Thank you!

To all the lovely women in blogland who have welcomed me so warmly, a heartfelt thankyou. I am astonished with the concept that I can be sitting in Australia, you in Iceland or the Netherlands or the USA etc, & we can be chatting away about roses. I love that! And a big thank you to Chookyblue who pointed so many of you to my blog. The rose is Benjamin Britten (by David Austin) taken in my garden this morning.

Am I the slowest quilter in the world?

Quite possibly! I finally finished this quilt recently. The idea was that it would be quick, just simple squares. But it was a lesson in using similarly textured fabrics. Some of the fabrics were quilting cottons, others were heavier, upholstery weight cottons. They did not like being sewn together in equal sized squares. Oh well, it came together in the end. This quilt has been on the 'to do' list so long, I can't remember when I started it. We're talking years, not months! The quilt was made to match these cushions. 'Sweet Dreams' is by one of my favourite Australian designers Leanne Beasley. The little heart stitchery is from a Bareroots pattern called Flower Quilt #51.

Just because they're beautiful

I have (at least) two certifiable obsessions. The first is fabric (we won't go there today!) The second is growing roses. I could show you a rose a day from my garden and bore you well into the New Year! So I will just post one every now and then. This one is 'Pat Austin', named by David Austin for his wife. It is one of my favourites.

Frilly frou frou

Like Chooky Blue, I too purchased Natalie Ross' gorgeous bag pattern called 'Isabella's Day Out'. My Mum & I spent some 'quality time' together last week, a sewing day of course, and whizzed this version up. Well, 'whizzed' is probably not quite the right word - it did take us all day - but we were well pleased with it in the end. The next one will be much quicker!

A blog? How fun!

With significant encouragement from blogger friends, I have taken the plunge & started my blog. Being my first post, I feel pressure to write something witty, intelligent or philosophical - hmm, perhaps, I'll just stick with 'gidday'! I have agonised over my blog name, but 'Bloom' has persisted. It reflects my longstanding love of flowers - one of my earliest memories is asking my great-aunt, a wonderful gardener, for a posy of blossoms from her garden, & shortly thereafter being reprimanded by my Dad for being so bold as to ask! Ah, but I did go home with flowers so perhaps it was worth the scolding! As you do, I checked the dictionary definition: to bloom means to yield blossoms; to flourish; to glow with warmth; to be in a state of healthy beauty & vigour. All good things surely, and I can only aspire to the last of them! Welcome to my blog & wishing all health, beauty & vigour to you!