Joys of living in the bush!

My other half called me outside a couple of days ago to show me something.

As it was my birthday, I thought he had hidden something outside to surprise me with.

Oh how wrong I was!

This "was" a 4 foot brown snake, a bit bigger than the 2 foot black snake we had on New Years Eve... both baby snakes (so where are the mummy and daddy snakes?).  Both were caught INSIDE the fenced house block. 

Both brown & black snakes are VERY poisonous (the brown more poisonous of the two) and you would have to go to the hospital straight away if you were bitten by either of them.

This, I must say, is one of the drawbacks with living in the bush...ah well, the positives CERTAINLY out way the negatives.

Until next post..
Jewells

Flintstones For Sale _ Yabba Dabba Do!

 

This time I am showing 2 quilts that are for sale.
They are "The Flintstones". 

 

I have 2 Flintstones Quilts  - a "Green" and a "Yellow" version.

 

The backs are different.

 

They are BOTH the same size of
58" x 70" (147cm x 178cm).

Both quilts were made with pre-washed 100% cotton fabric
and both quilted by a professional quilter (not me!).
The quilts are $200 each plus $25 postage (within Australia).
Overseas buyers please email me for a quote on postage to your country!
  They can be bought as a pair or separately.

Until next post...
Jewells
PS.. the other quilt "Teddy's Christmas" is still for sale.

Quilt for Sale

 

I am clearing out some of my quilts to make room for my Mum who will be moving in with me when she sells her home.  Mum is a quilter, like me, and you should see what fabric she has to move with her.. I have a huge stash and now I have to make room for Mum's big stash.

I made this quilt while I was proof reading the pattern for a friend.  It was a block of the month and I found it easier to make it as I proof read it.

 

It is 63" (160cm) square

 

It is made of 100% pre washed fabric

 

I am asking $150 plus $25 postage within Australia.
If someone from outside Australia is interested, I will have to get a quote on postage for you.

This is the first of MANY quilts I have to sell... you can have a sneak peek here of some of the quilts I am selling at ridiculous prices!

Until next post..

Jewells

Snowman Quilt Finished & Big News

I finally finished my Snowman Quilt and I am quite happy with how it has turned out.

It is made in flannel with wadding in between.

The glory of this quilt is, I don't need to send it to the quilter OR have to hand sew a binding on!

This is the front & back of the quilt

 

and this shows off the front and the back at the same time.

Now the big news.....

after all the time I have been whinging and complaining about my job (of 14 years) and being told by my doctor to resign as my blood pressure was still at 160/90 even though I am on 2 lots of daily blood pressure tablets.... I RESIGNED FROM MY JOB!

No - I don't have another job to go to, 

and Yes - I do need a job,

and Yes - my blood pressure has dropped dramatically!

I have been "unemployed" for 2 weeks now (let's call it temporary retirement!), and I have just come back from staying with a friend "in the sticks" (no mobile phone coverage, no TV or Radio, but plenty of fresh air), then visited my daughter & grand children.

I want to tidy up a few things and then I will look for new employment.

Until next post...

Jewells

Snowman Quilt coming along

 Boy oh boy is this quilt taking some time!  and here I thought it would be a quick one to make!

I have now made 6 of the appliqued blocks and have 11 to go.  But I am really enjoying making it.

 After that, I join it and then snip all the edges to rag it.

From experience, I will go outside and snip it and take regular breaks, as I know of one lady who snipped her quilt in one sitting and ended up with her wrist in a brace for a few weeks!

I used this for the first time to applique the pieces and am VERY IMPRESSED!

You iron it onto your fabric, then you peel off the paper and it sticks to the next piece of fabric.  No ironing the second time with the risk of moving it.. it sticks itself and if you aren't happy with the placement, you take it off, reposition it and it sticks there... a bit like "sticky notes".

I was hoping to get this finished before I return to work on Wednesday after having the festive season off, but I can't see that happening!

I am planning on taking down the Christmas decorations tomorrow.. they took 5 hours to put up and I hope it only takes 1 hour to take down.  I know they are meant to stay up until the New Year, but I will be back at work then and won't have lots of time on my hands when I go back.

Until next post..

Jewells

One Block Made - 16 to go

I have just finished the first appliqued square and I just love it!

When placing the nose I realised that there was an error in the instructions.  There is only 3 of this type of Snowman in the quilt and in the picture the nose goes to the right, not the left, otherwise it didn't curl "up" right..  I checked that I had traced the pattern correctly and it did not say to reverse the tracing on this Snowman.

I also came across another error in the cutting out of the 6.5" squares... it was one short.  Again I recounted what I did and what the pattern said.  I counted the squares on the pattern and it was one short.

Very MINOR errors which shows that the "author" is only human.

 

I use to proof read patterns for a friend and I know how easy it is to miss something.  You actually "know" what it is meant to say, and sometimes you read what should be there.. when it isn't.

 

I found the safest way of proof reading a pattern was actually making the quilt as you read it.

Must get back to another square.

Until next post...

Jewells

A long time between posts.. SORRY!

 I am working on the above flannel quilt. (Yes it is summer here and I am mad to be working with flannel in the heat!).  When finished it will be about 50 x 70". So far I have made the 4 block squares and traced all the pieces onto fusible wedding.  I used a whole roll of fusible webbing ("Appli-Kay Wonder") which was 18" x 3 yards!

 Before Christmas I was knitting these Santa dish cloths.  It doesn't show very well with the variegated cotton, but the solid colours, especially the red, shows up very well.  These are the left overs after giving them as part of my friend's gifts.

 Many years ago, I was in a Christmas Churn Dash Swap, and here is what I made up with many of the squares, and with the left over ones.....

 I made a table cloth.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas, and all enjoy the coming New Year.

Until next post...
Jewells