Still Waiting...

"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

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...

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....

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

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:

1. Bidding will start at $50.00 ( Australian ), and all bids will be in AUD.
2. 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.
3. You bid must be in whole dollar increments.
4. This auction is open to everyone, however $30 will be charged for International addresses. Postage is FREE for Australian residents.
5. This auction begins NOW and will END at 10pm on Sunday 23 January, 2011 ( AEST).
6. 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.
7. 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...

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........

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

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......

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

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

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

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

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

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.........

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

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........

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

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!!!!

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