Birthday Saturday Part 2 PLUS my SYD SCQ challenge dooverlacky!

First things first.. this quilt is for a Challenge that the Syd-Scquilters had for me.. they had a competition thingy on their blog, and you had to match the projects with the sewers.. I do know some of these ladies in the flesh, and I do try to go the meetings a couple of times a year (planets have to be in alignment, dags off work etc) but I had only seen one of their projects previously.. so I guessed and won.. what did I win?? the opportunity to do a challenge!!! thanks a bunch Pennie G! Now the challenge was we had to 'make something'.. well I made a UFO.. It turned out OK, but I have decided my wallhanging idea had too many triangles, and of course leaving it until 5pm yesterday to actually START the challenge limited my options.. I like how it turned out and will make it into a larger quilt for the beast, he has expressed an interest in a black quilt, so I'll make it double bed size.. so of course, I have to go and buy some black and white fabrics I don't own a one in my stash!.. I dunno what to call this quilt, some fellow retreatee's might get a giggle if I call it 'I'm not Margaret' (long story) but I think "the newspaper quilt' is better, as it is black/white and re(a)d all over.. what do you think??



well the birthday did continue (seems weird talking about it two weeks after it happened).. after I had to get up and do the microphone thing talking about my challenge quilts (see previous post) whilst on my way, I got Happy Birthday sung to me, how embarrassment.. now people laugh when I say I am shy, dunno if shy is the right word, maybe reserved?? specially in crowds.. I was hiding behind my quilts the whole time I was talking or should I say 'mumbling'... I was dying of embarrassment!

When the committee were thanking all the helpers, they said 'we have one more person to thank... for stressing us out, and counting 'how many sleeps to go to the retreat'..

I am sitting there $hitting bricks thinking I know EXACTLY who they be talking about and was wondering how I could hide the fat carcass of mine very quickly without anyone dobbing me in... no luck.. so I had to get up again and was presented with a giftie!


a bloody chocolate CLOCK! I couldn't eat it of course, its NOT real chocolate silly!!! how funny is that! so of course, whilst on my way, they sang happy birthday again, my dinner bud's were laughing themselves silly, cause they know how embarrassed I was getting up once! I nearly died of embarrassment, yet again! so it is hanging in my kitchen now!!! I have officially retired from my unofficial self titled position on each committee of 'unofficial sleep counter' a few peoples didn't appreciate me counting down (not the committee) got a couple of emails about it, so I am RETIRED!

Also on Saturday night is the BIG unveiling of who your angel was.. now I guessed mine, something about the writing gave her away *W* its tough when its a friend having to scam ya! LOL so thanks Julie for the gifties and telling fibs when required!



These are the gifties I got from Julie and the pink block keeper was a thank you gift from my lady who I was the angel to.. so thank you Sue.. both my angel and mortal were from WA!

I also won a Bundle of FQ's at the retreat... we have a FQ lotto.. now I will admit, I use the FQ lotto to cull some of the ones I don't like anymore.. I only buy fabric from the quilt shops, so its not poor quality, just your taste changes.. so these are some of the FQ's I won.. I won about 14 I think, but I liked these ones and a few expressed an interest in others I had, so I handed them over.. generous petal aren't I??? well not really, cause I knew I'd take them home and donate them for next years raffle! I think I have put about 100 fq's in over the years at retreats, and this is the first time I won! so woohoo @ me.. and they are civil wars or would be if they could be...\

While I was away, I got a WHOLE lotta mail... Patti from the US was after three back issues of Patchwork & Quilting which I just happened to have, so I sent them to her and some lovely toile fabric.. and lookit what I got back?? how lucky am I?? So thanks Patti!!!

I immediately chopped most of it in half and sent some to Bundy, as she is always looking for civil wars, and we swapped recently and I am thinking I got the better part of the deal, so I sent her some more!

sorry about the dark pics.. can you tell which ones I took with the crap camera and with the new?? bloomin' thing, too lazy to take them again!

ok that's another epic from me...


take care


Lissa

Birthday Saturday!!!!!!!

OK.. how freaking cool is this?? the Perth retreat committee organised a retreat for my birthday???? well thats what I like to think is what happened!!!

I got some lovely / cheeky cards from my roomies, and some gifts (MA gave me a bazillion packets of licorice bullets - chocolate coated licorice for non aussies) and then we headed offski to the 'stitch'n'bitch' room.. Bundy and I didn't make it in the door without spending $$$'s (see earlier post)

I won a gorgeous book on Embroidered quilts, but I handed it over to MA as I have so many books on Embroidered quilts I thought she might like it.. it had 'how to' for different stitches.. I tend to use 'Mrs Thomas' book of Embroidery stitches'.. it was my mums, whose mums' name ironically is Mrs Thomas!

anyways, I digress..

Our Saturday night dinner, was brilliant if you weren't allergic to nuts (poor Bubbles was allergic to nuts so her choice of dinner wasn't extensive)..

After dinner we had the 'challenge quilt' section. The challenge was you had to do show and tell of blocks, row by rows, quilts anything that was a challenge for our online scquilters group!!! Being the over acheiver and thinking it would be funner to whinge about not having enough clothes all weekend, I took THREE things for the challenge...

This is my 'Healing Hearts' Quilt.. it is only a top, but the hearts were sent to me when my mum suddenly died on holiday last year. I can't believe its been six months since she died. The hearts were sent by two internet groups I am in, Scquilters & Quilting Down Under, as well as a couple of friends from other groups I am in. The quilt top is nearly finished, but I received a few more hearts, so I have unpicked a top and bottom border and just have a few more 9 patches to add. My dear friend Bundy is going to quilt it for me. You should check out her work, she does lovely edge to edge work AND fantabulous custom quilting.. so check out her blog!!! (shameless advertising there)..


This quilt was my second show and tell item for the challenge. It is a 'Cobblestone block' I think cobblestones are the easiest quickest block to make 1 x 2.5" square 4 - 4.5x2.5" rectangle and just sew them around.. how easy is that, I am actually making a few tonight (having a wee break) this swap was organised through Stephaniepoo, and I hope she organises another cobblestone swap this year, or if she doesn't, I think I might organise it!!! The Now Famous Bundy quilted this for me, edge to edge daisies in a lovely shade of lavander, so I added lavander binding!

My last show and tell for the challenge was the 'Vibrator Quilt' Challenge, organised by the SYD-Scquilters group that meets monthly. We have those vibrating pagers at the pub we frequent and after the first meeting of them bouncing around, a challenge was set to make a vibrator quilt! this is mine, utilising all those selvedges.. I'd always wanted to make a selvedge quilt so doing a mini weeny one was a good start! I got the tutorial from RicRac Jodiepoo's blog..

Now you would think, having dragged 3 quilts (ok one quilt, a quilt top and a coaster sized quilt) across the country some 3000 kilometers I should of won, just for A For Effort.. but alas no.. Bettine come in with a stupendous gobsmacked quilt (no pic sorry) everyone ooh'd and aaah'd over it.. It was a deserving winner though! *kicking dirt here* Oh well, there is always next year!!!!

I have also to apologise to my friend Khris...we did a 'mothers day swap' and I didn't thank her publically for the gifties she had sent me.. Thank you Khris.. heres my 'loot'...

There is a tutorial on Khris' blog on how to make the needlecase that is hidden under all the 'bounty'.. the scissor keep is a fantastic idea, has a wee pocket in the front to put needle threaders in, the chocolates were inhaled, especially the caramello koalas (gee Khris, how did you know??).. I loved everything, so thank you Khris!!!

Well part 2 will follow, I think thats enough to read for one post!!!


quilty huggers


Lissapoo

Fabulous Friday, Freo, Friends!!!

well ok, thought I'd left you lot in suspense too long..




Friday was registration for the retreat!!!

This is what it looked like, had we actually been there!!! We were very busy shopping in Freo (well I wasn't, fat blonde tart clothes were thin on the ground, excuse my very bad pun).. then we headed back to Perth so we could do more shopping.. MA got a couple of very fetching jackets, which she didn't have to mortgage the house for.. Bubbles got a couple of skirts that were a BARGAIN (gotta love a bargain) and Bundy found a very gorgeous necklace that was a Bargain too..

The committee actually rang me (phone carked it, flat blattery) to see where I was! We eventually got there, about 20mins late..

Of course, we got back to the motel late, so we didn't have time to have a shower, so we all had 'spray on showers' (aka deodorant and perfume for any other pongs) and then we went downstairs, registered for the retreat, had a gossip with everyone, then had a lovely dinner, then gossipped a bit more back in the main room for the weekend! While doing this we got to ogle the prize wall.. fantabulous prizes I might add!!



Anyways, we were pooped, buggered, knackered and all that.. So we contined back to our room with a couple of the usual suspects, had a few drinks and my friend JAP says to me, "Lissa what happened to your arm" I had a lookiepoo, and bugger! my arm looked like it had a massive bruise.. LOOKED is a keyword here petals...

Blue Fadooberders (those batwing, tuckshop lady arm bits)!!!! WHAT THE F????? My brand new, no time to wash it shirt had STAINED MY CARCASS..... I had blue arms, a blue belly and white boobies but a VERY VERY BLUE bra, who that morning was whiter than snow...

Now, I must tell you, MY B-YOTCH roomies didn't say anything, the 100+ peoples I seen didn't mention it (too polite maybe)???? I looked like a stripey SMURF!!!! I had a wash and I had rivers of blue running down my fat bod.. I still had blue bits on MONDAY!!!! Aren't friends lovely???? Did cause a few giggles and of course 'only you Lissapoo'.. hmmmmmm No pictures of this (thank the lord for small mercies)

OK, heres what you come for.. what did Lissa buy while she was away??? Um I'd like to say Bundy made me do it, but I must admit I am easily led astray.. Saturday morning we didn't even get into the sewing / gossip room and we spied some civil war fabrics.. so of course we had to buy some.. a lot of them were sample swatches, perfect for the DJ quilt Bundy is doing and the Civil War Love Letters I am doing.. so we bought a lot, (actually a HUGE amount).. then on our shop hop on the Monday, we got some more! we bought them, then cut them in halves so most of these fabrics are FE's, but I think there are over 140 of them (dont want to count them, too darn scary).. the other thing I got at retreat (at the quilt show) was a side winder.. I had wanted one for awhile... oh and I got a sterling silver thimble as well, from Luixin the Thimblelady.. a little birdie told me she isn't doing silver anymore, but stainless steel instead, so I grabbed this sucker, its for piecing (just realised its not in the pic)




Anyways, thats enough from me.. next post will be about Saturday which was MY BIRTHDAY.. a birthday at a retreat?? how freaking cool is that!!!!


'til next time...

yours in stitches


Lissa

Well I survived... JUST!!!

g'day petals

remember me? the itinerant blogger??? I can't believe its been a WHOLE two weeks since I let you all know whats happening in the 'land of the lissa'..

I also can't believe I went to retreat and did not take ONE picture, what a slacker am I???

I was a little subdued at the retreat, I have had a crap 6 months and I really needed to run away from home for a week and forget about everything happening on my patch of the planet! and it worked, I can thoroughly recommend running away from home!

So, what did I get up to? um, well...

well I decided to prank my roomies.. I have kept this tape for a wee while (since I worked at the timber yard actually).. it was a good idea at the time, but the next day, well I had second thoughts.. house keeping took it, well literally and didn't go and make my roomies beds or tidy their bathroom.. I was kinda worried they didn't replace the towels either, but they did leave fresh towels.. would of loved to be a fly on the wall when housekeeping turned up.. the tape was left for FOUR days, so my roomies either humoured me or liked the joke too! You gotta have a laugh dont you??? I would love to say my dear friend Bundy made me do it, but alas, it was all my work, bundy just held tape for me to tie into place..

the problem now is, my roomies MAY just get me back next year..

hmmm so what did I do when I ran away from home?

Well Thursday I had to be at the _)#(*%)(*&$ airport at no later than 5am.. no biggie, super dags (who is now stupid dags but more on that later) drove me to the airport, a 50km round trip in his PJ's, boy was I hoping he had a problem on the way home in his Magilla Gorilla Pj's! LOL.. got to the airport, and checked in and they inform me the 'airport is closed'.. I am thinking hang on a sec, I am here, you are here, whats doing? the fog was rolling in THICK...

Now call me stupid, BUT if I was building an airport, specially one that shares with the R.A.A.F. I'd NOT build it on a swamp, I know, stupid.. but heaven help us here if we get invaded by baddies we'll have to say 'oh sorry, can you come back at 8am when air traffic control clocks on???'

I boarded the plane at 7.15am, an hour late, then we sat on the tarmac waiting for the fog to break or air traffic control to clock on.. 8am, we were the first plane off the tarmac when the air traffic control arrived for work! I might add, this is australia's fastest growing regional airport??? I was a little worried when we were taxi-ing to take off, the bloke next to me was PRAYING.. eeek!!!!

anyways, lucky for me, I was forward planning and my plane in Melbourne took off at 11.15.. well it SHOULD of.. but took off at 12.45pm it was late, cause of fog in Sydney... caught up with a few scquilters in Melbourne, also waiting for the same plane and two of my roomies were also there! so we had a mini catch up waiting for planes!

The lovely Jill organised a shuttle for us when we landed to get to the motel, it was funny being greeted by a sign that said 'Scquilter Chickies'.. there were about 10 of us waiting, and some I hadn't met before, but we had loads of hugs and a goss before we got to the motel!

Was lovely catching up with my roomies, they are all from Victoria, MaryAnne, Wendy aka Bubbles and Bernadette aka Bundy.. I only see these people once a year, and I think they are thankful for it!

On Thursday night, we had a lovely dinner at a local Italian place, and we were all pooped.. I'd had 30mins sleep the night before cause I was "SO DARN EXCITED"...

Our room got to be a bit of a hang out, so we had a few people pop in, and caught up with other itinerants...

Then we crashed..


Well thats enough from this post.. will post more about the retreat, and I might find some pics of the stuffs that HAD to come home with me!



take care



Lissapoo

Leaving on a Jet Plane....

well not quite, but leaving on a twin prop plane, then a jet plane!!!

Tomorrow morning at, EEEEKKKK, 4.30am I am heading offski to the airport!!!!

the retreat I am going to, I MAY of mentioned it once or twice, is on FRIDAY this week.. woohoo!!!!! There is a pre-retreat dinner, a lot of people travel from afar, Singapore and New Zealand even, to come to see ME! LOL Well me, and another 130 ladies from all over Aussieland!!! We are off to Perth!! I have never ever been to Perth, its about as far away as I can get from my house, its on the opposite side of the country!!

Actually I'll be having a belated 21st birthday while I am away (belated, as I should of had it a few years ago now! LOL) I have never had a birthday away from home before, so I am sure I'll manage to have fun!!!!

Well I am having a stress attack at the moment, so much to do, so little time.. that'll learn me for kicking back, watching Dr Phil, Oprah and eating chocolate bullets!!! I have to make a couple of kits up for stuff to work on while I am away... not that much sewing will happen!!!

I'd love to hear what you are all up to this weekend, and I hope you dont miss me too much!!!! And I'll be sure to give you all a 'Retreat Report'!!




Lissa
Stress Queen

I am still alive and kickin'!!!

Phew... have had a couple of busy weeks.. and the darn ferals (aka my darling children) used up 8gigs of my broadband in the holidays, so I got s.l.o.w.e.d. down BIG TIME.. the bastards (the kids and the net mob)..

I have been doing a wee bit of sewing, no where near enough! This mini quilt was made for the Lucy Locket Mini Quilt swap.. it was to be bigger than 5x7" (not sure how big it ended up about 11x11 at a quick glance).. My swap partner was SewToBed and judging by her post, I think she likes it!

I did make a second quilt for Lucy Locket I thought I took a pic of it before it went to live in the UK (so did the other quilt so maybe they can visit each other??) I think Lucy Liked it too! This pic is 'borrowed' (and I am using the term very loosely) from Lucy's blog.. it is a little wrinkled from its 000's km's trip across the planet..

I started my Civil War Love Letters quilt last week, have 6 blocks done, the plan is to do 5 a week and I'll be finished by Christmas.. not sure which Christmas, but hey, the quilt police are not frequent visitors in the Land of Lissa.. I know I have to remake block 6, its too small (POO) but, it was a bit tricky.. will learn to not sew late at night when my maths brain has gone to sleep! LOL
and yes, I know I need a new camera, but I am such a slacker, everything keeps coming out fuzzy.. could be my eyes perhaps??

Just had to share a pic of the naughty cat who lives here... he isn't really allowed in bedrooms, this part of the house is off limits to evil cats (leather lounges and cats aren't a good combo) couldn't find him the other night and when I went to put on the PJ's here he was! ready for bed!!!! little bugger!!


I got some other stuffs to share with you, but I didn't plan on writing a book here..

Dad is doing OK still very feeble and driving me crazy (same-o same-o)
Grandma (my late mums mum) is in hospital now, waiting to have stents put in her heart.. she is a very healthy 85 yo, (can't kill her) so I am sure she'll be OK..
Lissa - well I am still suffering with shingles pain, but I am getting there! shingles are the PITS..


take care

Lissa who is getting very excited about running away from home next week!