Russian Doll Quilt

 

For those of you who've been stopping by my little blog for the last few years may be wondering what ever happened to my Babushka quilt....well you can breathe a collective sigh of relief as I have finally finished the top!!  Here it is - apologies for the picture - there were no helpers around to hold the quilt up. 

 

Now to choose the backing and this is another one to be hand quilted.  The dolls are telling me that they really want to be framed by some hand stitches.  I'm looking forward to spending time chatting to each one as I go...there's Olga and Anastasia and Anna and Tatiana and Nadia and Svetlana...they have become my friends over the YEARS it has taken me to put this one together...

 

I'm thinking of renaming my blog to Quilt Interrupted :) I take so long to finish anything. So this is not a ta-dah, just a progress report

Hammock Quilt Ta-Dah

I finished the quilt top yesterday.....this is the quickest quilt I've ever made.  I think I took 3 weeks, snatching a few minutes here and there.  The colours are wonderful and I love love love it.  It looked so beautiful in the glorious sunshine in my garden yesterday.  Perth is having one of the most stunning weeks weather wise.  Wide blue skies with radiant sunshine. Cool crisp mornings for my walk. 

 My plan is to have it quilted by my quilter guy, once I choose the backing.

Colour Therapy

 

I added in lime.

 

I should have it finished on the weekend. It's the quickest quilt in the world to make...and as I'm the slowest quilter in the world, this is a good thang! 

 

I can't get over the ''prolificnessness '' of the likes of Rita at Red Pepper Quilts! I am totally awed out.

 

And this next pic because...well...just because (fabric lovers will get it :)

 

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by xo

My next patchwork project :)

I'm putting aside the sewing this weekend for some household patchwork.  A section of a side wall of our house is in desperate need of attention and has been for the 9 years we've been here.  But now we're moving on, this wall has the potential to freak out any buyer! 

Who'd have thought a carpenter/builder lived here? Just testament to the old saying about living with a plumber and always having dripping taps, or a painter an unpainted house or however it goes.  I've lost count of the unfinished bits and pieces around our place.  Funny how there is always time to drink beer and pat the dog and watch hours and hours of Dad's Army dvds.....

Needless to say I'm hitting a very bumpy patch as our relationship ends and the house sold.  As much as I am trying to stay calm and tell myself one day I will wake up and this ugliness will all be behind me and not ahead of me, I have my moments of freaking out, intense sadness, relief, exhaustion, nervous hilarity...so "bear with me'' dear readers and sharers of my little corner of happiness and sunshine that is my blog.  I love coming here and reflecting on snippets of my life.  I love looking at others crafty worlds and sneaking a peek at other creative lives.

thanks for reading xo

I'm not sure

I've had this fabric stashed for years now, just waiting for the right project to come along, so when I spotted the Hammock Quilt in Jane Brocket's The Gentle Art of Quilt-Making, I was totally inspired. So here is my version, ready to piece together....but .....I'm hesitating.  Perhaps, it's because I have followed a pattern in a book and my version is different in that I've used stronger colours and I look at the photo and think am I getting this right?  Do I just trust myself? 

Do you know that quote "Don't let comparison steal your joý."?  Should I just bust it together and not over think it?  Or is that yellow really too strong?

Retail Therapy

My last week has been very stressful, so when I got an email from my local fabric shop announcing 4 DAY SALE, I knew what I had to do :)

I've been sorting my stash a little lately - I know I have, but to the onlooker they may not see my progress.  Piles of fabric covering a fairly large floor area = sorting to me :)

So off I chuffed in my lunch break...I'm lucky enough to work in the next suburb...for a bit of light relief from a fairly harrowing office environment lately. Having recently sorted I identified a few gaps in my stash...and a sale coinciding with pay week...what serendipitous timing.  The planets have aligned and spend I must :)

Down to Materialise I drove...and here is my stash builder collection

I know you can feel my glee and hear my squeals of happiness and delight.

Here is the hero piece of the day....

The bolt had just arrived and it leapt into my arms.

All in all I think I was fairly restrained...with 20% off EVERY bolt in the store, I may have to venture back...I mean after all....it's an investment in my future......

A flying visit to the Cotswolds

 

 

 

 

My second last day of my holiday was spent visiting my old flatmate from my London days, who now lives in a thatched cottage in Oxfordshire.  My sister and I caught the train down from Hertfordshire, where we had a quick flit around Oxford itself, then headed out to Cathy's house in a little village for lunch.  We hadn't seen each other for 18 years, but it felt like yesterday. Isn't that the best when that happens?  In that time she has married and had 3 children, but it still felt like we were flats mates in London 25 years ago.

 

 

 

Tropical

I made another block for my Scrappy Trip Around the World quilt last night.  I think this one is from a tropical haven somewhere....blue, blue water, happy coloured beach towels, large colourful flowers, pretty birds flitting about and the coral, -that amazing underwater world you see when snorkelling the reefs.  It totally contrasted with the weather in Perth last night - it was wild, wet, windy and cold.  But I was snug inside my creative space, dreaming again of my trip around the world.  A hot chocolate to keep me company!

 

so this is my Fiji block.....

and here is Fiji beside Iceland!

2 blocks in....many more to go.

Scrappy Trip Around the World Quilt

I've jumped on board the Scrappy Trip Around the World bus or jet plane.  I made my first block yesterday and OMG it was so much fun.  I have another one nearly done...but I'm so time poor...my scrappy trip is going to be more like a slow boat around the world, but hey, that's ok, I get to savour every step of the journey.  No whistle-stop tours for me! I like to immerse myself in the different cultures of the world...so if I manage a block a week, I think that's close to a year to have enough blocks to make a quilt?

My trip has started in Iceland.  As I made the block, I thought about what the colours in the block made me think of - as in which country they brought to mind.  I settled on Iceland for my first.  Not sure why, I've never been there, but I thought the grey reminded me of the volcanic rock and the bleak landscapes I've seen and the green for the very green grass when it's not covered in snow.  they have those grass roofed houses there. The orange because I recall seeing bursts of colour in their buildings, mainly their rooves and also because I'm sure in Spring some beautiful wildflowers pop up and add colour and the birds chirp away. I imagine you hear the sound of seagulls a lot in Iceland. Perhaps one day I'll see it for myself...until then I'm happy with my thoughts and block making. Very happy.

Flower Power

So here's a few snaps from a funny old week.  Monday I was up bright and early to take Bridgie to have here wisdom teeth out - all four of them.  Lots of TLC required, including the making of lots of soft food...scrambled eggs, soup in an array of flavours, mornay, frozen yoghurt, drinks, regular icing and medication.  It's now Thursday and one side is giving her much discomfort. We watched a couple of feel good movies together...my all time fave...Mamma Mia.  God I love that film!  It is so much fun.  I love that age is no barrier to aphrodité!

Here's a pic of the patient - post op!  I had to snap a few (to store away for the 21st!)  I am a mean mother, remember?

Last night was a real treat - George is appearing in the play "'Illyria" a Curtin Uni production at Hayman theatre.  It's about war and new beginnings, quite intense and particular scenes incredibly confronting. Very well done.  George is a stand out in the production...of course!  It is absolutely incredible to watch your child perform.  She has such talent and I'm not just saying that :)).  It is so  so much fun to watch her theatre.  The roles she plays are so diverse.  She has great comedic timing too - not that last night was a comedy - her previous role was. Unfortunately, I forgot to take any post show photos (hopeless mother!) - hopefully on Friday night when I hope to see it again, ticket sales permitting - I was busy meeting all her co-performers and chatting about the performance.  The movement in it is very graceful in parts. 

This morning as I left for work I took joy in the wisteria flowering on my front verandah.  It is so true what they say about FLOWER POWER.  It is a great salve.  It is so beautiful.

And across the road is this divine tree, covered in flowers.  The delicate scent is beautiful.  I keep forgetting the name of it.....this time every year it puts on a great show.

 

 

Today I am off the funeral of a friend...2 deaths in 1 week...very sad. Dave was a very funny man, always making those around him laugh.  And so positive.  He was really pissed off he got cancer - he had so much to do with his beautiful Dorothy.  He leaves a great big gaping hole in a lot of people's lives.  What did he say...the glass is half full, and the other half was very nice...thank you!