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