Just Scraped In

My friend Lorel and I joined the Rainbow Scrap Challenge over at So Scappy again this year. We decided to add to our blocks from last year's with 4 patches with a touch of applique. January's colour was PURPLE. I really did scoot in my the skin of my teeth. Here is January!

We are going to alternate butterflies and birds.
Brinton Hall is moving slowly along with all my hexie crowns sewn and awaiting applique on to their special fabric.

LOTS of hexies in this project....just as well I like them.
I made a token gesture towards my huge pile of outstanding Splendid Sampler blocks and traced out Lynette Andersons cute block...

On a completely different tack, I wanted to share a little piece of news that has me both thrilled and terrified equally. I began the year with the news that I had been accepted as a member of the Queensland Wildlife Artist's Society Incorporated.

I had to submit some pieces of my artwork and you may remember mentioning that I was working on some special projects last year....these were my pieces.

I am so looking forward to being further inspired by these amazing artists. Also learning more about one of my passions....our amazing wildlife and the natural world.
Thank goodness I am also a quilter I am going to need the quiet meditation of stitching to calm the nerves and excitement.
Thanks to all you lovely people for being so kind and encouraging when I have shared my scribblings xx

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx 

Finished!

Yesterday was Australia Day here down under. We chose to celebrate quietly and I had a good old read and finished the binding on a special and personal quilt to me.
Remembering Roma!

I just know my Grandmother would have loved it and I enjoyed adding little things that bought her to mind....like pink carnations which were her favourite flowers, a fan she always had in her bag for church...strawberries for her delicious jam, birds which she loved, English paper piecing as she married an Englishman, to name a few.

My quilt was beautifully quilted by my dear friend FIONA of BubzRugz which added an extra pinch of 'special'. Most of the fabrics are from my French General stash.
It's nice to have it finished because I can now concentrate on my other UFOs.
Today was stitching day with friends and Theresa made us feel right at home and we had our tea/coffee out of her beautiful teacups....went very nicely with our scones, jam and cream. We actually did stitch amongst lots of chat!
I worked on Brinton Hall  (next on the list) I was pleased to get one hexie crown done and half another.

A lovely day! I  came home to showers which the garden was very pleased about.

As this post was in part about my Grandmother I shall leave you with one of her favourite quotes.

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx

In a Bind...

I have been avoiding getting some finishing off jobs done because the air con doesn't reach my sewing cave very well....but...today I got up early and got those loose ends tied up! Lots of binding sewn on.
Remembering Roma was first.

Next a new pattern I am working on....have been for a while! Hopefully not tooo much longer folks!

Feels good to have that bit done. Now I can sit in the air con and stitch all that binding down.

I have got a sinusey coldy thingy.....too much partying I think recently! Anyway, until today haven't felt like doing too much after art class so I have just been quietly basting hexies for Brinton Hall. I nearly have enough for all the crowns in the first round.

I am basting them people.....I know it will take me forever but I failed gluing! Nope! Not a fan! Sigh! See dinosuar thinking is not extinct lol!

On a completely different note...
I have the sweetest Aunt and I visit her whenever I am able. I have loved her for as long as I  can remember. Soft of voice, quick to smile and a wonderful sense of humour. We also share a love of the critters in our natural world. I love spending time with her. Recently on a visit she gave me a little box of family treasures.....from my Grandmother. She wanted me to have them. When I peeked inside.....ohh!
Two more little chintz china demetasse cups to go with the one my Mum gave me....love them so much....and then there were three!

This one bought a tear or two....

It came from my Grandmother's dressing table, where it always sat holding her rings.

Not worth a Kings Ransom to others  but priceless to me. Beautiful memories.

I don't know where my sentimentality comes from but I can't be any different.

Enjoy the rest of your day.

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx 

I am Back!

I have had a very busy time of late...family visitors and Grandie minding. So I was very happy to take time out on our Sunshine Coast...

It doesn't look very sparkly in these photos but a storm was building...very relaxing to dip my toes and have an ocean stroll.
We had another agenda...

To surprise a dear friend on his special birthday. Here he is with his beloved girls...

These 3 have been mates since we were all young and beautiful  (Mr. R. on the left)
Mrs Birthday Boy arranged for 11 of us to spend the weekend together in this huge house! We ate out...delicious seafood, barbecued...ate cake and other treats!

We had a wonderful time together! Laughed ourselves silly....so nice to have such history and memories with old and dear friends.
We took the long way home and popped in to visit my bestie Ann. I come home with a lovely gift of Ann's beautiful cards. I thought I would share them with you.

Aren't they pretty...Ann makes gorgeous  cards... I cannot pick a favourite! I will find these very difficult to give away!

Stitching wise I have my teeny hexies appliqued on their background blocks...

and I cut out another hexie crown for my Brinton Hall quilt ready to baste.

Last but not least, I finished drawing my Major Mitchell Cockatoo. They are such pretty birds...really happy with how he turned out.

Oh dear! Chores await as they do....and then definitely an early night.

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx 

A Quilty Post

As we head through January after our end of year breaks, we have a series of little fresh starts....meeting up with friends again is just one.
Yesterday I had a lovely morning with friends to stitch......made a new friend, Sarah too.

Our dear friend Jan was our hostess and provided us with a beautiful cool space to work and delicious morning tea. Jan escaped my camera but I did get permission to share 2 of her works in progress.

Jan like a lot of you has been working on the 365 day challenge.....

This quilt is so rich looking with it's chocolates and tans and creams (no pun intended ) I find this quilt mind boggling....such intricately pieced little blocks! Amazing Jan!

The other is a half hexagon quilt and the effect is wonderful. Thanks for sharing x

Robyn was finishing off a late Christmas project...or she is early for this year lol!

So very cute and those  little stars are perfectly pieced.

Theresa is trying to pretend she is not in the photo lol!

I worked on my clamshells and managed to get a few more basted.

Robyn spoiled us all with gifties from her Tassie trip. I have no idea why she thought that I would like this tin?

Ohhh isn't it the dearest thing...love it...and the fudge is still intact!

So lovely to catch up....big birthday hugs too Monica xxx

It was a nice start to the year to have a project in the January issue of

I loved creating Cherries and Chocolate! It contains some of my favourite things...fabric from friends, birdies, hexagons, a bit of red work, applique and was beautifully quilted by my lovely friend FIONA FROM BUBZRUGZ

It is a happy,  joyful quilt for me. I hope you really enjoy it if you choose to stitch it too.

Time for coffee for me.
I wish you a lovely day....stay cool or warm depending on your Hemipshere.

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx

Number 9 is finished folks.....yes!

Sashing and border fabric chosen.......and then on to the 4 x 17 appliqued tabs on the borders.
It was a stinker here today, so after gathering some supplies from the grocery store and a refreshing and reviving swim, I parked myself under the aircon and disappeared between the pages of the 3rd book in the Trilogy I have been reading.

Bliss! There is definitely magic in curling up with a great book!

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx

Waiting in the Wings

While others are toting up their unfinished projects, I am preparing for a new one. I have admired this quilt from afar for quite a while. However my fate was sealed when lovely HELEN from Helen's Patchwork Passion came to Queensland for a visit and bought her gorgeous version with her. Watching her hand quilting it and seeing it up close and personal blew my last remnant of resolve out the window!
The quilt? Yoko Saito's Vase of Flowers quilt  from her Floral Beauty book.

I gathered fabrics on my trip down south....I want it a tad brighter....photo doesn't show that in my fabric choices but they are.

And also some pretty threads.

Ordered the book before Christmas when I got home.

The book was held up so I was happy to just work away on my other projects....but now its here! It contains lots of beautiful projects as well. I know you all know this feeling.....I am itching to begin! Yikes!
I have read the pattern. The instructions for the quilt, even though I bought the English language version are meagre and sparse to put it lightly! So bit of a challenge ahead here. I  did decide the attraction for me was the applique and if I had to have simpler sashings to achieve a finished quilt I will do so. I do love this quilt!
It has in no way taken the shine off my Blessings quilt and the last block is coming along quite nicely....

Art has started back and one of my scribblings over the break I have decided to expand and take further....so new work in progress!

Another Major Mitchell Cockatoo down on paper. Love these beautiful birds. Someone asked me if I intended drawing anything other than critters and my response was....probably not lol! I  love critters, oh and the odd rose or flower.

So that's yours truly caught up for now.

I do so love these inspirational art works and thought I would share as for me it speaks to choices we make that give us joy and happiness.  Which need please nobody but ourselves.

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx