And the Winner is...*drum roll*

...Sunnybec of Living the Dream is the winner of the "hearts table runner" from my post here and guest post here.

You were lucky 13!!!!!...an email is on it's way as I write this.

DID YOU SAY ME?
...I got distracted from drawing my own giveaway becasuse of an email I got from Toni at Make it Perfect.
I won her giveaway and the prize was a set of quilting patterns from this Clare at Clare's Place . Lovely, lovely quilt patterns.
I am going out on a limb here and saying that I am going to collect all the fabric, notions etc needed for this pattern

photo from Clares Place Blog

and I'm going to take it to Sew it Together Sydney  - how far will I get making it? Who will remember I've made this rash promise? will I chicken out beforehand?...

FLOOD AUCTION:
I bid for this fabric and ribbon that was being auctioned by Kerrie at Busy Gnomes. It arrived today and it's just gorgeous.

Kerrie included some samples of Pima cotton - I'm in love - GORGEOUS, SOFT, PRETTY fabric. I'd love to make some clothes for myself from some of the cottons. (If only I didn't make rash promises about quilting, I might have more for-me sewing time!).

Thank you Kerrie - go visit her lovely fabric site at bloom.

thanks for taking a peek over the fence...

My Creative Space...In a Bind

The last 6 weeks have been creativity heaven.
I 'm just starting to come to terms with the fact that I had to go back to work today.
As soon as I got home, I grabbed a cup of tea, some fabric and my rotary cutter.

Making binding for the GIVEAWAY PRIZE. Entries close this evening so you better get in quick.

Linking up with lots of other Creative Spaces over here.

thanks for taking a peek over the fence...

Australia Day

Happy Australia Day!
We went to the local city celebrations, but the heat beat us and we came back home after an hour or so (yeah I know what wimps we are).
Couldn't let the day pass without some real Australian food on the table...
Loving my "Pavlova Plate" - this was one of the first things I bought when I moved out of home.

It didn't take long to whip up...

cook...

and decorate...

I haven't cooked a "pav" in this new oven, and will either have to lessen the cooking time or lower the oven temperature because it's just a bit overdone (not that I've had any complaints...).
These are so easy to make and although I didn't use the recipe on the plate, it was very close to what I did.

INGREDIENTS:

4 egg whites

1 cup caster sugar

1tsp vinegar

1 tblsp of cornflour

additional 1/4 cup of caster sugar

METHOD:

Beat egg whites till soft peaks form, then gradually beat in caster sugar until it is all dissolved and the mixture is thick (this step took me about 10 mins but I hardly noticed because I was daydreaming about FMQ-ing my next tablerunner!). Sift cornflour over mixture, add vinegar and extra sugar and fold through the meringue.

Put a 23cm circle of baking paper on your plate (or tray) and spread out meringue, almost to the edge. Run a spatula around the edges and "pull" the edge up to make a wall around the pavlova.

Bake in a 150 C oven for 50 mins or until the top is just dry to touch.  Turn oven off and leave to cool in the oven with door ajar.

When cold: top with whipped cream and fruit of your choice.

There was general agreement on the toppings shown and we had extra bowls of berries so the berry lovers could add what they wanted to theirs.

Gotta run, the cricket's on and the pavlova is cold...aaahh yes...the perfect AUSTRALIA DAY.

Edit: Don't forget to enter my giveaway here

thanks for taking a peek over the fence...

Making and Doing

Have you been to my giveaway post yet?

You'll find the link here

One of the great things about holidays and a New Year is that I have the time and the excuse to clean the sewing room. Not to mention needing space to sew and to find things.

I was given this huge amount of fabric before Christmas and it has slowly been oozing out of the bag, slinking all over the floor and tripping unsuspecting family members.

          
There's every sort of material that you could imagine, matt, shiny, stretchy, metallic, sequinned, lacy...and many of them in several different colour ways - they came via a friend of a friend...don't you just love  those sort of friends?

They are now safely stored in a plastic box, catalogued in my mind(!), ready for when inspiration strikes. Some of them will very likely turn up as a bag, lining or pockets

What I've been making...

I've been working on the giveaway prize (from this post)

This heart was cut out from the go cutter die too - so easy to cut and then put together - I am in heaven with this - and will be in further raptures when I get my next die order from Catherine courtesy of her brilliant gift ceritficates (it also helps when Christmas and your birthday coincide - thanks loving family).

I still have to add borders to make it into a 12 1/2" square for Quilts for Queensland.

 The drunkards path will also end up being sent off, when I figure which order to sew them in!!!

Another Queensland project is making a sewing caddy for New Beginnings - the link is on the sidebar top right. The pattern I was planning on using is from Handmade magazine. I had some fabric off-cuts and doileys that I picked up on one of my Camden quilt show jaunts.

 The doileys were already cut so I didn't have the pain of cutting into them myself!

Well when all was said and done, I didn't follow the pattern because the material wouldn't let me, and nor would the doileys! - they insisted on being used in their own particular way...
Here's the finished product - I just love it and am really excited about how pretty it turned out. It has a scissor holder, needle book, pincushion and a biggish pouch for project materials.

I hope to make another one  - and I know just where to find an interesting stash of material too....

thanks for taking a peek over the fence...

A Relaxing Holiday...

Home from holidays. Rested and relaxed? Not quite...

Yes that is the hot afternoon sun beating down...yes that is the bonnet of the car up...and yes that is an almost totally deserted street in a country town on a Sunday.

We waited for 3 ½ hours for the “ABC Man” (that's what one of our littlies thought was the NRMA) to come. Can I just say it was hot…and boring (well I wasn’t - I had my cross stitch 'milky way' quilt pattern - how good is that? Two crafts in one!)…there was bickering of the “she looked at me” "her feet are on my side of the seat", “why was she born” kind that always surfaces in stressful situations - either that or it’s their version of boredom busting.

Did I mention how hot it was with the sun beating down on a dark grey Tarago?

I think we gave the takeaway shop in Moss Vale their weekly takings in one afternoon.

This is the little beach cottage where we ended up and you can't stay 'unrelaxed' easily when this is the view you look out on and wake up to every morning.

The beach at Green Patch

This is on Jervis Bay and the water and the weather were pretty well fabulous the whole time we were there.

We had a few attempts at solving the overheating problem with the car, and managed to get around the area to get to different beaches, Husskinson, Booderee National Park and Sussex Inlet, without a repeat of the ordeal of driving down.

Murrays Beach

I'll leave you with the illusion that I am still relaxed and I won't even mention that the car played up all the way home and an overheated car on a hot day is not a pretty sight...nor a relaxing one either.

thanks for taking a peek over the fence...

How Can I Help 2...

Here are some more ways to help:

Make a softie  - see Steph at Mon Petit Poppet

Make quilt block or lap quilts - see Retromummy

thanks for taking a peek over the fence...

Flood relief - how can I help?

I can't imagine mud through all of my belongings.
I can't imagine mud caked on my precious material.
I can't imagine how I would feel if I couldn't find a needle, any thread or my scissors...
I can't physically help all those people who have lost everything in the floods.
What I, and all us bloggers, can do is:

Make something for the Gum Tree Designs Flood Appeal, 

Donate directly to The Queensland Government Flood Appeal. Follow this link and you will find details of how to make financial donations through banks, the internet, etc

and/or list and take part in these auctions of great goodies for raising much needed funds.

Funky Fabrics Auction Lot 1
Funky Fabrics Auction Lot 2
Funky Fabrics Auction Lot 3

Plushka's Auction/Giveaway

or head on over to Oz Material Girls, or Make It Perfect.
There are many links on these blogs to other ways of helping too.

thanks for taking a peek over the fence...

Lost in Translation...

There is a great big wide world of blogs out there...
and yes, sometimes they DO get lost in translation...

thanks for taking a peek over the fence...

Vielen Dank, dass Sie einen Blick über den Zaun...

Merci d'avoir pris un coup d'oeil par dessus la clôture...

Paldies, palūrēt pār žogu...

I'm a Guest Blogger

Last year I got the surprise of my life when Leona asked would I write a guest blog post for her. "Who? Me? I'm not a quilt shop! or a designer! or anything!".
Leona is starting a new series where she is introducing her followers to each other, which I think is a fantastic idea and it will be a whole lot of fun to read about other quilter's adventures.
So now I am a Guest Blogger *blushes*

You'll find the post over at Leona's Quilting Adventure

Now in honour of this special occasion I think there should be a Giveaway.

In my post I said that there were some pieced hearts that I was going to make into something else.

So that is exactly what I am going to do.

One lucky reader will win the something else.

Since it is still summer holidays - meaning the house is full to the brim with children and the MaTH - finding time in the sewing room is a hit and miss affair, but I will definitely have it finished for you!

All you have to do is head over and have a look at Leona's blog (that's the only way you'll find out what you can win!) and then come back here and make a comment - anything that pops into your head.

I will leave this giveaway open till 27 January 2011- and announce the winner on the 28th January.

thanks for taking a peek over the fence...

Community Service Announcement ...Giveaways Galore

I've found some lovely goodies being given away for the New Year.

The first one is over at the Leona's Quilting Adventure. Lovely Leona has quite a stash to sent to a lucky reader.

There are 2 Pillowcase kits, a Dainty Table Topper Pattern and 11 Fat Quarters.

Giveaway ends Friday 9 January (USA time Eastern Time).

photo from Leona's blog

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We Love Quilting Giveaway


Win a box of goodies that are the result of an excess of craft goodness in an overcrowded sewing room.

Click HERE to enter.
Giveaway ends January 31 2011

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Stray Stitches Giveaway

Stray stitches is giving away this pattern

Photo from Stray Stitches blog

As well as the pattern you'll also receive 25 fat quarters and 5/8 of a yard of black fabric - 5 fat quarters in each color bundle (green, yellow, blue, pink, and purple)  in shades from light to dark (the backing isn't include and needs 4 yards).

Head on over here to enter. Giveaway ends Sunday January 9 (USA Pacific Time).


Well that little lot should keep you busy entering for a while - enjoy.

thanks for taking a peek over the fence...