Bloom

Perhaps Jamie is a godsend after all!

2012-02-06T09:35:00.001+11:00

While having a 16-year-old daughter is not always plain sailing, we are reaping the benefits of her insatiable interest in learning to cook. High on her Christmas list was a copy of 'Jamie's 30-Minute Meals'.

She has decided that each Saturday she will cook us dinner from this book, as her way of relaxing and taking a break from study. She plans to do this all year - oooooh yeah!

Her debut meal for the year was 'soooo good': wonky summer pasta with herby salad (above), followed by pear drop tartlets (below). I'm not sure what I enjoyed more; the delicious food or not having to cook!

Jamie Oliver has obviously worked hard to deliver a 'cookbook with a difference' with '30-Minute Meals'. He gives instructions for for an entire meal, so that his method alternates step-wise between recipes for a main meal and a dessert. You can see what I'm talking about over at his website where he gives some sample recipes from the book.

The jury is still out as to whether they can indeed be cooked in 30 minutes. I suspect not, but the recipes are achievable, and based on Saturday night's performance, super tasty. Mmmmmm, a whole new reason to look forward to Saturdays for me :)

An explanation of sorts

2012-01-31T11:02:00.000+11:00

The manic gardening mother

2012-01-12T18:08:00.004+11:00

Happy 2012 to everyone, and what better way to welcome in a new year on Bloom than to share with you a most spectacular garden!

It seems the older I get, the lengthier my bucket list is becoming. However, our recent trip to Victoria saw me tick at least one wish off the list.

I have long wanted to visit Lambley Nursery near Ballarat in Victoria. For Australian gardeners, Lambley is well known as an exceptional example of dry climate gardening.

They specialise in perennial plants, sourced carefully from all over the world by owner David Glenn, and selected and propagated from his own personal collection.

The show garden is breathtakingly beautiful, and their use of perennials has always inspired me with my own gardening. I am still trying to emulate their stunning mixed perennial borders. There is a real art to achieving an balanced and harmonious border.

The gardens were full of interest, and colour packed, even in the midst of summer.

My addiction to salvias was fed nicely, with many difficult-to-find varieties.

The rare metallic blues of Oxford Blue Sea Holly (above) and Veitch’s Globe Flower (below), have long been on my list of 'must-have' plants.

An astonishing display of of Salvia nemorosa varieties lay beyond this gate.

This 35 metre long garden was planted for David Glenn's granddaughter Molly and features an avenue of Pyrus calleryana ‘Valiant’ underplanted with at least a dozen different Salvia nemorosa cultivars. (Note family sitting comatose with disinterest in distance).

This garden is an example of where gardening gets very clever. Evidently Molly's birthday is in August. Salvia is dormant and pruned to the ground at that time of year, so the entire garden is underplanted with thousands of Dutch crocus which flower in August just in time for Molly's birthday! Can you imagine?! I can only dream of that sort of clever consecutive planting in my garden!

As usual, I dragged my long suffering family around the gardens, boring them silly with what I knew about the plants. Here they are strolling up the agapanthus lined driveway, with Mount Fuji cherries planted as an avenue. It must be quite spectacular in the spring. In fact you can see photos of the avenue in its splendour here, and read the lovely story about how it was planted for another granddaughter, Lili.

Our garden visit took the usual turn, with the family searching out every available seat while I buzzed about manically taking photos, and ooohing and aaahing over plants and vistas!

The poor boy was particularly out of sorts as he had been hoping to get to mini golf after the garden visit. Such dejection! Yes, I felt badly about it, but came good the very next morning with 18 glorious holes of mini golf for him :) Poor precious!

Being in Victoria is horticultural heaven for me, with so many plant varieties that are unavailable in NSW. Thanks to Lambley, and my equally manic gardening friend Annie, I came home with many treasures which I'm now trying to keep alive until the intense heat of summer passes.

If you'd like to learn more about Lambley Nursery and David Glenn's dry climate gardening, you can visit his YouTube channel here.

My blooming best to you for Christmas

2011-12-25T22:05:00.002+11:00

In my travels, I found some blooms to share with you for Christmas.

The Botanic Gardens at Ballarat had some stunning seasonal displays resplendent in red and white.

There was also a collection of the most lovely fuchsias which remind me of tiny, colourful ballerinas, their long legs daintily dangling below ruffled tutus!

Because we have been busily travelling and visiting family, it has been trickier for me this year to focus on Christmas as the celebration of the birth of Christ.

But in church this morning, we sang 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing', as so many will have done this day, all over the world. The words of this hymn were written over 250 years ago by Charles Wesley and struck me afresh today, as they speak so richly of Jesus' birth and significance.

Hark the herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!

Peace on earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled"

Joyful, all ye nations rise

Join the triumph of the skies

With the angelic host proclaim:

"Christ is born in Bethlehem"

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

Christ by highest heav'n adored

Christ the everlasting Lord!

Late in time behold Him come

Offspring of a Virgin's womb

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see

Hail the incarnate Deity

Pleased as man with man to dwell

Jesus, our Emmanuel

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!

Hail the Son of Righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings

Ris'n with healing in His wings

Mild He lays His glory by

Born that man no more may die

Born to raise the sons of earth

Born to give them second birth

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

I hope you have a very happy Christmas with precious family and friends. With best wishes, Bloom x

A meeting of minds

2011-12-23T17:56:00.002+11:00

After a two week absence from the blog while we travelled about the countryside, I have so much news that I'm not sure what to post first. But the undisputed highlight of our travelling, for me, has been meeting up with some long-time favourite bloggers.

After jokes-a-plenty from my family about meeting my potentially axe-murdering cyber friends, they were relieved to find that Lenora of Lenora Jenkins Designs and Linda of Gum Vally Patchwork were, like me, both far too busy with fabric and stitching to consider serious harm to anyone!

We met at Linda's shop which has been meticulously and thoughtfully built from materials recycled from an old church.

It is a perfect setting to showcase her beautiful selection of fabrics ...

... with enticing bundles and bolts at every turn.

It was very special to see Linda's astonishing 'Dear Prudence' quilt, painstakingly constructed from teeny, tiny hexagons. It is a magnificent thing!

And Lenora's wonderful designs graced many of the walls, this aqua and red 'Ruby' one a particular favourite with my girls.

Flushed with confidence and enthusiasm for converting 'virtual' friends to 'real' ones, we then met up with Ric-Rac Jodie and Flower Garden Annie at a very hip little place called The Upholstery Gallery.

All photos are courtesy of The Upholstery Gallery website, as I was far too engaged in vital and stimulating conversation with Annie and Jodie to take photographs (or to spend money, much to my Sweetness' relief).

The Gallery was an Aladdin's cave of treasures which kept the kids exploring while we chatted.

Without exception, Lenora, Linda, Annie and Jodie each warmly welcomed me and my family, and we could all have talked fabric, stitching and gardening for days.

We shared coffee and stories and lots of laughs. Hours passed like minutes in their company! I left them all reluctantly, but in the firm knowledge that, even if limited by cyber connections, warm friendships can be forged and that the online loveliness of these women is only affirmed by actually meeting them!

Layer cakes and shortbread

2011-12-08T20:30:00.002+11:00

After working with Joanna Figueroa's 'Strawberry Fields' to make this quilt, I knew I would find her next line all but irresistible. Didn't I tell you?! And so a layer cake of 'California Girl' arrived today from the lovely Jane @ Want It, Need It, Quilt.

The colours are fresh and happy, and I love the brighter blue that is new for Fig Tree. I'm not sure how Joanna does it, but there is always a soft vintage feel about her designs, which reels me in every time.

Jane is generously giving away a 'California Girl' layer cake on her blog, 'Quilt Jane, Want It, Need It, Quilt'. Hop on over here to enter.

There has been a frenzy of creative activity in the house since the kids finished school. I will be back soon with some of their action.

In the meantime, I have been busy doing some Christmas cooking for friends. I stayed with two of my fail-safe recipes, rocky road and almond and white chocolate shortbreads. Packaged in cellophane bags with cute printable tags from Martha Stewart.

School is out

2011-12-03T19:19:00.004+11:00

It was Speech Day for our school today, and weeks of summer holidays lay ahead. Some will be spent busily travelling to spend Christmas with family. And lots of it will hopefully be spent at the farm, lazily recovering from a busy school year. Holidays mean a break for me from the routine of chasing about after kids, and time out to lose myself in my garden, and smell my roses which are always so beautiful across the summer. Here are some I snapped just this afternoon.

Golden stamens of the David Austin rose, 'Moonbeam'.

Strawberry pink of 'Triple Treat', a free rose given to me by Treloar's in appreciation for being such a good customer! Don't ask how much money I have spent with them over the years :)

The strong pink of 'Zephirine Drouhin', an old bourbon climber, first bred in France in 1868.

Delicate David Austin, 'Lichfield Angel', released in 2009.

French Delbard 'Soeur Emmanuelle', which has a notably spicy fragrance.

'Strawberry Hill', another David Austin is also strongly perfumed.

'Papi Delbard' has orange-pink tones, and is planted in our town garden as a climber in an attempt to cover the colourbond fences.

'Heidesommer' is a particular favourite of mine, and is a low grower. Creamy yellow buds open to sweet little white blooms, with golden stamen-laden centres.

And lastly, the stunning French Delbard, 'Camille Pissarro' which varies from soft yellow and pink (above), to stronger gold and cerise. Mmmmm, lovely!

Now if you are procrastinating about making a purchase in my shop, you have but 4 hours left to take advantage of discounted prices. From one procrastinator to another, feel free to spend up :) My sincere thanks to everyone who has kindly supported me by purchasing patterns. My fabric budget is looking a little healthier! Bloom x

Summer's Blush - a new quilt pattern

2011-11-30T23:01:00.007+11:00

My quilt that I have been making from Fig Tree's 'Strawberry Fields' range is finally bound and ready for snuggling under.

The weather has been dismally wet, and it has been tricky getting some good photos.

This quilt is the largest I've made, and fits our queen bed. After years of procrastinating over a quilt for our bed, I've finally produced the goods! And I am really happy with it. I love this Fig Tree line.

I pieced the backing since I had insufficient meterage of any fabric to back it in one. I pulled together all sorts fabric bits and joined them in strips.

I love how the back has come together, and it fortuitously makes the quilt virtually reversible!

I have called the quilt 'Summer's Blush'. The soft colours of the 'Strawberry Fields' fabrics reminds me of late summer, of freshly picked, warm strawberries, and full blown roses, faded to blush in a hot Australian sun.

I have written up a pattern for the quilt which is now available as a PDF download in the shop.

Pattern details

The quilt is constructed from a layer cake plus yardage for the sashings and borders. The layer cake was purchased from Jane at Want It, Need It, Quilt It. I have used a linen/cotton blend fabric for the nine-patch elements.

Quilt size: 93” x 93” (236cm x 236cm)

Block size: 16” finished

The pattern includes:
List of fabric requirements
Detailed cutting, layout and assembly instructions and diagrams
Helpful tips throughout
Binding instructions

The pattern is an 11-page 2.3MB downloadable and printable PDF document. There are more details available in the shop listing.

As a little pre-Christmas thank you to each of you who read my blog and leave universally encouraging comments, all patterns in my shop will be discounted to AU$7.00 for three days.

Pattern prices in the shop will return to AU$8.50 per pattern at 11pm AEST on Saturday 3rd of December.

I'm off to snuggle :)

Paper Kites and rain ... so much rain

2011-11-30T10:47:00.009+11:00

My find for this week is a gorgeous song called 'Bloom' (!) by The Paper Kites, an up-and-coming Indie band out of Melbourne.

If you enjoyed that one, then try 'Featherstone' - sweet film clip; watch it to the end!

And if you love them as much as I do, both songs are able to be downloaded free from this page @ Triple J Unearthed.

This music is soothing my mood today. Easy, sweet, comforting and a tad melancholy. The rain clouds are building again outside, casting a grey impending gloom. We have had SO MUCH rain. The crops are a disaster. Trying not to think about it.

My roses have been blown to the ground in the wind and rain, so I have been collecting them up, trimming the spent blooms and coercing the buds to open. These are the lovely David Austin, 'Strawberry Hill'.

I am pattern writing today and hope to be back later today with photos of my 'Strawberry Fields' quilt and a shop update.
Bloom x

Sixteen and stepping out in style

2011-11-29T10:00:00.003+11:00

How is it that 16-year-old girls today are SO beautiful and SO sophisticated? Here are some photos from my daughter's Year 10 Formal on Saturday. Lovely, lovely dresses - all short, but thankfully not as short as last years'! And with legs like theirs ...

The hairstyles were very pretty, lots of curls and up-dos.

And the shoes!! Oh my! Without exception, they were spectacularly high. Within about half an hour the groans set in, the hobbling started and complaints flew: "Why did I wear these shoes"? Seems their mothers were right, huh?! Just sayin'!

I grew up on a farm with three brothers, so I'm not that great with the 'girl stuff'. But I'm sure getting an education via my daughter and her friends! They were all astonishingly beautiful. I am still reeling and wondering where the last 16 years have gone :)

A class with Sarah Fielke

2011-11-23T11:59:00.005+11:00

I spent five glorious hours on Saturday at Patchwork Orange in a class with Sarah Fielke. We had a wonderful day that passed far too quickly, blissfully absorbing Sarah's knowledge, and talking about this, that and everything. We covered everything from needle threaders & thimbles, needleturn applique and hand-piecing to bullying, Japanese culture, and education in Brethren schools! Thank you to Lucy, the owner of Patchwork Orange for organising a great day.

A highlight of classes with Sarah is that she brings many of her divine quilts. I love seeing these quilts up close. They are even more stunning in real life!

On this trip, Sarah brought:

'The Night Garden', a beautiful little quilt, with light fabrics sparkling vibrantly across a deep blue and green background.

And the 'Wing and a Prayer' quilt. This quilt won the 'Best Reproduction Quilt Inspired by an Antique Quilt' award at the The Sydney Quilt Show in June 2011. It is technically excellent and visually stunning.

Sarah spoiled us with a peek at some pre-release fat quarters of her new fabric range, St Ives. It was very special to see this range before it hits the shops. The story behind this range is personal to Sarah, being a representation of many things from her childhood and a tribute to her mother. You can share the story at this post over at True Up. Oooh, and we each got to keep a little piece of St Ives to take home. This was my choice:

Sarah also brought her first quilt made from St Ives. This is 'Made in Cherry' and is available as a free pattern at Lecien. Sarah made four of these for Market, one in each colourway of her new range - impressive!

So did I actually do anything other than talk and drool over quilts? Well, no, not much. But I was keen to have Sarah show me how to hand-piece the block from her 'Jazz Hands' quilt.

I know I've sung Sarah's praises before, but I feel I need to do it again. She is a most inspiring quilter, with a brilliant knack for paying homage to traditional quilt designs, while catapulting them into the 21st century with her unique and fun flair. She is wonderfully generous with her knowledge. And for the quilting superstar that she is, she is so refreshingly understated about her work and achievements. Hmmm, this is starting to sound like a school report comment :)
Signed: Ms Bloom x

Marally workshop

2011-11-18T09:09:00.099+11:00

I had the pleasure (yes, pleasure!) of teaching my first ever workshop yesterday at Marally Craft.

As you all assured me, there was absolutely nothing to worry about, the girls were all just lovely and we had a great day.

Here we all are with the day's creations; from left, Wendy, Val, Kate, Susan and me.

It was such a thrill to see these women work with my pattern and come up with such beautiful and unique versions.

Susan was working with pretty and subtle shades of green and pink. Love that striped piping! Despite arriving with the declaration that she was an embroiderer, not a patchworker, Susan coped brilliantly!

It was very exciting to finally meet 'Show and Tell' Kate. I had heard many lovely things about her, but somehow we had never crossed paths.

Kate was working with Anni Downs' gorgeous new fabric line 'My Favourite Things'. That little peep of red piping really made these fabrics pop. Kate is a prolific stitcher, and works meticulously - her blog is a 'must-see'.

Val created this very cheerful version with 'Happy Campers' by American Jane. I love how the yellow and black measuring tape works with this range. Oooh, and more striped piping - lovely!

Wendy went 'fun and funky' with her stunning lime green and purple fabrics. The measuring tape simply looked silly with these fabrics, and was quickly replaced with some perfect lime ric-rac.

Wendy had us all impressed with her choice of fabrics. She had noticed some wonderful spotty sewing baskets at Marally, and decided to purchase one each for her daughter and daughter-in-law for Christmas.

She plans to make up the mat, thread keeper and pincushion to match the baskets, for the most wonderful Christmas gift, so thoughtful and generous!

Thank you ladies for making my debut workshop such a positive experience, and to the girls at Marally who took care of our every need. I had the best time. Let's do it again soon :)

I ♥ my quilter

2011-11-15T15:51:00.000+11:00

My Strawberry Fields quilt is back, and as usual Belinda (Eucalypt Ridge Quilting) has magically transformed it. She adds a beauty to my designs that is impossible for me to achieve.

As I was picking up my quilt, we got to talking about the concept of losing ownership of a quilt if you outsource the quilting. I confess to once feeling that I was 'cheating' to get someone else to quilt my work. I'm over it. Life's too short. These days, it is an enormous relief to hand my quilt tops over to Belinda, in complete trust that she will do something beautiful with them. If not for her, I would have completed the top, and it would have languished in the corner incomplete because quilting with my domestic machine frustrates me. I still quilt small pieces myself, but at 93" square, this baby was way too big to wrestle with.

We decided to use Anne Bright's 'Strawberries' design for my quilt, to link with the strawberry theme of the Fig Tree fabrics.

Can I take a moment to sing Belinda's praises? You won't hear it from her as she's not a 'blow-your-own-trumpet' sorta gal! She turned my quilt around in 10 days, despite my telling her that there was no particular hurry for it! My quilts don't challenge Belinda much because they are usually edge-to-edge designs, but I can tell you, this woman is an unbelievable quilter. She has won awards at major quilting festivals, both national and international, for her spectacular work. I have pinched these examples from her blog, to prove my point:

The precision and detail in her exhibition quilts are extraordinary. And when I get to occasionally see them in real life they take my breath away!

Belinda is also regularly called upon to quilt collaborative charity projects for Australian Homespun.

There are countless more examples of Belinda's exquisite quilting on her blog and at her website gallery.

As for my simple little quilt, all that remains to do is the bind. Pure pleasure!

Turning can'ts into cans

2011-11-13T15:41:00.004+11:00

I have been asked by the lovely girls at Marally Craft in Orange to teach a workshop. Yep, quietly terrified about that prospect, but I've stepped out of my comfort zone and accepted!

We will be working through my 'Beyond Measure' pattern for a sewing mat, thread catcher & pincushion.

The workshop is on this Thursday 17th November. If you are nearby and would like to ~~bear testament as to how terrified Bloom can be~~ join us, please contact Marally Craft on

ph: 02 6362 3860 or email: info@marallycraft.com.au

I have put together a slideshow of some of your versions of my 'Beyond Measure' patterns to inspire the girls who are coming to the workshop. I thought you might enjoy it too.

Make a slideshow

My thanks to all the lovely women who have purchased my patterns and made them up. And to these ladies in particular for the use of their photographs:

Melissa @ Quilting for Happiness

One for a Wish

Cherie @ Sew & So Quilts

Tilly, a friend of Josie @ Dilly Dimple

Wendy @ Sugarlane Quilts

Jess @ The Elven Garden

Katie @ Sew Katie Did

And because I know you'll ask about the stunning Australian designed fabrics used by Jess, the 'Mikko' fabric is by Surface Art, available here,

and Saffron Craig's designs are available here.

Think of me on Thursday! Despite the fear, I am really looking forward to it and know it will be lots of fun :)

Daybook entry #11

2011-11-11T12:08:00.008+11:00

Outside my window ... not today exactly, but recently, the first blossoms of our new crabapple, Malus 'Mattom' (Tom Matthews).

I am thankful for ... the many positive comments about my Strawberry Fields quilt of my last post. Your encouragement keeps me motivated! Yes, it is my own pattern which I am writing up at the moment. Can't wait to see what Belinda does with the quilting. Itching to get this quilt bound and finished :)

From the kitchen ... I am eating leftover rhubarb & apple pudding with my morning coffee. Ooooh yeah!

I am stitching ... repairs to Miss 16's Year 10 formal dress. It is brand new, unworn, and needs fixing - hate that! Whether detachable straps of said dress will be worn on the big night is a matter still under negotiation!

I am reading ... 'One Day' by David Nicholls. A very readable book, about the exasperating relationship between two friends who just can't seem to get it together. I suspect it will end annoyingly unfulfilled. I am enjoying this book, but I just want to slap the characters around the head at the same time!

I am hoping ... to spend some time reading 'A Field Guide to Fabric Design' which arrived today. I have no intentions of designing fabric, I just love to learn :)

I am listening to ... the new Coldplay album, Mylo Xyloto. Youtube link enthusiastically provided by Miss 16 who is studying graffiti art at school right now, and thinks this is very cool.

I am learning ... about Banksy from Miss 16. Banksy is a controversial and anonymous British street artist whose works split the world into those who think his work is 'art' and those who dismiss it as graffiti.

'Sweeping it under the carpet' in London (source)

The Melbourne City Council caused outrage when they inadvertently removed one of his works from its streets in 2010 - this video link is an excellent summary of what Banksy is all about.

'Flower' (source)

His works are thoughtful, political, cynical and often funny. They are always painted in a location which will provoke reaction. You can see more of his works here.

'Flowerchucker' in Palestine (source)

Does Banksy's work constitute art? Does a woman giving birth in a public gallery constitute art? The day we can define 'art', we will perhaps be able to answer these questions!

Here endeth the art lesson for today! Have a creative weekend. Bloom x

Strawberry Fields quilt

2011-11-06T15:17:00.000+11:00

I love the muted, softly washed vintage colours of many of Joanna Figueroa's fabric ranges. Her Figtree & Co fabrics and patterns are amongst my all-time favourites. When she recently released her 'Strawberry Fields' range, I was in love all over again!

I finished my 'Strawberry Fields' quilt top this week, which is now with Belinda-the-weaver-of-quilting-magic.

You may remember this solitary little block a few months ago.

Thankfully, it found some friends and they finally got their act together to produce this:

Sorry, the photos are awful as it was a very windy day and this quilt is very big - the biggest I've made to date.

I am thankful Belinda is quilting it and not me! I will post some nicer photos when it is quilted, bound and more photo worthy.

In the meantime, I will endeavour to resist Joanna's newest line, 'California Girl'. It will be a tough ask!

A murmuration

2011-11-05T22:23:00.002+11:00

Perhaps you'll know about my thing for birds. This lovely film only intensifies it!

Fabric storage regime #173,905

2011-10-31T16:38:00.000+11:00

A regime of a different sort for this post. I have embarked on a new storage system for the larger cuts in my stash. This was necessitated by a frustrating search of my fabric mountain for a piece sufficiently large to back my most recent quilt.

The system? I intend to fold any cuts larger than one metre, to stack them immaculately, and label with ducky little tags detailing the meterage. I will then be able see, at a glance, what I have. Easy peasy!

That's the plan. Could take some time to accomplish. No appreciable dent in the mountain as yet :)

Regime #5032

2011-10-24T12:00:00.004+11:00

As a mother, I am continuously reviewing the lifestyle of my family, and coming up with new and improved means for ensuring that my three children somehow emerge from their upbringing as well rounded individuals. Concerned with the increasingly excessive time spent by my three in front of the computer (Facebook, online games etc) or on their iPods (more games), I have imposed a new regime: one half hour ONLY of techno gadgets per child per day. Homework related use is exempted. Of course, it takes a whole lot more energy on my part to impose this regime than to give in to their pleading, but that's parenting huh?!

On the upside, I witnessed the first fruits of the new regime this week:

My eldest daughter and her friends love to exchange birthday presents. My eldest daughter is usually skint, spending her pocket money with abandon (mostly on her friends, I have to admit).

I told her she could have free reign with my fabric stash if she wanted to sew gifts for her friends. And so her 'Love' pillows were born.

They are a simple, but sweet design - a single heart, raw-edge appliqued onto linen and finished with running stitch. They are a hit with her friends as she carefully colour coordinates them to her friends' bedrooms - important when you're sixteen :)

These pillows exist only because of my new 'get-off-Facebook-and-do-something-productive' regime. So proud!

A brief distraction

2011-10-18T09:38:00.005+11:00

I have a thousand things to do, but have been briefly distracted by this clever little clip - a fantastic journey in 90 seconds of fashion, music and dance in the last 100 years.

So at the risk of distracting you too, I thought I'd share it :)

I could also distract you with this ...

... but that would be bordering on irresponsible. Have a great day!

Feeding the fabric fetish

2011-10-12T20:25:00.004+11:00

Since moving to town four years ago, I would guess I have visited my local quilt shop at least once a week. Yet in four years, I've not managed to spot this treasure ... until today! It is a rare piece of 'Up Town' Paint by Number by Erin Michael for Moda, and incorporates two of my favourite things, birds AND blooms. If your heart misses a beat at the sight of this fabric too, I'm sure the girls at Marally can help: their email is info@marallycraft.com.au

In other fabric news, I picked up these pieces over the holidays. I am loving using grey just at the moment, and I have these ear-tagged to make up a boy's version of my Little Abracadabra. They are mostly Michael Miller fabrics ('Zoology', 'Play Dot' and 'Play Stripe' in sea, 'Dumb Dot' in grey, 'Feeling Groovy' in charcoal) with a little bit of Jenean Morrison's 'Silent Cinema' thrown in.

Before the holidays, I had the enormous pleasure of playing with some pre-release fabrics from Amy Butler's new line, 'Lark'. This line is everything you've come to expect from Amy - dynamic, bold, large-scale, colour-saturated gorgeousness.

This is another one of those annoying 'secret projects', I can't reveal too much just now. But I can tell you that there was some applique involved ...

... and that there is much excitement afoot for next year's issues of Australian Homespun. Just sayin' :)

May I introduce ...

2011-10-03T22:36:00.003+11:00

... some of my farm beauties to you? School holidays usually mean some time in our farm garden. And the October holidays mean sitting back and enjoying the benefits of working hard with the winter pruning.

The lovely Margaret at The Home Patch reminded me that I should take some photos of the garden for the blog. Well Margaret, you asked for it :)

I love to take macro shots of my flowers, but I thought with these photos that I would also pan back and give you a sense of place - some context as to where each of my flowers sits within the garden. Enjoy!

This is our lovely David Austin rose, 'Golden Celebration', a favourite.

She sits proudly at the very front of the house, nestled next to the beautiful strong pink 'Othello' rose.

The roses are quite early this year, and I think this lovely is called 'Jumpin' Jack'.

It shares its bed with some delicate mauve irises, the soft grey foliage of Russian sage and sedums, and the sparky lime green of Duranta 'Sheena's Gold'.

Robinia pseudoacacia 'Purple Robe' is wowing us with its display this year - beautiful pendulous purple blooms hanging gracefully from its branches.

It is planted at the entrance to the garden with the intent of draping across the driveway to welcome visitors. It stands sentinel at the end of a row of standard 'Iceberg' roses.

Looking at it from the house you can perhaps get an idea of how stunning this robinia is. I love the contrast it achieves against the purple berberis on the right and the lime greens of the pom pom tree and salvias in the foreground.

The Betchel crabapples are just starting to bloom and have the bees a-buzz.

We have these planted close to paths so that we can admire their prettiness up close.

Oooh, we interrupt the garden introductions with some noise and frivolity - the cousins are over from next door and there are some serious chasings in progress ... I love that we have a garden for them to enjoy :)

The very first 'Burgundy Iceberg' rose is blooming and will soon be joined by its neighbours.

Forty roses form a hedge along one side of a lawn path and are protected by a taller hedge of Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Stirling Mist'.

Callistemon 'Perth Pink' is also just starting to flower, and is promising to be stunning.

We hacked this gorgeous thing ruthlessly in the winter, and it hasn't looked back.

I think this sweet thing is Lavandula stoechas 'Marshwood'. It is neglected badly, but rewards faithfully with blooms year ofter year.

It sits at the foot of a purple foliaged prunus tree and is next to yellow flowering irises.

I love these tiny gladiolus. They too are terribly hardy and pop their cheerful heads up despite how little attention I give them.

Their bed fellows are arum lilies, irises and roses, with some mondo grass nipping at their toes, threatening to take them over.

Poor Margaret ... are you still with me? Never again will she suggest I take some more garden photos! I'm almost done :)

Hot pink valerian is pretty much a weed, but it earns its place.

It contrasts wonderfully with the yellowy lime of the gleditsias which tower above its head.

And finally, this wondrous plant, a gift from a gardening friend. She said it is called a cardoon. It is the most fabulous and flamboyant thing.

I love how it lends some serous architectural interest to this corner of the garden. See it standing splendiferously in the background? "Look at me, look at me", it yells.

So you see, there are many personalities in my garden. Some are as common as muck, but resilient to the death. Some are show stoppers, stealing the limelight from their neighbours. Some rise to the occasion, no matter how poorly you treat them. Some selflessly provide a stage for others to shine. But many are there quite simply for their unadulterated beauty, having survived a hard winter prune and bouncing back cheerfully to gladden my world. My garden, how I love thee!

Back from the wild, wild west

2011-09-26T21:36:00.003+10:00

School Term 3 = Primary Musical at our school. This year's was set in the Wild West of 1800s USA.

I help with the costumes each year,

and love every minute of it.

This year was especially challenging as our usual 'wardrobe mistress' flew to Morocco the weekend before the production, taking all her experience and expertise with her, and asked me to stand in her place. Her shoes are big to fill.

Thankfully, all three performances went off with much drama, but thankfully none in the costume department.

I am feeling my usual tired and shattered self on the first Monday of school holidays, but nothing a good sleep for a few days won't fix :)

Looking forward to some warm weather and time in the garden and at the machine ... after sleep!

Daybook entry #10

2011-09-13T20:07:00.006+10:00

On my mind ... Headache, headache, go away ... I really have too much to do today.

In my hoop ... some monogram action!

In my garden ... hardy arctotis waiting patiently for their springtime friends to pop their heads up and blossom.

I am inspired by ... Sam Stosur's win in the US Open. Inspired not only by her powerful forehand, but also by her poise, grace and understated manner.

I am miffed ... by my apparent inability to stitch a straight line today. I am blaming it on a useless 1/4" marking on my walking foot! More reverse sewing for me.

I am reading ... 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks', on Lily's excellent recommendation. It is a warm but poignant account of Henrietta, who died of cancer in the 1950s. Cells were taken from her cancer tumour without her knowledge or permission, a common occurrence at the time. These cells have since been cultured to create an immortal cell line for medical research. These so-called HeLa cells have generated billions of dollars for the medical industry; they have helped uncover secrets of cancers, viruses, fertilisation, cloning, and gene mapping and yet compensation or acknowledgement for her surviving family were minimal. A thought provoking true story of medical ethics versus scientific progress and at what human cost?

In contrast, I am listening to ... four-hand boogie wooogie on Youtube - part of a music assignment for my littlest bloss. Cool!

Making me laugh today ...

... my Sweetness walked past and asked, "Who gets to pick the two"?!!

Roll on up!

2011-09-08T10:46:00.000+10:00

Just in case you are sitting around with nothing to do this fine Wednesday, hop on over to the Moda Country Fair - a month long celebration of sewing from September 6th.

The Moda fabric designers have been busy cooking up free designs, wonderful giveaways and a whole lot more inspiration for you to enjoy. The star-studded line up is:

September 6th Sandy Gervais of Pieces from My Heart

September 7th Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs

September 8th Barb and Mary from Me and My Sister Designs

September 9th Camille Roskelley of Thimbleblossoms

September 10th Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts

September 11th Basic Grey
September 12th Polly and Laurie from Minick and Simpson

September 13th Sandy Klop from American Jane (Post will be featured on Moda's blog)

September 14th Liesl from Oliver + S

September 15th Joanna from Fig Tree and Co.

September 16th Lynne from Kansas Troubles

September 17th Barb and Alma from Blackbird Designs

September 18th Aneela Hoey from Comfortstitching.com

September 19th Barbara Brackman from Barbara Brackman, of course.

September 20th Bonnie from Cotton Way

September 21st Christina from Cabbages and Roses

September 22nd Deb Strain

September 23rd Jan Patek of Brannock and Patek

September 24th Lauren and Jessi Jung

September 25th Stephanie from Lily Ashbury

September 26th Julie from Cosmo Cricket

September 27th Kate Spain

September 28th Karla, Susan and Lisa from Sweetwater

September 29th Kaari from French General

September 30th Lisa from Primitive Gatherings

and the fun continues into October

October 1st Kathy from Kathy Schmitz Studio

October 2nd Liz from Liz Scott Designs

Get y'all over there - you never know what you'll learn! I've already had to Google 'fanny pack' for a translation! Here are just a few things I've picked up:

American vs Australian Fair vernacular

country fair (USA) = 'the show' (Aust)

fanny pack (USA) = bum bag (Aust)

corn dog (USA) = dagwood dog (Aust) - no idea why!

cotton candy (USA) = fairy floss (Aust)

hot tamales and candy corn (USA) - remain a complete mystery to me; no Australian equivalent.

And if someone could tell me what a 'cake walk' is, I'd be thankful!

I would love to hear what you call these things in your part of the world, or perhaps you have a special memory of country shows to share.

Early spring beauty

2011-09-03T18:49:00.001+10:00

I snapped this shot in my garden early this morning.

It is Magnolia x loebneri 'Merrill', and while it is only small right now, it is shaping up to be quite a beauty. I have added it to my Wallpaper page, just for you :)

Gratitude & a passion

2011-08-29T10:25:00.005+10:00

We were back at the farm on the weekend, home for the 50th birthday of a dear friend who has been diagnosed with leukaemia this year. She is now in remission thanks to a successful transplant of bone marrow donated by one of her four brothers. It was a great party. There were tears, but an overwhelming sense of gratitude that she is still with us and able to celebrate a momentous birthday.

As is often my habit when life is confronting, I took some time out to wander in the garden and be thankful.

The Manchurian pears were flowering gloriously ...

... and were just at that magical point where the petals were dropping gently and silently like snow in the breeze, leaving a beautiful white carpet on the paths. I'm thankful that I stopped to notice - it was breathtakingly lovely!

The arum lilies were their usual elegant and serene selves, their peace disturbed only by the furious buzzing of a million busy bees!

There were happy daffodils popping their heads up everywhere ...

... and peach blossoms just ready to burst as the weather warms.

You don't need to read my blog for long before you'll realise the passion I have for my garden. If you missed my farm garden tour a little while ago, you can find it in instalments here: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

One of my very favourite songs is 'Fourth Floor' by The Waifs. While I am blessed with a large garden these days, my gardening started in pots on a balcony in a tiny flat in the middle of Sydney. This song perfectly describes the passion for me, whether your garden is big or small!

Fourth Floor

On the fourth floor of the building

In a shallow window box

She’s digging in the soil with a silver spoon

Her hands inside rubber gloves

Planting seeds pulling out weeds

The cycle of life is complete

Who would’ve thought it in a city of stone

Four floors above the street

I cannot tell what kind of flowers they are

I’m too far below on the street

But the colour they add to the building so drab

Brings a warm splash of welcome relief

Something worthwhile for the sun to shine on

A reason to radiate heat

Well that small window box puts a skip in my feet

Four floors below on the street

For every good seed she plants in the soil

There’s a dozen bad waiting to grow

To strangle the goodness she’s trying to nurture

And kill all the seed that she’s sown

Every time you water the garden you also water the weeds

A profound illustration of sin and temptation

Four floors above the street

Some people don’t understand why she does it

Some people look for a reason

Maybe she just likes the feel of the soil

Or keeping in tune with the seasons

Maybe she has so much pride in herself

Got to keep it all visually pleasing

A small paradise in a world of concrete

Four floors above the street

A small paradise in a world of concrete

Four floors above the street

Nifty strip-piecing trick

2011-08-25T20:11:00.103+10:00

It happened this week that I needed a large panel (20 by 7) of randomised 1.5" patchwork squares - as you do?! I read about this great technique in Australian Quilter's Companion #47.

Kathy Doughty, of Material Obsession fame, used it to quickly piece her 'The General's Wife' quilt.

From fabric scraps (or a jelly roll of 'Etchings' by 3 Sisters in my case), cut twenty-eight 11" x 2" strips. Divide the strips into four sets of seven strips each.

For each set, join the seven strips along their long edges. Press the seam allowances in one direction.

Lay the pieced strips right sides together so that the seventh strip joins the first strip. Join to make a tube.

Place the tube of strips on the cutting mat and cut five circular 2" segments.

Unpick one seam of each of the five tubes, choosing a different seam for each. This will yield five strips with differing fabric placement.

Repeat this process for each of the four sets of fabrics to yield twenty strips.

These strips are then stitched together in rows. There is plenty of fabric variation using this technique. You may need to re-press the seams in the opposite direction for some strips as you join them together. And quick as a flash, you have a 20 x 7 panel of randomly distributed 1.5" squares!

This panel is part of one of those annoying 'secret' projects that I can't disclose just yet, but I wanted to at least share what I thought was a great time-saving technique.

A full weekend

2011-08-16T09:07:00.006+10:00

My tiny Tête-à-Tête miniature daffodils are indicators of unseasonably warm weather, and herald promise of more warmth and blooms to come.

We made good use of last weekend's warm conditions, and got out and about. Our eldest blossie (15) made her artistic debut at her school's Art Fair with a pencil drawing of actress Christina Ricci. She has been working on this piece at school, and we hadn't seen it until the Fair. We were gobsmacked by her effort. The original photo is shown below her sketch.

Had a lovely weekend with my Mum, and she has returned home with her new bag in tow. She also picked up a cute train print to make a quilt for my train-crazy nephew. So I sent her packing with lots of coordinating prints for her to 'get steam up'!

I have more to do this week than I can poke a stick at ... sorry, Mum-the-queen-of-mad-sayings has been visiting. She makes the kids laugh with her sayings. We always know exactly what she means, but have no idea where she gets them from! The one she uses the most when we are sewing: "A blind man would be pleased to see it". This saying is a mantra in our house when a project isn't progressing quite as perfectly as we would hope!

But I digress ... I have more to do this week than I can poke a stick at, but I am really hoping to play with this: a jelly roll of beautiful, French-inspired prints called 'Etchings' by 3 Sisters for Moda (purchased from Patchwork Plus).

Enjoy your week. Hoping for some badly needed rain here in NSW for struggling crops. Hopefully it is coming Wednesday. Bloom x

Mission complete

2011-08-14T14:49:00.005+10:00

Our aim to finish Mum's bag before she returns home is accomplished. She did a wonderful job of it.

And if she happens to leave it behind, I wouldn't complain!

The details:

The pattern is Monica Poole's 'Spice of Life', a well-written pattern for an easy-to-construct, very stylish bag.

The main fabric is an Echino cotton/linen, purchased from The Home Patch, with a plain linen trim.

The star of this design is the spring-loaded handbag frame, which allows the bag to 'snap' open and closed. It works like a dream, and is good quality hardware. The frame was also purchased at The Home Patch.

Mum's bag is lined with a bird print fabric that my beautiful blogging friend Janelle sent me a while ago. It was just perfect for this project - thanks Nellie!

The pattern has wonderful instructions for incorporating a zippered pocket, and a really sturdy, removable bag base.

I think there will be more of these bags made, I love it!

Mum's bag progress

2011-08-13T17:34:00.000+10:00

I have returned from the netball run to find Mum sewing madly. I fully expected that she would not have progressed at all considering that when I left her, she had her brain fully engaged with a Sudoku! She has a thing for Sudokus!

But as she often does, she proved me wrong. She has the bag exterior together, the linen handles constructed and the lining completed. Alright! The lining even has two pockets, one of them with a zip closure. Legend!

Progress is likely to slow as it is approaching wine o'clock. But I will be back when there is something blog worthy to report.

Mum at work

2011-08-13T12:44:00.000+10:00

The aforementioned bag got off to a slow start. Neither of us felt brave enough last night to cut into the Echino - we were both tired and a bit doughy after a glass of champagne! This morning saw us running about after the kids' sport.

But this afternoon, Mum is ready for business. She is busy quilting the outer layer as I type. Hope to be back soon with more progress ... after I get Miss 15 to netball and back :) Hope you are getting some sewing time this weekend too. Bloom x

Raw materials

2011-08-12T20:13:00.008+10:00

Mum is visiting, which meant our inevitable visit to Anni Downs' lovely The Home Patch store in Bathurst today. We boldly declared as we walked through the front door that 'we really didn't need anything today'. An hour and a half later we exited sheepishly, with a brown paper bag full of lovelies. We now have a busy weekend of sewing ahead of us!

We are hoping to transform

a stunning piece of Echino linen ...

... plus a lovely pattern
from Monica Poole of Moonshine Designs ...

... plus a very cool handbag frame ...

... into something beautiful!

Productivity is likely to be
inversely proportional to consumption of this:

We will keep you informed!

Spinning Wheel Ride

2011-08-07T18:28:00.003+10:00

If my last post wasn't enough excitement for me in one week, the Garden Issue of Australian Homespun arrived in my mailbox as well. I may have gasped just a little when I opened it ...

A quilt that I made back in January is gracing the front cover! Very special!

It is made from Amy Butler's luscious fabric line, Soul Blossoms, and is my representation of a bright, summer flower garden.

The fabrics in this line are wonderfully vibrant, and the full blown florals spoke to me of the 'flower power', infamously psychedelic times of the late 60's and early 70's. I called this quilt 'Spinning Wheel Ride' for the 1969 song by Blood, Sweat and Tears. I thought this song was psychedelically just right, and has a very matter of fact, and positive message about trouble in life! For me, it says: leave your trouble behind, and enjoy the exciting ride life has ahead for you, all astride a painted pony!

What goes up must come down

Spinnin' wheel got to go 'round

Talkin' 'bout your troubles it's a cryin' sin

Ride a painted pony let the spinnin' wheel spin

You got no money and you got no home

Spinnin' wheel all alone

Talkin' 'bout your troubles and you never learn

Ride a painted pony let the spinnin' wheel turn

Did you find the directing sign on the

Straight and narrow highway

Would you mind a reflecting sign

Just let it shine within your mind

And show you the colors that are real

Someone is waiting just for you

Spinnin' wheel, spinnin' true

Drop all your troubles by the riverside

Catch a painted pony on the spinning wheel ride

The blocks are simple kaleidoscopes, although that center join takes some mastering, and was the source of some cussing, I must confess. But I conquered it in the end ... after 35 of them!

Belinda of Eucalypt Ridge Quilting worked her magic with an edge-to-edge design called 'Denali' by Anne Bright .

The Homespun team did a beautiful job of making my quilt look good. How I love that pale blue bucket lavishly filled with apricot roses!

Australian Homespun and XLN Fabrics are very generously running a competition to win one of TWELVE fabric kits to make 'Spinning Wheel Ride'. Details are on page 12 of this month's magazine (No. 99, Vol 12.8). International distributors of the magazine are listed below.

All good things ...

2011-07-29T17:27:00.002+10:00

... come to those who wait! I finally received some copies of the Moda Bake Shop book, Fresh Fabric Treats. And I can at last reveal my contribution, a jewellery wallet.

Like all Bake Shop projects, the challenge was to create something new and unique with one of the Moda precuts. For me, that precut was a honey bun of a muted, olde worlde line called 'Luna Notte' by 3 Sisters.

The fabrics seemed to me to be calling out for a soft brown grey linen and some pearl button detail.

The wallet unfolds and is able to be hung from a fabric covered hook. My thought was that it would be handy to use while travelling.

There are lots of components on the inside to accommodate your jewellery. From the top, there is a band for holding hair clips and pins or brooches. The tiny rolls untie in the middle for storing all your diamond rings(!). Below that is a zippered compartment, constructed with clear vinyl.

The pink ties are for holding bangles securely. A felt flap, punched with tiny holes is for your earrings.

And at the bottom of the wallet are a series of loops to hold necklaces. The pink elasticised band is for holding pendants securely, and to prevent your necklaces from tangling.

I feel so honoured to have been asked to contribute to this book. The publishers, Stash Books, have done a beautiful job in bringing together a diverse mix of inspiring projects.

I have three spare copies of 'Fresh Fabric Treats'. As much as I would love to give them away, they are, in part, payment for my contribution to the book. I am selling these copies for AU$21 each. Please email me if you would like to purchase a copy, and I will let you know how much postage will be to your destination.

My sincere thanks to my lovely friends, online and otherwise, who have encouraged me to pursue my interest in design. I am indebted to you all. Without you, I'd not have had the courage to design anything! Bloom x

Mum? M-u-u-u-u-m?!

2011-07-26T09:19:00.002+10:00

On my last trip home, I nagged and nagged my mother to finally finish her basket wallhanging.

Always one to please, she obliged me :)

The pattern is called 'Basket Quilt and Pillows #57' by Bareroots. There are some better photos in a previous post.

Poor Mum - the nagging is over!

When this little quilt was finished, she quietly reminded me that she started stitching it at Dad's hospital bedside in his last days at Royal Prince Alfred. Hmmm ... I was suitably humbled. I will hitherto try to stop hassling my mother about her UFOs. And perhaps focus on mine?

Daybook entry #9

2011-07-22T12:24:00.004+10:00

Outside my window ... not today, but recently.

Today is equally cold, but regretfully no snow.

From the kitchen ... a birthday cake for my now 10-year-old blossie. She requested a Beanie Kid cake. Thankfully daughter #1 rose to the challenge and produced this masterpiece for her sister!

For those uneducated in BK mania, Beanie Kids are little teddy bears, unique to the Australian market I think. New designs are released each month, in every theme you can imagine. They are inexpensive, addictive and very collectible.

Source

I am stitching ... blocks for a new quilt using the lovely Figtree Quilts 'Strawberry Fields'.

I am reading ... the last couple of chapters of 'The Help'. I have been searching for some time for 'that book you just can't put down'. I found it in this book. It is the story of black maids working for white housewives in 1960's America. It is at once heartwarming and infuriating! A wonderful read.

I am inspired by ... a creative website that I came across during the week, Dear Photograph. The site invites you to take a photograph of a picture from the past matching it to the same place in the present. A very cool concept!

Source

I am listening to ... a beautiful song by a young Aussie songwriter, Jamie MacDowell, written for his sister and played at her wedding. I bet there wasn't a dry eye in the house!

Have a great weekend. Bloom x

Two favourites from the Art Express exhibition

2011-07-20T09:03:00.007+10:00

Back to our visit to Art Express, an exhibition of the best of last year's Higher School Certificate works. One of my favourite works was an astonishing drawing, worked in graphite on recycled library books.

Regretfully, I didn't get a photo of the work in its entirety. It was displayed at knee level and was roughly a metre square. Discarded library books were pieced together to form a 'recycled' dimensional canvas.

The artist purposely illuminated sentences from the books. Her drawings were beautiful, especially considering her chosen canvas. It is hard to believe these works are done by 17-year-olds. Amazing talent!

A second of my favourite pieces was 'The Good Wife's Guide'. This one made me smile! It is a clever series of photographs inspired by a set of 'housewife's rules' that the artist found in a 1955 issue of 'Housekeeping Monthly'.

From the artist: "These rules, placed on women by women, are my way of representing the impossibility of perfection and, through humour, deconstructing our futile struggle to achieve it."

The artist must have had a ball dressing up as a '50's housewife for the photographs. Although each image is so carefully composed and detailed that it must have take her an eternity. She also prepared a poignant video to accompany the stills. I have included a few of the panels for you to see. If you click on each image, it should be large enough for you to read. Enjoy!

Warming the cockles of my heart ...

2011-07-18T19:38:00.004+10:00

... or perhaps stomach! Not sure that stomachs have cockles?

A cold winter's night in Bloom country is conquered with some warming French onion soup.

french onion soup

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

7 onions, peeled and thinly sliced

salt & pepper

1.5 litres good quality beef, chicken or vegetable stock

8 slices sourdough baguette, toasted

gruyere cheese, grated

Put butter & oil into a thick-bottomed, non-stick pan. Add garlic & onions, season with salt & pepper and stir. Put a lid on pan, leaving it slightly ajar, and cook slowly for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally, without colouring onions.

Remove the lid for the last 20 minutes so the onions become soft and golden. Stir occasionally to prevent the onions from catching on the bottom.When the onions are soft, add stock. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Ladle soup into four bowls, top each with two slices bread. Sprinkle with grated cheese and put bowls under grill to melt the cheese.

p.s. poorly focussed photo = direct result of Bloom's raging hurry to devour soup :)

Sweet girl, are you sure you want to be an artist?

2011-07-16T22:19:00.018+10:00

We visited our Regional Art Gallery during the school holidays. Our eldest daughter (15) is on the brink of choosing her subjects for her Higher School Certificate, and is contemplating choosing Visual Arts. To help her to understand the commitment involved in creating a HSC Major Work, we took her to a travelling Art Express exhibition, a diverse showcase of the very best artworks from last year's HSC. Oh my, what astounding talent was on display, and what sophisticated ideas portrayed. Here are just a few of them:

'Personal Sanctuary: If you are alone, you belong entirely to yourself'

Printmaking: oil-based printing ink on Fabriano paper

"Popular culture has warped the term 'intimacy' to mean purely physical pleasure. I diverged from this ... capturing moments of inner tranquility of individuals in their personal environment"

'Once Upon a Time'

Graphic design: acrylic paints, textas and varnish on wooden skateboards

"A representation of the contrast between the naivety of a young, innocent child and the confronting search for identity found in an adolescent"

'Set in her Ways'

Sculpture: an entire dinner setting made from hot glue

"Art nouveau designs symbolise the extremely precious and intricate nature of families, despite their increasing tendency to be replaced, lost or forgotten in today's society"

'Illumination'

Painting: acrylic paint on canvas

"Brushstrokes ... gently move, silently with the morning light seeping through the window ... creating a concentric pattern of radiating light that mimics the continuity of life and spirit"

'Conflict of Interest (inner)'

Collection of works: mixed media on wood

"This piece ... questions the preconceived notions we hold regarding the nature and definition of hypocrisy by exposing the complex nature of the subconscious"

'Heading Towards Annihilation While Engaged in Trivial Conversation'

Sculpture

"Bright unnatural colours comment on the lack of knowledge of the dodo's true appearance ... (and) act as a warning about other endangered species that are in imminent danger of extinction"

'Facial Facades'

Drawing: charcoal on paper

"We don't quite remember when we were children why we were so good at getting what we wanted ... children are brilliant actors, it comes so easily to them"

'Eliphant, Bich, Barbq

(Elephant, Beach, Barbeque)''

Drawing: pen on paper

"I want to take you inside a dyslexic head. Eliphant, bich, barbq, three words that I could not spell as a child. Red crosses dominated my exercise books. I felt a failure. I finally learned to spell elephant, beach, and barbeque ... Looking through dyslexic eyes, things move, are complex and always changing. There are feeling of confusion and frustration. For me, there was eventually calmness. "

Our visit to the Gallery was perhaps secretly intended to intimidate my daughter into choosing a less challenging HSC subject. As it happens, she came home excited, inspired and even more encouraged to follow her artistic heart!

I would love to hear of your favourite artwork from this post. Or perhaps your experiences in getting a child through Year 12 Visual Arts :) I have saved two of my very favourite works for my next post. Stay tuned!

A new Frilly Dilly for a winter’s day

2011-07-07T17:56:00.003+10:00

I put the finishing stitches on my winter Frilly Dilly last night, in time for a very wintery day in town and a visit to the local art gallery (more on that in my next post).

The fabrics are a muted (not mutant!) hybrid of French General and Barbara Brackman I think - I don’t have the fabrics at hand right now, so I will check that and be back with more detail.

I have used an interesting brown herringbone-weave linen as the base of the bag. I found this fabric ages ago in a remnant bin at a furnishing fabric store. And I used an old wooden buckle that I picked up on my travels. Both have been waiting patiently in ‘the abyss that is my sewing cupboard’ for just the right project.

I tend to live in jeans in the winter, and this frilly dilly just feels like it was made to live with comfortable, old denim. And comfortable, old me as it turns out!

I barely need to say it, as I have made so many of these bags, but the pattern is Janelle Wind’s ‘Frilly Dilly’ bag. You can find availability details for her patterns on her blog.

Something to read with your Saturday morning coffee

2011-07-01T22:36:00.004+10:00

The very first issue of Etzcetera magazine arrived in my inbox today.

Etzcetera is a brand spanking new digital publication headed by Australian talent, Kim Archer. The first issue is free for your reading pleasure, available at their website. It is a fresh and inspiring read, true to their theme of 'craft ... lifestyle ... family ... home ... you'!

I am especially excited about this release since the Stitching Editor is none other than Janelle Wind, one of my favourite Aussie designers. Warmest congratulations to Kim, Janelle, and all the editorial staff and contributors on a thoughtful and visually beautiful launch issue. I will certainly be reading it with my coffee in the morning.

Bound for Botany Bay

2011-06-19T17:19:00.007+10:00

I spent two days this week as a parent helper on a Year 4 Australian History excursion to Sydney. What a great time we had! Well, it was great once we'd survived the bus-sickness chain-reaction vomiting on the trip down! Our first stop was the Old Schoolhouse at Rouse Hill, on Sydney's outskirts. It was built in 1888, and has recently been restored and opened as a hands-on exhibit of early Australian education.

It afforded a fun opportunity for the kids to dress up and step back in time.

Back to a time when boys dipped their hats, girls curtsied and all children were silent and straight-backed!

To a time when lessons were written on slates, or with nib pens and ink. And if you stepped out of line, the cane was liberally dispensed. Our modern day children were suitably horrified and fascinated!

As if they knew I was coming, one of the activities was a lesson in the 'sewing room'! It was special to see the boys taking to the hand-stitching with relish & boisterous enthusiasm.

There was a wonderful original reference sampler, partially stitched on the wall.

Of course, I was drawn to the botanical designs!

The highlight of the trip for me was visiting the Royal Botanic Gardens. We had wonderful, knowledgeable guides, who talked us through the indigenous and settlement history of the Gardens. And pointed out trees with excellent 'boomerang potential'!

We also went to Hyde Park Barracks, a world heritage listed convict site built to accommodate convict men and boys. It was designed by architect Francis Greenway, himself a convict transported for forgery. He was responsible for many of the significant early colonial buildings in Australia.

The students were particularly excited about trying out the sleeping accomodation - a closely strung succession of hammocks, barely wide or long enough to sleep an adult.

Wandering through this historic and very beautiful part of Sydney with the students was such a treat.

I spent my University years in Sydney, but never seemed to make the time to appreciate the wondrous history that was on my doorstep.

On our way back home, the bus driver took us over the Harbour Bridge. One of the girls next to me started jumping up and down in her seat excitedly, her eyes sparkling - this was her very first time on the Bridge. Witnessing her genuine joy was so lovely!

The excursion left me with a sense of how privileged our children are, with how well Australia is conserving its history, and how teachers are worth a lot more money!!

Something for Kate ... at last!

2011-06-13T17:50:00.002+10:00

This little quilt has been finished for a while now, and has been patiently waiting to have its photo taken. The weather remains dismal, so she is not in her best light.

It is (unsurprisingly!) a gift for Kate, a new niece.

The fabrics are from Melanie Hurlston's happy fabric range called 'Little Menagerie' for Windham Fabrics.

The fabrics feature owls, monkeys, and elephants in Melly's inimitable sweet style.

The pattern is the little version of my 'Abracadabra' pattern.

This quilt makes me happy. I hope it makes Kate happy too :)

An open garden

2011-06-10T16:47:00.000+10:00

The weather has been cold and miserable here, and not conducive to photography. In lieu of sewing news, I thought I'd share some photos of a local garden we visited recently.

The garden is set stunningly amongst rolling hills, lined with vineyards.

The thing that impressed me most about this garden was the extensive and clever use of perennial plants.

It was all I could do not to whip out the secateurs and pinch some cuttings :)

The silver birches were just turning their brilliant yellow at the time, ready for leaf drop and preparing to show their beautiful, white & spotty legs!

I love the use of spiky plants in a garden ...

... and I'm also a fan of grey or purple foliage. This garden had it all.

There was a significant collection of roses ...

... in every colour imaginable.

Brilliant splashes of cherry red coreopsis ...

... and deep gold and russet red.

If purple is more your style, it had that too:

And of course, there were plenty of spots to just sit and admire the view.

It is the Queen's Birthday long weekend here in Australia. I am looking forward to getting my hands dirty in my garden. Have a great weekend. Bloom x

Some kind of wonderful ... indeed

2011-06-02T13:02:00.001+10:00

It just happened that my youngest blossie was selected for a CWA Public Speaking competition in Bathurst this week. I could hardly visit Bathurst without popping in to The Home Patch. As serendipity would have it, Annie Downs' new book, 'Some Kind of Wonderful', had just arrived and was ready for purchase!

Annie never disappoints. This book is filled with sweet and whimsical projects. Here are some of my favourites, and will be added to my ridiculously unachievable 'to do' list!

A very sweet, birdy cushion, embellished with felt daisies and jumbo ric-rac.

Surely the prettiest heat bag ever, with Annie's distinctive felted woollen blooms.

And a simple, and very lovely daisy quilt.

These are just three of sixteen projects in Annie's book, available at THe Home Patch, hot off the press!

Now what?

2011-05-27T12:47:00.002+10:00

Good question!

I have had a lovely time constructing this panel using paper piecing. Now, what to do with it?!

Starstruck

2011-05-23T16:15:00.004+10:00

I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Sarah Fielke on the weekend. You might just want to read that first sentence again - SARAH FIELKE, I say!! Was I excited? Ha, just a little!

Sarah is a talented Australian quilter and designer, and the author of three books, the latest being 'Quilting, From Little Things'. She was in town for the day to teach a class at Patchwork Orange. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the class, but I popped in, ever so briefly, to say hello and to delight in her beautiful quilts.

For the quilting superstar that she is, Sarah was very humble and unassuming about her work. My gushing made up for any humility on her part! It was very special to see some of Sarah's quilts from her book 'in the flesh'.

image source

There was 'Flock Together', a stunning feathered star quilt with its tiny, tiny half-square triangles. Nothing Sarah does is half-hearted, and this quilt was intricate and HUGE!

image source

One of my favourite quilts from Sarah's book is 'Whirligig'. I love the Anna Maria Horner full-blown yellow roses on aqua. Seeing this quilt up close makes me even more inclined to make it. It was gorgeous.

image source

Sarah also had 'Hanging Lanterns' on display. I could have stood looking at this quilt all day, picking out fabrics that I have in my stash. One of the things I love about Sarah's designs is her ability to put together surprising combinations of fabrics that work together effortlessly, and give a real vibrancy to her quilts.

There is nothing ho-hum about Sarah's work. Her quilts are stimulating and energetic, and challenge me to break out of my 'matchy-matchy', safe little box.

I would love to have chatted with this talented woman all day. It was all I could do to drag myself out the door. Family commitments took priority this time, but given another chance, I will be there in a heartbeat!

Rainy days and ... Sunday

2011-05-22T16:38:00.003+10:00

A dull, rainy Sunday here, perfect for a spot of biscuit artistry by Miss Nine:

Perfect for exam study for the older offspring ...

... and a sewing room cleanup for me, motivated by this inspiring post by Lisa.

A netball final and Swans playing in the AFL on tele.

A nice quiet Sunday afternoon. Sweet!

Chalk and cheese

2011-05-20T09:33:00.000+10:00

I am working on two very different bag projects at the moment. I have been bitten by the paper piecing bug, and am playing with some little shapes. I have an idea in my head for these pastel lovelies. Whether the idea translates to reality remains to be seen!

I am also in need of a new Frilly Dilly. My favourite one is sadly a little worse for wear, so I am working on a replacement, using some very muted, wintery fabrics.

My favourite part of constructing these bags is when I gather up the frills. The gathering transforms the fabric into something entirely different, and it is always a surprise to me.

Winter has definitely arrived here. My brother snapped this shot at the farm this week - brrrrr!

I will be rugging up for the round of kids' sport tomorrow. Stay cozy warm and have a great weekend. Bloom x

Home baked

2011-05-16T20:55:00.006+10:00

I love to cook. I especially love it when I have time to try something new and adventurous. I am loving Masterchef! And this series, I have a special interest as I know Kate - she is lovely and taught me to make handmade pasta!

Often the reality of life sees me churning out the same old 'tried and tested' recipes, because they are the quicker and simpler option. One of these standby favourites is raspberry and coconut muffins. I try to keep something homemade in the kids' lunchboxes as much as possible, and these are always popular.

raspberry and coconut muffins

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 cup milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1.5 cups self raising flour

1/2 cup plain flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup frozen raspberries

1/4 cup dessicated coconut

In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and the egg. Add milk and vegetable oil and whisk. Add the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined. Fold the raspberries through the mixture gently. Spoon the mixture into a 12-hole muffin tin, lined with paper pans. Sprinkle the top of the uncooked muffins with caster sugar and a little extra cinnamon. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 20-25 minutes.

And talking of baking, the Moda Bakeshop book, Fresh Fabric Treats is due for release any day now. Unfortunately, I don't have any 'inside' information for you, and there are still no sneak peeks of my contribution. But here is a little 'Google Preview' to whet your appetite! Bloom x

You know life’s been busy …

2011-05-10T16:20:00.000+10:00

… when your Google Reader count hits 1000+ unread posts! Mercifully, I had a quiet Monday at home, catching up on some ‘around the house’ stuff.

On the stitching front, I added an occasional stitch to this little panel. It is from Leanne Beasley’s ‘Vignette in Stitches’ project. I intend to use it for a cover for my diary.

I have been fiddling with some ‘Hullabaloo’ Dresden plates. It is a sweet new range by ‘Urban Chiks’ for Moda.

And I pause every now and then to enjoy my Mother's Day flowers from my nine-year-old blossie!

I’ve not made much progress on the 1000+ unread posts. I confess, sometimes life means I have to ‘mark all as read’ and start afresh!

Action in fairyland

2011-05-05T18:04:00.002+10:00

Here are some details about the delightful quilt made by my sister-in-law for her daughter.

The pattern is the single bed quilt from Natalie Bird's 'Fairyland' book.

It is a sweet collection of appliqued fairies, gainfully employed in many pursuits ...

... including a spot of gardening ...

... some Fairyland ballooning ...

... some cupcake juggling ...

... elephant chasing ...

... frog squeezing ...

... and some serious nighty action!

Natalie Bird is a wonderful Aussie designer. You can find Natalie's blog here, her website, The Birdhouse, here, and details about her 'Fairyland' book which contains nine different projects here.

My sister-in-law is relatively new to quilting, and I'm sure you'll agree, this is an impressive achievement. So much detail in this quilt.

She chose to have her quilt professionally quilted, and the quilting is amazing. See if you can spot the details:

Ladybirds

Cupcakes, butterflies and baskets

Bunnies

Angels

Sunbonnet Sue

And teddies!

What a lucky daughter to be snuggled under this masterpiece!

Daybook entry #8

2011-04-29T18:02:00.005+10:00

Outside my window ... man, who's got time to gaze out the window?! Just as well this week has been short, because it's been way too busy. When last I had time to look, I saw this:

I am thankful for ... my time across Easter with my husband's family. He is from a large family, and it is increasingly difficult for everyone to make it to family gatherings. They are easy, fun company.

I am thinking ... about my brother who is being ordained into the Presbyterian Church tomorrow. He is 5 hours away, and I am really sorry to be missing his ordination.

I am impressed by ... this amazing quilt, stitched by my 'relatively-new-to-quilting' sister-in-law for her daughter. I took lots of photos of this quilt on the weekend, so I will be back soon with more details!

Tonight, I will be ... enjoying my Friday night champagne, and curling up to read this gorgeous tome, delivered late this afternoon. Sarah is visiting town in a couple of weeks, and I would give my eye teeth to be in her class. For one reason and another, I can't be - grrrrr!

From my picture journal ... two of many fun sunset shots I took of my kids over Easter.

These were taken within a five-minute light window, with me awkwardly prostrate in the paddock. I have the green ant bites on my belly to prove it!

Enjoy your weekend. Bloom x