2nd prize on its way

Whilst I was finishing the 1st prize for one of the winners of Sooziii's Decorate your blog for Christmas competition, I put together these two small stitcheries for one of the 2nd place getters. One for the wall and one for the tree. These were also posted off today. They very nearly didn't get sent because I liked them myself. I'll just have to make myself a couple before the next silly season.

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1st prize on its way....

Today I posted of the above to one of the 1st prize winners in Sooziii's Decorate your blog for Christmas competition. I know I am very late, but I hadn't finished it. I had totally lost motivation for sewing with all of the hot weather we have been having since Christmas and then I moved onto making charity quilts for the bushfire survivors in Victoria. So on the weekend I decided it was long overdue and finally got it completed. I hope the lucky recipient likes it. I cannot say at this stage who the recipient is, 'cos it would spoil the surprise.

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Another hot day down south...

We are having another hot day down south. As of 12:30pm it was 37.8 C / 100.04 F. Now if it was 30/40 years ago, I would have been sent home from school if it reached this temperature. Yesterday we got to 36 C / 96.8 F. Thankfully I am sitting in an air conditioned office and have no plans to venture out until 5pm tonight. Hopefully by then the forecasted cool change will have come through...maybe wishful thinking on my part.

Get It Done challenge

Well I have finally made a start on some UFO's. As I am a relatively new quilter (3/4 years) I haven't had to delve into the deep dark depths of cupboards, etc. Having said that doesn't mean that I don't have UFO's. I'm sure that I have at least one or two for each year I have been quilting...possibly more. To start I have chosen two wall hangings and a table runner which I started in the latter half of 2008. My reason for choosing these is that they were on the top of the pile and they are relatively smallish projects, so they won't take months to complete.

1. This is a wall hanging which I am making from a panel. There is a lot of faux embroidery stitching in the sashing, but it is difficult to see. I have overstitched these through the three layers which will hold it all together. I now just have to trim it up, do the binding, add somthing to enable hanging and add a label.

2. Christmas table runner. I actually bought this fabric around Xmas 2007, but didn't find a pattern I liked until 2008. This one I still have to quilt, bind and label. You can just see all of the pins in the picture which are holding it together at the moment. I was debating to machine quilt this one, but not ever having machine quilted before I think I might hand quilt it until I can practice on the machine a bit.

3. Another wall hanging. 'Chooks Rule the Roost'

There legless at the moment, so I'm surprised they haven't fallen off the roost yet!! LOL My attempt at some humour. Still have some more to add to the top, then it will need sandwiching, quilting and binding.

Now, one of the above projects will be for one of the blogs in 'Sooziii's decorate your blog for Xmas' comp. And I'm not saying which one, that will be the surprise.

Stitch 'n' Bitch - 3 Jan 09

I usually catch up with my Stitch 'n' Bitch friends on a Friday night, but we decided to do a Saturday a couple of weeks ago. This was so that Pam could work on a quilt she is making for her daughter which has lots of black in it and as the light during the day is better we figured she might finish it sooner. It was supposed to be for her daughters 21st in Feb 2008. She might have it for her 22nd birthday...we hope. Anyway, I needed to go to the patchwork store and choose some fabrics for my 4SQS5 (below are some of the fabrics I chose). And of course the other girls came along for the drive. Any excuse to fondle fabric.
I love the look of scrappy quilts and am trying to build up an assortment of values to add to my scrap stash. So I went through the scrap bin and chose the following three lots. They are all the width of a bolt, but vary in length from 9cm to 20cm. It is a great way of adding lots of different values to the scrap stash.

BLACK & WHITE - LIGHT

LIGHTS

DARKS

On the drive down to the quilt shop we passed a new Vinnie's store, so as it was still open on the way back we decided to drop in for look. I picked up four pairs of assorted stainless steel manicure scissors and a pair of surgical grip thingies, all for the bargain price of 50 cents each. The smaller scissors I'll use with small mobile sewing projects to cut thread. And the surgical thingies are great for stuffing things, and for pulling through tubing when making handles and things. Not very well explained, but never mind. Also picked up a cream towel for $1 to use as backing on some bibs which are on the drawing board.

My swap parcel arrived...

I have been somewhat remiss in posting to my blog since Xmas / New Year. There is a lot of anticipation and excitement building up to this time of the year, then once it is over there seems to be a big hole. Unfortunately this year I have had work to fill in the hole, as the company I am currently on assignment at has their financial year end on 31 Dec 08. What a silly time to have it. I guess it is a northern hemisphere thingy, as the company is German based.

Anyway, enough with the boring stuff & on with the fun stuff.

My Secret Santa Honeypot Swap parcel arrived just after Xmas and I would just like to thank Angie for the lovely ornaments. Yes there were two ornaments and a lovely sparkly card, although they don't really show up that well in the picture. They didn't make it in time to go on the tree this year, but they have been packed away safely and will be included in next years decorations. Thanks heaps Angie, I loved participating in this swap. I can't wait until next year!

Giveaway at Shabby Creations - custom blog design

If you are looking for a new look for your blog and need inspiration, pop over to Shabby Creations. They are currently having an "Out With the Old, In With the New" giveaway, so you could get lucky. They have some gorgeous designs, so if nothing else you'll be inspired.

To all of my friends, family and visitors to my blog, I wish you all a safe & happy new year.

If you are out and about tonight, please take care and I look forward to your visits and comments in 2009.

1. Baby New Year Tradition - The tradition of using a baby to signify the New Year was started around 600 B.C by the ancient Greeks, who, at the start of a year would carry a baby around in a basket. The purpose of it was to honor Dionysus, the God of Fertility and symbolize his annual rebirth.
2. Hogmanay - The New Year in Scotland is called Hogmanay. The people in Scotland follow a ritual that appears nutty but actually has a great significance. One can find barrels of tar set afire and gradually rolled down the streets in the villages of Scotland. This ritual symbolizes that the old year is burned up and New Year is going to begin.
3. Burning "Mr. Old Year" - In Columbia, Cuba and Puerto Rico families stuff a life-size male doll with things and then they dress it up in old clothes from each family member. At the stroke of midnight, this 'Mr. Old Year' is set on fire. This is done with the simple belief that a doll thus stuffed have bad memories or sadness associated with them, and that the burning of these will help one to do away with all past grief's and usher in happiness in life with the coming year.
4. Eating Noodles - Late on the evening of December 31, people of Japan would eat a bowl of buckwheat noodles called "toshikoshisoba" ("year-crossing noodles") and listen for the sound of the Buddhist temple bells, which were rung 108 times at midnight. The sound of these bells is said to purify the listeners of the 108 sins or evil passions that plague every human being.
5. Eating 12 Grapes - In Spain people eat 12 grapes as the clock strikes midnight (one each time the clock chimes) on New Year's Eve. This peculiar ritual originated in the twentieth century when freak weather conditions resulted in an unseasonable bumper harvest of grapes. Not able to decide what to do about so many grapes at Christmas time, the King of Spain and the grape growers came up with the idea of the New Year ritual.
6. Gifts in Shoes - In Greece children leave their shoes by the fireside on New Year's Day (also the Festival of Saint Basil in Greece) with the hope that Saint Basil, who was famous for his kindness, will come and fill their shoes with gifts.
7. Carrying a Suitcase - In Venezuela, Argentina, Bolivia, and Mexico, those with hopes of traveling in the New Year carry a suitcase around the house at midnight. Some even carry it around the block to ensure traveling at greater distances.
8. Burning Crackers - The people in China believe that there are evil spirits that roam the earth. So on New Year they burn crackers to scare the evil spirits. The doors and windows of every home in China can be seen sealed with paper. This is to keep the evil demons out.
9. Times Square Celebrations - The first Ball Lowering celebration atop One Times Square was held on December 31, 1907 and is now a worldwide symbol of the turn of the New Year, seen via satellite by more than one billion people each year. The original New Year's Eve Ball weighed 700 pounds and was 5 feet in diameter. It was made of iron and wood and was decorated with 100 25-watt light bulbs.
10. Foods - It was thought that one could affect the luck they would have throughout the coming year by what they did or ate on the first day of the year. It is still held in some regions that special New Year foods are the harbingers of luck. For that reason, the Dutch believe that eating donuts on New Year's Day will bring good fortune. The hog, and its meat, is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity. Cabbage is another "good luck" vegetable that is consumed on New Year's Day by many. Cabbage leaves are also considered a sign of prosperity, being representative of paper currency. In some regions, rice is a lucky food that is eaten on New Year's Day. The ancient Persians gave New Year's gifts of eggs, which symbolized productiveness.
11. Black-eyed peas - Many parts of the U.S. celebrate the new year by consuming black-eyed peas. These legumes are typically accompanied by either hog jowls or ham. Black-eyed peas and other legumes have been considered good luck in many cultures.
12. Rings - Many cultures believe that anything in the shape of a ring is good luck, because it symbolizes "coming full circle," completing a year's cycle.
13. Wearing new slippers - In China, many people wear in the new year a new pair of slippers that is bought before the new year, because it means to step on the people who gossip about you.
14. Sealed doors & windows - During new year , the doors and windows of every home in China can be seen sealed with paper. The Chinese think that this will succeed in keeping the evil demons out.
15. Jewish New Year - The Jewish New Year is called Rosh Hashanah. It is a holy time when Jews recall the things they have done wrong in the past, and then promise to do better in the future. Special services are held in the synagogues, children are given new clothes and New Year loaves are baked to remind people of harvest time.
16. Japanese New Year - On New Year's Day in Japan, everyone gets dressed in their new clothes. Homes are decorated with pine branches and bamboo, both of which are considered to be the symbols of long life.
17. American resolutions - 40 to 45% of American adults make one or more New Year's resolutions each year. And these range from debt reduction to giving up bad habits to what not? But the ones that are the most common deal with weight loss to exercise to giving up smoking.

I hope you have enjoyed these pretty little New Year trivia's. New year is simply the perfect time to make resolutions and make for a fun-filled day. Take in the coming year with open arms. Have a blast!

Not long to go now.

Keep your eye's & ears open for Santa Claus now!!!

Milestone reached...

Tonight I have reached a milestone in the world of blogging. Well it is for me anyway. My counter indicates that I have had over 2000 visitors from over 50 countries worldwide. WOOO HOO!!!
Now if only everybody had left a brief comment I would be an extremely happy person. Never the less, I am happy about this, and I am feeling a possible giveaway coming on to celebrate. I will have to do some brain storming and see if I can come up with something appropriate during the holidays. Keep tuned in for further developments in the coming weeks.