Travelling

   Well we sent off yesterday morning and flew into Sydney at 8.30am, collected our hire car (not the one I booked by the way not happy). Off we went driving thru to Orange to see Nick and Tegan. The weather was appalling and some drivers are lucky to still be driving.
  We stopped at Katoomba for lunch at the 3 sisters restaurant. The scenic view was hidden by low cloud and rain so off we went to Bathurst. Richard decided to take the Getz around Mount Panorama mmmmm. I didnt like it at all he had fun and we were only doing 60k and NO I'm not doing it again.
   We finally arrived in Orange about 2.30pm, met Tegan and went to their new home.
Today is Richards birthday so we are off to Parkes Telescope..  (from the movie The Dish).
     Hope you all have a good day as well
Alison

Girls Day Out

              I have been doing Girls Day Out with two of my best friends and it has taken almost 2 years it is finally coming to an end. We all used different fabrics and the results where quite amazing. See for yourself....

I used muted pinks, greens and yellows and a touch of mauve.

Lisa is a few shades brighter again with a maroon touch.

Shelley used blues and whites with a touch of yellow

 

                  They all look different but the same. They all need binding and the buttons sewn on but I wanted to share them with you. When they are truly finished I will post some close ups of the detail.

Hope you have a lovelly week

Alison

Dancing Daisey Workshop

   
       Well I attended a lovelly workshop today at Kempton, a small country town about 45mins from Hobart. It was a Helen Stubbings workshop with colouring techniques. It was a very relaxing but informative class. You dont expect colouring in to be too taxing do you???  Well I have been drawing for quite a few years and I still learnt a few different technique. Helen is a wonderful teacher, if you get the chance to do any of her classes you wont be sorry. Helen has her own varied techniques and a wealth of knowledge on products and tools.

Helen showing some detail work

              .

Firstly I coloured in the leaves and add medium and left it to dry,

 

This is my work I still have to do the stitching around the petals and leaves.

          While waiting for the leaves to dry we all went off and had a lovelly lunch of soup and sandwiches made by Vicki and Roxy. Also some lovelly butterfly cakes, scones and biscuits. We all were truly spoiled for choice. Then we returned to finish our colouring in. When all that is done you stitch around the edge with a matching thread.

          I used the Derwent Inktense pencils so mine is a bit brighter than some of the others. Every one used a variety on pencils from Artist to student pencils, any can be used but quality pencils are softer and give better results. I also found that using the Folkart Fabric Medium instead of Jo Sonja textile medium made the end result a lot softer and less plastic in the finish. Folkart medium does bleed slightly so testing on fabric first is a good idea but I used it on 100% cotton and it was okay . I was pleased with the results.
 Here are some of the other ladies daisies....

                                 

                      It is lovelly to see so many different colours  and the results were a rainbow of choice.
  So being an adult and colouring in is definitely okay with me, have a go you just might enjoy yourself  :-)


 Hope you enjoyed your day
Alison

Oh What a Week

            Well its been an interesting week, I haven't done any sewing this week so Im starting to have withdrawals, as I am sure a few of you would understand.????.
Also this week I had a birthday, yes another year gone but hey its only a number isnt it. The new number is 48.
It was a lovely day and I thank everyone for the wishes and thoughts. I am most truly grateful
             This week coming I hope to finish Girls Day Out finally. Caroline did a lovelly job quilting it. Lisa's and Shelley's quilts will be done in the next few weeks and I cant wait to show you as they are so different but the same pattern was used. More about that later
            I am starting my Gobal swap this weekend to hopefully post off as early as possible for Christmas. My swap partner is Teresa from Scotland so I want it to be there in plenty of time.

I hope you all have a productive week, enjoy.  ;-)
Alison

Just an Angel........

                    These are some photos of my new angel. I received this pattern in my Retreat goody bag and have been slowing constructing it since that weekend. It differs from the pattern slightly wouldn't you say.
     Mine is alittle more glamorous and I made a fabric trumpet instead of a wooden one. I haven't made any dolls for awhile so it was fun to do.
                    This week was also our trip to the Oatlands Quilting Group, which we all enjoyed. It was a lovelly day with just a slight breeze, the trip was uneventful which was good. The group have their meetings at a house attached to the primary school. Everything is included even the bath mmmm quilting and soaking don't mix though..pity.... :-)

             It is a lovelly well lit room as you can see from these photos. A few of us ventured up in to the township for lunch and a look around. A few good purchases were made, I bought a soft leather jacket for $8.00 for bear paws. I rarely find anything like this so I will store it away for future use.
              The rest of the afternoon was spent discussing patterns and ideas, well thats all I seem to do anyway. Some of the ladies were very busy doing items for the Oatlands Festival. If you are in the area they are having a quilt exhibition, the whole town is involved in having a good fun day, so enjoy if you are able.
             Thank you to the Oatland group for making us very welcome we will certainly be back in the future.

             This week I'm taking it easy on the sewing etc as I have pushed the old arm too far so I might just start a new book mmmm or two.
            Have a good week and enjoy everyday  :-)

This week

                  Well I hope everyone had a lovely weekend, the weather was absolutely beautiful, the first time for this Spring. Did everyone remember Day Light Savings ( ahead 1 hour) ???
                  This week is going to be a little challenging, My business partner has gone a well earned holiday for a week, so I'm stepping in again. Hope the arm holds up. I'm sure Shelley and Deb will do a marvelous job and not need me too much :-)
                   On Wednesday some of the Tangled Web Quilters are going to visit the Oatlands Quilting Group, it should be a good day and maybe a walk around the township. I will take a few photos to show what we get up to. 

                   This week I am going to concentrate on getting the Teddy Playhouse blocks appliqued on and I have too finish all the eyes to all the blocks. I left them as I was unsure whether to use buttons or embroider but being a childs quilt I will play safe and embroider.
                   I hope you have a productive and enjoyable week
Alison

Sea Breeze

           Just thought I would share a recently finished Art Quilt framed blocks. This is Sea Breeze designed by Mckenna Ryan. This is the first raw edge quilt I have done and I said  half way through it that it would be my last. The coral was a pain in the neck but by the time I finished it, it was worth it. I think the problem was instead of using invisible thread I used a matching thread, result was worth it though.

The Snooty Sisters

The Nerdles

Tweedle Dee

The Doodles

Tootsie and Rumples

Koo Koo Puff

Twinkletoes

Angel Fish

 

 

 

 

The Clampets

All together

No I'm not that bad at photography, the wall is on a slant not quite 45 degrees.

                  There was only one major change I made (and I hope Mckenna Ryan doesnt mind), was the Angel fish, it was supposed to be a Mahi Mahi (dolphin fish). I didnt like its shape so I transformed it but still used the same fabrics. That is a major plus for Mckenna Ryans kits is that you get excess material also good if you cut something wrong mmmmm nothing major but a few star fish looked better recut.
                   Each block was cut at 12 inches and then stretched over 9 inch wooden frames. It was an easy process but you could join each block together to make a quilt top. I choose the frames as it was easier to mount on one of the bedroom walls, as you can see, it would not have worked too well as a quilt.
                  I hope you enjoyed the photos and did you see all the sequins and beads???
Have a great week :-)