Catch up Blog

Can't believe it is over a week since I blogged. Life has been ultra busy.

Yesterday was my last day in the office of Blue Care (again). I have had so many farewells from that place, and there is every chance I may be going back to do more temporary/fill-in work down the track. They gave me a farewell afternoon tea and this gorgeous arrangement of flowers. (The lily just came out in full bloom this morning - love it).

Last night I dragged out an old UFO to do a bit of hand quilting, as it was just the weather for it. I am paying a bit for it this morning in the headache department though. Why is hand sewing giving me a headache? This is the puzzle I am trying to work out. I bought a $10 fold up office chair like the one Caity showed as at quilt group. It is ideal, as it makes you sit up nice and straight. I am really concentrating on my posture and trying to have breaks at regular intervals, but still I get the back/neck/head aches. Can anybody help me with a solution? (and don't say - stop sewing ).

Beginning the Applique Journey

This is the pattern we all did in the applique workshop with Gail Chalker this past Saturday. There has been a Baltimore Album quilt in the back of my mind for many years, and I think this experience has set me on the journey. I just loved doing this block, and I like the design, but I am just not into mauves and purple and will do it again in another colour way.

Gail's tips and hints were wonderful and made the whole experience painless. Now, I will have to start another whole stash of fabrics for the proposed Baltimore!!! Anyway, who needs an excuse to collect fabric?

Tulips in a row

Pretty tulips all in a row!
This section of Toowoomba Quilter's raffle quilt has been a work in progress for some months now and I am really happy to have it finalised by this Saturday for the working bee on the quilt.
This Saturday, I am doing a workshop with a Baltimore Album specialist named Gail Chalker, and I sure wish I had done it before embarking on my first foray into hand applique on such a scale as this.
Anyways, I'm pretty pleased with it, and hope no one gets up too close and personal to it.
I have really enjoyed the hand applique and look forward to doing more of it on Saturday with Gail. She does the most perfect circles you have ever seen and she has done a beautiful, large reproduction Baltimore Album quilt which I can't stop thinking about since seeing it a couple of weekends ago. The work was amazing. It is certainly something one could aspire to.

Mother's Day Flowers

Our beautiful daughter (No 2) gave her mummy this gorgeous living gift for mother's day.

She is so precious!

More sewing time??

My contract at Blue Care is coming to an end. A part of me is sad, as I felt I was just starting to really get the feel for the job, but the other part of me is very happy, as this frees me up for another day to amuse myself in the sewing room.

Today, I am going to "play" with a friend, and do some more dyeing of lace, buttons etc for a project we work on together. Will post a photo of results. (hope they are better than last time). Since last time, we have got ourselves a different type of dye. Still requires a hit in the microwave. This can be a bit dodgy at times, and last time I was left with a very colourful inside to the microwave. It could have been an art piece in itself.

On the quilt front, I will have to now work feverishly to finish Dad's quilt by his birthday on 7 July. As well, I really must finish off the summer section I was working on for the raffle quilt for TQ. Time is tight in May/June, so many places to go, people to see, projects to finish (ha,ha) etc. etc.etc. Whew, I am tired thinking about all I must do in the next couple of months. Just as well, work is finishing up, although I will miss the bit of pocket money!

A trip through the countryside

Yesterday was the most beautiful autumn day here in paradise on earth.

We had relatives visiting us, and decided to show them a few sights in the local vacinity followed by lunch at a local pub.

Our first stop was at an historical site which was the home of Steele Rudd (Arthur Hoey Davis), the author of a very famous Australian novel "On our Selection". This site was where his father drew a lot of land and he had to farm it. They were rugged days and hats off to these, our early pioneers of the district.

This is the slab hut in which the family lived and brought up their children

Inside the hut, featuring part of the original kitchen table! Gee those walls look a bit draughty.

Stable and well.

We then headed into the township of Nobby and visited this museum. The lady of the house is obviously the keen collector and had all sorts of fashion from the early 1900's to the 1960's. I am sure it would be a great place for our quilt group to visit some time. I fell in love with all her 1950's paraphenalia.

We had lunch here at the Royal Hotel in the little country town of Leyburn. The pub is owned by one of our ex-Bronco footy stars, Shane Webcke. Shane was not at home, but we enjoyed some real country hospitality just the same. Wish I had taken a photo of the t-bone steak they served up. It must have been a huge beast. Everyone enjoyed the meal, and we then travelled home through the lovely little townships of Millmerran and Pittsworth.

We needed some refreshment after this, and stopped off at the new Toowoomba Hockey Club and had some drinks before heading home.

A great day was had by all.

The Brown Thang

For the past couple of days, at every available opportunity, I have been working on "The Brown Thang". The object of this quilt was to use up all those fabrics in my stash which I was not particularly fond of, or I had had for a while. As it turned out, a lot of them were brown! (see my "Stash Buster" post).

Weeeeeeell, last week I came up with an idea for the use of this quilt. It will be a perfect gift to give my father on his 80th birthday in July. (Can't believe he is eighty). Thus, I will have to get a real wiggle on with this one.

As I am currently blaming machine sewing for my neck/back pain and headaches, I am taking it really easy and just doing 10 minutes at a time and then having a nice walk around the house attending to little chores for a short time before going back to the machine. Hoping this addresses this issue. I could not bear to have to give up my sewing!