Cozy Weather

It's cozy weather at the moment. I was busily quilting and lost in my 'quilter's trance' that I get into when I'm working. Then all of a sudden the electricity cut out and I couldnt believe my eyes... we had snow! (Ok, just hail) but it was suprising none the less.

Twenty minutes later and the house was full of warm sunlight. Very weird weather day.

Usually when I get home I'm fast to get into the house and don't pay  much attention to the foliage at this time of year. But today I had to stop and take a photo and bask in some appreciation for the bush pictured here. It is blooming. I have no idea what it is. It's scent is sometimes powerful and almost off putting. Other times it wafts in through my bedroom window and it is delightful. For those of you who like Estee Lauder, when it is in a delicate mood -it smells exactly like "Tuberose Gardenia"

I was so lucky to catch a glimpse of a honey bee at work (?!) and he is in the fuzzy bit of the 2nd photo. I think its a confusing time for the garden at the moment. Warm sunny afternoons, sudden drops in temp and freezing nights.

With weather like this, I long for a cottage and an open fire (which my husband will dutifully stack, light and keep burning). No such luck. I am making do with bread and butter pudding and winter soups.

There is something so satisfying about winter cooking though.... I love dusting off my old cookbooks and thinking about recipes that can't even be contemplated during the rest of the year on account of the heat.

Oh yeah, have spent the week pottering througgh UFOs and I'm really pleased to be getting through them - the end is nowhere in sight. But you have to start tackling the list somewhere!

How I Mitre Corners

A mitred corner is a 45 degree seam

continue this tutorial by clicking below

Part 3 is launched

In the Pink: Part 3 is now up and running

It's been a quiet few weeks on my blog - I've just been so busy. I have to admit that the 15th has caught up with me again. Where do the months go? I think that is the question I pose the most on this blog.

I have slowed down a bit...it must be the cooler weather. The days feel much shorter and my preoccupations are revolving around bread and butter pudding, contemplating colours and catching up on some long overdue reading.

My UFO list, however, is ever before me (stuck on a wall) and I am working to remind myself that as time goes so quickly (seems to me at least) that looking back, quilts are a really beautiful way to document moments in time.

I had one of those moments last week when a quilt I posted went temporarily missing. It was sent via Platinum (receipted on delivery, guaranteed next day delivery) and it simply- didnt -arrive.

When I tracked it online, it stated that it had been delivered and signed for...the only problem is, it hadn't been. I was very lucky, the quilter on the other end doing the collecting, was very patient with me as I chased Australia Post up about it. It was finally located and 'dropped' on her door. Where was it for 3 days?? Who had signed for it? Who knows?!

Australia Post were neglectful and tardy with my box..and it's made me wonder how to deliver quilts in future. When you select the 'safest' tracked option, you like to think it will arrive safely. And you really don't want to put the next person along - receiving the quilts-through the annoyance and commotion that this type of scenario creates. Stress!!

I just had to get that off my chest - and have I received an explanation? NO And have I received an APOLOGY? NO Has the quilt receiver on the other end of all this received an APOLOGY? NO. Ok, enough said....

It's struck home that it's so easy to lose a quilt ...and I feel so attached to them. It's made me more commited to appraise (value) all my quilts and keep a better record of what I am making. All my quilts are originals and I would hate to lose any. Some, I'm ashamed to admit, dont even have a decent photo to be remembered by. Not to mention all the work and materials that has gone into each one.

Just yesterday my daughter refused to start a crochet blanket because she didn't want to invest '80 hours' into an 'acrylic' piece. And that made me think about all the hours and materials we quilters put into each quilt. (What's 80 hours? What is wrong with all these fussy crocheters??)

I have been very lucky, I know so many quilters have had there work lost or stolen, almost experiencing it myself put me in a prickly mood all day.

So onto a happier note, my bed will soon be cheered by In The Pink... how is yours coming along?

June Lyons Award 2010

The Waverley Patchworkers Inc Quilt Show is over for another year. On friday evening at the Gala Opening, I was surprised and delighted to be honored with the June Lyons Award for 2010, for my quilt Dream Fountain.

It was a great opening and I really enjoyed looking at all the great work that was there.

I must say, my heart beat a little faster when I heard that a Red Delicious quilt had won the Viewers Choice. They were just announcing it when I arrived to collect my quilt at the end of the show.

I am so happy about this and will post a pic of the Red Delicious quilt, which by the way is not red at all - but black and white!

Yes, even though it is not red, I still love it. It actually looks magical and I think it is just gorgeous. Thank you and congratulations to Jeanette for exhibiting your Red Delicious, can't wait to share it here.

PS
from all the excitement of the show, I have actually forgotten all the other winners...I know, my memory is like a sieve. But I will say that the winning Field of Flowers challenge entry was deservingly beautiful.

Note to self: next time, remember to take your camera with you (I left it on the bench) and can you believe that I dont know how to use my mobile phone camera?? There you have it - I don't!

Interestingly, I went to the opening with a friend who had not seen my blog or my own challenge entry and I asked her politely if she could find me amongst all the others - and after a well considered inspection, she picked mine...because of the type of fabric I had used on the binding. Maybe it's time for me to stop stash busting and start working with brand spanking new fabrics.

But really, I envy her eye for detail and I do think that all we quilters have a certain 'look' no matter what style we do.

Field of Flowers

The Waverley Quilt Show is on this weekend

Here are my 2 entries for the challenge 'Field of Flowers'

I do love a challenge and I do love flowers....so I thought I better make 2 entries!

I really enjoyed cutting out and making the flower heads. I think that when I have finished my current UFO list, that I will sit down with some inspiring fabrics and make a big bunch of fabric flowers for my kitchen table.

Pomegranate is published

On Tuesday I received 3 emails asking me what fabric I had used as a background in my wall hanging Pomegranate...and when the post arrived just as I was checking my emails, I soon knew why.

Pomegranate is a project in this months Patchwork & Quilting Magazine. Vol 19 No 3

Pomegranate is a wall hanging. It's worked in reds as I designed it just after Red Delicious... and was still enjoying working with this hue so much. It is the first bouquet in a series of wall hangings based on domestic and goodwill motifs that I love.

The pomegranate symbolises fertility, abundance and luck.

I have always been very interested in the language of flowers and nature and the imagery used to impart meaning, particularly in hand textiles through motifs used to represent these items.

I love being surrounded by this rich, meaningful language on a day to day basis. And I love coming home to a house full of quilts and wall hangings too.

The background fabric I used is 'Chloe' by New Heirloom.  Of course, any french toile in red and cream would also work really well.  This is fabric from my stash. I've been quilting for 10 years so I have no idea how old it is. Perhaps 5 years? There is so much variety in the market now that I am sure you will easily find something suitable.

The remaining bouquets in this 'series' total 9. I am still deciding how to work them - remaining with individual wall hangings or designing a quilt? They are on the list, however I am already working on the next BOM and have 3 UFOs that are in progress to be finished. My studio is clean and tidy so I am newly inspired to get finished. I love getting in after a big clean up and just working. One of the rewards of spending days on end sorting out has to be all those bits and pieces you'd either forgotten about or temporarily 'lost'

PS

As a proud member of my local group, the Waverley Patchworkers Inc, I will be attending the Gala Opening this evening.

The Quilt Show starts tomorrow Sat 9:30am - 5pm and Sun 9:30 - 4pm. Admission is $7

Where? Mt Waverley Community Centre (opp railway station), Miller Cres, Mt Waverley

This years challenge is "Field of Flowers"
Am I in it? Of course I am....I can't pass up a challenge!

In The Pink Prowess!

Danni from Germany amazes me with her In The Pink prowess!!

Danni had to climb up on a table to be able to take this photo...thank you Danni...it was worth the effort.

Look at this quilt, it's beautiful...and seeing ITP in such different colours is a real pleasure for me as well, because I can live through other quilters' colour pickings - what a treat.

Wow! some of you are really moving fast with this BOM, and why not? It's a great stash buster, and who doesnt need another bed quilt???

I'm so glad that I decided to make my own ITP ahead of launching the BOM as usually I like to make quilts step by step as I work through the pattern and I would have been put to shame with the speed some of you are working at!!

Well Danni, can't wait to see how you work the centre applique blocks....

How is everyone else going with ITP? Are you working it through month to month, or collecting the pattern to make at a later stage?