squishy mail and giveaway.....

I tested a pattern for a bloggy friend - I had a great deal of fun doing it and it served me well, given I had already planned to make a quilt for a friend who has just had a baby..........so, win/win all round...........but Joan upped the ante!!!

I found this beautiful package in my postbox......

A beautifully printed pattern, enough fabric to make it (with thread too!) and a beautiful journal - how incredibly generous - thank you Joan - I keep petting the fabric and I have already popped the journal in my bag - it's an ideal size to take with me whenever I'm on the go - one never knows when one will get a scathingly brilliant idea!!

Now, I already have the pattern - obviously I needed to know what to test - so I'm thinking it'd be an ideal giveaway to share the love :)

Don't forget to jump onto Joan's blog to have a look around and to see the pattern made up 3 ways.

If you'd like to be in the draw to win the pattern only (sorry, I'm keeping the fabric and journal!!), please leave a comment on this post - mmmm, a theme for the comments - tell me what your latest surprise was.......entries close on Friday 3rd August at 12 noon EST and I'll do the Random thing when I get home from school - good luck :)

Testing, testing, 1-2-3....

A little while ago, one of my bloggy friends asked for volunteers to test a quilt pattern - and because it was the very talented Joan of CaliQuilter, I couldn't resist.

Joan makes some beautiful things - her sense of colour and her expertise in making ensure a wonderful finish to everything she does - so hoping that some of her magic would rub off on me I said 'yes' - and Joan duly sent me her quilt pattern.

It's called 'Going to the zoo' and this is Joan's.............

I was pretty excited about the pattern - I have a good friend who has just had a new baby (another one - must be something in the water in Melbourne!) so it was very serendipitous that the pattern suits a child.  So I cut, and sewed and unpicked just a little (my fault, not Joan's pattern!!) and finished up with this.....

fabrics used: denyse schmidt, michael miller, spotlight spesh

I bought a piece of Denys Schmidt for the back, but in between that purchase and actually making the quilt, I nipped into Ikea and bought some really pretty fabric - one piece of which I thought I'd use instead....

The pattern itself was very easy to understand and each instruction was clear and concise - no overly verbose bits or vague bits - perfect really!

If you'd like to buy the pattern, pop on over to Joan's blog - and even if you don't want to buy the pattern, be sure and have a look at the gorgeous things she makes as a matter of course.

Thanks Joan - a gorgeous quilt that I'm sure will be well loved by the new little man who has just joined us.