Getting Ready for Christmas

School is almost over and holidays are almost here.......

A Quilt Much Travelled....

This quilt started life as a kit purchased in Newcastle in about 2005 when I accompanied DH on a business trip there. It spent its formative days in Brisbane and to help it to grow to a more useful size, I added some of my own scraps. And grow it did ...large enough to top our queen size bed.

Then it needed a border or two. After finding the perfect match in Brisbane, the top then travelled to Sunbury where the borders were applied.

It languished for a while after being finished and then was professionally quilted in Brisbane and then sat without binding for a very long time due mainly to an ongoing issue with my back and not being able to manage the weight of it under the machine.

Somehow, it came back to Sunbury and finally in January this year, it went on a road trip to Canberra to "visit" my kind friend Helen who made and attached the binding. Reunited with us once more in Canberra , it then had a little holiday through Western NSW, a few days in Sydney before finally checking it as hand luggage at the QANTAS Club counter to come home to Sunbury.

While it's certainly not a complex quilt, it is a favourite of mine for the fabrics and their memories. Mixed in with those pieces are the blocks of times and places it has been.

It's also popular with someone else!

What has Indy's Attention?

There he sits, on the lounge, remote nearby, giving the television his undivided attention, much like the other male member of the family. He doesn't even flinch when the camera comes out. Well, every youngster likes watching TV, right? But what has Indy mesmeriesed? Animated cartoons.

So what is he giving his undivided attention to?

Ice Age!

A Little Shopping Trip

I had a little outing to the Quilters and Embroiderers Store to find some fabric for the borders of the previously shown UFO that is now a top. While I am keen to use up the older fabric in my stash, there was nothing that worked for the borders. Also, I do like to support the local shops where I can. There are already fewer and fewer quilt shops here in Brisbane.
Karen's store is a treasure trove of ideas. One has to stay focussed in there! She does have a great selection of stripes and dots which can be just the thing to bring disparate blocks together. I will have to go back there with another UFO which needs assistance in that way!

Of course, when the fabric came home, it had to pass with the ultimate quilt authority in this house.

Lunch

On a gorgeous Queensland Winter's Day
And then .........
a little snooze on the deck in the sun

Last day of School Vacation

Roll on September!

The Next Project

So what's in this box, Mum?

Let's use up some of this.

I'll show you which ones are my favourites!

See Mum? You're overthinking it! Just get in amongst it, wriggle around and it's all good.

We're on Holidays!

A Winter break in the sunny north means the cat quickly establishes a routine on a morning snooze in the sunshine! What better way to start the day?

Holidays also mean that progress should be made on a long standing UFO. I posted this pic of the above project on the design wall back in November. Since then, it has been off the design wall, back on it and a few of the blocks have been joined together. While it has travelled around the various locations in Brisbane, it hasn't ventured south mostly due to the fact that a different machine with a different 1/4in lives there.
Of course, other projects have been started in between all this. A motivator for getting these blocks into a top is so I can get another UFO up on the wall. Its progress is stalled until I see how the balance of lights and darks is looking.
So once more it is back on the wall and hopefully by the end of this holiday, it will be in one piece.
The original pattern had no borders but in a quest to make it bigger and to use up old fabric, that could change. More on that later.

Ever Wondered What Your Pet Gets Up to When You're at Work? - Part 2

Indiana is never allowed on the kitchen benches or any of the tables, and he knows that. He is so well behaved, after years of a good upbringing, that he never even tries to jump on the benches.

Recently Gordon had to stay home for a furniture delivery, and when he came into the kitchen, guess who was checking things out for himself, secure in the knowledge that no one was supposed to be home?

"Hmmmm! Nothing up here to eat, but the view ain't bad.""Oooops! Sprung! Where did you come from?" "Time to escape and pretend it wasn't me."

Of course, it's only bad behaviour if you get caught.

A Hard Day's Night

Ever wondered what the pets get up to while you're at work?

Apparently not much!

I guess he's minding the house.

The Husband was home during the day this week and snapped this of Indiana soaking up the Autumn in the front window.

A Helping Hand

Rotary Cutting Tips For Quilters.

To cut fabric with a Rotary Cutter the following is very important:
1. Your cutting mat must be flat and held firmly in place. Here is an example of how to hold it flat and firm.
2. You must be relaaaaxed. No point in being tense.
3. The fabric you are about to cut should be smoothed and held down firmly, like so;4. Did I say you must relaaaaax?
5. Carefully position the cutting template.
6. Above all, don't stress.

Sorting Mum's Threads

"Hi Mum, didn't expect you back so soon. I've been sorting all your threads for you. I hope you like the colours I've picked out?"Wow, I never realised sorting through all those threads could be so tiring.

Sundays are for sleeping and taking it easy!

We hope you were able to kick back and have some "quiet time".

We did.

On the Outside Looking In

Sometimes you need to get a different perspective on things!