Sweet & swanky giveaway at V & Co

A quick post tonight as it is late & I need some sleep after a day of financial reconciliations - oh joy! Just letting you know about a very sweet giveaway over at V and Co. The lovely Vanessa is giving away two very cute honey buns, so be sure to pop over to visit her before Thursday.

Spring Frilly Dilly to be auctioned for Bushfire Appeal

The winner of my recent giveaway, Rebecca of Edward & Lilly, chose the Winter version of Frilly Dilly for her very own. This means the Spring Frilly Dilly (below) will be auctioned on eBay with the proceeds to be donated to the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal. 

 

The lovely Gillian, otherwise know as Silly Gilly, has offered to put together a 'monster eBay listing' of items from crafters all over Australia on the evening of 6th March. The Spring Frilly Dilly bag will be listed then. I will post a reminder as the date draws closer. In the meantime, if you'd like an early peek at other items to be listed, pop over to Gillian's blog.

The stitching strategies of a desperate woman

I get a bit stir-crazy if I don't find time to stitch in a day. It's not pretty! To save myself & everyone around me, I devise little strategies to squeeze in some sewing amongst the busy-ness of the every day. I have been making these blocks. 

Even if I only get one made per day, I feel satisfied to have at least accomplished something!

I keep a small plastic box of 1" scrappy strips readily accessible. I use Melly & Me's scrappy challenge tutorial, but employ freezer-paper foundation piecing as it is infinitely quicker. I can make one of these 5" blocks in 20 minutes flat!

And slowly, but surely, these little blocks are accumulating. They make me happy!

I have even taken to using some selvage strips in the blocks which is fun -  Ric Rac, the selvedge queen, would be so proud!

What tricks do you have to scratch the stitching itch on a busy day?

Coin quilt quandry

I am inspired by the many beautiful coin quilts that are appearing around blogland, and am sorely tempted to make one! 1. Coin Quilt, 2. stacked coins baby quilt, 3. The Back of Zig Zag Quilt, 4. ava coin quilt If you are tempted too, Orangeflower Sketchbook is organising a Coin Quilt Piece-a-long so that you can share your progress. The group's Flickr page is here.

And Crazy Mom Quilts has a fantastic pattern made from charm squares, just posted at Moda Bakeshop.

But of course, I will not be swayed from my resolution to finish some of the quilts I've started ... I will not be swayed ... or even slightly tempted to start something new, fresh & beautiful ... I will not ... will I?!!

Giveaway winner

Thank you to everyone who entered my giveaway. It has been great fun reading your comments & my list of blogs to read is even longer now! I would love to have made each & every one of you something special, but of course, there can only be one winner. My trusty random number generator has come up with comment #98:

By my calculation, this corresponds to: edward and lilly who said... I'm in Brisbane, Australia and giving makes me happy. The sight of your bags makes me happy too, they're fabulous! FEBRUARY 18, 2009 6:19 PM Congratulations to Rebecca of Edward & Lilly who makes the most delightful stitched creations with linen. Be sure to go over & visit her - but no naughty comments about her winning & you not!

Rebecca is also making 'Bushfire Bunnies' for children who have lost their toys in the Victorian bushfires. For every $20 donated to Red Cross on her community fundraising page, she has pledged to make a very cute bunny like this:

What a brilliant initiative! If you are keen to support the Bushfire Appeal in this way, you will need to be quick as Rebecca is fast approaching her $500 target. Details here.

Thank you girls! The giveaway has been lots of fun. Will have to do it all again soon!

Giveaway finishing in less than 24 hours!

At last, some sun today to take some more photos of the giveaway bags. Please comment on the previous post to enter. I am overwhelmed & humbled by the response to my giveaway. Thank you, each & every one of you. I am having a lovely time reading all your comments & visiting your blogs. So much fun!

I will be back tomorrow to draw the winner. Stay tuned!

Give them away Bloom!

Awww, do I have to?! I've yet to make a Frilly Dilly bag that I haven't loved, and these are no exception. But give them away I must! Here is the deal for my giveaway: 1. The winner will choose one of the two bags I have made. 2. The remaining bag will be auctioned on eBay, with the proceeds to be donated to the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire appeal. 3. The giveaway winner will be chosen at random, 4pm, Saturday 21st February. To enter, please leave a comment on this post, telling me where in the world you live and one thing that makes you happy! Choice #1 - Winter Frilly Dilly, made from reproduction fabrics, The Old Sturbridge Village Collection by Judie Rothermel.

Choice #2: Spring Frilly Dilly, lots of spots, stripes & checks, including a very cute Woodland Bloom print by Lila Tueller. The photos are not very good as it is a grey & miserable day here. I will replace them when the light is better. Something that makes me happy? Fresh flowers ... preferably in a clean house!

Frill seeker!

No shortage of frills to be found at my place today. I am cooking up a giveaway. Watch this space!

Valentine flowers for me ...

... and for you! Enjoy.

These are the only flowers I will see for Valentine's day! Yes, I am married to a man who thinks it is all a lot of commercial rubbish! But that's OK. I'd rather have a man who sticks to his principles, than one who bows to pressure. I gave him one of these cards, just for a stir!

1. Pin Heart, 2. waiting, 3. Embroidery on linen, 4. Untitled, 5. Magnolia, 6. stitch by stitch, 7. Pink Hydrangea, 8. Amazing colors, 9. Pure White, 10. Flora Wall Wear - 2, 11. Thinking "June", 12. Quilt Festival, 13. Astronomia

Journal cover tutorial

Thank you for your interest in my tutorial. The tutorial has moved and is available in its entirety at this link. Best wishes, Bloom.