A Confession & A Quilt Drive!

I have a confession to make ...

My name is Kris and I am a Fabric-a-holic!!!! :0)
I popped into Quilters Angel ... otherwise known around here as my 'home-away-from-home' ... to catch up with Marion and Steph for the first time since before Christmas ... oh ... and of course there WAS that 30% off sale that started today and runs through til Sunday, too! (Sheepish Grin!!!) So with such a wonderful sale happening, you just KNOW that some fabric followed me home, right?! Wanna see?? OK!

Just a couple of the yummy fabrics from Rosalie Quinlan's "Sweet Broderie" range. Really ... just a couple ... especially if you're talking to my Beloved Geek Boy! Tee! Hee! Hee! I've been eyeing off these sweet fabrics for a while now and Marion's fabulous sale (did I mention you can ring orders in during the sale even if you can't visit?!?!?!) seemed the perfect time to stock up ... there ARE a lot of projects on my "To Do" list, after all. Besides ... Toowoomba's still isolated, so no groceries are getting into town, so we don't need the grocery money this week, right?! :0) I promise to show you what I make with these ... but for now, I think I shall just look at them and stroke them for a while ... told you I had a confession to make! :0)

Now for the Quilt Drive mentioned in the title. While I was chatting to Marion and Steph, Marion said that she knows a lot of local quilters who want to DO something to help those people affected by the floods. So, she is organising the Quilters Angel Quilt Drive.

I'll let Marion explain ... in her own words! :0)

"As you are aware, many in our community (Grantham, Murphy's Creek and Toowoomba) have lost their homes and everything they own. We would like to help by donating quilts made with love as they begin to rebuild their lives. We will open our Work Room to all patchworkers to bring along their machine and thread (and fabric if you wish) to create quilt tops which will then be quilted and given to the flood victims. There are no restrictions on size and quilts can be made for babies, children, teenagers and adults. We will be providing fabric, however if you cannot make it to a sewing session but would still like to help, donations of fabric and sewing supplies would be greatly appreciated. (100% cotton please, no smaller than 4" pieces)"

These wonderful quilting sessions will be held at Quilters Angel from 10am to 2pm each Thursday and Friday in January and from 10am to 2pm each Thursday in February. Now, I know a lot of you, my blogging buddies, are far from local to Toowoomba and a trip from Norway, Sweden or Germany may be just a LITTLE too much to cope with (though if you do, there's a spare bed at my place for you! Tee! Hee! Hee!) but maybe you have some fabric pre-cuts you've fallen out of love with, or kits that you're no longer enamoured of ... maybe even some quilt tops that are finished but you don't want to keep for yourself ... I'm sure if you contact Marion and send them to her, she'll organise to have them quilted and made ready for some very special new homes. You can pop across to Marion's web site HERE to find more details and how to contact her, or if you want to send anything to me, I'll be happy to pass them along to Marion ... it IS my home-away-from-home, after all! Tee! Hee! Hee! I think this is a great idea because although many of us stitchers don't have a lot of money, most of us DO have a rather healthy stash and some have the time to give to make comforting quilts, so this is a lovely way to bless some of the flood victims. I know I'll be planning to pop into Quilters Angel on some of those days to help out.

I've also started to trace off some stitcheries to decorate needlecases etc for the "New Beginnings" kits and will be spending some time this weekend stitching away, but before I started on those, I thought I'd update you on my Gardener's Journal blocks. I've got five blocks stitched and pieced ...

... and am in the midst of stitching my very last stitchery for the remaining blocks ...

Ta Da! See, Chookyblue, I TOLD you I'd show you I'd really been stitching and not just slacking! :0) Lots of stitching has been going on during the holidays, I think I only had the dovecote and basket of flowers finished before Christmas, so I HAVE been busy ... really! :0) My decision to add a few little patches of satin stitch to most blocks is one I'm happy with, as I love the patches of colour that now jump out (especially those apples in the orchard block!!) but boy of boy, to they take some time to stitch! (especially those apples in the orchard block! Tee! Hee! Hee!) I'm not sure if I'll have my quilt finished by the March deadline, but I sure am a LOOOOOOOOONG way in front of where I would have been without joining the Stitch-A-Long! So, thanks to Chookyblue, Peg et al for the 'gentle' shove. :0)

And now ... I'm off to make myself a cup of lavender tea ... no milk, so no coffee for a few days til roads reopen and groceries come into town (I drink tea black, but have a splash of milk in coffee, you see!!) ... and to start stitching some needle cases. Whatever you're up to, I want to leave you with a little challenge ...

List FIVE blessings in your life today

... family only count as one ... even if they ARE a BIG one! Tee! Hee! Hee! I guarantee that this little exercise will boost your mood! :0) Til next time ...

BEAR HUGS!
CHEERS!
KRIS