The Binding Tool - review

Last night I tried out my new "The Binding Tool" and I have to say that it is a winner!  Previously, when attaching the binding to my quilts I would struggle when mitring that last join in the binding.  This tool makes it a breeze.

I watched this video from the Missouri Star Quilt Company a couple of times before I went ahead and I have to say that I crossed my fingers and held my breath when I made the final cut in my binding- but it worked out perfectly. Oh, happy day!



I bought my ruler from the Fat Quarter Shop but if you're in Australia you can also buy them online from Punch with Judy. 

I would definitely recommend The Binding Tool - no more struggling for me!

Briar Rose

So, this is what I made with my Strawberry Fields goodness.  It is a quilt for an upcoming workshop and I have named it Briar Rose.  When I was putting it all together I was thinking Briar Patch and then that somehow morphed into Briar Rose, which is the name the good fairies give to Sleeping Beauty in the Disney film - there's a whole lot of Disney getting viewed in this house!

I really liked making this quilt - it came together so beautifully and it didn't hurt that the fabrics are so pretty! 

These are the wee chevrons I made with the leftover HSTs.  They are very small - just over 1" finished.  I was going to turn it into a cushion but I'm not really sure that it is big enough, so I will consider it a while longer.

 

I no longer have the option of just making it bigger because I donated the remaining HSTs to Scarlett and with a few dabs of glue stick she has whipped up the "quilt" you see below.  

I am off to bind another quilt now.  A few weeks ago I bought "The Binding Tool"  when Fat Quarter Shop had it as their product of the month or some such.  I think I'll have to watch the you tube video a couple of times first.  Wish me luck!

Bet your bottom dollar....

This was my weekend.....

Good times!

Strawberry Fields on a Sunday

This weekend I have been busy transforming my Strawberry Fields jelly roll into the quilt in the centre below.  (I have also been playing with pic monkey - can you tell?)  The quilt is for an upcoming workshop that Mum and I are holding in August.

I really don't like to waste fabric, especially when it is as lovely as this line so when I was left with hundreds of little triangles after trimming one of the blocks I decided to turn them into HST's.

 

I thought these wee HSTs would make a lovely cushion or two to go with the quilt.  Which design do you like best?  I am leaning towards the scrappy zig zags and the Conneticut block next to them.  What do you think?

Off to watch Friday night's Escape to the Country which is ready and waiting for me on the DVR (silent prayer that Alistair is hosting.....)

WIP - Strawberry Fields

Two things:  it sometimes takes me a long time to make a decision and I really don't like being told "no".  This darstedly duo of character flaws came together recently when I finally decided that I HAD to have Fig Tree and Co Strawberry Fields fabric for a particular project and,  that because it had been released about a year ago - I couldn't get it.  Glory be to Google.  After an extensive online search I found some, and the Postie delivered it to me on Saturday.  I know, Saturday!  Unheard of - after all, this isn't France - Australian posties don't DO Saturdays.  I'm not really sure what happened there.

Here it is in all its delicious glory.....

I have already cut it up and have started making these.....

While watching Being Erica......really she does have the best hair on TV - hands down.

In a fit of sewing hyper-activity (I blame Diet Coke),  I have also started working on these from a Petite Odile layer cake.....

 

And have been adding to my pile of these (although not as diligently as I had planned)....

And that my friends is all I've got.  As George would say....I'm out baby!  I'm out!

Fabric Covered Pin Board

A long time ago I had the idea to make a pin board covered with fabric and inserted in a nice frame.  As a classic over thinker I stewed on this idea for years - yes years people -  procrastination is a curse!  Then, one day, as I was cruising around Martha Stewart dot com, I came across this pinable item.  It was my dream, realised.  God bless Martha, she made it sound so easy.  And really it was. 

I found this frame on the uber special at Le Target.....

And then I gutted it.....My husband glued some cork tiles to a piece of MDF cut to the size of the inside of the frame.  And then we staple gunned some fabric around it and inserted it into said frame.  And voila! A fabric covered corkboard.

 It is now proudly hanging in our craft/play room.....

Sporting my daughter's masterpieces.....

I particularly like the wee portrait of Captain Monkey....

He has his own pirate ship you know.

Whimsy Winners

Thank you so much to everyone who entered my giveaway!  It was so awesome reading all of your responses.  I spent all week reading them and then imparting my wisdom about the world to my husband.

Thanks to you all I now know that....

Sweden is the number 3 place in the world to be an entrepreneur (thanks Hanna)

That Gisborne in New Zealand is the first place to see the sun each day (thanks Michell)

That Durban is the busiest port in Africa (thanks Cleo)

That the cardinal is the state bird of North Carolina (thanks Jennie)

That the slugs in Melbourne will eat your mail (thanks Kris)

And the best town name that I came across was a tie between Saskatoon (Flo) and Penistone (Hannah).

When I was younger and desperate to travel I had a map of Europe on my wall with push pins in all the places I wanted to go.  One day when I had returned from shopping, my boyfriend (now my husband) had taken out all of the pins and relocated them into places that sounded a slightly risque.  There were pins in Brest, Condom and Pecs among others...so Penistone went down particularly well with him.  His mature sense of humour is one of his finer qualities.

After I decided to ask peeps where they were from and something random about where they lived I started thinking what would I say about where I lived?  This is the only thing I could think of....

I am from Adelaide, Australia and at the university I attended one of the main halls, a grand old building called Bonython Hall, was built with a purposely sloping floor to discourage dancing.  That's how we play things here in Adelaide!

Bonython Hall: Source University of Adelaide

Anyway, drum roll........the winners! (If you see this post you'll see that I was having so much fun reading your comments that I decided to give away two lots of Whimsy). 

Mr. Random Number Generator chose....

For this bundle....

And.......

For this bundle.....

Thanks eveyone for playing.  You truly made my week.