When we got home yesterday, there was a squishy waiting!
I’d been hoping it would arrive before we left, but the joint actions of France’s La Poste and Australia Post meant I had to wait and see what was coming. Anticipation is supposed to sharpen enjoyment, and in this case my enjoyment was acute! Lynn of Tialys had come up trumps in more ways than one 🙂
First there was this completely gorgeous key fob, which you see already adorning Miz Lizzie’s bunch of keys. She’d gone with the camper theme, and I so love that ribbon… The clip that holds it is nice and sturdy too; I think the key bunch is going to get a good workout over the next few years and I’m sure it won’t fall apart.
Then there were these two beauties, ‘dark’ blocks for the TWX quilt, to help form the central dark X of the quilt motif. Don’t you love the bee and dragonfly fabric she’s used on the one on the left? And the postage stamp X on the right has scraps of all kinds of beautiful teal fabrics; I especially love the tiny flashes of red and gold.
I have a bit of sewing to do before I can clear the design wall and start putting the TWX blocks up, but today’s clear-up day. If the rain ever stops, I’ll be going out to Miz Lizzie to clean, sweep, wash up, strip the bunks, clean the windows and shoo out the ants that have been attracted by the contents of the now empty fridge. Of course, if it carries on raining, some of that will have to wait.
I think the Bureau of Meteorology has soggy news; cleanup will have to be a pleasure deferred…
talltalesfromchiconia 
Wow! Some beauties there!
Aren’t they, though! Just what the quilt needs 🙂
I’m glad you like them. I had forgotten about that dragonfly and bee fabric – I must find something else to make with it now I’ve rediscovered it.
It’s too good to tuck back into a dark cupboard somewhere. The insects are very pretty, and a spot of fussy cutting might be called for…
Very exciting parcel – I love it when there are surprises.
Oh, me too! That’s one aspect of F2F I shall miss: all the squishy envelopes when it’s my turn 🙂
gorgeous blocks and what a snazzy keychain! well done to Lynn!
The fob has the advantage of making the keys stand out from all the others in our key box; no more laborious label reading, just grab the Lizzie tag and go!
What a key fob! Brilliant.
Isn’t it? She’s so clever 🙂
Ooooo! So much to love in that envelope!
Isn’t there! I’m so in love with that key fob! And the two blocks are just perfect for the design of the TWX quilt.
I love that key fob! VW buses has always had a big part in my heart since I was young! The blocks are also great and yes, the bee and dragonfly fabric is gorgeous!
I had a VW camper bus back in the 1980s, and I loved it very much, but eventually the rust in the bottom got too bad and it had to go…
What a great fob! The blocks ain’t bad either. 😉
Indeed! It was a great squishy surprise to come home to 🙂
I had to read through all the comments before I realized what a squishy package was. You stay incredibly busy and connected around the world with this quilt project. I love that key fob! Lynn is also quite talented. I bought one of her fabulous quilt boxes for a friend’s birthday but I won’t be delivering it till early April, so I’m saving he blog post till then.
Lynn does make some wonderful things, and I was honoured to be asked to test one of her box patterns a while ago. I’ve made it twice now, and both times it has turned out brilliantly.
The Ovarian Cancer Quilt projects are the result of the F2F group losing one of our number to ovarian cancer. I promised Pat that I would carry the torch and continue to raise funds to support research into this silent killer. It has been a privilege to do so, and I’ve been touched by how many of my blogging friends have offered to contribute each time. TWX will be finished soon, and then I have to come up with a new name and new theme for the next one!
That is an honor indeed. I’ve enjoyed opening and closing the box a few times, and love the little treasures she tucked inside. It’s for my friend Marcia who is a breast cancer survivor. She is also an accomplished seamstress, quilter, knitter, etc. I know she’ll love it.
It’s good of you, Kate, to continue the OCQ in Pat’s memory. I love the idea of a group of women contributing pieces for the whole. I lost track of a blogger who’s collecting knitted squares to create blankets for Syrian refugee children. Yet another reason to learn crochet is to contribute to something like that.
I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
Two more blocks, and I’ll be ready to finalise a layout! Meanwhile, I really need to start quilting the individual blocks or I won’t have it ready in time. Nothing complicated, just wavy lines…
Do you have one of those long-arm quilting machines. I’ve seen them in action in shops. They’re quite amazing.
No, they cost tens of thousands, and take up loads of room, neither of which I have! I do all my quilting on a fairly small domestic machine, and have never paid anyone to quilt for me either. You can do amazing things on a long arm, but I’ll stick with what I have.
I had no idea they were so expensive! I guess I just looked without pricing them. I used to work in a costume shop with industrial machines, and got used to the speed and the extra room under the needle. At home I have a used Bernina, a gift from my husband several years ago. I’m still learning how to use it.
If I had the space and the money, I’d probably get one, but on the whole, I think I’d prefer a mid-arm, because you get to sit down while you work, and my back isn’t up to long hours standing up 🙂