Victorian bushfires

It somehow seems inappropriate today to prattle on about stitching or gardening when so many in Victoria are suffering such loss of loved ones or property in horrendous bushfires. My thoughts and prayers are with the many families who have been affected. Hoping for a change in the weather soon to alleviate the atrocious conditions.

Dear Jane returns ... to a mess of fabric all over the lounge room floor

I am back to my Dear Jane blocks after months of inactivity. Now that the kids have returned to school, it is a little easier to find some stitching time.

F13 Tour de France

I used my new silk threads to needleturn this block and it really is very beautiful to work with. The silk 'disappears' into the fabric wonderfully.

A8 Florence Nightingale

And this is the fabric mess on the lounge room floor! In a mad rush of enthusiasm, I cut fabrics for this quilt immediately after my visit to Hatched & Patched with Chookyblue two weeks ago. It is my version of Anni's new pattern 'Ava Rose'. I am using these 'Barefoot Roses' fabrics by Tanya Whelan. And here it sits, strewn on the floor, waiting for me to be happy with the 'random' placement of the fabrics! It takes me a long time to 'do random'!! Hopefully, more progress on this front soon!

Linen + anything = success!

I made up this quick & easy little journal cover this week, using linen & scraps.

 

I took lots of photos as I stitched, so hope to have a tutorial up for it soon.

I love linen!

Warning: Heavily bloom-laden post

Chookyblue's recent visit to town happened to coincide with some local Open Gardens, so in addition to visiting Hatched & Patched, we also gallivanted about gardens together.

There were stunning vistas to enjoy ...

... the gentle & soothing splish spashing of water on a hot day ...

... majestic stands of silver birches to cool ourselves beneath.

And then there were blooms! Fiery red dahlias in the summer sun, wafting about above gorgeous chocolate brown foliage ...

... dahlias of a different form, spiky & showy ...

Oooh, and then there were hydrangeas, a sentimental favourite from my childhood. And in the most delicate and pretty of colours ...

And even the roses looked lovely mid-summer,

apparently untouched by hot winds.

Sweet pots of evening primrose lined stairways ...

as did ruby red penstemon:

There were little retreats for friends only to stop to rest (sign reads 'Friends Welcome, Relatives by Appointment!):

and seats of a different type, perhaps not for sitting these days! Can you see what this little red chair once was? Now that's what I call repurposing!

We saw hardy succulents flowing carelessly from pedestals ...

... and the most amazing use of echeverias for bordering vegetable beds!

And this was one of my more gob-smacking finds: a stunning lilium standing boldly & beautifully upright against a reed fence ... WOW!

And all the while, the sheep next door grazed peacefully & nonchalantly ...

 except for this one ...

... who was obviously called upon to be the showman of the mob. "Baaaa-ha-ha ... how I love an audience"!

Pink or blue? I wonder ...

A friend is expecting a baby very soon. In an attempt to be on time with a gift, I am covering my options, & preparing one in pink & one in blue!

How cool is this, Dear Jane?

If you have a Flickr account, you might like to have a play with PictoBrowser. It turned my Dear Jane set into a cool slideshow instantly. Click on the PictoBrowser button at the lower right hand corner of my slideshow if you'd like to try it. Otherwise, these are my Dear Jane blocks to date.

Chookyblue comes to town

The ever cheerful & enthusiastic Chookyblue popped in for a visit last week. Being the terrible influence that she is, she had talked me into visiting Hatched & Patched before I could blink! Here is just a sample of the temptation which greeted us at Anni Downs' beautiful shop:

Luscious 'Ava Rose' fabrics by Tanya Whelan greeted us at the front door ...

... followed closely by a new, 'quick & easy quilt' design by Anni made up in Ava Rose fabrics. This pattern quickly made it to my bag of purchases.

There were beautiful samples from Anni's newest book, 'The World as it Should Be' ...

... including the delightful 'A Peaceful Life' quilt, ideal for farm boys, old or young.

This book managed to jump into my bag too!

And there was general gorgeousness every which way: The 'Mill Flower Quilt' ...

... needlepunch from 'Simple Pleasures' ...

and stitcheries, also from 'Simple Pleasures' ...

... sweet 'Making Tea' wallhanging ...

... 'My Heart My Home' quilt ...

... and cute little felt Christmas baubles.

There was also a beautiful version of Natalie Lymer's 'Truly Scrumptious' quilt.

But this is the quilt that stopped me in my tracks on this visit:

An astonishing foundation-pieced beauty by Chris Jurd. I stood staring & admiring this quilt for ages. Very impressive! Thanks Chooky for a great day. My bank account is so much the poorer thanks to you!

Favourite recipes for surviving a hot, hot, hot Aussie summer #2

A very happy (and probably hot!) Australia Day to all. For us, it was spent enjoying a lavish brunch & some tennis with friends, interspersed with long & excited recounts of Jelena Dokic's win in the Australian Open last night. Here is the second of my recipe discoveries for the summer, sure to cool you down nicely! 

White chocolate, raspberry & almond ice-cream cake

150g blanched almonds

Store-bought sponge cake

2 litres good quality vanilla ice-cream, softened

300g frozen raspberries

100g white chocolate, chopped coarsely

Spread almonds in a baking tray. Bake in 200 degrees Celsius oven for 5 minutes until golden. Cool & chop coarsely.

 

Line a cake pan (I used a 20 x 20 cm square pan) with plastic cling wrap.

Combine softened ice-cream, almonds & chocolate in a bowl & stir through. Stir frozen raspberries through mixture gently. Transfer mixture to cake pan. Press down firmly & smooth surface.

Cut sponge cake into 1.5 cm slices & cover top of ice-cream mixture. Cover with cling film & freeze until firm (at least six hours).

Turn onto serving platter. Top with extra berries and/or melted white chocolate. Slice to serve.

Now this just makes me feel happy!

Fabrics washed & ready for action!

Souvenir shopping?

I am slowly unpacking from our travelling about, and am unearthing little bits of shopping. Who needs postcards or teaspoons when you can buy fabric & sewing treasures! These lovely fabrics were purchased in Corowa & Echuca, both wonderful country towns on the Murray River between New South Wales & Victoria. I was very excited to find the 'Follow Your Imagination' fabric by Prints Charming - I have seen fantastic things made from this print. And there is some Sis Boom & some Robyn Pandolph in that little stash too! And a few more pieces to add to my Dear Jane stash. You may remember when I started Dear Jane, that it would be made entirely from my existing stash? As if that was ever going to happen!

I visited a favourite quilting shop in Berry, and was very self-controlled, leaving with the smallest of parcels. I had been told, more than once, that the only thread to use for needleturn applique on my Dear Jane quilt is pure silk. Expensive? Yep! The beige colour will be used for light fabrics, the grey for darks. Also, a little packet of 'the only needles for needleturn'! Hoping to try these out soon.

And also from Echuca, some very cute buttons to be used for who knows what, and a divine black velvet buckle.

Now aren't you glad I didn't buy postcards?! And the crazy thing is, I will remember where each one of these things was purchased, & the little towns we visited. So perhaps they are souvenirs after all!