Eating Humble Pie...

We've done a lot of eating over the past few days! We had a very lovely Christmas with my DP's family and I am so excited to say that I was very wrong in my previous post! Turns out my DP had my Christmas present all sorted before Christmas Eve but wanted to keep me guessing and pick up a few little extras to make the day very special...

And this is what I got for Christmas... I must have been a very good girl this year! It came with a beautiful proposal and a gorgeous pair of diamond earrings to match! I absolutely LOVE it! It is PERFECT!!

Image courtesy of Peter Shakes online catalogue here.

What did you get for Christmas?

Merry Christmas!

I stitched this stocking for Oliver for Christmas last year (?)... maybe it was for his first Christmas? I can't remember! Anyway it took many nights of stitching but then sat unfinished in my sewing box. It was my 9th item on my Joy in the New Year WIP's I wanted to complete. That leaves me with just one more!

 It's not as perfect as I wanted it for Ollie but I can always make another... Maybe. The back is "It's Snowing" by Deb Strain for Moda

The pattern for the cross stitch is "Harry" by Shepherds Bush.

I'm yet to finish Gus' one. Here's hoping I'll have it done for Christmas next year... Ollie's is all stuffed ready to go for tomorrow morning! It's the BIG family Christmas this year over at my DP's Nana's... Sit down meal for 30+ people! We helped set up the garage yesterday and I visited the local fresh market store this morning at 7am to buy the supplies for the starters.

Ollie and the DP have popped out this morning to buy my Christmas present. In true DP fashion. Every year he leaves it to Christmas Eve to get me something... last year he ordered me pot's online on Christmas Eve so he made me the sweetest PowerPoint Presentation for Christmas. LOL! I wonder what I'll get this year!!

Let the Christmas celebrations begin! All the gifts are wrapped and ready!

Merry Merry Christmas to you and your families!

xx

A little Bot mad...

Can ya tell? I love Bot Camp by Michael Miller so much! I whipped up this memo board this afternoon. It's something I've meaning to do for a while now and I am thrilled with how it's come together... It'll be a great place to pop their art work and photos etc...

Here's my Ollie yesterday. He likes to get really close to the camera when you take his picture.

And this is my Gus... he is the sweetest little baby around. He is near perfect. Honestly.

And this is what the postman bought yesterday... this bundle happened to just jump into my shopping cart at The Fabric Shack - some Odyssea, Hushabye, Nest, Rouenneries and Monkey n Round...  It was my second time ordering from this site and they were wonderful. Super quick service and they even included some extra bits and discounted the shipping! And they're having a SALE! 15% of your order until the 1st January! I think I might just need some more please :)

The final countdown is on until Santa arrives! Ollie is very excited! I better get the last of the gifts wrapped!

xx

Sew n Tell Friday on Monday

The title of this post pretty much sums up the last few days in our house... Everything I've been intending to do has taken second place while I've been looking after Oliver who had his adenoids out last Wednesday. He recovered really well - aren't little people amazing?! But trying to keep him quiet has been pretty tough... He's not really one to stop for anything!

So I apologise to Amy and the girls that this post is very late... but here's what I've been working on in the evenings when the house is quiet...

The final of my Christmas table runner's - this one is made using Simple Abundance and is for my MIL...

A close up of the quilting - I love those daisies - they work so well with the fabric and the quilting cost $14 - worth every cent!

I bought a FQ of this fabric a wee while ago and was stumped what to make with it... I didn't want to cut up the Russian dolls as they were so pretty, so decided to make them into wee Christmas decorations instead... One for the MIL, the DP's Nana, two for the boys daycare teacher, one for me and the last for one of my PIF's... I've still got a couple more I can make! Oliver had a blast instructing me which one to cut next and telling me who it was for! Aren't they sweet? Before I close the bottoms, I am going to embellish the pattern on the front with some stitching and maybe some beads too I think...

And lastly some crayon rolls for Ollie's wee friends at daycare for Christmas... I've finished two and have three more to finish. They are quite quick to put together :) Especially as I used fusible batting! I ended up combining a few tutorials into one.

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year! I can't believe the end of 2010 is upon us already! I've still got a bunch of Christmas presents to wrap and label. Oh how I love this time of year!

xxx

Dearest Santa...

As you know I am rather a simple girl at heart, so please find attached my Christmas Wishlist. I've used images to help you just in case. I have been a very good elf this year. I have been working very hard to be a good mum, work full time and make most Christmas presents... Remember my finished stack?

I am quite proud of that pile Santa - that's kilometres of sewing and cotton! All fabric was purchased from my favourite online store The Fat Quarter Shop.

So Santa, you swell old chap... if you can swing any, ANY of the following I will love you forever

A few of these would make a lovely quilt for Beccy's wedding...

Or this would make a lovely gift for one of the many babies 2010 will bring...

This has birthday crayon rolls and library totes all over it!

And after all the sewing of Figgy Pudding for the family for Christmas,

I'd desperately love to make something for me for Christmas next year too...

Gotta love that Figgy Pudding!

So Santa, I promise to be a very good girl in 2010 too. I will continue to perfect my quilting skills so that I can make lots of lovely gifts for family and friends. And I will continue shopping from The Fat Quarter Shop. It is, as you well know, a favourite little stop of mine... my place for stocking up my quilty guilty goodness!

With much hope and anticipation,

Lara

PS. Santa - now that we don't have a chimney, you are welcome to post these internationally if you like.

It'll help save you some time and I don't mind at all. Really.

PSS - If you too would like to get involved you write your very own Santa Wishlist - head on over to The Jolly Jabber and enter for your chance to possibly win a gift from your list!

xx

Sew n Tell Friday Part 3

Well this was my final finish for the week - a wee table runner made with Figgy Pudding charms for my MIL to go with this table topper/lap quilt for Christmas.

She is moving into her new home this weekend - just in time for Christmas! I think I may give these to her early so that she can enjoy them in the countdown to Christmas!

I've just got one more table runner to bind for Christmas and I am all ready to go! This is my pile to wash, dry and wrap

Have you got any tips for washing and drying? I'd love to know!

Hope you have all had a lovely week!

x

And then there were 4!

This little quilt is for my MIL...

 It's big enough to be used as a lap quilt or...

As a wee table topper too!

Thank you to those of you who offered advice on

how to border this quilt, I took it all on board and

am so happy with how it has come together. The

quilting is an all over snowflake design which

is so festive and beautiful!

I now have two more table runners to complete and

Oliver's Shepherds Bush Christmas stocking before

Christmas as well as 1 little cross stitch for Gus

before the New Year is upon us.

Hope everyone is having a lovely week!

I am really enjoying the process of binding quilts now!

It makes for a lovely little job to do while watching TV.

x

And then there were 5!

The completion of this little Figgy Pudding by Moda table runner brings my total of WIP's to complete before the New Year to 5! This table runner is a gift for my DP's Nana for Christmas!

Tonight I'll be working on the wee Figgy Pudding lap quilt intended for MIL as an early Christmas present. She's just bought a new home so I want to have it finished to give her this weekend after we've helped her shift into her new place.

I love Figgy Pudding. I have some yardage and a Layer Cake remaining! Hope everyone is having a lovely week! Tomorrow is Wednesday! 8 more working days to go and then we're on holiday :)!!

x

Done! Bot Camp #2!

Finished! Gus' quilt is another one I can strike off my list!

Also made using Bot Camp by Michael Miller - 60" x 80"

And the back! I love the sprockets! They are my favourite I think!

I had a few questions in the comments of this post about how I sew the binding. I must confess to having the quilter sew the binding down for me - I didn't think I'd manage to get the quilts through my machine very well and was happy to pay a little extra. I hand stitched the binding down on each of the boys quilts. I have tried to machine bind a couple of table runners and despite my very best efforts, I fail miserably! I can't wait to wrap these quilts for my boys! Ollie's star stitching is in blue to match his binding and Gus' quilt features orange stars and binding. I thought I'd try Gus' quilt for size on Ollie's bed - I am thrilled with how it looks!

 And here is a closer shot of the quilting!

I signed up for Joy in the New Year with 10 WIP's I wanted finished before the New Year, and I am happy to report that this finish brings me to 6 WIP's to complete! I'll hopefully get another two knocked off my list tonight! Wish me luck!

Happy Sewing!

Just a little bit naughty...

I could not resist this poster... My friend emailed me the link to the Etsy site and I knew instantly they'd be perfect for the boys robot themed room! So I contacted Nisha to see if she would customise the colours to suit the boys Bot Camp quilts and she couldn't have done it more perfectly! I love these guys and they are on their way to NZ!!

I think b and v are my favourites!

What's on your Christmas Wishlist this year and what are you buying your family?

x

Sew n Tell Friday

Finally finished! Ollie's Christmas quilt. The fabric range is Bot Camp by Michael Miller. 60" x 80"

And the backing making it completely reversible! I am very happy I didn't use a plain sheet and used my left over blocks instead!

And my pile to bind... 1 more Bot Camp quilt for Gus, 2 Figgy Pudding table runners and a lap quilt and 1 Simple abundance table runner... All Christmas presents so I'd better get sewing! 21 days to go!

What are you doing for Christmas this year?

x