Kneeding healing hugs!

  What can I say….when you’re down in the dumps and things just don’t seem to be going your way, where’s the best place to turn????   Quiltville in Blogland where you’ll find the most amazing Blog friends in the universe!!!!! Look what loveliness I got in the mail today from some very special bloggy friends…..I AM STOKED BEYOND BELIEF!!!!!! And when you look closely, the blocks are all signature blocks with a special message from some very special friends…. Don’t you just love it! You guys have just blown me away….and I can’t believe you could sneak this past me on the WWW without me knowing about it!!!!    If you could see my face…..just let me say, it looks very similar to the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland!!!!!!   I had been feeling a bit low lately because my knee’s not bending like it should, despite all the physio, and a few regrets have been going through my head; I’ve had the bronchial infection from hell which has made me not even want to sew (you know I’m really sick then!!!!) and life just seemed pear-shaped! Well, you guys changed all that…..a super-huge monster THANK YOU to my lovely friend DAWN who sneakily organised all this and all the ladies who thought enough of me to make a block….and those who just thought of me, even if you didn’t make one!!!!!…..I LOVES YA!!!!  You are amazing and have put a bounce back in my step…….as Joy would say……You’re all just GAWJUS!!!!!  How I got by before blogging, I’ll never know…..it’s such a supportive community….and to think I ummm’ed and ahhhh’ed for weeks before I posted my first post!!!!   For those of you who ‘lurk’ (we love you too!) and think you couldn’t possibly have anything to share…….my advice??…….JUST DO IT!!!!  You will never regret taking the first step….I know I haven’t!   And to let you know where I’m at…..I am heading off to hospital tomorrow for what they call a ‘manipulation under anaesthetic’…..aka forceful physio when I’m knocked out!!!!   Apparently because I’m so ‘young’ (lovely to hear someone acknowledge it at last!!!) my immune system tends to ‘reject’ the titanium implant and develops lots of scar tissue around it…this doesn’t happen so much in older people as their immune system is not so strong. (Pity I didn’t know this beforehand!!!!)  The scar tissue is also healing around all the previous surgeries I’ve had over the years and preventing the joint from moving freely so…….hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to hospital we go!!!!   It’s only an overnighter so I’ll be home again Wednesday with heaps of physio to do and lots more to share!!! Take care my lovely bloggy friends and *mwah*, you mean the world to me! HUGE Sugary hugs Wendy :0)

Kneeding healing hugs!

 

What can I say….when you’re down in the dumps and things just don’t seem to be going your way, where’s the best place to turn????   Quiltville in Blogland where you’ll find the most amazing Blog friends in the universe!!!!!

Look what loveliness I got in the mail today from some very special bloggy friends…..I AM STOKED BEYOND BELIEF!!!!!!

And when you look closely, the blocks are all signature blocks with a special message from some very special friends….

Don’t you just love it!

You guys have just blown me away….and I can’t believe you could sneak this past me on the WWW without me knowing about it!!!!    If you could see my face…..just let me say, it looks very similar to the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland!!!!!!

 

I had been feeling a bit low lately because my knee’s not bending like it should, despite all the physio, and a few regrets have been going through my head; I’ve had the bronchial infection from hell which has made me not even want to sew (you know I’m really sick then!!!!) and life just seemed pear-shaped!

Well, you guys changed all that…..a super-huge monster THANK YOU to my lovely friend DAWN who sneakily organised all this and all the ladies who thought enough of me to make a block….and those who just thought of me, even if you didn’t make one!!!!!…..I LOVES YA!!!!  You are amazing and have put a bounce back in my step…….as Joy would say……You’re all just GAWJUS!!!!!  How I got by before blogging, I’ll never know…..it’s such a supportive community….and to think I ummm’ed and ahhhh’ed for weeks before I posted my first post!!!!   For those of you who ‘lurk’ (we love you too!) and think you couldn’t possibly have anything to share…….my advice??…….JUST DO IT!!!!  You will never regret taking the first step….I know I haven’t!

 

And to let you know where I’m at…..I am heading off to hospital tomorrow for what they call a ‘manipulation under anaesthetic’…..aka forceful physio when I’m knocked out!!!!   Apparently because I’m so ‘young’ (lovely to hear someone acknowledge it at last!!!) my immune system tends to ‘reject’ the titanium implant and develops lots of scar tissue around it…this doesn’t happen so much in older people as their immune system is not so strong. (Pity I didn’t know this beforehand!!!!)  The scar tissue is also healing around all the previous surgeries I’ve had over the years and preventing the joint from moving freely so…….hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to hospital we go!!!!   It’s only an overnighter so I’ll be home again Wednesday with heaps of physio to do and lots more to share!!!

Take care my lovely bloggy friends and *mwah*, you mean the world to me!

HUGE Sugary hugs

Wendy :0)

Almost there

  The weekend came and went too fast….having a family with pharyngitis, or I guess, the technical term for ‘throat infection’, all good plans were laid to rest. DS has been sick with it all last week and guess who he decided to pass it on to????  He is a very generous boy but there are limits!!!!  LOL.   I had planned to get lots of my projects finished yesterday but I just felt like sleeping so……. ……..here are some of my ‘almost’ finishes….!!!! 1.  My Scattered Tiles quilt that just needs to be quilted now.  I’m thinking of echo quilting the hand appliqued blocks and quilting an all over floral stipple for the rest….we’ll see! Very ‘girly’ and all the fabric was from my stash!!!! 2.  A pair of potholders…. I started with the small projects club of the month over here and these were my 4th month projects.   I love it because I’m learning about (and using) quilting tools and products I’d never known about before….and they’re all supplied in the kits!  Great learning curve!This month I’m using “Insul-Bright” and “Unique Stitch”, two products I’ve never used before but certainly will be again! 3. And finally, a little sneaky look at a design I’m working on for something special. Can’t show you too much because then it will spoil the surprise!!!! Hope you get lots of finishes done this week! Sugary hugs Wendy :0)

Almost there

 

The weekend came and went too fast….having a family with pharyngitis, or I guess, the technical term for ‘throat infection’, all good plans were laid to rest.

DS has been sick with it all last week and guess who he decided to pass it on to????  He is a very generous boy but there are limits!!!!  LOL.   I had planned to get lots of my projects finished yesterday but I just felt like sleeping so…….

……..here are some of my ‘almost’ finishes….!!!!

1.  My Scattered Tiles quilt that just needs to be quilted now.  I’m thinking of echo quilting the hand appliqued blocks and quilting an all over floral stipple for the rest….we’ll see!

Very ‘girly’ and all the fabric was from my stash!!!!

2.  A pair of potholders….

I started with the small projects club of the month over here and these were my 4th month projects.   I love it because I’m learning about (and using) quilting tools and products I’d never known about before….and they’re all supplied in the kits!  Great learning curve!This month I’m using “Insul-Bright” and “Unique Stitch”, two products I’ve never used before but certainly will be again!

3. And finally, a little sneaky look at a design I’m working on for something special.

Can’t show you too much because then it will spoil the surprise!!!!

Hope you get lots of finishes done this week!

Sugary hugs

Wendy :0)

It’s really snowing!!!

  Sugar cane harvesting season has arrived early this year and we saw the first of the cane fires tonight on our way home from a friend’s birthday celebrations… I know it looks like a tree (LOL) but it is a cane fire burning in the distance, taken from my IPhone in a moving vehicle so a little imagination and squinting may be necessary!!!! Generally, our harvesting season begins after the Queen’s Birthday long weekend in June but after the disastrous year last year, they’re wanting to get a head start whilst the weather is good! You may be asking. “What medication is this girl on???….there’s no snow in tropical North Queensland, where it’s beautiful one day and perfect the next!!!!???  She’s had far too much anaesthetic!!!!  Well…..colloquially speaking, the black ash that falls to the ground after the burn, (which is what you see floating above the trees in the distance in that dirty big cloud), is known as “Burdekin Snow” or “Black Snow” and there are those that love it and then others that hate it. The fallen ‘snow’ clogs gutters, dirties wet washing on the line, blackens feet and little white dogs and cats become greyed for 6 months of the year…..and don’t try to wash your car at dusk as you’re guaranteed to get a smattering of ‘snow’ stuck to your shiny new exterior (and even your interior if you leave your windows open!). On the other hand, the ‘snow’ signifies the start of the crushing, where seasonal jobs begin and money begins to filter through the community again….something that many missed out on last year due to the unseasonal rains.  (It’s also a great ‘free’ conditioner for the garden!) So you see, I’m not ‘off my nutter’, it’s just the season for it!  And despite the mess it creates,  I’m just happy to see our ‘snowy’ season off to a great start!!!!  And I’ve also been catching up on my Snow Hearts BOM too that have been waiting on the back burner for the Snowy season to begin!  I just love doing these in my Cottage Garden threads in Canna Lily no. 1000. So what’s seasonal at your place this time of year???? Sugary hugs Wendy :0)

It’s really snowing!!!

 

Sugar cane harvesting season has arrived early this year and we saw the first of the cane fires tonight on our way home from a friend’s birthday celebrations…

I know it looks like a tree (LOL) but it is a cane fire burning in the distance, taken from my IPhone in a moving vehicle so a little imagination and squinting may be necessary!!!!

Generally, our harvesting season begins after the Queen’s Birthday long weekend in June but after the disastrous year last year, they’re wanting to get a head start whilst the weather is good!

You may be asking. “What medication is this girl on???….there’s no snow in tropical North Queensland, where it’s beautiful one day and perfect the next!!!!???  She’s had far too much anaesthetic!!!!  Well…..colloquially speaking, the black ash that falls to the ground after the burn, (which is what you see floating above the trees in the distance in that dirty big cloud), is known as “Burdekin Snow” or “Black Snow” and there are those that love it and then others that hate it.

The fallen ‘snow’ clogs gutters, dirties wet washing on the line, blackens feet and little white dogs and cats become greyed for 6 months of the year…..and don’t try to wash your car at dusk as you’re guaranteed to get a smattering of ‘snow’ stuck to your shiny new exterior (and even your interior if you leave your windows open!).

On the other hand, the ‘snow’ signifies the start of the crushing, where seasonal jobs begin and money begins to filter through the community again….something that many missed out on last year due to the unseasonal rains.  (It’s also a great ‘free’ conditioner for the garden!)

So you see, I’m not ‘off my nutter’, it’s just the season for it!  And despite the mess it creates,  I’m just happy to see our ‘snowy’ season off to a great start!!!!  And I’ve also been catching up on my Snow Hearts BOM too that have been waiting on the back burner for the Snowy season to begin!  I just love doing these in my Cottage Garden threads in Canna Lily no. 1000.

So what’s seasonal at your place this time of year????

Sugary hugs

Wendy :0)

Winter’s ‘magic’-al coat, FQ swaps and reminiscing.

  I know I shouldn’t complain because we don’t get it as cold as some but….for us, 11 degrees in the morning is FRRRRREEEEEEZING!!!! I know, I know…..but remember….I do live in ‘Tropical’ North Queensland, home of swaying palm trees, blue skies, sandy beaches, you know….beautiful one day….perfect the next!!!  But it seems someone forgot to tell good ol’ Mother Nature…..chilly toes and chattering teeth every morning for the past five days or so…..veeeery unusual…..I mean, our winter generally lasts a maximum of about 2 weeks a year and it doesn’t usually begin until June so……….what does a girl do apart from don the daggy tracksuit pants, sweatshirt and fluffy slippers???? Well, my poor naked girl………received a brand spanking new ‘magic-al’ coat to keep her nice and warm…… totally inspired by Bloom and her ‘Beyond Measure’ sewing machine cover but with an individuality that’s oh so ‘girly’!!! Here’s the front…. the beautiful mother of pearl buttons and ricrac to match her piped edges and frills……. and as she does a little twirl……you can see the back…. You can see Bloom’s version here and you can even buy her pattern too, or if you have a copy of Australian Homespun 10th Birthday Issue, Number 90 Vol 11 Number 11.  And you’ll notice, just like I mentioned in a previous post, I’ve added my free “Mothers Make Magic” Mothers’ Day stitchery, which you can still download from here Now my lovely girl is all snuggly and warm, ready to stitch some new ‘magic’ at a moment’s notice and not frozen to the core!!!! LOL (and I have my first OPAM for May…yippee!!!) I thought I’d have heaps of time whilst I was recovering, but you know, time is like wages…..the more you’ve got, the more you seem to use and it never seems like you’ve got enough….just slips through your fingers!!!!….can you relate????  Anyway, with ALL this time I have, *wink* I’ve been reflecting on how my hobby has developed over the years.  I am a stitcher from way back.  In fact, I think I was born with a needle in my hands but quilting only came to me via a very good friend about 13 years ago.  She was an avid quilter and had 4 young daughters so was making them softies and quilts all the time.  I admired all her goodies and she promised to help me with my very first design of my very first ‘quilt’ What lessons I learnt, blanket stitch around curves need care, it does look much better when you match corners and make sure you use good quality fabric!!!! Despite that, it still gets good use on my stitching and recovery chair in front of the tv and it certainly started a lifelong love of quilting. The reason I’m reminiscing is whilst I read Jenny’s blogpost about her quilting journey, I noticed her and I had made the same table topper early on in our journey.  In fact, it was the second item I made.  Here is hers….. …and here is mine…. …and like Jenny, this remains my favourite piece too!  Visiting blogland over the past couple of years, I’ve found many of us share such similar tastes, choosing to do the same projects without ever being aware of other’s until much later…..must be why we all love this bloggy culture so much!!! Last month I decided to join a fat quarter swap with Cathy over here April was swapper’s choice and I was Chris’ partner.  She chose blue and yellow as her colours and, silly me, forgot to take a photo so hopefully she posts a piccie.  I chose blue or red and look at the goodies I received….. How wonderful…..Chris, you even got the ‘kind’ of blue right!!!!   Absolutely love it…thank you so much! This month is yellow and my partner is Cathy, so Cathy, I’m on the look out for some ‘yummy yellows’!!!!! Hope a wonderful week is in store with lots of magic-al moments! sugary hugs Wendy  :0)