My 'Life is Beautiful'

Firstly, my love and sympathies to all my fellow Kiwis who have been affected by the Christchurch earthquake. I am so thankful all my family, friends & those of my loved ones are safe. I am also proud that as the kiwis did for us in the floods, us Aussies flew straight over to offer what help we can. Sorry if I sound like a split personality there, but I am very much half Aussie & half Kiwi and proud of both!

I thought I would give a glimpse of how I am going with my main project of the year, Life is Beautiful by Helen from Hugs & Kisses in Tassie. My colour scheme is dark & broody and such a departure from my usual, so consequently I love it. Here are some pics of the fabric & a few of the stitcheries so far completed.

The camera has dulled the colours out a bit, less grey & a bit more teal and stormy blues. As for the stitcheries, great fun to do, nice & portable to take to my sewing group and as so cute & heartfelt.

Happy stitching

Tracee xx

More Winning....

The mailman brought me a lovely little envelop this morning containing Gail Pan's new pattern 'A Simple Life' that I won from her blog earlier this week. Check it out, a beautiful mix of some stitchery, applique & easy piecing. Thanks GAIL!

The Vignette in Stitches blog is offering a copy of Leanne Beasley's pattern 'Stitchers Keeper'. A very attractive prize if you are a stitch-a-holic like me. Plenty of time to enter, with it closing 6am Wednesday 23rd Feb, assume that is EST (so I like most others in WA will still be napping!).

Good luck, may some of mine rub off on all of you...

Happy stitching

Tracee xx

Some February Finishes...

I'm having a small project bonanza at the moment. This amount of finished projects is very good for me as I am a stitchery girl at heart, not a machine girl. Many would say I am just not a finishing things girl. My job demands precision & logic so away from work I flitter around like a bumble bee from one thing to another.

While at my birth home for Christmas I brought the beautiful book 'SEW' by Cath Kidston from a gorgeous gift shop on the wharf area of the little town of Mapua about an hours drive from my home town of Nelson, NZ. It not only has masses of projects for bags, quilts and useful homey things all in a shabby style of fabrics but also comes with the kit to make the bag on the front cover.

Better yet the fabric is already cut out & ready to sew. It is heavier than quilting fabric, what Cath refers to as 'Cotton Duck' (similar to a canvas but softer, maybe a cotton drill??), comes together quickly & is just so cute. The buttonholes tested me a bit as it's a long time since I had to do those & finally after unpicking the first had to get the sewing machine manual out. Lots of compliments today from my quilt group girls - the 'Dizzy Bees' & from the lady who served me in the fabric shop. I love it!

I have finished the other two stuffies I stitched while on holiday. This was a great small travel project & love Melanie Hurlston's new label Sew Little. I put bells inside these ones for added interest for little people & they have found a good home with newborn Millie & big brother Jordon.

I have even finished one tiny UFO but we will save that excitement for later in the month....

Besides that I am continuing on with the Life is Beautiful stitcheries, slowly due to the heat but the end results are gorgeous! So how is February weather affecting your progress or not???

Happy stitching

Tracee xx

I Love Winning..... & FABRIC!

In the last few weeks I was lucky enough to win a prize from the blog of Cheeky Blossum Designs. The prize was a set of 3 Wall Art Canvases show casing Saffron Craig's Owls Range. I LOVE them & now have to plan a change in decor in the spare bedroom to suit them.

Today on Saffron's blog, she has made a similar canvas using her NEW Magical Lands fabric. Check it out, the colours are beautiful , turquoise, purple, blue & green - YUM. Naturally there is a whole range of fabrics too. The mind is ticking over with ideas........

Happy stitching

Tracee xx

Tracee's Treasures

Every week I am going to show you something I have been given or found that constitutes a treasure to me. A lot of items will be craft items picked up at markets or op shops, I can't bear to see a cross stitch abandoned & unloved after all that hard work. Others will be vintage linens, china or books. Some items will be quite new but just in a style or from somewhere that touches my heart.

Week 1 - Girls on Bicycles, Cross Stitch on Linen - 33 x 43 cm (13 x 17 inches), nonglare glass & framed $12.00

Aren't they beautiful. There are no details on the back of when it was done or by whom. If the craftsperson who completed this was as slow at it as I am at cross stitch then it must have taken years to complete. Even for the expert they appear to be, it is a beautiful example of great cross stitch & a major investment in time & love. So I am now official guardian & it holds pride of place on my wall in the hall way.

Happy stitching
Tracee xx

Flood Relief Stitcheries

The Country Quilt Co in North Ipswitch Qld is selling Flood Relief Bags so we can continue to raise funds for those who lost so much in the recent floods. You buy a bag for $10 each & get two stitcheries from two of our great designers,either Helen from Hugs & Kisses or from Wildcraft Farm. The kit contains the preprinted stitcheries, thread, needle, everything you need. Once you stitch them, you can keep them or return them to be made into quilts to be auctioned for further funds raised.

I brought 2 kits & got the following luscious designs that are now finished & on there way back to be made into quilts. Sorry, they are in there unironed state in the pics. Nice idea & if you want to help, go here countryquiltco.

I hope that counts as 4 finishes for February???

Happy stitching

Tracee xx

Giveaway at Samelia's Mum

Samelia's Mum is giving away a gorgeous charm square pack called 'Fresh Cottons' Yum! It closes Tuesday 7pm EDST - Good luck.

http://www.sameliasmum.com/2011/02/fresh-cottons-giveaway.html

Brutus's Dilemma....

As expected in the quilting & craft community, the welcome to blogging world has been warm & heartfelt - thanks very much!

Another hot day in Perth & as I was out a lot the air-con was off. Brutus's biggest decisions were do I lie this way behind the sewing machine???

Or is it cooler & more comfortable this way?

At least I know my machine & the UFO's in the boxes behind him are being well guarded.

Happy stitching

Tracee xx

January Finishes

Gosh I am feeling all warm & fuzzy after finally getting my slideshow of Flickr images to work. It took awhile but the help function got me on the right track. Don't you love it when they write in point form in language us non-IT people can understand & follow!

I haven't had a roaring start to the year craftwise but do have some finished projects so here's an update;

 A nice fluffy scarf & matching flower brooch. I knitted this while in New Zealand, perfect knitting weather compared to Perth in January.

Bunny Stuffie from 'Stuffie Play by Melly & Me. My first fully hand stitched project. It just shows what you will do when away from your sewing machine in order to finish a project.

The suck test & seal of approval by beautiful 6 month old cousin Ayanna

Angel Girl Stuffie from 'Stuffie Play by Melly & Me

I also did 3' Life is Beautiful' stitcheries so life was....

Happy stitching
Tracee xx

HELLO Blog World, Here I Come....

I love blogs,to date reading them that is. However I wanted to join Stitch A Long 2011 to stitch' Tis The Season', Christmas Stitching by Natalie Bird of the Birdhouse. One of the rules is you have to have a blog so what could I do but start one.

Scary stuff, who will want to read my disjointed ramblings??? Well VICKIE does & a huge thank you to Vicki from one of my favorite blogs, Vickie's Crafting, for signing up to be my Number 1 follower while I still only had a name & nothing else. So after a week of avoiding the issue I am concreted to the lappy & slowly building a blog. I love reading what my fellow quilters & crafters are up to so maybe my words & pictures will find a little nitch in crafty blog world.

So if I get some new followers & you want to stitch a long too just click on the logo on the right hand side & join us. Thank you too to Chookyblue who runs this stitch a long.

Happy stitching
Tracee xx