I'm tired - too many sack and wheelbarrow races at the family fun day at school. Still the younger Sweeties helped me ptotograph the quilt. THEY have a lot of energy, although they are a bit hungry.
The customer has made this for her MIL to put on her couch. Rather lovely in a gentle way.

Another one bites the dust and should be bound by now. This one is another raffle quilt for the Arts Council., although I haven't shown you pictures of the first one yet. Slack. This is all freehand except for some rule work to create the curves and such in the blocks and outer borders.
I've really great help - I couldn't do what I do without them.
The thread used was Signature rust in the elongated hexagons, Aurifil black in the blocks and borders and Aurilux gold in the stars. I would have liked to have used Aurifil rust, however I didn't have any yet and I'm still using some Signature. Why am I changing? I do like Signature, however I like Aurifil better. Signature is a robust thread that is somewhat stiffer than Aurifil and doesn't sit as nicely in the fabric as Aurifil. My APQS handles it really well.
The back looks good too.

I've changed from using 100% Organic Bleached cotton to 100% bamboo which is Australian made, organic naturally, and sustainable. And apparently anti bacterial. The bamboo feels like silk, unbelievable. Makes me what to wear it next to my skin. My customers seem happy and happy with the price as well. It's great to get something that hasn't travelled half way around the world to get here.

I quilted this with another pattern from Hermoine.

Feminine without being over the top.

Another one bites the dust and posted off to its owner. The pattern is called Bayside, a new one, from Hermoine at Digital Quilting Patterns It is quite textural and masculine and interlocked nicely for good quilting coverage.

It was made out of flannels and will keep someone loved and warm.

97 days until Christmas.

Every year our Post Office here has a sign that announces the days until Christmas, sooooo it was with great excitement that the youngest sweeties spied the Christmas sign at the Post Office the other day.

There are a couple of funny stories regarding the PO's Christmas sign that I just have to tell you and they both feature the very youngest Sweetie - every family has one. The charming, scatterbrained, intelligent, nerdy, loving, happy one. I was allowing the boys to ride to school, it combined well with keeping fit and economising with the car, and giving them a sense of independence, and really, I needed a bit of excitement as I wasn't getting out enough. I used to be the sweep - I would come along 15 minutes later and pick up anything and all the bodies that were littered on the path.

This day I arrive at school and check that they are there and no sign of the charming one, and as the bell had just rung as I arrived, I leapt back on my bicycle to scour the town. The boys had been fascinated with the air pump at the garage, so off I hoon to see the charming one pedalling towards me so serenely along the main street, with a big grin on his face. Not being one to wipe the smile off his face I asked where he had been, well it was that he had to find out how many days until Christmas so he had to wait until the PO opened and put their Christmas sign out. Later that day, I was waiting for the boys to come home and getting ready to go and find them. Remember that I had threatened them with untold horrors that they weren't to dawdle, and only one turns up. Argggh. Off I go and there is the charming one with that look again. This time it was because he had to go back to the PO, on his way home from school, to check to see if the number was still the same. I tell you the days are just packed. To alleviate any further difficulties arising with the days before Christmas, the Charming one reckons that there are 364 days before Christmas by the way, and we were in the car, I would detour past the PO to keep the countdown happening and cut down on the charming one going AWOL. I reckon that it saved a few grey hairs. Bugger the independence and the economising.

A very pretty four patch quilt. It was quilted with a thread that was slightly lighter than the border and therefore contrasted nicely with the pink in the four patches and was light enough to compliment the cream alternate blocks. The pattern was from Hermoine Agee of Digital Quilting Patterns
This quilt was made by the same person who pieced the lovely 1930's Irish Chain that I custom quilted last month

It was rather overcast when I snapped these pictures. This quilt was made using the stack'n' slash technique.
The fabrics used were flannette and chenille.


The pattern used was Fresh Flowers from Hermoine Agee at Digital Quilting Patterns

Our very lovely friend Janice, made this quilt top a few years ago for her husband and here it is quilted, although she doesn't know and I hope to bind it and enter it in our local Open Day as a surprise.
Some of the fabric is drill, however it was just the right colour for what Janice needed. Again one of my favourite patterns Continuous Baptist Fan from Hermione Agee at Digital Quilting Patterns.

Oh where have I been?

The time has flown and to quote one of my favourite book titles - 'The Days Are Just Packed'.

I have been quilting LOTS and working and cleaning and cooking and at times not even been here.

We even went to a PARTY.

On the way home we stopped and spent some time just being on Sullivan's Rock, which I might add was still cold to sit on. The people are saying that spring here, well it hasn't penetrated Sullivan Rock yet.

The younger sweeties were buzzing after their weekend and as I couldn't contemplate another 45minutes with them in the car with that amount of energy, and that volume, we stopped and gave them a run. There is nothing harder trying to drive when tired and there is a youth fest in the back of the car. Hang it all, just stop and let them run. My mother had many sayings and one of them was 'that it was better to arrive..............' Mum never completed the phrase when she used it, it was always left unsaid and somehow more poignant for it.

The air is very special on those rocks, very cleansing and uplifting.

We then all piled into the car and arrived home.

I was just thinking that it was rather squashed in the back of the car, where they were and there was a roll of batting in the back as well. We do have a station wagon, albeit what they call a 'tourer', however we had to put one of the back seats down to fit the roll in and they were sitting cheek by jowl. Within poking distance of one another. Hmmmm, how boys like to poke and laugh and be happy.