought I was doing well by losing 1.9kg by last week then got on the scales this week and had
     gained 900grams.   Grrrr!     
 2.  Finish reading Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
      TICK    
3.  Go and visit the dentist
      TICK.....made the appointment which is on Wednesday next week.
4.  Complete my Pantry makeover
      Only got one step ahead on this one by printing and laminating all the labels.

FEBRUARY GOALS

Quilty
1,  cut out Spaghetti Junction quilt
2.  stitch 8a & 8b of Edwardian House
3.  piece together Teddlywinks Tea Party
4,  make a small gift for the gift drawer.

non Quilty
1.  read at least 4 chapters every week this month of new book
2.  lose 2kg this month  
3.  choose a paint for the spare room
4.  see a movie with miss M.   
 
Do you have any goals to achieve this month?
 

A January Winner

It's here, the first give-away in my "Giveaway that lasts a year". I drew the winner in two parts. Firstly I popped all the post dates for January in a bowl and got hubby to pick out a date. The date picked out was 26/1/2013 and the post was Aussie, Aussie, Aussie.....did you comment on this date?

Then I counted how many comments there were and entered the number into a random number generator. 

 And finally check to see who is number 6 and whether they are a follower!

So, the winner this month is......

SHEILA - Happy Australia Day , a wet one but sounds like you really had a fun one and great productivity !! Lovely quilt:-) on Aussie, Aussie, Aussie

Well done Sheila.....will post your surprise off to you this coming week.

Thank you to everyone who commented, (I loved reading all your comments) and welcome to all my new followers (the numbers have swelled to 102!) There is still a chance to win....just comment on posts for February and you could be a winner too.
 

Score

Another January goal achieved.

I set out to complete blocks 3 and 4 of Betsy's Closet this month and I did but imagine my surprise when I realised I was actually completing block FIVE so I guess I did more than I "should have".

Here it is.....block 5 of Betsy's Closet.  I imagined it quite differently before it was stitched and honestly thought that the one colour would be quite boring.......guess I was wrong because I love it!

and a close-up of the chain stitch fill in stitch and the french knots.

I brought home a new piece of furniture last week from Ikea and now my fabric will have somewhere to live (once it is properly wound onto "bolts")

 

there are quite a few fabrics still on the old shelves. I will get them moved over eventually.



 

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie

Today is Australia Day and despite the weather (rain, rain and more rain), I do hope everyone has a good time.

I am spending the day in the creation station doing more of what I did yesterday but on a different quilt.

Only a few days left to finish piecing this together as I set out to do for this months goals. While I am at it, I will watch a few more episodes of SGU.  The rain is not worrying me at all, infact I am really enjoying the cooler weather.

It and a Bit!

One of my goals for January was to finish building the rows for Rusty's quilt and I am here to report that I have achieved it and a bit!

 It helps that I have had the week off work and that I have rearranged the creation station giving me alot more space to lay this one out and add sashings and borders.

The more my quilt started to grow, the more I wanted to see the flimsy finished, so I couldn't stop . All the rows together with the sashing and then added the borders. 

The flimsy for Rusty's quilt is done.  I didn't stop there however, and prepared the binding for when it is finished being quilted.

As I sewed, I also finished watching season 3 of Fringe and started watching season 2 of Stargate Universe.

 

Chit Chat

Hello everyone, I haven't blogged for a few days but I have been busy. I am having a week off work and trying to get as much done as possible around here. Mainly sorting and organising different areas of the house.

 Still, gotta make time for a chat! so make yourselves comfortable, enjoy a cuppa and lets chat.

This week's questions from Patrice.

Do you eat eggs? What is your favorite way to serve them?
Eggs are one of my favourite foods, they are so versatile and I love them everywhich way.

Do you have a favorite item that you really like having around? (a pillow, a chair, a sweater, a teddy bear, etc.)
you might as well ask me which is my favourite child.  I love everything in my home and most of the items have a story.  I love my home and everything in it. 

Is most of the furniture in your home dark wood, light wood, painted, lacquered, or distressed?
The living areas are mostly dark wood, my bedroom has light wood furniture and my sewing room and spare room is white lacquered furniture which makes it all look lovely and fresh.

the dresser in the spare room

 Please fill in the rest of this sentence. "I could write a book about____________."
old Churches........I most likely "couldn't" write a book. My son is the writer.....his first book is being published as an e-book and available by end of February.  I have always had this facination with old churches and wondered if there is a market for a coffee table book of old churches.

Hadleigh Church, Essex, UK

 If money and calendar/family obligations weren't an issue, would you prefer to spend next weekend at a Bed and Breakfast, a posh hotel, a cabin in the woods, or on a sailboat on a calm body of water?

I would pick the Bed and Breakfast option.  There are some gorgeous ones north of here in the Glasshouse mountains.  Given more time (and more money) I would opt out of all of the above options and choose a cruise around the Med.

 

Thank you for stopping by for a chat and feel free to leave a comment, I would love to hear your opinions.

 

Blooming Beauty

Here we are at Sunday again. I am glad to report that we did have some rain last night after a 35* day. Enough to notice that the pool is a teensy weensy bit fuller. I hope that wherever you are, the weather is bearable. I am staying in the AC again today making my Creation Station a more inviting space (I hope) but more on that later.

I haven't been out much due to this oppressive heat so here, once again, are some photos I took on an earlier  occasion.

I took these photos at the Melbourne Flower Festival a few years ago.  Oh Boy, what a feast of flowers for the photographer eye.  It was better than being in a candy shop! Well I felt like a kid in a candy shop!  snap! snap! snap! and I was thrilled with what I got.

a sea of irises

see why i just love all this blooming beauty

Some of the prints were so gorgeous, I framed them and they hang in our spare room.

See the beauty in your day!
 
 Don't forget my monthly give-away that lasts for the whole year! Find the icon on the side bar and click to find out more.

Sew Many Ways

Sewing with Friends

This Wednesday was the first day since before Christmas that I have sewn with friends.  I belong to two groups but I really love THIS group.  There are four of us and we met at our 'Local' when we signed up to do a Millamac quilting class. We have since done several Millamac projects together.

We meet once a month at Marilyn's house as she has the best space and lots of lovely light. We get there around 9.30, everyone brings something to share for lunch and we leave sometime in the early afternoon.

Lots of sewing and chatting.....love it!

the detail at the bottom of the hem.  looks better here than it does in real life!

I finished Block 3 of Betsy's Closet and did some stitching on Block 3 of Bric-a-Brac.......very productive indeed. even if I do say so myself.


I just have to show you Zita's quilt that she has been working on since before I met her 2 years ago. It is so stunning, I am definitely adding this to my to-do list even though she constantly rue's the day she started this one.

Each hexi is 1inch ..... oooh, I know.....tiny, right? Could be a great way to use up bits and pieces in your scrap basket

This is the border........i am in love with this quilt.   I am totally, totally convinced that I have to make one too.

 

Lets Chat

It that time of the week. Time to put the kettle on, have a cuppa and sit on the porch with Patrice at Everyday Ruralty to have a chat.  If you want to join in head on over.

 This week's topics

What was your favorite game as a child?
I loved Rounders (a version of baseball) and it was the only game I ever liked playing, even in Highschool. I was not very athletic and was never picked first for teams but Rounders was fun. I don't know why.
 
Have you ever had your own business? (home business, a shop, Etsy, lemon-aid stand, etc)
Personally, I have never owned a business, not even selling Lemoneade. But my husband had his own business and I used to run the office for him. I really liked that as it meant I could do it on my own time and still sew!
  
How's your spelling?
I have never had a problem with my spelling which is something I am grateful for because I am terrible at math.....got to be good at something, right?
 
How are you about going to the dentist?
Hate it,  I have not been to the dentist for 6 years (oops!) which is why it is on my goal list for January.  I remember going to the dentist when I was about 5 and he was a heavy smoker.  In those days they did not wear latex gloves and I could taste the smoke on his fingers.....Yuck! 
 
Do you enjoy board games?
Yes, except when my hubby is involved.  He is the MOST competitive person I know which is ok except that he blatantly rubs it in all the time when he is winning.  I refuse to play with him now but I have moved on and play Words with Friends and backgammon on line.

Thanks for stopping by for the chat.