Sunday, January 30, 2011

All Good Things Must Come to an End -Quilts and Holidays


Back to work tomorrow. (insert hysterical sob here)  The last couple of days have been a whirlwind of activity in preparation because basically I sat on my bum for three weeks doing - I don't know what I did,  but  I could do with a couple of extra weeks of that kind of vague-ness. At 5pm tonight all I wanted to do was go have a Nanna nap.  At bedtime tonight,  I won't be able to sleep. Sometimes I think my name should be Mary Mary Quite Contrary.

The mail this week was lots of fun.

A surprise parcel from Erin at My Patchwork Life  arrived.   Erin knows I LOVE repro fabric. It's 400 degrees here today so all the curtains and outside shutters are down which is why this isn't the best picture I've ever taken. There is no way I'm venturing outside to take photos because there is a  very real danger I would spontaneously combust.

 


Thank you Erin! They're beautiful and were such a surprise.


I ordered some gorgeous Punctuation fabric a week ago for a quilt for Little P and it arrived within 7 days. Thank You Fabric Shack. (You cant beat $6.00 postage either!)


 Does anyone else think Jelly Rolls don't look half as alluring once they're unrolled?

Along with the fabric I received a parcel from Elizabeth.

An apron. Check out those fabrics. Very me.


A stack of quilty pink and brown fabrics.


Marshmallow Creme. Im going to have so much fun with this stuff.


An Abbey bag. I've been secretly envious of everyone who has won one from Elizabeth in the last year. Now I have my own. Thank You Elizabeth. (*Edited to add : Elizabeth has just posted a tutorial to make an Abbey Bag on her blog - so pop on over to see how you can make your own !)

While op shopping this week  I found two fabric panels for Little P - who loves "mo mo ". I'm seeing a mo mo quilt in my future.


I bought a BOX of batting this week. None of this namby pamby "I'll have 4 metres of that thanks" for me! Only truly serious quilters buy their batting in boxes. I had a 30% off coupon so this was a crazy bargain.  It would have been stupid not to buy the box right? Now I'm set until about September.


And....I pulled my finger out and finished the windmill quilt. Quilted, Bound and washed. Someone has christened this quilt "When Pastels Turn Sad" and I'm running with that because I thought it was the most perfect quilt name EVER. Thanks Becks.







 I'm  doing the happy dance because after a year - this one is DONE!

And finally, I gardened. This is monumental because these garden beds have been waiting for a year for plants. I finally bought some and put them in this week. Hopefully they'll survive and by this time next year we'll have lush greenery as you sweep up the staircase.  Look -I even mulched!

Lola left them alone for a whole 24 hours and then dug a few up just to remind me of how much I hate gardening and how pointless it all is.  The neighbours were treated to a plethora of minor swear words at 7am this morning when I discovered the plants/dirt /mulch all over my paving.


Anyone want to adopt a naughty dog? Going Cheap! 

My Goals for this week are :
To sew for 30 minutes each night
To survive the week back at work
To get Mr. P's quilt basted

Wish me luck - I have a feeling these are lofty goals!


27 comments:

Mistea said...

Such a nice bunch of lovelies you have received. Batting in a box - I want to see you make that last until September!
Love the Abbey bag will go check it out.
I can see you cooking up a storm in your new apron while you get creative in Frugal February.
Good luck with the goals.

Three Birds Inspired said...

I really like your "When Pastels Turn Sad". I love the faded look of it. I am a huge fan of all things faded, washed out or worn looking...which is a good thing since everything I own is of the above!

Thanks for showing a bit of your gardening. I miss green right now!

Shevvy said...

I've found the more free time I have the less I do that is needed to be done and the more quilting I do!

I love the idea of the batting in a box. When I finally get around to basting all the tops I have lined up and use up all my current batting, I have found a uk shop that sells by the bolt and I plan to use them next.

Helsie said...

A quilt finished too. Well done. I'm feeling lazy as I haven't done a thing for two weeks but I'm feeling inspired by you and Marg so I'll try to get a move on this week.
Cheers
Helen

Kris said...

Okay, so where did you get the batting from? Well done on the gardening and I hope your week at work will be better than you think!

Larri said...

Look at all your lovelies! And a finished quilt...that is a huge accomplishment.

I have the Punctuation Jelly Roll for my Postage Stamp quilt. :o)

Can't wait to see what you do with the Marshmellow Fluff. Do you make Fluffer-Nutters? Grilled Peanut Butter & Marshmellow Cream Sandwiches...mmm! One of my favorite indulgences.

I'm completely impressed with the planting. I've already declared that Spring is going to be my "Year of Gardening." With my black thumbs, it should be interesting if nothing else.

Enjoy the week. Praying is goes quickly and without incident. Happy Sunday night! :o)

Nana B said...

Please let us know how you like the bamboo batting. I love the renewable/recycle sound of it but heard negative reviews at a quilt seminar this past fall. I love the idea of buying in bulk.

Jenn said...

What R U going to do with the MM cream? I have a jar that's over a year old because I just don't know what to do with it...might borrow Larri's idea..sounds good.
The quilt is very pretty - I like those colors! Thanks for the link on the Abbey bag because I have always wanted one....now to find the time to make something for myself which is almost impossible right now. Have fun heading back to work! ha ha!

Sarcastic Quilter said...

I'd take that horse any day! Now, I want to know what you've done to or for the postman that he's re-directed all my mail to you. Really, this is getting ridiculous.

ELMO! It's Elmo's world. I hope you make that Mo quilt for you and you alone. :)

I cannot believe you've gardened. The world has tiltled slightly on its axis which might explain why it's so hot for you and so cold and snowy for the rest of us. Nope, it's not global warming or the lack thereof, it's SHAY!

Lisa said...

Holy post Batman! I am not sure what to reply to first.

Ok, yes- WHAT are you going to do with the marshmallow cream that is going to be so much fun??? I make fudge with mine... but you sound like you have other... things... in mind.

SO PROUD of your finishes!! That time off wasn't wasted at all, was it?

I also buy my batting like that. I always just get Warm and White, but I have used bamboo in the past and LOVE IT.

A bit jealous of your heat. It's been single digits here, with the wind chill dropping below zero. And that's F, so I don't know what it would be C, but it's just really freaking COLD. Warmed up to the 20s this week and I actually went outside in shorts to take those fabric in the snow pictures. I think the neighbor guy driving by was doubting my sanity. Well, he probably already did so no big loss there.

What did you plant in your walkway? It looks like onions or leeks? I love how you have the neat strips of earth in your walkway like that. Cool.

Sara said...

Wow... I thought it was hot down here today...

I have one more week at work before my holidays. I too have big plans, and here's to hoping.

I only discovered fabric shack a week or so ago. I hope mine arrive as fast as yours did, US mail has slowed SO much lately.

What the bejesus is Jet-puffed? and why does it's jar need to be shatterproof?

I love opshop fabric, but I use all my opshop magic on jeans, so I rarely find any. I have gotten heaps and heaps of zippers recently though, so that's good.

I usually buy 8-10 metres of batting at a time. I went with bamboo when it was cheaper, but I'm back with cotton again now that Spotlight has Cozy for $16p/m.

I don't do gardening. Well, I glitter the pavement once a week or so during summer. That's my contribution. My sparkly contribution.

Have fun and good luck :)

Anonymous said...

Lola looks like she knows she's been a very naughty girl or that she really doesn't appreciate her photo being taken at that time in the morning when she's just been subjected to an ear bashing. What have you planted though? It looks like rows of leeks! I'm sure it will be beautiful when they grow.

Ho hum - back to work - yuck!

Lovely goodies from your friends though :0)

Kirsten said...

Good job Mrs.P. Love the quilt...as I said a million times before. If whoever gets it isn´t satisfied, send it my way...I´ll send some shoes instead :-)
Hope your job work will be just great, I´ll be thinking of you. How do you get peopleto sent you all those goodies??? I never get any mail??

AnnieO said...

You exaggerater--I'm sure it is only 200 degrees outside. What a wimp!

Envious of all your shopping. I'm on lockdown just now.

Oooh, I want an Abbey thingie! Been meaning to make something similar for ages.

Adorable apron. Great OP shop finds. You are going to be one busy woman once you return to work.

Yay! The dratted pinwheel is toast. Good work!

Angie said...

Love everything! I have one of Elizabeth's aprons too, I am too afraid to wear it while I cook (I wear I while I quilt and keep the scissors in the pocket). I as far as the dog...you know how they hobble horses so they don't go too far, bet it work for a dog too! lol

Brenda said...

So glad you're still posting away even while I'm on vacation... (I no longer buy jelly rolls because I am so disgusted with them once they are unrolled.)

melissa said...

Hope you survive your week back at work!
Love the finished quilt - and love the name too! Cant beat buying a box of batting 'specially bamboo/ cotton - i love that stuff!

Jet puffed Marshmellow creme
- WTF???

Kate said...

Wow, all kinds of cool stuff arriving at your house. The "mo mo" panel is such fun. Elmo is a very cool red furry monstor. He was kiddo's favorite for quite a while.

I like Beck's name for the pastels quilt. Though you could probably subtitle that one "Pastels that drive you mad". Did you put a label on the quilt?

Hopefully you'll spend most of your first day back a work reading emails so you really won't have to do anything that requires actually doing something!

thea said...

You're probably back at work already .. I think it's tomorrow morning there now. I hope things are going okay. I hate the end of vacation because the work has usually built up so much I wish I had't taken time off -- sort of. It'll be nice when I retire and don't have to worry about what I face when I get back.

Such nice treasures in the mail. How fun!

What is OP shopping? or is that a stupid question?

Congrats again on finishing the quilt!.

Oh, and the gardening. Nice job. I'm not much of a gardener so I admire when anyone does anything in the garden. We have mulch and rocks in our flower beds, as of last week.

Unknown said...

I am so sorry you must go back to work - hopefully it will be a good day. I had three "snow days" and am not ready to go back to work yet. The only nice thing about a bad snow storm is the days off of work!

I love, love, love the pinwheel quilt. I think the colors are really nice. I have one going also and hope to get it finished by 2030!!

I am not too sure what an OP shop is, but I am guessing it is a discount or thrift store. You are lucky to find such goodies there.

Love all your wonderfulness that came in your mailbox!

Paulette said...

When Pastels Turn Sad (I snort-laughed at that awesome name) came out just lovely! Bravo!

Love all your new fabrics, and that apron is so cute. That Elizabeth sure make some wonderful stuff!

Susan Entwistle said...

Best of luck with your weekly goals, and so sorry you have to go back to work. Maybe you should consider 'win lottery' as a standing weekly goal. :)

Baa-Me Kniits said...

Bad dog Lola!! but how can you be mad at that face??

Loving that quilt but not the time frame, maybe I should stick to cushions??

Hope work wasn't too much of a shock to the system !

seabreezequilts said...

You were right about the spontaneous combustion, I went out to pick up the kids at the hottest part of the day and I think I must have dropped at least 3kg in sweat. I have always wanted to buy bulk batting but don't know where I would store it so haven't done it. Back to the sweat shop have a good one.

Marg said...

You are one lucky girl, Elizabeth sent you some gorgeous things.
So pleased you finally finished the bastard windmills quilt and Becky came up with a much nicer and more politically correct name.
I want to know what you did with my Punctuation that I ordered from the Fabric Shack days before you and I still don't have it! Did you tell them to send it to you? 16 days,grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Lola was probably doing her best to help you plant the Agapanthus. If they survive the 400 degree heat, they will be lovely when they flower.

Myra said...

Wonderful fabricee/quiltee goodies you've shown us Shay, and congrats on that PhD finish!!! 8-)

I'd love to pop over to Elizabeth's blog to see her tutorial to make an Abbey Bag, but you didn't supply a link m'dear! lol! Can you supply it please... 8-)

Don't be too hard on Lola... She is only doing what comes naturally, and besides, she probably saw you digging around in there, right? lol! But I know it IS frustrating... 8-)

Good luck with your goals and work...

chickens consigliere said...

you are amazing Mrs.P. My goal for this week is to stay awake past 9 pm. Baby steps.