Summer holidays, quilting and giveaways!

Well, I have just had 2 glorious weeks at the beach which is why I have been very quiet on posting comments to blogs and on updating mine.  Free wi-fi on my iphone was all I could manage and those times were few and far between considering I had to traipse to the mall every time I wanted to do it.  The only thing to spoil it was Sarah getting an ear infection on Tuesday, which of course is a public holiday so it cost a small fortune to take her to the dr and get antibiotics ($64).  They didn't work, so it was quite a palava to get another antibiotic without having to pay the casual rates of the medical centre over at the Mt.  We got there in the end and she is much better now, poor little poppet.  My own GP was away on holiday, and none of the other doctors at my medical centre would authorise a prescription without seeing Sarah, and I wasn't going to hike an hour and a half back home, nor was I going to pay another consultation fee at the beach.  So I pulled the nurse card, which I hate doing, and hey presto, things began to happen!!


So apart from that little hiccup I relaxed and read and sewed and swam and walked along the beach and did not a lot else.  Something to be said for the Kiwi summer at the beach.


I cut out the fabric for the 4 blocks I have so far for  Down in the Garden and sewed the blocks. Will start the stitcheries on them this week. Lighting is not the best in the photo, sorry. Was taken at night.

I also cut out my Bliss fabric for Wild Thing.


And I had a bunch of goodies waiting for me from The Fat Quarter Shop when I got home!! I took advantage of their Christmas sales. Got a bunch of fabric and 3 very cool books....Simplify by Camille Roskelley, another of Carrie Nelson's books and a Sew Scrappy mag. Love Camille's book. I can see it will become a fav along with Elizabeth Hartman's one that arrived a few weeks ago.

Giveaways
And, of course, I came back to a load of blogs to catch up on and there are so many giveaways out there in blogland at the moment!


Check out Kaelin who has reached 10,000 hits!! Woohoo!! She has some gorgeous fabric up for grabs and a book that I would love to own. 


Jo at Bear Paw does the most amazing mini quilts and is having a giveaway of one of these, a ball of yarn and 10 FQ of fabric. The mini quilt is incredible...


Linda at Stray Stitches has an amazing giveaway of 25 fat quarters and 5/8 yard of black fabric as well as a beautiful pattern "Flying Colors" that you could use this beautiful fabric for.  I really enjoy Linda's blog as well and there is always something interesting of fun to read on there.


Inch Worm Fabrics has the yummiest, richest looking red fabric in "half a jelly roll" with a lovely pattern to go with the fabric.  There will be just enough time to whip it up for Valentine's Day.


The Jolly Jabber is giving away a new range of delicious looking fabric by Amanda Murphy. I say delicious as it is called Swiss Chocolate and it looks good enough to eat!!



Ann at Renegade Quilter has a lovely French General jelly roll to give away "just because"!!