Buddy & Me

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY

2012-01-26T08:30:00.001+11:00

I love a sunburnt country

A land of sweeping plains

Of ragged mountain ranges

Of droughts and flooding rains

I love her far horizons

I love her jewel sea

Her beauty and her terror

The wide brown land for me

I am so proud to be Australian.

Happy Australia Day

Sue-Anne xxx

Slowly Settling Into The New Year

2012-01-15T14:15:00.002+11:00

I am slowly getting back into a routine, sort of, after the hype of Christmas. I have managed to do a little applique - yes Phebe has reappeared and I am very proud of these little flowers! I have absolutely no vision when it comes to fussy cutting and even less patience with fiddly little pieces so I am sure you will understand how happy I was to get these little darlings stitched down.

I also made a cover for the ironing board. When I had the Friday Girls over to make our little quilts (the I'm not going overseas quilts) back in October, I was very embarrassed at the state of the cover. It has only taken me 3 months to replace it! This is the first time I have made one and although it is a little rough around the edges I think it looks pretty good and next time I will have a better idea on how to have a better fit.

I've been sewing some clamshells too. I think I only have about 7 rows to go so may decide to put my all into it and get it finished. It would be nice to actually have something finished for a change...

I also managed a little fabric shopping at Needles & Pins at Warrandyte. I had to go down to Melbourne on Friday with Nicholas to pick up his Drift car. Its a bit of a long story but was down there getting a specialist tune up after the motor getting rebuilt. I took him down, he was going to drive his car back and I planned to do a bit of shopping before coming home. Anyway, turns out there was a last minute problem with the car and Nic couldn't take it home so, off I headed to Needles & Pins with Nic in the passenger seat. We get there and he says to me "Please don't be long, I have to be back home before tea tonight". I replied "Don't worry, I don't know anyone at this shop". I walked in and who do you think was there - Di Ford - of Phebe and countless other beautiful quilts fame! We had a great chat. Di and the Secret Sisters are featured in the next Quiltmania due out so make sure you get a copy.

This week also saw the family get together for dinner to say goodbye to Nic. He has headed back to base now after having a month off. That's him above with Chris and Amy. All major dinners in this family have to be a roast and Nic's favourite dessert is Pavlova. Now I don't make pavlovas - my father has always made them and this Christmas there was a lot of discussion as to how to make the perfect pav. I decided to give it a go and make one out of the Donna Hay magazine. I was quite ambitious as it is a double layer pavlova (two cakes) but I was so happy with how it turned out, that I am claiming bragging rights for quite a while.

There was no beading or weeping, the crust was silky smooth, tasted divine AND

look at all that marshmallow in the centre of it! I also made raspberry coulis (another 1st for me) and everyone had two helpings. I hate to think how many calories are in it...

Even Buddy was wanting to see what was happening up on the table!

Sue-Anne xxx

Merry Xmas & Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T18:17:00.000+11:00

I did intend to do a post before Christmas day wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, but the madness of pre-christmas set in and I forgot completely. So ..... Merry Christmas!

My brother and his family came and stayed this year and it was really nice seeing and sharing my niece and nephew's excitement Christmas morning.

Christmas lunch is always a roast dinner with all the trimmings. This year we had 14 for lunch.

Tea on the other hand, is leftovers and salads plus far too many desserts!

Big and little cousins keeping each other amused playing X Box.

Poor little Buddy trying to have a rest after such a big day entertaining the visitors.

This is the beautiful big bunch of Kangaroo Paws that my girlfriend gave me from her garden. They are magnificent and I think the perfect floral arrangement for an Aussie Christmas.

I decided to take advantage of Nic being home and took off to Melbourne for a couple of days this week. I stayed with my girlfriend and we had a great time time shopping, dining out and catching up with a few other friends. I discovered a "new to me" shop called Zetta Florence. I wish I had money to burn as I could have spent a fortune, but I was good and came home with only a couple of things. I am in love with all the stationery and the whole atmosphere of the shop.

I want to wish all my fellow bloggers, followers and friends and very Happy New Year and a wonderful 2012.

Sue-Anne xxx

Christmas Decorating

2011-12-19T15:32:00.000+11:00

No sewing today. I love seeing how everyone is decorating their homes for Christmas and thought I would show you a couple of pictures of our home.

Our main Christmas tree in the Loungeroom.

Some snowmen - always dreaming of a White Christmas (which is NEVER going to happen in the middle of Summer).

Rag balls and a couple of dolls.

Blue and green Christmas sparkle.

One of my treasured wool cones made by Michelle.

Michelle and I have been collecting Blossum Bucket snowmen for a few years now. Here is the tinsel tree where they live at Christmas time

And our pool table that I have managed to keep clear since March - can you tell my soldier boy is home for Christmas???

Sue-Anne xxx

Irish Circles & Xmas Lunch

2011-12-11T12:58:00.000+11:00

I have finally finished the centre for Irish Circles.

I have fallen in love with these baby circles. They are only 3 inches in diameter.

Here it is all joined together. It's not very big for all that work! I still have a couple of borders to go though.....

We had our Friday Girls Christmas luncheon this week. It was Marg's turn to be hostess and she did a lovely job. The table looked so pretty (and the strawberry cider was pretty nice too). We ate and laughed way too much and had a great day.

We exchange gifts each year and here is what I received. There was also a home made pudding but it has already been cut up and sampled. We all agree it is the best day of the year for us and this year did not disappoint.

Sue-Anne xxx

"I'm Not Going Overseas"

2011-11-21T17:14:00.001+11:00

Two of our sewing group friends were lucky enough to travel overseas during the month of October, leaving the rest of us green with envy and missing their company each week. We decided to make a "I'm Not Going Overseas" doll quilt as a bit of fun and have something to show them when they returned. We chose the "Shoo Fly Doll quilt" from the Civil War Sewing Circle book by Kathleen Tracy. This is mine pictured above all quilted and bound. I love how it turned out.

Here is a group photo. Back row left is Marg's, then mine. Front row left is Jan's, then Nicole's. We had so much fun making them, we decided to make another one from the same book.

"One-Patch Doll Quilt"

Back row left is Jan's, then mine. Front row is Marg's.

I am still working on Irish Circles. I am beginning to wonder if I will ever finish this quilt. Above is the last of the circles and two of the corner blocks.

Another of the corner blocks and some of the little circles that go in the centre.

My mother and father's wedding day 7.1.1956

I had the pleasure of going on a road trip with the girls a few weeks ago. We headed off to Bendigo to visit the V & A Wedding Dress exhibition. I was only going along for the ride and was surprised at how much I really enjoyed it. There were wedding dresses from the 1700's to modern day. The detail and work on the dresses were stunning and it is really quite amazing to think they are in such good condition after all this time.

After Bendigo, it was onto Castlemaine, the home of Corliss and Threadbear patchwork shop. I love their stand at the quilt shows in Melbourne but had never had the opportunity to visit them. I was not disappointed. Their shop is amazing and I wish it was closer and easier to get to from here.

Another outing of a different kind on Friday night. The Cold Chisel concert. We were very lucky to have it in our town and they played to an audience of 12,500 people. It was a fantastic night! The weather was great (just as well as it was outside). I know its not much of a photo but there's Barnesy in the white.

Buddy Boy

I have been such a bad blogger lately. I have been "lurking" at everyone but being really lazy and not leaving any comments. I'm sorry and hopefully can get back into some sort of routine. I don't know where my head has been lately!

Sue-Anne xxx

2011-10-16T14:59:00.000+11:00

I got to spend four days last week with my youngest son, Nicholas. We attended his March Out parade at Singleton. He is now a part of the Australian Infantry and as such was presented with his "Skippy" badge (pictured above). There is some significance to this badge - the Kangaroo symbolises always going forward, never going backwards and the Boomerang is symbolic for every soldier to return home. It was a great day and I am a very proud mother. We got to spend the weekend with him in Sydney, before he started the next phase of his training on Tuesday.

Here he is with his grandfather and myself. I think they are feeding him ok. I feel like a dwarf standing beside him!

Nicholas and his friends on the ferry at Circular Quay.

Sunday was spent at Freshwater beach before leaving to come home. I am starting to fall in love with Sydney. It is a beautiful city and that's saying something from someone who was born and bred in Melbourne.

I have had a finish on the sewing front. This is what I made out of the little four patches I showed in my last post. It is a quilt from the book, Jingle All The Way by Renee Plains of Liberty Star.

A couple more circles have been made for Irish Circles.

We are well and truly into Spring here in the southern hemisphere and I couldn't help admiring my roses late yesterday afternoon. They are all starting to bloom.

This is the Clematis that grows beside my front door. The flowers are beautiful this year. It's amazing what some decent rain does for the garden.

Have a lovely week everyone.

Sue-Anne xxx

WIP's

2011-09-17T16:54:00.000+10:00

Some more circles at various stages of completion,

Another project started,

and another project started.....

Washington Sidewalks top finished,

(Carolyn, the Proprietor)

A roadtrip with the girls to a new quilt shop, Veronica Violet's in Rutherglen.

And below, a beautiful old antique quilt top that was brought to Saturday sewing. I thought you might be interested in seeing how small pieces were joined together and odd pieces were included to make up some of the blocks.

Sue-Anne xxx

9/11

2011-09-11T14:31:00.000+10:00

I will never forget this day. I was sitting up watching Sandra Sully on the late news when they went to the breaking news in New York and I saw the horrific footage of that second plane crashing through the World Trade Centre. At first I thought it was the Y2K bug screwing with the instrumentation of the planes, how could we possibly comprehend that another human being could deliberately commit such an evil and cruel act.

Sue-Anne xxx

Quilts in the Barn Exhibition

2011-09-03T17:27:00.000+10:00

We had another wonderful road trip down to Melbourne yesterday to attend Quilts in the Barn. This year's exhibitor was Jo Morton and her quilts were magnificent. Here is a very small sampling of some of the quilts that were on display.

This quilt was one of the many antique quilts laid out over tables inside and outside the barn. The weather was perfect, Melbourne put on a beautiful sunny and warm Spring day and after viewing the quilts, we sat outside and enjoyed a cuppa and a piece of homemade fruit cake. We bumped into Elyte on the way out and Shirley, I got my hug!

Elyte and I.

L to R - Michelle, Elyte, me, Linda, Jan, Helen.

The Quilted Crow girls were there with their shop, selling lots of Jo Morton fabric and I came home with this piece. You know how it goes, you just have to have it.

After leaving the Barn, we made our way across the suburbs, stopping along the way at various quilt shops and these are what came home with me. I got home just after 9.30pm so a very long, but very enjoyable day.

A huge thank you to Linda and her many friends that have helped her put on this magnificent exhibition. It has definately become an annual event for us "Friday Girls".

Sue-Anne xxx

2011-07-23T21:59:00.000+10:00

I woke up this morning with the news of a bombing in Norway. As the day passed, the news kept getting worse and worse. What is wrong with this world? I don't understand these people that choose to go to war with innocent victims. My heart goes out to all of Norway at this tragic time.

Now I have been told by a couple of my dearest friends that whilst they love Nic, they are sick of seeing his picture everytime they click on my blog and that it is about time I did another post!!! I haven't really got a lot for Show & Tell. I am still working on Irish Circles and got distracted with another project, because I saw Jan and Christine's versions and had to make one myself. The pattern is called Nancy Horsfall's Baby's Cot Cover.

I still have A LOT to do but at least I have my fabrics sorted now and can get into the fun part of applique.

I did a little fabric shopping yesterday and came home with lots of blues and a little black.

I just had to show you this picture. This is me taking Buddy for a walk but unfortunately Max likes to come walking too. You have to imagine them walking together down the street. It is really really funny, Max races ahead and frolics until we catch up and then smooches up to Buddy as if he is his long lost friend.

I was also lucky enough to sneak in a quick trip to Sydney last weekend to see Nic. We went to Tooronga Zoo and this is what we came across when visiting the Meer Cats. As we are in the middle of winter here in Australia, the best way to warm up a cold tummy is to sit in front of a heat lamp. He did not move the entire time we were watching - so cute.....

Sue-Anne xxx

What a Month We've Had!

2011-06-25T20:24:00.000+10:00

Last week saw us attending the March Out of our son Nicholas, with the Australian Army. He has completed his basic training and is now in the process of learning his new trade of Australian Soldier. We were so excited to see him and our time with him went far too quickly.

Here he is with his brother. Of course we are very proud of both our boys and I can see a proudness in Nic by the way he carries himself now. Amazing how they can grow up so completely in such a short time.

His quilt was completed a couple of weeks before and I couldn't wait to give it to him. It is now with him to keep him warm and remind him of home.

Chris and Amy arrived home from their honeymoon a couple of weeks before the March Out and here they are at the airport with Lucy (their baby). Amy's sister Kate made a sign and brought her to the airport. I don't think I have ever seen Amy so excited as when she realised Lucy was there. 5 weeks is a long time away from the people/dogs we love.

Remember this quilt? I finally got around to having it quilted and got it back yesterday. Rose did a wonderful job with the quilting and now I have to make another binding.

I have also been doing a little machine piecing and this is the start of another quilt, Washington Sidewalks. This was a pattern from Patchwork on Stonleigh's fabric club.

These are the latest Irish Circles blocks.

Sue-Anne xxx

Melancholy

2011-05-14T21:10:00.001+10:00

It has been very strange, these last few weeks. We are all feeling the effects of Nicholas not being here - poor Buddy is lying on his bed feeling sad that his "Big Bro" isn't home and I have decided (shock horror) that I don't like having an Empty Nest.

And after waving the newlyweds off on their honeymoon, things have been very quiet. They are having the time of their lives travelling through Europe and as they visit each new country, I think of all you wonderful bloggers I have become friends with over the past year.

I been distracting myself with some sewing. This quilt top is from the latest book by Kathleen Tracy and is called "The Soldier's Cot Quilt" . How appropriate for my soldier boy. I will give this quilt to him at his March Out parade next month, to keep him warm and remind him of home.

And speaking of Civil War quilts and soldiers, this is a quilt I made a long time ago for Christopher's 21st. It is called Civil War 2 and is designed by Susan Smith. I finally grabbed it back before they left for their honeymoon so I could get a couple of photos of it. Oh my goodness, there was a LOT of sewing in this quilt!

I haven't spoken about Browne Sisters Sampler for a while but I have been putting a few stitches in every now and then.

And these two album blocks (one from Jan and one from me) are on their way to Linda from Quilts in the Barn. They are going to be part of the raffle quilt for this year's Quilts in the Barn exhibition. The guest artist is Jo Morton and every block will be made from Jo Morton fabrics. Can't wait till September!!!!

The weather was beautiful over Easter but it has finally turned. It is snowing at Falls Creek and I can feel the icy chill in the air. I think I will go sit in front of the tv with a quilt over my lap and sew a few stitches into my clamshells.

Sue-Anne xxx

A Perfect Day

2011-04-20T15:59:00.000+10:00

Saturday, 16th April was the day we celebrated the marriage of our eldest son and officially welcomed Amy into our family.

Here are the boys waiting for Amy to arrive (Chris is on the right). They scrub up ok don't they!

Saying their vows to each other.

Some family photos.

Congratulations Chris and Amy.

There Has Been Some Changes In The Wind

2011-04-02T16:52:00.000+11:00

What a month I have had! This is my beautiful boy Nic. Last year he applied to join the ADF as a Commando. It has been a very long process but he got a phone call and 13 days later, on Tuesday, we had to say goodbye to him for a while. Our home feels very empty, as he is the last child to leave but we are very proud and happy for him.

Another change that is going to take me a while to get used to is the closing down of Patchwork on Stonleigh. This shop has played such a huge role in my quilting life over the last twelve years and I will miss popping in there each week.

We were lucky enough to get in one last Irish Circles class before the shop closed and this is my latest block.

Here she is! All quilted and all I have to do now is hand stitch the binding down and attach a label. This is the biggest quilt I have ever made and even with the clothesline wound all the way up, the quilt is still dragging on the ground.

It has been a while since I have mentioned clamshells (sorry Jossie) but I have been adding to them.

I went to my friend Jackie's open garden today. This is a view from one section of her garden through to the next. She does a lot of companion planting and her garden is functional, as well as beautiful, with all the produce that she grows.

This beautiful blue flower is "Morning Glory" and is growing all over her archway.

We are on the home run now to the wedding - only two more weeks. So much for me finally getting a photo of all of us together, with Nicholas being unable to attend.

Well that's about it from me today. I have been enjoying all the "Red & White Quilt Show" photos that have been displayed in blogland. What a magnificent exhibition and now I really want to make a red and white quilt!!!

Sue-Anne xxx

Time To Move On

2011-02-27T11:07:00.001+11:00

The time has come to redistribute this basket of fabrics into the larger overall stash. I feel a little sad saying goodbye to this collection as I have been working with them for the last twelve months and know each piece of fabric intimately. You see, this is my Swan Lake basket and she is finally finished.

The backing fabric has been joined, she is now at the quilters and I feel a little lost without her.

Whilst I feel that not a lot has been happening in my little part of the world, I have been busy with Irish Circles and have managed to complete another 7 blocks over the last couple of weeks.

They have been fun and quite challenging at the same time.

There is also something else that is starting to consume my daily thoughts. Chris and Amy are getting married in April. I am starting to get really excited and have already bought a new pair of purple shoes...

now all I need is an outfit to go with them!

Sue-Anne xxx

What A Week!

2011-02-06T11:41:00.000+11:00

Well what a week it has been in our beautiful Australia. We have had bushfires in Western Australia, the worst cyclone ever in Queensland, Sydney is having a massive hot spell and here in my little part of Victoria we have experienced humid tropical weather, followed by two days of non stop rain caused by the cyclone in Queensland! At least, after all that rain, it is much more pleasant today.

I still have a couple more little bits to do on Swan Lake but I have also done a bit of work on Irish Circles.

These are the two latest blocks completed. The second one is my favourite block.

These are the final hexagons for Swan Lake. They are all sewn onto the quilt now.

I was also a very lucky girl to receive these beautiful charms from a friend.

This is on the back of the "Silly" charm - don't you just love it!!!

And here is a "Hello" from Milo.

Sue-Anne xxx

Queensland is Copping it Again!

2011-02-02T18:07:00.000+11:00

This is what is bearing down on North Queensland and is expected to hit landfall by 10pm tonight - a category 5 cyclone, the likes of which they say nobody in Australia has ever witnessed in their lifetime.

My thoughts and love are with all who are in it's path.

Sue-Anne xxx

Happy Australia Day

2011-01-26T09:16:00.000+11:00

Wherever you may be, I wish all Australians a Happy Australia Day!

Sue-Anne xxx

What Is Going On!!!!

2011-01-14T11:54:00.000+11:00

Queensland, Australia is suffering from its worst ever natural disaster. I have been glued to the tv for most of the week in shock at the enormity of the Queensland floods. As I write this post, four of our States are suffering from floods! This time last year we were in drought suffering from 40 plus temperatures and now there has been so much rain, that any area that gets a big downpour is at risk. There are lots of ways we can help. Donations can be made through The Qld Premier's Flood Relief Appeal . Also, Make It Perfect is hosting an online Auction and if you click on the links, you will be able to find out all the details.

My heart goes out to everyone who has been affected in some way by this catastrophic event, especially to those who have lost loved ones. I fear that it will take years and years to fully recover from this and there are still towns bracing themselves for the worst as this massive amount of water travels down our river systems.

On a brighter note, Swan Lake is finally together Yay!!!

Even Buddy is pretty impressed!

I still have a bit of applique to go but at least now, she looks like a quilt and I am very excited to be near the end.

I also had the honour of viewing another Swan Lake quilt on Wednesday. Pleas from New Zealand has "crossed the ditch" to come visit and participate in Patchwork on Stonleigh's Summer School. We had a little Show & Tell at class with Susan's, Pleas's and my quilts. Pleas has added some little dollies to her centre and it looks fantastic.

It is a little hard to tell in the photo, but there are three Swan Lake quilts all laid out on top of each other!!!

I also received a lovely surprise in the mail this week, all the way from Cyprus! Valentina sent me this wonderful diary from the V & A Museum. Look at all the wonderful clamshells on the cover!! Thank you beautiful Valentina!

Sue-Anne xxx

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

2011-01-01T13:49:00.000+11:00

Exactly one year ago today I decided to start a blog of my own. I never imagined that I would make so many new friends from all around the world and I wish I could someday get to meet you all in person, what a wonderful time we would have!

Christmas day arrived and even though there were a few "Kath & Kim" moments we had a fantastic day. This is the only photo I took (slack I know). Kellie's job was to bring the ham and because she had to work until 5 in the morning, she slept in and didn't make it till lunch was nearly over. The Plum Pudding turned out well and my father told me that I have the job of making it from now on - don't know whether that's good or bad? This year we finally decided to do Kris Kringle and everyone seemed quite happy with it except for Nicholas (the middle child, need I say more?). He still thought he would be getting a present from his mum and dad and was devastated when he realised this wasn't the case - he is 24 years old!!! I think these little stories are what makes each Christmas special and gives us a laugh when looking back in years to come.

The flooding has gone and the heat has set in and Buddy is bedding down for the duration. I am not quite sure why he has started sleeping with his tongue poking out but it does look pretty cute.

I have cut out and stuck down all of the 48 star flowers for Swan Lake!!!

Here she is laid out on the floor and is now starting to look like a quilt - I am getting a little bit excited!!!

I have also stitched two more rows of clamshells. It has been a stressful couple of months and this little quilt has been there to let me feel peace and calm whenever I start stitching.

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year with lots of health, wealth and happiness for 2011!

Sue-Anne xxx

7 More Sleeps!

2010-12-18T17:32:00.000+11:00

It's been a fortnight since I posted and as things are still quite hectic at home with Howard and Christmas preparations, I have found that one day has blended into the next and my brain is turning to mush (even more so than usual). I have been reading all your blogs but have been really slack in not commenting.

We have had a little bit of flooding in our town. The drought has well and truly broken here and we were told the other day that there will be NO WATER RESTRICTIONS this summer Yay!!!!

This picture is of a road I travel on almost every day and usually has a little creek running under the bridge. This creek runs right through our town and the afternoon it flooded, every road that travels over it was impassable. I have never seen the water run over the road like that.

This is the same creek over a different road. My son usually walks his dog along that footpath. The Murray River at Albury burst her banks due to water being let out of the weir and I can tell you, it has been a very very long time since we have seen so much water.

We had our Friday Girls Christmas Lunch at Jan's last week. Look at all those presents under her tree! They were all for us!!!!!

We had the best day together, celebrating our friendship and exchanging gifts. Here is just a small sampling of the goodies I received.

This is Jan's little table beside her armchair. Don't you just love that little quilt! It's "A Patridge in a Pear Tree".

Now I haven't done any sewing that is blog worthy so I will just leave you with a few pictures of some of my favourite Christmas decorations.

This just happened to come home with the shopping the other day, nothing like a bit of retail therapy.

If I don't post before, I just want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year. I want to thank you all for making me feel so welcome in blogland and I feel very lucky to have made so many wonderful new friends, I love you all!!!

Sue-Anne xxx

I Lost November & 21 Days Till Christmas!

2010-12-04T23:53:00.000+11:00

Well, I have totally missed November and there is only 21 days till Christmas!

My husband became ill and had to be admitted to hospital on Melbourne Cup Day. After spending two weeks there, he finally came home but there have been a couple of hiccups with his recovery, due to his disability. I am happy to report though, that he is much better and will just need lots more time for total recovery. I have been really slack in catching up with what everyone has been up to and thank you especially to those who have emailed to see where I have been, I treasure your friendship.

*To Bronwyn in Sydney - Thank you so much, time has got away from me but you are in my thoughts and I will be in touch soon.

The one positive from sitting at the hospital every day was that I got to applique the centre of Swan Lake. The centre is quite plain so as not to detract from the border which is definately the Star of this quilt.

The flowers were a little challenging though and I am pleased to have them completed. Now all I have to do is cut out and applique down 44 flower stars????

I have also completed a couple more rows of my clamshells. I really really love working on this and although I got lots of stitching done while Howard was in hospital, I have not been able to do much since he came home. This is perfect to pick up when I get a few moments and need to destress.

*************************************************

My Mum has made the plum pudding every Christmas since I can remember. This year, she decided that it was a bit much for her so I was given the job. Having never made one before, and having to live up to my mother's pudding reputation, I very nervously took on the task last Sunday (note the phone in the photo, I made several calls to mum whilst making it. It smells ok and now we just have to wait till Christmas Day to see if it tastes ok. Fingers crossed.

I finally got the tree decorated yesterday so now it is starting to "feel a lot like Christmas"!

Sue-Anne xxx

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T12:23:00.002+11:00

We don't seem to embrace Halloween here in Australia like other parts of the world but in recent years the marketing has been getting stronger and this year I couldn't resist getting into the spirit when for the first time I saw these Jack-o-Lantern pumpkins at the supermarket.

After watching numerous Youtube videos, I went to work and was quite pleased with how "Jack" turned out.

And finally, I have a use for this Witch I made several years ago - don't you just love her lace-up boots!

I received this beautiful parcel from Nadine. The fabrics are from Provence and were selected by Nadine whilst she was there on holidays. There were lots of little treasures in the parcel and I felt really spoilt when I opened it - thank you Nadine.

I have a couple more photos of Quilts in the Barn to share with you but please go and click on the badge on my sidebar for much better photos of all the quilts that were displayed. I just wanted to show this one. Look at all the detail with the different layers of fabric to create this beautiful bird. This level of work was indicative of almost all of the quilts displayed - amazing!

Here is Sarah Morrell, made using a pale blue background. I am so in love with this quilt!

One for all the hexie lovers.

I have made the centre of this quilt. It has been in the cupboard now for a couple of years and I may just have to get it out and finish it???

This is called Drayton Hall by Di Ford and I came home with the pattern for this one.

I also came home with this chair for my sewing room - yes we went to Ikea after visiting 3 patchwork shops. As I said in my last post, we had a very big day out.

Fabrics purchased from various shops and,

this beautiful little book. If you love cross stitch, go have a look at Jean's, from Linen & Raspberry, latest post. You will be in cross stitch heaven!

I have been working on Swan Lake and "Hooray for Me" I have finished the fourth border! In saying that, I still have 44 star flowers to applique down the mitred borders once it is all joined together - won't that be fun???

Now I don't have too much to show for Clamshell Club this month but I have been working on them. I ran out of clams so I have cut lots more and have been turning over the tops in readiness to applique down.

Here is my Buddy boy. Just had to share this pic I took of him.

Sue-Anne xxx

Quilts in the Barn Exhibition

2010-10-19T13:42:00.000+11:00

I left home at 6am Friday morning and after picking up Helen, Jan and Michelle, we headed down to Wonga Park, Melbourne to the Quilts in the Barn exhibition, with quilts by the Secret Sewing Sisterhood. We arrived right on 10am after a fairly intense drive down through the hills towards Yarra Glen and Lilydale in probably some of the heaviest rain I have driven in for a while. Let me just say that it was well and truly worth the effort. Above is Deb's Quilt, The Poppies, designed by Di Ford. It was magnificent!

This is Georgetown Circle by Di Ford. This quilt is also stunning and unfortunately my photos have not done the quilts any justice.

I didn't catch the names of the above two quilts but they are the same pattern made by different quilters. It was so interesting to see the different colourways for the same quilt and there were several examples all throughout the barn.

The famous Sarah Morrell quilt was there in all her glory and I got to see her close up!!!

And of course I had to get my photo taken with Linda, our wonderful host, and Di Ford, the designer of all these wonderful quilts. Can you see in the background to the right? It's Phebe!!!! I also got to view her up close and personal too!!!!

Corliss from Threadbear was there with her shop and I bought the most beautiful cross stitch book. I will have more pics for you next post.

Please go visit Linda's blog, Quilts in the Barn to see lots more photos of the quilts. There were around 90 quilts on display and they were all amazing. She is putting together a slide show for those of you that couldn't get there in person and hopefully, if you like what you see, you can donate something to a breast cancer charity - she will have it all explained on her blog - and it can then get added to the total of the monies raised from the Exhibition.

After Quilts in the Barn, we went shopping, of course! More on that next post.

Sue-Anne xxx

Clamshells & Armchair Stitching

2010-10-10T13:52:00.001+11:00

Well I am more than a couple of days late with my clamshell report. I have had a terrible chest infection/flu and it has really knocked me about. I thought I was really lucky to not have caught it all Winter and then bang, it arrived late with a vengeance. I have managed to complete 3 rows for the month. This photo was taken with my iphone and I was mucking around with an app I have for photos.

I have also been busy cutting out shells and tacking over the edges so they are ready to applique down.

I have finally started the last border of Swan Lake. Luckily I had all my hexagons covered and I was able to just sit in my chair all day and stitch them down as I haven't been good for much else. When I vacuumed the floors yesterday I was thinking how filthy they were, then I realised I had not done them for exactly two weeks!

This is Irish Circles, a BOM that I am doing through Patchwork on Stonleigh, designed by Karen Cunningham. This is the centre that goes with the two blocks I showed on my last post. I just couldn't leave it alone! I had a lot of trouble picking the perfect fabric to frame the circle and not being able to make a decision, I decided to just leave it and concentrate on other projects. Of course, that didn't happen and I finally made a decision and kept stitching until it was done. There are a lot of little appliques to go around the blue circle but I can relax now that I have that centre done.

I also made some blocks for Lizzie (see my last post), and below are some flowers that have started to bloom in my garden.

My lilac is finally starting to have some decent sized blooms,

My big pot of pansies that are lasting a lot longer than I thought they would,

My first rosebud for the season,

and this magnificent Iris. The colour is a deeple purple/brown colour with a pale yellow. I was given a few different plants from a friend that had divided hers and it has been fun to see what colours they open up to. I have never seen this colour before.

I haven't been spending much time on the computer over the last couple of weeks but I have been reading what everyone is up to and will slowly get back to commenting when I am feeling 100%.

Is anyone going to Quilts in the Barn next weekend? Jan, Michelle, Helen and I are going on a road trip next Friday down to Wonga Park and then onto a couple of quilt shops in Melbourne, before heading home and stopping at our favourite Chinese Restaurant for dinner on the way back. Just click on the link to read all about Quilts in the Barn. I am really looking forward to seeing all the wonderful quilts from Di Ford and her friends from the Secret Sewing Sisterhood. Maybe I might see some of you there.

Also, what is going on with Blogger!!!!! I have had to upload my photos several times. They seem to have changed the format for uploading and won't hold them.

Now I am going to make myself some lunch and sit down and continue to watch the big race - Bathurst. There was a huge smash this morning on the first lap where the car rolled several times and virtually disintegrated around the roll cage and it was amazing that the driver got out and walked away. There was also a kangaroo hopping across the track in front of several V8 Supercars bearing down on him. Thankfully he got away and hopped back over the barrier without incident.

Sue-Anne xxx

What's Been Going On This Week

2010-09-18T14:34:00.000+10:00

I just had to share this photo of our eldest son, Christopher. I was on Facebook the other day and clicked on him to see what he had been up to and saw this photo. This is him playing at Falls Creek a few weeks ago. Pretty good hey!

And of course, this is middle child Nic, getting ready to put "The Black Pearl" (his name for it, not mine), on the car trailer yesterday for 3 big days down at Winton at Performance Car Mania. He has been working on this beast every spare minute he has had for the last couple of months in readiness for this weekend. He put a bigger turbo in it and has had heaps of trouble - it caught on fire the other night while getting tested on the Dyno so I hope he comes back safe and sound.

And seeing as I have mentioned the two boys, I thought I had better mention our youngest, Kellie. She has been too busy to come visit her dear old mum so here is a photo of her/ours now, cat, Milo. Max and Milo fight over a cane basket that we keep on the pool table. A friend of ours gave us this gorgeous basket for Milo but the only way I can get him in there is if I tempt him with food. As you can see, Max is quite happy to sit in front and eat the food and Milo isn't game to hop out in front of Max. It is a never ending circus in this house full of pets!

I have been doing a bit of sewing this week. These are two blocks I have handpieced for a quilt I have started. These are the easy ones and I am building up the courage to start the centre soon. Will show more as I get going with it.

I have also finished border number three for Swan Lake - Yay!!!! Above is the first three hexies I have made for border four. The black fabric in the top right flower was given to me by Marg, isn't it gorgeous. I still haven't got very far with the centre but at least I feel like I am on the home stretch with the borders.

Lizzie from A House in the Country needs some help to make a quilt for a special friend who is not doing too well. Please click on the badge above and read her story.

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Sue-Anne xxx

It's Finished!

2010-09-09T12:50:00.000+10:00

It's finally finished!!! I have been working on this since I attended Sue's class over a week ago.

I'm really happy with how it has turned out and even now, when I look at it, I can see areas where I could embellish just a little bit more.

We have had some major rainfalls and flooding in our little part of the world. We were fine here in Wodonga but my parents, who live in Benalla, were evacuated on the weekend. Thankfully the water didn't get to their house and all is well.

And picking my daffodils from the garden and bringing them indoors is reminding me that Spring is here and we will see some nice sunny days soon - I hope!

Sue-Anne xxx

Sue Spargo Day & Clamshells

2010-08-31T10:11:00.000+10:00

I had the BEST day on Sunday! It was Sue Spargo Day!

This was our project - the Greta Needle Roll. This is a picture of Sue's. I was blown away when I saw it in the flesh. The detailing just doesn't show up well enough in photos.

I spent the whole day on Saturday gathering up all my requirements. I was very worried that I didn't have enough stuff but by the end of the day, I really had to cull what I had packed, you would think I was making a queen sized quilt with the amount of fabrics I had packed. Did I really need fat quarters of three different green wools to make two leaves???

We learnt all about embellishing our applique with different types of thread and fabrics. I purchased these beautiful silk threads, along with some velvet ribbon and this beautiful green velvet that I am going to use on top of my wool leaves.

This is as far as I got on the day. The flower on the right is what I would have normally done and think how clever I was to use wool with fabric. The flower on the left is what Sue taught me with embellishing.

I learnt how to sew seed beads and do those wonderful stamens. I am still amazed at the difference a little embellishing can make to something and I am now looking at all my applique pieces around the house thinking if I just outlined this petal here or that leaf there, how would it look?

This is the outside of my sewing roll. I did have another piece in the centre but late in the day I spotted this beautiful piece of linen with dogs printed all over it and just had to have it.

If you ever get the chance to go to one of Sue's classes, I thoroughly recommend it. I received lots of individual tuition from her and she is the lovliest person. Sue's friend, Melissa showed us how to make roving balls and helped us throughout the day too. Her needle roll was to die for too! Above is the label I am going to sew onto my needle roll - Sue wrote it for me!!!!

I also purchased Sue's latest book and love it. It is jam packed with lots of projects in it and I also got it signed by her.

I was so focused in the class that I really didn't buy much fabric or take lots of photos of what other students were doing (slack of me I know) and I didn't even take photos of Sue's quilts because no photo would be able to do justice to them. They are amazing and I have come away full of new inspiration and a mind that is switching from one idea to the next at double time!!!

Thank you Sue and Melissa for the best day!!!!

Also, the class was held at Amitie Textiles in Melbourne. Jenny was a wonderful hostess and made us feel very very welcome and looked after us all day. Amitie is definately going to be on my "must visit" list next time I am in Melbourne.

Today is Clamshell Day. I have now completed 8 rows of clamshells and have nearly run out of prepped ones so it will be back to the cutting board for me. I am really liking how it is turning out and have decided to really mix up the fabrics with some darks and brights as well as the pastels that I seemed to have prepared first. It has been a bit hard for me to get a decent photo of the whole width.

I hope everyone has a great week and now I will be counting down the days until Sue returns to Australia in two year's time.

Sue-Anne xxx

The Week That Was

2010-08-23T12:53:00.000+10:00

I have, surprise surprise, been working on Swan Lake only this time I thought I would have a play with the centre of the quilt.

Of course, Maximus is always there to lend a hand, even when I am quite capable of working by myself.

Here is a glimpse of the centre to give you a bit of an idea of how the quilt will look. There is still more to place in the centre and lots of star flowers down each diagonal border.

I have also been fabric shopping, just love the new blacks and blues.

I have finished appliqueing the 2 latest blocks for Browne Sisters Sampler - lucky because I have just received the pattern for the next block.

And this is my new/old chair. I wish I had taken a photo of it before I started. Imagine 30 years ago, a pine kitchen table and 6 chairs covered in lime green vinyl, very fashionable back then. This is the only piece left and whilst still quite sturdy, it looked hideous. It has turned out ok don't you think.

I have been reading everyone's posts, just not doing a lot of commenting this week. I don't know what is going on with Blogger but My Blog List doesn't update for a couple of days and then bang, there are heaps of new posts to read.

I am getting very excited! Only 6 more sleeps till Jan and I get to spend the day with Sue Spargo!!!! We are off to Amitie Textiles in Melbourne early on Sunday morning and I can't wait. I'll be there, wearing my Sue Spargo threadcutter that was a special gift, my Sue Spargo necklace and my Sue Spargo earrings with my camera at the ready. Do you think I may be going a little over the top???

Sue-Anne xxx

The Best Kind Of Secret Womens Business

2010-08-14T15:55:00.000+10:00

Yesterday was the culmination of a week long 50th Birthday and my "besties" made me cry! Here are the four out of five of them hiding behind their Secret Womens Business project - Michelle, Nicole, Helen and Jan (Marg was away teaching).

They made me a Quilt!!!!!

It is a little hard to see in the photo but they used all my favourite fabrics and sashed it with my favourite black paisley. There are 5 stars sewn into the quilt, representing each treasured friend.

Marg made the label on the back and anyone who has seen Marg's work, knows how precise and perfect her stitching is. The bow tie around the label is actual ribbon that has been painstakingly stitched down.

This is my quilt's new home, a match made in heaven with my red leather couch.

Thank you everyone in Blogland for your warm birthday wishes, you all made my birthday special.

Sue-Anne xxx

Another Decade Older!

2010-08-10T12:34:00.000+10:00

The "Happy Birthday" plate made an appearance this past week as I have joined the Fabulous Fifties Club. Forty doesn't sound too bad now?? I had a wonderful day sharing lunch with friends and then a wonderful Chinese dinner with my family. Everyone chipped in and got me a new stereo for my car, complete with handsfree and bluetooth for my iphone - I am one very happy camper.

My dearest and oldest friend, Maree, who lives in Melbourne contacted Jan and together they did some Secret Womens Business, and I received a voucher from Patchwork on Stonleigh and these beautiful flowers.

On Sunday, the dogs started going crazy and there was a knock at the door. In comes Syndi, Sarah (my God Daughter) and Maree. Syndi, Maree and I all lived in the same street growing up and we have remained close friends throughout out lives. They had driven all the way up from Melbourne to take me out to dinner! I was so surprised! We had a wonderful dinner at a local Italian restaurant and then we stayed up half the night talking and laughing and catching up on each other's gossip. I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends.

Not much has been happening on the sewing front but I have managed to prepare the start of border number 3 for Swan Lake.

Klosjes have been having a rest and here are a couple of my new favourite hexie flowers. I have been dying to use that black spot in something and finally got it to work in Swan Lake.

We are now back up to speed with the internet so I can start catching up on what everyone else has been up to.

Sue-Anne xxx

Sewline Glue Pen

2010-08-03T08:54:00.000+10:00

This is a short post today as our internet has been slowed down, thanks Nic! I will be missing out on my blog reading till the end of the week too because it is taking far too long for a page to load up. Isn't it amazing how much we miss the internet when there is a problem with it.

I was going to do a tutorial on the Sewline Glue Pen but a friend pointed me to this Tutorial by Sue Daly and if you click on the highlight, it will take you there. She has a lot of info on covering papers.

One thing I have discovered is that I think I prefer NOT to iron my hexagon flowers before I pull out the papers. The glue seems to "set" and they are a little harder to pull out, but you can still get them out and reuse the papers. I guess it is personal preference and experimentation until you find the method that suits you best.

Sue-Anne xxx

Clamshell Club & Some Shopping

2010-07-31T14:17:00.001+10:00

Today is Clamshell Club reporting day. I have sewn 4 1/2 rows! I'm really enjoying this project as the clamshells are already basted before I start appliqueing them down so it is just applique, no turning under.

I have decided to alternate the rows of prints with backgrounds. The photos aren't too good today as it is a wet and dreary day outside BUT I'm not complaining as we need the rain and at least it isn't freezing.

We celebrated Nicole's birthday yesterday at sewing and Michelle made her wonderfully artistic profiterolle cake. There is something about strawberries dipped in chocolate that I just can't resist and there were a few profiterolles left without a strawberry attached.

I have also been letting my fingers do the shopping at the Fat

Quarter Shop and this parcel of heaven arrived through the week. It's called Luna Notte by 3 Sisters and I can't wait for the yardage to hit the shops - it's divine! I think I have picked out my centre now for Swan Lake using a blue and a grey from this pack.

I also bought this glue pen a couple of weeks ago. I had never seen them before except in blogland and always wondered what they were like. I brought it home and tried it and wasn't really that impressed until last week I spoke with Lynette Anderson at the Quilt Show and she showed me the proper way to use it. This is my new favourite tool for hexagons - I love it! It is so quick to cover the papers and it has held together really well when sewing the flowers together.

Speaking of hexagons, I have been covering 1/2 inch hexies for the Brigitte Giblin bag and thought I might do a dummy run with the pattern to make sure I can actually sew the bag together before damaging all my hard work. I found this piece of linen last week and made it up and it looks fantastic! Can't beat red polkadots.

Have a lovely weekend everyone,

Sue-Anne xxx

A Wonderful Day with Old & New Friends

2010-07-24T22:25:00.001+10:00

I had the best day yesterday! We left home at 6am and headed down the Hume Highway for a day in Melbourne at the Quilt Show. We visited the quilt exhibition first and there were many wonderful quilts made by some very talented ladies. This is a snapshot of a small portion of my favourites.

This was AMAZING! The display was called "Art U Wear Challenge" and the theme was Alice in Wonderland. Please click on the photo to enlarge it so you can see the amazing costumes.

Once we finished looking at the quilts, it was time for shopping. My favourtie stall was Threadbear and who did I see behind the counter helping Corliss - Di Ford of Phebe and Sarah Morrell fame. Di's new work in progress was on display and it is amazing. I recommend you all to go visit secretsewingsisterhood and be inspired by the work that Di and her friends do.

Me, Jan & Jean

While we were swooning over everything at Threadbear, Jan spotted Jean from Linen & Raspberry! We were so excited!!!! I love all Jean's work and we have gotten to know each other through blogging but to actually meet face to face was so good. We were like a group of schoolgirls laughing and getting photos taken and totally amazed that we ran into each other.

Jean, Jan and I bought Corliss's new pattern, The English Basket Quilt. It is absolutely stunning and I need another major project like a hole in the head but just couldn't walk past this one. In fact, I want to make every quilt that Threadbear had on display!

After all the excitement of meeting Jean & Di, it was time for some serious shopping and here are a few of my purchases. I was so very very bad.

This isn't a very good photo but I just had to show you this linen I found. It is gorgeous and the only problem was that I could only get a 30cm piece.

Michelle and I also got to meet Lynette Anderson! She was demonstrating Punch Needle and we bailed her up with lots of questions about the thread she was using. The brand is Cosmo and it comes wound in two threads on the spool - no more separating DMC threads. It's fantastic and Lynette was lovely to chat to and very generous with her tips and advice. I purchased a few threads and of course I couldn't leave without a pattern featuring her beautiful dog, Hugo. Michelle confessed to us on the way home a secret she had been keeping all afternoon, she signed up for Lynette's new Christmas BOM. Michelle is fast becoming the BOM Queen!

Elyte, Linda & me

Before we knew it, it was time for afternoon tea and we organised to meet Linda Collins from Quilts in the Barn fame. And who should we run into, but Elyte from Tea, Fabric & Other Things! Linda holds a quilt exhibition in her barn each year to raise money for Breast Cancer and this year, Di Ford and the Secret Sewing Sisterhood are the guest exhibitors. I am really looking forward to travelling down in October to attend. I have, as with Jean, developed a friendship with these two lovely girls and it was great to finally meet each other.

Before we knew it, the day was over and it was time to head back up the highway. We stopped for dinner at our new favourite Chinese restaurant and apart from a detour through Nagambie due to a double truck accident (we were nearly to Shepparton Linda!), we had a nice uneventful safe trip and arrived home at 10.30pm with thanks to Helen for doing all the driving. A very long day but well worth it to spend the day with my beloved Friday Girls and meet all my wonderful new friends.

Sue-Anne xxx

What have I Done This Week

2010-07-17T17:30:00.000+10:00

I have covered some half inch hexagons,

made 5 Klosjes, bringing my total to 93,

made some sausage rolls to have with soup on the weekend,

have almost finished the applique on border number two of Swan Lake,

and had the rare pleasure of seeing son number two dressed up in a suit!

Sue-Anne xxx

My Late Klosjes Report

2010-07-12T11:28:00.000+10:00

My Klosjes report for the week is 3. Two short of my weekly target, but considering I didn't make any last week I figure 3 is better than 0. Grand total is 87.

Even though I am trying to use fabrics from my stash, I did make a couple of purchases last week that were perfect for Klosjes and clamshells. Actually, I have so many little ongoing projects like this that I can use up a fat eighth just cutting one Klosje, a couple of clamshells, some yo yo's (which have really been neglected) and a new little project that requires 1/2 inch hexagons - boy are they a lot smaller than 3/4 inch hexagons!

I am so in love with my clamshells at the moment!

I have been sewing arms on headless dollies this week and have finally finished. I think I have them all lined up when I glue them down, only to find that when I have appliqued them, there can be either a gap or an overlap. I have done a fair bit of pulling out this week and maybe I might have to cover the next lot in papers to avoid my frustration. Today I plan on joining this border with the hexagon border and applique some heads tonight in front of the telly.

Keep warm/cool everyone,
Sue-Anne xxx

Phebe & Other Stuff

2010-07-08T18:48:00.000+10:00

I had a lovely surprise in the mail today. A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to win a giveaway from Kaaren at The Painted Quilt. She made this scissor fob and doesn't it look gorgeous on my little scissors. Thank you so much Kaaren.

And look who is making an appearance! Phebe finally has her 5 sheep finished!

She has been a bit neglected lately due to Swan Lake but I am very pleased to have completed these little darlings, complete with their black faces and feet.

Another little finish is this key holder from Anni Downs' new book. I was very lucky to have Michelle bring me back the kit from Sydney so Friday was the day for making it. Thank you Michelle.

I am still working on Swan Lake and have nearly finished appliqueing the dollies dresses for border number 2. My shoulder is much better and thank you to all my friends in blogland for your warm wishes. Keeping computer time to a minimum has definately worked, although I have become a bit of a computer junkie and have found it difficult to walk past it without sitting down for a quick look!

Sue-Anne xxx

My First Clamshell Club Report

2010-06-30T16:34:00.001+10:00

Well I have finally started after doing lots of research and receving some much need advice.

I decided I would order papers from Lizard of Oz only to find that when they arrived, they were printed onto a sheet and I had to cut them all out! I'm too lazy for that but the instructions that came with them were very informative.

I covered some papers and then decided I would join them together - that is when all the fun started. I found it nearly impossible to keep them all straight and in line and dreaded to think how I was going to attach the following rows.

Jean from Linen & Raspberry has been working on her own clamshell quilt that she had done in a class with Brigitte Giblin and I have been admiring her progress for some time. In a recent post, she mentioned that Brigitte Giblin has a new website and you can buy her patterns and download them as soon as you have paid for them, so that is what I did.

Brigitte's method doesn't use papers at all and is different to everything I had previously read. Unfortunately I can't do a tutorial on it because it is directly from her pattern, but if you are interested, I found her website to be great. The pattern was very reasonably priced and the download worked like a charm. If you click on her name above, it will take you to her website.

I have managed to make 33 clamshells but as yet, haven't sewn any rows. I would like to thank Jean and Robyn from Daisy Quilts, for their advice and also a big thankyou to Cybelle for organising the Clamshell Club.

I am looking forward to visiting all the other members and see their progress and making some new cyber friends. Cybelle has a list on her sidebar and you can click on the Clamshell Club button on my sidebar to take you to her blog.

I haven't been leaving many comments over the last couple of days as I have a very sore shoulder and I am sure it is from all this computing!!!! I have been reading everyone's posts and please forgive me if I haven't been commenting, hopefully it will right itself soon.

Sue-Anne xxx

Shopping, Calendar Girls, Klosjes & Hexagons

2010-06-27T18:35:00.002+10:00

I had the best day yesterday. I spent the day in Melbourne with friends and we went to the stage show, Calendar Girls. I have not laughed that much for a very long time, by the time the show was finished my whole face was aching.

Of course, being in the centre of Melbourne at Stocktake Sale time means only one thing - SHOPPING FOR BARGAINS. We all saved money on our purchases and had lots of fun looking at clothing and handbags that were waaaay out of our price range.

I got this gorgeous lace scarf and a pair of Mink Denim Jeans, as well as some Mac cosmetics (my favourite).

I have made 5 Klosjes this week bringing a total of 84.

I have also been working on hexagons and have managed another 6 for the week.

This one is my favourite for the week with the black pinstripe fabric a gift from Sarah. It is a Yuwa treasure.

I have also been playing with clamshells but more on that later this week when I do my first monthly report for the Clamshell Club.

I have had a busy weekend, with Melbourne on Saturday and Nicholas, the prodigal son deciding to move back home today. You can just imagine the mess I have in the house from stuff brought in and not put away yet????? The cats are very unhappy because they are no longer allowed to sleep on the bed in his room now that he is back. Buddy is very happy though because now he has his Bro back to play with.

Sue-Anne xxx

Small Finishes & Klosjes

2010-06-21T10:01:00.000+10:00

Well my Klosjes report for the week is a big fat 0. This is as far as I got, pulling all the fabric out and then putting it all away. I don't know where the week has gone, maybe the long weekend had something to do with it because I didn't know what each day was last week. I did know Wednesday though because I was sulking at home whilst Jan and Michelle were in Sydney. I was ok until they sent me pics from their phones visiting Annie Downs' stand!

I have had a couple of small finishes though. I bought this pattern in April at the Quilt convention and finally finished it. It is stuffed with crushed walnut shells and feels divine.

I also quilted and bound this little quilt, even put a label on the back! I made the top over Christmas and was sick of it lying around not being used.

I also quilted and bound this little one. I had a bit of trouble with deciding how to quilt it but it's finished and I'm happy.

And lastly, here is my little man. All fluffy and happy - not so tomorrow, he has a date at the groomers.

Sue-Anne xxx

Not Just Nat, Klosjes & A Good Idea

2010-06-13T13:09:00.001+10:00

I had a very exciting morning on Friday. I got to meet Nat! Nat is from Not Just Nat fame and she was passing through Wodonga on her way to Canberra.

And where else should we meet but at Patchwork on Stonleigh, my local quilt shop. Thank you Nat for stopping and visiting, it was so much fun and hopefully we will catch up again soon.

Klosjes report equals 5 again this week for a total of 79! 4 more weeks and I will reach 100!!!! This week's Klosjes have some special fabrics in them. Jan gave me the backgrounds for the blue one, see the butterflies, and the red one on the right with the sky rockets. I think this quilt is going to be a real memory quilt. I haven't bought any fabrics for this one, just using what is in my stash and each week, I remember certain quilts I have made, or trips where I got a particular fabric from or, like this week, special friendships.

I don't have too much else to report on the sewing front this week. I am still busy with the applique on Swan Lake and have managed to applique 3 sheep on Phebe (will show when I have finished the 5). I did go shopping yesterday and came home with this small salad bowl. Since having the two boys move out, we don't need huge buckets of salad for dinner now and I am finding that a lot of my dishes are too big for the 3 of us. I saw this one and fell in love with it. That's not salad in there, just some vegies for our soup tonight.

Now onto this great idea. I have lots of pages that have information for quilting, like how to make a continuous bias, no waste flying geese method etc. I have several folders that I keep them in, along with patterns but whenever I need a particular one, I can't remember which folder it is in and I end up having to pull them all out till I find the right one.

I can't take credit for this idea as I stole it from Jan, but if you laminate your sheets and punch a hole in them, you can them slip them onto a ring clip and hang them in your sewing room.

I have laminated all sorts of notes, including particular embroidery stitches that I can never remember how to do as well as cards from quilt shops that I don't want to lose.

You can purchase laminators now from just about anywhere, I got mine from Safeway and it wasn't that expensive. You can buy the sheets from there as well.

Well that's all from me today, hope everyone is having a great weekend. Oops, almost forgot, Nic and I saw the Japanese spaceship that is landing in Australia. Nic saw it first and came around last night thinking he had seen a UFO. Howard had read about the spaceship landing at Woomera and thought maybe it was that. Two hours later, we stood outside (in the freezing cold) and after 5 minutes I said I had had enough and was going inside and then there it was, flashing across the evening sky really fast, just like Startrek! Now before you all laugh, it wasn't a shooting star as it didn't have any arc to it flying through the night sky. It was heading straight out and moving heaps faster than a satellite. All I can say is, if it wasn't the Japanese spaceship, it must have been a flying saucer!!!!

Sue-Anne xxx

"the truth is out there"

Quilting Journals, Klosjes & Swan Lake

2010-06-05T17:32:00.000+10:00

I recently read a post on Barbara Brackman's blog about Sewing Diaries. It was really interesting and if you haven't seen it, just click on the link. I then saw Wilma's blog and she had done a post on Quilting Diaries too.

A couple of years ago, an issue of Homespun magazine came with a DVD from Leanne Beasely about creating a scrapbook to document our quilts. I gave it a go and have documented several of my quilts, but after reading these posts, it got me thinking that perhaps there was more that we needed to do to document each quilt. My journal has some interesting information about each quilt but nothing detailed, such as pieces of fabric and what range it came from.

Last year I participated in an Antique Quilt Study group and there were so many questions unanswered about the maker of each quilt, how much did she spend on fabric, how long did it take to make, what inspired her to make that particular design etc.

Anyway, it's Food for Thought. Who knows, 100 years into the future maybe our blog archives will be found somewhere and quilters will marvel at what we did "way back when".

Klosjes report is 5 for this week, making a total of 74!

I am still obsessed with Swan Lake at the moment and have prepared my second border of hexagons, all ready to be appliqued. Max refused to get off the quilt and every time I shooed him away and lined up another photo, he jumped back on it!

He is playing on it here, trying to attack something in his imagination!!!!

And of course, I have two more favourite hexagons for this week.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Sue-Anne xxx

Swan Lake, Klosjes & My Favourite Annual Visitors

2010-05-29T17:26:00.000+10:00

I have been working this week on Swan Lake and finally, after a major hiccup due to me not reading my class notes properly, I have the borders joined together - Yay!!!!

I have also been making some more hexagons for the 2nd border and the one above is my favourite for this week.

Due to my monumental stuff up, I have only completed two Klosjes this week. This brings my total to 69 and I am going to make at least one more tonight so I reach 70!

The Currawongs have arrived this week. I think they are a little bit early but I am thankful that they have returned. There was a mob of them in the trees around our home and I love hearing them call each other in the mornings. They are fascinating to watch and they seem to perform a relay amongst the trees with each other. I think the one drinking out of the bird feeder is a young one because he is a lot greyer than the others.

The weather has finally turned and we have had lots of rain in the last 24 hours,, which our garden desperately needs, and it is perfect for spending the rest of the weekend inside stitching. Wherever you are I hope you are having a lovely weekend too.

Sue-Anne xxx

Klosjes, Buddy & Winton

2010-05-24T12:11:00.000+10:00

Klosjes reporting two days late!

We headed off to Winton on Saturday to watch Nic drifting and I took a sewng bag full of prepped Klosjes and hexagons. It was a beautiful sunny day and thought it would be perfect sitting in the sun sewing. Guess what! I didn't even open the sewing bag. I do this ALL the time, I think I will get heaps done but NO, it never happens. So yesterday, I sat in my chair for most of the afternoon stitching Klosjes so that I could show something for the week. I have made 6, bringing my total to 67.

Speaking of Winton, we took Buddy along for the day. Here he is sitting trackside. When we first arrived I thought I had made a huge mistake bringing him. He was terrified of all the noise and his tail was down and he wanted to go straight back to the car. After a little while he settled down, but I wont be putting him through that again. At least I got lots of cuddles with him as all he wanted was Moi, his mum.

We sat in the perfect spot, near the end of the straight as the cars start heading into a sharp corner. We saw three smashes, all of them in front of us and the picture above was the worst. Thankfully no drivers were injured but the damage to their cars was heartbreaking. They put so much time and money into getting the cars right for drifting. Nic didn't have a very good day - he had tyre issues, but it's all a learning curve for him and he will know better next time. They had 85 cars entered and most of them travel up from Melbourne as I believe Winton is the only track in Victoria that will let them Drift. It is certainly very exciting to watch.

And here is my little boy all tuckered out after his big trip to the races!

Sue-Anne xxx

Quick Finish & Inspirational Blogs

2010-05-20T19:15:00.001+10:00

I was needing a bit of a "Finish Quick Fix" and when I saw Jan's new little quilt, I knew this would be perfect.

After a couple of "black" purchases, and a little dive into the stash ....

This is the finished little quilt. It took very little time to make, once the fabric choices were made and I have a piece of Blackbird Designs sampler print in black somewhere in the stash that I will use for the backing.

The internet is a very dangerous place for me. There is so much to see and be inspired by. I have been mesmerized by all the beautiful work that is being done by my Dutch blogging friends (which are listed on my blog list), and in particular, a quilt called Pockets of Posies by Anni Downs of Hatched & Patched.

With a click of the mouse and a couple of pushes on the buttons of the phone, I finally weakened and ordered the pattern.

10 little packets of goodness arrived today.

Sue-Anne xxx

Better Late Than Never

2010-05-17T14:58:00.003+10:00

I have finally got around to doing the post I was going to do all day yesterday. I have cut out some Dollies for Swan Lake and will start to applique them this week. I still need to cut out and attach the arms and lots of other little pieces to fill it in. A huge task ahead of me but one that I am looking forward to.

I have made 5 Klosjes this week, bringing my total to 61.

I received this huge parcel in the mail on Friday from Elizabeth. I was very lucky and won a giveaway on her blog.

This is what was inside the wrapping. Lots of wonderful threads in all different colours, lots of patterns and lots of pink and blue fabric that was especially chosen for my hexagons. I feel so overwhelmed by your generousity Liz. Thank you so much. I have already used a couple in my Klosjes and have cut out several to cover hexagons. Liz's blog is wonderful and please go and say hello. She does the most amazing needlework and has some yummy recipes on there as well.

This is a photo of my Mum and Dad. We celebrated Mum's 80th Birthday on Saturday night in Benalla. We had a wonderful time out to dinner with all the family, and it was so nice to have a meal with our 3 children, they are so busy living their own lives that it is hard to get them all together at once. Of course we ate far too much, and the Mississippi Mud cake was divine.

Hope everyone has had a good weekend.

Sue-Anne xxx

Show & Tell and a Kitchen Mishap

2010-05-13T16:38:00.001+10:00

This is Helen's quilt that she made for her son's 18th out of brown and blue reproductions. It is called Walnut Hill and is a pattern from Patchwork on Stonleigh.

On Friday we helped Michelle make a quilt for her parents' 50th wedding anniversary. We managed to get all the stars sewn, then attached the sashing strips. Michelle finished it off over the next couple of days and sent us progress photos of it.

The quilt was made using an old 3 Sisters range called Wuthering Heights and she was lucky enough to find meterage for the border.

This is the Disappearing 9 patch from last post. It is my mother's 80th birthday on Saturday and I made this for her. The binding is stitched down and the label has been signed by all the kids and attached to the back.

Our eldest son, Christopher celebrated his 26th birthday on the weekend. I decided I would make him a giant cupcake. I have a special tin to make it with and it requires a double quantity of cake batter. The above picture is how it looks. I chose to make Chocolate Ganash icing to put on the top. This pic below is the end result.....

I was worried about burning it and decided it was cooked (it looked like it was) and stupidly I didn't stick a skewer in to check. I thought there was something amiss when it took a while to lift out of the tin. To my horror, there was a massive hole in the centre of the bottom layer and it wasn't cooked all the way through. I had already used a whole packet of chocolate for the icing, so I decided to cut up the cooked bits and ice them with the ganash. This was at 4pm and as I was about to put the roast in the oven, I didn't have time to make another cake. Thank God for the Cheesecake Shop is all I can say.

The weather has been really cold but beautiful sunny days and we have been sitting outside in the afternoon to warm up with the sun. This is my guard dog Buddy. He was concentrating very hard listening for the dog next door, ready to chase him up and down the fence line with his ferocious bark!

Milo, on the other hand, was quite content to lay in the sun and have a rest. This photo was taken with my iphone. Turned out pretty good I think.

Sue-Anne xxx

Swan Lake, Klosjes & Happy Mothers Day

2010-05-09T13:02:00.001+10:00

This week has seen me working on Swan Lake. After seeing Dancing Dollies at the AQC last week, I was inspired to really get into it. This is one section out of nine.

I have finished appliqueing the stars and most of the hexagons. There is more to add but at least I have made a start.

Whilst looking through my little pile of hexagons, I discovered that I needed more blue so, off I went to Patchwork on Stonleigh and came home with some more beautiful fat eighths.

This is another pattern I purchased at AQC from the girls at The Quilted Crow. Have I mentioned this is one of my favourite stalls to visit each year. They have the most wonderful wool and they are the nicest girls. It arrived on Friday in the mail and I made a start on it yesterday.

This is another project near completion. This quilt is a gift and Rose from Pandora Quilting had it ready for me to pick up yesterday. I now have to attach the binding and will show you a photo of it all laid out when it is finished. It is a Disappearing 9 Patch. Can you see the dragonfly quilted in the lower left hand corner?

And last but not least, my Klosjes report for the week or should I say for the fortnight). I have made 6 more little darlings, bringing my total to 56!

I would like to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day. I hope your family spoils you all with chocolates and no cooking dinner tonight!!

Sue-Anne xxx

More AQC & a Package in the Mail

2010-05-05T10:52:00.000+10:00

Here are some more pics from the AQC

Kim McLean was the featured artist and her quilts were magnificent. This one is called Lollypop tree. The colours are so vibrant!

The Rosebuck Quilt Redone 2001

Turkish Tiles

Stars & Sprigs

All Of Kim McLean's quilts were magnificent and I was so grateful to see them "in the flesh".

This quilt is called Trinity Hall by Susanne Cody, another famous Australian quilter. I loved this quilt for many reasons, one of which is how she has displayed the beautiful toile fabric in the centre.

I loved how Susanne Cody used little hexagons for her initials in the quilt.

I am just starting to get into fussy cutting and I found it interesting how quilters can see something in a piece of fabric that will create a stunning piece of applique like the flower above.

Ancient Watercourse by Gloria Loughman. This quilt was the Rajah Winner in 2009

These are my purchases that I came home with, the most special being the V & A Museum book.

And this yummy parcel arrived for me on Tuesday. I won a prize from Mayleen. She had a guessing competition on her blog regarding an old hexagon quilt and I won! Thank you Mayleen, it was great fun.

Well this has been another mammoth post for me. Some people (Howard & Nic!) in this house have been watching far too many U Tube videos and as a result have used up all our download credit and we have been slowed down. It has taken nearly two hours to upload these photos but not to worry, I have been stitching some of Swan Lake while waiting.

Sue-Anne xxx

Australasian Quilt Convention

2010-05-01T12:48:00.002+10:00

Yesterday we headed off before dawn to the Australasian Quilt Convention, held at the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne. Above is a photo of the fountain that greets you out the front. This is a beautiful building and before I start with the quilts, I just have to show a couple of pics of the inside.

It is a huge venue with a central dome and several levels. The restoration that has been done is stunning, returning this building to its former glory. Unfortunately, my photos do not do it justice but I just had to share with you.

I was so excited to see this quilt. This is called Dancing Dollies and is a reproduction of the Original Dancing Dollies quilt, of which Swan Lake is adapted from. This quilt was made by Irene Carrig and was in the Best of the Best section from the Quilters Guild of South Australia.

I loved this quilt! It was made by Naomi Miyake and is called Happy Magic. The quilter made this quilt out of scraps left over from other projects and the quilt won the Bernina Best of Show in 2009 at the Canberra Quilt Exhibition.

This quilt is for all the hexagon addicted girls out there. There are 16,000 tiny little hexagons in this quilt. This quilt was made by Margaret Goldman and is called Sweet Dreams. This quilt was also in the Best of the Best section from the Quilters guild of NSW.

This quilt was beautiful too - the photo doesn't do it justice. I think it shows off the centre fabric beautifully.

This quilt was made by Helen Collins, a local girl who I have the pleasure of knowing and makes the most wonderful quilts. Those of you who attend the Melbourne Show each year may recognise her name and would certainly recognise her quilts. She has won several awards over the years. This quilt is called Wickersham and was made in a class at Patchwork on Stonleigh, my local quilt shop.

This is another applique quilt but unfortunately I didn't get any details of it. It was absolutely stunning though.

I have to apologise for the quality of the first photo above, but I wanted to show you this one. It is a whole cloth quilt and the pattern is done entirely by quilting in different coloured threads. The quilt was made by Jo Northcott and is called Midnight Mariners. This was also in the Best of the Best Section by the West Australian Quilters Association.

I have heaps more photos of quilts and purchases to show but I think this is enough for today. I think this is the most photos I have ever uploaded since blogging!

My Klosjes report is going to be late this week, on account as I have only made one so far. I had better spend the afternoon stitching!!!!

Sue-Anne xxx

A Little Bit More of Phebe

2010-04-29T14:59:00.001+10:00

Not a lot sewing wise has been going on here this week. I finally got the iphone business sorted out and I am very very happy with the new phone (with the video camera).

I decided to do a little bit more on Phebe. When I picked it up, I was up to sewing on the man's head - now I know why I put it down and had a rest from it for a while!

I thought he was bad enough, then I decided to do the girl - she was worse!

I think I unpicked and resewed her hands and her hair about 3 times and now looking at the photo, she has one foot bigger than the other and she is definately having a bad hair day - well, that will be my touch of whimsy????

I finished off the handles of the urn too. One side was thicker than the other so I had to redo the thick one as well. I think I have done more pulling out than actual sewing this week.

Tomorrow my friends and I are heading down to Melbourne to the Australasian Quilt Convention. I am very excited and looking forward to having a fun day with my friends away from the normal routine of life.

Normally I take my camera, but have very bravely decided to just take the new phone (less weight in the handbag) so I am hoping it will take good photos so show you all when I return.

Sue-Anne xxx

Anzac Day, Klosjes & A Little Frustration

2010-04-25T10:35:00.003+10:00

I am a little behind in posting my Saturday Klosjes. I only got five made this week but am not complaining because I did achieve my weekly minimum.

I now have a grand total of 50!

You see, yesterday I was preoccupied with this. After seeing all the clever things the girls can do with their iphones on Friday, I was feeling left behind and disadvantaged with my old Motorola flip phone. So yesterday morning I was off to the Telstra Shop to rearrange my contract and get a new phone.

I spent the ENTIRE afternoon fiddling with it, setting up all my little bits and pieces, ringing the help line twice and giving myself a massive migrane in the process. It was about 5pm and I decided I would try out the video camera. Guess what! I couldn't find the icon for it. I rang Amy, she got a new one this week too and to my horror, I discovered I have the old version!!!!!

So now I have to go back to the shop, get the newer phone and hope that the exchange runs smoothly and there are no hiccups with the contract (I'm sure Australian readers will understand my concern with the contract details). Then I will have to start all over again with setting up all the bits and pieces! Aarrgh!

------------------------

Today in Australia, we commemorate ANZAC Day (Australian & New Zealand Army Corps).

Today we remember all of our fallen soldiers, not only from Gallipoli, but all the conflicts our men and women have fought in so that we may have a better life.

"LEST WE FORGET"

Sue-Anne xxx

Hexagons Again - & A Diversion

2010-04-22T19:22:00.000+10:00

I am still hooked on my hexagons at the moment but I did take a little time out to make something else.

This is a book bag, designed by Marg Low that I decided to make for my mum as a gift for Mother's Day. I have used the beautiful Rural Jardin fabric that I definately need more of to make a quilt in the future. I am so in love with the colours and pattern, I can't stop looking at that bird!

Here are my fabric purchases for the week for Swan Lake hexagons. I am so addicted to these little flowers and I just want to keep making more in different fabrics.

And seeing as all I seem to be posting about is hexagons, Phebe and Klosjes, I thought I would show you this quilt. It is called Merry Go Round by American Jane and was made from 3 jelly rolls of Look & Learn.

Sue-Anne xxx

Klosjes, Hexagons and Drifting

2010-04-17T22:53:00.012+10:00

Here are my Klosjes for the week - 6 again. This makes a total of 45! I have been focusing on my hexagons this week for Swan Lake so I really haven't got anything new on the patchwork front to show you. I have however, had a huge day today, in my role as a mother of a 23 year old boy who seems to be addicted to the rush of adrenalin. Nic has been working on his Black Beast since Christmas, getting it ready for his big day today. You see, he has discovered drifting. Drifting is racing around a track, fishtailing and going sideways around the corners (I'm sure that's not the official description but this is how it appears to me). When I arrived at the race track, all I could hear were the screeching of tyres, see huge plumes of dark smoke with the smell of burning rubber. This photo shows some of Pit Lane. I was amazed at how many cars had turned out for the day. This is certainly a popular sport with the younger population. Here I am with Nic and his car after his first session around the track. The bonnet was up so the engine could cool down a bit. He was very pleased with himself and I was very pleased he and his car were still in one piece. I must say, in the beginning I was very sceptical and thought it was just for "Hoons" but now I am very impressed with it all. It is very exciting to watch and even though they appear to be out of control, they really are in control of their cars. I think it is a great way for them to push the limits but within a safe and supervised environment.

I have just spent about two hours drafting this post because I wanted to put a video on of Nic driving today. Needless to say, I have had a lot of trouble and I still don't know if it will work once I publish this post. Anyway, here goes... Sue-Anne xxx

Swan Lake & Buddy's Big Day Out!

2010-04-14T18:10:00.009+10:00

I have been working exclusively on Swan Lake since I had a class on Friday. I am about 1/5th of the way through making hexagon flowers and today decided I would lay them out on one of the panels. I am slowly realising there is a lot more to this quilt than first meets the eye.

I have also fallen in love with a new colour - Black!!! I have always loved black clothing because it makes me look thinner but now I want to use it in all my quilts. At class on Friday, Sarah had gathered some blacks together for her quilt. They looked fantastic so I had to get some too. Once I made one hexagon flower, that was it. I think black will be the new brown for me as far as quilts go.

This is only part of the mess I made today!

Sunday saw the annual event of Paws in the Park. It is run by the local council. Stalls are all around the park with everything from dog grooming to microchipping and special doggie treats. They have obedience and flyball demonstrations and an obstacle course for your dog to try. The weather wasn't the best but lots of people and their dogs still came.

This is the third year I have taken Buddy and he loves it! There are so many dogs, big ones, little ones, strange looking ones and oh the smells!!!!! This is the best photo I could get of him. There was just too much for him to investigate. At least I got a shot of his bandana - have to dress him up for a big occasion such as this!

Sue-Anne xxx

Saturday Already!

2010-04-10T18:23:00.000+10:00

This week has gone fast, I can't believe it's Saturday again! I have made another 6 Klosjes. This brings it to a total of 39. The pile is slowly growing.

I just had to take a close up of this one. I want to keep my colour pallette soft for these but just couldn't resist this fabric. I got it yesterday at Stonleigh to make hexagons with. It is so nice, a black print but it almost looks a very dark navy.

Here is Phebe. This is also coming along slowly and now I am up to all the fiddly little applique. I am very happy with how it is looking though.

There have been lots of beautiful photos posted in blogland lately. Lizzie has done a couple of posts on the animals at Melbourne Zoo, including the beautiful little baby elephant. She takes wonderful photos.

Julia has been playing with Picasa and I thought I would give it a go this afternoon. It has been raining here but I went outside and took a few photos of my roses and my last two pansy flowers. This will be the last flush before Winter.

This is our driveway. Notice there is only one car in it and my car is actually in the garage. Nicholas has finally moved out of home. I would like to say I miss him (I really do miss him) but he only lives 5 minutes away and I think we have seen more of him since he has been gone than when he was here. We are certainly spending more quality time with him because when he comes around, he comes to see us (and gets a free feed as well).

It is so nice to be able to look outside our loungeroom window and actually see down into the street, instead of looking at a car yard!

Enjoy your weekend everyone.

Sue-Anne xxx

Quilts, Old Couches & Lucy

2010-04-07T22:01:00.002+10:00

Sue saw a photo of Buddy on a previous post and asked me about this quilt. The quilt is called "21st Century Bull's Eye" and is in a book from Country Threads called "Quilts from Aunt Amy".

I made this quilt several years ago together with 3 other girls. Each block we made, we cut into 4 smaller blocks and then gave a block to each girl. This process enabled us to have a really scrappy quilt with lots of different fabrics.

It was all raw edge machine applique and when the quilt was washed, it came up all fluffy and scrappy. It remains one of my favourite quilts and no matter which room I put it in, it always looks good.

When I was taking the photos, I thought I would also tell you about the couch that the quilt covers. This couch belonged to my grandmother. My mum remembers it as a little girl covered in blue studded leather. Mum will be 80 this year so I am thinking it must be at least 70 years old. It has remained in our family for many years and has seen several different restorations to the upholstery. I can remember as a little girl, falliing asleep on it while my father was watching the footy replay on a Saturday night.

Unfortunately, it has seen better days and I was lucky enough to bring it home from the Shearing Shed it had been stored in at mum and dad's.

One day, I will get it recovered in a fitting fabric and the timber french polished, but for now, it is in our family room with my quilt over it to cover up the stains. You know, it is still one of the most comfortable pieces of furniture I have ever sat in.

I also wanted to introduce you to Lucy. She belongs to Chris (my eldest son) and Amy (his fiance) pictured below. She is adorable and a gentle giant.

Here she is playing with Buddy. She has to lie down to play with him, otherwise there is no contest. She loves squeaky toys and if she gets one in her mouth, she squeaks it like she is playing a tune. It is hilarious.

I spent a whole day over Easter making hexagon flowers and found my wrist was a bit sore the next day so I have been working on Phebe ever since. Nothing significant more to show at this stage as I have been mainly appliqueing down the pieces I had already prepared. Whilst I love my handwork, it is slow going as far as blogging goes but I will probably show a photo in my next post.

Sue-Anne xxx