OUT AND ABOUT

While August marks the end of Winter in my little corner of the world, instead of the freezing westerly winter winds we usually have at this time of the year, we've had very warm days with clear china blue skies. So our jumpers, jeans and boots have been discarded for short sleeve shirts and 3/4 length pants.  Hooray!!!!!  Spring has sprung early this year. The trees are blooming and the swans at the local lake are patiently awaiting their new family.

 

My husband and I enjoyed driving to Toowoomba an hour and a half west of Brisbane recently, returning home through the small country towns of Crow's Nest and Esk where we browsed through some interesting antique and old wares shops looking for just that piece of must have pink or amber depression glassware we love. Although we arrived home empty handed, we saw some lovely pieces.  Just not that one vase, plate, or pair of candle holders we couldn't live without.

  

 

But we did see some interesting old sewing machines.

 

 

 

And the perfect cradle to display doll quilts - a child's wooden cradle dating back to the mid 1800s. 

 







 

 

My sewing has been moving along nicely this month.  I'm getting better at using my new Janome
MC 12000 sewing machine which is a quantum leap from the very basic machine I had been using for the past 20 or more years.  A machine on which the needle up/down and reverse buttons had stopped working quite a while ago.

I've finished the top of my nine patch doll quilt, and it's waiting to be quilted.  I've also completed one of my UFOs - a Chinese Coins Scrap Quilt.  It was so easy to stipple quilt once I learnt how to use the software and mastered positioning the quilt in the hoop.  I hadn't used an embroidery machine before, so it was a bit challenging at first.  I'm delighted with the results and feel very fortunate to have my new machine.

I wish I could say that I have now used up all my Antique Flower fabric scraps.  The journey with these fabrics started when someone generously gave me a collection of scraps to make a quilt called Leanne's House. I loved the fabrics and all the hand embroidery involved in making that quilt, but needed to buy additional fabrics to complete it. 

 

 

That left me with even more Antique Flower scraps, so I decided to make an 84" square Desden Plate Quilt out of the remaining fabric, another UFO awaiting quilting.  But I had to purchase more fabric to complete such a large quilt, and of course that created more scrap fabric. 

 

Then I saw a pattern for a floral basket quilt that I knew would be the perfect use for those pieces.
But when that was finished (and I pieced the border to avoid buying any more fabric) I still had leftover fabrics so I decided to make my Chinese Coins Scrap Quilt which I thought would be my last Antique Flowers project.

But no, there are still more scraps (I suspect they're breeding), and with these I plan to make another version of a Chinese Coins quilt and perhaps a bag.  And hopefully then I'll be done with this Antique Flowers phase.  It's a little bit like those ads that say, "But wait, there's more...."

And, while it may seem like this has been a never ending journey, looking back at these quilts has reminded me of how much I enjoyed working with these beautiful fabrics. And it's interesting to see how well the fabrics work together in different combinations across a variety of patterns.

Until next time,

Happy quilting

Bronwyn

A WARM WINTER WEEKEND

My snowball signature blocks are finished and ready for mailing to the other side of the world.  The discussion about signing before sewing to avoid mistakes made me a bit nervous.  I didn't even think of that before making all my blocks.  So I put my computer and light box to good use and then I didn't even have to think about what I was doing.  Just copy, copy, copy, 60 times and then count and recount to make sure I had 60 blocks.

I had thought I might take a break before starting Kathy's beautiful nine patch doll quilt, but the start of a new week has brought new inspiration and I've done a little bit of fabric auditioning this morning.  Loving browns, caramels,  mustards and reds, and having only a small stash of reproduction fabrics, I have decided to go with the following combinations of fabrics I already have and then try and find something nice for the background fabric.

We had exceptionally warm sunny winter weather over the weekend so took our little boat out fishing and crabbing and just enjoying a day out on the water on Saturday.  I think being a quilter gives you an added appreciation for colour, the wide variety of blues in the sky and water during the day which transform into the most amazing shades of steely greys as the sun sets.



 

 

 

 

Sunday was spent browsing through the local markets and at the Food and Gardening Festival at the Redcliffe Botanic Gardens where we encountered this colourful troupe of "gypsies".

 

 

 

The costumes were colourful and beautifully pieced and embellished, the music mesmerising, and the clapping and calls from the other gypsies created a rousing atmosphere.

 

Till next time,

 

Happy Quilting

 

Bronwyn