Quick Post

Just a short one from me today. As a card carrying control freak I don't usually buy wild and colourful fabrics...they are usually of a particular colourway. So this months Rainbow Scrap Challenge was indeed a challenge for me. It was multicolured fabrics.
Anyhoo! This is my April offering...birdies turn this month.

One more little GJ stitchery done....

And I am exercising my brain with a 2nd block in Vases of Flowers.....a little progress.

Lovely pomegranates to come.

Ok I must fly....as I am doing a little of this today....with special friends.

Namaste And Blessings Michelle Xxx 

Stitchery-a-thon

Happy Monday folks. I am enjoying a very nice cool morning....sunshine and a light breeze and bird calls all around me...my kind of start to the day. Coffee is on its way.
A quiet weekend at home is what I fancied and what I achieved this past weekend.  I pulled a weed here and there, watered the garden but mostly sat and stitched. I haven't worked on any stitchery for a while until recently. So I stitched up a storm.
3 more letters were finished in my Country at Heart Alphabet....S....T....U

2 little teeny blocks from Gardener's Journal were stitched as well.

Yesterday Mr. R. had a watching sport type date so I cosied down in my chair and watched "How to Make an American Quilt ". I had recorded it for just this type of occassion. I  do love that movie. Although I still cringe when Winona Ryder drags that beautiful quilt through the dirt......I still shout..."pick the end of that quilt up girl! " Lol! Whilst watching I traced out all the remaining blocks for GJ....

So there is no turning back now! "Quiet " may not be everyone's cup of tea but often it is definitely mine.

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx

The Old and the New!

I have continued on my quest to keep working on my UFOs and completed "R"

From my Country at Heart Alphabet pattern.

I have friends who have already finished theirs so it has languished long enough....
"S" is very close to being finished also.
Because I was sooooo good at sticking with my Baltimore  and getting the top completed, I have given myself permission to finally begin Vases of Flowers by Yoko Saito. I have been hanging out to start. This is block one.

It is taking me a wee while to get my head around the understated colourway but I like how it turned out....it is certainly taking a bit of concentration as well.
Block one of Gardener's Journal is also stitched. I know its a little one but begun is half done as the saying goes!

Yesterday I went on a bit of a road trip to see my friend FIONA from BubzRugz  I had lovely company on the journey from another friend SUSAN from Susan's Sewing Space

 So I actually got to stitch a long in person with Fiona on our Gardener's Journal blocks. We had a very nice day...coffee and caking and a whole lot of chatting.
Time goes by far too quickly when you are with lovely friends.
Fiona and I were playing around with my tablet trying to achieve that Hollywood look with our photo..... not sure what we got lol! Thanks girls for a fun day xx

I am trying to clear out some cupboards having done one earlier in the week, I tackled another this morning.....so I am off to the charity bin as the back seat in the car is now full. AND THEN.....some quiet stitching!

I wish you a lovely weekend.

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx

The Same but Different

Yesterday I was lucky enough to catch up with my friend LIZ from Village Quilters in town to visit family.

We had delicious coffee and cake at a quaint little coffee shop close by....I just loved the gorgeous vintage mirrors and chandeliers. Cake also came on vintage plates...luvverly!

It was great to chat face to face. Even though SE Queensland has not been a particularly pleasant hostess with recent weather! I was very happy we could still get together despite it.

The other exciting thing was that Liz had been making my Cherries and Chocolate quilt design featured earlier in the year in Homespun magazine.

And she bought her version to show me. Liz has made hers in wonderful pieces from her stash and is very different to mine....it has a beautiful Retro feel....

Liz peeking over her quilt lol!

It never ceases to amaze me how you can take a design and through your own fabric and colour choices make a quilt your own....the same but different! I am always humbled when others like my design enough to make one of their own.

So nice to see friends from so far away. Safe travels Liz xx

Certain plants in my garden have decided to ignore the weather and bloom their heads off. My Cooktown Orchids have gone crazy!

I have a darker variety and it was not going to be left out...

I was even surprised by a blue ginger which I had grown from a friends cutting quite a number of years ago.  It has never flowered before.....

Those little buds have now opened into teeny little flowers.

I love when my "look after yourself" garden surprises me this way.

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx 

Pears and Plates

I am very excited to be featured in the April issue of Homespun magazine with my quilt Pears and Plates. I really enjoyed all the components of making this quilt.

Talented friend FIONA from BubzRugz quilted it for me.....I was so thrilled with it.

It is  so nice to finally reveal it to you all now....and you thought I hadn't been doing anything lol!

I really hope you enjoy making it if you choose to as much as I did.

Before I close I just wanted to express how proud I am of our Son and family and friends who have helped Lucas exceed his fund raising goal in the Longest Melanoma March from $1,000 to $3,000. Thank you so much for your support.

On the weekend my Son and DIL travelled down to Sydney to once again walk with Jay Allen and accompany him on the last 17 kms of his 1200km journey in 29 days from Brisbane. 

Our very lovely DIL Cara....such an amazing and loving support to our Son.

Met other folks in the same situation. ....Luke Lewis...Cronulla Sharks footy player...Melanoma doesn't discriminate!

Lucas with the very inspirational Jay Allen....who raised an incredible  $217,000 from the March.

Without these crucial funds being raised our Son wouldn't have had access to life saving new drugs. 

So grateful!
Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx 

The Longest UFO!

Did you hear that huge sigh***** It was yours truly because...finally all the corners are done on my Baltimore Quilt borders.....

The swags and hearts are all appliqued in place...

And I have a completed quilt top! Woohoo!

This project has been going on for YEARS! I began in 2006. The designs are from Pat Weir-Smith and I love them still. Do you have a little list of blocks you would just love to do? I always wanted to stitch the Baltimore Basket Block with the little Album.
So glad I got to tick that off my special little list! Even stitched a little wattle for the Aussie flavour.

Having said that, there is a big fat fib contained within that little fabric book.

In 2012 I got all enthusiastic and was so certain of completing it I put a finish date in the little book..lol! I am definitely NOT redoing my booklet so I guess an explanation will have to go on a label on the back. One must not get ahead of oneself!
I have decided to hand quilt this one and I am not making any predictions of a finish date!
I have a half finished orphan block leftover from this undertaking.

I love it too much to waste it, so I am going to complete it and as I still have some background fabric left I am going to build a quilt around this block.
All that quiet stitching time was thanks to Cyclone Debbie. Thankfully we are high and dry and no damage. My beloved Jacaranda didn't fare well. A huge limb cracked, split and fell!

Easily cleaned up with a bit of muscle work but with closer inspection we discovered it really needs to come down for safety reasons. In the big picture nothing really.
I hope all of fellow Queenslanders  have emerged unscathed and my heart goes out to those who have not.
Please continue to take care out there.
Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx

Two Happy Stitchers

Yesterday my stitching friends met up at our friend Kays place. It was almost a full house. My friend Lorel has been my partner in crime during the Splendid Sampler Challenge.

I got to see Lorels beautiful version yesterday for the first time. Lorel did a mammoth effort completing all 100 blocks plus all the bonus blocks...hence the size discrepancy lol! The dilemma was how to photograph them together as they are quite big.....clever Kay had us hang over the verandah while she photographed us from below.

We are two very happy stitchers indeed. It was so very nice to stitch this together.
It was a lovely day. Chatting, some stitching and delicious food...bonus was lots of licks and cuddles from a brand new fur baby in residence. Thanks Paparazzi Kay xx
Well folks today it is bucketing down....Tropical Cyclone Debbie has decided to drop by with some torrential rain!

We have large wet moving puddles everywhere and it is apparently not letting up anytime soon.

All our schools in SE Queensland have been closed due to the very hazardous conditions. Lots of flooding everywhere. So no venturing out here today. Staying put! Cooking a big pot of chicken and vegie soup and stitching.
Yoga done this morning and walking will have to be in house today.
Please stay safe family and friends.

Namaste and Blessings Michelle xxx