Chamomile

The strips to make "Chamomile" (designed by Allison Jensen, @woodberry_way) were cut out a while ago and I started sewing up blocks in early September.  This is a great design when a quilt is needed in a hurry and I was so pleased to be able to make it using only fabrics from my stash, except for the backing (so that's ok).

Lots of pretty low volume fabrics and favourite FigTree & Co fabrics for the sashings, binding and posts.

I love Baptist Fan quilting and it looks so pretty on this quilt.

Sewing

I've visited Karen a few times to pick up quilts lately and it's hard to leave without "shopping in her cupboards".  Last visit I bought some Bonnie and Camille fabrics for quilt backings.

Had a few bindings to sew on.

as well as the scrappy sampler binding.  Mum is stitching down the bindings on "Little Chicken Feather" and "Christmas Cheer" and I'm yet to start on the other two.  I've been a bit busy with other sewing and socialising.

The Hawks played on Monday night and had a win (just), which was great for the home crowd.  There's another game tonight, so we're hoping for another win, especially because it's Robyn's birthday.  On Tuesday nights I go to trivia with friends at a local club - it's always a fun time and uses the brain cells.

During the week I sewed up the last "Sweet Escape" blocks.  I've put these aside for a while because I'm not ready to tackle the layout just yet.

I have a box containing fabrics already cut out ready to sew into blocks/quilts.  "Basket Case" has been cut out for a couple of months, so I started sewing up some "Basket Case" blocks.

These blocks, along with "Sweet Escape" are good blocks to sew while catching up on a tv show or listening to music.

Saturday morning there was lots of house cleaning, although in some parts it doesn't look like it - lots of dust everywhere from all the sanding, and then I went to meet up with the Stitching Girls at Rhonda's in the afternoon.  So nice to just sit, drink tea, eat cake and chat (and do a bit of knitting).

Sunday I had decided would be spent in The Pink Room.  It was time to make the Little Sweetheart's pre-school dresses using the fabric we bought on our holiday in Cairns.

A few hours of cutting out then I was ready to start sewing.  Two dresses and a pair of shorts for Little Sweetheart

and a t-shirt for Auntie Jenni.

Sewing with knit fabrics is so quick and easy.  "Space People", what she calls "Star Wars", and "Frozen" still to sew up for her and there's a couple of t-shirts cut out for Gulli and Baby Sweetheart in there as well.

Mum has finished stitching down the binding on "Little Chicken Feather" so now I have to find the label I stitched a few weeks ago - it's somewhere in The Pink Room.  Maybe I'll just give it to Baby Sweetheart as is and stitch on the label when I find it.

Catching Up

Elizabeth's birthday lunch was so lovely.  Jenni, Mum and I decorated the table with vases of sunflowers, balloons and photos of Elizabeth from a newborn to almost 40.

Elizabeth requested a baked ricotta cheesecake with fresh canneloni on top for her birthday cake - Matt did very well organising this - it was delicious.

Two days later Elizabeth, Matt, the two Sweethearts and I headed off on holiday to Cairns for 10 days.

Last time I was up north we stayed in Port Douglas - it was nice to be in Cairns this time and spend time there visiting Green Island, a couple of water parks, The Lagoon and Kuranda.  I caught the train home - wasn't game enough to take the cable car up to Kuranda.

Such beautiful carriages with pressed tin ceilings.

Little Sweetheart loves to wear dresses and needs some for summer and pre-school, so we visited the local Spotlight - it's a lovely shop - such a huge variety of fabrics.

Of course, she had her heart set on Elsa fabric and luckily there was some in stock.  She also loves My Little Pony and Space People.

We ate lots of lovely seafood at home and at a couple of great cafes/restaurants.

Someone was suffering a bit of an identity crisis on the way home:  Wonder Woman/Moana.

I was able to put together the Sampler Quilt before I went away.

After the holiday, I had a few more days off before coming back to work and pretty much all of Friday was spent in the sewing room adding borders to the Sampler Quilt, making backing and binding

and then sewing together the "Christmas Cheer" rows, my 2019 Bonnie and Camille Aussie Beehive Quilt.

The backing:

So happy with how "Christmas Cheer" has turned out - looking forward to having it on my bed this Christmas.

Mum, her friend Nora and I went to see "Ride Like a Girl" on Saturday afternoon - second time I've seen it because Mum couldn't come the first time.  Really enjoyed watching it again - love a good Australian story.

After the movie I dropped off "Christmas Cheer" and the Sampler Quilt to Karen.  On Monday, I saw via Instagram and Facebook that she was quilting "Chamomile"

and yesterday she quilted the Sampler Quilt.

I picked them both up last night and they are now awaiting binding.

On Sunday morning I finally got around to pin basting the littlest Sweetheart's quilt.  Running a bit late with this one - he's now 7-1/2 months old.

Sunday afternoon was The Hawks basketball team's first home game of the season.  Michael, Peta and Gulli were able to come along with me and The Girls and we all had a great time, even though The Hawks lost.  Now that MP&G are now living locally, they'll be able to come along to lots of games.

Sunday night I did the vertical quilting on "Little Chicken Feather".  I'll get to the horizontal quilting maybe next Sunday night.

I've also been plodding along with some "Sweet Escape" blocks - at first they were driving me nuts as the centres were a bit off kilter but they're going alright now.

Halfway with this one now.

Last year for Christmas, Jenni and Kurt told me they would paint my front entry way.  This is starting this weekend.  A trip to Bunnings to buy paint also resulted in a tin of jelly beans because I bought 8 litres of Dulux paint - hope they're nice jelly beans.

"Chamomile" quilt top is together and with Karen for some quilting.

The backing was a nice find at my local HobbySew shop and the binding is the same fabric as the sashing in the quilt top.

This week I've been working on my second Sampler Quilt, which is made up of a block from each quilt I've started this year plus blocks made for the Aussie Bonnie & Camille Bee.

"Lemon Meringue", Coriander Quilts

"Shining Brightly", Thimble Blossoms

"Basket Case", Cluck, Cluck, Sew

The lower half of the Sampler Quilt is together - it's fun making the jigsaw puzzle of blocks fit and working out the sizes for filler blocks.

The Eisteddfod finished on Saturday for another year.  On Sunday Mum, her friend Nora and I went to see "Downton Abbey" - LOVED it and am looking forward to seeing it again very soon with Elizabeth.

Tonight, along with some friends, I'm going to a fund-raiser screening of "Ride Like a Girl" - think I'll enjoy this movie too.

Earlier this week I finished off something that was started in 1996 and worked on during much of that year and 1997.  I'm embarrassed to say it took me all of 30 minutes to do the couching stitches on the gold threads.

Saturday is a big day for our family.  Our eldest baby, Elizabeth, is turning 40.  What a fabulous, wonderful 40 years!

So Little Time

Not much sewing time last week due to work, my hectic social life and weekends at the eisteddfod.  Next Saturday to go and the eisteddfod will be over for another year.

I've started sewing "Chamomile" blocks together - so happy with how this quilt is looking.  So thrilled I have enough of the coral to make the little nine patches - the colour looks so pretty with the sashing print.  The sashing print is directional so I'm being very careful to cut the strips with the little rose bouquets facing the correct way.

There will be a white outer border and I have just enough of the green floral sashing fabric to use for binding.

I went to see a local production of "Mamma Mia" on Saturday night - it was SO good.  Can't go wrong with ABBA music, wonderful performers and a fun script.

Picked up our season passes for the basketball this morning - the whole city is so excited about the upcoming season and can't wait for the first game on 6 October.  A great team this year, including a superstar young player who could well be next year's No 1 Draft Pick for the NBA.

Stitching with the girls tonight - haven't had a catch up for a while.  Mum and I are hoping to see the new "Downton Abbey" movie next Sunday.