Okay, quiz time. What's my favourite flower???
Correct!
ROSES!
How did you know?! ;-)
Last week I finished a new design with roses, but I had an ulterior motive when I sketched it. Years ago I bought this beautiful butterfly brooch at a market in Esperance and have been waiting since then for the right surface to display it in our home...
When I bought some linen off Fee last month the design just appeared in my head, and last week I finally finished stitching it...
The brooch sits perfectly in place above the colourful array of roses, all stitched with various Cottage Garden threads...
Now my beautiful hanging, with brooch, has been sent off to Patchwork & Stitching magazine for publication later this year, along with a few other projects...
Hope it's not too long until my butterfly and roses fly back home. :-)
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Another project that has been on the waiting list is this quilt for my 3yo grandson, Deegan. He is totally fascinated by dinosaurs, and when I saw this quilt pattern in 'Quilts & More' a few months back I knew it was calling his name. I ordered the kit from HERE in the USA, and it arrived within a couple of weeks.
It is a simply pieced quilt that allows the fabric to be the star. I did the pieceing a couple of weeks ago, but had to wait until today for the time to baste and quilt...
By early evening I had the quilting finished and the binding on. After work tomorrow I'll hand stitch the binding down, wash and dry it, add a label and post it away! He lives down in Melbourne where the winter is ready to pounce and a warm, snuggly quilt will be the best thing to wrap around a 3yo lad while he watches his Veggie Tales dvds. I'll show you a pic as soon as it's all finished.
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A parcel arrived in the mail today; another kit with something lovely to make!
I shared last week that I have a project published in this month's Homespun magazine. Well, Marg Low also has a featured project and it is the sweetest little bag! I saw on her blog that she was selling kits to make the bag, complete with chain and closure, wool felt and fabric - so I ordered one!
I will put this aside for the school holidays, as I want to enjoy a whole day making it with no other obligations. :-)
(I really don't buy kits as a rule, but it seems I've bought two this year!)
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I'll share something else about myself, shall I?
I used to enter giveaways on blogs a lot, and then as Elefantz became bigger in my life I simply stopped. I have quite a few giveaways on my blog each year, but I just didn't feel right entering giveaways by others.
Now, it occured to me recently that was just plain stooopid! So I entered a few giveaways last week, and you know what? I won one!!
Lisa and her daughter, the girls from A Spoonful of Sugar, had a giveaway for a $50 gift voucher to spend in Sarah Flood's gorgeous Etsy Store. Sarah Flood is a Swedish jewellery maker and her store is filled with gorgeous handmade silver and gold jewellery!
I had to pinch myself to be sure this was real! Look at what I will be receiving, all the way from Sweden...
Thank you so much Lisa, and Sarah!!
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But wait - there is more!
I won something else!
This was not a giveaway, though. My dear, beautiful friend, Allie, auctioned her original 'Lemon Tree' quilt on her blog to raise money for Japan. I do not have word to express the love I have for Allie. She is a prayer partner, a sister in Christ, a friend whose love and support has always, always, been given in abundance to this Aussie gal. I admire her, respect her as a woman and a mother, and have so much awe for her talent with design and fabric. She thinks outside of the square and always makes me gasp when I see a new creation on her blog pages because it's always, always, wonderful!
So I bid on her Lemon Tree quilt and decided that no-one was going to win but me. Our family were giving to the Japan appeal, and the higher the bids, the better for the appeal.
And I won. I will have a special piece of Allie hanging in my home, and I will treasure it always, always.
Thank you Allie-girl. {{{{love ya!}}}}
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One last thing before I go. My buddy, and fellow Gum Tree Designer, Vicki, has finally opened her online store ~The Pickledish Patch~!!
No matter where you live on the globe, if you find something gorgeous in Vicki's store she'll be more than happy to pack it up and post your way. You can even pay in your own currency! Gotta love that. :-)
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I should have warned you to brew a coffee and grab a piece of cake before I started this mammoth blog post...sorry! I'll sign off immediately and let you recover. ;-)
Hugs
Jenny
xxx