2012 in review

craft wise.......

Here's a snap shot of a lot of the things I have made this year.  I'm surprised by how much I got done....

and .......

So thats 18 laundry bags, 7 quilt flimys, 4 finished quilts, 1 xmas wall hanging, 12 mini quilt (it has abcking now), 2 crochet dishcloths, 1 paid of socks, 4 single socks, 2 seahorses, 5 flower blocks, 16 dresden blocks, 8 out of 9 blocks for 'thoughts in thread' quilt, 1 apron and 1 teatowel.  Oops forgot the 6 beanies and 24 pairs of slippers.  PHEW!

That doesn't include any cosumes I made during the year either.  I think there were at least 5 of those.

With all this going on is it any wonder that the garden is a mess and the floors constantly need swept and/or washed - haha....................

Have a merry Christmas everyone.  See you in the new year.....

Laundry Bags

I have just sent off 10 laundry bags to a gentleman somewhere in world.  He's a Major in the Australian Defence Force - I don't even know if he's army, navy or air.

Here they are...

and.....

 I hope the men in his unit don't think the ones with the flowers on them to be too girly.

Flotsam take 2

So I finished the second seahorse the other day......

He's a bit crooked and I managed to sew on his back frill at an angle too.  But I like him anyway.

Here's the two of them together..

 

Just chilling on the couch....

Flotsam the Seahorse

I saw a seahorse that Sharon from Laughing Purple Goldfish Designs had done and she was calling for 'pattern testers'.  So I joined in and this what I made......

Isn't he just the cutest......................

Youngest thought he was a dragon at first.....  That could work - add in some legs....

I liked it so much I thought I would make another one in the the patterns called for 8ply......

Not as cute - but I ran out of yarn and had to incorporate the plain blue.  I have yet to sew on the fins or the back frill - that will get done tonight.  They are a light purple I had lying around.  One of the kids suggested a bright pink - but I didn't have any....

Thanks Sharon for a fantastic pattern.......

Jump over to Ravelry if you want to get yourself a copy of the pattern.  It goes on sale at the end of the month (I think).


I also finished off a Xmas Wall hanging - my own quilting and all.

I am going to send this to one of hubby's cousins.  She apparently loves all things xmas and I thought I would surprise her....

A bit of Xmas Decorating

and it really is only a little bit.....

Our mantle...

at the computer....

We also have lights in the front yard over 2 shrubs - can't show a pic of those just yet....

I love lights and xmassy decorations.  In fact I tend to leave out santa ornaments all year round.

Do you love xmas too?  What xmassy things are on display all year at your place?

Oh yay, oh yay

look what I found.

No, not a quilt top, silly.

My camera that I used today to take the pic of the quilt top.  Yay!!!

To celebrate I took pics of all the quilts I put together yesterday.  The one above I did this morning.

So here's my woven logs quilt top....

and here's the one I did with the left overs from the woven logs.....

This one's my favorite......

And here's FLAME....

with it's matching laundry bag.....

and some other laundry bags too......

The one on the left is the reverse of FLAME's bag...

FLAME has 332 3" squares, including lots of half square triangles, rectrangles, bars and 1 6" square.  It took me a few weeks to get together.  I had to mark of each row as I did it.  The pattern is inspired by one from QuiltBlockOfTheMonthClub, but is my own pattern.  The Woven Logs pattern I got from them too.

My Fave - the one with the semi circles on it - is from a Sweetwater book, I think.  Their's is a table runner, but I enarged it all to be 42" x 72".  Works really well, don't you think?  It was so quick to put together too.  Probably only 2 hours from cutting to sewing the last seam.

All the laundry bags and these quilts are destined for Aussie Hero Quilts.  I was wanting to quilt FLAME myself - after all I really should use the frame hubby biult me.  But now seieing it whole like this I may just send it off to them.  They have professional duo that help out and I'm sure they would do a better job than me. 

Although, AHQ might not get the semi circle one......



UPDATE - Dec 7:
They did not get the semi circle one, but the other flimsys got sent today.

UPDATE - Dec 11:
Quilt tops arrived safe and sound to AHQ headquaters - yay

Joy Day, oh Joy Day

Today has been the best Joy Day in a long while.

If you don't know what Joy Day is - it's any whole day that I get to myself to do what ever I like.  Most often they are Sundays, but not always.

After I did the obligatory load of hubby's washing I shut myself in my craft room and sewed up a storm.  And what a storm it was!

Three (yes 3) quilt flimsy's done - one from blocks previously put together, 1 from blocks partially together, and the last one from scratch.

I feel so proud of myself.

I finished the last one just before the household got too noisy about being fed dinner....

When I find my camera - it's still AWOL - I'll show them to you....

Photos

Would love to post some pics of the blocks I have recently put together but I can't find my camera!!!

There are 28 Woven Logs blocks, each measuring 10.5" square in yellows and blacks with a red center.  You will have to imagine these since there is not pic....  They are going in a 4 x 7 configuration.

With the left over fabrics I managed to get 5 split rail type blocks which I have bordered in red; 2 Woven Log blocks; and 4 strip sets.  To these I am adding a plain Grey fabric to make up another quilt top. I hope the Grey I already have is suitable once it is all cut up and put together.

If I had my camera I could also show you the 5 laundry bags I have made......

I could also show you some embroidery I have done recently.  In cleaning up the craft room a bit, I found (or is that re-found??) some simple embroidry kits I had purchased ages ago.  There were 7 of some bears in tutus doing something balletic and 3 softie toys to stitch.  So, I am working my way thru them. 

I have 4 of the bears embroidery finished and 1.5 of the softies embroidery finished.  The bears will go into a quilt that I will donate to to the local cali club to raffle.  The softies I'm not too sure what I'll do with yet.

I'm off to have breakky and then look for that elusive camera......