Collaboration….

For some time now, I’ve joined a few other like minded friends on the second Wednesday of each month to sew.  This month, thanks to episodes of Downton Abby, Packed to the Rafters and Castle I actually have two completed quilts to share.  The picture  below is a quilt Melanie put together a few years back, always intending to hand quilt.  Yada Yada, she passed it on to me when she had to move and finally acknowledged she just didn’t have time to finish it.  My friend Evol quilted it and I completed the binding during the aforementioned programmes and now it’s destined as gift, as all quilts from this group to someone in the community.

   

Here’s another picture to show off the quilting.

This next quilt we put together a few months back.  Evol quilted and Daphne completed the binding (probably during the aforementioned programmes as well).  I’ve blogged about it before… and it is lovely to see them completed before they are passed on.

Sewing today was at my friend Peggy’s beautiful home and I couldn’t resist snapping a quick shot from her front door, just to share.  Peggy’s home is full of colour and the many collections – including quilts she’s put together over the years, it really is a feast for the eyes!  I look at the picture and just want to go in and explore!

WIP ..Taking Shape ….

 

Bit more progress made on my Gypsy Wife BOM from Amitie lately.  It’s ironic that just when I’ve finally caught up (and I know because I saw the bank statement that another package is on the way), that I have to take it down and put it away for a month or so because….wait for it….I’m going on holidays!  I don’t leave for another week or so, sadly that’s only 3 home days - the remainder being work days, to get my house,  garden and especially my dogs ready for the lovely lady who will be housesitting for us.

 

We’ll be away for almost a month.  Initially we’re packing the caravan and heading to Ballarat for the SWAP meet, and I’m very excited because this is an area that I’ve wanted to explore for quite some time. Towards the end of our time away we’re helping our daughter move from Brisbane to Sydney to start a new job.  My head is spinning at the thought of all those as yet unknown Patchwork Shops and wonderful places I’m going to encounter along the way!  The RACQ trip planner tells me it will be at least 6500 kilometres, not including any sightseeing or detours encountered along the way!  Most importantly if anyone reading this knows of a good shop or two along the way, please be sure to let me know!!!!

Before  I go, to keep me on track this year and hopefully finish some of those projects I have in the cupboard, I’ve joined – Dawn and Wendy’s Sew It’s Finished UFO Challenge, and while I have nothing to post at the moment I will do before too long.

Cheers, Bev

Can You Believe January 2013 is almost done?

It must be a thing about age, but gee this year already is flying!  Over the past couple of weeks I managed a day to get together with a few friends to work on this quilt.  Instructions are from the book Kaleidoscope the Smart Way by Sharon Sebrow and it’s certainly proving to be an interesting way to make this quilt.  I’m hoping to get the border on it before we meet up again in a couple of weeks.

Other than this I found time over the weekend to make a few more blocks for my Gypsy Wife quilt.  I’ve now completed to the end of Month 9 and will start on more ‘filler’ blocks for Month 10 today.

Finally, my thoughts are with all Australians currently experiencing such extreme weather conditions and now flooding, this wonderful country of ours certainly isn’t behaving nicely of late! 

SSCS Gift from Wendy

For some reason blogger has decided to stop letting me post photos from my computer, so to get around it I’m writing this in Windows Live Writer.  I don’t know if it’s good or bad - I know I’m not alone in not wanting to make changes, especially with tools, familiarity is good!

Anyway that’s my gripe for the day.  I did manage to get a picture of the gifts Wendy sent me, taken outside on a sunny day the quilting really stands out doesn’t it.  The little quilt will hang most happily next Christmas and as I mentioned in the previous post, I especially love the scarf and am looking forward to the weather cooling a little so I can wear it.

Over the Christmas break I did get a couple of opportunities to sew, so continued progress on my Gypsy Wife quilt (BOM from Amitie).  This photo doesn’t do it justice with the blocks on the wall like this but you can get the idea.  I’m enjoying doing it – a little at a time and now I’m only two months behind!

I particularly like the fabrics for the block in the middle photo – they’re not something I would normally choose or put together.  The picture on the right are actually Farmers Wife blocks that I made a while back and then decided I didn’t like the background of greys. The colours and patterns compliment this project, so I’ve added to some of the blocks to increase their size and will use them here.  I’m enjoying the freedom of just playing and I’m really looking forward to receiving the final two months instructions which tell me how to put it together.  I suspect I’m going to have a lot of playing to get it to work.

This next photo is a quilt my friends and I got together in December to put together.  The pattern is Bounce from Miss Rosies Quilt Co and I just love it!  I’ll take a much better photo when it’s finished, but five of us got together raided our stashes and this is the result.  The fabrics we used are from the pansy era back in the 1990’s and we’re especially happy to make such a contempory quilt using them!  This quilt will eventually be gifted as are all the quilts we make, but gee it gives us a lot of pleasure working to put them together!

Anyway, that’s it for now – I think I have time to just get another block done for the Gypsy Wife before I start work if I go now.  Hope this finds everyone safe and well.

Delivered...SSCS Parcel/'.

Happily for me the Postman was busy this week and delivered my lovely SSCS gift from Wendy in USA.  Being particularly challenged with both crochet and knitting needles, I especially love the scarf Wendy made for me.  I will enjoy wearing it when it finally starts to cool down a little.  I have a lovely photo to share, but blogger and I seem to be at odds today (this is the third time I've tried to post today) so it will have to wait intil it's playing nicely....My sincere thanks go to Wendy who made me such lovely gifts and to Chookyblue for the inspiration she brings and her patience and skill in organising the swap.

I'm off to visit family to the next couple of days so I will try to post again when I return.

Finally, my thoughts are with all Australians suffering through these past heatwaves and now shocking bushfires.  Please stay safe whereever you are.

Regards, Bev

Happy New Year

Best wishes to all for a wonderful 2013.  Did you stay up and watch the fireworks?  I was at work until 9.30 last night, so it was simple to stay awake and welcome in the New Year (although to be really truthful I was reading a book with the TV in the background).

As always at this time of year I reflect on the happenings of the previous one and I can only say for me it was a very full year.  Lots of changes, challenges, work, pleasures and fun spent with great family and friends.  Already I've got lots of plans for 2013.

First up however, I must acknowledge my wonderful partners in the Chookyblue Secret Santa Swap for 2012.  I've previously posted about the Swag I made and sent to Lyn  who lives in New Zealand.  Lyn sent me a lovely email just before Christmas letting me know she'd opened my parcel early because she was travelling to Australia to spend Christmas with her Mum in Sydney and she loves my gift, so now I can share it here. 

 The instructions for the Table Topper came from the book "On The Run" by Heather Mulder Peterson and seeing it display on my garden table, I'd really like to make another for myself!

Sadly (because I've seen the photos) I've yet to receive my gifts from Wendy.  Patience has never been one of my virtues and the postal service has let us down - I'm not happy!  I had the perfect spot to hang the lovely little quilt Wendy made me - but it will look just as good in 2013, once it arrives.   I know how disappointed Wendy is feeling right now - in the 2011 Swap my partner in Chile didn't receive her gift from me until February, despite me posting it in the first week of November!  I actually gave up and posted a second gift although happily both did eventually turn up.

My thanks, gratitude and admiration must also go to Chookyblue for arranging the swap.  I can only imagine the work and time involved in coordinating the swap.  I love participating - from the planning of what to make, the pressure of actually finishing the gifts to get them in the mail on time and most especially reading all the blogs of the participants (the downside of which is that I'm forever being inspired to be more creative and start more projects) (Is that really a downside???)).

Best wishes for 2013, Bev

 

Time's Flying.....

It's been a busy couple of weeks as it always is in the lead up to Christmas.... Not many opportunities for sewing, but I am hoping to find a little time this coming weekend. 

Most exciting this past week has been the arrival of the Class Booklet for the Taupo Symposium 2013 Fabric Art Festival. My friend Peggy & I purchased our plane flights when they were on sale in July this year to go there next year, our accommodation has been booked, we've just been waiting to find out what classes were available, knowing there is a fantastic line up of tutors.  We've not been dissapointed - all the classes look wonderful and I've felt a bit like a kid in a lolly shop, but I have chosen and sent in my application, now I need to be patient as I won't hear until the end of March which classes I've actually been allocated.

Neither of us have visited New Zealand before so it really is especially exciting. I work with several Kiwi ladies and they are all full of advice as to where we should go and what we must see. They are also enjoying the thought of me, a true Queenslander very used to the extremes of heat visiting New Zealand in the middle of winter! Little do they know just how many coats I own, and I think the cold will just add to the charm (and I'll appreciate coming home even more).

Anyway, I must be off.  As I've got no sewing to share this post, I thought I'd share a picture of one of my favourite quilts from the Tokyo International Quilt Show where I visited in January this year.  Sadly there were no English labels so I can't tell you who the maker was, but I do love her work.