Link to RR work

Go check out CQCrazy, posted the work on the RR blocks earlier this evening.

WIPs and HAPPY BIRTHDAY

My baby, Jon, turned 2 on Thursday. Time has gone so quickly, hopefully it will contine that way, and before I know it 20 years will have gone by, and I can be celebrating the 'empty nest' cycle of my life. I know I say 20 years, but I am thoroughly researching ways to get them to move on more quickly, while still feeling loved and behaving like well adjusted members of society. I think the navy/army takes them quite young....
We don't do to much for the kids when they are little in the way of parties. We had a special morning tea at Playcentre, where we do the cake and song business. The piccie is of Jon flanked by his two 'girls', Katie and Chloe. Do you like the cake. I really enjoy doing the kids cakes. This one worked out well, and I got the desired reaction "Mum, toot toot!"


This is my latest heart. It has sat half finished for a while. This is going to Vanessa in USA. Don't worry Hideko, there is a blue one in the works for you .
This is the latest embellishment on my bag block. The colour isn't good in the photo. The flowers are done with a gorgeous bronze ribbon. I have struggled with the lace underneath . I have already moved it twice. I have tried other laces but they were all to white or cream. This is actually a pale green. It needs a bit more work. Used Sharon B's up and down buttonhole stitch here. I am also not happy with the spider web, but not enough to do anything about it.

Well thats this weeks up date. Weekly seems to be all I can manage at the moment. I've been very busy with the Playcentre Training re write, which none of you will be interested in, unless your on the ed team of another association that hasn't done thiers yet!! I don't think I have any NZ readers ( apart from Crazy Calvin) so I won't bore you with that. I will be spending the rest of today putting together the 'commentors' kit, basically the answers for submitted written work.
This week is Moari language week so I leave you with this
Ka kite ano . Aroha nui eh hoa.
(goodbye for now. Big love to my friends)

Cream on cream..kinda, but with green ( & a vent too!)

This is what I whipped up yesterday. It was supposed to be a card, but I didn't have time to finish it, which is what happens when you start something at 3pm and have to be there by 7!!! I almost got it done, to a point that I would of been happy to use it, but I had to slot it into this photo slot thingy, then I wanted to iron it so the interfacing stuck to the card and kept it all in place. Great plan, not great time management.
I'm surprised at how much I like this, the colours are very subtle, and the green and pink are just right. The colours aren't great in the photo. Not sure what I will do with this now. I thought I might swap it on COH even though it not strictly ( well, not at all) a heart, but it is similar in size......

Now for the fun stuff. My 11 year old step daughter has decided to develop an attitude, strongly fuelled by long lasting resentments of her 19 yr old sister. FUN FUN FUN. Have been thru all this shit with Tiffany and I have no intention of having years of it again with Shelby, so I rang her mother and told her just that. I'm afraid that Shelby can't dwell on the fact that her dad does more with our kids than he does with her. HELLO, we live together!!! We see her one night a week for dinner and she stays every third weekend, visitation arrangments that her mother made when she was being a bitch and trying to hurt Rob by keeping the kids from him. I understand that it is difficult for Shelby, but I think alot of this latest stuff is trying to get her mums attention, and it is terribly effective to blame dad. Her mother is not the best at giving her time and attention, doling out money is the usual cure, so a quick bitch about dad to big sister gets good results.
Well, I could go on about this for HOURS, days in fact, but I'm not going to. I have the life I have, but if we do get to do it again, as much as I love Rob, I wouldn't go near anyone with an ex wife and children. Sad but true. I have enough of my own baggage, without having to deal with everyone elses crap. I'm not being heartless here, but you try dealing with a vindictive ex wife ( even though she ended their marriage) and a teenager hell bent on making everyones lives as miserable as possible. I have my own children to consider now, and I'm not having all this crap played out in my livingroom week in and week out.

This blogging lark is great. Not only do I get to vent, but I know that someone will read it, and a problem shared is a problem halved. So thanks, I feel better all ready.

good night.

busy busy busy

Here is my progress on this block. I've pretty much decided that this is going to be a bag..FOR ME!! Unless someone wants to offer an horrendeous amount of money for it.
This is a closeup shot of the seam treatment on the bottom right. This is the same lace but mirrored when sewing down. I added fargo roses in each 'square'. I still need to add a few more beads, and some greenery to, I think.
This is Geminista's block in the RR. Her directive for this block was natural. Natural fibres, natural colours. I adda the round wooden bead, the herringbone seam treatment in a chocolate brown silk thread ( and a few faux pearls , but she said this was ok). There is also some seed stitch in ecru around the bead, but the pic doesn't show it. I also did the brown lazy daisy on the lace trim at the bottom.
Now these little numbers just may be the naffest CQ item you have ever seen. They are fridge magnets. We - the Playcentre mothers- are having a girls night out on Saturday ( the last one we were asked to "quieten down" WTF!!) and we decided that everyone would bring a wee gift to go in a basket , and everyone would pick one. I wanted to make something, but not knowing who might get my gift, it was hard to know what to make, so fridge magnets. You can never have enough fridge magnets. the drawing is on a post-it, so that gives you and idea of the size. They each took about half an hour to do, and I glued a magnet on the back. They are very pretty to look at, Rob suggested they could be brooches.
The picture is one Ben did a few years ago of him walking his dog.

progress on stuff

Some more pics of what I've been up too. I went away for 3 days and came back to 150 individual emails and about 40 digests from groups!! Lots of catching up to do.

The top piccie is of my work on Sharons block for the CQCrazy RR. Sharons instruction for this block were to embellish it to within an inch of its life.
The other two pics are from Elizabets bag. Side one is finished. I WANT TO KEEP IT!!!. I really like the way it turned out. I'm torn, send this, or whip up something quick and nasty to send in it's place......hmmmmm. Posting piccies keeps me honest. Even though I say this side is finished, it needs a teeny tiny bit more work around the coins.
With regards to the metal embellishments on projects and going through mail, the concensus seems to be that, as long as you put on the customs declaration sticker "metal charms/ buttons" it should get through OK. I always seal stuff in a ziplock baggie so if customs want to check, nothing will get lost.

Sneak peek....

Here are a few piccies for Elizabet, just enough to keep you wanting more..... mwaahahaaa

Responses Please

With todays post I am hoping to get some comments, responses, and maybe even a little dialogue going. I visit many blogs. Some I visit label their art as 'fibre art' or 'fabric collage'. These works look similar to crazy quilting, employ most of the same techniques and resources as CQ, but they are not CQ. Ladies, I'm thinking here mainly of One Crab Apple and Baumcat, how do you consider that your work differs from mine. I really love your pieces. They seem to speak. Cat , I know you call yourself a CQer, but you seem to approach your work differently ( as in I haven't seen any quilts).
I'm not after positive or negative comments, what is better or right, each to their own, I would just like to know a bit about what you do, where you get your inspiration, where you learn your techniques. Talk to me !!
Another blog to note is Sammystuff. Some great stuff going on here.

needle case swap

I received my needlecase from the CQforNewbies swap. Here are the piccies of what I got. I have to say, I LOVE it. I really , really do!!! It is so nice to receive something that is made up, completed and ready to use. JK is the creator of this piece. She is one gutsy, hilariously funny lady, and I feel very blessed to own something that she has made. Thanks Charlene for organising the swap.
I am really looking forward to the oriental bag swap now.

Progress...

Here is the progress on this block. The top right is supposed to be cherry blossoms, but I think it is to 'light' for the rest of the blocks embellishments. I was going to extend the branches down further, over the trim and into the other pieces. Any suggestions?


Here is my work on Sharons block. Sharon has one block in an undersea theme, and I was stumped for a while, but I used the shisha stitch to attach a lovely button ( it shines and sparkles in the light) , added a few legs, and you have a jellyfish! The little fella is three bullion stitches surrounded by chain stitch.


I am working on a bag for a swap. The theme is oriental. I have pieced my sides, but, just to keep you guessing Elizabet, I'm not going to post piccies until you have it in your hot little hands. I know, that sucks, but I would hate for you to not like it, and then you would spend the next 6 weeks wishing you had a diff partner. I think you will be OK though, even DH said he liked it. One side is traditional, and one side is a little, um contemporary ( read as different). I may compromise, andl post piccies of seam treatments etc, but no whole block pics.

New project

This is my latest project...as well as working on RR blocks. I have a plan for this, we'll see if it works out. I will post off the pathfinder block tomorrow, it will be hard to part with, I really like the way it came together. Anywho, back to this block. I have added a fair bit of trim to this, which I don't normally do, now, just, what to do with it?? I have already done a few seam treatments on this, but I post progress another day, y'all come back now, ya hear!

HEART #32

Here is my latest heart offering. I am enjoying using the silk dupioni, it is very nice to stitch through. I tried another new rose on this on using cast-on stitch. It looks very effective, but I might try it in a verigated thread and see how that goes. It's hard to see the detail unless you are up close.

Oh LOST is starting. C ya.

Tayla's surprise

I recently made a heart for a friend in Aussie. This friend turned 8 while I was making the heart, so I thought I should make something special for the heart to go in. I couldn't post piccies before now, cos Tayla might of seen it, but it arrived today... So here is Secret Squirrel project number two.
Click on the pics and you will get a BIG one.

PINK art

One Crabapple over ART TEA LIFE has tagged me to do some pink art. So here is one of my best works of art to date, all pink and rosy cheeked. Took about five minutes to work thru the 'conception' stage of this piece, and about the same time to complete. The photo took a little longer, as this is not a static work, but is constanly evolving and changing according to the environment in which it is displayed! This work is titled "Middle Child". It is one of a set of three. The set is up for sale by negotiation. Buyer to pay shipping and any court costs that may result from the purchase........

Pathfinder Block completed

I have finished the Pathfinder block, and here is a great piccie thanks to my darling SDaughter, who retrieved and replaced my 'e drive'. Thanks T, you ROCK!!! Maybe you can fix everything else too?? I was just about to resort to scanning, which I know works great for some people, but I don't seem to be able to get good results. Maybe I need to increase the PSI, but I find I always get hazy spots, therefore I try to avoid scanning. Any suggestions, bring it on...
Any way my mother has just turned up with a fabulous 'art quilt', so must go ooooo and aahhh

Pathfinder-more progress

Another piccie. Sorry, it's not so good. The really f*&^%$g great news is that I now can't access the removable e drive, to get piccies to paperport. So , as far as I can tell, no more piccies. I really need to get a guy in to fix this mess.

I am pleased with how the block is coming together. I MADE the rolled ribbon roses in the top left of the block. Aren't they impressive!!!
I think they balance the bottom adequately.