Sydney here I come!

SIT or Sew It Together is happening this weekend ie starting Friday (when all good weekends should start!!)

Beautiful humid Sydney is hosting the show this year - I am flying up at Friday lunchtime, stitching with Prints Charming in the afternoon, dinner somewhere TBA, then Saturday bonanza crafting session which includes a Workshop of the elusive 60 degree triangle (by Material Obsession gals), giveaways, goodie bags - oh the goodies we get!!, food, drink, chat, sew, chat, sew, chat, sew, then a great meal for all of us at the Heritage Belgian Beer Cafe - Cheers!!

Sunday sees some of us on a bus to Material Obsession's new shop - a beauty I am told and I cannot wait to see some of Kathy's creations!!

Then a flight back home in the arvo to collapse at home.

I have made 5 things for the Sample Swap, where we get into groups of 6, (do a little shuffle), and swap our homemade pressies!

I have made Infinity Scarves from AMH voile - super super easy and really effective

This is me wearing all 5 - not that you would!

This is Wendy's name tag for SIT - we were too lazy to get in the official swap, so we decided to do our own - requirements are: handmade, colours of chocolate and/or citrus (food oriented here) & about 9cm size - little baa lamb has to be glued on the side before it goes. 

Pear Ginger & Caramel cake made for a birthday arvo tea at my place (cos it was my birthday - I had a truly lovely day!)  

Not so pretty once it is demolished, but oh so good!!!

Snippets of sewing

I have been working full-time for the last 6 weeks - my hat and my coat is off to any and every parent who is working full-time and looking after the house, the shopping, the cleaning, the notice signing, the homework checkup, the lunchbox making, the washing, the ironing, the general well-being of your little (and big) loved ones....only 2 more days to go and I am a free woman (so to speak).  Little if any sewing has been done, but a rare lazy Sunday afternoon, I cracked out a few needed-to-be-done things:

This is my QAYG block for Abi in NZ, for the Christchurch Quake - Abi has very generously used her time in the Australasian Bee Block Swap (the very last block for this group!) and asked for people to make a block with a red centre and bright surrounds.....this is such an easy and super fun block to make...pulling out fabric scraps willy-nilly from my big bag beside my chair, I just went with the flow and sewed what I found - there's a bit of mini mumu for the centre, some Jennifer Paganelli, some Kaffe, some Sandi Henderson and some Timeless Treasure Cake!!

This is a stripy circle for Ange in the A. Bee also - I absolutely stuffed up her bento box block but Ange was gentle with me and told me that everything would be alright!  At least I could do a stripy circle (even though it has yet to be sewn on a backing piece...(Ange is doing this.....sorry Ange)

Fiddling around with online shops looking for some AMH Little Folks Flannel, I could not find one that had all the range I wanted, when I came across a LQS near me, selling it also....a huge range of just the colours I was looking for; pinks, plum, golds......for a girlfiriend's first baby, a girl, due in June....

the flannel is To. Die. For. Soft.....

I may want to keep it afterall.....

bad Bronnie....

Kaffe Wonky Stars

 After a (very very long) time, my Around the Block Swap (round 1) has been made up into this lovely quilt:

My Kaffe Wonky Stars

The stars are (obviously made with KF fabric), sent out to some lovely ladies all over Australia and Canada.  I asked for any size to be made - I wanted an eclectic look - a random smattering of shining sparklies. Boy, the assembly took a bit of patience though - ended up with a few Y seams - eek - though all worked out in the quilting.  I have big ones, baby ones, skinny ones, spiky ones, all fabric ones, all different pieced ones, holed ones and framed ones!!

Thank you to everyone who participated in this block swap - I think my quilt is truly unique because of you!!

The background is Kona cotton 'Nightfall' - a lovely deep blue, terribly hard to photograph. I ended up with two different dye lots of the fabric - and they were different BUT I actually like the patchworkiness of the blues - gives it just that little bit more of an interest to the monotone background.

I am not in love with the Kona cotton - just not smooth enough to touch for my liking - I don't think I will use it again, if I can help it. Despite that, this has been my first quilt that I have enjoyed sewing the quilting - just a random swirl/loopy/with some stars 'thrown in for good luck' pattern.

 The back is strips of Kaffe fabric in yellow golds, pinks, red, oranges and greens - all very circular patterns - I was going with a 'planetary' effect: Cogs, Fans, Lichen and the gold one (can't remember the name!)
The binding is Star Flowers in red - truly adore this fabric!  edit:  just notice a ring-in - Brandon Mably's Red Rings on the back (that's okay - I think being the friends they are, it is allowed)

I shouldn't have favourites....but I do!!!  I love love love the star within a star within a star from Lynn of Craftstew and this little baby with a pansy inside!!

In the sunshine the blue is so much brighter!

Can anyone give me pointers as to how to get a good photo of your quilt - is the problem my camera - a small digital point and shoot - where is the clarity??