Here it is, almost a week old at this stage and looking pretty good.  It's amazing how many people were surprised how big it is!  Honestly people, I showed you with my outstretched hand - "It's going to be this big"  What did you think I was describing??  LOL!

Tattoo

On Thursday 17 July 2014, at Westside Tatoo in Brisbane's West End, I shall meet with Tim Rix and get inked!

I've wanted a tattoo for years, but I'm a firm believer that a tattoo must be art, it must be significant and it must be something you will be happy to live with for the rest of your life.

My tattoo is going to be a patchwork pink ribbon and it's going to live on my inner right forearm.  I saw an image on the internet, of several large ribbons which had been decorated by different people with different messages.  I have no idea where these 'sculptures' were but they were all wonderful.  Naturally, the one that caught my imagination was the one which was decorated in a patchwork style called Flying Geese. 

Flying Geese are patchwork blocks where there is a centre triangle in each block, all the triangles are facing the same way, hence the name.
In the sculpture, all the triangles were varying shades of pink and the backgrounds were in blues, greys and black.  I immediately knew this would translate into a beautiful tattoo.

My sister and her husband, who are wonderful, loving and supportive people, decided this would be a perfect gift for my 50th birthday because, as my sister so lovingly explained, "It's something you really want, you'll have it for the rest of your life and I've always wanted to pay someone to hurt you!" 
I love my sister's sense of humour..... I think?! :\

Quilting - The reason I go to work

Some people are into sport, others like to cook - I like to make things with my hands. 

I suppose I get it from my mother; I learned to knit when I was so young I don't actually remember learning. 

Over the years I've gone through many craft obsessions, but the one that has enthralled me for the last 17 years is Quilting.

There's something wonderful about the feeling of beautiful cotton fabrics, and stitching several pieces together to create a pattern that creates secondary patterns when stitched into a full sized quilt that just makes you feel amazing!!!

Yes, I am obsessed :D

It's 7 July 2014 and in a few days I'll be driving to Coolum Beach for a quilt retreat.  I'm so excited!!!

I've been working towards this week away for a couple of months.  The problem is, I work full time, so I have to plan my life around the time I get before, after and between the working week :D

I think, at the last count, there will be 7 different projects that I'm taking with me.  I'm not making all 7 from scratch you understand, they're in assorted stages of completion.

I'm 2/3 of the way through hand quilting one quilt.  That'll be the project that I work on when my back starts to ache from a day sitting at the sewing machine.  My 'evening' project.

One baby quilt is a finished top, and will need to be pinned and marked for hand quilting.

One quilt was pieced years ago and languished in a drawer - practically forgotten :( - and will be pinned ready to hand quilt.

I made a denim 'rag' quilt years ago and when my oldest child left home he wanted to take it with him but his brother wouldn't let him take it. 

It's made from old jeans that the boys grew out of over the years and soft snuggly flannel on the reverse.  The two squares (denim and flannel) are placed, wrong sides together, then sewn with a half inch seam on top.  Once the quilt is all together, the seams are then snipped (without cutting through the stitching) and the ragged edges then fray every time you wash & dry the quilt.  It's a really effective look.  The quilt weighs quite a bit and is the best thing to snuggle under on a cold evening.

As I've got so many pairs of worn out jeans, I've decided to make another for Nathan at the retreat.

While looking for something else, I came across a scrap quilt I had started making - I barely remember starting it so heaven only knows how long it's been waiting for me to rediscover it!
I shall finish piecing that too.

A Jelly Roll has been packed.  A lovely lady that was a first-timer at the retreat last year (as was I) has indicated an interest in making a Jelly Roll Race Quilt.  As it'll take less than an hour to make it, it'll be a fun project to take a break with :D

Lastly, I think, is a quilt for a new great- niece in England.  Isabella Rose was to have the other baby quilt, the one that's a finished top, but the colours turned out to be a little duller than I wanted for her, so I've been through my stash and found some gorgous bright pastels that I think will be much nicer for her.

Is that 7?  Oh wait, I threw in a little wall-hanging that needs a border - so that'll make 8.  LOL!  Maybe I am mad??