Hail (looks like chunky snow)...

Brr its been a little chilly today... no biking... puncture has been fixed - crickey how you do this on the side of the road I have no idea - perhaps I need to make sure I've got "dial-a-bike-mechanic" on standby in future LOL.

We had a blast of hail/sleet just as it was time to go pick up Beck's and her girlfriends (sleep over at ours tonight). So had to take a few quick photo's before I headed out... I know this is nothing compared to what some places receive - though its quite exciting seeing the lawn (not that you can see in any of these pics) outside your window looking like a fine white dusting of icing sugar has landed.

Hope you are keeping snuggly warm.

Hugs

A4 and not the paper size!

Yeah another block done on Dear Jane - this one is A4... I did a quilt cheat for the middle of the block instead of piecing little triangles and strips of brown - I decided one square of background with folded strips of brown top stitched down :) I don't think it is too obvious ?!

What's a post without Bella :)

These lavender & stuffing filled hearts I made last night, for Kait to give to her boyfriend's mum (for her birthday) - the hearts are a version of some gorgeous hearts Deb gave to me for Valentines - just loved the idea and they make such wonderful quick gifts...

Here's darling Bella, curled up and content, fast asleep on my computer chair... isn't she getting fluffy...


Hope you too are having a restful weekend...

Hugs

A1 revisted, & A3

Remember this... sizing out of sync with Block A1...


Unpicked A1 this afternoon, and cut down each square and then re-pieced it together and da-dah... its now the right size, added the sashing 1" wide, between the blocks to create the illusion that the quilt is growing... LOL

Here's a close-up of piecing block A3, crickey these are fiddly little bits of fabric...

Here is block A3 complete (with sashing) !

Eek just checking out block A4 - thinking may leave this until tomorrow!

Hugs

Its getting cold out there...

Arrived home from work on Friday, and Licorice was sitting up on the chair looking a little chilly, so unhooked my scarf and wrapped around his neck - he was more than happy with this and ended up curling into a ball and falling asleep...

Oh to be a cat...

Charity with a difference...

As we all know, financial times are getting harder, and the $$ don't stretch like they used to, so to drop a gold coin or two into the charity buckets that seem to be always rattling, becomes a little more difficult... so I've decided to do my bit for 'charity' in a different sense...

So I've decided to become a regular blood donor, and on Thursday I provided my first donation - yes the finger prick haemoglobin check test hurt, though the actual blood donation was absolutely fine :)

NZ Blood are always looking for new donors - did you know that the 470mls of blood that they take from you per donation can save THREE lives... and the best bit, they have lovely bikkies, crackers & cheese, hot/cold drinks and sweets for refreshment afterwards.

Hugs

Dear Jane...

Spent two hours this morning, scanning my fabrics to save onto the Dear Jane software programme (into my sketch book) and then played while changing the design in my sketch book so that it showed the Row A blocks that I've started to make, in my fabrics... then I got brave and started cutting out the first couple of blocks...

Well here is Block A1 (green) and Block A2 (blue) that I've made today - can you notice the hideous mistake! Block 1 has come out at just over 6" unfinished and the Block 2 has come out at the correct size 4 1/2" unfinished........... totally unsure as to what's gone wrong with Block 1 measurements as have made sure I printed the instructions so the blocks were all the same size - will have to go back to the cutting board and start again...

Lessons learnt:

* Don't trust the measurements that are written in front of you.
* Press, Press and Press ALL your seams with hot iron as you make each join.
* 4 1/2" blocks means little pieces - challenge in itself
* Only 165 more centre blocks to go (well 166 actually as need to remake block 1) !!


Hugs

Block 4 = Butterfly Garden BOM...

Yay - Block 4 finally finished - only 5 more to go LOL... Quite like the look of how this one has turned out.

Have returned to Block 1 and have unpicked the centre butterfly and the middle left daisy - daisy was missing a petal, and I have not been happy with the look of the butterfly... have all the pieces cut and ready to start appliquing - will show revised results once complete...

Hugs

Tatty Teddy Quilt *complete*...

Yess... the quilt is finished, though I'm not pleased as its very comfy and me and the other three cats are going to miss its warmth...

Just wait a minute, I'm nearly finished...


Talk about impatient, this is "my" quilt, not for you to send down to Aunty Fi...

Oh yes 'she' just had to kick me off the quilt to make sure that 'she' got her photo taken too!!

--- oOo ---

Well Fi, Tatty Ted is finally finished, terrible lighting so the photo's aren't too great I'm afraid. Fingers and toes are crossed that you like/love it :)

On its way to you tomorrow...

Love

Tatty Teddy Quilt... almost done...

It's nearly done, dear Sis... finished quilting 'tatty teddy' today, and have placed on the binding (since this photo), now at the handstitching down the binding stage and darning in loose threads...

The cats are loving the quilt too... in fact had both Jazz and Bella having a 'discussion' over who should be allowed to sleep on the quilt while I cooked tea...

Next photo, it looks like they have both conceded to sulk and share the quilt...

This one below is almost like Bella is saying... "mum get her off this is my spot". Jazz so doesn't look like she cares! Just love the different personalities of our fur babies...

Even sitting on the couch after dinner handstitching the binding I had Jazz and Quarry (Chris' cat) wanting to have pride of place on the quilt - aargh must be the leopard print, or perhaps the teddy's that attracts them so!

La Bella ...

Bella, who is beginning to live up to the 'tortie' personality type. Just love that 'poof' tail of hers... and the pads of her paws are so soft and squishy...

Lucky Last... !!

Oh my goodness 2nd Duathlon under our belt - last Sunday we left Masterton an an ungodly hour to head to Marton for the 9am registration for the duathlon. The drive up was COLD, bursts of rain and even hail while we were drinking a coffee waiting for the recreation centre office to open to register... though an angel was looking after us, and the rain stopped for the event however it was very cold and windy...

Yours truly trying to strap my feet like we saw on the internet to help with shin splints - I kept getting the tape totally tangled so ripped it all off in disgust and went without...

Sasha (Leigh's white bike) and my Grace - all lonered waiting for the rest of the mad competitors to arrive.

Starting to unload the car, trying to convince ourselves that it wasn't cold and that WE CAN DO IT !

Ohh baby, love the day-glow jacket (sis-in-law Leigh) before we took off...

We had entered the long distance event! We jogged/walked the 3km first section, then biked the 20km second section – that was hard work, uphill (by no means undulating like it said onthe course notes) and three very big long hills, awesome on the way back (downhill yeah!) but by then was knackered; then we walked the final section of 2km as my hamstrings were cold and had gone real tight, and Leighs knee was sore – we came in LUCKY LAST Leigh was 1 hr 37 min 11 sec – and I was 1 hr 37min 12 sec – no one was around bar the timekeeper!!

Even though a little deflated we were last – we are very proud of ourselves as we had worked out we would do it in 1hr 50min going on the times we do at home… next event is 14 June – so we are both going to up the anti on the running as this is holding us back big time and build up speed over distance rather than endurance over long distances – as that was the fastest we have biked 20km – it usually takes us 1 hour at a leisure pace… was a little body tired on Monday - though all in all the legs have faired well.

Hmm - me after the event, back inside the recreation centre - was feeling a little knaffed :)

Yeah sis we did it, we may have walked in last, though we did damn good.

You should have seen the other competitors in the long distance section we were in - they were lithe, lean bodies who had awesome road bikes that went whizzing by us... and had obviously entered more than a couple of events previously... we'll get there, and well keep having fun doing it!!

And just because...

... you know how it is, a quilter never has enough projects on the go !! Well this is my next one (after completely Tatty Teddy, Autumn Leaves and continuing on with the Butterfly Garden blocks)...

Dear Jane... I brought the software a few weeks ago, and have been rummaging through my stash to work out which fabrics I will use (I'm using the DJ project as a way of using some of the stash, though you know how it is I've just had to make the odd new purchase of a few fat quarters to build up the project box, and then today went and saw Yvonne at Sawmillers Quiltery and we worked out the background fabric choice that I will be using and the meterage - phew its alot !! Thank you Yvonne for arranging the order of the fabric for me.

I will post photo's of fabric and perhaps even a completed block or two in future posts. But first I've got to finish Tatty Teddy before I can even contemplate starting on this project - this is going to be my heirloom quilt - though the problem is I've got two daughters and how do you decide which daughter to pass it on to - oh my goodness - does this mean I should really be making TWO Dear Jane quilts??.... now that truly is a mind-blogging thought :)

Hugs

Julz xox

PS:
Just in case you had been wondering if I've kept up the biking since I completed the REAL Womens duathlon on 5th April - well - yes I am... last weekend clocked up 102km over two days and this weekend have biked 83kms over the two days :) Is almost impossible to go for a bike after work now as its dark when I get home off the train, (even though I've got the fluro gear and lights its just too risky to bike at night) so have been sitting on the indoor trainer a couple of nights a week to keep the backside in condition LOL.

Next event is Rangitikei Active duathlon on Mothers Day (next Sunday) in Marton. It is a 3km run/walk; 20km bike and 3km run/walk. My training partner and motivator sis-in-law Leigh is right beside me all the way - yeah! Rangitikei Active are running a duathlon series from May to August so we have an event a month - and I then found an event for September and October - which will lead us nicely to the Martinborough 48km ride in November. Definitely great for the motivation if you have an event to go to each month.