THE PURPLE MONSTER LEAVES HOME......

Well today was the day!! My littlest grandkid has finished "day care". She has been with this day care mum for almost 4 years and I don't think that it has sunk in..... all the changes... she is off to Prep next year and joins here sister and brother. All now 1 year apart at school, not because of their ages, but how their birthdays fall. I digress... Margie has been day care Mum to all three and so I wanted to make her something special... And she adores, adores, adores... purple ... also pink and purple... but just make it purple first. Well here is the monster!! Purple is not top of my hit parade. I'm more of the earthy - Debbie Mumm; definitely country; leaning over towards primitive as well. So this was definitely an adventure for me!!

I really must pubicly thank Jenny of Elephantz for the use of her stylised rose at the top and also my great pal Wendy of Sugarlane Quilts for the idea of using the rose. My first thought was to plonk pansy's around the border, as to me they represent purple!!! However I'm chuffed with how the baby turned out. I wouldn't get any prizes for the crazy patch as you can see it's a bit regimented. I cheated and used lots of the fancy stitches on my machine to run over the edges. Also the embroidered roses are done on the machine as well. The fancy stitch on the second border is a machine one as well. This is the first quilt that I have free hand quilted and sooooo.... I'm not giving you a really close look!! Then....... I used satin!!! I had this nice piece of heavy lovely satin that just leant itself to the leaves.... Then the back.... well the quilt police nearly had a fit, when I used the satin on the back... I did say that it was a very heavy type of material didn't I??? Probably had been used for a bridesmaid's dress, I think?? Another glorious find...

Well the kids signed their names on paper and I stitched over it on the label at the top. So their childish signatures are saved for posterity. I really should do a quilt for myself or their Mum with their handwriting now!! That's a thought!! Anyway I popped my little label down the right hand bottom corner.... and she was set wings..... and away she flew.... Margie was a bit overwhelmed.... She thought that I had taken the 4 years to make it!!! She thought she may hang it on her wall.... but I said to use it. Anyway, it's hers now..... so the purple monster has left home..... I'm sad already!! I'm not good with my projects being finished!! But now there is a race on to make something for Christmas for my staff members. Yep... I think I work better under pressure..... or could it be I'm not well organised!! But #1 staff member has almost been finished.... no peeks... as I'm teaching her to blog [or look] and she may not get a surprise!! #2 is only new, and today I casually found out she probably likes PURPLE!! Am I being punished??? #3 has gone off Christmas and is not bothered at all!!! So something nice will have to perk her up!! Must off.... a lovely day awaits tomorrow.... my first Saturday off in over 12 months...that doesn't have Guild on....aren't I lucky!! Have arranged things that now I will only have to work 1 Saturday in 4, and that will mean that I get this lucky Saturday every month!! Yeayyyy!!! Of course I still work every Sunday :-[ , but what have I planned for this special day, you ask.... well of course I am going to finish off the pantry!!!! Oh well, I guess it will look beautiful when I finish. May even take a snap!!! Now that will spur me on...

Nightie night.... and rainbow smiles.... Gloria :]

PS..... I did hand stitch a little spiders web in one corner of the crazy patch.... so that will placate the Quilt Police

Garage Sales

Here I am again.... boy, has it been hot today!! The storms are well and truly due..... so let it rain!! Last week end was my morning off.... and you guessed it!! That means it's a sewing day for Guild.
But first DD and I went walking from 6am to 7 am with a local group of Road Runners and Walkers......
Then..... oh Joy of joys.... off we went to the garage sales.... They are so much fun!! We even seem to have a sub culture of "garagies", and we look out for pieces for each other. Anyway there were quite a few... and just look what I scored!! This pile... firstly there were 2 bundles of 5 fat quarters each and the girl had put $6 a bundle on them!! I said "Oh joy of joys" didn't I. They are some of the bright pieces at the front. All done up as they come from the fabric store!! Well of course I snapped them up.... really quickly... then there was this other scruffy, piggledy pie stack... some of them cut... all new.. just thrown there haphazardly. So I offered $20 for the lot.... and she said YES!! When I got home and spread them all out.... this is what there was!! The pieces at the back are all over a yard, and the next row is at least 1/2 a yard... then the next two rows are fat quarters and the front row is fat eights!! Apparently the lass is not going to craft anymore... Oh silly girl.... but Oh what fun!!
Rainbow smiles..., and cheeky grins.... Gloria :}

Ooohh...it's been so long....

Christmas is coming.......

Well...it's been soooooo long.... and well, you know I've been a tad busy!! So here are the promised catch-ups and the piccies. We had the guild Christmas party and here is my present...ready to go.. You remember ... it was the bargello runner, made with Christmas fabric. Now here it is all wrapped up.. and this is my contribution to using selvedgeages ... note the wrapping ... I used them here!

Anyway we swapped presents and the lovely Lyn made mine.

It is beautifully done and I just know that I'm not going to be able

to keep it!! The eldest DD just loves blue!!

S0 I'm not going to be selfish... I'll pop it in with her Christmas presents and she can share as well..... Isn't it

pretty... Lyn has promised to show us how to make this

one.... next

year!! 2010 Ohhh gosh......

Anyway...back to this lovely runner..... can you see the pretty flowers.... no... they're not suffolk puffs!! ....

something more

complicated.... that's why we want to know how to make this runner!! So we had great fun exchanging gifts... and guess what?? I won a prize. Now here is another project !! Isn't it fun to win things..... I can get excited over the smallest thing!! Just the fact that you have WON!! So here is what I won..... just the cutest little pin cushion, and a great looking pattern!! Also some lovely smellies.... Ooohhh .... that's just what I need here at this time of the year!! It is HOT...HOT...HOT... and now my lovelies... I must off, as this is the time I should be at work... [but I just had to sneak in a little word with you all]!! I will try very hard to get back to you... maybe tonight.... It's a date!!

Rainbow smiles.... Gloria

Monday... well Tuesday

Need a little fabric... well just go over here.. Ohh what fun has a new meaning.
Rainbow smiles... Gloria
PS proper blog with piccies coming soon... promise!!

You've got to enter this one!

Oooohhhh.....I've just popped over to retro mummy's and shes giving away some beautiful material!!! Shhh... keep it between you and I... Just thought you might like to pop over and have a little look.... I hope that I have added the link properly..... I'll show you what I bought yesterday .... maybe tomorrow... probably Sunday!! Rainbow smiles.... Gloria

Last one today.... I promise!!

This is what I was supposed to be working on tonight .... the middle of the runner for this Saturday's Christmas swap is ready to have the borders added and the ends done!! Ah well ... I was virtuous and was working!! I even did a little bit of house work this morning [well yesterday morning]. I'm getting a little more organised. So now I will have to work on this little bargello tonight. I think it's pretty and boy how easy was this one after the complicated "pink princess". Ahh well... off to bed... now that I have caught you up on the excitements of this weekend. Goodnight dear reader.... and rainbow smiles... Gloria

Tuesday 24 November .... the story continues ...

This is my first ever quilt.... started long before I went to Quilters Guild.... and then I found out that you don't do some things..... The Quilt Police would have hauled me away... I left the selvedges on and had a merry old time. The material was two cushion cover sets that I had purchased many moons ago and they were in the pinky colour and the blue. Don't ask me why??? I guess I liked them both. But not as cushions obviously.. lol .... there they were languishing away .. until I decieded that I was going to become.... A QUILTER!! Then these little ones shone as the first attempt.... and then they languished in the

background as I wove my way through lots of others that the quilt police would approve of!! But now I have decided that my babies that are resting will be allowed out to play, and so there number is being called. So the oldest is out first! Of course being me.... I had to go right off with the first one and hand quilt it!!!!!!!! Silly me !!!!

I've shown you a little of the quilting..... it's squidgy close in some areas. What was I thinking of, you ask, dear reader??? I asked as well, when it took sooooooooo long!

Now last Saturday .... when I really should have been fininshing off the "Purple Monster", you know that it has to be backed and quilted ready to hand over in a couple of weeks ....well I think it's 2.... ooooh .... I hope it's 2 !!! Yikes I had better check some time!! Anyway... I thought well before I spread the purp... out, I'll just run around the edge of this baby and pop the binding on ... and hey presto.... finished!! Well .... no..... on eof the gurus [much more experience and such a

delightful help], informed me that I needed to quilt the border before I cut anything off and the binding would have to get in line as well!!!! Ohhhh my .... well there was no way that this was going to be a hand quilted job I can tell you. So here is what I did!! Lovely waves around the whole blessed thing..... and then more lovely waves back the other way .... almost around the whole thing again!!! Then there is going to be a little heart and line thing going both ways in the middle. Did I get it finished you asked, dear reader, well no!! The waves have to be finished off on the last side yet. But it is getting closer!! Maybe it could get finished this year??? I think I started it 3 or 4 years ago!! So time obviously is not of the essence!! Rainbow smiles ..... Gloria