Charity Makes and Buys.

 Over the weekend I have made two mens' beanies for the Guardian Angel Knitting Program. This is 10 ply Bendigo 100% wool in navy blue from Savers. I have enough wool to make another one. this is the pattern I used. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hats-for-heroes

 This morning i finished 10 quilts and snugglies for PNG. They are going to be picked up for me.

 Savers Bargain. More pens! These are going to go with the Aussie Hero Laundry bags for the cards I have made with the crosswords on them. I just counted them and I have 80 pens for $25 so they cost just  35c each! A real bargain.

Look at this note paper I found too! Flinders Street Station!

PNG Quilts.

 This is the first of the whole piece fabric quilts I am making for PNG.  You can see why I did not want to chop this one up! This fabric was from Spotlight. I had just under 2 metres of it a remnant and I am making 2 quilts with it and the rest went into the scrappy quilts. To finish it off I will lightly stitch the corners of each flower block. this is also 36 inches square in size.

 This is the back, from a quilt cover from Savers.

The batting is upholstery batting,  I bought a roll on ebay a while back for such an occasion. much cheaper but a little uneven in places so not really suitable for large quilts but fine for these little snugglies.

More PNG Quilts Continued.

 Another variation on a theme. This time instead of cutting on the diagonal, just off set the centre block. Again in 12 1/2 inch blocks of three.

Sew them together. Add two more rows and another top is done.

PNG Quilts Continued.

 The mixed block quilt tops are finished they are 36 inches square. They are about to have the red wool for the middle sandwich  (remember the roll I bought earlier in the year? I still have some of it left, a good thing I did not give it all away) and the waffle cotton on the back. It is a good thing I have just realised that I have pinned the backings the wrong way round before I started to sew or it will have the cotton on the inside and the red as the backing.

I have 2 more like this. It will have warmth without the weight.

PNG Quilts In Progress.

 This is what I am working on today. First I sewed 3 long strips together then cut them into blocks of 3.

 Then I sewed 3 strips together to make 9.

 Cut it into a 12 1/2 inch squares on the diagonal.

 sewed 3 blocks together to make a strip.

Do the same thing twice more, You get the idea. totally random block cover.

Queen Victoria Market.

Just a quick note about two stalls in particular that I liked in the market on Saturday,
http://uscha.com.au/ Hand made books and goods. Loved these, when I got home I checked out the web site, Loved that too!
 The other stall was this, http://www.unforgettableflowersoaps.com.au/Flowers/Home.html hand made roses made out of soap! smell and look divine.

Shopping and Makes.

 A couple of posts ago I had a call out for where I could buy blank cards at $15c each, ( I have since found some on ebay) The lovely Kaylee who is also an Aussie Hero supporter did more than that, She sent me some card stock. What an Angel! Do go and have a look at her blog, Just delightful. http://kraftykaylee.blogspot.com.au/ I am so blessed with the friends I have in blog land.

 I have been busy making cords all week too. Each in a bundle of 4.

 This is what I have done with the cardstock. On one side I have put a crossword and on the other side the answers, my details, a joke or two, an Aussie flag sticker and I have cut up some wrapping paper to add a bit of colour.

On Saturday I went out with my best friend to Victoria Market. Look at what she bought me, A pair of Aussie Moccasins Purple!!! I cannot believe how comfortable and warm they are. This is my first ever pair of slippers! (I have already been advised by her and my daughter not to wear them outside! Lol! They know me only too well!).

PNG Baby Quilts/Wraps.

 The Internet at my house has been down for a few days so this is going to be a big post! I have started making the PNG Quilts/baby wraps. This roll of cotton waffle fabric is ideal for the backing of some of them.

 I also found this fleecy at Savers.

 I cut out thirty six 6 1/2 inch squares, sewn them into 3s 

 sewn those into rows.

 Then I cut them in half.

 Trimmed them into 8 1/2 inch blocks.

 Sewed 4 together in a row.

 Sewed those rows together to make a 32 inch square.

 Added the backing and turned it right sides out. I will be sewing the opening closed and stitching it all around the outside and add some quilting to it. I have got 4 of these sewn as tops so far.

These are some of the other materials that I am going to use for PNG. They are 36 inches square and will be sewn whole. I have 15 of these.

Another Worthy Cause.

I have been drinking my coffee and reading some blogs, warming up before I do some sewing today when I read about baby quilts for PNG on Melody's Blog http://thehouseonthesideofthehill.blogspot.com.au/
Gina lives not far from me and I think it is something I can help her with. Read about it here.
http://patrasplace.blogspot.com.au/

Found My Cards.

 I have found some cards on ebay, 240 blank cards that worked out at 15c each, perfect!

This is my idea on making them masculine. I bought a couple of books from Savers to cut up. One picture jokes and the other book has cross word puzzles. I then went to the $2 shop and bought some wrapping paper to fussy cut for colour. I think they will be great for masculine cards.

Cards Wanted.

Hi, Remember this bargain I bought back in April? These cards I bought at a market for 15c each and I have almost run out. Each of the laundry bags I make get a card each. I don't need envelopes. Anyone out there know where I can get blank /plain masculine cards in bulk?

12 More Laundry Bags.

This week I have been cutting and preparing fabric for more laundry bags and today I have got finished ready to post 12 more bags.

Laundry Bags.

Instead of Crafternoons today as the group had somewhere else to be, I decided to do some more sewing. I went into my sewing room at 8am and got into the zone of sewing and before I knew it it was 5pm!  I came out of the room having finished 12 more laundry bags. A nice days work.

Aussie Hero Laundry Bags.

Finished and ready to post are 12 more laundry bags. (3 boxes of 4 bags).

BX2 Post Boxes.

Readers of my blog know that the majority of my crafting is for charity and a lot of this year so far I have been making laundry bags for Aussie Heroes. In December of last year I bought in bulk 50 boxes on ebay (it worked out at 80c per box) with the thinking that it would last me the year I am now down to my last few boxes so it was time to get some more. This time I ordered 100. This cost me $60 including postage. If I bought this amount from the post office it would have cost me $235. A saving of $175. I have moves a couple of things around in my sewing room to make a space for it. This should be enough for at least this time next year.

Tuesdays's Treasures.

This is my Tuesday's Treasure. A magnifying glass that you hang around your neck, It has a smaller larger magnifying glass near the light. My daughter bought it for me for Mothers Day. I find it invaluable, The fact that it is purple is an absolute bonus! My favorite colour and the only colour available, How lucky am I! Play along with Melody on her blog, this is her link.
http://thehouseonthesideofthehill.blogspot.com.au/

Aussie Hero Stuff.

 This is what I have been doing this week. I have sorted out the scraps of fabric that are the left overs from making the laundry bags into sizes and colours ready to turn into blocks for Aussie Heroes.

I have also for the past 3 days been turning this t.shirt yarn into cord. First though before I use it I have to re wind the yarn into a round ball. When you open this yarn it is in a long sausage shape and is difficult to use. Well worth it though as this is the stuff I bought at Spotlight when it was on sale at 50c a ball. It has made 17 cords per ball. An easy way to measure the cord I discovered is my hand to shoulder doubled which means I could be making this stuff anywhere and don't need a tape measure. which makes it totally portable.

Crochet and Christmas.

 This is what I bought at Savers the other day. I forgot to take the picture before opening them but i bought 5 packets of pens. so 50 pens for $10. These will be gifts for the ladies at the Christmas in July party. The erasers are going into my gift drawer to be part of the K Mart Wishing Tree gift packs. I am always on the look out for bargains.

This is the crochet knee rug in progress. I am making it up in strips and sewing them together as I go. It makes it easier to manage especially when you have a cat on your lap as you work.

New Sewing Machine.

Look at my new sewing machine. Purchased it at Savers Mill Park for $60. Brand new and works like a dream. I love it!

Aussie Hero Laundry bags.

I have just finished 12 more laundry bags ready to post.

Giveaway

http://www.sewusefuldesigns.com/ has this very beautiful Vintage Charm pattern Giveaway, How delightful is this? Do check out her blog, It is wonderful.