Don't look now!

These are a few of my favorite things ...

So by now you all know how I love my sewing machine .... well there are quite a few other things that I really love to use that make my life just that little bit easier too that I thought you might like to check out ... 

Kia Scissors

I just love these scissors! They are super sharp & and super smooth and don't tend to make my hand hurt when I use them for hours on end with my left hand! I use these little ones for applique - particularly raw edge. They are so sharp that it reduces the damage to the edges of my shapes as I cut them out once the fusible web is attached. Less wear & tear on the edges of your shapes ultimately means less fraying of your edges. Once I cut out my shapes I use the tip of my scissors to score the backing paper of the fusible - this releases the seal and makes removing the backing paper a breeze and also protects the edges of the fabric.

Lite Steam-A-Seam 2

I discovered this product in the US last year and have used nothing else since. It doesn't separate from the backing paper until you want it to, it leaves the shapes relatively soft to touch & there is very little fraying of the edges of your shapes when you use it for raw edge applique. It also has a slightly tacky surface that sort of holds the shape in place until you iron it down - I must say though, that I don't find that it is incredibly tacky and the shapes will move around if you aren't careful.

Ansell Gloves

These gloves are terrific to use for quilting. I first heard about these from an article by Deb Louie in Quilters Companion a while ago and have used nothing else since! They fit snugly, they grip your fabric well, they are super cheap & are readily available from Australian supermarkets. Give them a go you wont be sorry!

These are just a few of my favorite things I'd love to know what your are!

The odds for my last post giveaway were considerably better! So who won Mr Random Number Generator? 

Dottycookiewho left the 8th comment ...

 Bec Clarke who left the 81st comment ... and believe it or not Bec just posted about a swap quilt she designed using one of my projects as her inspiration! Make sure you take a peek!

Cascadewho left my 107th comment ...

Yay guys! Next post there will be 4 patterns up for grabs .. just leave a comment between now and midnight Australian EST, Sunday the 12th of July to be included.

The final giveaway, that will be the official 100th post giveaway, isn't far away so don't forget that your comments in these give aways will also gain you some extra entries (details in this post). This little pile of fabric will be coming on holidays with me later this week, together with something I have been drawing up for this giveaway ...

... it will be worth the wait!

Thank you all so much for the Birthday wishes for Miss Megan from my last post, she was over whelmed by all of your comments! As for the tree ... well I am not so sure about that one exactly but something a bit like it may well be used for my Pay it Forwards and another little promice I have waiting ... but that's on the back burner for now as I have some things that can't wait a minute longer!

I have finally broken the back of my latest quilt ... thank God!!! Only a little quilting and binding to go. (type pad doesn't want to center my photos anymore so sorry about the formatting!)

This quilt is ultimately for Joshua who still lies under his cot quilt ... poor baby. Sadly he will be laying under it for quite a bit longer because it's going to be spending some time with Homespun once it's done. He's not too thrilled about it either I'm afraid ...

I found him and it all snuggled in his bed yesterday ... luckily his shoes were clean! 

Oh and just one more thing before I go and attack the mountain that I have to get through before we leave ... 

Rainbow Lollipops ...

Meg's Garden and ...

Oh Christmas Tree ...

... are all making their way to the printers in the morning. They wont be listed in my store until the 25th of July, however, you can pre-order one of these patterns and my darling mother in law will pop it in the mail for you on the 17th of July ... hopefully earlier ... it all depends just how quickly she can fold them ;) !

They are $18 each not including GST (Australians only) or postage. To place a pre-order please email me here. Don't forget to label your email Preorder and please make sure you let me know which pattern you would like and where the pattern will be sent (so I can sort out postage) and I will send you a pay-pal invoice.

Edit Tuesday 7th of July - unfortunately I have hit a couple of snags with printing that have made getting the printing completed before we fly out impossible. Therefor pre-orders will not be ready for mailing out until the 27th of July. I am so sorry about this but unfortunately it just can't be helped.

  If you have already purchased one or more of these three patterns using this method or if you choose to go ahead and preorder regardless of the delay then I will thow in a How does your garden grow? pattern and l will now throw in 10 extra entries in the 100th post giveaway in a few posts time.

Enjoy your week guys! Roll on Friday!!!!!! How did it get to be after 4 and I haven't gotten to bed yet????

Kellie   

PS If you happen to find yourself in Barcaldine which is about 580 k's due west of Rockhampton, on the Capricorn Hwy in beautiful Queensland .... my patterns are now being stocked by The Silver Thimble! I didn't even get a change to list the pattern give away as blogless Betty took it out before I even had time to post about it! 

A Mother's Day ...

I never really set out with the plan to become a mother. I didn't particularly like kids. I always thought that if I did end up having one ... that I would stop at that ... just one!

Miss Megan was a surprise. That pregnancy was a roller coaster of emotion. Meg was a scrawny little dot all 5lb 5oz of her. Mostly at first I was scared of her ... worried that somehow she would break. As each day went by I felt my heart being soaked up with total love and devotion for her. Who would have known how much love one person was possible of.

After 6 months when she finally started to sleep through the night I started to wonder how I could possibly manage with only one of these little people. It took some persistent convincing, a big dose of modern medicine and laying on my back for 15 weeks and those two little trouble makers joined our family. (I have Ben in the photo below and Mr DLN has Jessica)

I can barely remember their first 3 months other than feeling like I would die from tiredness. I do remember though the moment that they first noticed each other. I was breast feeding them and they both caught sight of each other at the same time. They both stopped feeding and grinned away at each other for what felt like an eternity. They met each other like that every meal time from that moment onward so happy to see eachother.

After the twins we lost a natural pregnancy ... the space that was left tore my heart apart ... and then Joshua came along ... only one attempt at IVF produced this little man ... he was determined to join the family and what a cushy spot in this family he has! He is doted upon by us all.

What a lovely Mother's Day I had last Sunday ... thank you guys! I am so grateful that I have you all and to be your Mother. Thank you Mr DLN for sharing all of this madness with me. I love you all so very much!

OK so that's enough Mothers Day reflection for one post!

Not a lot to share this week as I have been busy hand sewing my circles but I can't show you this :(

I did finish the pillow top from last week but the pattern is still waiting to be written ...

I have called this one... How does your garden grow?

Blogless Vicky from rural Victoria will be the first person to take home this pattern as she was the first person to contact me after buying a kit, no less, for Garden Party from Penny at Patchwork Angel. 

I have been drafting a pattern for a project that you wont get to see until next year. I will be using these very pretty fabrics ...

... not my usual depth of colour, however, as they weren't chosen by me I am very pleased that I still find them appealing.

I also forgot to mention my Pay it Forward buddies that I 'collected' in this post they are ...

Cathy from Miss Marzie & Audrey & Maude

Pikku Kettu from Pikku Kettu Knits

and Jenny from Deekie Belle Designs

I have a little something planned ... hopefully it wont take me the whole 365 days to make it!

I have added a couple of new photos to the photo albumof some gorgeous finished projects ... take a look! If you have finished anything or have some progress photos then I would love to take a look and include them in the album too. Send them to me here.I have also recently changed email address & updated my laptop so I have misplaced links and emails ... I have been slowly trying to catch up and sort this out HOWEVER if you have emailed me with a photo, a link or a question and I haven't responded ... please resend it to me here. Thanks! 

Before I go Lisa is having her first birthday give away all the way over here ... make sure you stop by and say hello! She makes some delightful creations that are well worth a peek!

Sharon is also celebrating her 1st blog birthday and she is giving away some crafty goodness. Sharon's site is a wealth of information on stacks of different topics and a great spot to find information if you have a crafty business or are planning to start one!

I also wanted to wish Sarah good luck with her new venture ... although I doubt that she will need it! I wont be playing along with her launch giveaway this time as I am saving up all of my giveaway energy for a few weeks time ... you see this is my 95th post and I am sure you all know what that means!

Have a spectacular weekend!!

Kellie

PS. Just one more mummy moment to share ... Joshua is the only boy in his dance class that is filled with sweet little girls. He loves going each week ... although I suspect it is predominantly because of the sticker that he collects at the end of the class. Last Saturday we arrived a little before the end of the class and snunk in to take a peek at what was going on. The teacher was discussing Jack & the Bean Stalk with them and they were all climbing an imaginary bean stalk. Once they reached the top the teacher asked them to use their imagination and tell the class what they could see. One sweet little girl saw a "beautiful unicorn".... another saw a "fairy castle".... "What do you see Joshua?" the teacher asked."McDonalds!" Joshua answered in his gruff, ruff & tumble voice. You see he was busy imagining a giant sized Happy Meal! You crack me up my very imaginative boy! 
 

The laundry floor is still covered in clothes ...

... but the label has been sewn on Meg's quilt and it's now winging it's way across to Perth together with a pile of patterns. I believe there may well be some Meg's Garden packs on Julie's stand so make sure you take a peek if you are over that way!

I have finished all of those sock monkeys bar one ... a special one that I will tell you more about in my next post. They are in the back of an Australia Post truck together with their respective pillow or pattern making their way to their new homes. Julie's parcel is also in some sorting area preparing itself to be whisked away to the USA. 

Blogless Elaine was the first person to contact me from Hot Possum after purchasing one of my patterns so another pair of socks will be requiring 'monkey-fying' (I know that's not a word!)... a job for later in the week!

The binding on the Ballarat Patchwork Sweet Little Garden class pillow is all but done ...

and remember that pile of lovely fabric ...  

... well I have been loving spending some quality time with it since my last post.

This little project has a very special purpose .... it is going to become the giveaway pattern that will replace the monkeys that I have previously given away when a retailer starts selling my patterns ... and it just so happens that a new retailer started selling my patterns this week!

 Patchwork Angel on the Sunshine coast (in Queensland for those non Australians) has apparently already sold a fabric pack for Garden Party ... there's absolutely no stopping Penny! I will giveaway this new pattern to the first person who contacts me with proof of purchase of one of my patterns from Patchwork Angel. If you happen to be up that way make sure you stop in and say hello! Pam has a pretty extensive on-line shop and blog.

I must also say ... just in case you haven't noticed ... it isn't quite finished! It will be a bolster styled pillow :). This pattern will only be available through this giveaway and for all future new retailers.

There has also been a new development being spoken about over the last day or so ... here and here. It will be interesting to see what pans out ... poor Mr DLN is already trembling with fear of being left in the clutches of the kiddos for a whole weekend.

I'm off for now to finish my contributions for the Mothers day stall at school tomorrow.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Kellie

PS. I am looking forward to a relaxing day with you all on Sunday! I love you guys!

  

Has anyone seen the keys .....

This is a something I say nearly everyday ... often more than once! If I am to be truthful here, it's only one of many "have you seen" phrases that I utter each day ....

have you seen my scissors .... have you seen the cat ...have you seen Megan ....

A few months ago I made myself a lanyard for my keys ... a very stylish Kaffe Fasset lanyard too I might add which has helped me enormously when it comes to keeping track of my keys ... so I thought this might also be a pretty cool Mother's Day stall gift! Please feel fee to make these for non-profit events such as stalls and for your personal use only. 

Key Ring Lanyard

You will need ...

• 4" of fabric

• Lanyard clip - I got mine when I was in Houston last year from the Bohin stand. I also picked up some garish kids lanyards from our local newsagent for next to nothing and just selvaged the clips. Alternatively you could just use a key ring. 

1. Download pattern and print it out - make sure that when you print out the pattern that there is no scaling and it is printed to it's original size (there is a box marked scaling when the print window pops up that you will need to check before you print). Make a copy of the pattern by tracing it onto a lightweight interfacing joining the two halves along the dotted line. Make sure you identify the fold line on the fusible.

2. Place the pattern on your fabric lining up the edge noted as fold with the folded edge of the fabric. Cut two.

3. With right sides together sew a 1/4" seam along both long edges.

4. Attach a large safety pin to the corner of one end of the tube of fabric. Thread the safety pin back through the entire length of the tube turning the fabric right side out - refer below. 

 

 

5. Press carefully ensuring that the seams become the fold lines.

6. Place the strip of fabric around your neck make sure that the fabric sits flat behind your neck and doesn't twist. Position one end over the top of the other and pin in place.

7. Turn under one end and insert the other end inside the folded end. Blind stitch in place.

 

8. Secure the clip in place by sewing the two halves of the lanyard together on the inside using a blind stitch. 

and that's that ... nothing to it really and surely I wont loose my keys now they are hanging from my neck! Now all I need is a new car ... mmm now that would be a nice Mother's Day present!

I had the pleasure of Sharon's company in my sewing room on Friday and I watched over her first attempts at machine quilting / free motion stitching ...

... not bad for just a couple of hours and lots of Joshua interruptions. Sharon also gave me my Pay it Forward gift 6 beautiful fabric coasters.

Thank you so much Sharon they will be well used!

So now it's my turn ... I will make the first 3 people who put their hand up in their comment to this post a hand made gift. I will have 365 days to get this to you ... and it will probably take that long too mind you!! If you would like to play along you must have a blog and agree to do the same for three other people.

Sharon also gave me these beautiful ear rings which I absolutely love!

I must say that if you are looking for a Mother's Day treat for yourself or your mummy or just for someone special ... Sharon's place place is the place to go!!! This is what I will be wishing for next Sunday!!

... isn't it just beautiful!

Have fun see you later in the week!

Kellie 

PS. Pretty soon there will be a few more places that you will be able find me and my patterns but more about that next post!