November blocks for Cherish do. Good Stitches

November was my turn again to pick the blocks for Cherish Bee.  I picked a 9 patch Rainbow with a white centre - I will be cutting these blocks up to make a disappearing 9 patch ........... after I finish my January Bee quilts ....... (hangs head in shame)  I have one flimsy made up, but not quilted.

Here is my sample block - once again using up some of the 5" squares received in a rainbow charm swap I did a while back :)



and here are the blocks I have received :)





Now to press them all, and start cutting so that I can play with the layout LOL  I think I actually enjoy that process more than the sewing :)

Here is my pink flimsy all ready for the next step!



here is the layout for my blue flimsy - am yet to sew these together



The admin for this circle has taken a bit more time than I anticipated - doesn't it always LOL - but this year we have two new quilters and that means I can be a stitcher for most of the year.

There were no blocks for December - we can have a break, or use the time to catch up on things.  I volunteered to be a quilter for January to give the other circle members time to decide which months they would like to pick :)  For January, I have picked a black & white churn dash block - 2 blocks requested being 1 @ black on white, and 1 @ white on black :)

Stay tuned for pics a bit later :)

Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day - any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

Even slower post :(

Don't you just hate waiting for things to arrive in the mail?  :(

The October Christmas block Hope made for me has found its way back to her in the US - looks like there was an issue with the postage :(  Hope has now repacked it and has sent it on it's way back to me - hopefully this time, I will get it quickly - although this time of year I am not hopeful.

The package for Mr Fixit from UK never arrived, so they arranged for a replacement, which arrived in 5 days.

On the positive side - my block from Brenda for November QBSA did arrive, and it is beautiful!

Thank you Brenda, I am so very close to finishing my Purple Patch Quilt.

Fat Quarter Swap 
Birthday Club for December only has 1 birthday girl :)

Birthday Love for Justine

December swap for Suzi

We are now waiting for our new computer to arrive :)  Hopefully, it is not too far away and I can be back up and running in no time - so if I disappear for a few days, you know I have had problems :(

Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day - any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

More block swaps :)

Ank was my QBSA July partner, who sent the lovely starflower blocks below

but recently, I received another block from her

it seems Ank felt bad about misunderstanding my colour preferences and sent a replacement block!  This new block will fit in perfectly with the other blocks I have received, but the lovely blue & purple starflower blocks will not go to waste - I will use them on something else.  So thank you Ank, you didn't have to send a replacement block, but I am very glad you did :)

The Christmas block I sent to Kerri, for September has arrived - I posted a tease photo earlier, but here is a colour photo of what I sent

Here is what Kerri sent me

this is the start of a new Christmas Quilt - I think I will make a Disappearing 9 Patch

Hoping to spend some more time in the sewing room over the weekend :)

Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day - any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

FNSI - show and tell

I missed FNSI last month, and was really looking forward to sewing with my friends this month :)

Just in case you don't know ............... FNSI (Friday Night Sew In) is a virtual sewing get together currently being hosted by Wendy   It is held on the 3rd Friday of each month.  It is a wonderful opportunity to set aside some sewing time and then share your results via blog land :)

My Executor duties seem to have slowed down for the moment, so it was really nice to be able to do some creative stuff.  I posted the other day about my cheery sewing for the 12" mini quilt swap, and after a bit of a tidy up and much needed clean, I was ready to go again.

My old Boss in the Jeans Factory would be ashamed of me!

Here is my sewing room at the moment - it is always a work in progress as I find better/easier ways to do things.  I was gifted a Horn sewing machine cabinet from a family friend and I am using it as a return next to my sewing machine.  The bonus is that I can extend the top and use it to support any larger items like quilts :)

this is from just inside the doorway

It also serves as a better place to put my quilt rack - in front of the fabric cupboard was not a good place

this is from the other direction

Here is what I worked on for FNSI - well a tease photo at least :)

This is a Star & Pinwheel block for KerryB
my September partner for the Christmas Block Swap

I was also like to catch up on some pics for other swaps too :)

FQ swap from Leonie for July

August FQ Birthday Club for Deb

Here are the GORGEOUS purple 9 patches that Kerry from QBSA sent me  - Thank you so much Kerry :)

purple 9 patches from Kerry

They will be cut up and placed on this quilt to finish it off!

Here are the lovely rainbow starflower blocks from Ank for July QBSA 

Well that's it for me - I'm off to see what the other FNSIers have been doing :)

Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day - any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

UFO Saturday

It was UFO day at my LQS yesterday - it way too cold, wet and windy for this little black duck to venture outside, so I was with you all in spirit, and I worked on one of my UFO's - Purple Patch.

These 9patch blocks have been collected as part of Quilting block swaps Australia during 2012/13 - I have sliced them to make a disappearing 9 patch and will eventually be a lap quilt

Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day - any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

Quilt Block Swaps | Making a list ...............

.......... and checking it twice :)

It's the start of the year and I like to go back over my swaps and make sure I have:

1. made and sent my block
2. received my block and sent a thank you to my partner
3. blogged about it

QBSA
There have been a few I have missed blogging about, so here they are:

August block from Tracey

November blocks from Encarna in Spain - finally arrived in January :)

I think Encarna's package went on a bit of a Christmas Holiday for a while before it arrived here in Australia - not too sure where it went after it was put it in the mail :(  but it was so lovely to open it and find these little gems inside :)  Thank you Encarna, it was worth the wait :)

December block for Michell

My block from Michell is 'in the mail' :)


Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day.
Remember, any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

October QBSA blocks - sent and received

9Patch from Lorraine

Tulip Block for Lorraine

I am getting really close now to making up my 'Purple Patch' quilt.  Now that I have finished the top for the A4A QuiltAlong, I can put it back on the design wall and sew it up.

Design Wall as at July 2013

Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day.
Remember, any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

more purple 9 patches ......

..... have been received from Jo, my September partner for QBSA

from Jo

and some lovely extras - love the handmade card ;-)

Thanks heaps Jo, nearly at the end of my purple patch ;-)

on my design wall - my purple patch quilt

I need to start thinking of a different block to collect ;-)

Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day.
Remember, any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

Lousy weather = FNSI + A4A QAL catch up

I managed to get a lot done in my FNSI - the weather was lousy, so I stayed in and sewed.

I caught up on Lessons 7 and 8 for A4A QAL


Lesson 7 - Unit C2


Lesson 8 - Unit A3


Unit A8


My Virtual Design Wall Quilt - it is getting to the stage where I really want to put this up on my Actual Design Wall, but that would mean I would have to take this down

I only have a few more blocks to receive, then I can make it a flimsy ;-)


Thank you for visiting my blog today - I hope you have a good day.
Remember, any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.

making a list and checking it twice

I have just come across some photos of blocks sent and received in the last few months that I have failed to blog about :(

made for Julianne, QBSA

(Note:  this is a Blackfords Beauty block - this same block pattern is made HERE for the Christmas Block Swap and it looks soooo different - it is stunning what a different colour placement makes!)

Received from Julianne

Sent to Noelene

Received from Noelene

Sent to Pat for BSA

Received from Pat

Thank you for visiting - I hope you have a good day.
Remember, any day doing something you love makes it a good day ;-)

Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.