Where have I been?

I have been knuckling down trying to get some things done here. Only 3 weeks to go before leaving for the USA and I dont have a single pattern packed! arrrgghh, panic is starting to set in. As promised I have included some peeks at the two main projects I have been working on. The first is my Diametrically Deduced quilt using the inktense pencils. It is not finished but enough to send my entry in today. Not sure if I am completely happy with the end result but no time to start again....

Next is a peek at the blocks for Neenie's Garden. This is a new Hugs 'n Kisses Block of the month project supposedly ready to take to Quilt Market in 4 weeks and then to Sydney in June. A long way to go so watch this space for updates....it uses the lovely 'Sweet Escape' range so if you have some in your stash, hold onto it, its going fast from the stores...

Of course both projects although very different in style use a coloured pencil on fabric which makes the 'applique' very quick and fun to do...

back to it then...

hugs for today

Helen

more snuggles

thankyou thankyou again to my wonderful Snugglybugglers. The quilt below was delivered today to the Royal Hobart Hospital for Ricky, a young boy experiencing trauma and struggles in his little life.... I hope and trust that it gives him some comfort and wraps him as 'snug as a bug in a rug' whilst he is undergoing his treatment.... thankyou to the 9 wonderful block makers, Kim for assembling and Bronwyn at Esmes for quilting once again.... you are all wonderful sharing women and the world is a better place for having you in it!

all our love and strength goes to you Ricky....(not his real name) remember, hug your kids today, they are very special and are irreplaceable... even when they dont want their photo taken - and she looked so pretty!

hugs,
Helen

Colour me please?

I am supposed to using my 'holiday' time to work on some quilts for our Tasmanian Quilters Guild exhibition this year and also to take to the US for my classes. This is a test or practise piece I have been playing with using some new pencils which I've actually had for 12months but havent had much of a chance to play with. Tilly thinks it 'beaufidul' but I am not yet convinced. Do you think I should colour the whole quilt? - that wasnt my original intention... I wanted the black and white allover with just splashes of bright colour. I will keep playing before moving onto the real thing perhaps...

a little more practise on my free quilting skills (black thread on white fabric gives you no room for error!) and a lot more practise on my photography skills needed...

what have you been doing today?

hugs,

Helen

Aussie quilt events

I have just followed a link to a great listing of all Aussie quilt events. It is on the Downunder quilts website but I have so many links in my favourites I can never find anything. So I am going to put it as a link on my blog so I and all of you can always find it and plan your trips and opportunities around them....

Now I need to tell you that although I did 'forget' to put my Last minute Christmas Gift countdown project on my blog, it is on the Cotton Spice website ever so nicely with all the other FREE projects.... and it will stay there until the whole event is over, so get over there quickly and d0wnload the pattern! Here is a pic for you of my little heart bag which some of you may have seen from my gathering - sorry I just didnt have time to make another new one, but if you couldnt make it to the gathering well now you have it for free!!!

hugs

Helen

the quilt pic as promised

Nice people Nice Things quilt will soon be available. Here is the finsihed pic of the front. It measures 81" x 63" so is quite large but remember it is a Block of the week, so only one little 5" stitchery plus a verse to stitch each week - just enough to feed your addiction but quite doeable in a busy lifestyle or amongst other projects. It is put together in a Quilt as you go method so again easy to grow as you stitch or spend a week or two before Christmas putting it all together. It took me 4 full days to piece it all so I dont actually reccommend leaving it to the end. I prefer the idea of watching it grow. Of course the cards can be used for anything, even just cards to give away to special people in your lives or for many other projects. I am getting onto the blog which goes along with it where I hope people will share their projects and Nice stories. I will be featuring a different block from the quilt each week for 2008 as we stitch along.... I have used my favourite Presencia Finca #16 thread to stitch all the blocks. I'll show more about that later....Now I just hope the boxes arrive in time (slight problem with cutting dye today), the stickers from the other new printer, the card is delivered today, the printer holds out to print and cut them, and I get the brochure artwork finished and to the printer in time...! oh, so much to do... hope you like it, fingers crossed and everything else I can possibly cross
hugs, Helen

the back view, with 52 sayings or verses, I cheated and used fabrico pens to write instead of stitch them all in 3 weeks!

Nice people nice things

Firstly, I want to say a huge thankyou to all the wonderful ladies who shared our Stitching in the Valley charity day on Sunday. Do you know, I had my camera and was so busy and chatty all day forgot to even take it out of its bag - so I have no pictures to show you. I do have a queen size quilt here ready for quilting however so shall show you a pic once it is finished. We are also well on the way to selling our raffle tickets for it with proceeds going to the Snugglybug project for the next 12 months.

On Monday my Love is fabric finally arrived.... how exciting, all this fabric to play with...

Actually it was to 'work' with as all was ready and waiting for its arrival. Nothing like a deadline and last minute panic. I have since been sewing to the wee hours each night to have this quilt of the week - yes 54 designs, 63 blocks - finished within a week (instead of a year) for photography tomorrow for release in 2 weeks... finally got it all laid out to put together today, I had no area large enough to lay them out so had to do some rearranging.... It is now in five rows to be finished tomorrow... fingers crossed I have something to take with me to Melbourne in two weeks...

And of course fingers crossed people like it and the concept of Nice people and Nice things - remember if every stitcher did one nice thing a week across their family, their street, their town, their country or the world, wouldnt it be a nicer place...

A huge congrats to all the juried entries and winners at Houston, what an amazing display of quilts and well done to all the Aussies.... wish I could be there one year.... will keep dreaming...


now remember only 4 days to the Last Minute Christmas Gift countdown!

hugs for the last time today

Helen

Busting to Quilt auction has started!

The ebay auction for the two Quilt for a Cure quilts has started.....
the links are as follows:

For Wisteria Girls

For Wisteria Rambling

please feel free to forward the links to anyone who may be interested in bidding with all funds raised going to this worthwhile cause, which I am sure has affected every one of us in some way.

hugs
Helen