Bloggers Quilt Festival

Bloggers Quilt Festival number 4 organised by Amy of Amy's Creative Side has brought me in contact with quilters everywhere. Thank you Amy for hosting such a wonderful event.

I am posting for the first time thanks to one of my favorite fans. Otherwise known as grandson.

Great excitement was expressed while scrolling through photos. My 4 year old grand son was perched on the arm of the lounge (sofa) looking on. He squealed,planted a big sloppy kiss on the computer screen and announced proudly." That's my Blankie."The evening group of women I quilted with in Bathurst at the time wanted to make a mystery quilt. I searched the net and found this pattern. Many of the quilters were just beginning and rotary cutting was a must. I made a half size version knowing there was a 2nd grandchild on the way.

No soft pale colors for my daughter so I was free to use fabrics from my stash. The only supplementing I did was a couple pieces of bright green. I machine quilted it on the diagonal, nothing fancy. The quilt was intended to go from cot (crib) to bed and the washing machine.

I was going to have to purchase binding fabric ....there was nothing long enough left . The day I had the quilt with me and intended to lash out for binding one of the gals from Bathurst Flying Geese quilters piled the table high having culled her stash. Swooping by I snatched the piece of fabric that matched one I had used. The unwanted yardage partnered with my remaining scraps was enough to complete the quilt.

Yahoo!

The blankie is well loved.

Under the sheet when the big bed is made.

Drug to the lounge room for comfort and warmth.

Packed in the car for the hour drive home after the olds watch All Blacks (New Zealand) vs Wallabies (Australia) play Test Rugby.

I know why I quilt. My quilts are the hugs I give to everyone who sleeps under them.

I have no doubt my grandson is well hugged.

I shall be visiting the festival over the week. Plan on stopping by to say Hi.

Roses for Afternoon Tea

Roses Roses and more.

The quirky tea cosie was instigated by Nat.

She knitted a couple for friends using recycled wool. My version uses leftovers from DD's knitting. The roses and leaves are knitted from spinning and dying experiments. The samples from early spinning are borderlester. A strong wool easily spun. It has a luster that dyes well.

Recent spinning was merino tops finer spun and softer result.Tweed leaves were an experiment in solar dying. I spun the wool after dying the tops so variations of color blended . I like the incidental accidents.


The pink roses were dye with conchonel .

Very deep purple was logwood.



Knitting this quirky tea cosie was just pure fun.

I didn't need it. We're coffee drinkers.



It gave me a bit of a challenge and I enjoyed the sculptural qualities of the project.

Thanks Nat for posting yours.

Dear Friends enjoy your week and all your endevors. Terry

Flowers and Shopping

These are my Wednesday flowers.

The hexagon flowers and butterfly are my creations . The beautiful roses are Mother Nature and DH's doing.

The butterfly is 2/3rd's of a fussy cut flower that looks so real I couldn't resist landing it in the roses. An unexpected vacancy at quilt camp provided 3 peaceful days on the Hawksbury River.

A few 4" nine patch blocks made from the remains of a charm pack.

I'm not sure what I will do with them but something usually comes along.


Speaking of things coming along a visiting shop had a port (school bag) full of fat 8ths. I couldn't resist for some more flowers.




More shopping. OP Shop visits came up with a linen shirt to remake, a hand embroidered dollie to repurpoes and a roll of 2" cotton tape with the 1/4" already pressed.

All these treasures for only $6.

Dear Friends I must tell you all that we are very fortunate to have our craft. The past few weeks have been difficult health wise for me. Lots of sitting in doctors offices at least I can cover hexies even when concerned. At night I've come to visit all of you in blogland. Quilt Camp turned up. to distract me while waiting for test results. And of course you were all out there doing stuff and providing me with something nice to see and talk about. I thank you all.

Even though I feel a bit like The Patchwork Girl of OZ the results are good. I pick up my hearing aides next Monday with the promise that over time I will have more energy. A tripling of thyroid meds and therapeutic use of panadol have already increased my energy and decreased my joint and back pains. They tell me it will take 6 weeks to reach maximum CAN'T WAIT. Best of all the heart doctor says not palpitation just extra beats which are normal well for me anyway.

Take lots of fish oil and try gluten free diet. I am and it seems I'm sleeping better ect.

SO bring on Christmas I'm actually beginning to think about what I might make for friends and with the promise of all this new energy I just might get some things made.

Once again thanks for being out there.

Huggs Terry

Mid-week Lunch Treat

Wednesday is flower day so here are my flowers for the week.

I've been experimenting with fussy cutting. The flower on the top right is my favorite of this group.Exotic places? Well no just a short drive to another suburb. Cabramatta is a 30 minute drive for lunch. DH and I decided it was time for some Vietnamese quesine. The nice thing about Sydney is the diversity of ethnic food. Wayne and I visited Vietnam in 2002 and now we are able to enjoy the real thing in suburban Sydney.

The shopping mall with lanterns and lions. Just another day in Cabaramatta.

Lunch was delicious.

Green paw paw salad in the background and fresh spring rolls in front.

Choose a sauce and join me .

Som Tom or paw paw salad is my favorite. Crisp and fresh with lots of mint and chille.

Thankyou for joining me on an unexpected adventure . Happy stitching

Terry

Weekend's Gardening

It's Labor Day or Long Weekend in N.S.W. The weather's warm enough to garden. My plan for the weekend is to do just that.

Oh! and watch the A.F.L. Grand Finale.Thank you DH

My purchases from the garden shop yesterday. A few herbs for salads and petunias for some hanging pots.

My favourite type of gardening. Nat's adventures inspired me to take a stab at this lovely knitted garden. All the flowers and leaves are dying experiments from my hand spun wool. I did some of the dying in the 80's and some this century. ha ha The stripy leaves do not have black spot they are just experiments in sun dying tops before spinning and plying.

GS asked me who I was knitting a beanie for? I explained it was called a tea cosie to keep tea warm in a tea pot. Later the same day when DGD asked what I was knitting he responded "It's for she's cup a tea" guess that says it all.

Enjoy whatever your doing this weekend and have a good week

Terry