Willowberry Designs

BBQ for Breakfast

Happy Australia Day!

These images are photos of a quilt from a couple of years ago... bit cute!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day... we're doing

NOTHING!

Had a delish BBQ brekkie, and now we'll just be pottering around the garden, picking some goodies from the vegie patch, might do a bit of baking later on... and probably watch a bit of cricket

Perfect :)

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I think I've managed to track down Elfriede (who won the thread giveaway)... I searched and found her blog and left a message.  Elfriede, please contact me!  If I don't hear from you soon I'll draw another name from the pink bucket...

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'Little French Swap' entries are now CLOSED

We have our numbers and the participants are listed over there on the right

Next time I'll tell you about a special project I'm making for Homespun magazine... I'm a bit in love with it because it's

~ D. E. L. I. C. I. O. U. S ~

Seeya!

Cheryl xx

Luscious Threads

will head off to

elfriede from österreich

who said…

‘many thanks for your beautiful bom, that looks so fine. your giveaway is very sweet and I like pink and french too.
hope I have a little chance…’

Elfriede, I’ve sent you an email with the details :)

**But.. it keeps bouncing!  Elfriede, if you read this, please contact with an alternate email**

Now remember, there is another giveaway in February!  More yum bits to be had...

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The last few days have been cool, a little rainy and PERFECT for indoors doings

Projects 2 & 3 are finished, looking delicious and I want to show them but I have to wait… or we won’t be able to keep up with them all!

Snippets

 

and here is the

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NEWS

Let’s have a swap!!

Swap is now CLOSED - we have our 20 participants... thanks!

I was thinking… it would be really lovely if we paired up with a fellow stitcher and made a gift from the selection I’ll present over the next few months

the details…

‘Little French Swap’

Make one small gift from the ideas presented in my ‘It’s a little bit French’ journey

~ there will be one gift idea per month for the first six months of this year.  6 gifts from which to choose and send one to your partner in July ~

We've already shared the design for Month 1 ~ Lavender Sachet

~

If you would like to join us…

EMAIL ME  (littlefrenchswap (at) ymail.com)

and I will reply with a proforma, you’ll need to fill in the gaps and send it back

*** Your Swap Gift is to be posted to your Swap Partner in July ***

~

Do’s & Don’ts

Do ~ be willing to post internationally

The projects are all small and lightweight so the postage cost should be minimal. However, if you’d like to check postage charges from Australia (local or international) you can go to this site. If you live in lands far, far away… do a google search and see what you can find

Do ~ need an email address for correspondence

Do ~ respond to messages I send from time to time

Do ~ make your gift from the projects I’m offering here

Do ~ fulfil your part of the deal (please don’t commit unless you’re sure)

Do ~ keep your gift stitching secret…just snippet photos… everyone loves a surprise

Do ~ if you have a blog, agree to me adding it to the list on my sidebar (people will visit, I promise)

Don’t ~ need to have a blog to participate, if you have photos to share and no blog to share them on I will share them here… sharing the love…

Don’t ~ worry and fret if life steps in and your plans change ~ email me asap

Don’t ~ be afraid to add your own twist to the design ~ a few extra leaves, flowers etc

Don’t ~ wait and think about it… when the numbers bucket is full, I’ll close entries

Don’t ~ be tempted to add to the package… I know… I do it myself!

(one beautiful, hand made item ~ wrapped simply ~ is the swap gift)

ENTRY FOR THIS SWAP IS NOW CLOSED

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Occasionally I do some really random stuff.  Like Saturday, when I woke up early and couldn’t get back to sleep because I had things going round in my head.  Imagine if I was a seamstress in centuries past.  I’d have probably made my own tape measure

So I got up and made my own tape measure ~ metric & imperial ~ just some topstitching to be done and I might sew a button on each end.  Don’t know why… but I feel like it needs a button on each end.  And it might need somewhere to live.  Stay tuned…

Can anyone help me with the origins of this thimble?  Mum gave it to me a couple of years ago, I know it wasn’t hers and she couldn’t remember who gave it to her.  If you know stuff about thimbles and you know stuff about this type of thimble.. I’d love to hear from you

    

funny thing is, it fits my pudgy middle finger perfectly… there’s even room in the dome for my nail!  clever…

Now go back and read through the ‘Little French Swap’ details again

…and email me…

seeya

Cheryl xx

 

A finish… almost :)

Today was one of those days… couldn’t get motivated… at all!

I did a bit of quilting, a bit of stitching, prowled around a few blogs and even had time to leave some messages… cuddled the cat for a bit… he’s always up for that

I discovered this little button popping up all over the place, made me smile

I watched a bit of tennis… shhhhh… don’t tell the FLM…

Then I decided to start a new quilt

I decided to use my Etchings jelly roll and yardage

I also decided to make the Starlight Express quilt from Pam & Nicky Lintott’s book ~ Jelly Roll Quilts

I then decided that I really should finish something else… nowhere near as exciting as pulling that moda tape bow undone on the jelly roll… Undoing that bow is one of the scariest things on earth. Once it's pulled, it's never the same again. I guess that's the idea :)

So, instead of starting my beautiful new ‘Etchings ~ Starlight Express’, I finished the borders on this quilt. I’ll etch my starlight express another day…

I started this quilt on March 4th, 1923… and I should be ready to quilt it by 2018, then finish the binding on September 26th, 2062

Wonder what gadgets we’ll have to quilt with in 50 years time…

Not sure about the quilting… maybe just an allover pattern… something that just disappears… or maybe feathers… or should I get really motivated and do some heavy custom quilting?

It’s a great pattern, no waste. Which means none for the stash. I even had to scrounge some bits off Debbie to finish the borders ~ thanks Deb

Seeya Monday night for the giveaway draw and I'll have some other news too... just you wait

Cheryl xx

another snippet

And isn’t it yum…?

  

I think you’ll like what I have in store for the doings of part 2 in our

‘It’s a little bit French’

sew along… a little something gifty and a little something for you

My collection basket is full of mush.  I just want to sit and look at it all day…

 

especially that soft pink linen, it’s dreamy…even though it’s behind a fence…

 

As if that white chicken wire could keep me out for long

Random photo ~ a teeny little pink feather just blew in my front door.  Small flocks of galahs wheel around near our home, sometimes resting on the fences around the back yard

Birds are pretty clever things… click on the photo on the left to see the fine artwork in this little bit of fluffy white and pinkness, it's so pretty!

        

If I was covered in feathers I'm pretty sure they'd be just like these  :)

... and I'd fly down to play with Joy in her oh so tidy girl cave ...  I would have been there today but as you can see, one of my feathers fell out...

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Don’t forget the thread giveaway on my previous post ~ closes Monday at 7pm (23rd Jan) my time

Funny little man will be home soon, we have a date… oh so romantic… we’re walking up to the shop for milk and bread… and maybe a soft serve cone from Macca’s

Seeya Monday

Cheryl xx

Part One of ‘It’s a little bit French’

‘It’s a little bit French ~ Lavender Sachet’

One finished ~ in yum pinks on seeded muslin and one in blues on linen/cotton

which one do we like the best?

Can’t choose, love them both…

Each new design will be available here on the 25th of each month

Part one (of 7 parts) is available now

You’ll find the details, pattern sheet and instructions on the right in the Pages section, under the heading ‘It’s a little bit French’

BUT DON’T GO THERE JUST YET!  You’ll be wanting to read right to the end of this post… trust me, you will…

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Throughout this 7 part program I’ll be making double of everything.  Small projects, easily finished in a day… perfect as a gift for a friend ~ or me ~ and the second version

…will be put aside for the ‘'big’ project, which really needs a name…

It abounds with lavender, it’s full of flourishes and gentle muted colours… I think I’ll call it ‘Provence’.  I dream of returning one Summer’s day…

the Jardin de la Fontaine in Nimes… wish I could say that’s a sketch book in my hand… but it’s a map.  Typical tourist…

As mentioned in my previous post, this is a true stashbusting project.  I’m using half a metre of my plains ~ seeded muslin and natural linen/cotton ~ as a base.  All other fabrics are from my stash.  Leftover bits from other projects.  Bits that can’t be discarded.  Mushy colours, mushy prints ~ soft pinks, blues, naturals…

A few squares from charm packs, a couple of jelly roll strips, some layer cake squares, left over pieces of binding, the odd shaped little bits that we keep because everyone knows it's against the rules to throw them out

We’ll be raiding our stash of buttons and ribbons…

Embroidery threads…

~ I used a collection of DMC & Cosmo ~

Making the occasional baby yoyo

Maybe also using vintage fine linen hankies.  And a few pre~loved cream tone doilies.  Even ones with holes.  I pick them up for peanuts from the thrift stores ~ discarded by previous owners because they’ve outlived their usefulness.  Silly them…

Perfect…

Remember when I said you can hop on and off the travel train anytime along the way?  That's because we're not only making lots of finished gifty items... we're also working on one main project

So, each time I make a finished gift, I’ll be stitching a second one and popping it in my ‘Provence’ basket.  When all is said and done, and there’ll be a fair bit of saying and doing, we’ll have a bundle of gorgeously mushy gifts and a basket full of bits and pieces to complete a beautiful storage hanger for our creative sewing spaces

The storage hanger will measure approximately 32” long x 24” wide ~ the perfect size to hang inside a door.  Or on display on your craft room wall.  You might want to start cutting some of your tiny mushy scraps into 1 1/2” wide strips or squares… just in case we want to make a 1" checkerboard or something silly like that...

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Next time we’ll be playing with these… 3/4” hexie papers required

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GIVEAWAY!!

See!  I said you’d be wanting to read right to the end!

Every month I will host a giveaway in conjunction with our ‘It’s a little bit French’ journey and my first giveaway starts right now with a bundle of stranded embroidery threads to complete your projects.  It includes 11 x DMC and 1 x Cosmo Marble

Would you like to be the name drawn from the pink bucket?

Simply leave a comment on this post to be in the draw ~ that’s it!

I’ll keep it short and sweet and will draw the winner at 7pm on Monday 23rd January (my time here in Queensland)

seeya next Monday when I’ll publish the results AND share another idea in our ‘It’s a little bit French’ fun…

And here's a button for your blog... let everyone know where to find us!

Cheryl xx

‘It’s a little bit French…’

The first instalment for our 2012 sew-along is almost ready to share… and yes,

‘It’s a little bit French’

Flourishes, fleur des lys, musky hues, natural linens/cottons… lavender… fine, single thread embroideries… and lots of yumtious doings.  I’m totally in love with everything I’ve prepared so far, I hope you like it too

I’m changing the presentation format this year to ~ hopefully ~ make it a little easier to access.  You’ll find each monthly design on a separate ‘page’ in the right hand sidebar.  The projects are presented in pdf format so it might be best to check that you have an up-to-date version of Adobe Reader.  You’ll find it here

The pdf’s are accessible directly from my blog ~ just one click on the ‘download’ link and there you go!

The project I’m sharing is a group of ideas… a completed ‘whole’ and a collection of smaller items that would make beautiful gifts.  The idea is that you may choose to join me for the whole trip or jump on and off along the way as you wish

Does this little snippet look enticing?

Requirements?

This is a true ‘stashbusting’ project… the only suggestion I have is that you select fabrics from your stash that play nicely together.  You’ll need some bits for binding, some for hexie paper piecing, some for accents against your chosen main fabrics… it will all become clearer when I get my head unmuddled and put it all on paper!

If you can’t wait and would like to start sifting through your stash, my samples are a blend of gentle musky pinks and mauves, dusty duck egg blues, some really faded reds and, of course, some natural linens and cottons.  A soft, fine quality seeded homespun is perfect.  If you choose to use calico – don’t use the shoddy, crinkly harsh stuff, make sure you buy quality washed calico.  Some stores refer to it as ‘craft calico’…

Random I know.. but while I’m sitting here typing this post, Ratty has parked his butt in the fruit bowl (empty of fruit) and is having a bath

This program is complimentary, my ideas shared with you for free, please enjoy making them but remember they are all Willowberry Designs by copyright and therefore can’t be reproduced by any other individual or group. It really gives me the irrits to have to put that in writing … wish I could say that everyone is honest

Right!  I’m off my pedestal now …

I’ll be back in a few days time to share the first delight in my ‘It’s a little bit French’ journey for 2012

Seeya then

Cheryl xx

Helloooooo 2012

Here goes...

Giveaway winner from this giveaway is Judy C in NC

"For hot, humid North Carolina, air conditioning is my favorite summertime treat. The older I get the more the heat bothers me.LoL Thanks for this wonderful opportunity and giveaway"

Judy, there's an email from me in your inbox... this package is ready for the post

Big thanks to everyone for leaving a message :)

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Christmas... all done and dusted for another year.  Had a fabulous Christmas day with all the little chickens (and their 'extras') home with us for the day.  LOVE the 'extras'... makes the house seem so much fuller.  Following a pre-lunch snack of marinated BBQ prawns and a BIG traditional hot Christmas lunch, we sat around the table and played Spicks & Specks boardgame then some wii bowling and golf.  It was fabulous having everyone here for the day :)

Santa ignored the naughty list this year and spoiled me with lots of goodies... among other things there were Bunnings vouchers (who doesn't love Bunnings vouchers??), the most gorgeous book

The French Cat (link to Rachael's blog)

Deliciousness ~ every page draws me in and tempts me to start planning another trip.  Maybe summer in France in 2013...

AND... there were tickets to see Rod Stewart in concert in Brissie this February.  How many sleeps is that...

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2012

We slept through the midnight gong that heralded in the new year... well, maybe we opened our eyes and blinked a couple of times

Wonder what 2012 has in store for us...no new year's resolutions for me, I struggle to keep up with everything I HAVE to do, let alone adding something else to the list!

FLM starts a new job this Thursday.  T'will be a bit of a sad day, being home together for the last 18 months has been a hoot!  Although the other day he did say 'Are you going to be OK?  You'll have to try and keep up with everything... You know, the washing and folding and other housework...'

Hmmm, not sure if I'll manage, I'll probably need to draw on the 33 years experience I had prior to him being home with me every day.  Bless his little cotton socks :)

Fun stuff ~ we have a special family event happening in March, our niece is getting married and don't you just LOVE family weddings!

I've started making a wedding quilt and thank goodness Lord Rat was there to keep an eye on things...

If ever you need to research the hows, whys and wheretos of sleep.. you need look no further than a cat.  They just know how to do it right...

Funny little dude, he's my constant companion... fills my day with purrs and cuddles, and he talks to me... I swear it

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Our tomatoes have gone crazy so we've been making tomato relish by the bucketful.  Bit over tomato relish!  So... yesterday we made some tomato sauce (ketchup).  TOTALLY DELICIOUS!!

Found the recipe here

righteo... I'm off to warm up some cheerios and dive into a bowl of sauce :)

seeya

Cheryl xx

oh and one more thing... the girls loved their little christmas stockings.  I hope it becomes a new family tradition ~ the hanging of the stockings on the tree on Xmas eve xxx

Just quickly

I know.. twice in one day.. but I had to show off :)

We're finished.  Our little (very top heavy) christmas house is all done.  Way too pretty to be eaten

 'shrooms... of the special kind

Have a fabulous Christmas... I know we will!

Cheryl xx

Little houses made of ticky tacky...

Today is Gingerbread House day

Just waiting for the snow to start falling...

Funny Little Man was whipping the egg whites for the royal icing this morning

when he asked me what I loved most about Christmas...

EVERYTHING!

Christmas cards in the mail..

Sparkly, over-the-top christmas decorations...

Cinnamon scented votive candles...

Gathering the supplies for Christmas lunch...

Family...

Christmas carols ~ on the radio, in the shopping malls, in my home...

Backyard cricket...

Gifts for the big herbs to say thank you for filling our lives with love...

Gingerbread houses...

Silent Night, Holy Night...

Mum's fruit cake recipe...

Family...

Reindeer...

Reindeer antlers for Lily... (we're driving the Christmas Lights tonight ~ Lily will be suitably adorned...)

Trifle for dessert on Christmas day...

Family...

Filling the house with Christmas flavour...

Listening to FLM as he learns to play 'Song of Joy' on the guitar...

Trifle for lunch on Boxing day...

Family...

Fresh ham & eggs for breakfast every day... for at least a week...

Memories of Christmas' past...

When I was ten, Santa left a brand new pushbike under the tree for me.  That was the best thing ever.  It was blue.  It had straight handlebars like a boys bike.  I loved that bike

That bike and I went for miles... and miles.  On weekends, we'd leave in the mornings and wouldn't return until mid afternoon.  Or later.  Must have worried the life out of Mum :)

but I digress...

Pea & ham soup in January...

and most of all... Family...

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And the baubles?  Just kept on stitchin' and made 6 different colours

Now the fridge has a garland of baubly bunting

Deb called in this morning and said

'Only you would have a baubly bunting on your fridge!'

Yeah, probably... :)

I love Christmas

Sparkly Baubles to hang from the tree...

The little weeny stockings are done... and I enjoyed making them so much I just couldn't stop :)

So we now have Beautiful Baubles

a hint of colour shading to add some character

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Maybe a traditional palette of happy red/green/gold is more to your liking?

tiny little knots of shimmering gold and silver

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Or this one... a fresh, crisp pink/lime/silvery icicle on white

I can't decide.. I love them all :)

Make some for yourself... Merry Christmas xxx

Download Beautiful baubles

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A few tips

Fuse a square of freezer paper to the wrong side of your fabric before tracing the design.  Works a treat in keeping the fabric stable and if you're planning on adding some colour with pencils, leave it in place until you've finished colouring.  Peel it off then fuse your stabiliser ready for stitching

~ the colouring on my vintage bauble, a hint of rust, brown and pale yellow/green ~

and the traditional bauble ~ red, green and yellow

~ Mark the crosses and fleur-des-lys with just one dot, use the photo as a guide when you stitch

don't be afraid to add colour... this is the perfect project to practice your colour shading skills!  the more stitching you add, the more the colour hides in the background...

Right at this very minute I think my fave is the vintage bauble... but that's only right at this very minute

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You know those gifts you receive that seem to be such a great idea at the time... then you shove them in the cupboard and forget about them?  Like the donut maker... the hotdog machine... the foot spa... the ice cream maker...

Well, I dragged the freezer part of the ice cream maker out from the cupboard the other day and shoved it in the freezer.  Today I pulled it from the freezer and whirled around the kitchen for a couple of hours pretending to be a 1950's housewife.  I even pinned my hair up.  Should have popped an apron on... Can you see me?  Flitting around like a little bird in a red polka dot dress, fitted bodice, full skirt, manicured nails, perfectly painted face, not a hair out of place?

Nope...

I was in my fave denim skirt, just above the knee.  It was a bit cool after lunch so I threw on my flannie jammie shirt.  And I totally rocked my charcoal crocs.  Actually they're Rivers croc lookalikes, perfect footwear for quilting days... and ice cream making days.  Rivers - that makes them ok ... I didn't wear socks with them today... but sometimes I do :)

Oh, and my hair was pinned up with a peg... just the fringe because that's the bit that really gives me the irrits

Anyways, today - while in my flannie jammie shirt - I made Mango/Passionfruit ice cream from this Magazine

Vol 14 No 6

(the recipe has been blurred to protect the innocent - but you'll just have to trust me when I say.. 'It's a lick the bowl fabulous ice cream recipe')

and now it's time to dive into the ice cream bowl

Go away, I don't share this stuff... :)

Cheryl xx

I'll be back sometime during the evening of 23rd December to let you know whose name I pulled from the pink bucket for the giveaway here.  Leave your message on that post so I can throw you in the pink bucket too...

Just in case I decide to do something dumb, like clean the house all week... have a Merry and Safe Christmas... eat way too much of the good stuff, spoil your loved ones and just chill out.. we will!