mumblings of a cranky possum

This is a picture of the 'new addition' to the family. Cosmopolitan the Birman cat. Now he is just too gorgeous for his own good, and never owning a cat before, I did not know what I was in for. Cosmopolitan is named after a vodka/cranberry cocktail. And Bailey the wonder dog is named after Baileys Irish Cream funnily enough. Cats sleep so much.. he doesn't eat enough to keep a sparrow, but I guess when you are only awake for 3hrs a day, well how much food do you need??

I had crap day at work today... so I decided to come home and FINISH something to cheer myself up.. now for all that know me, this is a MIRACLE! Not one piece of backing fabric was right, so I had to scrap piece a backing, it looks so-so. of course I pressed this and thought ah-ha, I need wadding.. of course there wasn't a bit of wadding big enough in the house either, after muttering away, and going thru more plastic tubs than I care to count (ok its 12) I found a bit.. woohoo!

of course its EXACTLY THE SAME SIZE AS THE TOP.. so its too small.. so I have dredged up all the scrappy bits you should throw away and found enough to add a piece to the other bit.. but now its too bloomin late to be crawling around on the floor trying to baste the sucker, so I am off to find another UFO in the pile that I can't jump over. Wish me luck, cause I know I am going to make a bigger mess.

We have a HUGE mess out in the yard, we have been waiting for so long to get our backyard landscaped. I had a nasty fall on Saturday, twisted my ankle and lucky for me, Lara was carrying the cat in his 'pet taxi' We had to take Cosmo the wonder cat for a needle.. Lara was very worried, as I couldn't get up and the cat was so lucky I'd just handed him to Lara. He would of been traumatised for life, MORE traumatised cause I am sure living here is enough to send you to the nut hut!

So tomorrow the excavator arrives, the builder will be here and my retaining walls will be built. We used to have a large yard, but with the renovations we have done (we have added a family room, bedroom and a large sunroom) as well as a double garage, the yard has downsized to 10ms between us and the shed. I am convinced my DH hates mowing so he keeps building on!

Well Finally Bit the Bullet

g'day my name is Lissa, and I am a reformed fabricologist! I am very passionate about patchwork and quilting, and of course, my long suffering husband (I dont need a sewing room, I have a sewing house), my three darlings DS Darcy, DS Morgan and DD Miss Lara, and my furry daughter Bailey the wonder dog (Beagle). I am a memeber of SCQuilters and QDU both Australian Online Quilt Groups, and I enjoy the get togethers SCQuilters has each year. I am looking foreward to next years retreat which is in Bendigo Vic.

I live in Sunny Australia in a small town about 1.5hrs north of Sydney... and I have a small confession to make, I LIKE BUYING FABRIC quicker than I can use it! But lately, I have been working too much (four part time jobs) so I have less time to shop! (my husband is very happy about this)..

My favourite fabrics are reproduction fabrics such as 1930's or civil war, but to be honest I am happy to adopt any orphan fabric (quilts, tops and blocks are also gratefully accepted!).

This quilt I started a few years ago now, it is now finished, I started it to use up some leftover scraps of 30's fabrics I had, and got a little carried away. I also learnt the hard way that seam allowance even on small quilts is important. I had to stab quilt this sucker and boy did I hate doing that!

This quilt is now finished as well. My daughter asked for a quilt for her birthday with 'dollies' on it (she was 4 at the time). So again came out the 30's fabrics and I put this together. It was my first attempt at applique when I first started patchwork and I look at it now and 'cringe' at my bumpy curves I hope I have improved over the years. It is 5 years since I have become addicted to this hobby.

This is a minature 30's log cabin block. Each block is 3" finished. I again used the scraps I had in my stash. It was the first attempt at paper piecing and didn't take long to make at all. It hangs in our bedroom. My husband said that wont keep you too warm when I was done! hmmm...

I like working with 30's fabrics as they are a no-brainer, cause they all tend to go together without too much thinking! I truly believe I must be one of australia's laziest patchworker!

My current project is a Grandmothers flower garden quilt (I bet you can guess what fabrics I am using), its my 'stolen' quilt.. well I call it that, cause I am making it in 'stolen time'. While I am waiting for Miss Lara at tap, jazz or ballet, or picking up my boys from their adventures I steal time to put the hexagons together. I am making it Queen Bed size and the hexagons are 1" on the sides, it isn't an overnight project thats for sure!