A big thank-you to Chookyblue for running her SSCS again - such a lot of work and so beautifully organized! To dear Grethe, A Quilt Lady, I am so thrilled to have you as my partner and receive this gorgeous folder!
Now isn't this just lovely - I'm sure I will find a use for it very soon - maybe it will come on the plane with me to Thailand!
Seems there has been a lot of fun and good spirit out there in Blogland - I do hope you have all had a wonderful time!
This little guy brings my wishes to you - those near and far! It is so lovely to be able to share this Christmas with all my dear Blogland Fiends!
I keep promising myself next year will be a better one and have mentally listed some objectives! This one is in English paper piecing to fill in those little moments wasted when I wish I could have achieved something! Here's a start!
Hopefully a fairly close reproduction of the 1940? antique quilt below - maker Unknown! I have been playing and it hasn't been easy - yes, we can all go out and buy templates and we all know photocopying is not always accurate - I had five angles to work with here - oh, please God that I have it right. lol!
It's going to be bright - I think I will need some navy fabrics, a colour I don't go for very much - if anyone knows of a shop that stocks, please let me know!
This is what I hope to achieve - love the pink and think I am fairly close to it!
Dear friend Pat Goodchild sent me a few swatches of Kaffe's new? fabrics - she suggests use in Kim McLean's applique projects, perhaps a really quick quilt with maybe some spotty sashing and floral cornerstones in between blocks , or even as a centre of a medallion quilt. Good advice - thanks Patti! - now this one clever girl is one of the most artistic quilters I have ever known! Yes, so long since I have posted and I have really felt out of whack - I have been thinking to myself ... how boring I am ... then I thought I'd show you my dollies! I so loved doll-making and stopped about twelve years ago - yes, quilting took over, lol!
I love 'pretty' and this is one of my very favourites!
A few cuties are in the display cabinet with her!
One of my real live dolls - Heidi at her ballet recital yesterday - so classically beautiful in all ways! I am quite a humble person, love to show pics that make others happy, but here I am, absolutely bragging!!!
I am so proud of her - just so thrilled she was the leader of her little group - splendid!
My SSCS gift arrived from Grethe of a A Quilt Lady - a lovely reciprocal Follower of mine (is that correct terminology?) and boy, am I so thrilled - see this sweet little gift tag top right (oh, I have cut the top off it!) - it may be the start of a long story - let's hope so! - perhaps I'll be able to let you know in a couple of days! Thank you so much Grethe and love and thanks to Chookyblue ...!
I have added a few more pieces of Liberty of London to my stash recently - they just fascinate me - such beautiful lawn and designs so eclectic but they just work!
A little bit of travel news - phew! a badly needed holiday - Ed and I are off to Thailand in the New Year - DS1 has built a house outside of Bangkok, Thailand and we have been invited to spend time with him and his partner in the New Year. I tossed up whether to add in Cambodia and Vietnam but have settled for Chiang Mai close to the northern border.It's all over ... back home again from our retreat! Our hosts were wonderful - thank you Delveen and Peter, you never cease to amaze us, we were all so spoiled!
This is a bit of a jumbled Post - I've had a very busy day and I'm really looking forward to bed tonight. I had a little play with Barb's Accuquilter over the weekend- yes, I think I could take to it quite nicely - I just hope I don't miss out on Hancock's special deal! Love my Liberties and they really are beautiful to stitch on the machine!
I told you this is jumbled - Barb brought back this gorgeous antique quilt she bought on her recent trip to the USA. You will be able to get a little peak at the Double Wedding Ring, back, left-hand corner - it sold, but I wasn't the lucky buyer - enjoy Gloria!
Here's Barb stitching her Kaffe Double Wedding Ring - in blues, pretty, pretty! I have been dragged into participating in this great repro with Raelene and Gloria so far oh, doesn't it sparkle!
This is a very gorgeous book Irene bought in France recently!
And here we have one by our own Rosalie Quinlan - quite gorgeous, too!
Lots of chilling out - doesn't Marilyn look so serene!
I think I might have disturbed Raelene having her Nanny Nap!
Jan's quilt for her sweet little grand-daughter - so much beautiful work - I feel it needs to safely hang on a wall!
A happy Good Night and a happy week, too!All is going to plan - just one trial block done and I think I will really enjoy making this quilt just for me!
Inspiration has come from Miss Print and this project features in Moda Bakeshop. Thank you Kaye! I have been wanting to make a quilt very similar to one of my very first quilts and now is just the right time and right place. Beautiful Liberty - my Pfaff takes to it beautifully, too. I have ordered an Accuquilter so let's hope it loves Liberty too - I'll space out my shopping sprees and treasure every little tiny scrap! Applique with Kaffe and piecing with Liberty - what a way to go! - I'm still so taken with the bright, clear Repros - I have really established myself fabricwise. I'm yearning to try some felted wool - I will be so happy when the opportunity arises!
All the centres will be the same - the red being very traditional representing 'the hearth of the home'.
The light print is little bicycles - as cute as! - I love whimsy as you know! There will be borders and that will be fun choosing the print!
Oh, I know, I have garbled on about fabrics - you see, I really haven't achieved much lately - time is not kind to me! Whoohoo - off to gorgeous Avalon for a four-day retreat tomorrow with some of my best, fun friends. I must be totally packed up by the day's end. Yes, just playing (and drooling!) - wow, the designs that exist nowadays! I am off on this track for a couple of reasons - when I felt so unwell during the cold winter, I realized I need my very own cuddle quilt. What could be finer and have such a beautiful drape? Also have seen and heard about quilts made from lawns and voiles and I rather fancy the challenge!
I have been collecting small pieces from eBay, Etsy and yummy quiltshops. I have selected clean, crisp, bright colours and will use them all. There won't be very much go in the bin at all - I usually don't stress about fabric useage and am generally very happy to fussy-cut - not with this fabric line though, lol!
I have a wonderful mess on my cutting table at the moment - usually intolerable to me - but this mess, I quite like! 
I'm not quite sure the hourglass will be the final design, but I think so! Maybe we'll have an hourglass alternating with a printed square - I think the larger prints need to be left whole to be shown at their very best. How about the golfers back, top left!
Whew! One lost Post and one regular Blog lost too! I am a determined little chick and I have been trying to problem solve - I've done it, I think I've beaten Blogger by changing my Email Account! Here I am thanking Chookyblue for getting together cross stitches for all to see!
I think this one is called Santa of the Forest - very vintage and worked on 32 count pure linen. I was such a purist in those days and a real finisher, too - no UFO's!
Santas of the World in traditional costume. Most of my cross stitches were done when I lived in Gove in Arnhem Land between 1977 and 1984. I raised 4 children and worked full-time in those days, not to mention putting up with Ed, too - just joking - they were some of the happiest days of our lives!
Mr Wind caused me a little bit of frustration - the detail in his beard just a little difficult!
For Mum and Dad - Mum is 92 now and has lived with us for over 10 years - one of the greatest loves of my life Dear Dad left us in 1983.
This treasure of Numbers has a partner, the Alphabet - it hangs on another wall in the Littlies bedroom and was picking up the reflection from the blinds.
I decided to call it quits after that - lots more to show - perhaps another day! I'm off to prepare some Liberty fabrics now to send to the Quilt Fairy to be cut into squares - I can't wait to go on a retreat the weekend after this and put my shoulders to the test doing some machine quilting. I'm really winging it with the Liberties and have in mind a very simple cuddle quilt just for me!It has been two weeks since I chatted - where has time gone? I certainly haven't spent the time sewing!.jpg)
My Danielle brings their big quilts home to launder - this one has been taken over by her DH, Adrian - a good opportunity for you to have a look-see! I have used repro fabrics - yes, still quite clear and bright and quite old, too. It has certainly stood the test of time and I have combined hand and machine quilting and it takes very kindly to a gentle wash in the machine!
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I have been working on my applique but not a lot of progress there! Now I have the thought of making a quilt in Liberty Lawn - does anyone have any advice or tips please? I also really like Little Folks in voile by Anna Marie Horner and feel I will have to have a little play - I have a Retreat coming up at the end of the month - would be a nice way to spend the time with Girlfriends! in a lovely venue in the country just outside of Perth.
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