Funky Monkey gains sight

This poor monkey had no eyes since December 6th 2008. (Yes, I just looked it up on my blog to see how long he has been waiting just for eyes.) I started making funky monkey on November 21st 2008. Maybe I could attach a label to his bottom like a Cabbage Patch. LOL!!

This is one of the things I love about my blog - it is my quilting diary. I can't tell you how many times (pre-blogging) I thought back and tried to work out when I started a quilt and when I finished it (for it's label, you know...). My bugs in bottles quilt still doesn't have a label. Hmm... note to self, post a photo of that.

I love Sharyn's idea of making a quilt journal to document all of this (my book covers would do well for those). I have a couple of ideas books that I have scribbled in over the years. Perhaps I will take some photos of pages and the finished quilt sometime to show you. (OK, that thought is also filed away - not in my brain, but on my blog, VBG.) I should make more book covers for them.

Did you get a spare calendar over the New Year period? Perhaps one from the dry cleaners or something like that? I guess businesses are cutting down on such things, but you could still pick up a calendar for a good price now that the year has already started. Keep it next to your sewing machine and write in some of the ideas Sharyn suggests here.

It is such a clever idea. Although I write in this blog, I don't post every time I change a sewing machine needle. LOL!!

I have a new panel. The design was inspired by an object book from the 1940s. I am going to make a soft book from it, but the pictures would also make good blocks in a quilt.

The flash didn't go off in the bottom photo, but I can't be too picky, I haven't had time to post for days!!

I am really enjoying the warm weather - BBQs outside in the cool of the evening after a hot day.... we have been eating lots of salads, unusual combinations that we rustle up so we don't get tired of lettuce and tomato. Another warm day today, 30 degrees C (it's been 2 days in a row at 39, so it is some respite, but still certainly not gardening weather).

Addicted to these things...

These are worse than chocolate!! Alright, not that bad - they are not fattening after all.

I made some more book covers for gifts. Four from the same fabric.

My DH looked at them and said "I didn't think this kind of fabric was your bag". I said that it would be hard to make a quilt out of, but it's good for these. Plus, I bought the fabric on sale a year ago and hadn't found anything else in particular to use it for. To this, he nodded agreeably.

I used different kinds of ric-rac. The pink ric-rac is pretty swish!

I know just who to give these to!!

Look at this stack! What was I thinking?? LOL!!

I already gave one of the oriental ones away!!!

Quilting Christmas party

Those three words really do go together well: quilting, Christmas and party. Yeah!

I showed you the bag I made for Gill. Sue made this one for me.

I indicated a preference for icky green fabric (That's what non-reproduction fabric lovers would call it. Group members who know me well would know I meant repro). Sue filled my bag with green stuff!! Threads, fabrics, buttons and even green chocolates! (well, peppermint filled Freddo frogs). I ate them straight away!! Yum!!

At our Christmas-In-July function (this is a great idea for us, because we get to enjoy traditional Christmas foods in the weather they were meant for, sometimes it is just too hot to eat roast turkey and pudding.... just kidding!!) my group had to present our Challenge items. These are the miniature quilts in the slideshow on the sidebar of the blog.

At that time the new Christmas Elves were chosen by the previous ones. The rest of us had no idea who has been organising our next Challenge! Tuesday night, our Elves were revealed (Fiona and Di H). We received a parcel of goodies and instructions.

This is Andrea's parcel (unopened) - she will get it early in the New Year.

This is what I found in mine (there are slight variations in fabric between the parcels).

The challenge is to make a free style collage applique quilt: (Yay!! I love it!!) Basically, one cuts fabric the size and shape wanted then secures with glue or fusible web. Fabric is added layer upon layer until the image is constructed.

The picture on the cover of this mag was used as an example.

• The background must be pieced
• Only straight edge machine applique allowed (no buttonhole, no zigazg, no satin stitch etc.
• No broderie perse
• Quilt must be at least 14 inches square or a shape adding up to that measurement
• Must include some free motion embroidery
• Binding is optional
• Use at least one piece of the fabric provided somewhere in the project

You can see the free motion embroidery in this close-up.

And yes, I made more books!!! LOL!!

I am trying to make them for gifts, but my DH has said I need to keep a Dick and Jane one and a kitchen print one (I do not need any persuading!!). I thought the kitchen print books would make good recipe books.

I am going to buy more book inserts today. VBG.

The night before

Well... the afternoon before really...

I took these photos yesterday afternoon before the quilting group Christmas doo.

Here is the Christmas Cookie bag with the gift I bought for my K.K. I chose Civil War Dressing Gown fabrics for Gill as she has just finished hand-quilting her Dear Jane. It took her 10 years to hand-piece and hand-quilt her masterpiece. So, I knew she would like these fabrics.

I've gone a bit crazy on the book covers.

I am loving the fabrics!!

I bought more ric-rac yesterday! LOL!!