Summer Sewjourning

A very delightful excursion to Sewjourn happened last week - 'eleven ladies dancing' to the humming of machines and chatter and munching and sewing and laughing- what a day!!!

Jan - hostess with the mostess

Meredithe and Bonnie - 'assistants' to Jan and delightful women

Kylie and her friend Katherine (who I discovered is who my sister stayed with in London years and years ago, and whose husband we knew as teenagers!)

Cathy and Cam

Suze and Janet

Me and my friend Michelle (look at Jan's site for her picture of Michelle's pinboards she made for her kids - the colours are so much fun - buttons to be sew on yet)

Table for a Long Lunch

Hard at Work

Kylie with her stunning centrepiece - what a lovely lady she is!

One of Jan's quilts - ooh, chenille!!!

Thank the Lord above! It has cooled down a fraction now- just enough to catch our breath!

But look what the intense heat has done to the garden:

My Gordonia - 'fried egg' plant - boy, fried alright!

The hydrangea - well, what more can I say?

There are some survivors - amazingly my one and only azalea - seemed to go exceptionally well, despite an almost complete lack of care by us (I did water it once and threw mulch at it, during a very early morning rage at the heat)

And of course The Rose Bush!
"Bring It On" I can hear it yelling. Just keep your voice down, will you?

Quilt Carnival

 Point Nepean Quilt Show at Sorrento

Same pattern in a strikingly different colourway....

Pattern is called Hidden Wells - found this link and this....

This was my favourite - 'Crushed Raspberries on the Forest Floor' - great title!  (The red sashing is much more raspberry than this though...) It is a copy of Salinda Rupp Quilt 1875.

Close-ups of the samplers:

Closeups from a quilt called......

'Australia'

Accch! Sorry upside-down!

Check out Sharon's photos for some other quilts too!

These photos were taken from on top of the Ferris Wheel at the Carnival at Rye

(not my me - last time I went, I freaked out, shut my eyes tight and 'swore' at the children the whole ride  - so Mummy was banned from the ferris wheel!  

(V. v. soft swearing I promise! Actually anything that wasn't squeals of delight, the children took as 'bad' language)

This was taken from a hill just around the corner from where we were staying - mega bucks view baby!

I am so digging Brooches at the moment (Not 'Badges' as some loved ones have called them - oh, no, they are much prettier than a badge!)

The Sweetest Teeny Tinyest Brooch Eva! By Michelle of Shelbyville

Michelle very kindly sent me another brooch when first got lost in mail - maybe someone got an extra nice present for Christmas - bah!

Love her dinky cassette badges too

This little sweetie is by Sophie Isobel Designs - truly lovely and unique wrapping with just the thing for me and mine.  (Very Inexpensive Also - but professionally finished - such value!)

Always quilting Sale

'Always Quilting' in Toorak Road, Camberwell is having a 20% Moving Sale! Jenny specialises in longarm quilting and is an extensive supplier of hundreds of different threads etc.

Not a fabric shop as such but great for other sorts of supplies.....




I just went to get some batting and came out with.....


the whole role (it will keep) of Matilda's Own wool/poly blend (no photo - too boring)


some fabulous quilty gift wrap and cards - great for crafters and uninitiated people alike

and lots and lots of very pretty trim - this is just a sample! The girls collected another 3 each!

There were some great books on machine applique and quilting too - didn't get these - the bill was getting bigger all the time, with two little 'shoppers' to help!

I think the store is only open today (Wed) between 10 and 4pm - so get down super quick if you can! Give them a ring to check though.

Also found this flyer - was planning on going as we will be down near there on the weekend (if anyone knows the Penninsula, it is littered with little billboards advertising events - but who can read them at 90kms/hr???

Flyer is much more handy and I plan on going All Day!

Imagine That

How cute is that!!  This belongs to Tracey of Imagine That Quilts who has designed several patterns to make your own wall hanging, using just applique pieces and ...... a photo of your loved one!  

So clever!!

Competition will be hot, methinks, for her giveaway - a quilt made just for us. Yes Please!

Sneaky peek

Just a little peek at my Mini Quilt in a Bag Swap - I have actually 99.999% finished it  - but I

 can't get a good photo as yet, so this is all you'll see until my partner gets it.

My first go at machine applique!

I......LIKE-IT!

A pressie just for me!

I forgot in my last post that I am currently wearing this lovely bracelet, of my very own!

This was a prize given to me by Kristie of Missie Krissie, who makes lovely jewelery by handstamping a message on a Sterling Silver disc and adding beads and pearls.

She chose my entry about the time my cheeky hubbie gave me v.v. old gumboots as a Christmas present and waited til the shock left me face before sending me on a treasure hunt all over the house for my 'real' present of a gorgeous jewelery box.

Opped til we dropped!

D1 and I treked off to Pakenham today - Robert Gordon Pottery Factory Outlet

Very very nice stuff - some old styles that may never leave the shop (think brown and orange trout!!!) - but also lots of deliciously pastel and genteel colours of milk, cottonflower, ice, pink vovos, plus some handsome stripes of blue and red. Lots there for everyone! Cafe and a workshop to paint your own (hmmm...maybe a birthday party there would work?)

We got pressies for Weddings, pressies for Birthdays, and pressies Just Because!

"When the pie was open, the birds began to sing..."

Love Cath Kidston and Love Toile!

Then we trawled the Oppys of Pakey!

There are 3 in the main strip shopping then one huge Salvos just around the corner from the Pottery place - I got some pressies that I am going to bring to my Craft Day-Away, plus stuff to sell on ebay and this little treasure:





I know I don't knit, but still....I thought of you guys....


Maybe someone would like it? Just have to ask!


These little fellas are my favourites in the book....

because of Bob, of course.....

This is Bob - he fell out of a tree (about 5m to the road, missed by two cars and rescued by Whippet Good Family) - he went straight to our local Wildlife Rescue Lady who promptly told us that he was a baby Brushtail Possum (not Ringtail, as we thought) and so, needed lots of care - actually another 12 months of care! Bev showed us her other ones in care - two Flying Foxes and a microbat! Absolutely wonderfully facinating! What a great job she does! My two girls were facinated and wanted to become Wildlife Rescuers!

Isn't he the cutest?

Possum's not bad either! Hehe!

Mini quilt in a bag Swap -the front and the back

This is from Alicia of lucysquilts - so, so good - it makes me cry how well aligned the points of the squares are! Never thought I would like 30's patterns so well as in this little beauty! It is so good that it is 'straight to the pool room' - any Aussie worth her salt will know that line!

Thanks Claire too for giving me the link to this Whippy Goodness;

Tula, you are a kindred spirit

(though you are the one with all the talent!)

I have kindof cheekily begged her for any kind of Whippet Goodness to come my way - that would so super cool - but I do get the 'my work, mine to own' thing. Oh but to dream!

A new year has started

A Very Warm Welcome to Everyone for 2009!


So far, we have........

pancaked in pajamas, (see previous post)

lunched at The Cuckoo,

movied in Madagascar,

shopped at the Mecca,

bushwalked in the bush

and there is still more holiday left....whahoooooo!

A few days down at the beach is required.....please give us some warmer weather.....it is meant to be Summer!






Whatcha think of the new banner?