Those Quilts!!

           Remember this little pile way back here?

Well some of them are off to the quilter tomorrow.

So l  thought l would show you them before,

and then again when my machine quilter has performed her magic on them.

The one on the left was using some four patches that l had made.

The one on the right was using some left over half square triangels that were just lying around.

 Then l played with these swap blocks from  an earlier swap with

Jo Mortons online stitching group.

These are all Jo Morton Fabrics.

Which one would you choose?

Come back tomorrow  and l will show you!!!

Thanks for visiting.

Linda.

Quilts In The Barn 2011

Only 4 weeks till this special event. Can't wait!!!!

Hope to see you there.

Many thanks to Jen for helping with the flyer.

Thanks for visiting,

Linda.

An Evening With Mary!!

l sent the word around.

 An evening with Mary.

Quilts, show and tell, wine and food.

What more could they ask for!!!! 

And come they did.

Some of the gathered crowd.



We even let some men come, but made them stay in the pantry.

After all, this was Women's Business!!!

Mary and Joe set up the quilts in the afternoon, and then when the

 girls were coming, we had the lights off till after dinner.

First up, Mary gave a talk about how she and Joe first started to buy and sell antiques.

She went on to talk about how she designs fabrics, using antique fabric for inspiration.

Then it was time to show us some of the quilts.

This one received the most attention.

It was placed on the floor for a closer examination. Mary said that in 40 years of buying,

selling and collecting quilts, she had only come across

10 examples of such wonderful Broderie Perse.

Time to check out what was for sale, and take a final photo of THAT quilt.

A very happy quilter with a new purchase. No getting that off her!!!

Finally, it was Mary's turn to take a seat and enjoy the

show and tell all the girls had brought. And we let a few men out of the pantry,

because they are good at holding up the quilts!!

Here is Bev with her Mary Manakee in progress.

Deb with her Poppy's Quilt, a design by Di Ford.

( l have this quilt started, its hiding in a box in my sewing room. Time to bring it out l think!! )

Meghan with her Sarah Morrell.

Dorothy with her  Phebe Quilt.

Di with a stunner!!

Carolyn and an antique from her collection.

Jill and one of her antique quilts.

This japanese beauty was made by Anne.

And so was this stunning quilt, made with all Australian fabrics.

Sandra, and her antique quilt bought on our trip to the states in 2009.

Finally, time for a group shot, then off home.

Thanks to everyone who came and made the evening such a wonderful success.

Come back next year Mary!!!!

More adventures to come.

Thanks for visiting.

Linda.

A week with Mary!!

One of the first outings we did was to take the girls ( and some men) up into the

Dandenongs. Of course, no visit to the Dandenongs is complete without a

visit to Miss Marples Tea Rooms. Here we are out the front.

Don't you love the Christmas in July decorations.

After visiting a few shops and stopping for more food, we headed to the

 Mt Dandenong Observatory, where we had an up close and personal

 meeting with a Kookaburra.  They are just the cutest of birds.

The sky was overcast, so no clear view of the city, but l liked how the sun rays

were shining through the clouds

No quilt related activities today, but plenty to come.

Thanks for visiting.

Linda.

Playing Catchup #2

The reason l had to be home the 23rd, was so l could be there to celebrate

my DD's special birthday the next day. My sister flew down from Brisbane,

and joined us for a weekend of celebration. We spent 2 days cooking,

and on the Sunday held a high tea party.

Some of the gathered guests, in their Sunday best, enjoying the food on offer.

Here is the birthday girl, ready to blow out her candles.

We also had some extra special guest's arrive during the afternoon.

On the left, Di Hall ( Ford) Nel Noonin, Mary Koval, and Petra Prins.

Nel and Petra own Den Haan & Wagenmakers in Amsterdam and Mary has a quilt shop

in Bedford P.A. and is well known for her antique quilts she sells and fabrics

she designs using antique fabric. 

The 3 of them made the trip to Australia, and had been in Sydney

for the quilt show, arriving at my place that afternoon.

l met all 3 at Houston last year, when l visited Festival with Di.

 Then l visited with Mary in March,

 when l went for the red and white exhibit.

Nel and Petra were to be house guests with Di for the week, and Mary and Joe Koval were

staying with me for their remaining time in Australia. We had plenty of

exciting adventures planned for them. l will be back with some of them soon!!!

Thanks for visiting.

Linda.

Playing Catchup!!

The last 5 weeks has been a roller coaster ride of emotions. From one end

 of the spectrum to the other. And after arranging, planning, cooking and

 hosting 5 various events in those 5 weeks, quite frankly, l am exhausted. 

So today l am going to play a little catch up and over the next few posts,

share some of the wonderful events that have happened during those 5 weeks.

      First up, the raffle quilt.

Here is a photo of the finished quilt. l took myself off into my sewing room

on a Sunday and emerged 8 hours later with the finished quilt. My girlfriend machine

 quilted it for me, and now l am ready to start selling raffle tickets.

 Can you spot your block?

 l want to send a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to post a block.

l just love this quilt, and am sure the winner of the raffle will too.

Then l went to Sydney for the Sydney Quilt show. Even till the last moment, l was having doubts as to whether l should go. l knew l needed some time out, but there was this ash cloud hanging around, and l HAD to be home on the 23rd June. l took the risk,  and was met at the airport by Liz, and we spent the day visiting 4 quilt shops. This one, Calico and Ivy was my favorite.

l was on a mission to find fabrics to make a quilt for my great niece, Harper. Her mum

had sent a photo of the motifs in her room, and armed with this,

the shopping was easy. Here is the pile of fabric l collected that day. 

l will make a start this weekend, and l want something that's pretty, but will last

much longer than just the baby years. There are a few ideas floating in my head.

The chocolate solid was bought just this week on a trip to the city.

What would you make if you had these fabrics?

Wednesday we headed to the show, and spent a great day shopping, visiting,

and buying a few odds and ends. The quilts were great, and some

 wonderful winners, but the rules have changed and l can't show any here.

 This is the link you can go to to see the winners. Don't forget to check

 out all the categories at the top of the page.

One person l finally had the chance to meet was Rachael.

l had the raffle quilt with me, and here we are with the fussy cut  block Rachael sent me.

The ash cloud lifted in time for my return trip. l would like to send a very grateful thanks

to Liz for the care she took of my during my brief visit.

Liz, it was just what the doctor ordered.

 l hope l can repay the hospitality some time.

Well, that's all for tonight.

Be back soon with lots more exciting adventures.

Thanks for visiting.

Linda.

A Very Special Day!!

l received an invite in the mail recently, inviting DH and myself to 

celebrate Di Ford's 60th  birthday with a High Tea Party.

After all the grief and heartache of the last few weeks, l was looking forward

 to spending some time with friends and celebrating a wonderful occasion.

Almost all the Secret Sewing Sisters were present, as well as scores of family.

Imagine our surprise, when the day became a Celebration of Marriage,

as well as Di's birthday. Unbeknown to all the guests, including Di's daughter,

they had arranged for a celebrant to join us during the afternoon,

to perform their wedding vows. Di and Brian have been together for

several years, and it was both a joy and delight to be present for this special day.

Here is the happy couple just after the ceremony.

Congratulations Di and Brian on a beautiful wedding,

 and thank you for the honor and privilege to be present,

as you begin the rest of your lives together.

3 cheers for the Bride and Groom!!!

Thanks for visiting,

Linda.