BREAKING a few routines here......

Dont tell anyone but instead of rushing around doing my chores I am sitting here blogging and enjoying myself a great deal I may add.

I have just read Joys blog and was inspired by the hearts theme of Valentines day to blog today. Also because I have a bevy of images to show. I love hearts and they feature in a few items in my house.

This is for you Joy

But the piece I really want to share is my heart quilt.

What do you think.....too much? 
Nah too much is never enough with hearts in my book. I saw this pattern in American Jane's book "Quilts for all seasons...and some for no reason". I had picked this up on special at a quilt show and I cannot tell you how many quilts I want to make from this publication.

I had the perfect fabrics in my stash to start the quilt and was determined to use them. I pieced this fabric so I could use it and I am not disappointed, I mean I could have rushed out and bought some more but sometimes quilting is about making do so I did!

Had some of this floating around, again a bargain picked up at a quilt fair. Sometimes a bargain is too good to think about too much.

Some more detail

Now I dont know what happened here, I cannot get the image to rotate so if I could just ask you to tilt your head......Thanks

Ok have you has enough now?
You get the drift it is smothered with hearts, all hand appliqued onto background squares. 
I did have to go and purchase the red background fabric and the mostly red fabric because at the time I only had pastels and florals in my stash. Have more red now.

 Agonised over the backing fabric, I do I really do, sometimes more than I fuss over the quilt top. Somehow the backing fabric becomes the reason I dont finish a quilt. I think it has something to do with a wonderful quilt teacher who told me that backings were important because that is the sight you see when you pull it up over your body.

Anyway this was just the ticket for me.

Had some fun on picmonkey.

So I hope you embrace the fun meaning of Valentines day, my hubby and I dont go all out for it these days because our love is every day.

But I send you all some love and hope because that is what I receive from others in blog land and I would LOVE it if you found some here or even there. It dont matter where you find it really.

Love to you all and I may even link this with crazy mom quilts on Friday. But because todays Wednesday it wont happen yet.

AHHHHH SUMMER TIME........

and the living is easy, so easy in fact that time gets away from you and before you know it another day has passed.

I have been reading blogs but just not motivated to add to mine until now that is.

Those blogs I do follow came up with some interesting facts over the festive season.....I appears that those blogs and bloggers I find most interesting and resonate with me....wait for this spooky occurrance.....it appears we all....you'll never believe this , we all have ....BIRTHDAYS around Christmas.........we are a majority of hard headed Capricorns!!!.......I KNOW...SPOOKY!!!!

Well here is a big hello to all you fellow festive birthday babies.

This is a project that has bubbled along, I have appliqued hearts slowly over the year and it appears I am getting close to a finish here.
The pattern is by Sandy Klop from American Jane and her book, 
"Quilts for all seasons...and some for no reason"
I love this book and have my eye on several other projects in her book to put on the list.

This is another I have been itching to start and this is the year I venture into its complexity.

It is from Material Obsession two by Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke.

I love the whole scrappy thing going on there, so in that spirit I dove into my scraps and started to sort and prepare.

And I am using the bench my wonderful husband built over the air conditioning duct......its been awesome.

This new year has also seen me sort out a lot of my materials and try very hard to reduce and take some direction.
I have over the years boarded on "hoarding" in the true sense of the word, I struggled to relinquish those scraps that really were not going in the direction I wanted, and they were holding me back.

I would sort them, and stroke them and sigh, not knowing what I could do with such a mish mash of styles. I wanted to do scrappy but didn't have the time. I didn't want to "waste" good fabric that I had spent dollars on, but they no longer sang to me and if truth be told I often bought them in a frenzy because they were a bargain.

So I got organised.... and let go......it was a great feeling.

Now I can see what direction I want to go, what makes me happy and doesn't hold me a state of guilt and "must do"....I have come to realise that I have the right to do what makes me happy. 

My load and stash is lighter, I am tired but not pressured to use those uninspiring fabrics just because they are there.
It is a conundrum because so many of you are finding uses for the vintage hoards that others kept.....but as they say one mans treasure .....

My feelings about hoarding are well known by my family, but I have a parent who hoards and I can see how she makes do with broken and worn out items, how she holds herself prisoner by stuff that she deems valuable.
I vow not to be held back by things and only to have items that make ME smile, that I use and want to look at every day.

Dont get me wrong, I am no minimalist, I adore the cluttered look of so many inspiring blogs and photos that are shown....but I have decided to develop a place that I am happy in, and it is only having to satisfy me.

Phew that was a huge download and confession! If you are still here, Thank you for listening!

See pretty things that make me smile

A FINISH........TADAAAAAA

Another Yeee Harrrr!

I loved doing this bag, it is a gift for someone so that often spurs me on to a quick finish. But also being a somewhat smaller project than a large quilt it keeps my interest focused just that bit better.

 I used a charm pack and 2 inch hexagons, the pattern came from an American Patchwork and Quilting Magazine and was designed by Sherri McConnell.

It went together very easily, and I used a very stiff interfacing so the bag can stand and not loose its shape.

As I may have ( ahem) mentioned before this gift is going to Texas so the fabrics are full of meaning.
The charm pack is designed by American Jane, the lining is  called "Yee Har" and depicts Texas cowboys and the top and handles show a typical retro American type childrens illustration.

Very happy with the way it turned out, the proportions are quite good, and it used the whole charm pack.

Now I have another reveal.....( no! come back not my feet again I promise)

This little saga that has taken yeeeeeeaaaarrrrs of sporadic bursts of enthusiasm and concentration.

There are many stitcheries, which I enjoyed doing but the whole lot came together when my darling and wonderful husband built me a design wall.

It was easy then to start placing the little 3 inch squares of fabric into some design and sew it in stages.

 The centre block

Two sentiments I enjoy

Some of the little sticheries, they took some time to complete.
The artwork is lovely, I just followed the lines.
It was designed by Libby Richardson, and I started this in 2008 or so.
It is called Girls Day Out , and I would have to agree a day doing all the shops illustrated in the quilt would be divine.

I have yet to finish it completely as I have to sew on buttons to fill the lolly jars

And the teddies in the shop window.

All in all I am feeling quite upbeat about this, I sewed like a woman possessed just lately, but it feels good to finish a large project.

I machine quilted a cross in each fabric square and stitched in the ditch around each stitched panel. I also machined down any large obvious "bagging" in the stitched panels, mainly around the buildings.
I love applique because I can play with such little scraps of fabric to make a picture. Thus as my blog title would suggest I dont throw out too much.

I am still learning how to use my little camera to its full extent, you would not believe it but years ago I was quite au fait with cameras and had a film SLR outfit which was a dream to use.

Now I struggle with a little digital, but like anything practise will help me overcome. Thank you for hanging out with me so far, I love your comments and hope to speak again soon.