SIT- The wrap up, only 3 months late!

Well, Sew It Together was so much fun! I am so glad i signed up for it and I can't wait for it to all happen again next year!
Friday morning started with a very early arrival at Adelaide airport, like about 5am!!! Way too early for me. But never the less I was feeling good about the impending weekend I was about to have. Met Gillian at the airport in Sydney and we jumped in a cab and checked in at the hotel. (Travelodge Wynyard - perfect for what we needed and they have great deals when you book on a tuesday)
We went for a bit of a wander through the city and did a bit of browsing at all the lovely shops that the big cities have, I was super restrained seen as though it was going to be a weekend of fabric! We grabbed a quick lunch and then it was over to meet up with the friday bus crew and start our day of fabric shopping!

First up was the Remnant Warehouse and I was lucky enough to win a $15 voucher on the way there on the bus, which was very nice and helped to keep my bill down a little :) I picked up some Lycra which one day I will attempt to make some togs with. I also got some FQ's as it was Free Friday Fats, where you buy one and get one free. Also picked up some a cute Japanese print and some new Kaffe and some of my favourites by Joel Dewberry.

After a quick bite on the bus thanks to Donna and Sheridan who provided us with a little snack pack and bottled water it was on to the next stop - Calico and Ivy at Balmain. This is a gorgeous little store and we got to meet Amy of Badskirt fame who was working there at the time. Fabulous fabrics and beautiful yarn, this is a really joyful little store for anyone who is obsessed with designer fabrics like me! I could have bought one of everything here but I was very restrained and stuck to some staple Kei dots and some other Japanese fabrics and some coveted Farmdale meterage that I have wanted for a while and some little mini hexi templates.

The final stop for the day and the real highlight of the weekend for me was at Prints Charming in Annandale. This is my idea of heaven, fabulous fabric, colour everywhere, the merchandising was perfect, the ladies lovely and it definitely inspired me to follow my dreams and make textile design a part of my future. After some shopping, and boy you had to get in quick for the Scrap Packs (we have since done a skirt sew-a-long using the packs we got), that was mayhem!! a few of us had booked in to do the stitching class, this was fantastic, we learnt lots of new stitches and about using colour and now I just can't wait to find the time to actually get into mine and get some results happening. I can't wait to come back one day and do one of their screen printing workshops - that is on my wish list!

Once we were finished here and I had dropped a pretty penny on packs and panels, and books and thread we headed back to the city and got to have a bit of a rest. Gillian and I meet up with a few of the other girls and had dinner down at the Rocks and then after a relatively early night we headed home and chatted - well laughed is probably more accurate, so much so that the neighbour in the next room knocked on the door and told us to stop laughing! How rude - 11pm on a friday night in Sydney city, what was she expecting!

The next morning we were up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed to go for an early morning walk/jog with some of the other ladies. There were a few of them doing the 12wbt and so they were wanting to get their exercise in before the day started. This is where I first learnt about the 12wbt and where the girls got me so excited about giving it a go. Clearly I was one of the most unfit in the group and it was a struggle to keep up with them for most of the journey! We walked from the Menzies to Mrs Macquarie' s Chair, which gave us such a beautiful view of the city, and with a light mist of rain falling it was lovely and refreshing. I actually felt so good afterwards and was glad I had braved the cold and gotten up and gone.

So the day started and we all assembled at the Menzies in the Ballroom for our day of stitching, chatting, learning, spending, eating, drinking and lots of oohing and ahhing! It was a great day, Gillian and I had a little mini stall selling fabrics which the ladies went crazy for so that was nice to give me some more spending money for all the purchases I then made from the other ladies selling their wares! I meet lots of lovely ladies and was able to put faces to blogs! I also got to meet Saffron Craig whom I absolutely love and think she is a fabulous designer. Would have liked to have picked her brain but was a little too awe-stuck to ask any intelligent questions so maybe next time. Do a great workshop with Cathy from Material Obsession, using a wedge ruler and this was great and opened up a whole new world of possibilities for my quilting. Her fabric and colour selection is just out of this world.

Made lots of purchases including some fabulous faces from Lisa of The Red Thread, and patterns for her Ooshka dolls which I have since made for all the kids.

Also got a kit from Claire of Craft Schmaft, it is a very sweet mobile that I will get around to one day! Also got some more Saffron fabrics and the Handmade Living book from Jennie of Posie Patchwork.

There was also prizes which ranged from dresses by Polly Pratt, and MO books, Kits, Magazines, Vouchers , Fabrics, Notions, Patterns, wadding, just about everything stitchy/sewy that you could imagine. Names were called out of the hat and you got to come up and choose something off the major prize table and something off the minor prize table. I was one of the last to get called so the choices were a little leaner than early in the day but I still managed to get a gorgeous Owl kit from Plushka and a voucher for a PDF pattern from Wink Designs, so I was very happy with my choices. The Polly Pratt dresses were just gorgeous and had I realised before the day was over that they were actually being offered to us at a significantly reduced price I would have definitely bought one. (Oh well, Anna has since released the Nina dress and I am definitely going to get one of them!)

During the day we also broke off into groups and did our swaps, this was lots of fun and I got some gorgeous items, a fold up shopping bag, gorgeous cards and card notes, a fabulous felt badge, a drawstring shoe bag and a crochet dish cloth. This is great fun and I can't wait to do it again!

We also got some fabulous things in our gift bag!! Patterns, fabrics, kits and a gorgeous brooch. So many fabulous things we really were spoilt! I didn't want the day to come to an end, I didn't actually get much of my stitching done, but I think that is not an unusual outcome from attendees!

But the day wasn't over and next stop was dinner at the Belgium Beer Cafe with about 60 of the attendees. And it was lovely that Amy could join us here seen as though Corrie couldn't, which was a bummer because I was looking forward to meeting her - oh well another time. The food was great - I had the mussels and they were out of this world! I got to have some great conversations with some lovely ladies that I now call my friends and it is so nice to have people that enjoy the same things you enjoy and get excited about crafting! I also got to meet a few ladies that are in one of my Quilting Bees so that is great to have gotten to know them too

Once dinner was over a few of us piled into taxis and headed out for some dancing and Karaoke, well that was fun and what a laugh! I think we got dropped back to our hotels at about 3am

which I can't remember the last time I have had a night out that late, but it was so good to feel free to do that and know that I didn't have to wake up to 4 kids in the morning! ( even though I missed them dearly)

So onto the last day Sunday - and we were piled onto the bus for our trip to Material Obsession, they had just moved into their new premises just down the road from the outlet shops at Birkenhead point, and it did not disappoint. The fabrics on display were all drool-worthy and the gorgeous quilts were just so inspiring, the ladies were so lovely, and very accommodating to our every need. I picked up some of my favourite Echino fabric here, as well as some Kaffe and some Brandon, I also bought a number of rulers so I should be set for those for the moment. I bought the large wedge ruler and my aim is to make an ottoman that I have seen using just the wedge ruler, should look fantastic when I get around to it! Also got some gorgeous shot cottons which the range of colours that MO has is just so yummy and I could have taken a lot more home than I did.

Then it was back on the bus to the airport where we all said our goodbyes and headed back to reality. But what a fantastic weekend it was, thank you so much to Sheridan again for organising the whole event, you did an absolutely fabulous job and it really was perfect. Also thank you, thank you to all of the sponsors who really did spoil us rotten. I think the plan is for Canberra next year, and I can not wait! If you have never been it is really worth while signing up, you will have a blast!

(one regret was that I didn't take enough photos!)

Cars 2 at the movies!

If you have been anywhere near K-mart, Target, Big W or even Woolies lately you would have seen all the merchandise for the new Cars 2 Movie that is due for release on June 23, and it looks just as good as the first installment. We are yet to take the whole family to the movies, but maybe this is the movie that will change that, I know that Stella and Oscar would absolutely love it and perhaps Indi will just be mesmerized enough to just sit through it - we will see!

Check out the trailer and also if you would like to receive a free family movie pass (all who wouldn't?? It's expensive to take the whole fam to the flicks!) all you have to do is be an Australian Blogger and do a blog post on the movie, so head on over to nuffnang for all the details, how cool is that - Thank you DISNEY and NUFFNANG! But hurry because it needs to be done by the 17/6 at 5pm.

So enjoy the movie!!!!

Swaps

Here is a wrap up of some of the swaps I have been involved in over the last few months.

These blocks were for the Quilting Divas Bee - I had to make 6 blocks of my own choice - I choose a string block, and they had to be made in the colours of the other Bee members choosing. I think they all turned out really well, the string block in my opinion is always very effective.

These are the blocks that I have received back so far (still waiting on one, and I haven't made one for myself) I asked for blocks in yellow, gray and white and they were to match this cushion that I received in the last Pillow Talk Swap. I am going to make a quilt to co-ordinate with the cushion from these blocks and others that I will need to make to add to them.

These are the blocks that I have made for my Bee Scrappy group :

And these were for my Beehive Group:

I also participated in another Urban Home Goods Swap and this is what I made,

and these are the most wonderful items that I received from Laura!

Look at all that FMF!! In heaven.

Then I participated in the Doll Quilt Swap No.10, the DQS was the first swap I ever particpated in back in 2009 so I thought it was time to give it another go.

This is what I made for my partner Jill and I really loved this one and didn't really want to send it away! But is was well received so I am happy it has gone to someone that loves it equally as much as I do.

This is the gorgeous quilt that I received from Lauree who had made me the cushion above (Imagine getting the same person in two separate swaps when you could have gotten the pick of 150 odd people from all corners of the earth! Lucky for me though, because he work is beautiful and we have very similar style).

Next was the MMM - Make Mine Modern Swap, this was the first time I had ever participated in this swap and it was a great one! The guidelines were you had to send 1 handmade item, 1 item to decorate your sewing space with and 1.5yards of fabric, which could be made up with your choice of fabric cuts or pre-cuts.

This is what I made my partner Kat (also the mosaic picture above is taken from Kat's blog)- I was pretty happy with the selection that I sent her and I was super happy with what I received from Liz! I was spoilt rotten. (Included Market Apron, Pincushion Caddy, Coin Purse, Fabric Basket, another Pincushion, Lotta Jansdotter Post it Notes - so cute and gorgeous fabrics including Denyse Schmidt, Echino and Sherbet Pips)

Such a great swap, think I will have to be in this one again!

There were a couple of other swaps as well which I were for SIT so I will put them in that post.

And finally I have signed up for the Brooch swap over at Flowerpress, (you too can join, sign ups are open till May 10) this should be heaps of fun, and I am hoping that I will get some inspiration when I visit Bowerbird Bazaar tomorrow :)

Hello my name is Megan and I am a blogger????

Thought I had better introduce myself again seen as though it has been 3 months since I last blogged. I am sick of making excuses and every post being an apology, so I will just say that I really want to keep blogging more regularly but if it just doesn't happen then I will see you when I see you. I think this is a better mindset to have and at least that way I don't feel so guilty all the time.

Wow, the last 3 months have been busy busy busy! The following few posts will document some of the more exciting things that have happened, but basically there has been a lot of every day things happening, throw that in with a few interstate trips, some sewing, some markets, a sewing workshop and lots of school activities, holidays, Kindy and Day-care.

Everyone is doing really well, Willow is growing up so quickly, India has started going to Day-care one day a week and absolutely loves going to Sandi's house, Oscar has started Full time Kindy - 4 sessions a week and Stella is loving School which is great! PK is going well, hoping for a move with work relatively soon, so we will see what comes of that, and me well I am overwhelmingly busy all the time, which often results in less getting done than I would hope for. I'm sure alot of Mums can relate to this though. I hate taking about weight and so I will never really say much about it anywhere, but I am proud to say that I have lost 11+kg in the last 3 months and my goal is to have lost the rest in the next 6 months. Paul and I are starting Michelle Bridges (The Biggest Loser) 12 week Body Transformation which starts later in the month so hopefully combined with what I have already been doing this will bring more success in the weight loss department.

Ok, so there is the first post - well done me for just doing it and getting back into blogging again! Stay tuned for the next installment :)

Is this really as close as we are going to get to a nice shot of all 4 kids??

Sunday Stash #1

Decided that this might be a good way for me to get into the habit of being a regular blogger, so I have taken Bianca's lead and I am going to start a weekly Sunday Stash Post.

This week courtesy of my iphone seen as though Paul is away and has the camera, I present you with my latest bargains! I got these 2 from The Haby Godess who isn't selling fabric yardage anymore so she was getting rid of all that she had left super cheap, and I got these 2 prints. Unfortunately it is all gone now, and I would say with the prices as low as they were they would have gone in minutes.

On the left is Trefle by Kokka and the other is Arcadia Geometrics in Orange. I have an Arcadia Layer cake and so this will be used for the backing of a quilt once I get around to using the layer cake.

And secondly this is was in one of the boxes that my "dealer" sent over during the week. It is some precuts from It's a Hoot by Moma for Moda and some yardage from the same line, which will also turn into some more quilts.

Ok, well that is the first Sunday Stash, hopefully there will be many more!

The Week in Photos

Trying to keep up with my recent increase in blog posts, and often the best way to jog the old memory about what has been happening is to look at my photos, so this post is pretty much going to be driven by what I have recently taken photos of.

I have had some good mail lately which has seen the need for the fabric cupboard to be re-organised and tidied to make way for the 70 odd yards of fabric plus a stack of pre-cuts that arrived at various stages over the week. I only took photos before the last 2 boxes arrived so you will just have to imagine them stacked in there too. It is always like christmas when I open my boxes because often it is lines that had to be pre-ordered months before they arrived and you almost forget what you have coming - I have tried to make my "dealer" cut me off, but she is an enabler and just won't let me out! Some of the treasures in the latest boxes were Soul Blossoms by Amy Butler, Central Park, Hoopla, Sugar Pop, It's a Hoot by Moda, some Sandi Henderson, Dr Suess prints, June Bugs, Teeny Tiny Zoo and couple of books that I have been hanging out for - Handamde Beginnings by Anna Maria Horner and Elizabeth Hartman's The Practical Guide to Patchwork.

I also had a win on a blog recently which I will blog about once the prize arrives, but can I just say I am so excited - 11.75 yards of Heather Ross Fabrics!!! And not FFA2 which I already had, I'm taking hard to find, jump up and down for joy ones!! So I will let you drool over that one at a later date.

In terms of actual sewing there has been a lot of Market Preparation happening for the upcoming Lollipop and Mathilda Markets, and I have just received the application to the latest Gallery One CraftART Market which I will do again too. I have made the first Bee block for one of the Quilting Bees that I have joined - it was a liberated Churn dash block (I don't even know what an unliberated churn dash looks like - so this was strictly from the tutorial!), but it was actually super easy. Shayla requested only black and white fabrics and I think it will look really effective when it is finished. I also made a library bag for a friend whose daughter started Kindy this week in Brisbane, it turned out really well and was super easy - think I might make them available via my facebook page.

Speaking of Kindy Oscar started Kindy this week too! Which was very exciting, he loved it which I knew he would and it means a few more hours of him out of the house which is great and I can get a few errands done in the time he is away with just the two little girls which is much more manageable.

Stella also started back at school this week, and I was just as glad as she was to go back - man School Holidays drag on and on and on.... never thought I would complain about that!

She has her little bestie Teegan in the same class as her which is really nice and her teacher is new and seems very nice, so all is good on that front.

I started Zumba this week too, which was actually quite fun and very funny - talk about feeling un-co! They have a creche so it is fantastic to be able to do this in the day, and my is it a work out, I was completely buggered by the end. Hoping this will benefit the weight loss goals for this year. I have started Weight Watchers and so far am going quite well - 3.4kg in 3 weigh ins so that is not bad, my aim is to be at goal by September when I am going to Malaysia with my bestie for a girls only week of sun, fun, cocktails and massages - bring it on!

Anyway, Paul is in Queensland at the moment for a conference so I am flying solo till tuesday night - yuk! but it does mean that the nights are mine and I am really hoping to get some more market prep done, so I will sign off for now and go and get on to it!

::WINNERS::

Firstly, thank you everyone who entered my giveaway I was super excited to have the opportunity to bring you this giveaway and hopefully there might me more in the future!

So, I decided that the old hand in the bowl would be a fun way to draw the winners, so here you go:

And the First Prize Winner of $200 Gift Voucher goes to.............

Yay Cherry!!!

And now on to the second draw...

And the Second Prize of a $50 Gift Voucher goes to............

Yay Posie!!!!

I will be in contact with both winners by email!

Big thanks to Quantum Finish Dishwashing Tablets and Soup (Don't forget to join up to become a Soup Mama too!)