2 0 1 5 - Did you ever want a patchwork quilt? this could be for you.......

Happy New Year everyone hope everyone is well rested from over the Christmas break.  

My plan is to kick into the year with a minimalist adventure.  (for those who know me this will be interesting)

I'm feeling really overwhelmed with too much stuff everywhere.  Do you know what I mean? Stuff everywhere from clothes to fabric, quilts and crafty stuff.  Just stuff.  So my plan is to de-clutter and de-own some S T U F F....  

If you have admired some quilts from last year and haven't had the courage to ask, they are for sale.  The main idea is to at least recover some of the cost of making them in particular the price of quilting.  Not necessary the overall cost of the quilt.

$350.00 for this one (neg) but obviously somewhere nearish.
It is a large one will fit a queen bed - made with 100% cotton, wool & bamboo batting for warmth and has been professionally quilted.  It is a one off (my design), light and summery bright.  You will only find it once.  Once it is gone then it is gone.

$150.00 for this one it is smaller and would suit a cot, back of the couch or tummy time for bub on the floor.  Made with 100% cotton, wool & bamboo batting for warmth and comfort. 
It too has been professionally quilted.   

Quilts can be machine washed and line dried which will increase the overall feel and look of the quilt as they soften up with use.

If you are interested please get in contact.

Have a great week all.  As I find other things to list I will let you know.

Happy crafting and de-cluttering.

Kath.x 

Where's Craftybarter girl?

Well this Crafty Barter girl took a little mid year break off work and pulled out all the stops to get some quilting stuff done at home and chill out for the week with lots of walking and relaxing in the sunshine.    

This years focus for me is all about finishing.  Preferably the sewing variety of finishing.  

I'm excited to report Number 2 & 3 completely DONE, and Number 4 is currently at the quilters for quilting.  

Number 2 

Number 3

I have also finished off my scrappy trip along top.  All ready to get quilted.  

I then started rummaging around and found these pinwheels and fabric that my sister had started and got over.  "Oh you like this stuff" I'm sure I remember her saying to me as she said "you'll do something with it.. "  Well that was over a year ago.  Oddly I just happened to have a little stash of Bonnie and Camille fabrics to add to it.    

Soo....  I got cracking...  I have something in mind and it is slowly taking shape.
What to do with so many pinwheels?  easy cut them down and turn some of them into little houses.  :)

The cotton reels are quick and made from cutting down charm pack squares adding the sides and topping and tailing them up.  Simple and effective.

Inspiration from here and some other patterns hanging around that I have been wanting to sample up.

 
Well that is how my productive week went down.  

The focus is still on..... to F I N I S H..  

There is another already at the quilters due back in a couple of months so stay tuned for that one.

Happy stitching all.
K x x x x 

Playing hookie from work

The Sydney Craft & Quilt Fair is on this weekend in it's new venue at Glebe Island. 
Someone wanted to drag me up there cause you just know I don't have enough fabric and crafty stuff to do right?  NOT....

The venue is good full of fabulous natural light making it great for quilt viewing and super easy to get to.  

City views outside the venue to the right here. Pretty amazing for a little chilly July day.   

This craft show really does focus on quilting.  There are heaps of other crafty things there like paper, lace, wool and knitting, sewing garments, folkart and so on.  But the number of quilting suppliers and sewing machines far out weighs everything else.  So for me personally if i'm going to a craft show this is the one to have on the calendar for the year.  So we went and can I just say we conquered it.  









The sheer talent of people just amazes me with the quilts on display.  The quality of the workmanship truly awe inspiring.  Every stitch by hand or machine the creativity in colour and design at every turn.  This is just a very small sample of the quilts on display.  

I didn't get a picture of the "Best of show" but can i just say it was truly fabulous.  The hand quilting so even and meticulous.  I would hate to think how many hours the maker spent stitching and creating that one.

I don't know if I would actually ever attempt some of the extreme intricate work.  As I don't know what I would do with it once completed. You can't keep em all....  :))  and I want to be able to use them.  

This one is recycled denim jeans in the classic clam shell patter with
colourful little bits on each piece.    

 


I love the colour in these native flowers.  They just jumped out at me.

The girl with the Pearl ear ring...  Lovely.  .  

My apologies for not getting the name of all of the makers and offering them credit.

Some of my purchases.  All green Japanese textured fabrics to add to something that I've had stashed away in the fabric cupboard for way too long (Shhhh  don't tell anyone).  My thinking is along the lines of blue and green should never be seen.......   Unless there is something in between.  Stay tuned for that one.  

If you get a chance drop by there is something for everyone.  

Well as long as you are the crafty type that is. 

It was such a beautiful morning.  Great to get some sun and work up a bit of a sweat.    

Have a great weekend all.
K x 

Back from the quilters = excitement

Just back from the quilters.    

I had some Prints Charming fabrics stashed away ages ago (collecting dust....  shhhh) and wanted to get them into a quilt.  I didn't really have a pattern so I based the design on 12 inch blocks finished. Mixed with a basic small dot of a mid and light pink and an orange and threw it all together without too much fuss.  I'm not really into orange however it was a dominate colour in the original Prints Charming fabric range and it just seemed to go.  Oh and my aim was to use as much of the Prints Charming fabric as possible so I don't have heaps hanging around except in the scrap box pile.

Originally I had grand aspirations of hand quilting with perle 8 cottons to match off on the quilt but you know.......  T I M E was a slight problem.  And you know there is always another quilt to be started.  The quilting is a dragonfly pattern from edge to edge, simple and elegant.  

I will be focusing on getting the binding finished and having another finished quilt for the year.  

The count is now 2.. in my finish year of 2014.  


Surf's up! Today.....  A couple of shots from my afternoon walk.

I love this time of day when the sun is setting over the mountains and the evening is creeping in. 

Someone said to me the other day that there isn't any such thing as magic, but you know I suppose you only notice the magic if you are looking for it.  Or if you want it in your life.

I noticed the surf rolling in tonight and the number of surfers out looking for their waves to end their day.  Talk about braving the chill.

Made me wonder if this was their "magic".  Pretty magical part of the day if you ask me.    

Not too long now for the shortest day of the year.     

Have a great week all.

K x 

Revisiting the Scrappytripalong

What else is there to do on a freezing cold Sunday....... I gave all the blocks a good press and laid it out and realised I was one block short. 

What a pain and then decided it needed another row.  So 6 blocks half way there and I might be able to finish this one off....  

I'm a bit worried about the colour choices from today but hopefully they fit in ok.

Happy sewing all.
K x

Queens Birthday - Queens everywhere

Well the Queens Birthday weekend has come and gone in the blink of an eye.  

My weekend was spent locally in Wollongong and Sydney with a friend up from Melbourne to share my world and what I get up to in the "Gong".

It all started at brunch on Friday for us with fresh coffee, a mezze platter and ricotta pancakes with raspberry butter at the Fireworks Cafe in Austinmer.  The Fireworks Cafe is a little hidden gem off the main street with a couple of quirky little shops where the cook was happy to share how to get the raspberry butter going.  

The pancakes where sensational and got us thinking that we could make our own.  So we headed in to the local Friday farmers market in Wollongong and bought the most amazing raspberries and found a ricotta pancake recipe from Nigella Lawson  and whipped them up for breaky on Saturday.   

Saturday was spent pottering down to Berry, NSW to explore and find some little hidden treasures. 
Camellias in bloom.

From Berry we headed back to the The School House in Gerringong for lunch.   Kirsten delivered her fresh handmade cheese selections and relishes which were absolutely amazing.  If you get the chance stop by for a visit the coffee is great and it is relaxing watching Kirsten working through her kitchen on the premises which is in full view of the dinners.  

  

  
 We grabbed some beef cheeks in Berry at the local butchery the staff are more then happy to assist.  3 hours of baking in the oven and sweet potato mash with broccolini for dinner.  You know it was fab.  

Really needed a big walk on Sunday.  Is there too much of a good thing?  too much good food, wine and company I would say.

Clear blue winter sky, Wollongong Lighthouse and harbour.

 As it goes...  Beautiful sunny morning in Wollongong to a rainy Sydney evening...  Not that it bothered us.  

Pre Dinner drinks at the Darlo.

Vanilla Rum with ginger - yum..  went down very nicely  

From the Darlo we headed down to The Food Society where it truly was choose your own adventure.  To start we had fried cauliflower with paprika & Suberec' fried pastry filled with pumpkin, sheep's milk cheese and sage.   Followed up with mains of crispy skin pork belly, fried potatoes and warm lamb shoulder, braised spinach and rosemary yoghurt.  Followed by honey cake and caramel vodka.  

As always the company was great and we celebrated friendships, life, personal triumphs and  just taking the time to catch up with each other.

The ambiance at the food society was relaxed with engaged friendly staff and live music.  The bar is well stocked with wonderfully flavoured vodkas to finish off any meal choices. 

 Very cute little jugs for the caramel vodka.  

We followed dinner up with Sunday night at the Stonewall Hotel on Oxford Street Sydney. OMG massive photo opportunity with the "Carlotta".  Who I would like to say looks amazing and who was gracious enough to have a photo with me.  Couldn't think of a better way to wrap up a  Queens Birthday Weekend.  

This quilt is finally bound and finished. Woo hoo and has gone off to live with it's new owner.  Thanks for giving it a loving home Jen Jen.  

Well that is about it.  A snapshot of a couple of days in the "Gong" with a 20 hour rush of life in Sydney.  

I'm looking forward to doing it all again sooner rather then later. But until then it's on with life as we know it in this neck of the woods.
Have a great week all.  
Kath  x x x x x

PS:  Things I've learnt this weekend?  
         1   Organic butter is the bomb - stock it in your fridge
         2   Ginger works well with Rum
         3   Even when peeps say NO CAKE...  they will heap you eat it & love it too.  :)