The end of my winning streak ... but perhaps the start of yours?

As I mentioned, I have been winning giveaways with an embarrassing regularity. This delicious little bundle tied up in red & white ribbon is my third (& final!) win.

Sarah of The Last Piece generously offered up a Moda 'Snippets' layer cake, oooh, and now it is at my place! Sarah, until very recently, was one half of the dynamic duo who made up Material Obsession. Along with business partner Kathy, they have wowed Australian, and indeed, worldwide quilting circles with their innovative use of colour and design. I'm talking serious talents here, and seriously famous! They know Kaffe personally!!

My first thought when this little bundle of goodness arrived was that it was surely destined for one of Sarah's designs, 'Dottie for Dresden' (and I am even more convinced having seen this post)!

Sarah has recently flown the Material Obsession nest & is spreading her wings in a very exciting new venture. She is the creative director of an innovative new site for sewers called SEWN which will be launched in June 2009. This site promises to be fantastic, with forums, online advice, free patterns, tools, interviews, tutorials, and an online buy & sell area!

To celebrate, there are giveaway opportunities all over the place! Sarah is giving away fat quarter packs of Lizzy House's new line, Red Letter Day. SEWN has all sorts of amazing prizes to celebrate its launch here. And bloggers are sharing in the celebration too, by inviting themselves to a Blog Launch Party! Check here for blogs who are also having giveaways to coincide with the launch of SEWN on June 8.

So of course, considering all my amazing giveaway wins lately, it seems only proper to even up the score a little! I have joined the Launch Party (any excuse for a champagne!) and will be having a giveaway very soon. The Launch Party giveaways will all be drawn on June 8, so that gives me a little bit of time to stitch something up. Please check back soon!

Need a little inspiration?

Some more eye candy from Weigela Design in Warren, New South Wales. Unfortunately, I neglected to write down details of some of these designs, but I hope they give you some inspiration for the start of a new week. Hope your Monday is a great one! Best wishes, Bloom.

Lots of Moda goodness, & some sweet although forlorn little angels.

A Christmas angel stitchery quilt

A version of 'Tim's Things' by Hatched & Patched - a great boy's quilt.

A new layer cake pattern by Weigela Design using 'Beach House' fabrics by Blackbird Designs for Moda.

Another Weigela Design, made from 'At Waters' Edge' fabrics, again by Blackbird Designs for Moda. This quilt can be made from jelly rolls or layer cakes. Love the jumbo ric rac on this one.

A really simply but effective jelly roll design, incorporating buttons & ric rac. Made using Moda's 'Collection for a Cause' fabrics.

More Weigela loveliness here.

Who's a lucky girl then?

In an almost embarrassing run of good fortune, here is another of my wins in generous blog giveaways! The lovely Sheree of Sheree's Alchemy was offering a giveaway of new release Wonderland fabrics.

I was able to choose eight fat quarters from the entire range of 'Wonderland' by Momo for Moda. It is a Japanese-inspired range, and is beautifully soft to the touch.

 

Sheree has a great blog, makes very cute children's outfits to sell, has amazing weekly giveaways and has a wonderful shop, full to the brim with fabric temptation! So what are you waiting for? Head on over there! I'm off to dream up what I might make with my new Wonderland fabrics ... hmm ... Camille over at Simplify has a very cute 'Wild Thing' quilt made from Wonderland amongst her new patterns that I'm loving ... 

Blooming at the farm

The roses are blooming away happily in our farm garden, oblivious to the impending cold ...

... and the autumn leaves are starting to colour.

'Paris 2000', a French Delbard rose with its mesmerising stamens

Silver birches colouring up

Super soft peachy pink Rosa 'Heritage', by David Austin

The sweet Rosa 'Perfume Perfection'

And this is what happens when a rose gets confused! This is a David Austin rose called 'Winchester Cathedral' which should be a pure white. But because it has been bred from 'Mary Rose' which is pink, sometimes it sends up a throw back to its origins. And so I have this bicolour rose with an identity crisis!

Parisian vintage treasures

I received lots of special mail while I was away. The generosity of bloggers always takes me by surprise & warms my heart. This package arrived from Petit Détails, all the way from beautiful Paris:

Petit Détails is one of my favourite blogs to read; an inspiring place to be, with beautifully stitched pieces, often using linen & sublime combinations of soft red, white & blue. There is a serenity & elegant simplicity about this blog that I really love. And I love to see the amazing vintage items she manages to find in the flea markets of Paris. What treasures she has unearthed! Here are just a few of the delightful images from her blog:

So of course, when Petit Détails was offering a chance in a giveaway of vintage fabrics, I had my name in the draw as a quick as a flash. And I was lucky enough to be drawn the winner! Her parcel arrived and beautiful it is!! All of it, right down to the birdy swing card & the lace tie! 

What really took my breath away was the red & white trim with my initials - that is VERY special. It will be treasured. I have a plan for making something special with these. Not sure how long it will take me to get around to it, but I have a plan! Back soon, with more special mail deliveries.

Back from the country

For those of you have been following my blog for a while, you will know that when I 'disappear' from cyberspace for a while, it means that I have been back to our little farm to spend time with family, do lots of gardening, play some tennis & generally 'escape' the world for a bit. On my return to town & my computer, there are many, many things to share, but where to start? Perhaps a little eye candy? I had the chance to visit one of my favourite quilting shops while I was back at the farm. 'Weigela Design' is in the small country town of Warren in central New South Wales. Warren shire has a population of just over 3000, and is in the heart of irrigated cotton growing country. 'Weigela Design' is owned by the lovely Sue Brennan & a visit to her shop is always inspiring.

There is room after room of beautiful quilts to admire ...

... and of course, no shortage of fabrics to purchase ...

 

... original designs by Sue to inspire, including these sweet little felt Christmas ornaments ...

... a stunning version of  'How to Grow Angels' quilt by Anni Downs of Hatched & Patched ...

... and another sample of a new Hatched & Patched design, called 'Home for Summer'. 

I have more photos of this gorgeous shop to follow, but for now, you can see my posts from previous visits here, here, here and here.

Unfortunately, Weigela Design has no website, or blog, but I can pass on phone contact details for anyone interested.

Stitching therapy

My sewing machine & associated paraphernalia have been packed away over Easter to make room for visitors. So some hand stitching made it's re-emergence.

Having not hand stitched for a while, it was so lovely to get back to. An immediate calm comes over me, as I sit & stitch.

I try to convince my Sweetness that it is good for my health & well-being. He seems unconvinced, but humours my need (most days)!

Edit - Some answers to your questions on this post:

The pattern? A gorgeous new stitchery pattern by Rosie Quinlan, due to be released in June. I transfer the pattern to my fabric using a sharp lead pencil & a light box. I also fuse a layer of Weaveline, a light fusible interfacing to the back of my stitcheries.

The thread? 2 strands DMC Colour Variations #4120 Tropical Sunset.

The fabric? The fabric is called Sienna Linen by Leutenegger. It is actually a linen cotton blend, so is more affordable & easier to work with than a pure linen. It is 150cm wide and AU$12 per metre. My local supplier has sold out of this fabric, & I will be searching out a new stockist.

What am I making? A special surprise something for a friend! 

Happy Easter everyone!

His wounds have paid my ransom

Good Friday at our house means homemade hot cross buns & an easter egg hunt in the garden with the cousins.

But Good Friday is also a time for our family to reflect on Jesus - who he was, what he did and why. This song by Stuart Townend sums it all up for me. (You can listen to this by clicking on the play button below).

How deep the Father's love for us,

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give His only Son

To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,

The Father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the chosen One,

Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,

My sin upon His shoulders

Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,

Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life

I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no power, no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom

I'd love to hear what answers you've found to the 'Jesus question'(be they similar to mine or not), or how you spend Easter at your place. A very happy Easter to you all. Best wishes, Bloom.

March of the loyalty cards

I have at least 20 cards in my wallet, most of which only get used very occasionally. I was fed up with these cards falling out of my wallet. Thankfully, A Spoonful of Sugar came up with the perfect solution! Using their Scrappy Loyalty Card Wallet tutorial, at last my cards are in some sort of order! I made this one ... to go with this bag! 

But then this bag needed a matching wallet too: 

My 13-year-old blossie is away for an entire week on cadet camp (read: 'roughing it, no showers, lots of dust, sleeping in the open'!), so I thought she would enjoy a little surprise on her pillow when she returns. This one goes with her frilly dilly.

I had fun in amongst my vintage buttons ... 

... with this duck egg blue one being my favourite. 

Couldn't resist using a little selvedge trim on this one for my daughter.

Thank you to Lisa & Sarah for a great tutorial. I had lots of fun making these, and my world is a nicer place now that my cards are organised. The house is a mess, but my handbag is looking very cool!