New Bag

I have surprised myself. Last week, I went with friends to a sale day at The Patchwork Tree. First surprise - I only bought one piece of fabric (and it was not on sale, unfortunately). Second surprise - I used it to make a bag for my upcoming holiday. Started yesterday and finished tonight. That has got to be a record for me!!!!!!
The pattern is 'Romantic Rose Bag' by QH Textiles (Studio Mio). It nearly looks like the photo on the pattern. To anyone making it, I would recommend a jeans needle. It helped when the going got thick.
Catch you later,
Kayly

Catch Up!

Well, it has been awhile since I last blogged!

I have a new laptop. While I have been transferring files and programmes from the old one to my new baby, I have been cleaning up and deleting a lot of accumulated rubbish. It is a baby compared to the old one in both size and weight.


This last month saw my father turn 80. We gathered up in Gympie so the brand new baby was not travelling on the highway. Dad didn't want a big family gathering, just his immediate lot. This photo show our mob plus a couple of ring-ins. We had a pleasant day and a delicious lunch at Gunabul Homestead.
The trip north meant I could deliver the little quilt I made for Miss S.
Another finish is this little bag - 'Precious Things' by Leanne Beasley. It has been a WISP, for along time. In 2009, Heavens to Bettsy and I went to Melbourne for a Girls Day Out at Glenharrow with Leanne Beasley and Rosalie Quinlan. It was a wonderful day- lovely company, fabulous and very 'atmospheric' location, good projects and scrumptious food. I finished the project I started on the day shortly after coming home. This one lingered, part done, ever since.

I have a new system now. Six projects of varying types, written up on cards and stuck on to my craft cupboard. I can work on any one of them. A new project or a WISP can only be added if one gets finished and its card taken off the cupboard. So far so good.

Now for the exception to the rule. Yes, it didn't take long before I broke my own rules. LOL.
Knitting and I don't get along - bung arm and too slow. But I can crochet. I have always wanted to make a cardigan or similar. Crochet patterns for garments are not common. The lovely ladies at Yarn Over put me on to some American magazines.


I made this! I'm rather proud of myself as it didn't end up a UFO and was done in fairly quick time. The pattern is from 'Crochet Today'.

I have replaced the small bag's card with GDITC Nundle's wall hanging. I have told myself I cannot go on another Girls Day Out or similar until I have completed all the projects I have accumulated from the 3 I have been on. Let's see how long that resolution last!

Catch you all later,
Kayly

What's been happening....?

I've been absent from blogland for a little while, but I have been busy.
I had a birthday - one of those that puts you up into the next demographic survey group. Yuck!
My DH made it all better though by taking me to Restaurant II in the city. We had a very delicious meal in lovely surroundings, even if it was a bit expensive for the meal size we were served.
Mum and I drove to Gympie to deliver Miss A's quilt, just in time for her third birthday.


I started work on a baby quilt for her little sister who arrived about a week later - the beautiful Miss S. Miss A has been performing her big sister duties very diligently.


I got to go to Canberra (our National Capital) with DH. While he worked, I played tourist. Our Federal Parliament House really is an impressive building in both its lay-out and symbolism.

This is what a Queenslander looks like when she is out and about in a decidedly cold Canberra. There's a bulky pullover under there as well.


I went to and loved Addicted to Fabric, Hobbysew and the Woolshed. I went to some other craft shops, but their description in the phone book did not match reality.
I had fun getting around on the Canberra buses. They were frequent and driven by very helpful drivers.
On the home front, our elderly Grevillea has put on a spectacular flowering. Several birds including a family of Blue-eyed Honeyeaters have been visiting. They are very skittish and I have not been able to get a really good photo.


Our 'kitchen table' patchwork group had a sewing day doing the Jelly Roll Race. I didn't join in, preferring to start quilting the baby quilt instead.


This is a composite of the three quilts sewn. They only need their borders. The other ladies had fun doing this quick top.


Well that enough catching up. I have to get my computer off the table. DH is cooking dinner for my parents who are nearly here. It smells yummo - slow cooked beef cheeks and roasted vegies.
See you later,
Kayly

June OPAM

Yeah! I actually have some finishes for June.
Firstly the froggy bed quilt for my grandniece is FINALLY finished. Unfortunately it is still not delivered yet. Must remedy that. I love the back fabric; it has blue dragonflies that stand out on the very pink background.


I also whipped up a lovely scarf for my hubbie. He's off to work in a very cold part of Australia soon and will need it I think. The yarn was knobbly and variegated, fun to work with and so soft. I just used treble with a large hook, nothing fancy. I let the yarn 'speak'.


All being well, the above mentioned grandniece will become a big sister within weeks. I have a boy quilt stashed away, waiting only to be quilted, but no girly ones.
I used Spring Fever by Me & My Sister for a quilt on the other side of the family and loved it so much I bought some more. I've liked this 'Square Dance ' pattern for ages, so it is about time I used it. Looks simple and quick. We'll see.

I'm jealous of all the bloggers getting together at the Sydney Craft Show. I would like to see another state's show. Some different exhibitors turn up. Ah, maybe next year.
Today is like a real Queensland winter - only light long sleeves during the day. So much different to the last few weeks. I don't think we knew what hit us.

Hope everyone is warm at their places,
Take care,
Kayly

The Moral of the Digital Camera.....

....take the photos off your digital cameras on a regular basis!
I had a little bit of trouble editing one the photos from my camera for my last post, but I didn't think anything of it. That afternoon I thought I should empty my camera's card. TOO LATE!
All gone. Luckily some had been copied off earlier but not all of them.
My personal techie (aka hubby) could see that there were files on the card but they were not accessible. Bummer!
Oh well, lesson learnt the hard way.
Learn from my mistake,
Kayly

Glorious Weekend in old Brisbane.

DH and I had a great weekend. It started with us joining DH's workmates on Friday night to watch the movie 'X-Men - First Class' on the BIG screen at Southbank. The night started with mezza at Ahmets Turkish Restaurant and later coffee and cake at Toscani's. Yum.

Saturday was Open Day at the John Oxley Library, as part of the celebrations for Queensland Day. This part of the State Library deals with everything related to the history and development of Queensland. It has such diverse things as sheet music, maps, advertising posters, family photo albums, tea cups,and paper patterns, as well as books and many other items. We got to see a little of the 'behind the scenes' activity.


Sunday, we ate our way through the artisan cheese stalls at the public day for the Brisbane Cheese Awards at Portside. Again Yum! My diet was on suspension. It was a good day with a large turn out of people. You had to wait in a lot of lines, but they moved quickly and it was fun to talk to the people waiting with you.

There are some truly delicious cheeses being made in Australia. I urge anyone who enjoys their cheese to try them.

This is the first time I can name drop. We got to meet and talk with Will Studd the presenter of 'Cheese Slices'. Ah, the life of middle aged groupies!

Of course, we made purchases. We should be able to string these out just nicely.

Hope everyone had a good one, too.
'Till next time,
Kayly

A Bit D(eep) & M(eaningful)

A little while ago, I had quick tidy up in my sewing area, as you do every so often. I quickly realised I have too much 'stuff', as many of us have. I put myself on the 'wagon' so to speak. No more purchases of fabric or books or patterns! Look, admire but don't buy!
Well I fell off pretty quick.


Anni Downs' new book, 'Some Kind of Wonderful', came out. Everyone was raving about it, and rightly so.
Then Fishpond had a half priced craft book sale. My fingers are itching to get back to crocheting, after doing those scarves for the school's craft stall. The books haven't arrived yet, but the Textile Art Craft Show is on the June long weekend. Some unusual yarn would be nice. ;-)
I'm keeping the economy going and supporting designers and retailers. That's how I justify it.
Now for the D & M bit. I had a bigger clean up and reorganisation this morning. There is not enough time left in my life to do all the things I would like to do. My Mum had a major clean up and out at about the same age. I didn't understand it at the time. I can now. One needs to get rid of all the clutter to see clearly and not just in the physical sense. You have to work out what's important and make life less complicated.

On a much lighter note - my darling hubby makes the best pancakes. He's got that recipe down pat. At last week's Farmers Market, we got some fresh raspberries. This was breakfast. Yummo!


We also bought these heritage tomatoes - green stripy ones and a pink ones. They tastes like real tomatoes!



I can't get over the fact that it is June already. Another year flying by. I really want time to slow down!

'Till next time.
Take care everybody,
Kayly