Another Perth Craft Shop Gone....

On Saturday 30th July Greenwood Crafts closed it's doors after 30 years plus. It did not have a huge stock of quilt material but was a mecca for craft tools, embroidery threads of many kinds and knitting wool and patterns. That's three shops closed this year that I know of.

I know how hard it is to balance your buying between buying online in Australia & overseas where you often get newer products, a full range of choice & better prices, and buying at local shops, keeping our physical shops around so when you want to see & touch a product you can &where you get great service & advice thrown in free.

I am the Queen of online buying & like to buy from my blog friends who run beautiful little shops online on a regular basis too. I don't feel too bad about it now as there are no dedicated quilt shops North of Perth, other than the chains of Spotlight & Textile Traders. If there were shops close by then I would buy with them too.

I do love to do classes with local shops & now travel up to an hour to do so. I also joined the Quilters Guild so will do classes in future with them. Also at every guild meeting, a local shop sets up a stand with pretty things for sale so I can support these shops without driving for miles to find them.

I did buy some lovely items at the Greenwood Craft sale where there was 60% off everything. Lakehouse Fabrics for $10 metre, bright dots for $4.00 metre, floss & tools & the most scrumtious 100% variegated wool for $2.60 a ball (& yes, I brought more than 1 ball of each!).

I don't know the reason why this shop closed but hope the ladies involved go forward to more fun things, success & happiness.

Happy stitching & knitting
Tracee xx

Tuesday Treasures

I'm not much of a gardener but this time of year is my favourite for plants as the Cyclamens are in bloom. So these little pretties are my treasures for today.

I love having these around the house & if I am really lucky I can look after them over the season when they die down & have them rebloom next year.

If you have a treasure to share today, please join in on Meldoy's blog, The House on the Side of the Hill.

Happy stitching & gardening
Tracee xx

Val laird's All My Lovely Sewing Things

At last a beautiful project finished, on the wall & photographed!

I love Val Laird's patterns, so sweet, girly & filled with little reminders of the past that I love. This is my version of 'All My Lovely Sewing Things' that appeared in Homespun Magazine's Oh So Fresh Issue 12.2.

Most of this project is completed with a charm pack so there is no having to pick & coordinate fabrics - something I find hard. I used Breakfast at Tiffany's by Fig Tree & Co for Moda. Isn't it just so pretty. There is enough left to do another but I am making up another project using one of Gail Pan's new stitchery patterns at the moment to use up my pretty left overs.

The applique in the middle is gorgeous especially the little tape measure snail. He is my favourite little applique at the moment & my profile pic on Facebook too. I changed the quilting where the words are & instead of having swags over the words, mirrored the squares that are around each applique. I am very happy with the end result.

If you are not a follower of Val's yet, check out her blog & I am sure you will want to be. Val is having a 400 follower giveaway so it is a great time to go over there & win some goodies too.

The latest Handmade has a new pattern of Val's for a table topper called 'With Sugar & Cream'. Another sweet design (literally!) and I can feel my subconcious going 'you must make this, you must make this' - who am I to argue???

Happy stitching
Tracee xx

Happy Birthday Dawn & Fav Song

Dawn is celebrating her big day so hope it was the best Dawn, Happy birthday. Dawn listed a link to her favourite song (lesley Gore, Sunshine, Lollipops...) & asked what's your favourite song.

So here is mine. By The Grace of God, by Keith Urban. This has been my favorite for a few years now. And just to set the record straight, I saw his potential long before you did Nicole!

So what's your favourite song? Join in on Dawn's blog 'As Sweet As Cinnamon'.

Happy singing
Tracee xx

Tuesday Treasures....

My little Tuesday Treasure this week is a beautiful crochet rug my Aunty made. Over the years she laboured long & hard to make one for all the members of the family so must have made maybe a dozen at least. It is single bed size so lots of lovely granny squares. I received mine in my early 20s & carried it on the planes back with me as I flew from my home town of Nelson, New Zealand to Auckland, then on to Perth. It weighs quite a bit but I was snuggly warm on the flights :)

My mum had one too & as she has now passed, I (& Brutus) have guardianship of her rug for her. As you can see, when little Brutus wants a special warm hug from both his Granny & his Aunty, he snuggles up in the blanket Aunty made for mum.

To join in on Tuesday Treasures or see the links to all the posts, go to Melody's blog, The House on The Side of the Hill.

Happy Tuesday!
Tracee xx

My Mission for this week....

My mission, this week, should I choose to accept it - is to learn needleturn applique.

I am nearly half way with my Life is Beautiful blocks & some of them have applique as well as stitchery so it's time to try this and finish these blocks.

I'm a jet at blanket stitch applique but needleturn looks like doing grown up applique so has been avoided to date. Now, armed with a DVD to watch that came free with Quilters Companion Magazine I am set to hopefully add a new skill to my sewing bag.

Any hints or tips would be greatly appreciated!

Happy stitching
Tracee xx

Tuesday Treasures

It's been awhile but at last I am able to rejoin Melody & friends in showing our Tuesday Treasures.

My treasure is a small china ornament my mum brought me maybe 14 years ago. Mum thought they were a family of little cats (shopping without her glasses again) but instead they are a very cute family of dogs & I think one of my favourite breeds, the Scottish Terrier. Mum, Dad & the two pups are picnicing together.

As you can see in the pics these are very civilised pups that sit up to the table together to partake in their food & drink. The chairs have sweet little draped covers with bows across the chair back. One little pup is having trouble paying attention so he is seated backwards watching what else is going on in the yard.

It is a one off treasure mum picked up in an op shop that she knew I would love (quirky animals - whats not to love??). It is only small, about 5in x 4in x 4in (12.5cm x 10cm x10cm) with felt on the bottom & no obvious marks of value dollarwise but lots of sentiment & I love my little scotty dog family!

So if you have a treasure to proudly share, sign up at Meldoy's blog, The House on The Side of the Hill.

Happy stitching
Tracee xx

Tonight's Blogger Experiences

It just took me 10 minutes of trying, a search in blogger help & a change to my internet settings to finally get to post a comment on one of the usual blogs I follow. Same problem again, asks me to log in with email & password, takes me back to the comment to put in the codeword, takes me back to the same screen asking for email & password etc.

According to the blogger help I needed to go to Internet Options / Privacy / Advanced & Allow Third Party Cookies. Mine said they were allowed but I said override & clicked on the same again & I can now post, having just tried again on about 6 other blogs. Just in case this helps anyone else. They also said that comments were still working for those who havea  pop up comments form rather than the embedded type so maybe that is worth a try too.

Hopefully happy commenting
Tracee xx

June Was A Good Month For Sewing....

I felt like not much was accomplished in June but maybe that was my bad laptop experiences getting me down or the fact that some of my monthly projects being a bit neglected. However when it came to writing my list I realised that is was a good month for me. I'm definately a smaller projects girl & one day I hope to grow up & be more of a big quilts girl but for now this is making me happy. NOTE: lots of pics to follow.

My ongoing projects had differing results;

1. Vignette Hexagon quilt - NONE! However my goal is 12 a month (a year to do the quilt) & last month I overdosed & did 40 so this went by the by to make room for other projects.

2. Life is Beautiful Stitcheries - 3 of these gorgeous stitcheries completed

3. Tis The Season Stitch-a-long - 2 more blocks done. This SAL concept is working so well for a chronic non-finisher like me - thanks Chooky!

4. Retro Nine Patch - NONE also but trying to make up for that furiously each night at the moment. It is such a refreshing project with bright retro colours. If you haven't seen this free project, then hurry to Lyn's blog Blue Bird Quilts. The pictures of the full project are available in earlier posts.

So I did a few new & one off projects too;

1. A Tis The Season Wallhanging using my reject blocks & a cute little Christmas skirt for my kitty hanger. Kitty still needs a nice festive ribbon for his tail then he will be ready for the season. The holly will be replaced when I find just the right things to put in those gaps - I left them as I know I wanted something in there but now can't find that perfect thing. The reject stitcheries are trimmed to 4.5 inches whereas I decided I wanted more white & trimmed the rest at 5 inches.

2. I made the little Tis The Season pillow in matching fabric. I really like this.



3. I did one Snugglybug block for the quilts that Helen from Hugs & Kisses / Patternpress runs to give to little ones that enter Hobart hospital oncology & other major traumas. This little man wanted a Collingwood Football Club quilt & fortunately this had come up before so I had a spare headband that I incorporated in to the block. I know some of you already help with this project but if any one else is interested have a look at the Snuggly Bug project page.

4. I joined up for the Santa Sack Swap that Cheryll has organised on her Gone Stitchin Blog. This is a swap full of surprises as you send presents to your swap partner every month from July to December so lots to open come Christmas Day. I am hoping my partner Marie has received her first gifts sent early last week or will Monday before reading this. Month 1 we send 2 wrapped gifts & our Santa Sack to put them all in. I did a felt & stitchery Christmas Stocking in traditional Christmas red & white & gold. I loved the end result & hope Marie does too.

5. Last but definately not least I have done the stitcheries & piecing of the top of Val Laird's 'My Pretty Sewing Things' wall hanging. This is soooo cute & you get most of the fabric out of a charm pack (enough for two really + inner blue border fabric + stitchery fabric). Check out Val's version that was a featured pattern in Homespun magazine at her blog. Here is a peek at a couple of my stitcheries, the tape measure & the pin cushion - too cute!

So that is the month that was. Hopefully this month is just as productive though working in Finance at end of financial year in July can be tiring. Anyway this month I will get a bit more done, hopefully my wall hanging finished & an awful lot more blogging if lappy behaves.

Happy sewing
Tracee xx

Win an AccuQuilt Go Baby!

Here's a giveaway too good to miss at Samelia's Mums blog.

Win an Accuquilt Go Baby & your choice of 3 dies.

Giveaway closes on Sunday 26 June 2011 at 9pm (AEST).

I wish you luck but have my fingers crossed for me too!
Tracee xx

55 Top Quilt Blogs - Where's The Aussies??

Long time no blog! After weeks of laptop troubles, it finally warned me it was going to blow & is now at the Lappy Doctor. So the old slow lappy is back in service but with none of my photos, links or feeds.

So if you are looking at a new laptop & the Toshiba Satellite 660A is still available (I brought in January) be aware that I am told it was the first with a new hard drive and so far the warranty repairers have replaced over 300 of them in Perth alone. Of all the choices of new beaut lappy I had .......

Anyway on a link from Facebook tonight I found that in the June-July Issue, Quilters Home has published a list of the 55 best quilting blogs so thought you might be interested in a look. I'm sure there might be a beauty or two in that list but would have loved to have seen lots of our great Aussie blogs up there.

Click on the link to go to the pdf file Quilters Home

Happy Stitching
Tracee xx

A Jelly Roll Race

My sweet friend Elly, a fellow quilter sent me this link for a very quick jelly roll quilt.
Check it out - race anyone?

Cute idea with all the gorgeous jelly rolls out there. I've never used a JR but might just have too soon.

Happy (& racy) stitching
Tracee xx

Another Month Passed...

The months are flying by as they seem to do once you get over about 30...... As if there is enough sewing time without that happening???

Blogger has given me headaches this month but freed up my time for sewing when I couldn't get online or comment on my favourite blogs. I have missed not getting to (email & comment) talk to you all as much as usual but hopefully blogger is fixed so it will be all go for June. I need my inspiration & motivation by seeing all the amazing things you make & a laugh at your happy goings on.

I have been busy with sewing though & seem to have gone hexie flower crazy. My goal was 12 but it appears I have finished 40 this month. My dilema is that they do not go together & I haven't made a scrappy quilt so am feeling very unnerved at the thought of these 52 flowers being in 1 quilt.

I joined the WA Quilters Guild finally this year at the Quilt Show & last Friday went to the Guild Hexie &Crazy Quilt Club. Wow, some amazing talent there & crazy quilting is on the 'to do' list. They assured me that if I brought in a sheet, lots of pins & my flowers with me once all completed, we could put it on the wall & place them together and I would be very happy. Great idea.

This pic in the March Issue of Real Living Magazine helped too, the flowers are bigger & there are none of Leanne's beautiful stitchery hexies but the colours are bold & random and I still love it so there is hope for mine yet.

I finished my next two Tis The Season blocks for the online Stitch-a-long;

I have sewn my three reject TTS blocks in to a wall hanging but it is missing something so until I decide what, it isn't quite finished. Block 3 stitchery of the Retro Nine Patch is finished & I have almost finished another Life is Beautiful stitchery (will be completed later tonight).

I also made myself a sewing machine cover using quilt as you go. That was a new learning curve but if you don't look too hard at the back you can't tell it is slightly out of alignment. At least this project was my trial so I now know what to do & what not to do. I love the fabric & its been in my stash since the first quilt fair I went to about 6 years ago. It has the Brun cat seal of approval too.

I also made this little pillow for my little mate Megs whose family I spent Mothers Day with - such fun! It says 'The Value of a Mothers Love, Can Not Be Measured, Only Treasured'. Perfect for mummy Megs!

My two fur-boys are loving having the gas fire going at night & I am loving having them both closeby. Little old Brun's athritis is playing up in his back legs but we try to keep it at bay with doses of fish oil & his napping the day away on mums electric blanket.

Honey's favourite day bed is on his recliner with his blankie & his girlfriend. She's the strong, silent type but nice to cuddle up too.

Happy June to you all!
Tracee xx Brun xx & Honey xx

Perth Quilt Fair

Time flys when your having fun & this weekend has been fun with the quilt show finally reaching Perth. Thursday & Friday were spent at the fair with lovely friends & the poor old credit card getting a great workout.

How could a kiwi girl go past this quilt from Monica Poole of Moonshine Quilts & these great fabrics to make in it from Patchwork with Gail B - yum or should I say BAAAAA! It was nice to say hi to Monica too.

Thread & Ginger had a stall with Natalie Bird on it so got to say hi & see the stitch a long quilt, Tis The Season in person - all lovely. This pattern also from Natalie Bird of the Birdhouse seemed to apply fully to me - My house is untidy, the gardens overgrown, my hair is a mess, but you should see what I've sewn;

I couldn't go past a spoilt cat stitchery with little pink buttons. Of course, I will need to make one with a grey cat & one with a creamy ginger one.

And on a practical & pretty note, this pattern for a holder for Threadworx threads that can't be stored on the usual cards;

So that's a selection of my purchases, can't show them all as others have shown such restraint & unfortunately I have none. Now to get some stitching done so I can start some of these new projects.

Happy stitching
Tracee xx

Free Online Quilt Magazine

I've joined up to the 'Lets Stitch' special event with Quilt Fabric Delights for a month of quilty delights.

On the forum, one kind soul gave the link to a free online quilt magazine so thought I would share it with you all. I haven't had more than a glimpse at it & naturally being free it needs to include advertising but looks to have some value especially at the price ;)

If you want to sign up follow this link http://www.onlinequiltmagazine.com/.

My cat of the day I am loving;

Happy stitching
Tracee xx

Update Post Bloggers Block!

Hi all, about time I updated what I have accomplished in April. I have had a bad case of bloggers block for the last week. No posting, no reading, no replying to emails - sorry about that. Don't know what came over me but I did get lots of stitching done.

So here's what I've been up to;

Tis The Season SAL - two more blocks done & the quilt label. I love that I am up to date on this!

Life is Beautiful - three more stitcheries done

Retro Nine Patch - Blocks one & two finished, have two more to do by 15th May to catch up. Can't wait to see how these are used in the finished quilt. It's a mystery......

Vignette Hexie Quilt - 26 hexies done, my new addiction!

That's my ongoing projects covered. I will leave the UFOs & another new project completed for later in the week though there is a peek below.

Little Brun is feeling sad & fragile today. He woke me up this morning with choking noises, foaming mouth & lots of fur ball troubles. For any non cat people, that is fur built up in his tummy from licking in case you were worried that it's a genital problem! My modus operandi when it comes to my fur boys is simple - panic. After 10 minutes of throat & tummy massage & dribble wiping I thought we had a quick trip to the vet needed fast. But while I scrambled in to clothes & fretted about vets being open he wheezed and dealt with things himself by getting up a big, slimy furry bundle deposited for me in the bathroom. Thank goodness!!! Now he is sunning himself on the sewing table, not up to eating yet but has managed some water so doing AOK. A sit on the couch with mum making hexies while watching the latest Harry Potter should bring him back to his normal self. My poor baby...

And on a happy note - thanks very much to Di & Miss Gracie from Quilting is Blissful who sent me a mug rug in the mail as a surprise. It's gorgeous & as I am a fairly new blogger I have missed this addiction but now I have one of my own featuring beautiful bunnies. Precious!

Happy stitching & if life sends you fur balls, may they all be slippery ones!
Tracee xx