A Table runner

This was made from leftovers from a quilt that is waiting to be quilted - it's very big so I need to use a long-arm machine to do this. Very Parisian chic colours I think. Anyway, the pattern is by Judy Gray in Country Favourites No. 2 magazine, a 2007 edition. I think it should have been finished a day earlier, after all, the cutting out took longer than the piecing. I found that the instructions for finishing were not very good and had to have some help in figuring it out - if I was to make another one, I would add another border which extends past the prairie points and the binding would be so much easier to do. As it was, I bored myself silly fiddling around with it and I was distracted to do other things [sigh] I'm supposed to be finishing things not leaving them until later!
Measures 37.5 inches x 21 inches (95cm x 53cm). I used bamboo/cotton mix batting.
Here is a close up of the quilting:The pattern said stitch-in-the-ditch, but I can't see the point in that. This is simply stitched 1/4 inch either side of the seam line and I used both rayon and cotton thread through the needle at the same time, giving it a little bit more definition. Of course, wavy feathers in the outside border.

A Very Pleasant Lunch Time

Yesterday, the Palmerston North Public Library had organised an hour with author Diana Gabaldon (author of the Outlander series - Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, Drums of Autumn, etc.). This was originally going to be in the library AV area, but there was such a large response that it ended up being in the Convention Centre. Diana was very entertaining, talking about her background in research, how she came to write a novel and her style of writing. She even read an excerpt from the latest, An Echo in the Bone, which had me flushing, um, I mean blushing! After all, I knew at least 1/4 of the people there!
Whitcoulls had a stall selling copies of An echo in Time, and there was even a 'raffle' to win all the books in the series (sadly I didn't win that!). Afterwards, Diana signed copies of her books and spent a little time talking with each person getting the autograph.
What a way to spend lunch.
Thanks to the Palmerston North Public Library for a great time.

Another UFO Finished!

An Oriental Bay Sunday

This is as a result of a yellow charm square swap in 2000. I even received squares from overseas! I didn't want to cut them up too much, so settled on this simple block. Now, I don't really like yellow and blue together, but this is growing on me! Anyway it is simply quilted - meandering on the blue, and leaves and vines on the yellow, then finished with half feathers on the outer border. I called it Oriental Bay Sunday, because the teal blue makes it sparkle like a summer's day at Oriental Parade/Bay in Wellington.
Measures 64 inches square.
This is my favourite fabric in this quilt - birds on a wire.

Ta-Dah!

This wallhanging, 1120cm x 440cm, is a pattern by Jenny Reynolds, and was in a 1998 Australian Patchwork and Quilting magazine. Yep, I kept it THAT long and have made at least 2 other things from the magazine. I always liked this pattern, started it last year, and am pleased to say it is finally finished! I called it Let's Play in the Snow and did large stipple quilting plus stars.
Another one (WIP) bites the dust!

And The Winner Is ...

Firstly - thank you for all the comments (all 4 of them!) So I went to Random.org and chose the List Randomizer and entered your names. Soooo ...
the winner is Coreen! I will post off a parcel to you in the next few days - it will be a surprise!
BUT seeing as there are only 4 comments Po-mo, RubySlippers and Rhonz will get a little thank you something too.
Rhonz please contact me through the profile (email address will be up for just a few days) with your address.
I'll see Po-mo and RubySlippers before long :-)

Now, the photo. It was taken at Queen Hatshepsut's Temple at Deir el Bahri, this year. I thought the mounds were wheat (or grain) but I'm pretty sure our guide said it was incense!

More About the Giveaway

OK, just a few more hours to go for your comments to be posted on the previous post - love the comments that are there! It isn't to see if you are correct or not - it's YOUR interpretation of the photo - Rubyslippers seems to be very knowledgeable, in fact I'm gobsmacked by the information! I know what I thought it was, which is different than what I was told it was (do you understand what I mean here?).
Have fun.
Let you know who the winner is tomorrow.

A Celebration to You

I have just about had 5000 visitors to this blog - that is so amazing! So as a thank you to all you visitors, I'm going to put together a little thank you parcel for some lucky person.
BUT, as I suspect many of you are lurkers, you have to leave a comment on this post. This isn't for just anyone, this is for you, my regular visitors - this is my way of saying thank you for keeping in touch.
So, take a look at this photo - it's from my holiday this year.
Leave a comment on this post about the photo - tell me what you think is happening here (or was), how old it is, the colour of the paint used - anything, so long as it's related to what you see here.
You must do this by midnight 20th October 2009 (NZDT).
A lucky winner will be drawn out by Random.org.
What's going to be in the prize? - I'm still working on that - something to do with the land ('cause I have a lifestyle block), something New Zealand and probably something to do with quilting. There you go - pretty airy fairy I know!
Good luck!