Getting to know "me"

 I have had a very exciting December, My profile was published in the latest edition of Patchwork and stitching Vol 14 no 12 along with my newest design. I was thrilled to be asked  to do this and I was very nervous writing about myself but the article came out so good. The photos are fantastic and I love seeing my quilts and projects in print.

 Some of the projects you see on the pages will be published in future issues of the magazine. I hope you like them.

 These stitcheries are my newest designs and I am so pleased with how they turned out, the pattern is in the magazine . I loved making these. I used wooden buttons  as part of the design and  they really make the scene come alive.

Look out for my pin cushions design in a future issue, I think they are so sweet and would make a wonderful gift for a quilter or make them for yourself.

I am spending most of the christmas holidays working on my newest design, it involves lots of hexagons. I can't wait to show you more.

I hope you all had a joyous christmas, ours was lovely, my inlaws came over from Victoria and stayed for 2 weeks. We all had a great time with them.

I have so many beautiful christmas gifts to show you so I shall be back in a few days .


Happy New Year.

Flowers and Christmas

 My summer flowers are looking so pretty in my garden, this glady is just the perfect colour.

 This white lillium  is nice but the bright orange one is my favourite,  Now all we need is a few more hot days  to get my seeds growing, its back to wearing jumpers today. Crazy weather for sure in Tasmania.

 Each day for 5 days we have been opening gifts , these are 3 of them, look at my gorgeous new Reindeer bag, I can't wait to use it for all my sewing goodies.

This Nativity ornament is very sweet,

We have my inlaws staying with us for christmas, we are having so much fun with them.

I don't think I will back on my blog before Christmas so I would like to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and thankyou for visiting my blog all year long. it makes my day reading your comments. I have big plans for some new designs next year  and you may even see them  in a few different magazines . Its all very exciting.

Stay safe and enjoy your family at this fun time of year.

Best wishes

Leanne xx

Santa sack swap

 I have received some beautiful gifts from my santa sack partner Cheryl, look at this cute stocking. It was full of wonderful gifts that I couldn't wait to open.

 Opening day was yesterday and I was thrilled with my gifts, a beautiful Journal cover, a charm pack of favourite fabrics and a cute pattern with thread and thread holder. All so lovely.

 Some yummy choccies in the cutest basket,

And as my main gift a lovely table topper with pretty stitcheries. Thankyou to Cheryl for sending me such lovely gifts and thankyou  to the other Cheryll for organising such a wonderful swap. I want to join again next year.


How are you all going with your christmas shopping? Are you brave enough to face the busy shops, we have just the food to buy now.

Have a great day and happy shopping.

Dad's quilt.

 Dad's quilt is all finished and its now in the hands of Australia Post, they better look after this very special package. Dad will be 70 on Saturday and I can't wait for him to open his gift from me. Unfortunately dad lives in Queensland and we are in Tasmania  so I couldn't give it to him myself but thats OK.

 I loved making every block in this quilt, choosing fabrics and working out which photo should go where. Its certainly been made with lots of love. I'm happy to say dad is very proud of my quilting and all that I achieve with my designing and being published so I know he will treasure this quilt.

The fabric with the cars is the backing, I'm sure dad had one just like it back in his younger days.


I'm almost ready for christmas. Are you? My inlaws arrive on Wednesday to spend 2 weeks with us so that will be wonderful,  we all get on so well and they are such easy guests.

I hope you have a wonderful week and you beat the christmas rush.

My Friday night sewing.

 I got quite alot of sewing done last night on my dad's photo quilt, I'm making this for his 70th birthday which is later in the month.

 Its coming together so well, Here is my grand parents, photo taken over 40 years ago, sadly they are no longer with us.

 The man on the right of this photo is my dad, with him is his best mate. They went to school together so have been friends for 60 odd years, unfortunately his friend died not that long ago.

 Here is mum and dad, I decided to include the label into the quilt.

All blocks done, now I  just need to finish sewing them together and put on a border.

What do you think? I'm sure dad will love it.

Ok I'm going to see what all my other Friday night sewing buddies got up to.

Friday night with friends.

Its Friday already and after a busy week I'm ready to sew along with everyone tonight. I plan on working on dad's photo quilt and hopefully a few hexagons for a christmas cushion.
See you all soon.

Pop over to Cheryll's blog to join in.

Christmas decorating and a bit of sewing .

 Yesterday we set up our christmas tree and all the trimmings. It was so much fun talking about the ornaments and remembering funny things. Now the boys are teenagers they aren't really interested in helping set up the tree but our youngest son spent 2 hours with me, we had a great time decorating and chatting about christmas's past.

 Of course I have all my christmas quilty things around the house. I try and make something new each year.

 My favourite quilt designed by Kate Spain is hanging in the hallway. I love this quilt, its so bright and cheery.

 Of course we have all the decorations the boys made when they were little, Nicky made this in prep which was 7 years ago. These are the most precious ornaments we have.

 A week ago it was my friend Stephanys birthday. I made her these tags and filled them with lavender.

And a little bag for her sewing goodies.

I have one christmas gift left to make then I'm done.

Have a wonderful week.

Sunday already..

 Another week and come and gone in a blink of the eye, I have been busy sewing lots of things for christmas gifts, I can't wait to show you all what I have made.  Have to wait til christmas though. I did finish this beautiful pouch for all my hand sewing goodies, I am so happy with it, I made it bigger than the pattern and changed a few things. I learnt how to put in a zipper so I'm very proud of myself for that. I usually steer clear of things that look too hard.

 I used some of my scrumptious fabric which I absolutely love and some linen.

 My 2 new pouches look so cute together. Do you like them?

 I have mixed a few of my Bonnie and Camille fabrics together including their new April showers range and I'm working on a new magazine design. I love working with the hexagons, its just easy hand work and something different from stitchery for a change.

 A couple of weeks ago my lovely mother in law sent me this gorgeous hand quilting frame, it sits in my sewing room. I probably wont use it much as I'm not a hand quilter but it adds a nice touch to my room.

Its also great for draping quilts over to display.

Thanks for stopping by, have a great week and I  hope you get lots of sewing time.

Gardens, Quilts and visitors.

 Gosh the days go by so fast,  wouldn't you agree.  Last Sunday I went to a quilts in the garden show, it seems just like yesterday. I had a fantastic time  with my  good friends Marina and Tracee.

 The setting was at Carrick, a beautiful suburb of  Launceston, Tasmania. The weather was perfect and the  surroundings were breath taking, look at this beautiful wisteria. The gardens at this quaint B&B were amazing. Its called Hawthorn Villa, I hope thats right.

 The quilts were lovely, so much variety and colour.

 This one was my favourite with the 3D flowers on the bottom.

 The day was extra special as my friend Tracee came to stay with me for a week.  We had a great time together.

 I was a bit spoilt by Tracee, not only did she drive me to work and pick me up each day she gave me the most beautiful gifts. See those Cath Kidston stickers, I was thrilled to receive those. The Paris tin is so pretty and so is the cute little birds in the heart. they are hanging in my lounge now.

 Tracee made me this gorgeous bike stitchery, I love it. Look at that frame. Its so sweet.

And this cute little rabbit.

I had a ball while you were here Tracee and I can't wait for you to come back again, neither can the boys.

I have done a little bit of sewing but they are christmas gifts so I can't share my progress just yet.

Have a wonderful week , I hope you get some sewing time.

Our quilt retreat

 Last weekend  my friends and I headed off on a 3 day retreat to Hagley Farm school here in Tasmania. Its a bit of an annual ritual now, We have done this for a few years and we always have the best time. I took lots of binding to do for my christmas presents and I'm happy to say they are all done but I can't share them just yet.

 The farm is so pretty this time of year, the grass is green as far as the eye can see, the animals are just so cute and very friendly.

 This little Fella is posing for a photo.

 The school itself is lovely, some old buildings and some quite new but they all fit in so well together.

 I got alot of sewing done, mainly hand sewing. I finished this cute little pouch , its a pattern from Thimbleblossoms. It holds all my binding clips now.

 I appliqued 5 dresden plate blocks to the back ground, these are turning out so pretty. I can't wait to make the rest. Of course when I tried to take a photo the wind came up.

My best friend Cathy and I went for a walk to take some photos of my quilt. We went to a beautiful church, we couldn't go any closer than the front gate as there was a wedding on but here is my Scrappy trip along hanging over a very fancy gate. It was only a few minutes before this photo that we got attacked by a swarm of bees. I ended up with 15 stings on my hands, arm and head. Lucky I'm not allergic but by god I was sore. My fingers are still swollen. We laugh about it now of course.
Its always fun to have a good story to tell when you get home. 

Have a wonderful week.