This is what 58 of the little tackers look like.

   Looking at the area that these cover, I am probably looking at around 200. If you too wish to follow this path of idiocy stash busting  go to Keryn's site and there is a PDF pattern to buy and it is all downloaded through the internet with the pattern emailed to you. Easy peasy, as long as you have a printer.  Blogless Kathy has of course finished hers, mine is residing in a tin and I have no idea how many I have stitched.  Might be a good project to take to the weekly sewing group that I am hoping to start going to again, that's after I have finished the nine patch thing that I started a while ago and is in another tin.  I just have to find them all in their secreted spots.  Out of sight, out of mind.

Hmm, on another note the top of my blogger composing box has changed and there appears to be no spell chech.  Maybe I have removed it in my latest bout of housekeeping.  It has put the strikethrough in, which I can see getting a good workout.  I Just had a look in the Blogger help and they were so focussed on getting the new editor out on time and speel check wasn't working so they left it out.  Blogger!

Drum Roll!

And the winner is Chooky Blue

Thankyou to everyone who entered, I really appreciated being able to do this.

I am gathering the goodies for the reverse present (click on the link to get back to the page to leave a comment to win the reverse present) for my 2nd anniversary of blogging. I have included a few of my favourite things. One of which I had to sample just to check that they hadn't melted, become infested with chocolate weevil(insidious pest here, well that's my excuse); and were at the right temperature. They were fine after I had checked the second one ;-))))))

I had a huge day on Thursday - worked in the morning, got up really early and hit the decks before any sane person would have contemplated even opening their eyes; came home and cleaned a bit; and then at night I WENT SEWING AND THERE WERE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE ROOM AS WELL. Why was I shouting, well it is like this, I haven't been able to do that for four months and it was so good. I used my new/old Featherweight for the first time and complained that it didn't go fast enough. However after a while I realised that maybe going that slow was part of the 'slow sewing movement' that I take part in when I English piece the hexagons and piece the double wedding rings. It was quite nice to sew moderately and not like the Meatloaf impersonation that happens when I sew on my Pfaff. (Bat out of Hell). So it was a great night and I started to sew the 365 (insanity) Challenge together.

Yesterday was also a huge day, when we climbed part of the Bibbulmum Track being Mt Vincent and Mt Cuthbert. So here are just a few of the pictures that The Librarian, the middle Sweetie and I 'snapped' on our walk.

I think that it is a bit of a falsity when they are called 'Mt' as they are really like big hills. It was so beautiful and I will have to dedicate another post to do real justice to the day that we had.

On 18th August, I will have been blogging for two years. To celebrate I would like to invite you all over for a cup of tea and a piece of my favourite cake. However I live a bit too far away from most people, soooooooooo I'll make the present. It's like a reverse birthday present. Leave a comment on this post and receive one entry. Please leave a link to your blog with your comment. If you don't have a 'blog, leave your email address. I have to know who to send the prize to.

;-)))))))

Well it looks like my wireless antennae was fried, soooooo three weeks later and I am no closer to getting it fixed. The technician is still deciding whether he will fix it. Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb. No internet, no emails, no time on the computer.

Visitors

I am quite delighted with the Stat Counter that sits quietly on my side bar and counts the visitors that come by. Not by the numbers, I've never been driven by outcomes and numbers, but by the all the different countries that people are visiting from. I log on every day and am surprised. Today I was surprised by a visitor from the Untied Arab Emirates and Hawaii. A while ago I was delighted to have visitors from Panama(this prompted a search on Google maps to find the Panama Canal) and Alaska(which I know isn't a country, however it is big enough to be). Panama is a bit of a catch cry here, from the movie 'Sahara' loosely based on the Clive Cussler book of the same name, 'A Panama' gets you out of a very sticky spot although it costs quite a lot including the cigar.

It is doing wonders for our geography skills.

One of the residents here is this species of frog commonly known as the Slender Tree Frog, or alternatively Litoria adelaidensis. We have quite a colony outside the back door in all the greenery there. They don't live in the water like the Motorbike Frog(Western Green Tree Frog)they tend to live on the verges of water bodies. The biggest I have seen was 40mm, normally they are ~20-25mm in length. I was particularly taken with this one as I could seen the spots on it's body. They normally keep themselves very tidy with their legs close to their bodies. They call is the most piercing shriek - thankfully they don't do that very often.

This is a buttonhole applique w/o the buttonhole yet. It is one of Liz Arnold's of the Lizard of Oz

called 'Garden Party'. I've changed it a bit but putting it on point and using black.

Needleturn Applique

These images are from a quilt that I started so long ago, that I am embarassed to tell you exactly when. However, something might be happening with it soon. Or might not. The designs are from Piece o' Cake, although not with their applique technique as it is too convuluted for my mind.
The red and white polka dots, see above, are scraps from the matching dresses that my Mum and I had when Mum was 30 and I was eight. Mum's dress was a sleeveless princess line, to show off her lovely figure and mine was an A-line to allow for plenty of movement. I was always delighted when we wore our matching dresses together.
Maybe all these fabrics are painful on the eyes, however they are all scraps and I had such a ball. There are several applique blocks in this quilt, all garish and in your face just the way I like them.
Reverse applique is a wonderful technique.
PS Is anyone else having problems with 'Check Spelling' in Bugger, oops, I mean Blogger?

Something's Gotta Give

I think that the time has come, for this walrus, to tidy up. I have been trawling other 'blogs and there are some obsenely neat and tidy work rooms out there. I didn't even attempt to capture my cutting table, all those sensitve bloggers out there would have collapsed with the assault to their senses. The picture above was the outcome from looking for fabric for the scrappy bargello. The little scraps below are from the disappearing nine patch, which has disappeared again as I have been focussing on the bargello.

This is the centre of the bargello. Does it need borders? I could be anti-border and just quilt it like it is. Currently it measures 64 x 72" (160 x 180cm) and my favourite size is about 80" (200cm) so I might have to put something around it. What do you think?

This mini quilt is the result of finding the three trees at the Op Shop on one of my shopping sprees for interesting shirts, etc.

Bathroom Saga

It is with great delight that I finished the bathroom yesterday afternoon. This is the wee beastie that helped me do it. I was lent a tile cutter (known as #$%^&) and there was no way that it would cut/snap them properly so this is what I hired and there was no angst. So much so - I want one - I think that it is just the accessory a girl needs.

Ta dah!

Blogger is a bugger today. Oh well, at least you get the pictures.

Scott or Oates of the Antartic

That great line I will paraphrase - 'I am going outside, I might be gone for some time'. To whom I should credit the previous quote (Scott or Oates) I have no idea. Undoubtedly there will be someone in Blogland who will know.

The lead up to Christmas is fraught with danger and excitement. I'm still here - just busy. Eeerrr, no the decorated house is not mine.

Field of Quilts VIII NOT

I'm getting good at Roman Numerals. That's just another thing that I have difficulty with - although I'm finding as I getting older things are easier. Roman Numerals were difficult, Italian was diabolical. My early years of Primary School were in Darwin at a great school called Larrakeyah. One of my class mates was called Peter and he was of Italian descent soooo Mrs La P. (Peter's mother) decided that as we were children and she was Italian that she would offer her services and we would learn another language. Well not this little black duck. I have since found out that I do not do languages well - English is at times difficult - although my Mother was brilliant, it didn't wear off on me. Her youngest Grandson, Henry looooves language and it fascinated by anything in a foreign language. Ever watched Harry Potter in other languages, Henry has.

I'm writing this as I always find that it takes a little while for Blogger (bless it) to upload, download, just for ******** sake LOAD. After all that Blogger (I'm now calling it Bugger) has decided that it can't load. I'll try again.

I was very lucky where I grew up, however I think(hope) that most people think that. We moved to Darwin when I turned five. We travelled up from Sydney to Darwin via road and on that Australian icon called the Ghan. Although I think that the Ghan has undergone somewhat of an overhaul and is no way like it was when we travelled on it over 30 years ago. I remember having to sleep in the bottom bunk with my Dad, topped and tailed, with his rather big feet very close to my face. I had my fifth birthday in Alice Springs on the way up and my favourite present was a pair of frilly lavender knickers. They were sparkly and scratchy and had rows of frills on the bum. They were gorgeous and I felt so lucky having a pair of knockers like that, that I just used to wear them on their own. I could do that in Darwin.

Oh well B***** isn't playing so I'll just have to publish w/o pictures and save them for another day. Have a good one.

Field of Quilts VII

Time for some more pictures of the FOQ - just when you thought that it was safe to come back - there's more. These are the photos that I have stockpiled while I wait for me to get my act together to sort out the camera situation.

I thought that this was very interesting as the floral centre pieces had been stencilled and then surrounded by all those triangles. Little pieces of pieced fabric impress me. I know, I don't get out enough

A lovely blue and white lover's knot with some exquisite applique in the borders - very tasteful.

I think that these are all the rage at the moment. There were two at the FOQ. Living where I do, I am not really up with all the latest trends in patchwork and quilting. However these seem quite nice.

I have to wrote this as Blogger wouldn't allow me to upload pictures earlier this morning. Yesterday Roland and I went to a Reserve just south of the Serpentine River where it crosses the Albany Hwy. A bit of a trek ~40kms to see an old baiting camp. Now what they baited I have no idea and as our local historian bloke didn't come, we undoubtedly missed lots of hysterical facts. We found an old well cover up with pig mesh so that we could see the rock lined walls and the diameter. This well would have been dug by hand either by convicts or Chinese. Either way very hard yakka. The river at that point is a delta, forgive me I'm improving on my geographical terms SLOWLY, so there is ample opportunity for tadpoles and froglets(tadpoles so very nearly frogs however just slightly impeded by a tail that is as long as them. The melaleucas are fairly thick on the ground and kangaroos have made very thin tracks through the river to the other side. We stopped as the water was steadily climbing up our boots. The wildflowers were simply gorgeous - very understated, however so beautifully made and minute at times they were breathtaking. All this is to try and make people understand the exquisiteness of all that we saw and a few photos would clinch the image perfectly.

I have just had a bit of a cruise around and read other blogs and at times I feel that my blog is but a 'ppffft' of wind. Heavy issues of the environment are discussed, with great detail, and people with disabilities that govern their every breath. And I rabbit on about the beauty of some flowers and the generalness of my life. I'm sounding slightly Monty Pythonish so I'll stop. It's all relative.

PS too Busy

I tried to add these photos earlier however through the combination of me and Blogger it wouldn't work. Here they are again.

With regard to the Irish Star diamonds, Kathy and I have decided to swap 10 when we reach 100. Much fairer as Kathy ALWAYS finishes before me and so she would have to give me MORE of her diamonds. Talking of Kathy, who 'phoned today to tell me that her diamond total is ........... (drum roll) 96. Or something so damn close to 100 that we might as well call it 100. I have 76 and 42 in the process of being made. So that is ...... a lot. Over a 100. Just got to go down to the donga and sew the tackers. The picture above is of the 42 partially pieced diamonds. Do you know that it was raining so hard and for so long the other day that I got stuck at the donga. Busting to go to the toilet and STARVING. All the time I have been taking my umbrella - not so this time. I couldn't wait any longer so I emptied a storage bin of fabric and stuck that on my head. 80l storage bins not only store things, they can be used to stay out of the rain. Sounded nice - the rain hitting the bin as I was walking along.

I decided, as you know, to take part in the 365 Insanity Challenge of Leanne Beasley fame. So far so good. I have managed to write one every day since 13th July, nearly twenty days. I tried out the new Clover 6mm Fusible Bias Tape Maker. Worked really well once I reduced the temperature of the iron - I nearly burnt the thing to b****** - and so petite and pretty as well. I mean the tape that I made.

I have ordered the Clover YoYo makers in the various sizes. Why don't you make your own YoYo templates I hear you ask? I can make YoYos in my sleep and believe me I have. Three children in just over four years, I was at the coal face a lot and it wasn't pretty. Anyway they are now doing heart shaped YoYos. I am a sucker for a heart, so this week they should arrive and I will try them out and put them on my Insanity Challenge for you to have a look at.

That's it - a quilt top is calling me to 'come and quilt' and I'll piece more strips on those diamonds while I'm down there.......but don't tell Kathy.

Last week I went up to the Perth Craft and Quilt Fair. It was soooo good. Here are two photos

taken on two different cameras to show off our attributes. Mereth England in the centre looks divine, and Kathy, on the right looks asleep on the job , and I look relatively normal on the left. Whereas in the other photo, Mereth and Kathy look wonderful and I look like a hunchback in grey. Take your pick - I couldn't choose. The photo was taken outside the APQS stand which my friend Sue Morris was running. It was great to see Sue again and for her to bring the quilting machines to Perth.

This was the quilt that won. Truly lovely - over

the past few years the quilts that tend to win are

pictorial. Shoot me down if you think otherwise, however there is a trend away from traditional quilts that have won.

Just a few photos so as to get the general ambiance of the show. There was a group of us that went up on a bus organised through the local Arts Council here. So my friend Diane and I sat together and talked all the way there and back and it was great to catch up with Diane. We live about 2ks away from one another and hardly see one another, crazy.

Went and listened to a ralk on colouring stitcheries with lead pencils. They reckon that Prismacolour pencils are the go, however as I have 72 Derwent pencils I'll try them first.

My youngest son and his coach proudly showing his player of the Match Certificate.