One Flower Wednesday

I have lots of flowers today - but they have not all been made this week.  Over the last few weeks I've had the occasional time to sit and put a flower together while waiting for someone, but not a lot of time to get them on the blog.  Here goes.  My three year old helped with the photography, so the individual photos are a bit wonky at times - but my time to allocate to a photo session was a bit limited, it was easier to go with the help!!

Here they are!  Looking forward to peaking at the other flowers later in the day.  Back to costumes!

Tuesday's Treasures - Rainbows

I've decided that today's treasures are rainbows.  I found this photo and I can remember the day my second son took it.  We were leaving school.  It's hard to take a great photo of a rainbow - but in terms of treasures they're priceless.  I don't think you can ever see a rainbow and not think happy thoughts.  The worst day can be just that little bit better with just one glimpse.  So rainbows to me equals at least a temporary lift to my spirits!!

The photo also shows what a lovely physical environment our school is in.  Another creator of happy memories!

I'm late getting this blog up - too many costumes on the go and there's still that affidavit for the kids we have in care!  Been a bit stressful but nearly there.  Thoughts of rainbows........

Life is a Little hectic!

I've been downloading photos tonight and reading blogs as I wait.  So inspirational to read and see pictures of what everyone else is doing.  So many exciting quilts about to start.

I received my copy of "The Farmers' Daughter" last week and just love some of the blocks.  Haven't had a chance to do anything more than glance through.

Our kids' social life has really been keeping us busy driving and driving and driving.  Lots of waiting.  I got some hexies made on Sunday waiting for Number 1 son.  But otherwise it's been just driving.

Our two little ones child protection order is up for renewal.  They are going to an order to 18 which means they will remain with us - they've been with us for nearly 3 years and the little one was only 2 months old when she came, so we're hoping that this will all go through ok.  In child protection cases, you never know until the order is signed.  I've been busy writing an affidavit - and procrastinating about writing the affidavit.  It's not been an easy journey to re-live.  These are the people who sent us death threats and caused us to go into hiding earlier this year.

Second son's Rock Eisteddfod performance is coming up quickly and costumes need to be finished.  So that's going to fill any spare moment over the next day or so.

Being school holidays in Queensland, we're also getting ready to go away to our rural block of land - our little piece of heaven near Bundaberg.  We'll be heading up on Saturday - lots to be done to get organised for that.  Not a lot of packing of clothes as we mostly keep things up there, but there always seems to be this and that to do to get organised.

I've been down loading photos as I've just decided that my traditional scrap booking is too time consuming and I'm getting too far behind in organising photos.  So, I'm going into digital - everyone tells me that this makes it so much quicker.  I must admit that the attraction for scrapbooking is the playing with all different sorts of media - the layering, the bits of bling, etc.  So I'm not sure that digital will come from my heart - but there are thousands of photos waiting and 8 children to organise them for.  As well as extended family, so.........  I've got quilting that gives me all those other things as well...

Hopefully some photos tomorrow.  At least some of my latest hexies - just to show that my time hasn't been totally non-productive!!

A Photo I Like

My almost 12 year old son is quite arty and has recently taken an interest in photography.  Just downloading some photos tonight and I found this.  I quite like it.

Big weekend - school holidays have started in Queensland.  We have dancing, rugby and youth group tomorrow.  Oh, I forgot - scouts as well.   Youth Group is rock climbing.  I'll have my camera there.  Hope to get some good shots.

More about sewing on Sunday!!

Tuesday's Treasures

I think my favourite show as a child was an American show called "F Troop".  It was based on a number of very funny characters all thrown together at Fort Courage.  The Captain was a very likable young man from a very military family who had accidentally become a hero and as a result was promoted to captain.  He was likable but clearly not a military person.  He was pursued by Jane - a Calamity Jane/Annie Get your Gun type character. He was very attracted to Jane, but could never quite make the commitment to marry her!!  She continued to try.  His Sargent and Corporal secretly owned the hotel in the town attached to the fort.  It was against military law for them to do so, so had to keep this as a secret from the Captain.  Seemed to be the worst kept secret in town - but Captain Parmenter never found out.  The Indians - who were totally against any violence and spent their lives in fear of offending anyone and therefore, causing some sort of military attack  - supplied the alcohol to the hotel.  There was a survivor from the Alamo - who constantly told stories of the good old days.  There was a bugle player called Dobbs - who couldn't play the bugle at all.  He would break down and cry if anyone offended him.  Finally there was Vanderbuilt - an incredibly short sighted private who seemed to always draw guard duty.

As a child I loved it.  The four of us - my three brothers and I - would sit and watch it every evening.  It was on ABC at 6.00pm.  We weren't allowed to turn TV on before 6.00pm as we had our jobs to do around the farm.

In recent years I've seen some re-runs on Channel 9 and I still enjoyed the show.  There are still episodes that I remember so well - could almost quote them from beginning to end!!

Thanks, Melody, for reminding me of those times.  There were some other shows that were nearly as good - but nothing was ever quite as good as F Troop.  I'm singing the theme song as I write this.

Friday Night Sew In

I really did get some sewing done.  Just haven't had a chance to take any pictures and haven't been any where near a computer to update my blog.

We had a big afternoon on Friday - firstly, we had sibling contact for two of the children we look after - they are from a family of 9, so we try and get them to see each other at least once a fortnight.  Then it was a drive for about 1 hour or so to drop my daughter off to a leadership camp for Cub Scouts.  I'd never taken her to a camp and left her with no one she knew.  She was the only one from her group who went.  Even the leaders were strangers.  She coped with this really well.  I didn't.  Just heart breaking to leave her with complete strangers.  Anyway, we finally got home about 8.30pm.  DH was at the local Rugby Union club doing duty as the BBQ person for the training night.  We have to have a turn each season - two of our sons play rugby.  It just coincided with the other things!!

So, finally started to sew at about 9.00pm.  I was determined to join in the Sew-in.  But at that stage of the evening, knew I wasn't going to do anything too complicated.  So I did some more work on hexagons.  I am working on two quilts with one inch hexagons.  The Vignette Quilt and another that I've been working on for about two years.  I need to complete the borders on the second one.  I'm procrastinating on how to do it - but think now that I will put another border on and applique the hexagons to the border.

I'll organise some photos - hopefully tonight!!

Teddy Bear's Picnic

It's looking like it's going to be a lovely day today, so should be great weather for a picnic!  Today I thought I'd bring Annabelle.  She was a doll I found in a magazine - not sure which one.  Possibly Patchwork and Stitching. I loved the way she looked in the pictures and I found that when I was making her, she just came together beautifully.  She was the first doll that I made totally independently that I was really happy with.  As a last minute decision I put her in our local show and she won First Prize.  So she became even more special to me.

Here's Annabelle.

Annabelle is looking forward to meeting all the other dolls and teddies today.  Happy Teddy Bears Picnic!!

One Flower Wednesday

This is really 5 flower Wednesday for me.  Didn't realise until today that I had completed that many!  I have another that I can't decide on a centre for.  Will keep looking.

Here they are:

This is the one I can't decide on the centre for.  I'm thinking something pink?

Tuesday's Treasures

We have a block of land - 55 acres near Bundaberg, Queensland.  We have a shed on it - hopefully a house one day.  We go there as often as we can - usually school holidays and long weekends.  It is so peaceful.  This is the view from outside the kitchen.  When I have my early morning cup of tea, I look out at this.  Some mornings there are kangaroos.  Lots of birds - kookaburras, magpies, some parrots.  We're finding that by taking our pet birds up they are calling other birds in.  One afternoon I saw an Eastern Rosella - the prettiest birds!  It's 5 kms around our boundary - so lots of lovely spaces to walk.

Wish we were there now.  Hopefully, one day we can leave suburbia and live there permanently - but kids' needs get in the way!!

Cheers

Marg

One quilt almost completed, one completed

My plans for the weekend were to have one quilt top finished - I did that, but not the one I planned to do.  I went to my second lesson at Homespun and Beautiful on Saturday.  Learnt how to make hassle free mitred borders.  That was great!!

Here is the quilt top so far - just one border to go.  I am so pleased with the results.  Unfortunately the colours in the photos just don't do the quilt justice.  But it's an idea of what it is like.

Close up of colours.  Still not true!!

Top completed without borders

Just one border to go.

I was going to get this quilted on Sunday, but plans changed - as they do.  We had a little visitor - 5 year old sister of two of the children we care for.  Not a time to be locked away in a sewing room, so I stayed in the lounge room and made hexagons - still productive but not what I'd planned.

Yesterday - had plans to get back onto this quilt, but ended up doing some other sewing.  Decided yesterday afternoon that I would start working on a raggy scrap quilt that had been cut out and waiting to go for some months.  I finished it last night.  I completed it by 8.30pm.  My son was studying for his English assessment today and the topic was on To Kill A Mockingbird.  We ended up watching the Dvd.  I studied it in Year 11 - which was just a few years ago.  So recall was a little hazy.  While I watched I cut the edges.  The picture was taken before it was washed and fluffed up in the dryer.  That's where it is now!

Once again, colours are probably not the best.This was made out of scraps - literally!!  Just wanted to use up some of my stash.  It's a great quilt for kids to use - not precious at all.  Think I'll give it to our 7 year old as her special quilt.  Very snuggly in winter!!

So, it was a productive weekend - just took a slight variation on my plans.

Worked on another quilt as well.  Hopefully I'll have some photos of it tomorrow.  It's one using machine embroidery and applique.    

Cheers

Cold Weather and a quilt top finish - almost!!

It's been so cold here - but there's similar stories from all over eastern Australia.  Tonight we were at a friend's 60th birthday party - very pleasant evening for company, but starting to get cold when we left.

Went to Homespun and Beautiful this morning and worked on my quilt top - I'm so happy with the way the colours are coming.  Just one more border and I'll have the top complete.  We're mitring the borders - another fool proof way of doing things.  Last lesson we learnt a great way to make flying geese blocks.  It's been a wonderful course.  I'll try to get some pictures up tomorrow.  I'm also hoping to get the top finished and quilting started.

It's been a busy weekend - with my daughter going to see the ballet "Little Mermaid", attending an information session about auditions for Sound of Music which our local theatre group is staging in November - and know, not for me, but have two children interested.  Then we had the party tonight and on Monday my second son is in Rock Eisteddfod and they are rehearsing all day and I'll be getting my next consignment of costumes to complete.  But tomorrow is for quilting - and with the rain supposedly setting in, can't think of a better way to spend it.

A new place to put my dolls!!

My eldest son is in his final year at high school and is doing a subject called Construction.  One of his projects this year was a step ladder.  He brought it home recently and I was inspired the other day to use it as a place to display dolls.  His reaction was one of resignation and the usual shrug of the shoulders.  He thinks my dolls are taking over the house anyway.  So, here it is with a few of the dolls I've made on it.

Teddy Bear's Picnic

Another Thursday has rolled around and we're back at the Teddy Bear's Picnic.  Not a very nice day for picnics here - overcast, miserable and very cold.  However, I need to introduce my latest bear - Beatrice.  Designed by Debbie Magee and made with help from Terease at Homespun and Beautiful.  Very patient lady - answered lots and lots of questions and helped me so much.

Here she is (Beatrice, that is):

She has been a lovely bear to make - even though she was challenging at times.  I'd love to make another - having learnt so much the first time.  I'll put it on my list!!

Teddy Bear's Picnic

This week I'm bringing Loublou along.  She is a Country Keepsake doll.  She was about the third or fourth doll I made and quite a step up in challenges!  My earlier dolls had been fairly simple.  With Terease's guidance (Homespun and Beautiful) I really enjoyed making her - so much so that she now has a twin.  She loves to relax in the rocking chair and she thought she'd take it along on the picnic.  Doesn't want to get her good dress dirty and with the rain we've been having it could be a bit damp.  She's looking forward to meeting lots of new friends.

Tis the Season - Finished the Quilt

I can't believe it - I don't know when I last finished something ahead of time!!  But here it is - quilted, with hanging pocket.  Just have to label it.  It was so much fun I'd love to do it again - maybe in blue or green.  Here it is:

Thanks Chooky and all the girls for the encouragement - and the idea in the first place!!

One Flower Wednesday

Some of these I've put on the blog before, but there are some new ones as well!!

These are 3/4 inch hexies and some of the flowers are single petal and some have the extra layer.  They are all linked by plain hexies.  This is a quilt that I saw when I was at The Quilter's Shack in Bundaberg.  They're all addicted to hexies there as well.  Lots more work needed on this one!!

Finally a finished Quilt!!

This quilt has been about 18 months in the making.  Started off making a table topper in the same colours - Moda Beach house (??) and I liked it so much decided that I'd like a quilt.  I used a charm pack and a layer cake.  To make the quilt bigger I added in the sashings and borders.  It was a fun quilt to make and quite easy but it sat for so long waiting for the borders to go on.  Finally on the weekend, I completed the borders and yesterday quilted it.  Last night was spent doing the binding.  I only quilted in the ditch - simple enough and I thought with the colours it didn't need a lot more.  I intended to cut the binding on the bias for a slightly different look against the border - but it just didn't work out and I knew that I was going to waste the fabric if I kept going, so it's a traditional binding.

I can finally put something on Sew it's Finished blog!!  Yeh!!