Quilt-a-long blocks 7 and 8

My Mum is quilting-a-long nicely and loving every minute of it, even flirting with the idea of buying more background fabric to make extra blocks - go Mum!

What girl wouldn't be seduced by these?

This is one of my most favourite roses & is called 'Seduction', a romantic, girly blend of the softest pink & pearly cream, and frilly to boot. That significant wedding anniversary has come about quickly (yes, it's today) so perhaps a vase full of 'Seduction' roses is appropriate! Be assured, the champagne is ice cold & I am promised something yum for dinner. You won't be surprised to learn that the 'Love Quilt' has not progressed very far. I will have to sign up for May Britt's WISP challenge I think!

Blast from the past

A warm, breezy summer day here today, perfect for washing & drying quilts. These are two of my earliest quilts, made as cot quilts for my first daughter who is now twelve. I was obviously in a 'blue & pink' phase! I still really love these quilts & they remain in constant use as 'cuddle up in front of the telly' quilts.We are waiting with bated breath for the hot, hot summer we are used to here in Australia. The temperatures have been kind so far, mostly mid to high thirties (celsius) but we usually have a few weeks of well over 40 degrees at this time of year. "Bring it on - we can take it" ... she declares boldly from the comfort of an air-conditioned home!

Teddies, all in a row

Some years ago now, I made this teddy bear swag for the newborn son of one of my good friends. I have to say he was not quite so 'newborn' when he finally received this gift! Perhaps 2008 will see me put some 'pep in my step' & finish projects more quickly? Hmmm, probably not! How cute are these teddies? The pattern is by Buzzy Bee Buttons and is called 'Teddy Line up Swag'.

Stitching friendships

In the sad absence of stitching news this month, I thought I would blow the cobwebs off some old projects to show you.This was a joint project with a lovely friend of mine that we stitched together about three years ago, and was a gift for a mutual & special friend. It is Bareroots Cozy Table Runner #101. We had such fun putting this together & made enthusiastic and rash promises that we would each make one for ourselves one day, but of course, we haven't!

Teeny weeny mini muffins

Thankfully the 'sous-chef' (aka daughter #1) is home on school holidays and afternoon teas are well catered for!

Time to smell the roses

Life is a bit busy right now & it would be sensible to sign off from blogging for a bit. But on the other hand, to post every now and then may be just the distraction I need! There will definitely be no time for stitching in the next month or so, but I am hoping to manage just a little bit of time each day to 'smell the roses'. Hope you can smell them with me!This is one of my newly planted roses, a little ground cover rose called 'Grannie's Bonnet'. A very happy New Year to you all. I wish you good health & every happiness in 2008.

Making Christmas memories

One of the most special things about our family Christmas is receiving gifts from my children. A few years ago, we came up with a means of helping our kids to think about giving as well as receiving at Christmas time. They each have $5 to spend on each of the other members of our immediate family and are encouraged to make a handmade gift for everyone. These are my wonderful gifts from my children this year, all of which they bought & made without my knowledge:My littlest blossie (age 6) made me this handmade box, painted gold, filled with sand & planted with artificial hibiscus! She also drew me a picture with lift up flaps, beneath which were more drawings of special things. Her $5 was spent on a length of very beautiful ribbon & a paper punch. The youngest man in my life (age 9) busily set about making me some origami animals & flowers. He has picked up on my fetish for ric rac and also bought me a very cute Christmas tree stamp. Biggest blossie (age 12) presented me with homemade rum balls (one of my Christmas favourites) in a handmade box, and a Donna Hay magazine for holiday reading. I love that they have each been so thoughtful about their gifts, and know exactly the things that make me happy! They are so precious.

'Hark the herald, angels sing ... glory to the new born King'

My best wishes for a wonderful & joyous Christmas to each and every one of you as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Thank you for the most amazingly warm welcome you have all given me to blogland. I feel truly blessed by these new friendships. The last few days have seen some life-changing decisions made in my household, which have meant all of my Christmas preparations have gone awry. But amongst the chaos, this arrived today from a lovely, generous member of our extended family. So I at least have a centrepiece for our family's Christmas table tomorrow! It is just the sweetest idea - a tree made entirely from tiny parcels of jaffa lollies, Freddo frogs & candy canes! Won't this be a hit with the kids? And with others of us who remain 'young at heart'! Happy Christmas everyone.

Maiden commercial quilting experience!

My Mum recently sent off her beautiful 1930's single Irish chain quilt to a commercial long arm quilter. We have always quilted our own quilts with simple straight lines. Nervously awaiting it's return, we picked it up yesterday & were delighted with the result. It is stippled all over which accentuates the coloured chains ...and has beautiful feathers on the border. I will post some better photos when it is bound. The fabrics left over from this quilt are being used by Mum to do her Quilt-a-long blocks.