Hey Mum, look what I can do ...

This week, I learned to pin butterflies - real pins, real butterflies! My job at the moment involves curation & identification of all sorts of insects. So I have added the skill of pinning specimens to my rather eclectic list of achievements! Aren't you proud Mum?

Speaking of Mum, she is visiting at the moment. A quick visit to the patchwork store, some 3 Sisters 'Glace' charm packs on special, and a great pattern from Moda Bakeshop has yielded at least the beginnings of a table runner:

The plan is that it will grace Mum's dining table for family Christmas. The pattern is called 'Plates for your Table' and you can find it here. It is designed by Kim at bitty bits & pieces who has posted some great free patterns for Moda. We modified Kim's instructions to suit two charm packs, instead of using fat quarters.

And speaking of my work, I couldn't help but photograph these beautiful blooms outside my building.

It is Liriodendron tulipifera, or Tulip tree.

Annie Flowergarden has been showing us some gorgeous photos of her blossoming spring garden, which inspired me to snap these shots.

The centres of these flower cups are quite mesmerising. They look like there should be fairies living inside I think! Mind you, any fairy would be living a dangerous life outside my work. They would probably get frozen, pinned, classified & archived for posterity!

Tidbits

Not a lot I can report on the stitching front right now. I am working on my next Moda Bakeshop tutorial, teaser below!

I have also managed to revisit my Dear Jane at long last, and put this solitary little block together over the weekend.

E5 Rising Sun

The rays are freezer paper foundation pieced and the circle needle-turn appliqued. So nice to see you again Jane!

Not so Grumpy

No more Little Miss Grumpy for me - the mail has come! You may (or may not!) remember this bag that I made for the SEWN giveaway some time ago?

Well, I entered it in the Amy Butler Midwest Modern competition way back in June. And blow me down, I was one of 15 lucky winners. My prize parcel arrived this week.

There are certain packages which should come with the following label:

WARNING - Considerable risk of hyperventilation upon opening.

This is one such package.

In the most generous of prizes, I received four of Amy Butler's newest patterns; 'The Liverpool', 'Sweet Harmony' bag, 'Field Bag' and a very cute Mini Dress/Top. All are delicious!

There was also a copy of Amy's recently released software which is a gorgeous package of 22 more projects for my 'to do' list! My favourite? This super cute floor cushion with my favourite of trims, pom poms.

And then there was fabric too!! Can you see why I was hyperventilating?!

Sandi Henderson has posted a great video interview with Amy Butler at the recent Quilt Market. You can watch it here, and see for yourself what an unassuming, gracious & genuinely sweet person Ms Butler is. I am very thankful for her generosity in offering up such an unbelievable prize.

You can see all the competition entries here, and the winning entries here.

(My Amy Butler obsession can be traced back, fairly and squarely, to the influence of Chookyblue. The first time I met her was over a little basket of bargain AB fat quarters. I spent a fun morning last weekend with the Chook, talking incessantly about gardening & quilting for the limited time we had).

Grumpy!

In a grump today, chained to the desk doing farm accounts. But, at least I have these sweethearts to keep me company, the first Lily of the Valley I have ever grown.

And then there's this little pile of stitcheries waiting patiently for me to make into quilt blocks, when the paperwork is done.

Things could be worse - I could be at Cadet Camp with my daughter hiking in the cold & the rain! Get some perspective Bloom!

Plus quelques roses de mon jardin

It seems I'm not the only 'rose-tragic' out there! Thank you for the many lovely comments on my last post. Because I promised, here are just a few more roses in bloom at my farm garden right now - I couldn't resist a little French title for this post considering so many of these roses are French Delbards!

'Henri Matisse'

Gorgeous soft red splashed with white paint strokes. Works beautifully with all my David Austins.

Released by Delbard 1995

'Camille Pissaro'
Another painterly rose, a real stunner, golden yellow, red striped
Released by Delbard 1996

'Citron Fraise'
A very pretty rose, ivory edged with raspberry.
Released by Delbard 1998

'France Libre'

Not sure if I will keep this one. It is an 'in your face' orange. I don't mind a soft burnt orange, but this screams at me a bit. I will keep him a little longer & see if he grows on me!

Released by Delbard 1995


'Le Reine Victoria'
Another amazing old rose, always laden with heavily cupped blooms.
Released Schwartz 1872


'Angel Face'
A cute, frilly lavender coloured rose.
Released by Swim & Weeks 1968


'Jumpin' Jack'
A low grower, with beautiful stamens on open blooms
Released 1997

Happy weekend everyone!
Bloom x

Ring-a-ring of roses

A relatively warm winter in Australia means the roses are out early. Yay! Here are some of mine from my farm garden. Perhaps you can smell them?

'Golden Celebration'

The most beautiful golden yellow blooms, deeply cupped & deliciously fragrant. One of my very favourites.

Released by David Austin 1992

'Falstaff'

Tightly packed double blooms can have 100 petals.

Released by David Austin 1999

'Seduction'

Gorgeous creamy ivory, tinged with pink. A 'must-have' rose, beautiful for cutting.

Released by Meilland 1999

'Reine des Violettes'

Beautiful deep pink, very double rose with an amazing damask fragrance.

Released by Mallet-Malet 1860!

'Moonbeam'

A really different rose, beautifully formed buds open to a frilled, stamen-laden bloom. I love this one too!

Released by David Austin 1983

'Pat Austin'

A real show stopper! The most wonderful shade of copper apricot, with a paler yellow reverse. Delicious!

Released by David Austin 1995, named for his wife.

'Double Delight'

An oldie but a goodie. Wonderful for cutting, the most intensely perfumed rose in my garden. I have a mass planting of this rose, either side of a path (see below), so that you can meander through them and ingest the scent - heavenly!

Released by Swim & Ellis 1977

Am I a rose-tragic? You betcha. More soon!

Sweet Menagerie

The second of my tutorials, 'Sweet Menagerie' is now up on Moda Bake Shop. Thank you to each and everyone who sent such encouraging messages about my last quilt. I was so excited!

This quilt is made from Tula Pink's cute new line called 'Hushabye'.

I couldn't resist another pieced backing! And Belinda Betts of Eucalypt Ridge Quilting worked her magic with her beautiful quilting. The quilting design is called Retro Feathers by Anne Bright.

Do let me know if you use my tutorial. I would love to see your interpretation. Enjoy! Bloom x

Blooming perfect!

I received something special in the post today. For absolutely no reason at all, except that she is thoughtful & kind, Liz at Luv 2 Cre8ate, sent me this.

She found this PERFECT ribbon during her shopping one day, and thought it was something I might be able to use - WOW! I have blogged about the amazing kindness & generosity of bloggers before, and so it continues. And if that wasn't enough, she sent some of her beautifully hand stamped & coloured cards. Thank you so much Liz for a wonderful surprise parcel - you made my day!

Mysteries solved & a birthday gift delivered

Thank you to everyone who left comments on my previous post identifying my mystery object as a button hook - how clever you all are - I know who to ask next time I have a mystery to solve! So it is used for buttoning the many tiny buttons on boots/corsets or gloves back at the turn of the 20th century, making it close to 100 years old. I feel very special to have it my possession.

Since I'm on the subject of tools to make dressing a more pleasurable experience (coincidentally!), I have been working on a little gift for my Mum's birthday.

The pattern is 'Dressy Hangers' by Marg Low, the fabrics are 'Darla' by Tanya Whelan.

I really love Marg Low's well-written patterns. She makes beautiful things. Be sure to check out her blog.

Making these hangers could easily become addictive. They require little fabric, and it is lots of fun putting combinations of fabrics together. Thought it would be great to make one for each of my children each year for Christmas, so that by the time they leave home, they will have a cute selection. Hmmm, so many ideas, so little time ... Have a great weekend!

Help! Do you know what this is?

I have inherited some vintage treasures from my Grandma's sewing box.

An old thread box, and many wonderful buttons, many still on their original cards.

But then there is this mysterious (to me!) tool. It is about 3.5 inches long.

If anyone knows what this tool is and how it is used, I would love to know!

Showtime!

I am drawing breath today after what seems to have been the busiest school term ever for my three kiddies. Term 3 at our school culminates in musical performances. I help out with the costume making which is great fun.

It is always such a privilege to work with the children & get to know them a little.

And of course, there is enormous satisfaction in sitting in the audience, enjoying the sea of colour and watching the whole show come together.

This year's musical was a Zorro inspired work, so lots of bright colours, sombreros & twirling skirts.

Rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb ...

Determined that no son of mine will leave home not being able to cook, I drag my 10-year-old, computer-and-lego-mad son kicking & screaming into the kitchen occasionally. Yesterday, he outdid himself!

Yummy rhubarb cake made from this delicious recipe. It doesn't take too long before he is admitting, "This is fun, Mum". His favourite bit is measuring out the ingredients & of course, consuming his creation. "Now, can I go back on the computer Mum"?!

Pom-pom poochie

You only get the chance to write a post title like that once! Monica over at The Happy Zombie has come up with an ingenious little bag made from three fat quarters. She has christened it 'The Poochie Bag'. Thanks so much Monica, perfect timing - I needed a cute little birthday something to make for one of my daughter's good friends.

The only alterations I made to Monica's Poochie pattern, are the addition of some white pom-poms, the smallest bit of gingham trim and some pellon. The fabric combination is entirely inspired by Monica - bright & cheerful!

I won't even attempt to explain why she has called it the Poochie Bag - read The Zombie's hilarious explanation here! If you've not read The Happy Zombie, pop over & visit. She is guaranteed to leave you in stitches & brighten your day!

Unfortunately, I can't give you any details about the fabrics I have used as I picked them up in a local furnishing store & there is no selvedge info.

And for Monica who is keen to know the contents of the bag ... a copy of Roald Dahl's 'The BFG' and the latest in accessory 'must haves' for eight-year-old Australian girlie's, a Smirk pencil case! A bright & happy weekend to all, Bloom.

The names people call me!

My excitement can hardly be contained as I write this post - and I'm not easily excited! Some months ago, the lovely Angela invited me to be a designer (DESIGNER, I SAY!!) for Moda Bake Shop. I know, get out of town! Could it be true? Had she accidently sent the email to the wrong person ...? Well no, the name 'Bloom' and the word 'designer' were used in the very same sentence!

Of course, there are very few people that I actually know in my 'real world' that have any understanding of how exciting this invitation was. Even my family think I'm a bit loony! So I am relying on you all to share the excitement with me, because I KNOW you will 'get it'!

This is my debut project for Moda Bake Shop, my 'Simply-a-Bloom' quilt. You can find the tutorial for this quilt here.

It is a single bed quilt, made from a layer cake of Bonnie & Camille's gorgeous 'Simple Abundance' range by Moda. It is very simple quilt, and to call it a 'design' is generous in the extreme - but I really love how it has turned out. I love the simplicity of it. And of course, it is perfect for using up all those beautiful layer cakes stacking up in the cupboard. I really think this pattern would work with any range of fabrics.

The quilt was quilted beautifully by Belinda Betts of Eucalypt Ridge Quilting, who I am fortunate to have living nearby. The quilting design incorporates blooms & birds and is called Aves b2b by Anne Bright.

In an ever-deepening love affair with pieced backings (Red Pepper Quilts is to blame!) I have pieced the back of this quilt. This meant that only the tiniest scraps of fabric remained from my layer cake.

I feel so honoured to have been asked to post for Moda Bake Shop. It has been great fun to 'dip my toes' in the big world of quilt designing without having to 'jump right in'. I now appreciate the work & time that it takes to write up pattern instructions!

Have fun with my tutorial, & let me know if ever you make up your own 'Simply-a-Bloom' quilt. And please remember to do a little happy dance with me to celebrate! Best wishes, Bloom.

A spot of card making

My sadly depleted stash of handmade cards has finally been replenished thanks to some newly purchased Heather Bailey papers.

This is one of my all-time favourite cards to make - quick, simple & all-purpose.

Another birthday party survived!

We put together an 8th birthday party for our youngest blossie this afternoon. She chose a red & white theme. All fifteen girlies came dressed in colour - very cute! I abandoned the single big cake idea & went with the ever-so-popular cupcake stack.

All credit for these little cakes goes to the excellent instructions in this book:

I'm not sure who had more fun - me making the cakes, or the girls devouring them!

Have a great weekend everyone.

Bloom x

The evolution of a garden

Eighteen months ago, we left our small farm and its garden that we grew over 10 years from a bare lucerne paddock. We still own the farm, and return as often as we can. I miss my farm garden terribly! Here it is in its 'glory days':

We purchased a house in a new estate in town, so that we could be closer to school for our children. This was the backyard when we moved in:

True to my name, it didn't take long before I was planning to set the yard 'a-bloom'! It has been a long, slow process, but yesterday I took photos of my first town garden blooms - quite momentous for me! This is Prunus 'Elvins' blossom.

I thought the gardeners of you out there might like to see some progress shots of our 'baby garden' over the last 18 months.

Step 1: Intall bore in backyard for water supply.

Step 2: Install garden shed - a critical step to keep husband (aka 'my garden slave') on side!

Step 3: Bring in some serious digging implements. We landscaped the yard into two levels at this point.

Step 4: Two levels in a garden necessitates the building of a retaining wall. All hands on deck for this job. Coerce children into some bricklaying - nothing like a bit of child labour!

Step 5: Get creative & mark out garden beds.

Step 6: Lay turf - at last some green, after months of moonscape.

Since the previous photo, we have painted the wall & planted lots of trees & roses.

As we wait impatiently for plants to burst into leaf & bloom, we can look back and at least see where we have been in the last year and a half. It is such fun to build garden - hard work, but fun!

So at last I have my very first blooms from our garden in town to share with you.

"The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies." - Gertrude Jekyll

"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in." - Greek proverb

"How sweet is the life of a gardener." - Bloom!

Feeling inadequate?

I have made a start on 'Sweet & Spotty' pattern by Cinderberry stitches, free pattern available here as part of Stitchers' Angel Project 2009.

The satin stitch is testing me out. I am eternally grateful to my mother & grandmother for instilling in me a desire to hand craft. But I have to say, they have also 'psyched' me out of a couple of significant life skills. As long as I can remember, I have been solemnly warned of the difficulty of baking a good sponge cake & mastering satin stitch. To this day, I've not been brave enough to tackle a sponge, and it is with much trepidation that I attempt this little design & all its satin stitched flowers. Wish me luck & do let me know if you have any inadequacies you can blame your forebears for!

Cot quilt finished

My Mum has been visiting & has finished her cot quilt for my niece. We traipsed all over the local botanic gardens to find the perfect spot to photograph it.

I had poor Mum climbing over hedges, battling branches & all but hanging from trees to get these photos. The things I make her do!

The quilt is made from Anna Griffin's 'Mackenzie' range by Windham Fabrics.

I really love the back of the quilt, borne of necessity as we didn't have enough backing fabric.

All folded & ready for delivery. Good job Mum!

Unfortunately, the reveal mentioned in my last tantalising post has been unavoidably delayed. Sorry to be such a tease! Circumstances beyond my control have meant a little more waiting.

On a deadline

No time to chat today. Stitch Bloom, stitch!

All will be revealed soon ...