Mount Vincent Quilts

Stunning Sabrina....

2012-01-16T21:15:00.000+11:00

I have been quilting up a storm... I'm really happy with how this is turning out. I have gone a bit feather crazy. It's been fun to do. It took a while to work out how I was going to quilt it but once I started the creative juices just kept on flowing...

This will have to wait a few days now. The boys are still on holidays and we have a few things planned. Close to home but time with my beautiful boys just the same.

Hope you are having fun whatever you are doing...

Happy quilting

Leanne xo

Meet Sabrina

2012-01-10T19:58:00.000+11:00

This is Sabrina, my latest design.

Love the stained glass look here...

She just need a bit of custom quilting and she will be ready for class to start in Feb.

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

Well, here we go !!!!

2012-01-09T13:07:00.001+11:00

I have a HUGE line up for 2012.

I am teaching at 2 sewing shops. All About Sewing at Charmhaven and Southern Cross Needlework at East Maitland.

Here are the classes I will be doing......

All About Sewing

I have been teaching at All About Sewing for over 5 years. I will now be running my own classes on Thursdays.

Leanne's Sewing Group

Come and join me to learn different patchwork, sewing and crocheting techniques with a different project being set each month ( all original designs by Leanne)

if you prefer I can help you with a project of your choice.

It's a great social, friendly atmosphere. Come and meet like minded people or bring your friends with you.

The lesson will run every Thursday 9.30am-2pm at a cost of $25

Booking is essential as places are limited.

Please contact me on mtvincentquilts@yahoo.com or call All About Sewing (02)43932200

Block of the Month

From Friday May 18 I will be running and Improvised Piecing Block of the Month.
(It is an original design by Leanne)

Details will be available Feb 29 (sample & requirements)

The BOM runs for 7 months (lessons). The lesson will run 9.30am-2pm at a cost of $25

Booking is essential as places are limited.

Please contact me on mtvincentquilts@yahoo.com or call All About Sewing (02)43932200

Machine Quilting Techniques

Learn machine quilting on you domestic sewing machine. Walking foot and free motion techniques.

Dates are to be advised.

Southern Cross Needlework

Sabrina (Star Sampler) Block of the Month

An original design by Leanne of Mount Vincent Quilts

Come and join me in the lovely Hunter Valley to make this beautiful sampler.

It consists of 13 Irish Chain blocks, 6 different Star blocks and Pieced borders.

For details please contact Rhonda at Southern Cross Needlework (02)49366600 or email me at mtvincentquilts@yahoo.com

Foundation Piecing- New York Beauty Quilt
An original design by Leanne of Mount Vincent Quilts

Learn the technique of Foundation Piecing with this fun and funky little quilt. Techniques include paper foundation piecing and using templates to create your own New York Beauty quilt.

For details please contact Rhonda at Southern Cross Needlework (02)49366600 or email me at mtvincentquilts@yahoo.com

Basic Sewing

I have been a dressmaker for approx 20 yrs. I will be teaching Basic Sewing techniques, pattern reading, machine maintenance and know your machine.

Each month we will have a different project/garment to show different techniques.

For details please contact Rhonda at Southern Cross Needlework (02)49366600 or email me at mtvincentquilts@yahoo.com

WOW!! what a fantastic year.....

I hope you can come and join me in all the activity and get those creative juices flowing....

Leanne xo

2012-01-01T00:16:00.000+11:00

Happy New Year- 2012

From our Family to Yours

may all your dreams come true in 2012

Happy New Year

The Harvey Family xo

Little Bunny Ears....

2011-12-31T11:54:00.000+11:00

I have been sewing like crazy to get this quilt done for a magazine deadline. It's confidential but I can show you the offcuts...

Lots of little Ruby bunny ears..... there is more where they came from

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

A family Christmas....

2011-12-28T17:14:00.000+11:00

What a fabulous 5 days we have just spent with family.

We 5 headed to Collaroy to my Sister, Monique's, place for Christmas. There were cousins galore.

5 Boys waiting patiently for presents....

Ethan....

Oscar....

Archer....

Mum and Monique were surprised with a quilt each from me. Neither of them knew about it so it was fun to see them so excited when they unwrapped them.

Mum very excited about her new quilt.....

Monique LOVES her quilt soooo much....

All the boys were so excited. There was wrapping paper flying everywhere.

We had 29 for Christmas lunch. Monique and I were chef's extraordinaire.

The lamb and pork were in the oven early, Elise & Ben cooked the ham and Ben & Chris brought the turkey. Vegetables were bountiful. Roasted potatoes, sweet potato, pumpkin, greens& carrots, all the homemade gravies and condiments. Then to top it all off I made the best pudding I have ever made. Teamed with ice-cream, custard, whipped cream or all of the above.

Our HUGE Christmas table...

Yummmm....

Even yummier.......

Oh Wow... were we all stuffed full....

There was so much laughter that the neighbours must have thought we were crazy.

It's so nice to spend time with our family. As the kids are getting older they are getting on fantastically. They all spent the day playing together, scooting & playing totem tennis. They are all really good kids.

Well that was our crazy Christmas, I hope yours was just as much fun as ours.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year...

Leanne xo

This Month....

2011-12-21T00:22:00.000+11:00

This month has been all go around here. Earthworks to tidy the place up and also for the pool. Although the pool has been a bit slow going due to the enormous amount of rain we have been having.

We went to a family reunion at my Aunty Judiths place. It was great to see all my Uncles & Aunties. Some of my cousins were there too. We promised to stay in contact from now on....

Uncle Brian in his train shed

Oscar in Uncle Brians train shed. I used to come to the train shed when I was just a child. It is so much fun driving the model trains through the tiny towns....

Archer playing trains too....

Time with our oldest friends. All the kids get on so great. We hadn't seen them for so long. Catching up is always full of laughing and doing crazy stuff. The "Dads" rigged up the dodgiest flying fox/zip line and sent the kids flying down it. Just call me when someone needs a ride to the hospital.... They had a ball...

My middle boy Oscar has just finished year 6 and is heading off to High School next year. When did THAT happen!!!!

Just before they finished up the Year 6 boys entered the Hunter / Newcastle Engineering Challenge. They had to design a mini catapult at school. On the day of the challenge they had to demonstrate the distance and accuracy of their mini catapult. In the overall point score the Mulbring Mangoes WON!!! We couldn't believe it. Out of 49 entries our little school with only 6 Year 6 boys won the day....

To celebrate the end of Year 6 their teacher organised to play laser tag. What a fantastic time they had. Look how grown up they all are.....

The only thing left was Presentation Day at school.

Oscar was presented with DUX of the school. That is the award of all awards. Boy are we very proud parents!!!!!

Congratulations Oscar!!

Amongst all the socialising I have also had to get the last of this years customer quilts out the door before xmas.

This is quite a big quilt. It was made by Lee for her son's 50th birthday. I custom quilted it. In the setting triangles I free- motioned a swag of gum leaves and the rest of the blocks were stippled. each border had a different continuous pattern in it.

Lee really loved it....

This cute little guy is the last thing I need to finish before Xmas. It is for my nephew Remi. He absolutely love pirates. I am making it into a cushion for his room...

Now you can see why I've been slack with my blog. This time of year is just nuts. It's fun catching up with everyone and watching my kids achieve well at school. The Xmas break will be nice to relax for a few days with the family....

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

Crazy Busy....

2011-11-30T22:24:00.000+11:00

It's all go around here at the moment. Paul has been preping the yard for our new pool, other earthworks to tidy the place up have been underway and then the rain arrived. OH what a mess. We are lucky that it dries out pretty quick.

On the sewing front it's been a bit slow this week. I have had a virus that causes extreme vertigo. I felt so dizzy, and I couldn't be upright for too long. It was horrible. It's getting better each day.

Before I got sick I had been working on samples for next years workshops that I am doing at the shop.

Here's a little taste of what I'll be doing.

These 2 blocks are part of an improv wonky sampler that I'm designing.

There is also a couple of quilts in the works for magazines that I would love to show you but unfortunatley you'll have to wait til they are published.

I should be back at the long arm tomorrow getting the last of the customer quilts out the door well before Chrissy.

I'm linking up at Freshly Pieced for Wip Wednesday...

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

She Loved the Quilt...

2011-11-30T10:23:00.000+11:00

Yesterday was my niece, Charlottes, 16th birthday. I gave her the quilt I made for her and she was so excited. Apparently in the days leading up to her birthday she had mentioned to a few people that she was hoping for a quilt from her Aunty Leanne. You could say I made her wishes come true. She didn't even know I was making it!

Happy Birthday Char....

Love Aunty Leanne xo

2011-11-17T11:36:00.002+11:00

Not much to talk about this week. I have just been getting stuff done. Above is the quilt for my Niece, it's quilted and just needs to be bound. I machine quilted it in a swirl pattern.

A close up of the quilting. This is a really fun and quick design to quilt. Of course it is easy for me quilting on Dudley the longarm....

The back of the quilt. It really shows up the swirl quilting. Purple is my Nieces favoutite colour, so this wideback was perfect for her.

This is a little something for my Mum for Xmas. It is made from Loulouthi by Anna Maria Horner. My Sister sent a bundle home to me so I could make this for Mum. It is actually already together but I haven't taken a photo yet. More of this to come soon....

I am linked up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced... go check it out...

Keepin' on Quiltin'

Leanne xo

Wot up! Wednesday......

2011-11-09T18:04:00.000+11:00

I have been so slack with my blog. Sorry if you have been checking in to find the same old thing.

I have been really busy. So busy, in fact, that I have only had time to get on the computer to check & send emails.

I have been crazily machine quilting, writing patterns, doing samples, making a birthday quilt for my niece and setting my calender for classes/workshops next year. Not to mention the start of Xmas shopping!!

Below is some photos of what I have been up to....

Jan's yummy little quilt that I machine quilted with the giant paisley....

Giant Paisley...

This bundle is going into a quilt for a magazine.....

A birthday quilt for my niece's 16th .... Quilt top done, now I have to quilt it...

Better get back to it. I am linking up over at Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday...

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

Ruby & Some Feathers....

2011-10-20T16:59:00.000+11:00

Look who's come to live at my house......

Ruby by Bonnie & Camille

I just love it soooo much. It's a perfect companion for Bliss....

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Today I have been doing some custom quilting. The quilt is another doilie quilt but this one has some great borders to do some pretty stitching in.

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There hasn't been much personal stitching going on but I do a little bit every chance I get, like when the dinner is cooking and I have 2 minutes. It's amazing how much you can get done with lots of 2 minute spurts. I am fortunate that I have my machine set up all the time so I can just jump on.

(oops, this photo is a bit blurry...)

These fabrics have been cut into 10 inch blocks to go into a quilt for my niece for her 16th birthday. I have had the fabric for her for 3 yrs so I thought I had better get it done before she can vote.... ha...

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I got the binding on this quilt. It is being raffled at the moment for a beautiful family that our Modern Quilt Guild has been doing some fundraising for. We are having a Sew-A-Thon on Sat Oct 29. It should be a great day with lots of prizes & games and also as much sewing you can fit into about 12 hrs. Maybe we should get a massage therapist to come along, some of us may need it by the end of the day.

Hope you are having fun whatever you are up to..

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

So Busy.....

2011-10-13T13:01:00.001+11:00

Soooo busy....

I have been machine quilting non stop for the last 2 weeks. It's not a bad thing and I love doing it but it's hard to be working at home and being able to see everything else that needs to be done.

Oh well, i guess the house work will be there no matter what... So on to what's important...

I have finished a quilt for my bed. It's really nice and Paul really likes it...

Sarah's quilt. It is massive and took 2 days to quilt. Although we did have a blackout at the end of the first day I was quilting so I didn't get as much done as I could have....

A nice all over leaf pattern....

The weekend saw Australia's favoutite car race, Bathurst, on the TV. Paul parked his butt on the couch for 2 days to watch it. This gave me time to catch up on some Farmers Wife blocks. I love doing them. I have heaps already cut out so I can just sit and sew them up when I get a chance...

Saturday was also Paul's birthday so I made his favourite, carrot cake, for him. It was so yummy!!!

I'm busy but that's good.

I'm linked up over at Freshly Pieced.

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

A Helping Hand....(Machine Quilting)

2011-10-04T18:24:00.000+11:00

The quilt I'm helping my friend with is almost done... It is all pieced, quilted and ready to bind. I can't show you the front but I have permission to show the back....

It's a great quilt, but you'll have to wait til March to see the front...

I love light quilting on a dark background. It looks really classy...

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

Charity Quilt.....(Machine Quilting)

2011-10-01T15:17:00.000+10:00

I have had a hugely busy week.... Most of it was spent custom quilting the Guilds charity quilt.

I am so pleased with how it turned out. It was worth the extra day it took, I love it....

Feathered background and scrolls on the kaleidoscopes

The person who wins this is going to be very lucky.

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

Fun, Fabric & Friends......

2011-09-28T17:30:00.002+10:00

Last Thurs I attended our monthly Central Coast Modern Quilt Guild meeting. We have been making a quilt to raffle for a very special little girl and her family. We are having a sew-a-thon on Oct Sat 29, to raise as much money as we can and the raffle will be drawn that day.

The quilt top is together and I am now custom quilting. It looks fab !!!

Kaleidoscope Quilt.....

Yummy Quilting.........

( just noticed in the photo that a bit of stitching is missing. Turns out the bobbin must have just run out. )

To continue the guild theme, on Saturday some of our guild members headed off up the Pacific Hwy on a bus trip to visit Belmont Patchwork Heart, round the lake to Patchwork By the Lake at Boolaroo and over the mountain range to Harrigans Pub in the vineyards for lunch. We had an absolutely fabulous day!!

Hand over that cash Jane.......

Rhonda, Josie, Yagoda & Jane enjoying a cuppa...........

A shopping frenzy.........

Beautiful new growth vines..........

Lunch was awesome..........

Last stop, the chocolate shop.............

I have also been real busy doing my good deed for the year helping out a friend. She has a special project due for a magazine that I have been helping with as she is unwell. Shhh, it's a secret. It wont be published til next March so you'll have to wait til then to see it. Feel better soon B :-)

I'm linked up with WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced.

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

Bits & Pieces........

2011-09-22T16:21:00.001+10:00

I've had a busy week. Mostly custom quilting a clients doily quilt. It's all stictch in the ditch and around the edges of the doilies. I was going to do some freehand on the borders but I thought it would take it away from the doily blocks. It should be finished tomorrow. Phew...

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I finished Oscars dinosaur quilt top. The back is pretty special too.

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I've had these little scraps for a few years now and they were screaming out to be together as a cushion. So here it is.

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Here is a little quilt that I did years ago for a competition for Spotlight. I did really well but I didn't win. Boo...

It is foundation pieced and has been hanging in the shop for the last 3 years. It came home last week and now it will be in a special place on the wall in my sewing space.

Hope you are all getting things done

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

I Finally Started.....

2011-09-15T10:21:00.000+10:00

I have finally started my Farmers Wife Quilt blocks. I just couldn't decide which way to go with it. The thought of templates made me cringe, I love foundation piecing, but a whole quilt??. So as I got started I found it was easy to work out the rotary cutting sizes. Just a few minutes of actual thinking and I was on my way. I couldn't stop. I did 6 in the first day. So I will be doing a combination of rotary cutting and foundation piecing for the harder ones. I have started at number 1 and will continue going up the numbers not missing any ( that's what I say now, only 7 into it, ha)

Attic Windows

Autumn Tints

Basket ( still got to put the handle, so it's just a bowl at the moment)

Basket Weave

Bat Wing

Big Dipper

Birds in the Air

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I also got a start on getting some quilts from last weeks list finished.

I quilted this queen size quilt in an oversize paisley. I just love it. This is the only quilt that my Husband has asked if it is going on our bed. Lucky for me the answer was "Yes". He really likes it. It was suppose to be for winter so it won't be on the bed for too long but I guess there's many more winters to come so I don't feel to guilty that it wasn't done for this year.

Hope you all are getting things done on your list....

I am linking up over at Freshly Pieced. This is where I got inspiration for the Farmers Wife Quilt.

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

WIP Wednesday..... a day late...

2011-09-08T11:41:00.001+10:00

I spent yesterday (Wed) getting swap blocks done. I am late with two and early with two. I hope they all like them. Everytime I do swap blocks I want to make a whole quilt out of each block design. I know I never will, but for just a second it's a good idea.

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I have been doing WIP wednesday for a while now and I have never really fessed up on my real number of WIP's/UFO's. And don't even get me started on projects waiting to be started.

So here goes:

Ongoing Projects

Picnics & Fairgrounds Dresden Plate

Oscar's Dinosaur Quilt

Plume strip pieced diamond quilt- currently being unpicked

Crochet Granny Squares

No Progress or Waiting for Inspiration

Blue & Yellow Dresden Plate - started 7 yrs ago

Angel Embroideries - started 8 yrs ago. Embroideries are done, just waiting for fabric to finish the quilt

Pink HST quilt - started 6 yrs ago. Waiting for inspiration

Scrappy Jacobs Ladder- started 2 yrs ago

Paper pieced Grandmothers Flower Garden - Queen size and just the half flowers to go down the sides.

Paper pieced Diamonds and Hexagons - beautiful antiquey fabric. Usually my camping project but we haven't been camping for 18 mths.

Quilt Tops Waiting to be Quilted - 5 ( I won't even go into that) one is on the frame now!!yay!!

So there you have it!! All confessed up and ready to move on. Wow that was better than therapy. My mind is now uncluttered and I can move on

I am linked up over at Freshly Pieced. Go over and get some inspiation. I know I have to with all those quilts in my cupboard.

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

WIP Wednesday.....

2011-08-31T16:55:00.000+10:00

Again? Already??

Far out the weeks go by so fast. I feel like I'm a salmon swimming up stream. Doing heaps of work and getting nowhere.

In the last week I have quilted 3 customer quilts

Put together all my dresden wedges

Almost got Oscars dino quilt together

Made a start on the Farmers Wife Sampler.

I found a yahoo group were they have all the foundation piecing papers to print out. Beats all those templates!!!

Made a start on getting curtains on the windows. I'm really sick of the $2 fabric thats hanging over the windows at the moment.

Been to our Modern Quilt Guild were we almost got the blocks for 2 quilt tops for charity done.

Wowzers.... when I right it down I have been a busy beaver....

I am linking up with the WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced. Go over and get a hit of inspiration...

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

WIP Wednesday.....

2011-08-17T08:36:00.002+10:00

This week I have just been trying to finish what I have started.

My Dresden Plate pieces are being ironed. It's taken so long to get these done. Maybe I was a bit ambitous. It will be lovely when it's done.

Almost all ironed......

Oscars Dino quilt.

All the stack n slash blocks are done,I just need to put this one together.

This is the panel I started with.....

These are the blocks I made to go with the panel.....

Ive' been cutting some blocks for a charity quilt we are making through our Modern Quilt Guild. I only have to cut the white and it's all ready for members to sew up the blocks.

That's what I've been up to. Go over to Freshly Pieced and check out what others are up to on WIP Wednesday.

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

A Custom Finish...

2011-08-16T17:07:00.000+10:00

This poor quilt or should I say the poor owner of the quilt has waited so long for this to be done. Finally it's finished. The photos aren't the best because the sun was too bright. I'm not complaining, at least the rain has gone....

A close up of a border.....

The beautiful peakcock centre.....

You can see that I stitched in the ditch. The back always looks great...

A close up of the outside border on the back...

Hope you enjoyed looking. On to the next.....

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

WIP Wednesday.....

2011-08-11T13:14:00.000+10:00

Here we are again, Wednesday...

I missed last weeks WIP because I wasn't well and didn't do too much of anything.

This week however, has been a different story.

I have a customer quilt loaded that I am doing custom quilting on. I have stitched all the seams in the ditch and now I'm onto the freehand quilting. I am really enjoying it.

The quilt has beautiful embroidered birds....

Freehand swirls on a spine...

For my personal sewing I thought I had better get Oscars dinosaur quilt underway. I promised it to him last year.

It's a printed panel with dinosaurs on it and I am doing stack'n'slash blocks to go around it.

Stack'n'slash is always fun and easy....

On these cold wintery nights it's nice to snuggle down with some yarn and crochet some granny squares. The only trouble with it is the squares are never big enough to make me warm. lol. I'm getting lots done. I want it to be quite big so I'll be going on it for a while I think.

Hope you are having fun with whatever you are doing.

I have linked up over a Freshly Pieced. Go over and check out all the inspirational blogs.

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

Oscar is 12

2011-08-03T12:46:00.000+10:00

My middle boy, Oscar, is 12. Gee that time went fast. He goes to high school next year. Nooo he can't be that old.

He was such a cute little baby. He had the biggest blue eyes and didn't complain too much.

Nothing has changed really. He still has gorgeous big blue eyes and he's a good boy (most of the time)

Happy Birthday My Middle Boy

Luv Mum xo

WIP Wednesday.....

2011-07-28T15:13:00.000+10:00

I love joining up with the WIP Wednesday. It makes me try and get stuff done so I can post about it. Being winter here, it's had to get into a (warm)groove. Since the boys have gone back to school after the holidays I have not felt like sewing. I have to quilt because I have customers, but I wouldn't if I didn't have to.

So today I made an effort. I had some swap blocks that are due now so I got stuck into it. I think it's because the sun is finally out. I threw the house open, hung the sofa quilts on the line in the sun and got some sewing done.

One swap block done

Another cut ready to go

Last week I found the Farmers Wife Sampler book at a gorgeous store,Calico & Ivy, in Balmain. I couldn't just leave it there. I have this beautiful fat pack of Oasis. Perfect combo. Can't wait to start it.

I am linking up over at Freshly Pieced. Go and check it out

Happy Quilting

Leanne

Sorry for the Absence.....

2011-07-22T15:07:00.000+10:00

Sorry I haven't been posting. We have just got back from a holiday to Melbourne and we were straight back into school and work.

A little of what I have been doing.

I picked up my crochet hook again and with some really nice yarn I am having fun with granny squares with a twist.

I will post about our holiday soon.

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

WIP Wednesday...

2011-07-06T21:50:00.001+10:00

It's been a strange couple of days. My boys have gone to stay with Ma & Pa for a couple of days and I've been bangin' around here all by myself. As I am on "holidays" I thought I would put one of my quilts on the frame and do some whimsical custom quilting. I would have done a customer one but I'm waiting on a thread delivery.

This quilt is made from Heather Bailey fabrics. It is so fresh.

I left the whirlygigs with no quilting. I only quilted the background......

The other project I have done a bit on this week is my dresden plate. There are 500+ wedges that were sewn and turned through. Next up is the pressing. I'm putting that off. I should just do 20 at a time and it won't hurt my back so much...

I'm linking up with WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced. Go on over and see what everyone else is up to...

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

Sydney Craft & Quilt Show...

2011-06-24T19:43:00.001+10:00

Today myself & the lovely Rhonda went, Thelma & Louise style, down the Freeway to the big smoke to ~~spend some money~~ get some inspiration from the Sydney Craft & Quilt Show.

Just a small section of the Show...

We met my Sister Monique and her friend Liz there. Just long enough to say our hellos and we were all off in different directions to go and stalk our favourites.

I went this year with the intention of finding gadgets and the mission of not buying any fabric... I succeeded!! No fabric!! It's a miracle!!

I found some great templates from Kim Bradley to use as a design base on my long arm.

A few packets of machine needles.

A top pattern.

A bag clasp. My sister bought the bag pattern for us both to use.

A book of blocks.

A huge roll of jersey knit yarn and a giant crochet hook to make a bag from. I know, sounds weird but it looks awesome.

I joined the NSW Quilt Guild. It's only taken me about 10 years to finally get around to it. The ladies were all lovely and I can't wait to get started on the teacher accreditation course.

As I was walking along I noticed a quilt that looked familiar to me. Then I realised that I had quilted it for Ally in January. It is in this months Down Under Quilts Magazine. I did a little excited squeal and Monique didn't know what was happening.

Such a lovely bright quilt and the quilting is pretty good too... haha...

The Quilt Show was bigger this year. There were a few quilts that really inspired me. My friend Jan won third prize in the Traditional (Professional) category with her beautiful Wholecloth quilt. I'm so happy for her!!

I found myself really studying the quilts that were professionally machine quilted. I took lots of photos for inspiration.

This one was my favourite.

\

For the first time there was a workshop area where they were screen printing. It was Louise Snook from WA. I loved it!! The fabrics looked fantastic. It made me want to go home and print some fabric.

Yummy hand printed fabrics...

This was the last photo I took as we headed out the door. Rhonda and I stayed til almost the end. It was another great Sydney show.

Now we just had to get home through all that Friday evening traffic....

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

Archie is Seven....

2011-06-23T21:35:00.001+10:00

I can't believe my little Archer is Seven.

Going for a ride with Daddy in his Cobra...

He had a great day. He took cupcakes to school to share with his class. When we arrived at school all his friends were waiting for him and they burst into the "Happy Birthday" song. It was so cute. His friends love him so much.

When he got home it was pressie time. He got lots of fun things. Transformers, Lego, Cars 2. All his favourites.

Lots of cool presents...

He asked to have a fire and marshmallows. Yuuummmm...

Getting the fire going with wet wood...

Toasting marshmallows...Yum...

We still have a whole weekend of fun planned.....

Happy Birthday my Little Man...

Love Mummy, Daddy, Ethan & Oz xoxo

WIP Wednesday....

2011-06-22T19:56:00.011+10:00

That week went sooo fast...

I have done tonnes this week but I only took the one photo. So here it is...

My Picnics & Fairgrounds Dresden Plate.

Also...

I finished my Sweet Nothings QAYG.

Started a dinosaur quilt for Oscar (promised to him 2 yrs ago)

Made a scarf from Loulouthi to wear to the show on Friday

Quilted 2 customer quilts

Cleaned out all the crap from my sewing room. I chucked heaps and gave away some stuff too. It always feels good to have a big clean out...

So there you have it. My creative week in a paragraph.

I have linked up to WiP Wedneday over at Freshly Pieced. Go over and check out what all the other creative people are up to...

Hope you had creative week too...

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

WIP Wednesday.........

2011-06-15T21:46:00.000+10:00

I am joining up with the WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced.

What am I up to ........

This is my Sweet Nothings by Riley Blake QAYG. I only have to bind it.

These are my yummy Denyse Schmidt Picnics & Fairgrounds fabrics. I am doing Dresden Plates with them. They are all cut and I've started stitching.

Hope you are all getting some fun stuff done too....

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

The Gully's are Runnin'...........

2011-06-15T21:26:00.001+10:00

OH,THE RAIN...

The view from the verandah.......

This is the most rain we have seen in years. Our road has just gone under and the normally dry gully's on both sides of our property are a raging torrent. It seams such a waste. All this water just heading down stream. I'm sure in a few years we will have a drought again and we will be wishing we had it all back. That's Australia for you. The land of extremes...

Love my pink gumboots........

The sound of the rushing water is incredible..........

The water running into the gully in the right of this photo is our neighbours dam bursting it's banks. This dam was quite low before the 3 weeks of solid rain.

We call this area "The Grove". It's my favourite spot on our property.It has never had this much water in it...

Another shot of "The Grove"

Leanne xo

All Good Intentions..........

2011-06-14T15:27:00.000+10:00

I can't believe how fast time goes. I know I've said it a couple of times, but where does it go ??

Last week I had all good intentions to do 3 posts in the week and here we are 1 1/2 weeks later and nothing.

It's not like I'm doing nothing. I have done heaps of customer quilts, finished Ethan's quilt and been getting a wriggle on on a couple of other WIP's.

Here's a little of what I've been up to....

Nolene's beautiful flannel quilt........

I quilted it with a double rose panto.........

Kerrie's very large quilt for her friend.......

My new favourite swirl panto..........

Ethan's quilt......... (Oscar holding it)

He wanted an oceany panto.........

Bound in a very masculine stripe.....

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

Look at Loulouthi.......

2011-06-13T15:39:00.001+10:00

This scrumptious little bundle of Loulouthi by Anna Maria Horner arrived the other day. It's so yummy. I think I might need more of some of the prints.

I got enough of this to make a skirt. It must be really nice because, as you who know me will know, I don't wear skirts/dresses. I'm a little excited about this one. I have worked out about 3 different outfits around it. Now I just have to make it. I know it will only take about an hour, I've just got to do it...

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

Walking With Dinosaurs.........

2011-06-05T21:18:00.001+10:00

Today we took the boys to the Arena Spectacular- Walking With Dinosaurs.

We didn't tell them we were going. We told them we were going to look for a new lounge. When we arrived at Newcastle Showground/Entertainment Centre they were a bit confused. Ethan had already worked it out but when Oscar & Archer saw the signs they yelled & jumped with joy.

Definitely the best surprise for them in quite a while.

Our little Dino boys...

We took our seats not really knowing what to expect.

Paul, Archer & Oscar.......

Myself & Ethan.. don't you just love self portraits.... NO!

It was Fabulous...

We were totally engrossed. It felt like we were watching a man go 160 million years into the past.

I laughed, I was amazed, I cried. ( at the end when the comet destroyed them) I had my Oscar, who would love to be a paleontologist, whispering facts in my ear about 2 minutes before the narrator told everyone else. I couldn't believe he knew so much, and everything he told me was correct!

I couldn't get good photos as it was really dark but I did get some good video footage (naughty I know)

Sorry it's blurry, but you get the idea....

The colours were amazing and the sound was booming...

I loved the blow up vegetation...

I would totally recommend this to anyone that has the chance to see it.

Leanne xo

Guild Dyeing Day.....

2011-06-02T20:10:00.001+10:00

Today we had Wendy Scott, who is a fantastic Textiles teacher, come to the guild to do fabric dyeing with a small group of us. It was an awesome day.

Look at the concentration here....

Jan & Rhonda, We've got colour on fabric.......

We used the 3 primary colours to mix the colours we wanted and poured it over our fabric. A total of 3 mtrs was dyed.

Blending dyes and a little rock salt for effect.......

Stenciling with dye in a thickening medium.... beautiful work Lyn..

We all went home wanting more.

Some of our creations.......

Once home I still had to rinse a lot of my fabric out. It's so much fun when you undo all the tying and rubber bands to reveal the design on the fabric.

Me in the paddock rinsing out dye.....

On the line.... waiting, waiting....

My beautiful finished creations. Not one of them is the same design.....

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

A Lesson Learned...

2011-06-01T20:19:00.005+10:00

Recently off the quilting frame.

I quilted this for one of my neighbours a couple of weeks ago. When it came to me I suggested quilting but was asked not to quilt in the fans. When I gave it back to her I was unhappy with it and really wanted to do more quilting on it.

After about 2 days I got the phone call I was expecting." Hi Leanne, Do you mind doing some more quilting on this quilt for me." I was glad to be doing it and it feels like I have done a complete job. She was very apologetic and said that she will listen to me next time I suggest what quilting should be done.

A lesson learn by both my neighbour and myself...

Swirls in the sashings.......

Stippled background, swirls in the fans & ditch stitched around the photos on the inside of the fans...

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

Catching Up..........

2011-05-21T20:25:00.001+10:00

I've been quite busy quilting and all the little things that go on around here.

This one I quilted was for Rebecca @ Chasing Cottons. Bec put it in the Bloggers Quilt Festival for all to see. I was really happy how it turned out and Bec loved it!!

Here it is hanging on my clothes line.........

Close up of the paisley all over quilting......

I love this paisley pattern.......

I finished another couple of quilts this week but I forgot to take photos. One was an all over and the other was a custom for one of our neighbours.

..................................................................

We had the boys sport carnival this week. I had to take my one day a week at the shop off to go with them. Don't get me wrong, I love to go to the carnival but I also love going to the shop to have my one girly day a week. I really miss it when I don't go. Anyway, it was a beautiful Autumn day and the kids had a ball.

Archer in mid stride......

Oscar with a happy face on.........

Such a cute little school. All the kids are well behaved. These are just the infants having a great day.

.................................................................

Last weekend we headed to Sydney for a couple of events. Firstly, I was going to High Tea for my Mum & her twin Sister's birthday with my Sister, Cousins & Aunty. Unfortunately my Aunty became ill and couldn't make it and one of my cousins pulled out too. Not to worry, the four of us had a fab time. We went to Newport to a lovely little restaurant and talked and laughed for hours. The restaurant manager had to ask us to wind things up because he needed the table and it looked like we were set in for the evening. The food was really yum and the tea was very aromatic. I don't drink tea so a glass of bubbly went down well. Thanks to my family for a wonderful day.

Myself & cousin Elise

My Sister Monique & Mum

Yummy little treats........

The tea was served in vintage china..........

Scones always go down a treat............

Secondly, Sunday saw us celebrating 3 of the kids birthdays at my Uncle Dave's boatshed at The Dingle (long story). It's always fun when all the boys(9) & 1 girl are together. Lots of catching up and laughter and the boys on their scooters. It was a fun day....

Thomas turned 3........

Layla turned 2.........

Remi turned 3...........

.................................................................

The last couple of weeks I have been trying to be super organised. It's going great. I have been meal planning and just that alone seams to help with the rest of the day. I have found that I have an extra hour after dinner and washing up so I have been able to hit the sewing room and get some UFO's/WIP's out of the cupboard. It's amazing what you can get done in an hour. Next I need to get some of the quilt tops quilted.......

Hope you are getting some things done too..

Happy Quilting

Leanne

Bloggers Quilt Festival

2011-05-15T19:10:00.001+10:00

I am joining in the Bloggers Quilt Festival that is being held by Amy .

The quilt I am sharing is my recently finished "Candy Shoppe".

It's quite a large single quilt measuring 66"x 90"

It is made with a jelly roll of Hushabye by Tula Pink and is teamed with four co-ordinating solids. It is a simple design and is jazzed up with custom quilting that I have done on my Longarm. For the binding I used a pink and brown stripe that gave it the final "Candy Shoppe" look.

I am really happy with how this turned out. As a Mum of 3 boys, anything pink and pretty is very special to me. The colours remind me of mashmallows, mints & chocolate. The perfect candy shop fair.

Thanks for looking at my pretty quilt and Thanks to Amy for her hard work to let us all share our passion.

Now I'm going to have a look at all the other beauties that have joined in the festival.

Happy Quilting

Leanne

Mother's Day.......

2011-05-08T21:03:00.000+10:00

Happy Mothers Day to all you Mothers out there.
Hope you had a great day....

My day started with breakie at the Golden Arches Restaurant (McDonalds). Last of the big spenders.lol
Next, off to the cemetery to put flowers on my MIL's grave. It's always sad for Paul. He lost his Mum way too soon and Mothers Day just doesn't sit too well with us.
Then, we came home and I got to do what I love the most. SEW...YAY...

I cut out some more of the quilt I was working on at Guild yesterday and then I got some rows together on a WIP. It always feels good to see quilts coming to the end. I usually get bored and start something else when all the easy bits are done and I have all these half done quilts everywhere. I try to tell myself to" finish what you started " but I just can't help myself.
Anyhow, enough of that.
My darling Hubby made a yummy dinner for us and I even sewed after dinner, which is very unusual at my place.

My 3 ferrets

Happy Quilting

Leanne

Fun with Monica Poole.........

2011-05-08T20:45:00.001+10:00

.............at Guild on Saturday. It's The Central Coast Modern Quilt Guild.

Monica Poole of Moonshine Designs, came and we did her new QAYG sampler. She showed us 5 different techniques to quilt a quilt as you go.

We had a fabulous day. Everyone watched with eagerness as she guided us through. At times you could have heard a pin drop.

Everyone ready & keen to start

Heads down & off we go

Monica giving us instruction

More instruction

All the finished samples

Shop staff having an after party pow wow

My finished sample. I am going to make the whole quilt........

Can't wait til next time,

Happy Quilting

Leanne

Look what arrived today...........

2011-05-06T21:26:00.001+10:00

Yes I got on the Denyse Schmidt bandwagon. It is coming to Australia (Spotlight) in the middle of this month but they wont be carrying the whole range.

I had to get it because I have all of her other ranges and who am I to break the chain? hehehe

****************************

On another note, tomorrow I am going to Guild. We have Monica Poole coming to do one of her new quilts with us. It's a new design that she is doing with us before it's released.

I am using this stack of beauties. It's Sweet Nothings by Riley Blake Designs.

Hope whatever you are doing this weekend is fun.

Happy Mothers Day

Happy Quilting

Leanne

In My Sewing Room.....

2011-05-05T18:27:00.001+10:00

.......I have been quilting lots of customer quilts.

One special one was for the lovely Robyn. I work with Robyn at the shop.

This little quilt is for her grandson.

Robyn asked for it to be custom quilted.

I wanted to make it a bit fun so I pebble quilted the background behind the gorgeous Zoo Babies embroideries. The sashings where done in a fern like pattern and the borders are lines 2 inches apart.

A close up of the detail.

There have been a few other quilts as well. They were all done with an all over design.

This one was made by Amanda with Central Park by Katie Spain.

I forgot to take photos of the others but there will be more .

I am doing a special quilt for Rebecca of Chasing Cottons. I'll be able to show you that soon.

Back to the Sewing Room....

Happy Quilting

Leanne

And The WINNER is......

2011-04-27T08:59:00.000+10:00

Firstly, thank you to everyone that entered this giveaway. It was very interesting to find out how many of you wash or not.

The general consensus is that most people do not wash and never intend to. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one.

For those who asked where to get the Colour Catchers from, I get them from the supermarket in the laundry section.

Secondly, a big welcome to all my new followers and thank you to those who have been here for a while.

Now to the WINNER of the beautiful fat 1/4 pack. It was chosen on Random Generator.

#302- Andi, who wrote

"I am waaaaay too lazy to pre-wash!! "

23/04/11 6:50AM

Congratulations to Andi !!

I would also like to thank Rebecca of Chasing Cottons for having me over to feature. It was fun.

Happy Quilting

Leanne

Quilt Class 101 Feature And A GIVEAWAY!!!!!

2011-04-20T20:16:00.001+10:00

I am being featured over on Rebecca's blog Chasing Cottons, on Friday, for her Quilt Class 101.
Thanks to Rebecca for having me over to share.
It's an honour...

To celebrate the event I am having a
GIVEAWAY !!! Yay!!!
Giveaway is now CLOSED

I have a Fat 1/4 pack of Melly & Me fabric. There are 15 fabrics of Where The Wind Blows.

Look at that bundle of yumminess....

To enter the Giveaway

1.Leave a comment on this post. Let me know if you Wash or Not??
( Referring to my post on Chasing Cottons on Friday)

2. For and "extra" entry join my blog as a Follower

This Giveaway is open to all. (overseas included)
Make sure you leave an email address so I can contact the winner...

The giveaway will be open until
Tuesday 26th April, 9pm.
(Australian Eastern Time)
Giveaway is now CLOSED
I will choose the winner with Random Generator and inform the winner on Wednesday Morning.
Hope you enjoyed my feature post and Good Luck on the Giveaway

Happy Quilting
Leanne

Just a Little Bit of Quilting....

2011-04-10T18:17:00.000+10:00

Friday afternoon I decided that I would put one of my own quilts up on the frame. Recently I have done heaps of customer quilts and I was feeling a bit left out.

I thought I might custom quilt it instead of just an all over.

This block reminds me of Peppermint Chocolate...Yummm

I am absolutely thrilled at how it turned out. I am exhausted and aching all over but it was totally worth it. It had to be off the frame for a customer one to go on Monday. I finished at 5pm today. So that's 12 hrs of quilting in 2 days. Phew!!

Pay no Attention to the messy house in the background. Something had to give....

The fabric is Hushabye by Tula Pink. I have a few quilts on the go in fabric by Tula. They are all so nice.

Happy Quilting

Leanne

A Lovely Weekend... (photo overload)

2011-04-03T22:37:00.000+10:00

The weather was so beautiful here over the weekend. We love to be home on the weekends. It's so peaceful.

The veiw of our property from the back boundry...

Today we had Oscars friend Brendan over to help make cupcakes for treat day at school tomorrow. They are raising money for the class trip to Canberra. They had so much fun. Archie just pigged out on the lollies and made himself feel ill.

Oscar (left) & Brendan

Today I finished a handbag that I started at the Retreat last week. I think that it will be a good one for Bag Club at the shop. I really like this pattern. I think I'll make a couple more.

While I was in my sewing space I started a quilt for someone special. It has taken me a couple of days to get my head around it, but now it's on track and shouldn't take too long to get done.

It was so beautiful outside so I took my camera out to see what I could find. There is so much texture in all things natural. I love dead trees. I always have. I aced photography at school for one of my dead tree photos. Here are a couple on our property.

I love this mushroom. It keeps growing back. All by itself in the paddock.

At the end of the day, a rare thing happened. A Wedged Tail Eagle landed in our giant dead tree. It was so big. The photos do it no justice.

Hope your weekend soared to great heights like mine.

Happy Quilting

Leanne

Busted !! Big TIme....

2011-04-02T22:19:00.003+11:00

I was looking through my stash for a project and my husband came over to see what I was doing. I thought nothing of it when he said " LEANNE!!, it's like a shop." " That's rediculous!" He was totally shocked at how much fabric was in the "small" cupboard. You should have seen his face when I opened the other two "big" cupboards. LOL...

The small cupboard with mostly pre-cuts

Colour coded blenders, backings and scraps in the tubs on the bottom shelf.

Customer quilts up top waiting to be quilted, one shelf of my quilts wait to be quilted, next, dress fabric.

What could I say? I was BUSTED....

To my credit, I haven't bought very much this year. Everything I have started has been from this stash. Guess I could warm a small country with this lot.

Does everyone elses other half know what they have stashed away or is it just mine who was clueless??

Happy Quilting

Leanne

All About Sewing- Retreat 2011

2011-03-30T23:47:00.000+11:00

The forecast was for rain.
Perfect for a weekend of sewing.
Most of the ladies arrived at Raffertys Resort on Friday afternoon. We had our machines set up even before we put our bags in our cottages.

There was excitement in the air.

A few ladies did a bit of sewing that night but it was mostly about catching up with friends. We had a yummy dinner at the Thai restaurant and then off for a good night sleep before a full day of sewing.

Saturday morning saw us up bright and early for a buffet breakfast ( can you see a pattern starting here ).

We tore ourselves away from the buffet and headed to the conference room.

The conference room

The Tuesday Girls

The Machine Embroidery Girls

Off sewing. There was two groups. The machine embroidery girls that had a set project to do. Then there were the general sewers. That was Jan, myself and the Tuesday girls, as we affectionately call them. Lots of laughs and chatting and a bit of sewing and all of a sudden it's morning tea. ( the pattern ). The day went so fast. There was trivia, which was loads of fun. Lots of different projects to be inspired by and ofcourse chatting about anything and everything. We accomplished a fair bit though.

Dinner!! What more can I say... I will be going back to this restaurant again. Al Lago for anyone that's interested. The food was divine. We were all so full from during the day ( morning tea then lunch then afternoon tea ). But we managed...

A couple of ~~bottles~~ glasses of wine later and the chatter was really flowing. (along with the wine) We didn't sew after the consumption of alcohol though. A few of us were up late just chatting and laughing into the night. (my cheeks were so sore from laughing).

A glass of Chardy in good company with Neptune by Tula Pink.

Sunday and no-one really wanted breakfast. We were still full from the day before. A piece of toast and straight into it. The machine embroidery girls finished their project the day before so it was just free sewing.

After lunch I was booked in for a massage. Oh!! it was so relaxing. I need to do it more often. I was so relaxed I couldn't sew anymore. The weekend was coming to an end.

All About Sewing - Retreat 2011

I had such a great time. We have already booked for next year.
Thanks to all the lovely ladies for their company .

Just enough energy for the obligatory crazy photo.

Happy Quilting
Leanne

I'm So Excited!!!!

2011-03-23T20:41:00.000+11:00

This weekend is "The Retreat". *Squeal*

A group of ladies from the shop where I work are spending the weekend together to sew , laugh, sew, swim, sew and my favourite, have a massage.!!

We are staying at Raffertys Resort, a beautiful place on the shores of Lake Macquarie.

I already have all my projects packed and ready to go. Suppose I should take some spare clothes. Ha.

I still have a bunch of quilting to get done before I go, so back to it.

Will be back Monday with photos

Happy Quilting

Leanne

Quiltin' up a Storm....

2011-03-07T14:52:00.000+11:00

Milly and I are back to work. All is good so far.

This is the back of the quilt I finished today.

I never liked using a contrasting thread on the back before. I had to with this quilt as the front needed to be off white. I think it looks fantastic...

Happy Quilting

Leanne

Shake the Blues Away.....

2011-03-05T11:29:00.000+11:00

I have successfully quilted one quilt!!! It looks like the bugs are out of Milly.
It really got me down. I tried to keep busy while she was out of action but I really missed not being able to quilt.
I feel much better now. I shook the blues away and am looking forward.
My husband,Paul, has been great. At first he was as angry as me that we had bought a dud. During the breakdown it was him that sorted out the problem and true to his style, he just fixed it. He is so clever and I wouldn't be up and going without him. So thank you my Love.

I did get lots of stitching done in the meantime. I have been working on a quilt that I will be submitting to a magazine.

Here's a little sneek peek.

It is made from Flower Sugar by Lecien. This fabric line is so beautiful. I can't wait to show it to you.

Back to quilting I go....

Happy Quilting

Leanne

Fingers Crossed....

2011-02-28T21:29:00.000+11:00

The part arrived.

I put it in.

I turned it on.

It started.

I quilted .....

YAY!!

Happy Quilting

Leanne

Boo Hoo.....

2011-02-22T17:38:00.000+11:00

My " brand new" quilting machine is broken!!! There is a computer malfunction and I am waiting on parts to arrive.
In the meantime, I have kept myself busy. I've put together all the blocks from the Guild. This quilt will be raffled at our local quilt show for charity. I have also started on a new quilt.

Guild raffle quilt

Lots of 4 patches

I hope to be back in action by the end of the week. The work is piling up.

Happy Quilting

Leanne

She's Here...

2011-02-16T12:33:00.000+11:00

My new Gammill "Milly" has arrived. I am so excited!! She is quite different to my old quilting machine.
I've been quilting up a storm. At the moment I'm still only doing edge to edge but it wont be long and my freehand quilting (semi-custom) will be up and running.

Milly ready to start her first quilt...

The first quilt done...

A little snippet ...

Happy Quilting
Leanne

It Looks LIke.....

2011-02-05T09:26:00.000+11:00

Looks like it's going to be a good weekend.
My old qulting machine has sold and the new one arrives tomorrow (Sun). Squeal!!
It's good to be me right now.
I have contacted some magazines to advertise in and it's not as expensive as I expected. So that will be a go. Hopefully in the next two months my little ad will be out there for the world to see. Yay..

I have done some quilting for Ally recently, her projects are going into magazines along with my details as the quilter. So it's all go around here at the moment.

The Central Coast Modern Quilt Guild is going full steam ahead. We have organised some workshops and a couple of bus trips. It's always fun when we get together.

Looks like it's going to be a good year.

Happy Quilting
Leanne

Still Waiting...

2011-02-03T13:00:00.000+11:00

"Oh No", was what I said when Kaye the Gammill dealer rang to tell me that she had made a mistake and my new Gammill Vision was not yet in the country. I have already dismantled my other machine so I can't quilt at the moment. Oh well, it's not like I have nothing to do. I have been working on a few new projects. That should keep me out of trouble.

Lots of whirlygig blocks to put together...

Some Soul Blossoms to cut into...

and Innocent Crush

It's very quiet with the boys back at school. It's nice to be alone to do the things I love to do.

Hope you have time to do some stitching or something else you love to do.

Happy Quilting

Leanne

~FOR SALE~ 1 Pre-loved Quilting Machine

2011-01-27T18:50:00.000+11:00

I am selling my trusty Design-a-Quilt mid arm quilting machine. It has served me well and the only reason it's going is because I have updated to a Gammil Quilting Machine. It arrives on Saturday. Yay!!
So hear it is:- For $2000.00 this is what you get...

I have had it for 8 years and it hasn't missed a beat. It has had regular servicing. It has a spare motor, a step down transformer ( this is because it originally came from the USA), a bobbin winder, heaps of bobbins, needles, 2 different feet, 4 large reels of quilting thread and I'll throw in some patterns.

The throat size is 11 inches. The table is 4 metres long and has a storage shelf, full length underneath. If it's too long, the table could be easily shortened to fit into your quilting space.

I have quilted quilts up to 3 metres in width and length. It has variable speed and a pointer to trace the pantographs (patterns).

I will be pulling it apart so my new machine can go up. I do have video that I took today of it running/quilting, so if you are interested please contact me. It is also listed on ebay.

Happy Quilting
Leanne

Happy Australia Day...

2011-01-26T09:17:00.000+11:00

Whatever you are up to today, have a great day.

We are having a BBQ with lamb burgers and lamingtons for later. All with the aircon on! Sooo HOT!!

Cheers
Leanne

The Quilt Is Sent....

2011-01-25T21:02:00.000+11:00

The Auction has finished and I have contacted the lovely Angela to let her know that she had the winning bid. She is so happy that she won it.
I was completely blown away to find out that Angela and her family had experienced the devastation at Toowoomba and Grantham first hand. They are all OK but devastation is all around them. Thank you Angela for your generous bidding and I'm sure you will love it forever.
I can't wait to see the grand total of all the auctions and raffles. At the mid way point, the total was already at $45000. That's a huge effort!! Well done to the crafting community and all those who supported the cause.

On the home front, there is only 1 week of holidays to go. I don't know about the boys but I am more than ready for school to start back. They have eaten us out of food, the house is always messy, the noise is constant and they are getting bored.

So bored they started doing dangerous things....

I started back quilting this week. I have a couple of quilts to get done before my new Gammil arrives. I'm starting to get excited now. It's only a couple of weeks away.
I have been doing a little bit of stitching and organising new things to start.

The beginnings of something new....

Happy Quilting
Leanne

Queensland Flood Appeal ~ Auction

2011-01-24T00:33:00.000+11:00

There is no time to waste !!!
Auction is CLOSED...
Thankyou to everyone who bid on my quilt.I will contact the winner Monday to sort out the details.

In conjunction with tonnes of other crafters out there I am participating in

I am Auctioning this little striped beauty.

The quilt is 100% cotton fabric,batting and thread.

It measures 42 inches x 59 inches and it is new and unused.

How this auction works:

Bidding will start at $50.00 ( Australian ), and all bids will be in AUD.
You can place a bid by leaving a comment on this blog post with your bid amount and email address. Please make sure that your bid is higher than the previous bidder.
You bid must be in whole dollar increments.
This auction is open to everyone, however $30 will be charged for International addresses. Postage is FREE for Australian residents.
This auction begins NOW and will END at 10pm on Sunday 23 January, 2011 ( AEST).
At the close of the auction, I will contact the winner (please make sure your bid comment includes your email address) . The winner will pay the winning amount directly into the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal and send me proof of payment via email. Once proof of payment has been recieved, I will post your quilt to you.
Good luck and thankyou for bidding

Thanks to Toni for organising this fundraising event.

From Monday 17 Jan you can find a master list of auctions at Make it Perfect. (Toni's blog). Do go and have a look, you may just find something you love.

Happy bidding and Thank you for your time.

Leanne

Relaxed...

2011-01-14T16:44:00.000+11:00

I have really taken time for myself these holidays. I am soooo relaxed I'm finding it hard to get back into the swing of things.

I have been doing some stitching and really enjoying it as I have no deadline for the things I'm doing.
I have been catching up on all my favourite mags from cover to cover. Spending time on my verandah just enjoying the view and watching the boys play their days away. The constant drown of the cicadas is almost meditative.

I hope you too can find some time out for yourself : )

Happy Quilting
Leanne

It's Just So Sad........

2011-01-11T23:27:00.001+11:00

Toni at Make it Perfect is putting together a list of bloggers who will be running auctions from their blogs. For more info click in the icon above.

I sit here in disbelief and shock at the horror that my fellow Australians in Queensland are going through. The rain has been falling for 19 days straight. The soaked land just can't cope with that amount of water. Towns that have been unindated with water 2 & 3 times in the last two weeks. Homes destroyed, crops lost, stock drowned. It just wont end. Then there's Tawoomba and all the towns down river. An inland tsunami!! who ever heard of such a thing. Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, will be under water just like 1974 ( the worst flood in history ) or worse.
I can only just begin to understand what they are going through. As a child, like many Australians who live in coastal areas or near rivers, we endured our fair share of floods. Water lapping at the floorboards, cars moved to higher ground, smelly water all around you.That was nothing compared to what these people are going through.
We have had news that everyone we know in the area is safe and dry and they will endevour to help those in immediate need around them.
I wish there was more we could do. I have made our families donation but it just doesn't feel enough.
Watching houses float away on TV, only to find out later that there was still people inside, has had me sobbing. I know it's not about me, but I just feel so sad for all these people.

Leanne : (

Holiday Season

2011-01-03T17:58:00.000+11:00

We have been having a wonderful Holiday Season. Christmas was a great time spent with family. My Hubby has had 10 days off work. Its always nice to have him home. He got himself a little gift before Xmas and he has been spending a lot of time with it

AC Cobra- Paul's new baby

Our Family

The Boys on Christmas morning

Our giant Xmas table full of family. 22 to be exact!

I have got a bit of stitching done but with Paul home we have done a lot of relaxing. Just what I needed after quite a hectic year.

Happy New Year and I hope you are enjoying the holiday season as much as us.

Happy Quilting

Leanne

I Have Finally Realised......

2010-12-19T15:53:00.000+11:00

... that I can't do everything.This year has been a huge learning curve for me. I have tried to have a finger in every pie. Machine quilting, pattern design, teaching, dance wear, President of the Central Coast Modern Quilt Guild . As well as all the stuff that goes with being a Mum and Wife and keeping a household going. I have finally realised that I can't do it all. So starting from NOW I am a Machine Quilter that teaches one day a week and I will have more time to be involved in the Guild and especially more time with the Boys. There, I've done it!! It's official!!

Now some exciting news to go with my revelation. I have purchased a new GAMMILL quilting machine. "Squeal". It's on the boat from the States right now. I should have it early Feb. I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself. I feel a bit sad that my old Design-a-Quilt will be going to a new home, but not that sad. It has served me well and given me the confidence to know that I can do this for a job. What a job hey. Doing something I love to do and being able to share it with other people.

Gammill Vision 18-8

This is my new baby. Her name will be Millie ( I know that's not very original but I like it )You will be able to send your quilts to me to be quilted. Over time I hope to be offering not only all over designs but a bit more custom as well. My blog will have all the info about my service. ( I will be updating it over the summer holidays)

Happy Quilting

Leanne

Red Sky At Night Shepards Delight............

2010-12-17T15:37:00.000+11:00

Some of the sunsets over our farm are just glorious.

This tree turns some amazing colours at different times of the year. It is the coolest dead tree. Even though it's dead it's full of life. There are so many bird nests in it and goannas sometimes climb it and hang out at the base of it. All different birds use it as a stop off to wherever they are going. Hawks perch up on it waiting for little mice to reveal where they are and then they silently swoop down to grab their bounty. Sometimes back into the tree to devour their catch.

Enjoy the Sunsets

Leanne

School Presentation Day

2010-12-15T15:31:00.000+11:00

I am so proud !!! Oscar received the top class award for the year. Talk about a big old baby. The tears were flowing. I'm a proud mumma..........

Cheers

Leanne

Cousins

2010-12-14T15:13:00.001+11:00

Paul's Sister Sheree and her son Sam came from Western Australia for a week or so. It was really great to catch up. We haven't seen them for a few years. Sam has grown so much. He and Charlotte ( another Cousin) came to stay the night. They all had fun out in the paddock doing archery and on the giant swings and the trampoline. All under the shade of our only big tree.

In the shade of the tree....

Ethan

Charlotte

Oscar

Sam

Archie

Cheers

Leanne

Block Swap and Charity Quilts

2010-12-13T15:02:00.000+11:00

This is a block I made for Bobbie in the monthly block swap I have joined. This is the second one I have done and I am just about to send out my Dec one. It's fun to do and it's nice to have something sent to you by someone you don't know from all parts of the country and the world.

These are the quilts made by the members of the Central Coast Modern Quilt Guild. They were made for a local Women's Refuge and Wyong Hospital Pediatric Unit. It was a great project and I am so proud of everyone who participated.

Happy Quilting
Leanne

They Wish They had a Pool

2010-12-12T14:53:00.001+11:00

With the weather warming up the boys are always wanting to get in the water. We live about an hour from the beach now so we can't just duck down for a swim. We live off tank water so getting under the sprinkler is just not going to happen. We would love to put in a pool and we probably will soon in the future but for now this is what they have resorted to.......

They are just so funny and make us laugh, a lot.

Cheers

Leanne

Off to Market.........

2010-11-19T20:13:00.000+11:00

Tomorrow myself and four others are on the early flight to Melbourne to attend Australian Quilt Market. I'm very excited!!!!

I'll fill you all in on the details when I get back.

Happy Quilting
Leanne

Oh My Goodness.............

2010-11-13T10:11:00.000+11:00

I didn't think I could possibly fit anything else into my day. Guess what? I can. My husband would beg to differ. He thinks I have just replaced housework with more exciting things to do.

My full work days at the shop have ended and I'm back to just 1 day teaching. I was just starting to get fast at putting dance costumes together and it's come to an end ( for another year)

I have finished a couple of quilts.

I am still doing costumes for Ethans school musical, Alice in Wonderland. They are almost done.

I am also making about 6 quilts to sell at a mini market my sister is holding at her place. It should be lots of fun. A bunch of Mum's from Luca's school are selling all handcrafted items. I can't wait to see what there is to buy. I have to get them finished by the end of the month.Ahhh................ I'm always biting off more than I can chew.

I also have about 6 customer quilts to get done before the second week in Dec. I don't think I will be sleeping for the next month.

Best get back to it

Happy Quilting
Leanne

Dug the Digger & Springtime........

2010-11-12T10:11:00.000+11:00

With all the work that has to be done around our little farm we thought we should get a machine of some sort to get it done. Rather than pay someone else to do it, Paul and the boys can have some bonding time on Dug. He is our new excavator. The only problem is that it has been raining ever since we got him 4 weeks ago.

I grew up around earthmoving machines and I can even drive/use them. My Dad had heaps of machine while I was young. Being the eldest of us four kids, I was the one he always took to work with him on Saturdays. I used to sit right beside my Dad, with my earmops(earmuffs) on. He used to let me drive when we were in a safe area.
Dad's can't do that anymore with all the OH&S. I guess that's a good thing for safety but not so good for Dad's and kids.
The boys have had a little go on Dug and they can't wait to help Paul with all the work he is going to do.

On another note, all the grevillea plants have just had a beautiful flush of flowers. The sound of the bees is so loud. The is also a smell of honey all around. There must be wild bee hives around somewhere.

Have a nice day
Cheers
Leanne

Block Swap Australia & V8's

2010-10-09T20:12:00.000+11:00

I have just joined my first block swap. It's fun to be meeting new people out there in the blogosphere and swapping our blocks. I look forward to receiving my first block from Larain.

Things have been kind of cruisey around here. I have been getting a bit of patching and quilting done but I haven't felt rushed like I normally do. I go back to work next week so things are bound to change. I also haven't done the costumes for Ethan's school musical yet. There aren't as many as I thought so I'm not rushing those either. Next thing I know it'll be a mad rush to get things finished. Oh well, I've had a nice break and I feel really chilled.

Tomorrow is Bathurst car race. The race that stops our household. Paul is a crazy Ford nut and we all have to watch the start of the race in complete silence. It's funny really. I am actually a closet hoon myself. I love the roar of the V8's going around the track. I think we might make the pilgrimage next year to "The Mountain". The boys have never camped the weekend at the track before. I think they are old enough to handle it now. It's alot different there now compared to the 80's when it was complete anarchy.
Tomorrow will be spent between the couch and a sewing machine of some description ( straight sewer or quilter)

Happy Quilting
Leanne

I'm Back!!!!

2010-10-04T15:08:00.000+11:00

Sorry it's been a while. I just got so busy that something had to give. Computer time had to be the thing I stopped for a while. It was that or I didn't sleep.
I have been working for Ange doing dancewear. It's crazy time of the year for dance studios, so I'll have work for a few more weeks yet.
I am on holidays with the kids at the moment. It's nice to not have to rush around in the mornings. I can just potter around and stay in my jammies as long as I want. That's not to say that I've been doing nothing. I have been getting some quilt tops finished, some quilting done, costumes for the musical at Ethans school and a formal dress for a neighbour. Wow, it's sounds a lot when you write it down.

Little Strip Quilt made for Guild Charity Quilts

We have been having lots of fun too. Paul is on holidays as well so we have been doing lots of family things. My sister and her boys came to visit last week. We went to Treetops Adventure Park for a couple of hours swinging in the trees. The boys and Paul were all harnessed up to go into the trees, across rope bridges, zipping across the flying fox cables ( zipline ) and heaps more fun. They were all exhausted.

Boys with all their safety gear on

Archer

Oscar flying high

Paul

Ethan

The weather has turned a bit sour so we've been to the movies and played some board games. With just under a week left of the holidays there is plenty of time left for motor bike riding( the boys just got new quads) and for me to get some more sewing done.

Happy Quilting
Leanne

Back On Track....

2010-08-10T19:08:00.001+10:00

After my wierd week things changed for me. As well as my beautiful Tuesday patchwork class I have picked up two days work at the shop sewing up dance costumes. I would like to thank Ange and Jody for that opportunity. It has been great. Although, the full work days took a bit of getting used to. But now I'm back on track.
I doesn't rain, it pours!! I also had a bunch of quilts come to me for quilting . I love quilting. Seeing the flat quilt come to life with the beautiful texture of the quilting. It always feels so nice when it's finished.
I have also been designing some quilts with the hope that they will be published. Even if they aren't the patterns will be available for purchase.
I have been so busy that I haven't even had time to take any photos, so here's one of some of my stash.

Happy Quilting

Leanne xo

Oscar turned 11

2010-08-05T17:59:00.001+10:00

My gorgeous boy, Oscar, is 11.

I really splurged on the cake!

Aren't they beautiful? My 3 gorgeous boys.

Cheers

Leanne xo

A Weird Week

2010-07-24T11:13:00.000+10:00

The boys went back to school this week after two weeks holiday. I thought everything would just return to normal. But it didn't.
Monday was nothing unusual. I layed out a quilt top ready for piecing together and finished a cushion that I have wanted to make for a while from this tutorial from Cluck Cluck Sew.

lots of half square triangles joined in rows

Tuesday was the beginning of a new working relationship between Ally and myself. Ally is helping me with the ever growing Tuesday patchwork class. It's great to have her there. She has a very bubbly personality and everyone loves her. So, Welcome Ally!

That day I found out that I will no longer be working Fridays. I was a bit upset a first but as the week went on it turned out to be a blessing. I have picked up Thursdays sewing dancewear for Angela.

Thursday was great. It was just us 3 girls sewing together. We got heaps done. We have to though, with dancewear it always needs to be done yesterday.

Friday came and I got a call out of the blue. It was my friends Jo & Tracey, who I've known since Ethan started Pre-School in 2000, they were just down the road from our farm and wanted directions to get here. I haven't seen them for ages. It was wonderful to see them. We had a cuppa and a catch up. It really made my week.

So sometimes things are just meant to be.

That was my weird week.

Happy Quilting

Leanne

Some Finishes

2010-07-16T09:49:00.000+10:00

These are the two quilts I bound this week.

This is for my niece, Annalee. who lives in Western Australia.

The pieced back

For my little Archer.

These prints are from Prints Charming.

Happy Quilting

Leanne

40...40...40...40...40...

2010-07-15T16:29:00.005+10:00

No matter how many times I say it, it doesn't sound real. Yes, I am 40 years old. I don't feel it and I don't think I look it ( however it is we are suppose to look at 40 ) but I am IT. I bet my parents are feeling old about now. Their first born is 40.

I had a great day. I started the day off binding two quilts and doing some circle work on my new machine. Have I told you how much I LOVE it? My sister and her boys came to ~~sympathise~~ celebrate with me and stayed with us for the night, and my parents came for dinner. I actually cooked it myself. So nothing really changes. We had Coles BBQ chickens, my famous potato bake and steamed vegies. To end it off, a black forest birthday cake. YUM!

This is me at 40

My 4 Boys

My Sissy

( i don't know what's goin' on with my wig)

My Lovely Mum & Dad

My Sister came bearing gifts (see below ) and Mum and Dad got me a webcam.

Some really cute necklaces

California Dreamin'

A gorgeous Vintage Hand Embroidered Turkish cushion cover. We found this at the Sydney Craft Fair.

Thanks to everyone for their best wishes.

As they say

"Life begins at 40"

So bring it on !!!!

Cheers

Leanne

I Got Real Busy.

2010-07-12T21:38:00.000+10:00

After feeling rotten at the start of the week, the end of the week turned out to be great.
I finished 3 quilt tops

Quilted a top. I designed this quilting pattern myself for my quilting machine. It worked out really well.

And got a NEW MACHINE!!! How exciting. It was kind of a last minute decision. I got a Husqvarna Mega Quilter. I always said to my boss, Jody, that if ever that machine came on sale that I would get one. In the 4 years I have worked at the shop that machine has never been on sale. I just HAD to have it....

I picked it up on Friday. My boys went to stay with Ma & Pa for the weekend, so I sewed up a storm. While Paul watched the car racing, I annoyed him with the constant whirring of the machine. Because it is an industrial machine it goes super fast. I sewed up 366 HST ( Half Square Triangles ) in no time at all.

When I picked up my new machine, Jody had a little surprise for me. It is my 40th birthday this week and she had a gift for me. A 1/4inch foot for my mega quilter and 3 quilting books. I was from all the lovely ladies I work with at the shop, so Thankyou to you all for my gift. ( I can't believe I am turning 40! )

I am expecting another busy week with customer quilts and some of my own to get up on the frame. I've 2 quilts to bind and another to stitch together. So I better get going.

Happy Quilting
Leanne

Tuesday

2010-07-06T13:05:00.000+10:00

After the party, I woke up with a hideous cold. It is school holidays, I have 2 weeks off work and it's like my body goes into meltdown for the first week. It always happens to me.
So here is some fabric I recently got for an upcoming project.

I have been designing quilts a lot lately. I have been inspired by Kate and Ally. I have even been designing my own long arm quilting designs. Sometimes I just dont have the design to suit a quilt so this time I just drew it and I thought "Why haven't I done this before?", it looks great. I will be using it on a quilt this week. ( once I don't need the tissue box anymore )
Hope your week is going better than mine.

Happy Quilting

Leanne

Birthday Celebrations

2010-07-05T10:36:00.006+10:00

We had a birthday party for my little man, Archie. This is the first party he has had with friends from school. He only had three friends because once all the cousins arrive, it is a party in itself.

We had lots of fun things to do.

Paul rigged up Henry ( our little blue Ford tractor) to pull the trailer. A bit of safety bunting and the boys loved it. They would have rode around all day on it.

We got a new trampoline! It's the first one we've ever had. With three boys, trampolines aways scared me. This one has the safety net all around, so they can only hurt themselves on the tramp, not falling off it.
( will insert photo once my mother sends them to me- I won't hold my breath)

The giant swing is always a hit with the grown ups.

The boys played all day with just a stop to put food in their bellies and then off again.

Cake time, and I was pretty chuffed with myself. I stenciled a Transformer logo onto the top of the cake. I knew my craft blade would come in handy again one day.

Happy Birthday to you.........................................

Another successful party done and dusted. We are all exhausted and everyone had a great time.

Cheers

Leanne

OH the COLD!!!

2010-06-30T10:44:00.001+10:00

I knew that moving to the country we would be in for cold winters, but I didn't expect this. -2 degrees at 7am

It has been bitterly cold. I know it's been cold everywhere but out here on the prairie there is no shelter from it. The cars are completely iced over in the mornings, the grass snaps under your feet and the dams are all frozen over. Our little water pump is having a conniption every morning. I think the water in the pipes may be a bit frozen. It's like a winter wonderland, ( as long as we stay on the inside of the door in the beautifully air conditioned house ) well as close as I'm going to get to a winter wonderland, anyway.

And what's with these kids of mine. No jumpers in zero temperatures. There is something not right about them. NUTS!

Archer having fun snapping the frozen grass.

Back to the air con and some quilting. I can't think of anything better to do when it's cold outside. Making a nice warm quilty to snuggle under.

Happy Quilting

Leanne

No. 73

2010-06-30T10:27:00.000+10:00

Just a quick update.
Here's what I'm quilting.

For a customer

Here's what I'm patching.

A big Zig Zag for my big boy Ethan

Happy Quilting

Leanne

Sunday Sewing

2010-06-27T21:00:00.000+10:00

Today I finshed a quilt top that I should have done a year ago. I purchased 3 printed panels from
Prints Charming at last years Sydney Quilt Show and I was inspired to get them into a quilt for Archer.
This is the panel.

Isn't it cute? I couldn't resist them for my little boy.

This is the quilt top today. All ready to quilt.

It was really fast to do with all those big blocks

Happy Quilting

Leanne

Our Latest Guild Meeting

2010-06-25T19:58:00.002+10:00

On Thursday evening I had a lovely time with the ladies of the Central Coast Modern Quilt Guild. We had a couple of new members and some of the real regulars. Kate came for the first time, even though she has been a member for a while now. It was really great to talk to her about her patterns and the whole designing process. She brought her sister Ellen with her. They are both beautiful girls.

Ally and Kerrie dropped in too. They didn't have time to sew, but they did have a chat for a while. Their enthusiasm is always infectious.
It is always weird sewing with Jody and Ange. We don't get to sew together to often because when we are at the shop we are working.
Everyone always enjoys their time at the guild. Sarah brought her famous toblerone cheesecake, YUM.

Some of us did an improv star block. It was nice to do something a little different.

See you next time

Happy Quilting

Leanne