Life's a circus ... and a celebration!

We finally celebrated Ben's 7th birthday on Sunday ... and what a whole lot of exciting fun it was too!

We took Ben and a few of his best friends to the Circus!

There were loads of amazing magic tricks, stacks of scantily clad women who appeared and disappeared from various different boxes,  jaw dropping acrobatic feats, a woman who managed to balance on a over-sized disco ball while dancing with more hula hoops than I have seen in my entire life time and three totally loony motor bike riders that all rode around together, at great speed, in a metal sphere!!!!!  

... and then we had cake!

Happy 7th birthday ... yet again my sweet boy!

While I'm reflecting upon late celebrations there is one more that needs to be addressed ... that elusive 100th post celebration that I have been putting off for the past 7 posts ...

I finally put on my skates and finished my new tree quilt ... that I have called Lilly Pilly.

I just love this quilt ... it has turned out even better than I had hoped that it would ... sorry about the photos it is a little gloomy here today and I didn't want to wait any longer!

One person who leaves a comment to this post will get to take this quilt home with them ... but there is one catch ... if you want to play along you will have to agree to wait a little while before it comes to live with you as I need to have it to display on my stand at the Australian Quilt Market in November of this year....

So do you want to play along ... are you prepared to wait to collect the quilt? Cool!

To enter the giveaway you must leave a comment on this post between now and midnight Australian EST on 2nd of September. As always there are a couple of extra ways that you can rack up extra entries ...

• if you purchased one of my last batch of patterns during the preorder period you will receive an extra 10 entries (please note preorder in your comment)

if you link to this giveaway in a post on your blog then you will collect an extra 3
entries ... if you do this please let me know by emailing me here and noting Giveaway Link in the subject field.

If you have included a picture of something that you have made using one of my patterns on the Don't Look Now - your take on my designs Flickr group page (more on this a little later in this post) then you will rack up an extra 5 entries - let me know by emailing me here and noting Flickr Picture in the subject field. (this includes pictures from my old album that still lives in my side bar - if one of these pictures are yours that I have already downloaded into Flickr please make sure you email me and let me know because I have a feeling that collating these entries is going to be a headache!)

As promised if you have left a comment on any of my last 8 posts and you win the quilt you will receive an extra little something ... these posts have now had the the comments closed during this giveaway period to make sure that the regular commenter's aren't disadvantaged.

In addition to this ... if you have purchased a pattern from me or any of the retailers who stock my patterns and you win the quilt you will also receive an extra little something. The pattern needs to be purchased before the end of this giveaway & you will need proof of purchase. 

Just a word of caution though ... if you happen to claim any of the extra entries and you aren't entitled to them then you wont be able to play along! Fair is fair! I will be checking!

In addition to the Lilly Pilly Quilt I will giveaway another 10 of the How does your garden grow patterns

and 5 of the new Love grows free patterns. 

Other than this bit of excitement I have a heap of other things to share with you all about the past weeks happenings ....

I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon with the NOTY Quilters Guild last Saturday! I loved sharing my quilting experiences with such a receptive and friendly bunch of women! Thank you all so much for making me feel so welcome! Unfortunately I don't have any photos just yet of meeting but I will post them once I do.

This past Saturday I got up supper early ... early for a Saturday that is ... packed the Bernina in into the Mazada and zoom zoom zoomed ...

across Victoria to Ballarat Patchwork... 

... to teach 6 keen women some of my techniques.

 

Poor Pam soldered on despite ill health and did incredibly well considering she could hardly breathe! Have you checked your stash Pam to make sure I didn't make off with piece of fabric you have there!

 

This is Keri and she is a Sewing Machineaholic ... I wont tell you how many sewing machines she has at home just in case I get it wrong ... I wouldn't be surprised if she bought another one on the way home from the class ... no only kidding ... you know I'm just jealous! Keri also picked up the technique incredibly quickly and hopefully you all will get to admire her version of Oh Christmas Tree on the Flickr page very soon! 

Katrina is the most delightful girl who sells hand made clothing among other things at local markets. She hadn't done any quilting to speak of before the class ... and although she wouldn't admit to it, she worked really hard at getting the hang of this skill and did some fantastic work!

Roma, who is a seasoned quilter and is accomplished at hand applique, took to raw edge like a duck to water!! I am really looking forward to seeing your version of Rainbow Lollipops & Garden Party Roma!!

And for some reason or another, Yvonne you managed to escape the focus of my lens ... I'm so sorry! Please send me a picture Yvonne so that I can share your project with everyone! But for now my sample will sit where your work should be!

 

Thank you so much guys for a lovely day! It was great to get to know you all and to meet some people who found me through other sources other than my blog!

Ballarat Patchwork are also now stocking my patterns if you are over that way make sure you drop in ... it is well worth the trip ... once you peek inside you will understand why I drool over this shop! Just in case you are looking for the Hankie Linen that I use alot in my projects they keep a good range of the colours in stock. They also have a great on-line shop as well for those of  you that a just too far away to drop in.

.. that's my fabric Emma's cutting up! Oh and by the way Jodie I'm still more than a little bit pissed that I didn't get to see you!!!

Creative Quilting a UK based shop in Surrey in the UK has also just started stocking my patterns this past week! Make sure you pop in if you happen to be in the area ... and don't forget to say I sent you!!!! They also have a beautiful on line shop!

As always with new retailers if you happen to be the first person to contact me after purchasing one of my patterns from either Ballarat Patchwork or Creative Quilting then I will send you out a copy of either How does your garden grow or the Love Grows Free pattern ... your choice :)

I also received a lovely comment on my last post from Sarah from Sewn & The last piece on Saturday morning...

Hey Kelly - NOT entering the competition, just letting you know that I am at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, and what did I see today? A stand selling your patterns, with samples made up looking very nice, and lots of ladies poring over the selection! Most exciting for Don't Look Now!

Posted by: Sarah | August 22, 2009 at 03:48 AM

     

... the stand belonged to Dungarees & Daisies you made my day Sarah! Thank you so much for letting me know! I have asked Jen to send me some pictures of her stand to share with you ... apparently she had Kaffe admiring her samples!!!!!

Finally the giveaway winners from my last post ...

Marie Joze from Handmade by Mai left the 5th comment ... Mai has just finished some very nice bags and she is a Bernina girl so well worth a peek ... Mai also won some of my pattern a few weeks ago after leaving my 3000th comment!

Anna from Thimbleanna who left the 8th comment .... I owe you more than a pattern Miss Anna!!! If you don't know Anna then really you can't be a serious blogger! Go take a peak at the life of Anna ... I dream of being Anna's sister, or her daughter or daughter-in-law or even her cat!

Blogless Leanne who left the 63rd comment ....

Mary from Mary on Lake Pulaski left the 75th ... Mary must be on a winning streak as she just won one of Melly & Me Bon Bon bag patterns ... very nice bag Mary!!!!

Lora Lynn from My Art, My so called Life who left the 78th comment ... happy Wedding Anniversary Lora!!!

Larissa from Flutter By Corner left the 80th comment .. Larissa has been working on her free motion stitching skills and things are looking great over her way ... but if you scroll down the page you will see why you must remember to remove your safety pins!!! Close one Larissa!

The gorgeous Sandy Gray from The Silver Thimble left the 95th comment ... Sandy stocks my patterns and is now an expert at inserting zips with a flap!!!

Last but not least blogless Julie Anne who left the 117th comment.

Congrats guys! I will send out each of you a copy of the How does your garden grow pattern as soon as I have your snail mail details.


One more 'final' cool thing from my last post, that I just realised, is that blogless Tammy Spencer left my 4000th comment ... I will send Tammy both of the giveaway patterns to celebrate! Thanks Tammy and to all of you for taking the time visit & to leave a comment! I very much appreciate it!!

Enjoy your week and good luck with the belated 100th post giveaway!
Kellie

PS. Remember I mentioned the Don't Look Now Flickr group page earlier on .... well it is up and running. I have transferred all of the photos from the old album in my side bar to the group page. Make sure you take a peek and make sure you goin the group! If you leave some photos please make sure you let us know which pattern or tutorial you used and any other information you might like to share - such as the fabrics you used, quilting pattern etc. I hope that this place will become a source of great inspiration for us all!

****Edit September 3 ... just after midnight ,,, thank you all for entering this giveaway! What an amazing responce! I am so thilled that you like this quilt as much as I do. The giveaway is now closed & I have closed the comments for now. I am going to need a day or so to sort out all of the entries ... so see you back here Friday or Saturday. Kellie ****

Comments

[Kit]

Wow! I'd love to win that quilt. So beautiful! :)

[Kate]

Beautiful quilt (as per usual!!). I spent quite a bit of time last week staring at your quilt in Sydney at the Homespun stand. It (and the quilting) are simply amazing. Now how to convince the family I need to fly to Victoria somewhere and do one of your classes!!

[Isa]

Congratulations Ben! It looked like a fun birthday.
And the quilt is sooo beautiful!!! I would be the happiest girl, if I were to win it. And I could wait almost forever on it :-)
Thank you

[karen]

I would love to win that quilt- it is truly stunning!

[Carmel]

That is a beautiful quilt, who-ever wins it will be very lucky. Happy Birthday Ben, I hope you had fun at the circus!

[Pikku-Kettu]

That quilt is so gorgeous! I can't believe you are giving it away!

[tracey petersen]

Lillypilly is the perfect name for your quilt. The quilting looks beautiful.

[Maree]

WOW.!!What a Fabulous Post...I was Glued..Your New Quilt is Absolutley Gorgeous & I can't wait to purchase the Pattern...I so Love your Work...I hope My First Granchild to be is a Little Girl..won't I be having Fun if it is...Thanks for sharing the lovely Pics from Ben's B/D...
cheers

[Sylvia]

You the quilt has turned out so well. I would love to try for the giveaway and will post a link to my blog.

[Belinda (sew4fun)]

Such a beautiful quilt! A true work of love and art. I love everything you create. You are such a talented lady. P.S. Happy 7th Birthday Ben!

[Nicole Gendy]

Wow, that quilt is more beautiful finished than I imagined it would be. You must have worked so hard on it to finish already amidst birthday parties and teaching classes! Thanks for sharing!

[tempestpilot]

You are mad to give that away! So you should give it away to me. You'd get to impress the postmaster with how cool you are when you mail it to Maui. ;)

Love your work, the detail is fantastical.

[Lorraine]

Wow.....too generous!! fab quilt......and I think if I won I could probably wait until November to have it come and live with me....! thanks for the pics of your workshops.....looking forward to catching up in October and learning some of your techniques....mastering them might be a little more challenging!

[Claire - Matching Pegs]

Kellie,

I was so sorry to miss the NOTYQ Guild meeting - it was Amelia's birthday, so I had a good excuse.

Life has been crazy - we bought and sold a house or two, but I hope we can catch up soon. The new house will have a dedicated sewing area - I can't wait!

It is clear you are going from strength to strength - congrats on all your latest patterns/designs - beautiful!

[Kate]

Awesome quilt, its stunning! I'd love to take it home with me... I could even be patient :-) Congrats on the big 100!

[Andi]

Happy Happy Birthday Ben!!!!!!!
Glad you had a fabulous birthday party!!

And Kellie .... you have outdone yourself. That new quilt is breathtaking.
If I don't win it, I just might cry. (Not really but it would be amazing to have it at my house).
Take care,
Andi :-)

[Beatrice]

I can't believe you are giving so wonderful quilt. I LOVE all your design and I can wait :).Thanks for the giveaway. Kiss from France

[Lara]

Happy birthday celebration to Ben! And congrats on the finished quilt - superb in every way - and on the class in Ballarat. I am desperate to do one of your classes! It will happen one day. I'm a little astounded that you are going to give that quilt away - you are SO generous Kellie! On a social level, hopefully we'll be able to catch up soon. Fingers crossed!

[Jane Weston]

What a stunner! I'm amazed you are willing to part with it...but as you are I'm quite happy to throw my name in the hat :o)

[trashalou]

I too did the happy dance up at the Festival of Quilts when I saw all your patterns.

Oh that Lilly Pilly is stunning. I shall just go and gaze some more once I have commented.

A belated but HUGE Happy Birthday Ben. That is an awesome cake.

[Sandy]

I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to win your new beautiful quilt. Another colourful and wonderful quilt. (I have already made a query regarding one of your workshops for next year - would love to see your work up close!!).

Thanks for a great and (as everyone would agree) generous giveaway Kellie.

Sandy N

[kim]

Another lovely, bright, cheerful quilt. I am about to make a cushion for my daughter's 7th birthday and have chosen one of yours as they always make me feel so happy. I would love to be entered into any of your competitions. I am happy to wait for the quilt. Keep the beautiful happy quilts coming.

[Vicki]

I can see the quilt making my house look so much brighter :) Please enter me in the giveaway as I would love to win it :)

[mel]

Please count me in. What a beautiful quilt. I really like the Love grows free pattern as well, I don't recall seeing it before?

[Kylie]

Wow, I would absolutely love to win your beautiful quilt. If I had created something so beautiful I don't think I would be able to part with it!!!! I am constantly amazed by how talented you are and follow your blog on google reader - can't wait to see what you come up with next.

[Shell]

Oh Kellie your work is so pretty and inspiring that i can't delay learning your technique and making my own DLN project any longer! I am off to buy a pattern! Congratulations on your success!
:)

[Sharon L F]

Ooohhh I just love this quilt...it is sooo incredibly gorgeous and cheerful looking. I will mention it on my blog and even though I have a couple of your patterns I haven't made them yet (little cringe)as I have been a little side-tracked with all of Liam's assessments (still ongoing). Still its his birthday tomorrow. Yeah...I'm excited LOL.
BTW as I will have to get this pattern, do you have any fabric advice:).
I don't know how you can give this away.
Hugs,
Sharon (Stitches on Mars)

[Silvia]

Your are giving this beauty away!!!!! You are so generous!!! I am in love with it... I could wait until November ... I would wait for years if neccessary!! :) Thanks for making my day dreaming that I could win something like that!

[mary]

I would give that quilt a very good home , as well as any of the beautiful patterns you have. Your work is beautiful!

[Miriam]

Ohh that quilt is absolutely beautiful. I really love the birds hiding among the leaves.

A belated Happy 7th Birthday to Ben.

[kylie]

What a beautiful quilt I can't believe you are going to give away. What an awesome giveaway, and a beautiful generous person you are.

[Martina]

I love trees and this quilt is just great.Happy the one who can take it home!!!Love your patterns. They are so colorful and full of joy.

[Kristin]

This quilt is absolutely stunning - I can't believe you're giving it away! How can you part with it?

[Lisa]

Glad that Ben had a great party - the circus is always such a fun outing! Your Lilly Pilly Tree is amazing - such a visual feast of colour.

[Brenda]

I'd wait as long as you wanted if I was to win!

[Bridgid]

Wow - that finished quilt is just stunning - congratulations! I love those bright colours. Fingers crossed that some day you'll do some classes in Perth, so that I can finally be brave enough to start one of your patterns!

[Frogdancer]

Oh all right.... I'd be prepared to wait....!

Lovely work. One good thing about all of these posts you're doing is that you give the links to really interesting blogs. Thanks!

[Simone]

So many wonderful happenings to celebrate and such lovely giveaways. Love your patterns as always, so bright and beautiful! Have fun at the Australian Quilt Market, even though it is still far away. I will link your giveaway to my sidebar, so readers can see your lovely work!

[lisa]

I think I'm only entitled to one entry, but it might be the lucky one and I would be so proud to have your Lilly Pilly quilt hanging in my loungeroom later this year. Love your work, have followed your blog for a year or so, keep up your great work. Now I'm off to cross my fingers and toes!

[Josefine]

Phuh, this was a long blogentry. Love the quilt, I wanna enter the giveaway,
Josefine in Sweden

[Nicky]

Who could wait for a prize like that you are truly amazing

[Viv]

Congratulations on the 7th birthday Ben !!! What a great birthday outing.

Way to go Kellie on finishing the tree quilt. It's is sooo stunning. The quilting is a work of art. I can't even imagine being as good as that ever.

[Jenny]

Wow Kellie, what a generous giveaway, that quilt is a dream!! I am off to post a blog about it to get a few extra entries in ;)!!
Hugs to you xoxox -
and by the way, I love the new Love Grows Free pattern, off to purchase that now!!
(PS when will you come to Perth to do a workshop?!! I would so love to go to one!)

[Linda]

Love the quilt Kellie, especially loved the birds sitting on the branches.

[Aunt Spicy]

what a great post...birthdays, the circus, fabulous quilts and good people! you are an inspiration!

[Amelia]

That is just adorable! Well worth waiting until the end of year. Happy birthday to Ben! My oldest will be 9 at the end of the week, I can't believe it!

[Lauren]

How I would love to win your beautiful quilt! Iam so glad that word is spreading about your amazing work - you are very talented.

[Bev]

How very beautiful that quilt is, but how on earth can you give it away?? I just have to enter the draw, wouldn't it be gorgeous hanging in my bedroom on the big white wall. >sigh<

[Bronwyn]

Wow Kellie you are such a generous person to give away that beautiful quilt,'lily pily'.I have started collecting fabric for the "love birds" quilt in homespun. I have worked many jobs and saved hard to get a new machine so now I think I can challenge myself to 'have a go' at your applique. Your instructions read well, now all I have to do is put them to work.Thanks again for your generosity. Good luck to everyone.

[Terry]

Your quilt is fabulous! I would love to have it in my home! Thanks so much and congratulations! :0)