Resistance is futile

I said I was tempted ... I didn't say I'd have any self-control!

Tanya Whelan's 'Dolce' fabrics arrived in the mail this week from Z&S Fabrics.

Followed closely by the first blocks of my Paintbox quilt-a-long. Yes, I am a hopeless case! Don't tell Peg I've started something new - I am supposed to be finishing UFOs.

Day book entry #2

Outside my window ... the day is crisp and sunny, a beautiful Autumn day. The roses are blooming happily, their colours always more intense at this time of year. The garden is in desperate need of weeding!

'Chartreuse de Parme', a French Delbard rose outside my window

From the kitchen ... I am planning a big day of preparing picnic fare for a special day out for the family tomorrow. My intended menu: ham & grape tomato tart, honey lime glazed chicken, vegetable picnic rolls and hazelnut & raspberry cakes. A derisory comment from my 14 year old daughter this morning as she walked out the door for school, "Yeah sure Mum, good luck with that"!

I am inspired by ... Elizabeth's stunning modern quilts at Oh Fransson!

I am tempted to ... join Elizabeth's Paintbox Quilt-a-long.

I am reading ... 'Tis by Frank McCourt, the sequel to 'Angela's Ashes', which I enjoyed so much. A favourite quote:

"My mother made tea in a teapot and couldn't help sniffing at the idea of tea bags. I told her tea bags were just a convenience for people with busy lives and she said no one is so busy they can't take time to make a decent cup of tea and if you are that busy you don't deserve a decent cup of tea for what is it all about anyway? Are we put into this world to be busy or to chat over a nice cup of tea?"

I am also reading ... 'Alice in Wonderland'! David Stratton claimed on At The Movies that the new film version deviates too far from the original. Nothing for it but to read the original again! A favourite quote:

Alice generally gave herself very good advice (though she seldom followed it) ...

I am remembering ... this image from a favourite artist Carambatack, which just says 'Alice' to me.

You can see more of Carambatack's whimiscal art at her Flickr page or her Etsy shop.

From my picture journal ...

A hastily taken photo of my Mum's latest quilt, in our garden at the farm last weekend. Awful photo as the day was dull and rainy. I will take some better photos of her quilt to show you soon. Made from a layer cake of a new Moda range, 'Make Life' by Sweetwater.

Have a great weekend. I'm off to make a pot of tea! Bloom x

There's rain a-comin'

We are expecting rain and temperatures are slowly dropping, so I thought I should get some bloom photos in before they pack themselves away for winter. These are some of my treasured & unusual plants at our farm garden.

Stunning Josephine's Lily (Brunsvigia josephinae), a rare beauty given to me by a gardening friend. I wrote about the wonder of this bulb when it flowered for the first time last year (see this post).

Delicate red spider lilies, bulbs pinched from my Mum's garden when she wasn't looking!

A rose with a long history, 'Monsieur Tillier', being first introduced in France in 1891. It is in its glory in autumn.

My Ox Tongue Lily (Haemanthus coccineus) is blooming for the very first time, and was given to me by the same gardening friend as the Josephine Lily. It is the funniest little plant. I thought it was dead, then suddenly it sends up this amazing bloom from nowhere. After flowering, two broad leathery leaves appear, growing opposite each other and flat on the ground, which look like long ox tongues - cool! I love garden oddities!

I hope for those of you emerging from the Northern Hemisphere winter, that there are glimpses of colour appearing in your world as spring approaches. And for us Downunder, we will enjoy our beautiful cool autumn weather and time in the garden.

A bit of skirt?

Spurred on by Ric-Rac & Flowergarden's forays into skirt-making (and a well-timed visit from my mother!) I now have something new in my wardrobe.

NB: In the above photo, I have employed Jodie's excellent 'how to pretend to your blog friends that you're slim' technique of folding 'six or eight inches of fatty boombalatta' excess to the back.

Mum whipped this skirt up for me in no time. She trained in dressmaking many years ago, and knows stuff about making garments fit well.

The floral fabric is 'Shanghai Edition' by Art Gallery Quilts. We added a 1" frill around the bottom edge, in a fabric from an old Amy Butler range called 'Charm'.

The pattern we used is Butterick 3597, now out of print. It is a simple A-line pattern, no waistband, zipper in the centre back. We lined the skirt, which makes it super-smooooth to wear.

Skirt making doesn't get much simpler than this - I love it!

So here I am, basking in the glory of a brand new skirt and some Autumn sunshine! Thanks Mum.

10 things I hate about me

No, that would be an horrible way to start the week - I couldn't do it to you! But one thing about me that I'm frustrated about at the moment is my apparent inability to get projects finished. I get bored with projects quickly, & find myself constantly on the look out for something new to tackle. The fallout is a huge pile of half-finished ideas, languishing in the corner waiting for my attention.

Motivated by my gorgeous friend Peg, the queen of finish-it-up, I am doing some well deserved 'butt-kicking' & declaring war on the huge pile in the corner.

The stitched panel for this baby sampler has been complete for 'some time' (way too long). I have finally made it up into the tiny cushion it was always meant to be, and it is winging its way to its sweet recipient.

Couldn't resist matching polka dots, and white bows at the back.

Did I get the year wrong on the stitchery? Nope, true confessions - it's 12 months late! Perhaps little Macey can use it as a dolly pillow?!

Sweet heart for my Sweetheart

It seemed appropriate on Valentine's Day to finish making this little trinket.

The pattern is 'Sweet Heart Birdies' by one of my favourite Australian designers, Marg Low. And it features a beautiful timber embellishment by Theodora Cleave Designs.

My Sweetness is one of those men who think Valentine's Day is a whole lot of commercial rubbish. But I made this for him, just to stir! Perhaps he'll hang it above his workbench in the shed!

My favourite 'leurve song' right now is 'Love you till the end' by The Pogues (click below to play). On Rachel's recommendation, I finally watched 'P.S. I Love You' in the holidays. Man, I don't remember ever having cried so much in all my life! Gorgeous film. But be prepared to be a blubbering, exhausted mess by the end. Happy Valentine's Day!

Aster Manor pillow

I have another tutorial up on Moda Bakeshop today. I have made a simple little pillow from 3 Sisters' latest romantic line called 'Aster Manor'.

The pattern uses one of Moda's precut honey buns, but you could use any 1.5" strips of fabric. I have incorporated linen, sweet pearl flower buttons, ivory ric-rac & some piping detail. A stitched band similar to that I embroidered for my journal cover tutorial would also look good.

I have used bows to tie the back closed (otherwise known as 'zipper avoidance')!

I do like the bows though. I think they almost make this pillow reversible!

I hope you enjoy the tutorial. I would love to hear what you think of it, and please send photos if you make a pillow of your own. Best wishes, Bloom x

The postman always rings twice

Actually, the postman doesn't ring at all at our place! I'd be happy if he'd just ring once, so that I didn't have to keep checking the mailbox when I am expecting something special! Good mail for me this week.

Delicious 'Nicey Jane' from Z&S Fabrics - I have a quilt planned for these.

And a copy of Material Obsession by Australian girls Sarah Fielke & Kathy Doughty. This has been on my 'must-have' list for a while and I found it for a bargain here. (Unfortunately, they have put the price up again). The book is every bit as inspiring as I expected from these girls.

I have discovered a nifty site for all you Aussie book lovers out there. It is called Booko and helps track down the least expensive price in Australian dollars for whatever book you fancy. Have a great week, Bloom x

Here we go again

School and all its busyness has returned. I seem to be drowning in books to be covered and questionnaires to be filled in. In amongst it though, I have managed to fire up the sewing machine and get some borders on my 'Barefoot Roses' quilt. It is such a pleasure to be sewing again after many weeks away from the machine.

The quilt pattern is a very simple one called 'Ava Rose' by Hatched & Patched. The fabrics are mostly 'Barefoot Roses', Tanya Whelan's very first fabric line.

Tanya's newest line 'Dolce' is sorely tempting, but I'm yet to succumb! It would seem not a lot has changed in the life of Bloom - frenetic chasing about after kids, growing roses, sewing roses & salivating over new fabric collections, battling the urge to purchase - life is sweet!

Today ...

I am inspired by ... Natalie at Cinderberry Stitches to post an occasional daybook entry to track my year.

Outside my window ... is a lone water lily that I have coerced to bloom in our pond.

I am thankful for ... bloggers who love to see photos of my roses & garden. I always worry that my 'bloom' posts might bore everybody. For those of you who want to see more of my farm garden, I will sort through some photos and put a post together soon.

I am loving ... eating juicy fresh lychees and watching tennis.

I am stitching ... very little!

I am hoping ... to at least turn my sewing machine on today, hoping to put the final white border on this quilt.

I am drooling over ... this gorgeous clam shell quilt that Jean (Linen & Raspberry) is working on.

I am seriously tempted by ... aforementioned Jean's suggestion to join a quilt-a-long to make this quilt by Michelle Yeo:

I am hearing ... the happy chattering of my 8-year-old daughter & her very best friend, who is here for one last sleepover before she moves to Mullumbimby.

I am reading ... more than I have in years, a New Year's resolution! Found a copy of Frank McCourt's 'Angela's Ashes' on my Dad's bookshelf in the holidays. A bittersweet yet funny story of his Irish upbringing. Very enjoyable.

On my mind ... the dreadful tragedy of two young lives taken in a camping accident yesterday. They are ex-students of our school. My heart aches for their families.

From my picture journal ... proof that even grasses can be beautiful (purple fountain grass from my farm garden).