Tangerine Tango!

Did you know that Tangerine Tango has been declared "Colour of theYear" by Pantone. Check it out, its a fabulous red orange. It has taken me a little while to warm to the theme, but it is a hot colour! (Sorry, nerdy colour joke).

Firstly, this is how much I know about colour, I had heard of Pantone, but I didn't know there was a "Colour of the Year", such a big call don't you think? And Tangerine Tango, what a fabulous name, it conjures up exotic thoughts of Spanish dancing, tropical fruits, sunsets, and cocktails.

I started thinking, I don't have much orange in the stash, but then I remembered that I had bought this fabulous fabric before Christmas....

And also these...

And then I also remembered these...

These vibrant fabrics are by Prints Charming, which are designed in Australia by two talented ladies in Sydney. Last year, they were moving premises, and had bagged up a heap of scraps and off cuts, and I decided to buy some....

Now I had let the colour genie out of the bottle I had to do something with some of these fabulous fabrics...how about a big 24" floor pillow?

Very yummy...I think...

Using the Orange spot on the back and quilted in orange...

Do you like the thread? It came from here...

My Mummy bought it for my birffday...yes it's today....I am now officially closer to 50 than 40 :(

But I am happy...checkout these threads...

They are a 30 weight, and the orange looks great in this shot....channeling Red Pepper Quilts with this shot!

I can't finish the pillow today because I haven't got a zipper...hate it when that happens, but I have to run I am being taken out to dinner by my lovely family, so gotta dash....happy sewing!

Blogger's Choice - Modern Red, White and Blue Basics

Now for something completely different!

Over at Quokka Quilts they are running a competition on behalf of the Fat Quarter Shop.  The idea is that you put  together a bundle of 12 prints, and 3 solids, like as if it was a fat quarter bundle you would buy, the prize is half a yard of each of the fabrics....need I say more!

Anyway here is my "small" bundle of fun, and let's call it "Modern Red,White and Blue Basics". My favourite fabric out the bundle is number 13, the navy with the red lips xxx :)

First Row

1. Michael Miller CottonCouture-SC533-PAPR-D-200  2. Michael Miller Cotton Couture-SC533-SWHT-D-200 3. Michael Miller CottonCouture-SC5333-NITE-D-200 4. Free Spirit Jane Sassaman EarlyBirds-PWJS034-STRAW-200

Second Row

5. Michael Miller Sarah Jane ChildrenatPlay-5153-RED-200 6. Michael Miller AquaRed-4834-CHERRY-200 7. Moda LittleApples-18515-11-200, 8. Lakehouse PamKittyMorning-LH11007-ROW-200

Third Row

9. Lakehouse PamKittyMorning-LH11019-ROW-200, 10. Michael Miller Weekend-SG5211-BERR-D-200, 11. Michael Miller Sarah Jane ChildrenatPlay-5151-navy-200, 12.  Michael Miller Weekend-CX4820-NAVY-D-200

Fourth Row

13. Dear Stella AnchorsAway-36-NAVY-200, 14.  Michael Miller Weekend-SG5250-DENI-D-200, 15. Free Spirit David Walker GetTogether-PWDW067-NAVYX-200

If I don't win...I might have to buy the bundle myself!

Work in Progress - 2011

What a blast 2011 was, participating in the online quilting world for the first time, but I must say some of my older projects have languished whilst I was sewing up a storm with my Japanese x and + blocks, the Farmer's Wife Blocks, the swaps, and of course my first quilt-a-long the Block-a-Plooza.

1. Pink Scrap baskets, 2. FWQAL (20) Churn Dash, 3. Japanese x and + blocks all sewn up, 4. 4x5 Modern Quilt Bee block, 5. Block-a-palooza Block 14, 6. Lily's Quilt-a-long, 7. Supernova Strips, 8. Whirly Gig, 9. Whimsical Basket, 10. Whimsical Basket, 11. Lynette Anderson - Scandinavian Christams, 12. Peppermint Sparkle

My poor Supernova quilt never got to shine...it's still in strips...is it destined to be a UFO? I did "quilting avoidance" and didn't quilt my Whimsical Basket...it's been a UFO for nearly 5 years, so what's another year?  But I am definitely going to quilt it this year!

And I got all fired up and finished my Sue Ross blocks, and was ready to do the strip setting until I realised that there is a border on four of the blocks which requires about forty circles to be appliqued on, and because I have made all the blocks by hand, I want to needle turn applique the circles...sigh...

So what's next I hear you say...first cab of the rank is to get my Modern Bee blocks finished and posted by the 16th January, and I would like to get the pink scraps quilt top done for an online showing on the 16th January, and I still want to join in on the Bloggers BOM over at Canton Quilt Works.

As I am not working for the next few weeks I will be quilting with the local guild for a few days, so I thought I would like to work on the Block-a-Palooza quilt...

and also use the space out there to pin my Peppermint Sparkle quilt...

My plans for the year include trying to be less distracted by online projects, work more on projects that really move me in a creative way, and continue to improve my hand work with the Lynette Anderson Scandinavian Christmas....so we shall see how we go...I am not very good at sticking to plans!

But you know what, as long as I am sewing I am happy!

Going out with a bang!

Happy New Year to you all! I hope you all have had a lovely break and enjoyed time with friends and family.

Here in Darwin, we have had threatening cyclones, which didn't come to pass, thank goodness, our neighbours in the Katherine region (300kms) away, were not so lucky and got a whole pile of rain from the tropical low. The Stuart Highway was cut for about three days, this highway connects Darwin to the rest of Oz,  the road is back in working order, but the railway to Darwin, which was also washed out, won't be repaired for a little while yet...the perils of living in the tropics!

Yes and now it is hot hot hot....aircon has been going on before lunch for the last couple of days...I have set up my sewing machine in the cool, and have been sewing up a storm...I decided that before I would start on anything new I needed to finish "my homework" (over due projects)....

Homework Sheet No. 1 Two twin boy quilts.

First started in September...blogged here...they have turned out quite well...despite being brown ;)

Homework Sheet No. 2 The Flurry Dresden plate quilt.

Check out the hand quilting (yes, that's right hand quilting) I did with red perle cotton...so pretty!

Homework Sheet No.3 Tammis Angel Christmas Runner

Did you know it very hard to take a photo of a 66 inch runner?

These four quilts brings my total of completed items for year to eighteen. I am very pleased with that, as  two of those quilts were a king and queen sized...had to outsource the quilting on those two!

1. Tamis Angel Christmas Runner, 2. Run up to Christmas - Christmas Checkerboard, 3. Christmas Swap, 4. Flurry Dresden Plates, 5. Bow Wow, 6. Bird Watching, 7. Red Hot Basket, 8. Pam Holland Christmas Beetle, 9. Pink Blooms, 10. Its a Girl...quilt, 11. DSC00699, 12. In Fabric Land, 13. Home Sweet Home, 14. The Letter M, 15. Botany Jelly Roll quilt, 16. So Tweet!, 17. Polka Dot Tree, 18. Its a boy...quilt

Still lots of quilts in the "Work in Progress" pile! But we will talk about those in the next post...as this one has turned out quite long....so happy sewing in 2012!

Merry Christmas!

Are thoughts of Sugar Plums dancing in your head? My head is full of Christmas's past, the children when they were little, and my own Christmas's as a child.

My Christmas Tree represents all those things, I have decorations from when I was child, from when I first got married and spent a year in the UK....

My mother in law no longer puts up a big Christmas tree, so several years ago she gave me some of her most precious decorations...

Beautiful Angel...

Cute Pixie, and Robins...

Funny little Christmas elf?

A more recent acquisition...a glass Santa...I like to buy a special decoration every year, as a memento.

But of course being Christmas Eve, we have to think about tomorrow, I have done my food shopping, so today will be focussed on arranging the house for my extended family to visit, some food preparation and of course the final gift wrapping...then off to an early family Christmas Eve mass for some reflection on the true meaning of Christmas.

I would like wish everyone has a happy and safe Christmas and lots of sewing after that :)

Bits and Pieces

Gosh...I am a bit over being busy all the time! I have had only had bits and pieces of time to do sewing this month....but the good news is I start 5 weeks of holidays next Thursday...whoop whoop whoop...break out the bubbly :)

So this month...my 15 Minutes Play swap quilt  was finished and mailed to Terry...

...who also happened to be my swap partner to make me something. She made me this lovely little mini quilt with retro fabrics from when she first moved to Oz in the 70's, plus she had researched me and saw I liked text fabrics and sent me a lovely little collection, plus some thread and invisible ink pen! I felt very spoilt when I opened my parcel! Check out her blog @ Terry's New Thread

I did some air travel with hubby this month, when you live in Darwin every other capital city is Australia is a minimum 4 hours away, so I was able to finish these fun little hearts which are part of the Lynette Anderson Scandinavian Christmas I started earlier this year...this project is going to a real slow boiler...but not everything has to be finished a weekend...right? Who does that anyway??

And I also did my pink scrap baskets...

Not sure how the pink scrap quilt will end up, I think it is good to let a quilt evolve sometimes, and let the creative genie out of the bottle!

Seven sleeps to go 'til the big day, we are having a nice family Christmas at my place...there will be 14 for lunch. We will be missing my younger brother and his family, as they live in Brisbane, but we were all together last year, so we can't be greedy and be together every year!

Off to write more lists...can you drink champagne and plan at the same time...might be a bit early for champers, perhaps I will eat chocolate santas and write lists!

Farmers Wife Blocks 17-24

Hanging in there with the Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-Long! Albeit very slowly....it has been so hot here in Darwin I haven't been doing much sewing, the room my machine is in does not have aircon :( But my lounge room does :) So I have been spending my evenings fiddling around with choosing fabrics, tracing templates, and cutting little pieces...in the air conditioning...it's quite therapeutic!

I have eight blocks for show and tell today (whoop whoop!)

(17) Cats and Mice

(18) Century of Progress....didn't like this one...I had to do it twice!!

(19) Checkerboard

(20) Churn dash

(21) Contrary Wife

(22) Corn & Beans

(23) Country Farm....my favourite

(24) Country Path...2nd favourite

Here's all the blocks together....

I am pretty happy with how this is looking...but I really need use more blue and green....

And I love this stack o'blocks photo...not as great as this stack though!

Note: gleaming brand new iron in background....it's black and gold...so classy!

I think I might stop at 30 blocks....what do you think?