Irish Circles & Xmas Lunch

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"

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

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

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

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

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