Block swap sewing

Log cabin for Shirley in USA

Wonky Star for Jolanda in Portugal

Wonky Star for Natasha in Canada

I finished this months blocks yesterday and mailed them to their new owners. 

Geese in a ring

Geese in a ring swap

Back in September I signed up for a swap on  flickr, I was part of group 2 and then resigned for group 6.
Group 2 colours were blue green and yellow, for group 6 I've gone for rainbow and they have to be made and sent to Ann by the beginning of March.

block from Shirley

block from Shirley

My January block arrived today from Shirley in USA. I plan on getting some sewing done tonight and tomorrow sew I can post them on Monday.

last months block from Carmen

I hope I am right and this is the block Carmen sent me for December in the QBSA.

November block from Maria QBSA

OK so now I think I am up to date with all my block swaps photos,(if I got any wrong I apologies now) I am actually taking a break from one one swaps and doing a second geese in a ring swap and Samelia's mums name game swap, as well as want to make Swoon as part of the swoon a long

Block swaps

QBSA block for Carmen

I took December off except for the Quilting Block Swap Australia where there had been some drama when Alex (group 2 coordinator) got sick and the group folded and joined with the originals in group 1. Anyway I had to make Carmen any star in dark green and maroon with cream. I'm sure I took a photo of the block Carmen sent me but cant find it on my computer so will take another one and put it up on here.

Bee in Oz block for Lisa

Now here we are in January and the Bee in Oz finishes with Lisa being the last one to have her blocks made. Drunk love in a Log cabin blocks, the fabric she sent was wonderful and I had a hard time working out what to do, finally this week I just started to sew and this is what I made for her. They are now on there way to rural Victoria and can't wait to see how they all come together. We are unlikely to do another round as we are all a little wary after we had trouble with mail in and out of India

My blocks from August are still sitting waiting to be put together as I can't decide how to and I still have to make another block after mine from India never arrived.  This is not the first thing to go missing in the post to and from India - I was in a mug rug swap that my partner was in India, I have sent her emails to see if it arrived but have not heard back from her. It was sent in October so maybe it never arrived and so that swap was a no win for me as I never received a mug rug from my mystery partner.

Been a while

Violet opening her first Christmas present from mummy and daddy

Charlotte opening her cabbage patch doll from her aunties and uncle

Karen (Graeme's mum), Lily and Violet Christmas Day at Kates

Christmas has come and gone, so has our 33rd wedding anniversary on 25th November, Steve's 56th and Joshua's 30th birthdays on the 9th December and Chris was 25 on 23rd December. Elizabeth flew up from Melbourne on 22nd December and was here until NYE. Stubbings family Christmas is Christmas Eve, so those with inlaws have the opportunity to spend time with them on Christmas day.
My sewing room became a dressing room for Elizabeth and the airbed was in the lounge room, so not a lot of sewing going on, tomorrow it is back to work for the boys and so I will start organising some sewing. I have the last Bee in Oz block to make and a couple of block swap blocks to make, there are some baprons to make for Violet who can take off her bibs, a quilt to be quilted for Charlotte on my Happy jack frame that was bought just before Christmas. What do you mean I haven't told you about this! I worked as a supervisor for the HSC, the exams finished 11th November but you don't get paid until about 16th December. The 4 weeks work paid just under $1000 and I was able to buy a second hand frame from the sewing machine warehouse in Penrith for $1100. I'm currently using my Janome 4900 as the machine and will eventually get a 10" throat machine from the guys where I bought the frame.

9pm fireworks from Observatory Hill

They were quite spectacular

Steve decided before we got too old we were going to go to the NYE fireworks in Sydney. We dropped Elizabeth off at the Sebel in Surry Hills, she was working NYE and NYD at ticketing for her work, went and found some parking, we parked in the domain carpark and walked down into the city, we shopped in David Jones and Myer and I bought a book in Dymocks to read while we waited for for the fireworks. We headed to Observatory Hill walking with the crowds that were also headed in the same direction. We sat and watched to sun go down and waited for the fireworks. After they had finished we walked down towards the Harbour - stupid idea, that's what everyone else was trying to do. We headed back up through the Rocks and up towards the Art Gallery of NSW where we waited for about 45min for the fireworks at midnight. They were stunning and would do it again sometime in the future.
The plan for Christmas 2012 is to be in Melbourne, go to the boxing day test match, have a holiday in Tasmania and be back in Melbourne for the Australian Open Tennis in the middle of January.

So tomorrow is the start of my sewing everyday, doing some hand sewing for my Some Kind of Wonderful stitchalong, making blocks and making sure I keep up with all that I have committed to this year.
Happy 2012 to all