Lily's Quilts: It's a BIG FAT Oakshott giveaway

oh my goodness!!! Wouldn't it be fab if this came to Australia! I know I'd be jumping up and down, clapping my hands and being a real goober (that's what my friend DeeRoo calls me), lol...... Go on, click the link and enter, gotta be in it to win it!


 

 Lily's Quilts: It's a BIG FAT Oakshott giveaway

x Mandy

A finish........or three

the promised finish . . . . .

The quilting for outer blocks stumped for a day or so. I felt I needed to secure the edges, but didn't want to do a straight line squared border. I really, really like how it turned out, and can't wait to make another one.

Finish no.2 is a Christmas table runner. Although I've called it 'Christmas and Beyond', because you can easily flip it for everyday use. The backing fabric is one of my all time fave fabrics "Lady Yang' from Alexander Henry, and one of the very first fabric's I bought on line as I just had to have it! It measures about 10" x 35" and I straight line quilted it, with the lines 1/2" apart. That really satisfied the vrooom, vroooom yearing!

And the 3rd finish is the Ellie cushion there on my Nook stand. I pieced those letters so long ago (seems like it anyway) using a Trimmings pack from Umbrella Prints. I couldn't think what to do with it then, then last week I told myself to just make a cushion. So I did, and I just love how it turned out. Sometimes you just need to wait for the inspiration to strike, don't you!

Cheerio for now, thank's for visiting. I'll be back at the weekend to show you the super duper, fantabulous mail I received from my buddy in Virginia, DeeRoo. I was floored!

x Mandy

progress

cot quilt, a photo by mandalin18 on Flickr.

Update
Quilted and bound and at The Nook in Leura. Some silly person (yeah...me), forgot to take a picture!!!! I'll go up tomorrow and amend that....Very excited to have had a finish though. Yeehar!!! 

But not as much as I'd like, I was worried that my Janone was about to expire on me!

Thankfully a good friend has stepped in and loaned me one for a few days, phew! I think mine will be okay for little jobs, but not for the quilting of even a small cot quilt.

So, you and me quilt, on the Paff, tomorrow morning, k!

Still on track,
x Mandy

design wall

I think I'm in need of one

A low volume green and blue cot quilt in the making. Cheer me on as I'm aiming to finish it by Friday! I'm hoping this design will come together easily and quickly, and that I'll be able  to eventually make them in my sleep. Part of a Christmas stock plan for my Mandalin space at the Nook in Leura. I want to make a pink/purple one after this one and then a red/yellow. I'm loving red and yellow at the moment. How about you, what's your fave duo colour combo right now?

Anywho, back to it

x Mandy

What a blast!

we. were. awesome!

There was a world firefighting comp, a corporate team and hospital team comp too. We were one of 29 teams racing in the social comp, and we finished 13th in that group. Well happy with that!

Thank you team 'Blackheath Ark' for a really fab day!

x Mandy

Dragon boat racing!

yes I am!!!

 

Dragons Abreast Festival

28th October 2012

Darling Harbour

Sydney

ALL DAY

This is such a special fundraising event, organized by Dragons Abreast. Teams from all over come to race. Highly competitive teams, through to teams there mainly for the fun (that's me)! Teams that come back year after year, to teams that have paddlers in them for the first time (that's a fair few of us). 

As one though, we are fundraising for awareness, education and for survivors of Breast Cancer. 

October is Australia’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so please think hard about donating a few dollars to sponsor our team, the 'Blackheath Ark'.

 

Donating is so very simple, click here and the link will take you straight to where you need to be. Just remember to sponsor our boat please, the Blackheath Ark, and me Mandy A. You can even put a little message of encouragement there for the team and me, that would be sooooo special!!

The link should work now, and take you straight to the donation form for Blackheath Ark. I'm lucky #7 (Mandy A) from the top of the drop down member list. 

Dragon boat racing - fast, tough, exhilarating, a little scary, wet, fun

Wish me luck!

xox Mandy

destashing on etsy!

I've decided that I have to sell off some of my fabrics,

if I am to buy more!!!

lol, a quilters curse and pleasure

So many fabrics are released so often, I just can't keep up. I'm not the fastest sewist, in actual fact I'm a real plodder. Which really doesn't help when I love so much of the fabric that I see. 

Sooooooooooo, mandalinDestash has been born on etsy, you can see a sample of fabrics I'm selling in my shop over on the right hand bar > > > > > > > > > I'll be adding more and more over the next few months, so keep checking back often. I'm also going to make some scrap bags next week. Go visit my shop and fave me, then you won't miss anything, oh go on, I'll love you forever!!!

cheerio for now,
x Mandy


 

Indie Granny!

Having a ball with these Granny blocks

The colours in Pat Bravo's 'Indie' line are sumptuous, exotic, colour saturated, evocative and just down right delish! I bought a 'Midnight' palette of fat 1/4's from Hawthorne Threads (yes I go there a lot!!). I knew I wanted to make granny squares with them, as big as I could, cause I like fast quilts. So I just worked out I could get 13 x 4.5" squares from each fat quarter and started cutting! The background is a 'French General' solid, the same one, these pics were taken on a gloomy early evening. I'm making 9 squares and will finish them today. I haven't decided on sashing or borders, any thoughts on that would me appreciated. The blocks are finishing up around the 17" mark.

Anywho, that's where I am this morning, or rather where I'm gonna be!
cheerio
x Mandy

Happy days!

Making happy flags gives me the best feeling!

Making them in spring, and seeing them flutter in my trees which are covered in flowers, is enough to make me giddy! These will be making their way to 'The Nook' in Leura tomorrow, just in time for the Leura Village Fair this weekend. If you've never been to the fair, and your able this weekend, come on up!! The Mall is closed to traffic and is instead full to bursting, of market stalls. Market stalls of the best kind!! The 'Bluebird Market' is also on at 'The Alex' hotel on Saturday, and the Leura Public school market is on, on Sunday. So much to do and see, how could you think of missing it! :D

Here's my latest fabric purchase, from the Hawthorne Threads sale section! I've always wanted to see 'Habitat' by Jay McCarroll up close, but of course I'd have to travel some way to do that. So, at $6.99 USD a yard I took the plunge and bought these 1/2 yards. I'm so happy I did! 

cheerio for now,
x Mandy

oh how I wish,

weekendticket, a photo by Lynne @ Lilys Quilts on Flickr.

I could repeat the wonderful experience I had at the Fat Quarterly sewing retreat again, next year. Next year, my heart will not be as heavy from losing my Dad as it was this year. Next year, I could have the conversations I wanted to have, without the fear of my eyes leaking.

I am so thankful I could attend, it was so amazing to meet friends made on Flickr, and to have made new ones!

I'm not going to say I'll not be able to attend next year, cause you never know. Unfortunately, October is too early for me to say I can go. The new year may be a different thing though......

keep your fingers crossed for me please
cheerio for now
x Mandy

Row Robin update

around the bend and across the pond Row Robin group, a photo by mandalin18 on Flickr.

Here are our quilts! Aren't they all fantastic!
Click on the links to see a bigger picture of each quilt. This bee has been such fun, and all the ladies are super lovely and talented. I'd do this again in a heartbeat.

Fat Quarterly post will come!!! Just having problems with my card reader.

Thanks for popping by!
x Mandy

FQ London retreat linky party

I am so lucky to be in England while this fabulous event is on,

and I cannot express in words how excited I am!



Sooooooo, many online friends to meet,
two extra special 'dates',
one with this lovely lass,
the other is super top secret....
ooooooooooh I do love a secret
especially one that will probably make me cry!!

I'll be paper piecing with Tacha Sat am

learning some serious skills with Aneela Sat pm

machine piecing with Brioni Sun am

and participating in the Iron Man challenge Sun pm

so hi to the FQ gaggle

see you there!

x Mandy

Just so you know.....

Swoon Quilt, a photo by mandalin18 on Flickr.

I did it, I got my Swoon Quilt into the Springwood Community Quilt Show.
Definitely my most proudest quilting moment.
But it only happened with a lot of help from the loveliest quilting lass I know. Rachael of Blue Mountain Daisy. Thank you Rach, your a belle xx

Swoon hand quilted

Swoon hand quilted, a photo by mandalin18 on Flickr.

I declare I love hand quilting!
I really love the process of handling the quilt, as I quilt. The fabric softens as you work and gives it beautiful crinkly used look and feel. I'm about to sew on the binding and then hand sew it down tomorrow at my Friday group. I'll be hand quilting many quilts in my future.
x Mandy

Swoon update...

so Swoon blocks #3 and #4 are finished, thanks to the motivation from the ever lovely Rachaeldasiy, encouragement from Chris Jurd and the Blackheath gang.




Making the backing was a horror, I had to add a 3" final border all round for it to be big enough. So pinning then became a nightmare, "are the sides equal" was running around in my mind constantly, and I found myself going round & round & round around the table. So I went lateral, and made it wonky on purpose!!! lol, how liberating, flicked that stress outta my mind! It is the back after all.

I've entered it into the Springwood Community Quilt Show. Which is on Fri 27th April to Sun 29th April 2012. Open 10am to 4pm each day. It's a lovely local Quilt Show, with lots of goodies on sale. Take a visit if your around, you won't be disappointed, pinky promise!

Hand quilting it as you read!!!!
x Mandy

A day out....

Bebeah Gardens, Mt Wilson, NSW, a photo by mandalin18 on Flickr.

We had a fabulous day out on Saturday. After an early lunch come late breakfast in Blackheath, we when on to Bebeah Gardens in Mt Wilson, NSW. The autumn colours haven't quite arrived, and it will be stunning when they do, but it was stunning none the less. Just the right amount of formality mixed with sprawling lawns and giant tree's. And even a tall tree fern glade where Gruffalo's would definitely hang out. Visit if you get the chance!

Katy & Pink Castle Fabric's Contest

Katy & Pink Castle's Contest, a photo by mandalin18 on Flickr.

This was a fun thing to do! And if Brenda of PCF's picks your bundle, as the one she likes the most you win it!!! Go here, and read up on Katy's blog about all the how's and why's. It really was a fun thing to do, I might have another go, oh yes, you can enter multiple times!

The fabrics above are

1. Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton Ice Frappe
2. Heather Bailey Nicey Jane Hop Dot in Cream
3. Joel Dewberry Heirloom Rose Bouquet in Sky
4. My Mind's Eye Love Birds Mini Dot in Blue
5. Lizzy House Hello Pilgrim Pearl Bracelet in Soft Lavender
6. Moda Bella Solids Aubergine
7. Amy Butler Love Arabesque in Ivory
8. Sandi Henderson Secret Garden Vintage Ironwork in Midnight
9. Joel Dewberry Modern Meadow Herringbone in Pond
10. Joel Dewberry Heirloom Empire Weave in Amethyst
11. Free Spirit Designer Solids Gray
12. Anna Maria Horner Loulouthi Buoyancy in Deep

Been a bit quiet around here I know. Life is pretty full on at present, mostly pleasant changes that demand my complete attention.

Thanks for popping by

x Mandy

Swoon #2

Swoon #2, a photo by mandalin18 on Flickr.

lovin', lovin', lovin' it!

Mark it in your Diary

come for a visit, you'll be pleased you did!

I'll be back very soon with #2 Swoon block,
x Mandy

Swooning along.....

that's better!, a photo by mandalin18 on Flickr.

I just couldn't resist. I'm such a sucker for a quilt-along. It's just so much fun to see how other people are making the same quilt as you!
I'm going a little different, Lynne of Lily's Quilts showed me the way. My block is 32", yep you read right, 32 glorious inches square! I'm going to make 4, all in Echo, so not all in these (very unlike me) colours. I'm really digging it, and want to have it professionally quilted.

Anyhow, off to dreamland now.
Thanks for dropping by,
x Mandy

so what's New?

Well...........I'm making a row robin quilt! Huh, I hear some of you say.

Okay, so I'm part of a group of 7 or 8. And to start off, each member of the group makes a row of blocks, to finish up 48" wide. We each use the colours, and maybe a theme, which is an indication, to the rest of the group, of the direction we'd like our quilt to go in. We post it off to a specific row robin pal in the group, we each only ever send to the same person. And of course, we receive a row from a row robin pal. We then add a row of blocks to the row we received, and pass it onto the same pal we posted to before. She has, of course, added a row to the row she received, and has posted it to her usual row robin pal. And on and on it goes, until we all receive a complete quilt top in the mail, which has on it, the row we made for ourselves. I so loved this idea!

We decided to only use fabric from our stash, although we can send some background fabric for continuity if we'd like. Not too much though, as keeping the postage down is desirable for all. Even though we decided to make our rows 48" wide, we are leaving the height of each row to each sewist.

Here are the fabrics I pulled for my row, I decided to go with courthouse steps. My row is 10" high (finished), I put extra on the ends to stretch it to the 48". Actually I'd better check it's not too long, yikes! Oh, if it is I'll just, well I don't know, but I'll fix it.

I wasn't totally convinced by the end right one, but pushed on regardless.
It worked out just fine! Yay!
My friend Suzy, a fellow quilter, gave me that fab book for Christmas. I find I refer to it a lot!

Not a great photo, but we are having sooooo much rain, ugh, which makes for poor light in my old house. Plus it was taken by a young person, I think I was talking at the time as well. Something along the lines of, 'is my head in the picture' or 'you sure you can see my feet'? A bit hard to smile and talk, I don't know how those product pushing people in the tv ads do it!

Also, anybody swooning? I've started to make some 32" swoon blocks today, with my Echo fat 1/4's. A fat 1/4 of each fabric isn't enough to follow the pattern exactly while making 32" blocks, so I'm mixing it up a little. I'm having fun with it, will share by the end of the weekend. Or sooner on Flickr!

Thanks for popping by,
cheerio for now,
x Mandy

health & happiness to you in 2012

health & happiness to you in 2012, a photo by mandalin18 on Flickr.