Off On Holidays -Cruising New Zealand



Being back at work and with the fast approaching holiday seasons I havent managed to do much sewing or blogging and it doesnt look like  my free time is going to improve in the next few weeks.

We have a week left of school,  then  we will be off seeing friends and family for the Christmas period  and then off on our annual  New Years Eve  cruise for 14 dyas of pampering and being spoilt



I will be back blogging  mid January with pics from our cruise on the Diamond Princess and  new  projects.

I'm looking forward to finding  the quilt shops in our New Zealand ports: Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, Akaroa, Dunedin  as well as Hobart & Melbourne.

I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas 

 and if you do not celebrate Christmas

  have a Happy Holiday Season

&

may the new year

 bring you health and happiness

&

lots of time to stitch

from my family to yours

Merry Christams &  a Happy New Year

Merry Christmas Everyone

Kim

Inspirational Quilting Video’s

I just love quilting videos here is a selection of my favourites that have come thru my mail box  this week. So grab a tea or coffee and get inspired.

• Pam Holland shares the quilts, textiles, and colours of a quilt festival in South Africa.
  • this is great
• Pam Holland - Birmingham part 1
  • so inspirational
• Pam Holland - Birmingham part 2
  • so many great artist- I love Pam’s travel videos.
• Sharon Pederson talking to Sharon Schamber
  • award winning quilt at Houston Quilt festival
• Sharon Pederson  talking to Sue McCarty
  • award winning quilt in Houston
• Sharon Pederson talking to Kathy Wylie
• Sewing tools  Rescue Tape, The Gypsy Sit Upon and The Hump Jumper
• love that hump jumper will have to get me one of those
• New Accuquilt go die- Kay's bouquet
• Win a Accuquilt Go Baby  and 3 dies  at Smashed Peas and Carrots Blog
• Win a Accuquilt Go Baby & 3 dies at Honeybear Lane

and last  video this week

a cartoon  with a quilting theme

• Courage the Cowardly Dog-S3 E23-The Quilt Club

Have fun sewing

Kim

Back in My Sewing Room

Its been a hard week getting walking again but worth it , so  I  have been concentrating on that  & I haven’t done much sewing this week. 
However,  I have moved all my stuff out of the lounge room and I’m back in my sewing room.
Now  waiting for me was a few alterations & some mending  to be done before I can play in there again.

1. DS left his split trousers to be fixed -
2. A pair of brand new undies worn once, DH pulled thread on & elastic came away, needed stitching back on -   
3. Purchased online some new summer tops that need a few adjustments
1. Purple stretch top with beautiful non stretch lace around hem…..cant sit down in it. Some designers just don’t think.

Solution: put splits in sides.

    

2. Purchased & T-Shirt which was described as aqua in colour  but what arrived its more aqua mint…I don’t really wear green well.
Solution:  Purple purple buttons on it seen purple is a favourite colour. I really like this solution    

          

3.  Purchase a  dress which look terrible on me… way too big across shoulders. Solution:  pleats in the shoulder, cut of and make into a long length top, take in at side seams to give it more shape.

 

       

 

Mending & Alterations done!!!!!!!!!

now lets have some fun

Have fun sewing

                                        Kim

accuquilt giveaway

want to win an accuquilt  cutter

have a look at this generous giveaway

Accuquilt giveaway at nestofposies-blog

have fun sewing

Kim

Houston Quilt Show products

My mail box was full this morning with exciting news from The Houston International Quilt show.
so I thought I would share the video links.
have fun watching as I did

1. Heat Press Batting product
• I think I want some of this
2. Clover wonder clip
• Yep need these too
3. Clover fuse and Bind
• I can see a use for this
4. Clover Fuse and Gather
• Not sure I need this one
5. Jenny Haskins
• Love her work
6. Prescenia
• Never heard of these threads
7. Doug Antler Patterns
• Interesting
8. Moda YMCA fun
• Just some fun
9. Flip Flop Block
• Clever idea
10. Trace and Create template from Nancy Zieman for a eTablet or Paper Tablet
• Love this...good way to use all those clover products I  buy
11. Suzanne McNeill Zentangles
• Must try this
12. Moda Booth walk
• Get a pen & write down the stuff she mentions you like so you can look it up
13. Moda Fabric Booth Walk2
14. Fixon Pens
• These are the best I use them all the time
15. American Jane 
• Love the school days quilt
16. Kanas Troubles
• Love the honey bun ideas, & round table topper
17. Laundery Basket Edyta Sitar
• love her work
18. Deb Strain
• pretty
19. Jan Patek
• great ideas
20. Me ans My Sister
• very pretty colours
21. Sweetwater 
• love heart strings & the sewing words..will have to look for those
22. United Notions
• Love all the tools
23. Bunny Hill
• Love the snowman quilt
24. Kathy Schmitz 
• I think i want that book
25. Primitive Gatering
• great designs

 Hope you  got some useful info from those links from Moda,  I know I did.

Update on my foot: Had the stitches out 3 days ago...now learning to walk again on a numb foot after nerves where affect..its a very slow process...the nerve sensation in my foot will return slowly the surgeon said... and is saying operation was successful, but its hard to believe when you can not feel anything with your foot. So am off work a little longer than first thought....looking at this positively I can do some more sewing..:-)

have fun sewing

Kim

Fabric stash

Day 12 of sitting with my foot up

I'm so over this now !!!!!!!

I've had some interesting days  just sitting.

I've cuddle my pussy cats; Misty & PC

I've cuddled the new puppy;  Sugar

I've started a few sewing projects

I've read lots online 

I've blogged

I've taken photos & videos 

I've watched a lot of TV & movies

I've done some shopping online

which brings me to what happened last night.

Australia doesn't do Halloween  like the USA

but retailers have been pushing it over the last few years to get us involved.

So let me set the scene

Me in my chair, foot up

DS & His GF & DH all in our lounge room

 its just on dusk

&

 there is a  knock on our front door, & another knock  & another knock

DH says I'm not getting it, DS says its trick or treaters

still another knock getting louder

then quiet as we all ignore the knocks

then

we hear a car door slam

 we start talking about how the kids are getting driven around by their parents to get treats

I ask can you please check ..as I cant stuck in this chair

now this is where it gets funny

Its not the trick or treaters  but my local delivery man

Trying to give my a few parcels....ooops  my online shopping deliveries while my DH is here

Opps

DH says what have you been buying now......

DS opens door to delivery man & apologises

 saying we thought he was trick & treating

lucky he is a lovely man & just laughs....

 he is running really late, he has never delivered this late, only at Christmas

DS brings me the package the very large package....

Well looks like I got the treats

check out what he bought me

yep fabric for my stash

what a great treat

now I found a great website

Patchwork Products

and I got all this for $90  - 100 fat quarters all different

I am very pleased

they are prefect for all my applique work

now here is Australia  a fat quarters average from $3 to $7

so you can see why I 'm a happy girl.

now I have to get DS to stash it in my sewing room.

I think I will have to reorganise my stash

when I get back into my sewing room with this little arrival.

Have fun sewing

Kim

Giveaway- Accuquilt baby Go and 3 dies

This giveaway is open to everyone everywhere – not only in the US, but around the world.

Marjories Quilting Bee

Have fun sewing

Kim

Houston International Quilt festival

Another  taste of the Houston International Quilt festival

Houston International Quilt festival

enjoy

have fun sewing

Kim

1,500 Quilts to Houston

check this out  about the Houston quilts

1,500 Quilts to Houston

  wow is all I can say

have fun sewing

Kim

New Addition to our Family

Day 11 of sitting with my foot elevated

I’ve got a little side-tracked over the past few days.
Foot is coming along well but I have only got a few flowers done

This is why I have been side-tracked

She is our new addition to the family

My DS 22 brought home a new puppy

she is a long haired miniature Dachshund

the cutest thing you have ever seen

Born  1 August so she is 13 weeks old

Weighs  1.7 kilos and is 20 cm long

she is so tiny  and so cute & the sweetest nature

He called her Sugar

so I have been having lots of Sugar cuddles

watching him

run after her

trying to teach her

cleaning up after her

“

Playing in the sun on the grass

Playing with Dad

I didn’t do it the cats did”..

so you can see why I have been side-tracked

Have fun sewing

Kim

A Bunch of Flowers

Day 6

of sitting with foot elevated

Today I  received a lovely surprise

A beautiful potted cyclamen flower from my beautiful daughter and son in law

and

also some beautiful flowers from  my In-laws

so inspired I  made my own bunch of flowers today

PC is of course helping with the auditioning of the fabrics for my flowers

so I did a pussy cat one

and

a few others 

Made me a bunch of flowers

sewing themed of course

have fun sewing

Kim

Win a Accuquilt Go Baby

Would you like to win a Accuquilt Go Baby

then check out

Flamingotoes

 a great site

Have fun sewing

Kim

Hexagon Challenges & Decisions

Day 5

Sitting with my foot up

I am feeling very  excited about this project.

As I rummaged through my stash of fabrics I  had forgot about just how many  fat quarters of fabric I had with sewing themes on them. 

Now that I have cut my hexagons and  I even fussy cut a few…. .the go cutter makes this process so easy….

ahhh I do love my Accuquilt GO

I need to decided about a design that will also suit my situation of sitting.

Design Brief…. make something fun to show my love of sewing using my sewing themed fabrics.

Limitations: Must be able to complete sitting  and with  hand stitching, with limited access to my gadgets & supplies in my sewing room. ( I do not want to risk sending DH into my girl cave to many times)

What can you do with a hexagon??????

After  doing some researching on the net…(yes laptop is close at hand), I found several designs.

1. Tiled Hexagon arrangement – where hexagons are just stitched in rows  to create a pattern.
• this design is very achievable with fabrics I have, I can just mix them up & sew, row after row. and would give a scrappy look.
2. A Charm hexagon quilt – where every hexagon is a different fabric  stitched in rows.
• this design I could achieve with the amount of different fabrics I have  however, I will only using one hexagon of fabric and I want to display more of each fabric in the quilt
3. A grandmothers flower garden- where the hexagons are arranged into a flower shape then join together to create a second pattern. The flowers can be 2 rows big or 3 rows  or 4 rows  depending on final design.
• this design shape is still my favourite but I think I will add a Kimzeee twist to it.

And the Winner is......

A  flower design  with  Kimzeee twist, it is to be.

Fabrics have been sorted into  light & dark backgrounds

Most of my hexagons I have cut at least 6 hexagons of each fabric and i can cut more  if needed.

so let the party & fun  begin

I need to mark my hexagons seam allowance….

Oh dear

I need some  more gadgets from my sewing room….

 Lucky son is home today I can send him to fetch…

 this could be fun

 as I  describe what he is looking for & where I left it last.

1. 2 Marking pen – Pilot Frixion Pen, disappears with heat, a purple & a pink ( lucky they are my favourite colours)
2. 1/4” clear plastic ruler – this is so handy
3. sandpaper board-  this has fine sandpaper glued to a board that is perfect for marking as it grips the fabric

ok he found them … 

with a few yelling matches back & forward …

” try here or try here” ….

from me in the front of the house & him at the back of the house.

All gadgets found

Marking all the 1/4" seam allowances in before I stitch

with my Frixion pen.

  now comes the fun bits 

arranging fabrics to create a flower shape

I am creating the  flowers by using  a light coloured center & dark petals or a dark center and light petals.

I lay them out on my board to decide arrangement

PC is keeping me company

join together the hexagons,

using a  small running stitch, 

from intersection of each corner to corner,

joining each piece to center piece until you have a completed flower

Flower 1

Flower 2

Flower 3

Ok that's enough  fun for today

Have fun sewing

Kim