Fabric from Fiji

 

After saying I didn't need more fabric, what do I go and do???

I bought over 20 metres of fabric at one shop in Fiji.

 

So after seeing it, can you blame me?

Until next post...
Jewells

Back from Fiji

 

I'm back! ....  and look what I got up to on my last day in Fiji!

 

That's me parasailing!  It was AWESOME!

 

What a friendly place Fiji is!

 

So serene and peaceful

 

This photo was taken from inside my room, looking out over my balcony THROUGH the fly screen door.

I bought about 20 metres of fabric while I was there too (I will photograph it and show you later).... and here I said before I left, I do NOT need anymore fabric!

Now back to reality, washing, ironing and work.

Until next post...
Jewells

The Difference Paint Makes!

Here are some shots of before and after:

ALL of the inside had the white/green/freeze/plum, but the freeze was ripped in places and the rooms looked so dark with that colour scheme.

So we had all the inside painted with off white/deep cream.

Now the house is so light!

Before, the outside had a green roof and yellow walls.

Now it has a brownish roof (called "Jasper"), "Chocolate" awnings & posts and Creamy/Yellow ("Malacoota") walls.

That is "Dusty", my man's faithful dog.  She has not got a mean bone in her body and is wonderful.  Her only fault is: she moults!  She only has to stand there and it falls off her, even straight after brushing her or bathing her, it just sheds and sheds...it is a wonder she is not bald!  She reminds me of "Pig Pen" in the "Charlie Brown" comics.  He had the filth falling off him like the hair falls off Dusty.

My man has been into the gardens, but still has a long way to go before it is up to his liking.  He spent the first couple of days, digging out trees with his bulldozer and pruning others with his chainsaw!

Well, this afternoon I am off to Fiji for a week with my daughter, SIL, and 2 grand children.  My man will NOT fly or go on water, so he will be at our new home "re-arranging" while I am gone.

Until next post

Jewells

Finally I did some sewing!

Sorry I have been so long since my last post, but I have now moved into my new place.  As I type this, the plumber is here, but we have had the builders, plumbers, painters and the electricians... looked like a Home Reno TV show some mornings with everyone here and doing their own thing.  I will post some photos another time of how the house has been revamped!

I have been really missing not being able to sew, so last Sunday I grabbed the first "little" project to sew and made this in a few hours.  The pinning of the 3 layers took me the longest, as I don't usually do any quilting, I send the quilts off to a quilter for that, but I thought I would try something different and see how I went... now I know why I send to a quilter!

I had bought this kit in the States last Christmas and I am very happy with how it turned out.

I was looking for a "different" table and chairs for the garden at our new place, and I saw these and fell in love with them.  The maker has made about 5 sets, all different and says he won't be making any more as they were too time consuming.  So I was happy to pay the $400 (gulp!) as I have a one of a kind and it looks good under the tree out the front.

 

 Believe it or not, the chairs are much heavier that the table!

Time to get to work.... until next post...

Jewells

Need to make Library Bags

I'm going to Fiji with my daughter and her family in about 5 weeks and we are taking a whole heap of things to give away to small school children while we are there.

Apparently we take a train trip to a small school and hand out gifts, such as exercise books, pencils, books, games etc.

We have bought lots of stationery and toys and I was thinking I might make up some library bags, but I have never made any.

I was thinking of sewing up the sides of a pretty fabric, make a casing up the top edge with a slight opening to thread thru a cord.

Is that what you would do?  PLEASE HELP!

Until next post...

Cheers...Jewells

Before I move in

Sorry I have been a bit slack on posting this last month, but with buying and selling a home, I have been busy busy busy.

Last Thursday we finally became the owners of a 5 bedroom home on a 16 acre block.  We wanted to have it painted before we moved in and decided to get a couple of things fixed before hand.

A "couple of things" has turned into something bigger than Ben Hur! 

I have taken down all the curtains and after washing them I realise that I need to replace most of them..I think the dirt was holding them together!

The room above is going to be my sewing room, and the 3 mirrored-door built in has been changed to all shelving for my fabric.  Light switches have been moved and all switches throughout the house have been changed as I didn't like the timber & brass ones.

Light fittings have been changed, old ceiling fans removed & replaced by modern ones, fly screens replaced, front door replaced,  one toilet removed & replaced with a new one and it keeps going on and on.

Last Friday it looked like a TV remodelling show as there were: 2 builders, 2 painters, 2 electricians and my partner and I all there doing things!

I spent 3 hours cleaning the oven today, only to find out that when I turned it on to get rid of the smell, it doesn't work!

It will be worth it when we move in a couple of weeks!

Until next post...

Cheers...Jewells

Jelly Roll Quilt Race

I have been told by a frind from the States about this new craze going on over there.... a quilt top made in under an hour!

Here is the link to the Video clip:

http://www.quilt-video.com/2011/02/18/jelly-roll-quilt-race-lasagna-quilt/

42 strips - size without border 48" x 64 ( 3yrds total fabric)
55 strips - size without border 55" x 84
69 strips - size without border 70" x 84"
82 strips - size without border 78" x 88"
96 strips - size without border 88" x 92"

Cut 18" off the first strip, this will be extra.
Sew all strips together on a diagonal on one selvage end ( like binding)
fold strips on top of each other and sew on right side, cut the fold when
you get to the bottom end. Open and place right sides together and repeat
for a total of 5 times (for 42 strips). More repeats are needed when using
more strips.
You can press as you go or you can press when you are completely done.

I think I might be using this idea to use up a lot of my fabric ends... doesn't have to be only Jelly Rolls!

What do you think?

Until next post...

Cheers...Jewells