Thank you everyone for your kind birthday wishes for our sweet Megan! This photo was taken on Friday the night of her actual birthday.
Her party started on Saturday afternoon at 4pm and for all intensive purposes was a great success. We kicked off with a craft activity where the girls were to design a pillow top for a 50 x 50cm pillow insert using Megan's birthday quilt as inspiration (by the way we have called this quilt Garden Party). I provided the girls with pattern pieces, fusible web, a perminant marker, sissors & a huge pile of fabric choices. I also made up a sample to help them in case they got stuck which they most certainally didn't need.
The girls first traced the pattern pieces onto the fusible web then roughly cut out the shapes. They then selected fabric for each piece, I then ironed the fusible to their fabric.
They then cut out the applique shapes and began auditioning them on their background fabric. Once they were pleased with their design they removed the backing paper and I ironed them in place.
I then made a quilt sandwich using each of their tops and secured the applique using free motion quilting. I then intended to then quilt the backgrounds and finish off the pillows so that the girls could take them home in the morning. Well, when I staggered to bed at 2am only the applique was completed. I am never good at recognising achievable targets!!!!
So now I will finish them off over the next week and Megan will take them to school with her when they go back after the holidays. So far the quilting has been done on one of them :) .
The girls really did a great job of this activity and I was amazed at how enthuastic they were even though their part of process took 3 hours!
Once we had finished the pillow tops we all went out for dinner. The girls sat at a table by themselves and did their own ordering and generally behaved like delightful little ladies! Other than this they watched 2 movies (one of these twice) ate lots of popcorn, painted their nails, did eachothers hair and chatted and giggled and giggled some more until around 4am. I made them French Toast for breakfast and they headed home at 11am. And I felt like a zombie for the remainder of the day!!!!
Instead of lollie bags I made the girls a denim tote, lined with the same fabric that I used for their PJ's and appliqued their names on the front. I also made them a sock monkey each.
These guys are begining to take over our lives! They are multipling like flies!!!!
This little cutie is Lu Lu and she has become Jessica's closest companion!
So that was Meg's party ... now I only have 16 days until Jessica & Benjamin's!
I hope you are all well and for those of you who are in the midst of school holidays I so hope that you are enjoying them as much as I am!!!
Kellie
PS. This is the second time that I have written this post and it is only through absolute determination that I am actually writting this again. The last time I wrote it I was at the spell check stage and the page froze! So I wont be checking the spelling again this time so I appologise in advance!
oh what a wonderful party. wish I could have been invited. Love Lu Lu she is adorable.
Posted by: amy (sew~amy) | July 02, 2008 at 03:22 AM
Oh my gosh Kellie, you are such a great party planner. The pillows are just gorgeous and you did so much for them. What a special birthday for Megan to remember. My daughter has her b/day in 12 days, can you start organising things for it too...... I will have 5 girls, 1 tent, 1 fire bucket, lots of blankets, chatting and laughing I HOPE!
Posted by: Fiona@Dragonfly-Crafts | July 02, 2008 at 07:10 AM
That is one special party, you will be the envy of all mothers!! Definately one I would like to have been invited to when I was younger.
Posted by: Pennie | July 02, 2008 at 08:15 AM
Looks like Megan had a fantastic party! The girls did an amazing job on their cushions - great that they could stay focussed for so long. Love the denim totes (did you use a template for their names?), the PJ's and the sock monkeys. Can't wait to see what you are planning for the next birthdays in the family!
Posted by: Lisa | July 02, 2008 at 08:40 AM
I can't believe how much work you do! The girls are an absolute picture of concentration as they create their quilts. I can see how much enjoyment they got from it.
Posted by: tracey petersen | July 02, 2008 at 08:53 AM
I am incredulous! SO MUCH WORK!! These little girls will remember the party for a very long time! The cushions look amazing. And I want a monkey.
Posted by: kirsty | July 02, 2008 at 08:59 AM
I'm thinking that maybe megan will invite me to her party next year - it sounds like so much fun ...you are a superwoman aren't you? With a secret superhero identity and a costume (that you probably made yourself to boot).
Posted by: jodie | July 02, 2008 at 08:59 AM
My goodness what a lot of lovely loot they got to take home with them. And all beautifully made by you. The cushions are a great idea. I'll have to do that with my girls for their bedrooms. Looking forward to seeing you today!!
Posted by: Louise | July 02, 2008 at 09:12 AM
Wow! Just beautiful Kellie. I am sure those girls will remember Meg's party for the rest of their lives. Love the sock monkeys!
Posted by: Cathy | July 02, 2008 at 10:25 AM
That sounds like a great party! Belated Birthday greetings to Megan.
Posted by: Maya | July 02, 2008 at 10:31 AM
Hi Kellie,
I have been a quiet admirer of your blog and your beautiful work for some time now but this post inspired me to be a bit more vocal in my admiration.
I cannot believe how lucky these little girls are. What an amazing party pack to take home!!! And the pillow covers the girls put together look divine.
I hope to meet you one day. (I am also a regular at Amitie).
You are an amazing inspiration.
Andi xx
Posted by: Andi Herman | July 02, 2008 at 11:34 AM
Oh my goodness, what a fantastic birthday party and 'goodie' bags!! I will not be letting my darling daughter read this before her birthday next week in case she gets any ideas!
Posted by: The Chocolate Cat | July 02, 2008 at 04:41 PM
Did you get any sleep at all over the past few weeks, you must have been working non stop? Next year you are going to have little girls knocking at your door begging to be let into Megans party :-). Amazing work as always and great ideas - definately a Supermum , you must have so much patience. Looking forward to seeing what you've got planned for the next party and I love Lu Lu.
Lisa x
Posted by: periwinkle | July 02, 2008 at 04:51 PM
What a wonderful party for Megan! Belated Happy Birthday to her.
It looks like those girls had lots of fun at the party, & the Jamas are wonderful!
Loved the mosaic of Megan too, such a gorgeous little girl.
Posted by: meggie | July 02, 2008 at 05:25 PM
Kellie,
what a party planner you are. Those girls are so lucky. You have set a very high standard in your household.
Sharon
Posted by: Handmaiden | July 02, 2008 at 06:13 PM
what fantastic ideas! sounds like a lot of fun and the girls are so lucky to be able to take home all those beautiful handmade treats!
Posted by: soo | July 02, 2008 at 06:37 PM
take a bow kellie, so well done and it looked as though it was such a happy time for everyone! you are truly amazing at time management! the girls would be so happy with their cushions and pj's to take home.
Posted by: broderie | July 02, 2008 at 11:06 PM
OHMYGOSH Kellie! I'll bet those little girls thought it was THEIR birthday with all the gifts you gave to each of them. How fantastic, but what a lot of work for you. You're amazing! They all look so cute and their pillow tops are adorable -- what a wonderful keepsake for each of them! Can I come to your next party LOL???
Posted by: thimbleanna | July 02, 2008 at 11:07 PM
Hello! I wish I had have gone to a party like this! I thought I would share something thats hopefully helpfull for the next time you make your little cute quilty-pillows like this, there is a product by Floriani called something like 'apli-wonder' (I'm not entirely sure what its called anymore, it was a month ago now that I found out about it). But its essentially applique paper that once you remove the paper back, the glus side is sticky, so it might have helped you a little with the whole auditioning the pieces, then getting it to the ironing board without them moving. I'm sorry I can't tell you where you can get this from as I saw it at a trade show for patchwork shop owners(my mum owns one - now if I just lived a little closer to her...) but you mentioned in your previous post that you bought another Floriani product so maybe they might have it.
Anyway, I thought you might like to know about this product. I as always look forward to your next post!
Posted by: Melanie | July 02, 2008 at 11:40 PM
wow, you are such a super mum! what a fantastic party!
Posted by: driftwood | July 03, 2008 at 12:06 AM
That is one lovely birthday party. My daughter would have loved something like that. Megan is a lucky girl. x
Posted by: Kitty | July 03, 2008 at 02:27 AM
What a fabulous time! I know what you mean about slumber parties...create zombie parents! I'm glad those days are over for us.
Posted by: Jacquie | July 03, 2008 at 12:56 PM
Tell Megan that I am sending her my address so that I can be included in the invitees for next year's party! WOW!!!! How awesome Kellie!!! You went waaaaaaay overboard with those treats! You make the rest of us look really bad! LOL! Sounds like a great time! the girls did so well with their pillows! I hope you get some sleep before the next round of birthdays!
Posted by: upstatelisa | July 04, 2008 at 09:46 AM