Finished before 2009 arrives....

This was so quick to make and i'm so happy with the result. When i was searching through my stash for something to cover my new diary this Kristen Doran print just jumped out at me because it was the right size and fitted the intended purpose. It was meant to be...

Do you plant your cabbages in the right way?

Some more of my Bronwyn Hayes stitcheries done while watching TV... I love multi-tasking...

Quilt in a day

A productive day was spent at the local quilting hotspot where Bernadette was teaching this Quilt in a day. It only took a charm pack and a jelly roll that's from the "Flutterby" range by Tula Pink. Everyone else used brights but i always have to be the odd one out. These fabrics are definately worth seeing up close as every fabric contains a butterfly or snail or bug. Very clever. I still need to put 3 more borders and then a little something extra to make it pop.

Be gone ugly diary...

Sorry Sharon but it wasn't the prettiest of diaries... So I was happy when you wanted me to cover it in this cute fabric. It's been finished for a few days now but I didn't want to post about it until it was delivered. It's now waiting patiently on your kitchen table waiting for you to come home. Yes.. your hair straighter is off. And not only is it off... It's hanging pretty all wrapped up on it's hook. And it wasn't put there by me...
And I rode to your house and nearly died again. That hill ALWAYS gets me. But I'm fine again...
The Pen holder was made using this great tutorial. I've made the elastic loser so you can use it as a bookmark type thing. ENJOY!!

Two of my Favourite shops...

are Ikea and spotlight. And i was lucky enough to go to both over the last few days.

At Ikea Bernadette can attest that i was a little eager to get started once we were there. My coffee was woofed down and i ran to get a shopping cart for Sharon to push around.

Hi Sharon. You knew this would end up here!

Bernadette and Sharon were Ikea virgins so at least I didn't feel bad buying so much as they were buying up too. I even insisted we took the biggest car we had between us and i still had to have a mirror hanging out of the boot. Sharon stood arms cross smirking when the mirror was just that tad too big... Return it? no way! I ran back in to grab some string that i spotted at the wrapping station.

The mirror is currently sitting on the bathroom floor until i get a chance to paint a feature wall behind it. Three people have suggested Brown, which makes that choice easy. Photo's to come when i get around to it.

Then yesterday i got up early and went into Spotlight before work (in uniform as Spotlight is closer to work then to home), and spent my "Spend $100 and get $40 off" voucher. I was like a kid in a candy store. Although i really need a new rotary cutter blade which they didn't have. Grrr.
I bought the material to cover my 2009 diary (with embellishments of course). The purchase of the 1" x 6" ruler was inspired by this craft apple tutorial. The pencils are iron-on transfer pencils for I don't know what yet. They are sitting on my new 35" x 23" double sided cutting mat. It was the biggest they had. Big is always better...

This sign is on one of the planes I fly on....

I did giggle when i first saw it. But I'm sure there's been kiddies who have actually done this and ran out crying, because the loo's are pretty loud on the plane. Come to think of it.. I have had to unlock toilets to find no one in them...

Mmm... peanut butter cookies....

For my doggie, Rupert...

They're so yummy that my partner just has to have a nibble before Rupert gets any. And Rupert would do anything to get one.

I've been missing in action lately but apparently a lot of people are. But I have been doing stuff.. I promise. Bernadette has a quilt that I've done for my mummy for Christmas. At least that's 1 present down. I've just got a new emmeline apron pattern that i can't wait to make. I have seen Amy at badskirt make so many and I've just fallen in love with them.

Well tomorrow I'm off to Ballarat to visit some quilt stores and put the car in for a long overdue service. Hopefully it won't take so long for me to post again.

Chloe's Quilt..

I got this as a kit from Ballarat patchwork... They're the ones that named it Chloe's quilt. I was a bit lazy and used left over backing fabric for the binding. I finished it a few weeks ago but I've been a little busy lately. I've had to learn a new aircraft at work and they really like you to know everything before you go on it.

I changed the pattern a bit by not doing the circles as needle turn applique. I just sewed them on so that the edges will fray.
Bernadette quilted it with lovely daisies. She always does a fabulous job.

F.Y.I. Stick your needle in some soap while your binding your quilt. The needle slides into the fabric so well. My fingers weren't nearly as sore as usual.

Ugly air conditioner be gone....

When i first moved into my house a few years ago this ugly brown air conditioner really bugged me. It was off centre and UGLY... So i made it do a disappearing act by covering it up.

My lounge room went from this....

To this....

All i did was cover 2 cheap canvas from the reject shop with material i got on sale from Spotlight... I made 2 so that my wall was balanced... It would have looked a tad weird with a single canvas hanging off centre on the wall.

I just had to buy a staple gun... and a hand saw to trim the wood on the one that fits over the air con...

Guests to my house ask if I painted them (I can't paint or draw which is why i sew)... Thats how good they look. And it was so simple to do... and cost under $50... They have lasted over two summers of being taken down and put back up when the air conditioner is in use.

Elephant cushion...

I was sorry to see this leave... Although it will be loved and cherised by a elephant lover. My friend is even going to buy a doona cover to match it... I do love it... There may be more to come.. The googly eye really does make it...

Cupcake and tea swap...

I got word that Emma at Jellybelly*jellybrain that she has recieved the cupcake and tea swap items that i sent to her a while ago. So much cupcake goodness. Apparently the glove is being put to good use already.

I had fun...

in the SNOW!!!!

Yesterday was just an amazing day to go snowboarding at Mt Buller. There were very few people on the slopes as seen below. This photo was taken at 2.59pm!! Look at that snow cover. Can you believe it's going to be like this for another month!!! They even extended the season...

It was only the second time I've snowboarding so it was great not having to dodge any people or brown patches as there weren't any!!! My friend/teacher was very impressed how fast i was going. I don't have a big head or anything. As i am quite a bit taller and a tad rounder then my friend (i was wearing her old ski pants) my fly kept coming down. If anyone saw me... I'm sorry. I'm sure you can picture me flying down the slopes while pulling up my pants with numb fingers while wearing mittens. And did i mention i was borrowing a men's snowboard too and i had the worst rented boots EVER!!! And i still loved it!!

My thighs and knees were killing near the end. And i woke up this morning with a headache. Maybe it was because i fell back and hit my head yesterday.

Boxy Pouch...

I do my best work when I'm meant to be in bed....

Last night I made this pouch to give to a friend who loves elephants.

I used this tutorial. I had to unpick a few times as I've never sewn on a zip that hides between 2 fabrics before so I had to get my head around that one. But towards the end it came together very quickly. I've ironed the edges so it looks a bit more 'boxy'. Because the outside is so dark i decided to make the inside a bit brighter.

I may have a thing for red and pink as a "secondary" material as the photo was taken on the backing to my lime and soda quilt.

Anyone for my Lime and Soda Quilt...

Third quilt finished and it's already on the couch...

There's an extra line on it but it's hanging over the hand rail. It was made using mainly Kaffe Fassett prints. I used the Kaffe Fassett print with the orange daisies for the binding. It's always so satisfying to finish something. No matter how big or small. Thus the love of my to do lists where i can make myself small goals. Ie. Bind 1 side a day and feel great when I've done 1 and half instead.

Another love of mine is watching an entire series on DVD. In the past 3 days i have watched the entire 2nd season of Dexter. So good. But don't worry i still left the house this morning to run some errands and gave my bike another workout. I'm still going strong on the pact to not use the car local unless i have something big to buy. Thus this morning stealing the in laws Slow Cooker and lawn mower which required the car. I currently have some yummy Garlic and herb Lamb Shanks cooking that will be ready in another hour. I still have to make the sweet potato mash. The house smells divine. Who needs to burn candles and incense when you have a slow cooker on all day.

Hopefully this rain holds off for a little so i can go for another bike ride with Mr Maiden Ramblings. I ride... he runs. Sounds good to me.

Bears In The Heavens

Yesterday I finished the binding on this very cute baby quilt. I was watching TV at the time and pricked myself quite a few times so had to break out the blue bandaids. Note to self... Needles are sharp!! I machine quilted it myself and didn't enjoy the experience at all. I can see the smerk on your face Bernadette. The machine just went way too fast for my hands to keep up. I'll have to spend a day practicing before I attempt another one.

I didn't do anything to the blue sky because I like the puffiness of leaving it. The backing is a nice warm flannelette.

It's now hanging nicely in my sewing room. Now all i need is some kiddies to enjoy it... Hmmm...

I've also machine sewn on the binding to my 'Lime and Soda' and 'Chloes Quilt' ready to be hand finished. Pretty exciting to think i could get another 2 quilts finished before the end of the coming week.

Would you like to see my passport?

Well it may be my passport currently in it but it's part of a present for a friend of mine that loves elephants. I got the tutorial at BunnyBum. It's so simple yet so effective. Because you could see through the white of the elephant fabric i just had to add a piece of white fabric in the middle. Yes, the elephant does have cup cakes coming out of it's trunk.

I decided to make the passport cover tonight as i already had the sewing machine out. The boyfriend and i went shopping today for supplies for his Kokoda trek. Thus he's training has made him lose weight (running in the family lately) so he needed new jeans which i had to take up... Plus a few of his other jeans that miraculously appeared for the same treatment. I'm a good girlfriend.

Material Goodness...

The postman kindly gave me 3 parcels this week with material in them... Yes 3!!!

First off is my Amitie VIP... This is my first drop... It's all from the Anna Maria Horner's Garden Party range.... I don't have a clue what to do with it yet..

I ordered some material from an ebay seller for my stash....

There's a few gem's in there. My friend loves elephants so i got some elephant fabric then went a little overboard with everything else in the little ebay store. They were cheap so i couldn't resist.

Then an order came from America....

As soon as i saw this range i knew i needed some... It's Heather Ross's Mendocino collection... My favourite is the yellow at the front...

I've been buying so many fun fabrics at the moment because i keep seeing all the fun and functional things so many people are making around the place and i want to join in the fun... so soon I'll go find a million tutorials to teach me how to make a million different things out of them all... At least i wont be bored... Although there is now a temporary ban on fabric purchases... Don't know how long that will last...

What i accomplished on the couch....

Yep... I've completed another 2. They look good when I'm doing them but i try not to look too closely at them when I'm done.

How adorable are those duckies...
I've also photographed my little helps. I tried to avoid buying this hoop because i thought it would strech my fabric too much but it's perfect because it takes 2 seconds to move it as i don't have to keep undoing a screw like on my other hoop. The other help is the disappearing ink. It saves me from wetting my creation although i have to go over it every now and again before it completely fades, but at least it pushes me to get it finished. I also roll up my stitcheries and put them in a snap lock bag so the ink lasts longer.
I should probably fluff up the couch where my impression is... and give the cushion a break. I'm off to do things on my never ending To-Do List... I swear if i didn't have it nothing would get done around here.

Cupcake and Tea Swap package arrives..

I recieved my goodies from my swap partner Mollycupcakes for Rachael rabbits cupcake and tea swap. I was so excited to rip the beautiful red and white pokka dot package open that i didn't take a photo of it. But this is what i found inside...

I just love the pin cushion with some pins on there representing sprinkles. There's also some beautiful strawberry tea that i'll have tonight. It's so perfect as i don't drink regular tea and just love herbal tea etc. How cute is the matching door stop and cupcake spoon. Plus a bath bomb and a beautiful card. Thanks Catherine. You've done so well with my preferences of pink and red.

It's cheered me up since I had to return to work today after having nearly 3 weeks off... Lucky me.. It doesn't feel like that long since i was last there... How time flies... Good times on the couch... Memories...

A reason to get some fresh air...

Last Saturday I went into Brunswick street to spoil Mr Maiden Ramblings for his recent birthday.. unfortunately, due to a cold, he wasn't in the mood and didn't like anything. But guess what i got....


I've been talking myself into getting 'Betty' for about a year now but when i saw her all made up with no one giving her love i just had to have her. Complete with a bell that goes "Ding Dong" and a basket. I giggle everytime i ring the bell.


We walked around Brunswick st while they gave her the once over. But unfortunately my Mazda couldn't fit her... grrr.. half a tyre was sticking out. So i pleaded for a friend to come with his ute. Lucky we saw him in Brunswick St earlier, considering he lives near us, nearly an hour away. Things happen for a reason.


I have so far kept to my resolution of riding her once a day to the shops. I want to stop using the car locally unless it's raining of course... or windy... I hate the wind... anyway it was all going good until last night when I rode just that little bit further to my friend Sharon's house where i encounted a hill. Not bad when your in a car... but on a bike being rode by someone that has got a little unfit lately because she has got into her sewing so much... it was hell... but i made it.. barely.. I rang the boy begging to be picked up from Sharon's... but he refused to take me home and told me i could do it. So off i set after some intense re-hydration. And i didn't die. Very proud of myself.


A couple of days ago when i was all ready to go to the shops, my best friend showed up with her dog going for a walk. Being a bad mother, i choose riding beside her instead of taking my dog Rupert. Bad move. Rupert loves his friend Whiskey so much that while we were gone he managed to squeeze under the front gate and cross a main road (by Bacchus Marsh standards) and end up on said best friends door step. We didn't find him for about half an hour because we didn't think that he would have crossed that road. Poor fellow. He must of freaked out when he realised we wern't there... and I'd like to think that he stopped at the main road and looked right, left, and right again before crossing...

I used to be a pair of bed socks...

I think he prefers to be hugged rather than being stood on. He is just so huggable... I used the tutioral here. Ive known about this tutorial for a while and when i saw these socks at the $2 shop they were just screaming to be made into a monkey. He just looks so naked compared to others I've seen.

I'm very excited... My Chloes and lime and soda quilts have just come back from being quilted by Bernadette. So they're going to keep me busy. Any excuse to keep me sitted in front of the TV is good.

Some inspirational cakes...

I had a little giggle when i found a great blog called Cake wrecks.

This game actually got banned in Australia. The game involves a main character seeking bloody vengeance on gang-filled streets, firing automatic weapons and picking up women along the way. A great inspiration for a 4 year old.

A talented cake maker who must be color blind.. The blog has the full story behind the cake here.

Hmm... why doesn't everyone have this as their wedding cake..

My Maiden stitchery...

Ahh... to finish my first stitchery... I do have to say i am very proud of myself... I think i speak for everyone when i say that when you do something for the first time you don't know if you'll either enjoy the process or the end result. And I love it. I loved doing it in front of the TV and have to confess that last week i spent a night in beautiful Sunny Cairns and may have spent the majority of the day in my room doing the stitchery. I had to drag myself out to get a ice-cream and watch the million Pelicans that were in the wetlands in the low tides. Please don't look to closely. Apart from doing 1 cross stitch in year 9 (Winnie the Pooh) this is the only stitchery i have done. One thing I learnt was that Stem stitch doesn't work too well on small flowers. Lesson learnt.
It's from a stitchery book by Bronwyn Hayes called "Sunshine In Your Pocket". Rachel at Four Wise Monkeys did it in the red work and it looked awesome... so monkey see monkey do.. Thanks for the inspiration Rachel..

I love mail... I received this pattern and off cuts from Kristen Doren. Thanks Kristen. I now have to decide as to whether i buy the fabric that Kristen used or see what i have in my stash. Hmmm... Maybe i should do both. That would be the easy option.

Jumping to be used

After so many people saying their trade secret was a bias tape maker i was thrilled that i invested in some.... I actually bought them at the Melbourne quilt and craft fair a few weeks ago... (I'm a bit slow at posting about them I know).. I can't wait to use them... I've been looking at the tutorials people have been putting up about them everywhere. After sewing together a oven glove recently i realised the boring one color bindings that are out there...

Some other great buys from the Quilt fair were these great fabrics... I have looked at the Kristen Doran owl fabric for so long and couldn't pass up the chance to score some.

All the fabrics are medium weight, I just have to decide what special things to make out of them. I just LOVE linen blends at the moment.