A strawberry sandwich

(click to enlarge)

I am on fire! Couldn't sleep this morning, so got up with the birds and sandwiched the quilt after getting the borders on last night. Now I just have to work out how to quilt it! All suggestions appreciated :)
Here's a gratuitous picture of Romily: 'Mummy take a photo of me' - so I did!

Sneak peek - FSQS

As Anne pointed out, my strawberries and cream quilt for the Four Seasons swap is good timing - Wimbledon starts tomorrow :) I've made quite a bit of progress and have now completed the centre of the top. Two borders to go on and it'll be ready for sandwiching.

Here's the sketch I made of it before I began - I knew I'd need a 'map' to ensure those QSTs were all facing the right way and that I'd get the colour placement right. It sure came in handy - only one QST was sewn the wrong way - that's good for me! I'm also pretty pleased with my piecing. Most of my points actually match. Not that I get too carried away about these things, but this is the most intricate piecing I've done, so it was nice that it turned out pretty well.(Sorry about the photo quality - it was late when I snapped this pic. I'll get some proper shots when the quilt is finished.)

We have had a reasonable weekend - after discovering during the week that I actually have five weeks at work left, not the four that I thought *groan*. Carl and I took Romily down to the lake yesterday after lunch out at a cafe and she had a great time chasing ducks (and then being followed by them and a couple of swans hoping she had food) and playing on a 'castle' playground. We were both tuckered out after that and had sleeps - mine for two hours and hers for over three! Last night I got cracking on the QSTs and got all 81 of them pieced.

Unfortunately, my big plans for today fell by the wayside as I woke up feeling dreadful. Hot flushes, feeling faint, just revolting. I took it really easy, spent most of the morning horizontal and came good by about 3 o'clock, so got out the sewing machine and joined all the blocks together.

I'm taking a day of leave on Friday, so another short week at work for me this week. I'm hoping to get the borders on and Strawberries & Cream sandwiched by the weekend. With luck, I might get it quilted and out the door early next week. Here's hoping!

I'm keen to get the Hungry Caterpillar quilts started and I've bitten the bullet and ordered a Carol Doaks book on foundation piecing (it comes with a DVD so you can print out the blocks), as well as bought a box of papers that will go through my printer. While browsing a 2nd hand bookshop yesterday (between lunch and the park), I also found this book. What a bargain at $6! So, I am all hot to trot on foundation piecing. Wish me luck!

What I learned about quilting today: While QSTs look great, there's a lot of bulk with all the abutting seams!

Strawberries and cream, pop and fog

Some fab fabric arrived from Quilt Fabric Delights and Hancocks of Paducah during the week, as well as some from my LQS. It's all for the 'summer' quilt I'm making for the Four Seasons Quilt Swap. Here it is all washed and ready to go. The quilt will be called Strawberries & Cream. Yummy!
Also, my slack postie arrived on Wednesday with a whole bunch of mail, including four more FQs from our birthday swap. Well, three FQs and a 30cm strip of divine Amy Butler fabric. Clockwise from top left: Cylie, Helen, Bec and Helen again. Helen you have really spoilt me with an FQ and a 30cm strip! Thanks ladies! Only a few more to come :)
As for pop, here's Romily, who's discovered the joys of popping bubble wrap!
And fog - this is the view we were greeted with this Saturday morning. Hopefully it will be a beautiful day once all that fog burns off!
Have a lovely weekend!

Another year older

And possibly a little wiser. Possibly.

Yes, today is my birthday. Another year older. And what with being more than 7 months pregnant, I am definitely feeling every one of my 37 years!

I had a lovely birthday weekend, with my parents in town and a day of leave today - hey, if you can't take a day of leave on your birthday when can you? Just kidding. But I am taking a couple of days off over the next few weeks before I finish work - yes my friends, I am taking it easy :)

It was my dad's birthday recently, so we had a double celebration, with a birthday lunch for dad yesterday, a joint birthday cake last night, and a birthday lunch for me today.

Yesterday's lunch was at a busy little cafe up on the hill behind our house - it overlooks the whole of Canberra, so the views are spectacular - even upside down!

And I was lucky to receive some lovely presents, including a bunch of fat quarters from some girls in my online quilting group - we're having a birthday FQ swap and it's great fun to open all the parcels on our birthdays! Six have arrived so far - check out the booty below. The others should arrive soon - the mail to and from Canberra is shockingly slow considering it's the national capital!
Top left, clockwise: Leah, Emma, Cass, Mands, AJ, Xena. Thanks ladies! They're delicious :) Also a couple of mags and Mands threw in another couple of cool brights!
This was the cake - Romily helped make it and decorate it. Yes, those are Jaffas :)

Might go get myself another piece right now...there was just a little bit left - just for me!

Oh baby

A friend of mine from my online mother's group had a gorgeous baby boy - Archer - a couple of weeks ago. I thought I'd make a little outfit for him and ended up with a simple pair of pants from a Simplicity pattern and a couple of matching appliquéd onesies - all in 3-6 months size. I did French seams for the first time - I didn't want seams rubbing against that precious newborn skin, so it seemed (or is that seamed?) like a good idea. I'm really happy with how the seams turned out. Will do French seams for most new garments I think - also much neater for those who don't have an overlocker. Like me! For a great tutorial, go here.
It's a beautiful winter's day here in Canberra, so it was nice to be able to take a photo of the outfit outside.

Carl's taken Romily out for a bike ride around the lake, so it's time to start on a new project. Do I bite the bullet and start making blocks for Romily and Bub#2's quilts, or do I whip up another pair of pants and some more onesies for yet another cousin who's just had yet another baby boy? Decisions, decisions. I'm definitely procrastinating on starting the Hungry Caterpillar quilts. I'm not 100% happy with the butterfly block and I can't get my head around paper piecing, so I'm worried I'm going to muck it up!

I think I had just better go and make a start or I never will!

Oh, and you might notice a new link on my sidebar - Quilting Bloggers - if you quilt and have a blog why not go and sign up? Michele, aka Mishka, is creating a whole new blog community for quilters. So head on over, have a mooch about - you can search by country - and sign yourself up.

Lily's Muffin Recipe

Well something had to get that photo off the top of my blog!

I took today off and Monday is a public holiday, so we're having a lovely long weekend here. Well it would be lovely if I wasn't feeling so disgusting. I have picked up yet another throat infection/head cold and can only take paracetamol for it. I feel blergh, so had a nice two-hour sleep with Romily this afternoon after her swimming lesson. We were both tired - her from being in the pool with Carl and me from...well being just about 7 months pregnant and not 100% well!

Feeling the need for something sweet to cheer me up, we baked another batch of scrummy muffins this afternoon. They're peach, coconut, choc chip muffins and are delicious. So, as long promised, here's the recipe: Lilys Muffin Recipe.pdf
You can substitute the fruit for just about anything that's well ripened. Just give them a bit of a mash first.

Romily is learning lots of new games at the moment. This, is, of course, 'hiding'. She's not quite sure about the 'seek' part yet! She loves hiding though. The seek part will come later :)
Looking forward to an easy weekend, with a bit of sewing, but not too much. I am taking it nice and easy and trying hard not to overdo it!

Full moon rising?

Or maybe this post should be called 'look away if you're squeamish'!

I thought it was about time I shared my belly with you all :) Since I took that photo on Saturday my belly button has well and truly 'popped'! Romily thinks poking and squishing it is hilarious fun. So here we are at 30 weeks - only 10 to go. People are starting to ask when I'm due - some look genuinely shocked when I say not for another 10 weeks. I don't think I look that big...yet!This was me last time, pregnant with Romily at about 30 weeks - the bump is about the same size, so we're on track for another 8 pound plus baby :) (I wasn't so brave last time as to reveal all!)